In Our Lives as Sisters of The Holy Redeemer . . .
This past week has been all about journey! And we have had many opportunities to pause, celebrate and pray. We are grateful that God walks with us and all those whose journey we have honored these days.
We said farewell to a Precious Blood Sister who has been with us this past year while she helped us implement a new ministry site to care for individuals with intellectual disabilities. We are grateful for her spirit of joy, faith, and love as she joined us in community and ministry. We wish her and her congregation well as she goes forth to a new ministry.
We celebrated the birthdays and life journeys of one of our Sisters and a priest who is a spiritual guide and companion to us.
Several of us celebrated the faith journeys of the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart at their Jubilee Mass. We witnessed how God has been with them on their individual and community journeys whether it be 80 years or 25 years! Our two congregations have journeyed together over the years sharing resources and ministries.
Other Sisters participated in a retreat day for Eucharistic Ministers. They were invited to a deeper awareness of how they journey with each patient and resident they meet as they bring Jesus to them in the Eucharist.
Our Sisters in leadership led a retreat weekend for lay leaders in our ministry. Again, the theme was remembering when Jesus first called each participant to a deeper faith journey.
Another Sister welcomed some young people from a local church as they participated in their confirmation retreat by helping plant seedlings in our community garden and sharing stories of faith journeys in our Chapel. We encourage them on their unique journeys of faith.
We give thanks to Jesus for walking with us in all the moment of our lives, never tiring of waiting for us to recognize God’s presence and love.
In Your Life . . .
So what has your journey been like since Easter? When, where, how have you recognized God’s presence and love – in your life and the lives of others?
Have you noticed when your hearts burns within you on this journey that is your life? What fills you with fiery energy or the steady glow of peace?
We offer you this song to pray with:
I am with you by Kathy Sherman, CSJ
“I am with you on the journey
and I will never leave you;
I am with you on the journey;
always with you .”
Scripture Reflection . . .
Third Sunday of Easter
First Reading: Acts 2: 14, 22 – 33
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 16 “Lord, you will show us the path of life.”
Second Reading:1 Peter 1:17-21
Gospel: Luke 24:13-35 The Emmaus story
“Jesus himself drew near and walked with them.”
“Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
We are on a journey and each day is a part of that journey. Like any journey, life, has its smooth terrain and its rough roads; the sunny days and then the stormy days; the peaceful valleys and the harsh cliffs; joyful and sorrowful moments, and all the in-between places.
And Jesus walks with us, along the way. There are times when we recognize him in the breaking of the bread and scripture, the breaking open of another’s story, the breaking open of a flower bud in Spring; the breaking in of gratitude; the breaking open of our hearts . . . Then there are times we fail to recognize the presence of God in our midst. Yet God still walks with us, sharing our lives, speaking in all kinds of ways; making our hearts burn within us.
Do we notice when our hearts burn within us on the journey of our lives? What fills you with fiery energy or the steady glow of peace?