Lying Awake: Some Summer Reading

My summer reading included a novel titled Lying Awake by Mark Salzman.

It was a captivating book, and I finished it in two days (that's quick for me.) If you chose to get it, be careful about what descriptions of it you read, because a lot of them, including the ones at amazon.com, contain spoilers.

To see if it's at your library or to interlibrary loan it, click here.
To purchase your own copy, click here.



Here is the description on the back of the book:

In a Carmelite monastery outside present-day Los Angeles, life goes on in a manner virtually un-changed for centuries. Sister John of the Cross has spent years there in the service of God. And there, she alone experiences visions of such dazzling power and insight that she is looked upon as a spiritual master. But Sister John's visions are accompanied by powerful headaches, and when a doctor reveals that they may be dangerous, she faces a devastating choice. For if her spiritual gifts are symptoms of illness rather than grace, will a "cure" mean the end of her visions and a soul once again dry and searching?

This is the dilemma at the heart of Mark Salzman's spare, astonishing new novel. With extraordinary dexterity, the author of the best-selling Iron & Silk and The Soloist brings to life the mysterious world of the cloister, giving us a brilliantly realized portrait of women today drawn to the rigors of an ancient religious life, and of one woman's trial at the perilous intersection of faith and reason.

Lying Awake is a novel of remarkable empathy and imagination, and Mark Salzman's most provocative work to date.

Other books I read this summer include:

• Buried Wheat by Sr. Rosamond Nugent, OSF (a novel based on the history of our community)
• The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman (While it was difficult to read this tragedy, it gave me insight into Hmong History and Culture, as well as a deeper awareness of the Secret War in Laos.)
• Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light -the Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta (I am actually in the middle of it.)

The End of Summer Brings New Beginnings

We have had some good times....I just love summers at the convent! On Saturday, Sr. Regina Rose, Sr. Leslie and I joined a couple of Sr. Mary Zigo's guests for a soccer game. We were going to play for 10 minutes and ending up playing for an hour....we were just having so much fun, so we didn't go in until it got dark out.

On Sunday, we were delighted to welcome Regina to the postulancy! You can read about her by clicking here.

We have gotten to eat with her a few times, and today we all went on a bike ride together, which was a lot of fun. Later on, we taught her how to play Hand and Foot, a favorite game of the Community! It is so great to hang out with Regina and I am so glad she is here!

We have also welcomed more International Sisters to our Motherhouse! Yay! Sr. Juliet is a Little Sister of St. Francis, and she is originally from Tanzania, Sister Constansia is a Franciscan Sister of St. Bernadette from Tanzania, and Sr. Emiliana is a Bene Maria Sister from Tanzania. Tomorrow, Sr. Rose Maura will arrive. She is a Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister from Nigeria. I am excited to get to know these Sisters, our "cousins!"

Last night, we went to the Serran Picnic, which is always a great time. Serra is the lay apostolate for vocations in the Catholic Church. Serrans promote and pray for vocations, and last night they fed us religious sisters, brothers and priests in the area and led BINGO! The Serran picnic always feels kind of like a family reunion...I just love it. I got to meet a few more Salvatorian Sisters, and that was great. (We help out at the Salvatorian Mission Warehouse.)

For more about Serra, click here: http://www.serra.org/

I hope and pray that your summer has been enjoyable, and that you have been able to stay cool! I know that it has been hot and dry in a lot of areas....

For those of you who went to World Youth Day, our Community has been praying a ton for you!!! We are members of the Apostleship of Prayer and Pope Benedict's intention for the month is: "That World Youth Day in Madrid may encourage young people throughout the world to have their lives rooted and built up in Christ." Throughout month of August, we have been praying for that intention during morning prayer.

A Couple New FSCC Blogs!

I would like to take the opportunity to invite you all to visit blogs by two of our professed sisters:

Sierra Vista Sister-Franciscan is a lovely blog written by Sr. Carol Siedl to document her experiences at Our Lady of the Mountains Parish in Sierra Vista, AZ.

It is a new mission site for our Sisters, and having Sisters around is a new thing for the parish. Sr. Carol and Sr. Mary Gabriel, the two Sisters who were sent there, have been greeted with a plentitude of hospitality from the Sierra Vista community! I know I am excited to continue to read of their adventures!

In Franciscan Retreat, Sr. Julie Ann invites you to read, reflect, pray, share; discern. As you peruse the blog on your own, you will find that it is not "just another blog on retreats" but a valuable roadmap to finding direction in your life.

Perhaps, you too, will feel called to attend a retreat with the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity. They are spiritually enriching and fun! When I came to retreats here before I entered, I found it refreshing to meet others who are discerning God's will as well!

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I would like to personally thank the people who nominated Franciscanized World for Best Blog by Religious, SisterMaryAnn Tweets for Best Microblog and Habitually Speaking for Best Spiritual Blog. It is such an honor and we really appreciate it!

Please consider taking a few minutes to vote. You may go to the Catholic New Media Awards website at http://www.catholicnewmediaawards.com/
Voting closes Friday, August 26th. Thank you!

Fighting World Hunger on the Potter's Wheel

Sr. Mariella spent time last summer teaching us how to write icons. This summer, she invited us novices and our directress, Sr. Natalie, into the pottery studio for some throwing on the wheel!

Sr. Leslie, Sr. Regina Rose and I all had prior experience throwing pots, and we soon found out that Sr. Natalie is a prodigy. Yeah. She learned in a day how to throw a pot on the wheel.

We had a great time, and we were able to contribute to a great cause! The bowls that we created will go to an Empty Bowls fundraiser.

"Empty Bowls is an international grassroots effort to fight hunger and was created by The Imagine Render Group. The basic premise is simple: Potters and other craftspeople, educators and others work with the community to create handcrafted bowls. Guests are invited to a simple meal of soup and bread. In exchange for a cash donation, guests are asked to keep a bowl as a reminder of all the empty bowls in the world. The money raised is donated to an organization working to end hunger and food insecurity."
http://www.emptybowls.net/


The bowls we contributed will benefit the Two Rivers Eccumenical Pantry, which currently serves 428 families. You can read more about it on Franciscanized World by clicking here.

Here are a couple pictures of what we made:

The prevalence of hunger in our world can be disheartening, especially when we watch videos of the people in Somalia who are suffering from the drought. We wonder if we can really make a difference in ending world hunger. However as Dewitt Jones says, we can make a contribution.

God uses our contributions and multiplies them. Just look what He has already done with the idea that one person or a small group of people had for "Empty Bowls": "Events have now taken place across the United States and in at least a dozen other countries. Many millions of dollars have been raised and donated to hunger-fighting organizations. We could never have imagined all the things people have done or all the ways the project has touched people" (http://www.emptybowls.net/).
And our prayers do more than we know.

When Jesus heard of [the death of St. John the Baptist], he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, "This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves." (Jesus) said to them, "There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves." But they said to him, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have here." Then he said, "Bring them here to me," and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking 5 the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over 6 --twelve wicker baskets full. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.
-Matthew 14:13-21

100th Entry of Habitually Speaking

It is offical. I have now reached 100 entries of "Habitually Speaking." I must say it is exciting to reach this milestone!

In honor of this occassion, I would like to ask, you, the reader, if there are any topics that you would be interested in reading about on here. Please write them in the comment box. Thank you!


I have been thinking about what else I can do to celebrate, and I have noticed that one tradition for bloggers is to write 100 things about themselves. So I decided to simply write 100 things:


1 Great Franciscan Movie:
Clare and Francis
(2007)

1 Favorite Devotion of Our Community:
The Sacred Heart of Jesus

3 Words to explain the Rule of St. Francis:
Live the Gospel

3 Upcoming Discernment Retreats:
-November 4-6, 2011
-February 17-19, 2012
-May 18-20, 2012

Our 3 Apostolates
-Education
-Healthcare
-Parish/Community Services

4 Charisms of our Community:
-simplicity, built on faith in a loving God
-joyful acceptance of poverty
-love for the Church
-selfless dedication to the service of others

5 Things You Might Not Know about St. Francis:
-His birthname was John (Giovanni), but later his father renamed him "Francesco," because of a good experience in France.
-He had dreamt of becoming a knight and failed at his attempts.
-Before his interior conversion, he was often seen partying and carousing in the streets of Assisi.
-He became friends with Sultan Al-Malik al-Kamil during the Crusades.
-Late in his life, he experienced two years of depression and was tempted to give up on what he had started (the Franciscan order).

The 5 Foundresses of our Community:
Sophia Fessler --> Sister Seraphica
Mary Ann Graff --> Sister Hyacinth
Josephine Thoeing --> Sister Coletta
Rosa Wahl --> Sister Odelia (Later Mother Odelia)
Teresa Gramlich --> Sister Gabriel (Later Mother Gabriel)

7 Decade Rosary for the 7 Joys of Mary (The Franciscan Crown):
The Annunciation
The Visitation
The Nativity
The Adoration by the Magi
The Finding of Jesus in the Temple
The Resurrection
The Assumption and Coronation

8 Locations of Our Missions:
Wisconsin
Michigan
Ohio
Nebraska
Hawaii
Arizona
Rome
Mississippi

9 Awesome Franciscan Saints:
St. Francis (founder of the Franciscan order)
St. Clare (foundress of the Poor Clares)
St. Pio (a.k.a. Padre Pio)
St. Maximillian Kolbe (gave up his life for a stranger at the Auschwitz concentration camp)
St. Veronica Giuliani (deep devotion to Christ's Passion)
St. Joseph of Cuppertino (patron saint of test takers and of people with learning difficulties)
St. Elizabeth of Hungary (patroness of the Secular Franciscan Order)
St. Anthony of Padua (Are you missing anything?)
St. Bonaventure (Great philosopher!)

20 Mysteries of the Rosary
"Finally, I exhort all consecrated persons, according to their own traditions, to renew daily their spiritual union with the Blessed Virgin Mary, reliving with her the mysteries of her Son, especially by saying the Rosary."
-Blessed John Paul II, Vita Consecrata

31 YouTube Videos by our Community:
*And counting!
http://www.youtube.com/user/calledtobeFranciscan

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100

Why Are Prayers at Mass Going to Change?

***Note: I wrote another entry on this topic on October 16, 2011: The Mass Explained (And More About the Changes)

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English speaking people from eleven different countries will be experiencing changes in the Mass beginning the First Sunday of Advent, this year. (November 27, 2011) Yesterday, during our community meeting, Sr. Pamela explained why what we say at mass is changing.

Note: Scripture readings, prayers of the faithful and favorite hymns will not be changed.

Here are some questions and answers based on her talk:

Why is there a new translation?
The translation we have been using has served us well. It was based on a method of translation called "Dynamic" Equivalence. This means that translators are free to paraphrase in order to get across the intended meaning of the original Latin text.

This method, while making the prayers more understandable to the general population, has also left out specific scriptural sentences. For example:
Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed," will be changed to "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and I shall be healed" (See Matthew 8:8).

The new method of translation that is used for the Roman Missal (formerly called the Sacramentary) is called "Direct" or "Formal" Equivalence. This means that the translators made the wording as close as possible to a literal translation of the Latin prayers.

The purpose of the new translation is to enrich what we say by examining the original texts in Latin. The goal is to make the translation better.

Will the Church go back to using Latin at Mass?
No. English (or whatever language you speak) is here to stay.

What if I have trouble getting used to it?
We have to be patient with each other and especially with our priests as we get used to it--it will take awhile to get used to the new translation.

Our priests have using the same words ever since Mass was said in English for the first time. Many of them celebrate Mass several times throughout the weekend and at least once a day. To all of a sudden change what one says will be a challenge.

At the same time, it will be challenging for the rest of us. We need to give it time, and everyone learns new things at a different pace.

Why are there more words in the Gloria?
We cannot say enough to praise God. We are so in awe of Him! In fact, the new translation of the Roman Missal is a more humble translation, acknowledging that we are in the presence of an awesome God! God is both imminent and transcendent. The new translation includes both of these realities on a deeper level.

Why are we going from saying "We Believe" to "I Believe" in the Nicene Creed?
Each of us takes responsibility to profess our faith. When we recite the Pledge of Allegiance in a group of people, we say, "I pledge allegiance to the flag...."

What does "consubstantial with the Father" mean?
Jesus and the Father are one and the same. They have the same substance.

If you would like more information....Sr. Pamela recommended the following booklets, which I now recommend to you:






Please, if you have any questions, write them in the comment box! I love questions, and if I don't know the answer, I will look for it.

Sister Water is Playful!

"All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water,
so useful, humble, precious and pure."
-St. Francis of Assisi

Sunday was Sister Leslie's birthday, so Sister Regina Rose and I put together a surprise water games party for her, which we had the day before. The weather really cooperated....it was really hot that day! We had water balloons and a slip 'n slide that we made from a tarp. Later that night, we had a Holy Hour together. Then on Sunday night we played "Minute to Win It" which Sr. Natalie and Sr. Kathleen organized. Later that night, some people on the other side of the lake shot off some really beautiful fireworks, and we joked that they did that for her birthday.

Fourth of July was awesome....my best Fourth of July's have been at the convent! It was fun the whole day. We got to sleep in and go to a later mass, we had a flag raising ceremony, dancing, badminton, croquet, sparklers, singing, hamburgers and brats, and simply hanging out with each other. It was a blast!

Tonight some of us just got back from picking strawberries. We picked about 180 pounds of them! They are delicious, and I am looking forward to having strawberry jam and whatever else they make from it.

Tomorrow is the last class for an English class we have been taking these past two weeks. It is called Franciscanism in Gerard Manley Hopkins, and Sr. Renita teaches it. Hopkins was a Jesuit but he was influenced by Franciscanism and this comes through in his poetry. I enjoy poetry, so it has been nice to be introduced to his work.

We also learned something very interesting today about Blessed John Duns Scotus, OFM (circa 1265-1308):

Scotus had been advocating for a feast of the Immaculate Conception. Some people in Rome did not approve of this and voted against his beatification. He was already called "Blessed" by the people who knew him/knew of him almost immediately after his death.

The Immaculate Conception was declared to be a dogma by Pope Pius IX in 1854.

In 1992, Pope John Paul II beatified him.

God has entrusted the workings of Church to human beings (under the guidance of the Holy Spirit), and none of us are perfect.

I think a good thing that situation this shows about the Church is that there are no rash decisions, especially when declaring dogmas. Matters of faith and morals are not taken lightly.

I hope and pray that you all are doing well! God bless!