Sometime ago, I wrote about my love for children and what I had learned from the United States Catholic Program for Safeguarding children, called VIRTUS.by Vera Grant AMMM Ireland 06.09.2022
As the euphoria of having booked my dream holiday started to fade it was replaced with a gnawing sense of anxiety. It wasn’t the holiday although trying to see three cities in three different countries in eight days was quite an undertaking, but I revelled in the success of finding the perfect trip in spite of my family’s misgivings.
Going on my own meant I would be responsible for all the essential data like the Covid Certificates and Passenger Locater forms. The latter, an arduous task, and having watched my daughter on holiday trying to complete them I feared for my lack of competence. Thankfully as the restrictions eased these were no longer required but that could all change on a whim and it kept me on ‘alert mode’.
To add to the rising level of anxiety was the chaos situation in the airports and the daily bulletins from Dublin airport filled me with horror. Jettisoned was the check- in luggage and replaced with a lightweight cabin case. The knock on effect was to deselect the favourite outfits and the pampering skin care products. The shine was certainly diminishing.
This was followed by booking the bus journey to the airport. The simple online booking no longer sufficed, a QR code had to be downloaded and presented on arrival to the driver. To reassure me a paper copy was printed and I think I was the only passenger with such outdated evidence.
Once on my way, seat buckled I sat back and felt relief for the first time that I had managed to get this far and Scandinavia beckoned.
However, the relief wasn’t to last long as the dreaded QR codes popped up everywhere. In restaurants you had to download the menu, make your choice, pay online and wait for the ping on your mobile phone. I was totally out of my comfort zone and hated always to be asking the tour guide for help. Day by day it seemed as if my adult self was being chipped away, my confidence ebbed and I felt like a child, the nuisance one, not knowing and always having to ask.
The now very familiar pattern kept repeating and it was like hitting a brick wall. The frustration and lack of control surfaced yet again, this time, in the hotel lift. The instructions said to put in your room card to activate the lift. The card was pushed in, pulled out, floor selected but nothing happened. The lift doors remained open for all the other guests to witness my discomfort.
Desperation mounted and the thought of having to drag myself and the case back to reception to ask for help was out of the question. Frantically I inserted the card and suddenly the doors closed and we moved upwards. I hadn’t a clue what I had done to make that happen but I exhaled a sigh of relief.
The same evening, I was in the lift again and had my card at the ready. There were two others in the lift and when they saw me with card in hand, they stepped back to let me start the process. In went the card, no response, a shrug of the shoulders hopefully would indicate that it was the fault of the lift and nothing to do with me. The younger person took the card from me and in one quick movement inserted and extracted the card. The doors closed and she handed the card back to me saying, ‘in, out’. I said ‘thanks’. She smiled.
The following day I stepped into the lift and there were two women of a similar age to me and they were laughing together at their futile attempts to activate the lift. I took my card and demonstrated what I had been shown the night before, in, out. The doors closed and we glided upwards. The both of them thanked me profusely and laughed at their stupidity. I smiled.
I smiled for myself too. In this ever-changing world of technology, no matter how hard I try I cannot keep up but at least I am not alone.
by Nadia Ramoutar MMM Communications Coordinator Ireland 04.09.2022
When I was a little girl, I loved back to school time. I think it may be my obsession with new pens and paper that was at the heart of it. Perhaps it was the chaos of my homelife that made me love school so much. I don’t know exactly why but although I always hated for summer to end, I was always delighted to get back to school. I was a fortunate child who had great school friends (I still have the same friends I did then!) and lovely teachers. I loved to learn and I still do.
If makes my heart heavy to think how many little girls are denied the joys of learning. As I do more and more global health work, I learn about the plights of half the children in the world because of gender – girls have much less chance of being educated, setting them up for a much harder life. It’s hard for many of us to imagine that families facing poverty or hardship often do not let girls go to school because they are needed to fetch water or do domestic tasks. I am so grateful that our MMM Sisters and Associates work to regenerate water and set up sanitation programmes that make it possible for girls to go to school.
Our MMM Sisters not only treat the person who is sick or challenged, but the family. We see so many succ
elp families feed themselves and help single mothers support their families. We, in the Western world, often take for granted that opportunities need to be fair and equal. Most of the world is not operating on this premise.
So, as we see all the “Back to School” hype in August and September, let’s take a moment to think of a little girl somewhere wishing she could go to school and dreaming of learning. I will continue to work for that little girl I may never meet. When we help a family, we prepare the next generation for what’s to come. Educating a girl means a future family will benefit and so will the whole village or community.
MMMs place a huge emphasis on education. Our Founder Mother Mary knew 85 years ago the importance of educating the Sisters. Since then hundreds of girls have grown to become not only Sisters but doctors, nurses, midwives, therapists and other health related professionals. The rest is history as they say.
by Eilín Teeling, AMMM Ireland 02.09.2022
St Teresa of Avila in Spain (1515-82) famously wrote that:
“Christ has no body on earth but yours.
Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassionately on this world.
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good.
Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”
I was asked some years ago to serve as a Minister of the Eucharist at Mass. I hesitated – I thought of the centurion who said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof” (Mt 8:8), whose words we say at every Mass before we receive Eucharist. Then I thought that if everyone felt like that, we would have no community, so I agreed.
St. Teresa’s writings reminds us to reflect on the real presence of Christ in each of us because each of us is created in God’s image and likeness. It brings home the meaning of “love thy neighbour” and includes everybody not just those we like. When we see our unpleasant neighbour who argues about garden boundaries, or the drunk person shouting in the street, we are called to remember that they too are “the body of Christ on earth.”
I pray for grace and reverence each time I serve as a Minister of the Eucharist. It is a precious moment as I raise the sacred host to each person, one by one. I see their eyes first, and I then see their hands as they receive. I see smiling eyes, troubled eyes, sad eyes. I see large, grimy hands, rough from years of manual work. I see small, manicured hands, smooth and cared for. What hardship or love is in each person’s life? What work do the hands do each day? We use our hands for hugs, kind deeds, preparing meals with love, or for cruelty. What have the eyes witnessed, kindness or rejection? Sometimes, I feel moved to give some a hug.
My service as Minister of the Eucharist has brought me blessings: by noticing eyes and hands, I also witness Christ in each person.
by Sr. Margaret Anne Meyer MMM U.S.A. 31.08.2022
Recently, I received an invitation from the Faith Leaders of an ecumenical group to join in the annual Christian celebration with the ecumenical family around the world to unite and pray and protect our common home. The Season celebration begins on September 1 and ends on October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. This year the theme will be “LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF CREATION”
Psalm 19:1-4 declares, “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims God’s handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech and night to night declares knowledge, their voice is not heard yet their voice goes out to all through all the Earth, and their words to the end of the world.
The Members of the Season Creation Advisory Committee urges us through our common prayer and action to listen to the voices of those who are silenced. “In prayer we lament the individual species, communities and ecosystems who are lost, and those whose livelihoods are threatened by habitat loss and climate change. In prayer we center the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor. May this 2022 Season of Creation renew our ecumenical unity, renewing and uniting us by our bond of Peace in one Spirit, in our call to care for our common home. And may this season of prayer and action be a time to Listen to the Voice of Creation, so that our lives in words and deeds proclaim good news for all the Earth”.
Yes, we certainly need some good news. My heart went out to all those suffering excessive heat of 40 degrees Celsius in parts of Europe and in some States here in the USA. The fires in France and flooding in other parts of the world call out to us to do something. Yes, we are listening but what can one do?
In response to Pope Francis’s Encyclical, Laudato Si, a group has formed in Rome which teaches dioceses throughout the world how grave the problem is and some ways to take action. What is so wonderful about this program is that it is highly organized and asks that deadlines be met. This is to spur us on.
Last March, The Archdiocese of Boston hosted a webinar in how to save our planet. I was struck by the emblem of a small home nestled in a tree. This represents a symbol of our common home protected by nature. What happens in one part of the world will eventually happen to us if we do not listen to what nature is trying to tell us. The earth is our common home, and we belong to one another as brothers and sisters. Pope Francis urges us to have right relationships, forgive one another and avoid all forms of violence. He says in this way we will not only save our planet from destruction, but we would live in harmony with one another. If everyone adopted these means the world would slowly change.
I was very moved by this webinar and joined an advocacy group. I told them, I was aging and could not be very active but that I would pray. They seemed to like that. Our group had two sessions by zoom with Aides to our State Senators. We urged them to pass a bill to combat climate change. There was a lot of opposition to this, but somehow aa modified Bill was recently passed by Congress, and we are all very thankful to God. Perhaps you have something going in your Diocese and or Parish? Please join in whole heartedly trusting in God to use your efforts to change the world.
by Theresa McDonnell Friström AMMM Ireland 29.08.2022
I like spending time with friends because it enriches my soul. This was written in June 2022.
,
Two Anamchairde,
Two funerals,
One in a Catholic Church,
In Wicklow
One in an Islamic Mosque,
In Dublin
On a beautiful sunny day
Close to midsummer.
Celebrating
Lives of two wonderful people,
Friends,
One born in Ireland,
One born in Bangladesh,
One woman,
one man.
Each, in their way
dedicated their lives
To the service and healing of others.
A third Anamcara,
Welcomed and fed the two who then
walked the length of the beach
Watching
for the stones,
From amongst millions,
That were waiting for them.
Stones, too,
Dedicating their lives
To the service and healing
Of our world,
Holding our memories,
Receiving graciously the suffering we offer
Until we remember
And actively share in carrying
burdens
Of our fellow beings,
Our friends.
by Sr. Cecily Bourdillion MMM Ireland 27.08.2022
I begin every day thanking God for the many gifts showered upon me – and one that is so very precious is that of hearing. What would my life be like without music?
I love Classical music. My first memory of music is listening to that which emerged from the “gramophone” of my father. As he moved around in rural Africa in the 1930’s he carried with him “His Master’s Voice” records, thick and heavy, that were played on the gramophone. The equipment was wound up with a handle. What amazing technology! As a needle ran along the grooves of the record, sound came forth!
Then electricity came to rural Africa. The records were the same, but they dropped down onto a revolving disc turned by electricity. I remember our favourites. They were John McCormack singing Panis Angelicus and Yehudi Menuhin playing Beethoven’s violin sonata at the age of 16 years. This was on the two sides of three records. Fortunately, they were so arranged that the three records could be placed on the support. They dropped down one after the other and then they could be turned over together and the music continued. These records played at 78 revolutions per minute (78rpm).
These records were replaced by the larger, lighter records that needed a finer needle and played at 32rpm. Much more fitted on these records. We could order them, and they came by post and so we added to our library. Of course, all those records are now obsolete, “antiques”, hardly ever seen!
Tapes and tape recorders appeared. These were a wonderful advance for they could be easily carried around and installed in vehicles. How I loved listening to Jaqueline du Pre playing Dvorak’s Cello Concerto whilst travelling along the rough roads of the African countryside to outreach clinics or going to the city for shopping.
Tapes got caught up and deteriorated so the Compact Disc (CD) was a welcome advance. The player could be carried around one’s neck and played at any time. The CD carried so much more music, was light and small and easily stored in large numbers. The DVD made the musicians visible – pianists, singers, orchestras.
Now we live in a world of digital technology and a library of music can be carried in one’s pocket on the iPod or the Media Player – MP3. We have the radio and Lyric FM here in Ireland that gives us music by day and by night.
It is wonderful to be able to listen to music when alone, or sitting with others in a large room, or in a vehicle. But there is nothing to be compared with live music such as sitting in a concert hall with an orchestra playing. Listening to Tchaikovsky’s 1st Symphony became for me a profound prayer. I seemed to be caught up in the various moods and passion of the music. I experienced the peace, the glory, the power, the passionate love of our God – in the great company of Heaven, praising God, Source of all beauty and of Music.
by Sr. Jo Anne Kelly MMM Ireland 25.08.2022
A suggestion this month is to write about my favourite thing, favourite anything. There is so much goodness and beauty in life I have so many favourites. But I do love the wind and I love a windy day. The wind speaks to me of openness, freedom freshness and abandonment.
As a child on a windy day I loved to go out into the middle of a field, loosen the plaits in which my mother had carefully put my long hair and let the wind take my hair in all directions. It was thrilling and I wished that I could fly. I had no words then to explain how I felt. But I did know that it was going to be painful to sit in front of my mother with her brush and comb, with hair being pulled and tugged to try to remove the tangles and get it back to some kind of tidiness. But it was worth it.
As I sit in our lovely garden now with its variety of beautiful trees and watch the wind whipping through them I am reminded of the quote in St. John’s Epistle. “The Spirit blows where it wills, you hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going, and so it is with everyone born in the Spirit. And we are all born in the Spirit.
Later in life I learnt something of being open to that Spirit. I was in my first mission, doing the work I was trained to do and happy doing it. One day I got a letter with a new assignment to a totally different kind of work for which I felt ill-prepared and very inadequate. This was not in my plan, and perhaps it was the first time I really became aware of being led by the Spirit of God. That change of direction opened up an unexpected and wonderful new world for me, not without the pain of tugs and pulls and sorting out of many “tangles”. But again it was worth it.
There is a wonder and a wildness about the wind too, a wildness that takes us beyond what we know, what we can see. I love the quote from Pope Francis “Don’t let your horizon be so close that it becomes a fence.”
Now in my older years I sit in our lovely garden and enjoy the wind playing in the trees, tossing and turning leaves, swaying branches back and forth. I am aware of how many people, especially our young people, are giving away their freedom and becoming addicted to drugs, alcohol, gambling and other fleeting pleasures. It is so very tragic. I recently spoke to one of our deacons in the Church, a married man with a grown family. I was interested to know why he chose to be a Deacon. He told me he is an addiction councillor. He had come to realise that it is extremely difficult for anyone to get free of an addiction without having a spirituality. They need to have Faith in a Higher Power, and he wanted to learn more so as to help them more.
So I watch the seagulls spread their wings and glide along, carried by the wind. I pray for all those enslaved by addiction that they come to know the only way to freedom is to stand out, open to the Spirit of God. May they allow themselves to be carried along by the strength of God’s Spirit, the God of Surprises.
by Sr. Liana de Jesus MMM Brazil/Kenya 23.08.2022
Recently I have been thinking about the things that bring me great happiness. Today, what gives me joy and happiness is to recognize the deep meaning of religious life. I accept this in my daily living as an MMM. When I am away from the community and one MMM Sister from my community calls or send a message to know how I am, this gives me joy and a sense of belonging. This also applies when one Sister travels, the house seems empty, and I count the days to be together again. We share the happiness and sufferings of our families and community and bring them to prayer. One of my biggest joys now is to live in a community where young women are in the initial stages of religious life. I know I help in their development as persons. I have noticed how much my joy and happiness can be a great contribution to their lives.
Another source of joy for me recently was my holiday in Brazil. It was a time of many blessings. When I went home, I received a lot of energy and words of encouragement for my mission. I discovered how much I feel loved by my people in Brazil, and how much my presence meant in the lives of others. Another thing that made me happy was becoming aware of my formators’ work in the past. It has helped me forgive my past, my family, my parents, and some good friends. I had the opportunity to visit most of my family members this time, living in different places. I received lots of love which I was not expecting from them, from the people in my home parish where I grew up. Even when I am far, they continue to send messages and pray for my vocation.
Daily, I get great joy in my hobby. I love painting, sewing and all kinds of artistic expression. I can have a lot of work to do, both in the community and in the Ministry, but I always find time for my hobby. Some people don’t understand how I can be sewing on Sunday or making cards. When I am alone, I can work better. I receive some inspiration and this time I use to show love for others. This makes me excited and brings happiness to my life.
We only can offer what we have and receive. These are all the gifts God has given me for free, my biggest happiness is to give out the love received.
by Sr. Sheila Campbell MMM Ireland 21.08.2022
Many people nowadays understand the term “rewilding”. At least it has become popular with an increase in ecological awareness and sensitivity to biodiversity. One definition of rewilding is: “conservation efforts aimed at restoring and protecting natural processes and wilderness areas. Rewilding is a form of ecological restoration with an emphasis on recreating an area’s natural uncultivated state.”
I love that phrase, ‘natural, uncultivated state’. I have been thinking of our relationship to God as being this uncultivated space where God has the freedom to roam in our hearts and lead us in paths that we had not planned. So much of our energy goes into planning our lives – when to do the shopping, the laundry, pick the kids up from school; we go from one work assignment to the next, from one meeting to the next, always on schedule, always on time (well, almost always!)
But God is calling us to a wider, wilder, more natural space where our hearts are open to the unplanned. Here I am not in control but let my thoughts, emotions and ideas settle into the background and just be in the present moment. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? But not so easy with our results-driven mentality. Sometimes it comes as a breakthrough when going through a period of illness or incapacity. It is a gift, but not always recognised as such at first.
Have you ever looked at a wildflower patch in a garden? Our first instinct is to say, “why haven’t they cut that back?” It takes a new eye to see the beauty at first glance. So today I ask for that grace – to welcome the spread of the wildflowers in my heart and to say thanks.
