By Sr. Prisca Ovat, MMM Kenya 12.06.2022
Everyone is born into a family, not by choice, but divine plan. Through the family unit, we learn to appreciate where we are, its goodness and complexities. Pope Francis published the encyclical – Amoris Laetitia, modelling the family after the Holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. In his exhortation, he said, “No family drops down from heaven perfectly formed; families constantly need to grow and mature in the ability to love.” Ethical and cultural values aimed at family togetherness and societal flourishment are essential for this growth process.
St. Mary’s Medical Centre was founded around the slums of Kapsoya in Eldoret, Kenya. One of its initial intents was to offer relief to orphans of deceased HIV parents through daily provisions of lunch and education. Out of the hundreds who have received support, two occasionally return to the facility to work, to give back – one as a medical doctor and the other as a medical student.
A newborn baby is expected to reach certain key developmental milestones. One such milestone is that a baby should “smile with meaning” at six weeks. That means a smile that can focus, and it is a cause of great joy for those with whom the baby first engages with that meaningful smile.Covid ushered in an era of masks and we have heard it said that we must make sure that our smiles reach our eyes. This was brought home to me at least twice in the early days of Covid when somebody, for example, held a door open for me and reacted somewhat angrily when I just sailed on through with no acknowledgement. No hint of my body language said “Thank you.“ My reaction was to say to myself: “But I smiled, didn’t I?” Then it dawned on me that maybe my smile was not reaching my eyes.
by Sr, Ese Idogen MMM Nigeria 08.06.2022
Just recently, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement celebrated its one hundred and fifty-nine years of foundation. I decided to look through the pages of some of the national societies on the internet. When I opened the page of the British Red Cross, a question popped “did your ancestor volunteer during the war?” ‘Oh yes’ I said proudly to myself. She did! Marie Martin did!
by Sr. Jo Anne Kelly MMM Ireland 06.06.2022
Vocation –A call from God, Everyone gets that call. In the scripture for Vocation Sunday we read: “The Lord said I have made you a Light for the nations” Who would not want to be a shining light for others? That’s our vocation..
One morning I visited the grave of a close friend of mine who died recently. A quiet unassuming woman she was truly a shining light as a totally dedicated doctor who saved the lives of numerous women and children, helped to keep marriages together through her advice re natural family planning, and passed on her skills to new doctors year after year. She was equally a shining light when she gave a listening ear to us in community, shared her reflections on a passage of scripture, produced a beautiful handmaid Feastday or Birthday card, or sang a song at a party.
by unknown MMM author Undated Ireland 04.06.2022
‘There’s no place like home’, or ‘home is where the heart is’ are expressions we regularly hear and use. Yet when Mary set out to visit Elizabeth she left her own home. The bewildering news she had herself received and the news about her cousin prompted her to go to Elizabeth. All that defined home for Mary could be left. Mary set out, the kernel of home within her; securely rooted, rooted securely. Within herself Mary had Jesus and so she had a place where she was at ease with herself, at home with herself. As she journeyed peace walked with her.
by Sr. Sheila Campbell, MMM Ireland 02.06.2022
Here I am, sitting in my armchair and just looking out the window. What do I see? Just an ordinary street scene. There is a man from the house opposite unloading boxes from his car. A woman and her two small children pass by right below our house. Maybe they are going to school. They will arrive a bit late, I imagine! The traffic is light because the morning rush has passed. An elderly man is walking his dog, stopping every few paces as the dog examines each tree. A fairly typical morning scene, unremarkable.
by Sr. Prisca Ovat MMM Kenya 31.05.2022
Awakening to this beautiful day, and conscious of the great day which we celebrate, a day without which none would be here, we pondered on an invitation from the Congregational Leader to “ dream of where we will be 85 years from now, or even 10”. Like wishes, dreams offer hope, whether true or false, but we always dare to dream.
Together with AMMMs and staff, we reflected on the meaning of the visitation and how this encounter inspires our actions to go in haste to meet a human need. Mary’s selfless service becomes an invitation for us all to be mindful of the vulnerable with us.
by Sr. Sheila Campbell MMM Ireland 29.05.2022
This morning I came across a quote from Meister Eckhart:
“If the only prayer you say in your entire life is ‘thank you,’ that is enough.
I stopped to look at those words because I am aware of how much in my life I just take for granted. I have a roof over my head, I am well fed, I can read and write and I know I will be looked after in my old age. How many people alive on our planet today can say the same? All the recent emphasis on climate change has sharpened our awareness of how the resources of the world are unevenly divided.
The international MMM postulancy community in Nairobi, Kenya is composed of ten young women who are at the beginning stages of learning what religious life is all about. It is a time of discernment, when each young woman seeks to answer the question,” Am I being called to follow God in this Religious Congregation, or has God other plans for me?”. This year (2022) there are ten, two Ugandans, two Tanzanians, one Kenyan and five Nigerians. (more…)
by Mary Coffey AMMM Ireland 25.05. 2022
Glencairn Cistercian Abbey in Co Waterford, Ireland is my favourite place to respond to God’s invitation to “come away to some lonely place and rest for a while.” It is a place of gentle silence but also a place where we, the guests, may share our faith journeys with each other, and our understanding of God’s call in our lives. This is often over a cup of tea, after the Great Silence has descended, and when we know that we should be in bed! The bell tolls at 3.50 for the nuns to rise from their slumber and to begin their prayer before dawn.
