A HUGE PRAISE REPORT 

Our Tenacious One was in an accident in my truck near campus last Friday.  When the call came from the Ottawa County Sherif's department, my reaction was subdued and hopeful.  I have prayed so hard for her to be safe and not hurt anyone with the vehicle.  

In the back of my mind, there was always a little niggle of a worry that she would have an accident.  Well, this the third one in less than a year.  No one was hurt badly in any of the accidents, but her confidence level in driving has dropped significantly. 

The truck was totaled (according the the sheriff-our insurance company has yet to investigate.) But OTO was checked out the the local hospital and was found fit, but bruised.  All Praise to Jesus Christ for hearing the prayers of this mom and dad and
so many others (including several Saints in heaven) who have been praying for her for a very long time. 

She will not have a vehicle now and that takes care of two prayer requests at once.  One-no more accidents that she is responsible for in her near future (though now I have to pray for her driving friends!) and two- that she would meet some very nice Catholic friends on campus this year. This is not totally taken care of yet, but she will have to attend Mass on campus instead of roaming the area in search of new places for Mass.  This increases the odds of Catholic friends on campus tremendously.  

While we are on the subject of praise, I'm also very grateful that she took a huge step toward getting her laundry taken care of on campus instead of a drive to a friend's house.  So grateful!

God is so good all the time.  Just look around you and find things to thank Him for.  Never miss an opportunity for gratitude. 

Courage and Action

 

Those prayers God puts on our hearts are His way of helping us to do His will. Several months ago, He nudged me to start praying for courage.  I found two prayers to Dominican Saints and started to pray. Not shockingly, He also gave me a task that would require that courage. 

One of our Dominican Pillars is, of course, preaching. We are the Order of Preachers after all.  I have always been a little leery about this aspect of my vocation. I have always dreaded speaking in public. 

But God knows best, and He knew that I needed to break through that barrier. 

We have a women’s group at our parish called Women of Worth. We have book studies, speakers and other opportunities to grow as a community and in our faith. 

At a planning meeting last Spring, I listened to the other women coming up with ideas and mostly sat quietly contemplating what I had to offer as a suggestion for the group.  Not until after the meeting did the Lord tell me what He wanted me to do.  He asked me to give a talk on prayer. 

I am sure it was the Holy Spirit because of how easily the talk came together (I even figured out how to do a PowerPoint slide show!). I told the woman who is in charge that this is what the Holy Spirit asked me to do, and she put me on the WoW calendar for the end of May. It would be a long six week wait.  Though the talk was written and the PowerPoint done, it consumed my thoughts as I tried to decide if it needed tweaking (the Holy Spirit would not let me change much!) and spent time practicing.  

Finally, the day arrived.  I got to the church early and made sure my computer would connect to the projector. It did.  As I watched the women gather, all my nerves left me.  It was a wonderful feeling.  

I was calm and excited at the same time.  These women wanted to hear my thoughts on prayer.  All the prayers I prayed for courage worked!  The talk went very well and as a bonus, was well received.  There was very positive feedback which was a lovely pat on the back from the Lord. 

As Dominicans, we are called to preach.  It may not always be to a crowd, but we need to be prepared for whatever the Lord asks of us.  So, pray for courage and see what happens in your life. 

Here are the two prayers that I pray:

Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati:

Prayer for the Courage to Be Great

Heavenly Father,

Give me the courage to strive for the highest goals, to flee every temptation to be mediocre. Enable me to aspire to greatness, as Pier Giorgio did, and to open my heart with joy to Your call to holiness. Free me from the fear of failure. I want to be, Lord, firmly and forever united to You. Grant me the graces I ask You through Pier Giorgio's intercession, by the merits of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

To St. Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church

Intercede for me this day. O bold bride of Christ, pray for my intentions (mention) which I entrust to you. Share with me your impassioned liveliness for union with God, in fidelity to my vocational calling. Teach me to discern, with clarity and certainty, our Lord's perfect and holy will for my every situation. Inspire me into courageous action so that whatever our Heavenly King may ask of me, be it great or small, I may respond with a generous love and pure heart.Wherever God may place me, I wish to tirelessly serve our Eucharistic hard by serving those He has entrusted to why care. Dear St. Catherine, I echo your prayer, "I trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, not in myself." Amen.

It has become evident to me through all of this, that God has really broken through that barrier. I was asked to preach at a fraternity meeting, with only a few days notice.  In the past this would have caused some anxiety.  This time, it did not. I wrote what I wanted to say, and looked it over a couple of times. The day of the meeting, I confidently walked to the front of the room and read the reading and preached.  I was glad it was so easy. God has a plan for each of you. Pray for courage, and take action. 

 

Mrs. Mary Schultz OP. MI-ANN

 

COVID: The New Leprosy

"Have you had your vaccine yet?"  is on almost everyones' lips these days.  

I was standing at the back of church with my family, and a woman approached and joined the circle. She let me know she had been vaccinated and asked if I had.  Because she turned to talk only to me, we were no longer in the circle.  I informed her that I had not been vaccinated, upon which she turned her back to me, closing the circle with my family and left me standing on the outside of it.   

Vaccine shaming is now a fad. 

There was a very long opinion piece in the newspaper last weekend with the writer proclaiming that it was his right to know if others are vaccinated or not.  Really?  His RIGHT?  Does he also have the right to know my marital status, how many children I have, where I go to church and what kind of car I drive?  How about if I have a mental illness or AIDS, or for whom I voted? 

In the Old Testament it was declared that those with Leprosy "cover his upper lip and cry 'unclean, unclean'". (Leviticus 13)

Today, our upper lip, and indeed half of our face, is covered up.  If we have Covid or have merely been near someone with Covid we have to quarantine; our version of yelling "unclean, unclean".

My tenacious one is going to be in a school play soon.  Because of the 10 day quarantine mandate in case of exposure, she is terrified (not an exaggeration) of being near anyone who might have, maybe been exposed because then she would likely miss, if not most of the tech week rehearsals, but perhaps the play itself. This is the play they were supposed to perform last year, the week they shut down the school.  She has been looking forward to it for a year.  To have to miss because of a possibility of exposure seems quite drastic. 

I used love to walk in our beautiful neighborhood and greet others along the sidewalk.  It is much less pleasant these days when other walkers go out of their way to avoid you.  

Being in church and not being able to see others' smiles and give a sign of peace feels like being in a sea of strangers rather than fellow Christians who love each other. I am grateful the Holy Water is back! One step at a time, I guess.

I look forward to a time when conversation does not revolve around Covid or the "vaccine" (a topic for another blog perhaps). 

Until then, I will refuse to wear a mask outside. If I feel sick, I will stay home and I will be cautious around others so they feel cared for. 

Prayers for all who have lost loved ones to Covid and prayers that soon quarantining will be a thing in our past so that no one has to feel like a leper anymore. 

Are We In For "The Hunger Games?"

This book is so timely. Looking around our world, we see a people who no longer want God anywhere near. We want to be in charge of everything even if it means trampling those around us. 

This book is that, to the nth degree. 

After the war, the Hunger Games were begun to keep the Districts in their place and under the thumb of the Capitol. Coriolanus Snow is out to save himself and his family's name. Coryo finds himself in a position to do just that when he is selected to be a mentor for the tribute from District 12 who is one of 24 "contestants" in the Games. 

He needs to help Lucy Gray win so he can, as the saying goes about snow, "land on top." 

The trouble is, he falls for Lucy Gray. 

But Lucy Gray is no innocent tribute. She brings her own needs to the games and her own desire to land on top. 

What a web gets woven. 

As you read this book, look at the world around you and see the parallels. Ask yourself, "Who needs to be on top?" 

My answer: Christ. 

Or we all go the way of the Games.