Mercy Exemplified

My Dear Sisters Life of Bl. Jean-Joseph Lataste, OP Apostle to Prisoners by Jean-Marie Gueullette
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"My Dear Sisters" by Fr. Jean-Marie Gueullette, O.P. and translated from the French by Fr. George G. Christian, O.P., was originally entitled "Ces femmes qui etaient mes soeurs..." is the definitive story of Pere Jean-Joseph Lataste, O.P., the Apostle to Prisoners.

This is and will be an important book when Blessed Lataste is canonized as a saint. He already is considered one by many involved in prison ministry. This biography of Lataste's singular life shows how spirituality evolves into service. As a young preacher, Father Lataste enters a women's prison and he is converted. He was timid and approached these inmates with much trepidation. The women, themselves, didn't want to be there. But when Father began his preaching by calling them, "My Dear Sisters..." Their heads lifted, their ears opened, and their own hearts were converted. The preacher himself was touched by this encounter. These women's lives were ruined by crime yet he could see the change the Holy Spirit had made. When he heard their confessions he cried along with them. Their sins were forgiven; God forgave them; would the world?

Through the mercy and providence of God, Father Lataste founded the Dominican Sisters of Bethany. The Holy Spirit provided the perfect co-founder in Mother Henri-Dominique,O.P., who carried on and help preserve the charism of mercy, when Father died too young. He was only 37. His community of rehabilitated sisters was only a few years old. But the foundation was solid and stands today.


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Prisoners of the Past

Orhan's Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What do I think of this story? I didn't go to bed until 4:00 AM and then I was too jazzed to fall asleep. And all day I can't stop thinking about it.

The story begins with the death of Orhan's grandfather. Among the distribution of goods in the will was a strange and disturbing codicil. The family home was given to someone no one knew. This is the story. Who is the heir to the house and why?

Orhan's Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian is the story of the Armenian genocide. The time varies from 1990 and goes back to 1915, and back and forth. Lucine and Kemal play together as children. She is Armenian and he is Turkish. War breaks out and all the Armenian men are shot and the women and children are forced to march to the Syrian desert. Along the way, the Armenians were deprived of food and water, raped, and many were just shot. One incident stands out. A pregnant woman went into labor. The Turking soldiers bet on the sex of the baby. But the labor was not quick, so an impatient soldier slit open her stomach to see the sex of the baby and then they walked away and collected his winnings.

Lucine's family was in this forced march. Kemal had joined the Turkish army. During the march unimaginable deprivation, cruelty and death occurred. But Lucine somehow was saved by a whore who operated an inn. It was at the inn that Lucine and Kemal meet again. Their love is consummated but Kemal is in the army and has some unfinished duty to attend. Lucine's uncle appears and takes her to a safe place in Syria to meet up with their family.

How Kemal and Lucine connect again would spoil the story so I will just tell you that the Armenians' history is not forgotten. Their diaspora lives on in the following generations. Transgenerational grief is real.

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Passing the Basket

Support the Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe on February 26 #BuildTheFuture Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season and reminds us of our call to pray, fast, and give alms to those in need. The Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe (CCEE) will be taken up in many parishes on February 26 (Ash Wednesday). Funds support our brothers and sisters as they rebuild the Church in over 25 countries in Central and Eastern Europe after 70 years of communist rule. You can help make an impact in these four simple ways:  Volunteer to read the bulletin announcements and parish appeal at Mass to educate fellow parishioners about the Collection and the people it supports. Pray and encourage others to join you in praying for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe—that God will give strength to those who serve the Church. Share information about the CCEE collection on your social media channels from the CCEE social media toolkit in English and Spanish. View and share the following videos and resource guide on the Enduring Faith in Georgia and how CCEE is Changing Lives in Georgia. Join the conversation on Twitter #1Church1Mission, #BuildTheFuture and connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. Participate in the CCEE collection when it is taken up in your parish. Visit www.usccb.org/RestoreTheChurch2020 for more information.

A Teacher’s Worst Nightmare, by Michael Gallagher

A Teacher’s Worst Nightmare, by Michael Gallagher  is an article from These Stone Walls, that Father Gordon MacR
ae writes.  It is about the arrest of a teacher and the mental, emotional, and financial anguish he went through until he was exonerated.  Deo Gratias.

Do As He Says

LECTIO:
LV 19:1-2, 17-18

The LORD said to Moses,
“Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them:
Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.

“You shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart.
Though you may have to reprove your fellow citizen,
do not incur sin because of him.
Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
I am the LORD.”

STUDIUM:

"The LORD said to Moses" is eyeopening.  God, Himself spoke.  The capitalization is copied from the scripture. God is telling us what to do.  You are to make yourself holy because He is holy. "Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy."  God wants us to be like Him.  God is giving us some guides.  And they involve "love."

MEDITATIO:

Verses 17-18 is difficult.  We are told not to harbor grudges.  That's hard when you're Irish.  Did you know that Purgatory is a special place for the Irish?  It seems that we hold grudges longer than most.

   Do you think I'm just making up excuses?  Maybe.  Leviticus helps with the instructions that we may reprove.  So it's okay to tell people off.  But not plot revenge.  That we will leave to God.

ORATIO:

Lord, help me reproach with love.  Don't let me habor hate like a cancer in my heart.  After all, I strive to be holy as You are.

CONTEMPLATIO:

Thank you, Jesus, for loving me.  Help me to love You and love others as You love them.  (Father Aniello's prayer)

RESOLUTIO:

In my nightly Examen, I will pay close attention to how people made me feel.  I will make a concerted effort, not to habor hate.

Just Wondering

You know how divided everyone is.  People are fighting over politics, religion, resources, etc.  What if God allowed the corona

virus to happen to get the world to work together to eradicate it?

Just a thought.

Messianic Secret

St. Mary's Claddagh

The minute someone tells you that this is a secret, "Don't tell.", your ears perk up.  Well, Jesus was always telling the people "See that you say nothing anyone..." (Mark 1:44)  There are too many examples to list them all, but if you must have some reference: Matt 8: 3-4, Matt 9: 29-30, Matt 12: 15-16, Mark 5: 42-4, Mark 16: 20, Matt 17:9, Mark 9:9, Luke 9:21, Matt 27: 12, Matt 27: 14, Mark 14: 61, etc.

Jesus knows human nature. He knows some secrets are just too juicy not to share.  And something like a healing!! Well, it would be inhuman to keep something like that to yourself.  But why does Jesus keep telling people not to tell.  The catechism gives one reason  CCC 439 

439 Many Jews and even certain Gentiles who shared their hope recognized in Jesus the fundamental attributes of the messianic "Son of David", promised by God to Israel. Jesus accepted his rightful title of Messiah, though with some reserve because it was understood by some of his contemporaries in too human a sense, as essentially political.

In other words, people might place their political aspirations on Him.  If He's the Messiah, He will overthrow the Roman government and free us Jews.

Another reason might be that Jesus didn't want people to only focus on His healing, but rather His teachings. Or maybe because it just wasn't time.

Then again, maybe it's all of these reasons and more.