Being compassionate as Mary was

Feast of the Sorrowful Mother:  In prayer this morning, I was reminded that people are nailed to the cross every moment, in agony, by the acts and words,  the deafness and blindness,  of others. The questions I was confronted with were: Can you be there when my Son asks that of you? When your God calls you to show compassion and support , can you do that without striking out at the source of that person’s suffering whether of his/her own doing or coming from others, without condemning that person or those causing the suffering?  Can I stand in the midst of “violence” without resorting to “violence” in words or deeds, without condemning anyone, neither the “crucified” or the “crucifiers”? I was reminded that neither Mary nor Jesus lashed out at those who were crucifying Him. Jesus said: “Father, forgive them. They know not what they are doing.”  Do I realize that those who do or say things that hurt another human being usually do not realize what they are doing? Who would intentionally kill the spirit of another human being, seriously cripple anyone’s self-esteem, self-confidence, initiative and creativity? Probably no one, really.  Like Mary, can I stand with, show compassion and give support to “the wounded” without causing further damage by lashing out, ranting and raving, doing violence myself?

Community living

Yesterday I was engaged in three meetings, all of which make me proud to be an SSM: one with my local community, another with the two combined local communities here in NJ and another at the parish where another sister and I worship and serve on Sundays.  My local community met for renewal, at which we reflected upon one of the virtues of Mother Frances, namely that of prudence.  We were amazed at the way our Foundress practiced this virtue and the number of persons who gave testimony of this fact.  She was prudent in all of her dealings whether conducting community business with the laity or priests associated with the community or assuring that the values of religious life and community building were being respected by the sisters.  What an example to all of us. What also inspired me during this meeting was listening to each sister share the highlights of her summer experiences. Not only did the experiences touch me but so, too, did the respect given each sister.  The meeting of the combined local communities focused on the positive impact of the visit of our general superior with each member of the province. She, too, is a woman of great prudence  who also lives a deeply spiritual life.  We concluded that meeting with a resolve of how we here in NJ can continue to improve our ways of living out the charism of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother.   The two sisters with whom I live closed the day by attending an ecumenical prayer service at St. Matthew’s Parish in Randolph, NJ,  to commemorate the anniversary of 9/11 and pray for those who lost their lives on that day and the survivors of that day who carry the burden of grief to this very day.