Spiritual Woman

I had heard of a couple of chapels located in the midst of malls, but I had never experienced one. Never, that is, until this weekend, when life unexpectedly took me to the heart of Boston, Massachusetts. My family and I were exploring the Shops at Prudential Center, looking for a place to eat lunch, when I came across St. Francis Chapel. I absolutely had to stop and visit.

When I had imagined chapels located in malls, I had pictured a basic storefront type space with an altar and some chairs and a corner set off for confessions. My imagination certainly did not do St. Francis Chapel justice. This is a beautiful chapel. One moment you are standing in the midst of modern-day commerce. Then you enter the doors, and you are in a church. It is quiet and peaceful. It is called “An Oasis of Silence, An Oasis of Prayer” in the center of the city. I certainly found that to be the case.

Adoration was going on when I visited (it is held for several hours every day); it was so meaningful to be able to stop and pray. There were several other people inside who had also taken a break from the chaos outside to bring themselves before God. There was a wall of lit candles, each representing a prayer being sent up to heaven. Confessions were going on (a penitent was taking advantage of that sacrament), and someone was browsing the small Catholic bookstore adjacent to the chapel.

When I got home and researched the chapel further, I was surprised to learn that it has been in existence for over forty years! During that time, it has ministered to people from all over the world. I was incredibly impressed by the number of services this small chapel offers.

Ever since I heard of them, I have been a strong supporter of a Catholic presence within shopping malls. Now that I have seen one in action, I am an even bigger believer that this is an important ministry. Jesus always went to where the people were. This is a modern-day way to minister to people where they are. At St. Francis Chapel, masses and confession are offered at convenient times throughout the day. Unlike so many freestanding churches today which are locked due to security concerns, the doors are always open and welcome to everyone. The sacraments are readily available. How many times have I wanted to attend Mass only to find that my schedule doesn’t mesh with the daily Mass at the local church? As much as I may want to go to confession, Saturday afternoon is not always convenient. Priests lament that fewer people take advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation today. Why not make it easier for them to go?

A chapel in a mall is welcoming. It calls to people, inviting them to take a moment for prayer. Even if they don’t enter, people of all faiths can be reminded that God is everywhere, even in the midst of a shopping center. It can reach out to Catholics who have, for whatever reason, found themselves away from the Church. It can be the first step to a return home. For someone who has no spiritual home to start with, it can be the first step in a relationship with God. Yes, there is a cost involved, and the dedication of priests to staff it, but I definitely feel that the souls that could be served and saved outweigh any monetary outlay. In a time when so many of our churches are being forced to close due to reduced membership and income, this is an opportunity that should be taken full advantage of. At a time when more and more youth are moving away from the Church, this is a chance to reach them where they are. Mass in a Mall? Absolutely.

To find out more about St. Francis Chapel, please visit http://www.stfrancischapel.org.

Angel to Watch Over Me
by Joan Wester Anderson
New York: Ballantine Books, 1994

This past Saturday, Joan Wester Anderson contacted me by mistake on Facebook and recommended that I read her series on miracles. I had read and reviewed one in the series several years ago and enjoyed it greatly. Honestly, I wasn’t even aware that there were several others. However, I firmly believed that this was no mere coincidence. I told her that I would look for the books and I did. My library system had three available. I requested all of them. They came in today – three books from three different libraries in record time. Yes, God apparently wants me reading these books now.

“An Angel to Watch Over Me” is subtitled “True Stories of Children’s Encounters with Angels.” As Anderson states, “Litte ones do appear to have a special bond with heaven. Perhaps it’s because they haven’t yet experienced a clear division between the two worlds and, for a little while, can be part of each.” In this book, she shares several stories of angelic intervention. One young girl’s angel came to visit her two nights in a row in a “dress rehearsal” so that on the third night she wouldn’t be scared and would know to follow when he came to lead her out of her burning home. Others were miraculously saved from accidents. One came to comfort a child when he was convinced his father was dead (in reality, he was away on a military trip). Another came to comfort a young girl whose grandmother had just died. Others cleaned up a Church. One was saved from drowning. Two children actually witnessed a battle between angels and demons in the room where they were staying. All of the stories are amazing and will help increase one’s faith in angels. Now that I have read the book, I’ve decided to read one story a night to my children. We pray to their guardian angels morning and night but I hope that this will give them a greater appreciation of them and help them to realize that they can always count on them.

On a personal note, in the back of the book are songs and prayers to angels. Among them was a song called “All Night, All Day.” I sang that song on Christmas Eve at Mass the Christmas I was turning four years old. My mother and sister worked and worked with me until I had it down perfect. All these years later I can still remember it, but this was the first time I’ve ever seen it since. It is a very simple song and it was perfect for a small child, but the words hold true for all of us whether we are one day or one hundred years old. I’ll share the words with you here:

All Night, All Day

2. If I die before I wake
Angels watchin’ over me my Lord
Pray the Lord my soul to take
Angels watchin’ over me.

The Notre Dame Book of Prayer
Edited by Heidi Schlumpf
Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press, 2010

For over one hundred years, the Campus Ministry Office at Notre Dame has offered prayer books to incoming first-year students. “The Notre Dame Book of Prayer” is an attempt to share that gift with the larger Notre Dame community and the world in general. The ties to Notre Dame are quickly relevant with references to places on campus abounding. However, if one can get beyond that, there is truly a treasuretrove of prayers in this book.

The prayers are divided into sections. Among these are: “In the Beginning,” “Bless Us, O Lord,” “Work of Human Hands,” “To Everything There is a Season,” and “It is Finished.” While there are many prayers one might expect, there are many unexpected prayers such as a “Runner’s Prayer before Beginning a Race,” “Prayer for Parenting a Special-Needs Child,” “Prayer for Conflict with a Coworker or Friend,” “Blessing for Women in Transition,” “Menopause Prayer,” and a “Prayer after Suicide.”

One prayer that spoke to me was “Give Me Someone;”

Lord,
when I am famished,
give me someone who needs food;
when I am thirsty,
give me someone who needs water;
when I am cold,
give me someone to warm;
when I am hurting,
give me someone to console;
when my cross becomes heavy,
give me another’s cross to share;
when I am poor,
lead someone needy to me;
when I have no time,
give me someone to help for a moment;
when I am humiliated,
give me someone to praise;
when I am discouraged,
send someone to encourage;
when I need another’s understanding,
give me someone who needs mine;
when I need somebody to take care of me,
send me someone to care for;
when I think of myself,
turn my thoughts toward another.

“The Notre Dame Book of Prayer” would make a great addition to any Catholic’s prayer collection.

The Bible’s Best Love Stories
by Allan F. Wright
Cincinnati: St. Anthony Messenger Press

When one mentions love stories, I’d be willing to bet that the first thing that comes to mind is not the Bible. One tends to think of romantic movies or novels. Perhaps one might think of couples one knows whose love stands out in the crowd. Yet, God is the author of love and the Bible, as the word of God, is a wonderful place to look for examples of love and role models for our own relationships. In “The Bible’s Best Love Stories,” Allan F. Wright examines some of the very human love stories contained in the pages of scripture. These stories do not show an idealistic portrayal of love. Rather they show the full range of deep emotions and all the challenges along the way. Wright does not only study the portrayal of romantic relationships, but also the love of good friends and familial relationships.

Wright begins his examination, as one might expect, with the relationship between Adam and Eve, “the world’s first lovers.” Before the first sin, they had the beauty of the ideal relationship; it was a union of the whole person – body and soul. They loved each other as God loved them. But then, they thought they knew better than God and sin came into the world. Their relationship, which had been so perfect, now was one of shame and blame. Things would never be the same for them, or us, again. We will come up short, yet we are all called to still strive for that original self-giving love that existed before sin.

Wright then turns his attention to other famous pairs of the Old Testament: Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and Rachel, Abigail and David, Tobiah and Sarah, and the unnamed lovers in the “Song of Solomon.” He also explores the familial love of Joseph and his brothers and Ruth and Naomi and the bonds of friendship that existed between David and Jonathan. The New Testament features fewer romantic relationships, but Wright looks at Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, and Priscilla and Aquila. Some of Jesus’ friendships are highlighted, such as those with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, as well as his bond with Peter. His relationship with the “sinful woman’ is also examined. The relationship between Saint Paul and Barnabas, and that which existed among Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John are also looked at. While some of these stories are relatively familiar, Wright looks at them with fresh eyes, pointing out things we may have missed in the relationships and holding up certain aspects for special attention.

The Bible illustrates all the different types of love. It shows that loving anyone will require commitment and sacrifice. There is no such thing as an easy love, although some days will certainly be easier than others. Love will sometimes need to be waited for, but trust in God is paramount. Wright has done a beautiful job portraying these stories with understanding and wisdom. For each story, he offers a prayer, a relevant quote, reflection questions, and an idea for putting love into action in one’s own life. These additions help make this book ideal for a bible study or for private reflection.

Saint Gianna, heroically Christlike wife, mother and physician, I ask the help of your prayers, as I strive to follow your holy example in my physical and spiritual trials.

by Archbishop Raymond Leo Burke

To purchase prayer cards with this prayer, please visit: St. Gianna Prayer Cards

Most of the saints we learn about and love lived a long time ago. As much as we can study their lives and, when available, read their writings, it can be difficult to imagine them as living, breathing human beings who struggled with life. That is one reason why it is so amazing to watch “St. Gianna Beretta Molla: A Modern Day Hero of Divine Love,” a new DVD about a saint who lived in our own time. The DVD is a visual delight, featuring photos and home movies of St. Gianna, who lived from 1922 to 1962. One gets to see her getting married and playing with her children and living out her career as a doctor. Viewers see her laughing and smiling and loving life. This is a real woman. She is someone like us. Sadly, one also has the opportunity to get a glimpse of the outpouring of mourners at her funeral. She was truly loved in her community and admired for her sanctity.

Here we get to know a woman like so many of us who struggled to balance work and family. She was highly intelligent, excelling in her studies. She also loved music and art and being in the mountains. She loved her family above all else, but saw her career as a physician as a calling from God. Not only did she run her own practice, she was an active volunteer and sought to bring medical care to those who needed it, especially mothers and children. She would tell other doctors that “when you have finished your earthly profession, if you have done this well, you will enjoy divine life ‘because I was sick and you healed me.’”

St. Gianna was raised in a Christ-centered family and sought to raise her children the same way. Her life was one of service and was deeply rooted in prayer. She attended daily Mass as often as possible and prayed her rosary daily. She was always ready to encourage others in their relationship with God. She was a woman who viewed life as a gift from God and trusted in the power of prayer. Totally pro-life, her ultimate sacrifice was to give birth to her last child, even though she was advised against it and knew it might result in her own death. After giving birth, she bravely bore her final suffering with grace and prayer. She died on April 28, 1962 at the age of 39. Beatified in 1994 and canonized in 2004, Pope John Paul II held St. Gianna up as a role model for mothers, physicians, and the pro-life cause.

Watching “St. Gianna Beretta Molla: A Modern Day Hero of Divine Love” is an opportunity to discover a wonderful woman devoted to God who can serve as a model for all of us struggling with life as mothers.

To order this DVD produced by Catholic Action for Faith and Family, please visit www.stgiannaphysicians.org.

St. Gianna Beretta Molla: A Modern Day Hero of Divine Love
by Thomas J. McKenna
San Diego: Catholic Action for Faith and Family, 2008

At the canonization of St. Gianna Beretta Molla, Pope John Paul II stated “The extreme sacrifice she sealed with her life testifies that only those who have the courage to give of themselves totally to God and to others are able to find fulfillment.” St. Gianna, who lived from 1922 to 1962, was a woman of our own time. A physician, she was a working mother who lived a life of service to her family and her community. In the booklet “St. Gianna Beretta Molla: A Modern Day Hero of Divine Love,” Thomas J. McKenna provides a brief biography that will help introduce readers to the life of this modern day saint.

Raised in a devout Catholic family, she was devoted to Christ and the Church from her earliest days. As a teenager, she was deeply affected by attendance at a retreat based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Soon after, she became active in the Catholic Action movement, “a lay spiritual movement that helps its members follow Christ by emphasizing prayer, service, and sacrifice.” She chose to study medicine because she felt it was the best way she could help people in both body and spirit. She would ultimately choose to specialize in pediatrics. She always felt that her role as a doctor was a calling from God.

She was an active woman with many interests, among them painting, music, and mountain trips. In 1955, she married Pietro Molla and devoted herself to Christian marriage and motherhood. She gave birth to three children in quick succession, and then suffered two miscarriages. In September 1961, she was expecting her fourth child when doctors found a large fibroid in her uterus. She was given three choices: remove the tumor, the unborn child, and her uterus (the only sure way to save her life); remove the tumor and the unborn child; or only remove the tumor. Even though she knew it was the riskiest course of action, she chose the last option and instructed her husband that if he was forced to choose between herself and the child, to choose the child. April 21, 1962, Gianna Emanuela was delivered via Cesarean Section. After suffering for a week, St. Gianna died on April 28, 1962 at the age of thirty-nine.

This booklet also contains excerpts from St. Gianna’s own writings which allow readers to get real insight into her thoughts and observations, as well as a collection of prayers to ask for St. Gianna’s intercession.

Brief, easy to read, and full of information, “St. Gianna Beretta Molla: A Modern Day Hero of Divine Love” is a wonderful introduction to the life and spirituality of this saint.

To purchase, please visit: St. Gianna Booklet

Everyday Wisdom (Spiritual Refreshment for Women)
by Joan C. Webb
Barbour Publishing, 2010

“Everyday Wisdom” is one of those delightful little devotional books that fits easily into a purse or briefcase. Featuring quotes from Proverbs and short reflections on those quotes, it provides quick bursts of wisdom. Well-organized by topic, it is easy to find exactly the words of guidance that you need at that moment. Beautifully designed, simply looking at the pages can help relax you and put you in a prayerful spirit. Joan C. Webb has truly compiled a treasure in this little book.

Here are a couple of excerpts:

Conversation

Watch your words and hold your tongue: you’ll save yourself a lot of grief. Proverbs 21:23 Msg

Some of you tend to say almost anything that pops into your mind. This leads to laughter and rollicking conversation. You’re the life of the party. Your quieter friends may envy your boldness. Yet sometimes you utter a comment and inadvertently hurt someone and cause yourself grief. God doesn’t want to change your effervescent personality. He’s the one who made you – and your more reserved friend. He only wants to temper your thoughts and words to grace others.

Patience
Patient persistence pierces through indifference; gentle speech breaks down rigid defenses. Proverbs 25:15 Msg

Microwave dinners, e-mails and Twitter posts on your cell phone, 24/7 news channels, instant messaging. We’re not used to waiting for much. But when it comes to relationships, we really need patience. You can’t change someone else. You can only adjust your own attitudes and behavior. But positive change takes time, whether it is you or the other person who decides to change. Be encouraged, though. Patience and persistence will pay off in the long run.

Today (July 26th) is the feast of St. Anne and St. Joachim, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Grandparents of Jesus. St. Anne is one of my patron saints as I took her name as my confirmation name. I pray to her daily for help in parenting and in teaching my children. When I was a little girl, there was a picture in my bedroom of her teaching Mary. It wasn’t a traditional holy picture. There were no halos. It was a simple picture of a mother teaching her daughter sitting outside their home. Somehow, though, that image has always stayed with me.

Prayer to St. Anne

Glorious and holy St. Anne, whom the Heavens admire, whom the Saints honor, and the earth revers. The just, the penitent, and the sinner consider you as their powerful advocate before God, for by your intercession the just hope for an increase of grace, the penitent for their justification, the sinners for the remission of sins. Be then, kind and generous to me. Pray for me in Heaven. Use in my favor the great influence you have before God, particularly for (here make your request). Obtain my request and grant that I may live always close to God.

Follow with an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.

St. Martha, whose feast day falls on July 29th, has something of a poor reputation. The first thing people tend to think about when they hear her name is her being chastised by the Lord. Her sister Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet, hanging on his every word while Martha was busy doing housework and serving their guests. She asks Jesus, “Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me. But the Lord answered, ‘Martha, Martha,’ he said, ‘you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part, and it is not to be taken from her.” (Luke 11:40-42) Indeed, there are whole books on how to be more like Mary and less like Martha. Yet, St. Martha is also held in high esteem by the Church. It is important to know all of her story and to appreciate her for who she was.

The Gospel of John shows a different side of her. Mary and Martha’s brother Lazarus has died. Mary remains in the house, one can only presume she is paralyzed with grief. Martha, on the other hand, runs out to meet the Lord and holds him accountable for his delay. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died, but even now I know that God will grant whatever you ask of him.” (John 11:21-22) She is a take charge, practical-minded woman, but she also has complete faith in Jesus and His Father in heaven. Jesus then tells her that her brother will rise again, and Martha responds, “I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.” It is a statement of faith, but Jesus asks more of her. He asks her to affirm that he is, in fact the Son of God. “̔I am the resurrection. Anyone who believes in me, even though that person dies, will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ she said, ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Sod of God, the one who was to come into this world.’” Her faith is rewarded and Lazarus is raised from the dead.

The last time we see Martha in the Gospels, she is once again serving. It is shortly before Jesus dies. “Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom he had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there; Martha waited on them and Lazarus was among those at table.” This time, her sister brings in a pound of costly ointment and anoints Jesus’ feet, wiping them with her hair. This time, Martha offers no complaint. She allows Mary to serve and love Jesus in her way while she serves and loves in her own way.

Saint Martha is the patron of housewives, servants, waiters and cooks. She is a role model for all of us who serve others (which should really be all of us.) Even with the limited information we are given about her in the Gospels, she grows as a person. She moves from a martyr-type attitude, to a position of complete faith, to a willingness to love and serve without complaint. She invites each of us to do the same. We should look up to St. Martha for her example of trust and service. While we should certainly strive to imitate her sister Mary as well, Martha stands on her own two feet as a spiritual role model. The beauty of having so many saints is that there is someone for each of us to look up to and identify with.