Vocation Office Newsletter for April 2016 by Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, Nashville, TN

801 Dominican Drive, Nashville, Tennessee 37228 ~ www.nashvilledominican.org ~ vocation@op-tn.org

I find nothing but Mercy CELEBRATING THE FEAST OF SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA

IN THIS ISSUE Reflections on Saint Catherine and the Works of Mercy Highlights from the Community Study on Mercy and Dominican Life Recent Events & an Upcoming Release

Saint Catherine & the Works of Mercy Let us rediscover these corporal works of mercy: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. And let us not forget the spiritual works of mercy: to counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive offences, bear patiently those who do us ill, and pray for the living and the dead... ~Misericordiae Vultus 15 In the past four months, the Works of Mercy have been coming to my attention more than they ever have before—in list form, that is. From Misericordiae Vultus to parish reminders about “Works of Mercy Days,” the Year of Mercy has kept it fresh in my mind. In the past, the Works of Mercy list surfaced in the curriculum which I learned, and later taught. I came to recognize those works in the lives of my family, friends, and living saints like Mother Teresa, and did my best to imitate them. But somehow I failed to see how the Works of Mercy “on the page”—a whole list, complete— matched up with the Works of Mercy “in real life.” In real life, the Works of Mercy seemed to come one at a time: once you had instructed the ignorant, then you could go and feed the hungry. On the page, the Works of Mercy were a list to be memorized—they stood as a unit. I knew that it was important to know and to practice them, and I even knew that Our Lord considered each work “done for the least of his brethren” as done for Him. Perhaps in the back of my mind I was aware that the Works of Mercy found their unity in Him—but because they seemed so discrete, so “one at a time” in my own life, that first truth passed me by. But then came the Year of Mercy. Or rather, then came the Feast of Saint Catherine of Siena in the Year of Mercy.

Recalling the life of Saint Catherine of Siena—the great Dominican patroness—focused my attention on her personal unity in living the call to mercy. After all, her life offers its own list of events that beautifully satisfy that call: from her family’s table she fed the hungry and gave drink to the thirsty. She clothed a beggar, and found that Christ Himself was the one she had clothed. She welcomed strangers into her “little family” of disciples, and cared for the sick poor. She visited those in prison, and accompanied at least one young prisoner up to the moment of his execution. She counseled doubtful souls, whether they were wavering penitents or popes. She instructed the ignorant and admonished sinners by her teaching and letters. She forgave those who slandered her, and patiently bore her sufferings on behalf of her beloved Church. She prayed for the living and the dead, interceding with the Spouse in whose infinite mercy she had placed her trust. The list is amazing; the reality even more so. So many acts, directed to so many people, were bound together in one life given to one Lord. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta spoke of meeting Christ “in the distressing disguise of the poor.” Accounts of Saint Catherine’s life tell us that Christ Himself did come to her in disguise, as a beggar in need. And yet it would be difficult to read of Saint Catherine’s burning love without concluding that, for her, every person was Christ in need. She knew that no imaginative leap of her own was required to make a leprous patient or angry prisoner into someone worthy of love. Instead, she assented to the reality of Christ present in each of His rational creatures, and loved each and every one in that Truth. For Saint Catherine, united to Christ by the total gift of her heart, each person in need of mercy was the one she loved, the one to whose mercy she owed everything. I too owe everything to Jesus Christ, and this Year of Mercy is a beautiful time to remember how good it is to be in debt to Him. Accepting His mercy, enjoying His mercy, I find that Truth is indeed gentle and kind. And finding that He is so to me, I hope to be so to Him--in one act of praise rendered in prayer, in community, and in Works of Mercy.

O immeasurable love, sweet love, eternal fire! You are a flame ever burning, high eternal Trinity! Turn the eye of your mercy upon your creatures. I know that mercy is your attribute, and wherever I turn I find nothing but mercy. Hence do I run and cry out in the presence of your mercy: have mercy on the world. ~Saint Catherine of Siena, Prayer XIX

Community Study in a Year of Jubilees Over the past few decades our Congregation has developed a number of community studies. Each year we focus on a particular document or idea for a community study, and this Jubilee Year finds us devoting our attention to mercy in the Order of Preachers. Each week we have a study night, which takes the form either of an hour specially set aside for private study or of a group discussion. On our missions, sisters of various ages meet in small groups to share the fruits of their study. A few sisters shared their experience of this year's community study: It has been delightful to hear reflections on St. Dominic from members of the community both much older and (somewhat) younger than I. Hearing their love of him, and the way in which they choose to imitate him, increases my own love and devotion to St. Dominic as father, and to our sisters as religious family. In the course of our study, I was impressed with the gift of being a Preacher. Through our study of the lives of the early brethren, I was struck by their deep appreciation for the charism of preaching. This reminded me that as Dominicans, we preach mercy--and yes, we preach it to the world, but in a most important way we preach it to each other in community. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s community study has given me the opportunity to hear about how God has revealed his mercy in the lives of my sisters.

...look at the ship of your father Dominic, my beloved son. He governed it with a perfect rule, asking [his followers] only to be attentive to my honor and to the salvation of souls by the light of learning. ~ The Dialogue of Saint Catherine of Siena

Litany of Saint Catherine of Siena Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of heaven, Have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us. God the Holy Spirit, Have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy on us. Vessel of graces, Zealous promoter of the honor of God, Holy Mary, Pray for us. (repeat after each line) Luster of holiness, St. Dominic, glorious Patriarch, Example of mildness, St. Catherine of Siena, Benevolent mother of the poor, Merciful mother of the sick, Refuge of the sorrowful, Intercessor for sinners,

Glory of the Order of Preachers, Fruitful mother of spiritual children, Promoter of peace, Terror of the evil spirits, Follower of Jesus,

Rose of patience, Model of humility, Lily of chastity,

St. Catherine, who did give the blossoms of your innocent youth to the service of your Heavenly Spouse, St. Catherine, whom Jesus Himself did feed with His Body and Blood, St. Catherine, who exchanged her heart with the Heart of Jesus, St. Catherine, who was blest with His Holy Wounds, St. Catherine, who was taken to Heaven to the celestial nuptials, St. Catherine, who did receive a hundredfold, reward for all her labors and merits,

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.

Pray for us, O glorious Virgin, St. Catherine, That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray, O God, who gave St. Catherine, graced with the special privilege of virginity, patience to overcome the

assault of evil spirits and to stand unshaken in the love of your Name. Grant we beseech you, that after her example treading under foot the wickedness of the world and overcoming the wiles of all enemies, we may safely pass onward to your glory. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Source: Kyrie Eleison â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Two Hundred Litanies by Benjamin Francis Musser O.F.M., The Magnificat Press, 1944

Like the Sienese Saint, every believer feels the need to be conformed with the sentiments of the heart of Christ,

to love God and his neighbor as Christ himself loves. ~ Pope Benedict XVI

Drawn from the conferences given by His Eminence Christoph Cardinal Schonborn, O.P., at the 2008 World Apostolic Congress on Mercy, "We Have Found Mercy" is another timely read for this Jubilee Year. With reflections on the life and spirituality of Saint John Paul II, mercy in Sacred Scripture, the Passion of Christ, saints, sacraments, and the works of mercy, Cardinal Schonborn offers readers an encounter with the truth of Christ and an invitation to love God and neighbor "as Christ himself loves." Available through Ignatius Press (www.ignatius.com)