Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia LAUDARE, BENEDICERE, PRAEDICARE “TO PRAISE, TO BLESS, TO PREACH” Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia 801 Dominican Drive Nashville, TN 37228 www.nashvilledominican.org vocation@op-tn.org
O ever immaculate Virgin, Mother of mercy, health of the sick, refuge of sinners, comfort of the afflicted, you know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings; deign to cast upon me a look of mercy. By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes, you were pleased to make it a privileged sanctuary, whence you dispense your favors, and already many sufferers have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal. I come, therefore, with the most unbounded confidence, to implore your maternal intercession. Obtain, O loving Mother, the grant of my requests. I will endeavor to imitate your virtues, that I may one day share your glory, and bless you in eternity. Amen.
February 2014
Dear Friends, In this month of February, we have many reasons to be grateful. In this issue of the E-Newsletter, we have focused on the Lord’s gift of healing. He reaches out to us and waits for us to accept him in faith. With that acceptance comes healing. May we all open our hearts to the Lord’s invitation to follow him. In Christ, The Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia
Recommended Reading
Novice Reflection “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 Have you ever considered what “abundant life” looks like? Perhaps such a thing sounds remote as we near the end of winter. With symptoms of the “February blues” and daydreams of the spring to come with colorful flowers and gardens and long days filled with sunshine and blue skies, maybe “abundant life” seems only a thing of times past or far distant in the future. However, I would like to propose that “abundant life” in our souls is possible at any time of the year, despite any obstacles that seem to be insurmountable. In fact, Jesus Christ came precisely to give us this abundant life.
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Healing Fire of Christ: Reflections on Modern Miracles
by Reverend Paul Glynn Father Glynn, a Marist priest, takes the reader on a trip around the world to the sites of miraculous happenings, including healings, apparitions and conversions, including Lourdes, Knock, and Fatima. Through personal accounts and meticulous studies, he is able to show solid evidence and proof of God's work in our lives. from ignatius.com
“Every year about 15 miracle cases are presented to the Medical Bureau. Increasingly their healing becomes a conversion, a sign for commitment to the service of others… Their devotion to Our Lady and attention to others reveals their conviction of a call, a acall to testify to the tenderness of God… [They have experienced] the serenity and trust of knowing they are loved by the Father and by their brothers and sisters in the Faith.” page 55
Jesus’ mission of bringing his very life into the world certainly did not end with his Ascension into heaven, but continues through the power of the Holy Spirit today. His grace is poured out into souls that desire his life within them. In the Gospels we see his tender love for the poor, the crippled, the sick, the sorrowful, the blind, and the hungry. He waits today to be welcomed into humble hearts that seek his healing touch in their minds, bodies and souls.
In a particular way, we can invite this “Divine Physician” to work within our hearts through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, who is always eager to bring forth the abundant life of grace in souls. The Virgin Mary’s prayers for such healing have been fervently sought in the small town of Lourdes in Southern France for over 150 years. When I was blessed to make a pilgrimage there for the first time, I could tangibly sense the maternal heart of Our Lady as she invited me to allow her gentle Son to captivate my own heart. Drawn to serve the pilgrims a few years later, I learned again how she watches over, guides, and protects each of her children in every aspect of their lives. Countless stories of conversions and miraculous cures attest to her tender solicitude for all the needs of the body, mind, and soul in our path to holiness.
“…we can invite this ‘Divine Physician’ to work within our hearts through the intercession of our Blessed Mother…”
As Lent approaches, we reflect on the places in our hearts that need Christ’s healing touch and Mary’s motherly care. Christ longs to heal the sick, to restore sight to the blind and to raise the dead to life, but it is his greatest delight to free us from all the obstacles to our reception of his love, that we may indeed enjoy “abundant life.”
Holiness Highlights
“Power had gone forth from Him”
O.D.M. Drawing ST. COLETTE Born: January 13, 1381, in Picardy, France Died: March 6, 1447, in Ghent, Belgium Feast Day: March 6 Patron of: women seeking to conceive, expectant mothers and sick children Known for: Restoring the Poor Clares to the primitive Rule; with St. Vincent Ferrer, helping to heal the Great Schism How to imitate the saint: Meditate upon the Passion of Christ; cultivate a love for the Church and the Pope.
‘Twas the hour of the flaming out of the sun from the fogs of the North When Colette, as a grain full-ripe, sees the shell burst forth Of the narrow cell she had built twelve feet from the altar of God, Its sill no more to be trod. But now the voice of heaven has sounded: "Forth, and abroad!" No need of enclosure now in the shell of stone; She is free in the salt of heaven, she is walled in light alone. -from “Walled in Light” by Paul Claudel
Fresco from the catacomb of Sts. Marcellinus and Peter, Rome, from the beginning of the 4th century A.D.
The scene depicts the encounter of Jesus with the woman with the hemorrhage. This woman who had suffered for many years was healed by touching the cloak of Jesus through the power that “had gone forth from him” (cf. Mk 5:25-34). The sacraments of the Church now continue the works which Christ had performed during his earthly life (cf. §1115). The sacraments are as it were “powers that go forth” from the Body of Christ to heal the wounds of sin and to give us the new life of Christ (cf. §1116). This image thus symbolizes the divine and saving power of the Son of God who heals the whole man, soul and body, through the sacramental life. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church Part Two: The Celebration of the Christian Mystery
A Blessed Monstrance “Mon
January 15 through February 17, the Nashville Diocese had the privilege of welcoming a monstrance blessed by Pope John Paul II in 2004, for the purpose of encouraging Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament specifically for an increase in vocations. St. Henry School sent two banners to accompany the monstrance to locations in the Diocese, and provided holy cards with a vocation prayer. Left: Sister Ann Hyacinth displays and explains the monstrance to students at St. Henry School. Below left: Father John Sims Baker, Father Terry McGowan, and Father Jayd Neely stand with the monstrance and the banners at the reception following the Holy Hour for Vocations (below right) held at the Cathedral on February 1, the vigil of the World Day of Consecrated Life.
Prayer for Vocations
Left: After reading the Gospel passage of the woman healed by touching the Lord’s garment, Father Mike Johnston walks with the monstrance among the students gathered for the St. Henry Faith Rally, inviting them to encounter the healing touch of Christ. Right: Students at John Paul II High School kneel before the Blessed Sacrament to pray for an increase in and an openness to priestly and religious vocations.
Forty Hours Devotion
The monstrance blessed by John Paul II was welcomed at the following places and events: Saint Henry School and Parish Saint Ann School and Parish Saint Patrick School and Parish Saint Joseph School and Parish Overbrook School Saint Matthew Parish Saint Rose of Lima School and Parish Immaculate Conception School and Parish Christ the King School and Parish Saint Cecilia Academy Father Ryan High School John Paul II High School Aquinas College University Catholic Saint Mary of the Seven Sorrows Parish All Schools Mass for Catholic Schools Week Search Retreat Vocation Holy Hour at the Cathedral St. Cecilia Motherhouse for 40 Hours, First Friday, World Day of Consecrated Life and other times of adoration