Inside:
Reflection on time Pictures from recent trips and events Tips for celebrating Mary's month Book recommendation
Longing for Eternity Fra Angelico, "Coronation of the Virgin" {PD-1923}.
Love Conquers Time: The Eighth Day By Sister Elizabeth Marie, O.P.
In a recent adolescent literature class, I had the good fortune to read Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. Many read this book as children, but it carries a very adult theme: the question of time and the human desire to live forever. Time seems to be a problem. It slips away. It looms over every good thing, saying, “This will not last forever.” The delicious ice cream just served, the Christmas morning just begun, a sunset at the peak of beauty; all of these good things can be tinged with sadness—the sadness of the moment passing away, never to be retrieved. This is even more true for time spent with loved ones—there is never enough time with them. The Tuck family seems to escape this problem by drinking from the fountain of youth which so many seek, but they find that an immortal life on this earth fails to solve the problem of time. Instead of escaping from the exigencies of time, they are suspended in it, with no fulfillment. Why are there so many songs, books, and poems about time? Time is a common theme because most works of art are about love, and love wants to transcend the limits of time. Unfortunately for all the great love poets, lyricists, and science fiction writers of the ages, there is no way to add days to the week or to stop time from passing. Death lurks, ready to take away all of the good things of this world in an instant. The reality of death makes us afraid—afraid of the end of our lives, afraid of separation from those we love, afraid of the seeming meaninglessness of life.
Fra Angelico, "Noli me tangere" (PD-1925).
When we experience genuine love, we are drawn to the conviction that there is a deeper meaning to time, a fulfillment that transcends even time; but our frail human loves alone cannot find the way to the joy that lasts forever.
The Eighth Day, Cont.
The great joy of Easter is that Love has found a way out of the power of death and the fear of futility. Love is not simply “an experience” or a feeling. Love is a Person: the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). Love is a new day, the eighth day. We all sang of this mysterious day when on Easter Sunday we sang, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.” In the Resurrection and Ascension, Christ breaks creation out of the confines of sin and death, out of the burden of the cycle of time, out of the seven day week. In the Resurrection, Christ creates an eighth day, a day not bound by time. This is the day the Lord has made—for He alone is a “love stronger than death” (Song of Songs 8:6). He definitively reveals this by accepting death and then triumphing over it in His Resurrection and glorious Ascension into heaven. In Him, all of creation, including every good thing in our lives, is made new, recreated in the Son, who dies no more. In Him, all of the small and great loves of our lives can be taken up into the great Love which shatters death and opens time to eternity: the Love of Jesus, risen and reigning still from heaven. Through Him, time is redeemed; time becomes a gift--a chance to live each moment as coming from the loving hands of the Author of time and eternity. How do we enter into this day the Lord has made? How do we move from a life lived in fear and meaninglessness to a life filled with joy and purpose? How does the eighth day become our day? The answer is found in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, through which the Holy Spirit, which was poured out on the disciples at Pentecost, is given personally to each of us. Often, baptismal fonts and baptisteries are octagonal in shape to indicate our entrance into the eighth day of the resurrection. In Baptism, we enter into a new day: all of time transformed by the power of Christ. Jean II Restout, "Pentecost" (PD-1925).
Through the Holy Spirit, the New Law poured into our hearts (Summa Theologica I-II, Q. 106, A.1), we can live in this great and eternal Day of the Lord. The graces of the sacraments do not take away the trials and temptations of our life in time; they transform them. St. Thomas Aquinas explains that the difficulties which remain “are easily borne, on account of the love in which the same [New] Law consists: since, as Augustine says, "love makes light and nothing of things that seem arduous and beyond our power" (I-II, Q. 107, A. 4). Therefore, as we continue to walk in Easter joy, let us recall the command of the Exultet:
“Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her, ablaze with light from her eternal King, let all corners of the earth be glad, knowing an end to gloom and darkness.” Alleluia!
The Paschal Triduum
The Paschal Triduum is celebrated with great solemnity at the Motherhouse, where every element of each day is ordered to the contemplation of the sacred mysteries celebrated.
North DakotaFargo, State University ND
Sister Peter Marie and Sister Mary Madeline had a wonderful time in North Dakota. They are grateful for the warm welcome given them by Bishop Folda, Father James Cheney, the chaplain at the university, and so many in the community. They enjoyed being able to give talks, help with retreats, and work with small groups during their time in Fargo.
University of Mary Bismarck, ND
Sister Mary Madeline and Sister Peter Marie were delighted to be able to attend the Vocations Jamboree, where they connected with old friends and met wonderful new friends.
University of Idaho Moscow, ID Sister Perpetua and Sister Elizabeth Marie had a grace-filled visit to beautiful Idaho, where they were able to spend lots of time visiting, hiking, playing games, and sharing meals with students at the Catholic Center.
Sacramento, CA Sister Perpetua and Sister Elizabeth Marie had a lovely visit to the Sacramento area. While there, the Sisters spoke at Veritas (a young adult event), spent time with youth and young adults at various parishes, visited St. Francis High School, and spoke at the end of Mass at St. John the Baptist in Folsom.
Drawing close to Mary this May Practical Ideas for Mary's Month: Make a morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary first thing each morning. Pray a decade or more of the rosary while walking or driving. Find a new hymn to Mary that you like and memorize it. Ask Mary to help prepare your heart to receive her Son in Holy Communion at each Mass. Consecrate yourself to Jesus through Mary. Offer small sacrifices each day to Mary to give to her Son. Ask St. Dominic to give you a greater love for Mary.
Recommended Reading Mysteries of the Virgin Mary: Living Our Lady's Graces By Father Peter John Cameron, O.P.
In this book, Father Peter John Cameron, editor of Magnificat, walks through the mysteries of Mary's unique vocation and life, all through the contemplative gaze of a Dominican who loves his Mother Mary. Drawing upon the wisdom of the saints, this book offers a helpful companion to praying the rosary and meditating and celebrating the many Marian feast days. Finally, it offers suggestions for ways that each of us can better love and imitate the Blessed Mother, including real life examples of others who have done this.
"Before all else, in the angel's astounding proposal Mary perceives not a problem she needs to solve but the Mystery who chooses her. This is why the method of the Annunciation remains the norm for all Christian faith. For faith is not something that I think up; it is not the fruit of analysis. Neither does faith equal 'keeping rules': It is not the result of my initiatives to get close to God; it is not the outcome of my 'ethical excellence.' Faith is a response to something that happens outside of me. Faith entails acknowledging an exceptional presence that choose to come to me--a presence that radically changes my life, infusing it with an intensity and fullness I cannot bring about on my own."