Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters PO Box 6026, Techny, IL 60082-6026 319 Waukegan Rd., Northfield, IL 60093 Office of Vocation Ministry Phone: 847-441-0126, ext. 704 sspsovm@aol.com www.ssps-usa.org www.worldssps.org August, 2012 “To bless is to put a bit of yourself into something. It is to make holy, to change something or someone because of your presence” - - - Macrina Wiederkehr, OSB There are blessings that are actually reserved for the priests that are easily recognizable and often we associate blessings sorely with ordained ministers. Most of us are not ordained however, and because of this we discount the meaning of blessings that we can offer each other. The challenge lies in being aware that the person in front of us was sent to teach us something that might be difficult to learn. Can you imagine a world in which all of us pay full attention to others as if they were the only person existing at that time? It would be wonderful if each of us were aware that every time we meet another person we are able to enrich that person with our blessings. Often we also forget that each person we meet is a blessing sent from above. Sometimes it actually does not matter how long or short the meeting is, what really matters is the awareness that through our positive attitude we can enrich another person. A short glance with a smile at another person many times means more than we can even imagine, saying that the person matters and we are blessed to enter into a relationship with that person. We very well know that each one of us is a unique human being. Each of us received gifts not for our own benefit but for the benefit of the whole community. In that sense when we share our gifts, whether it is a beautiful singing voice or listening ear, we bless others with our presence. This poses another challenge which is to bring into our attention the gifts that we have received. Are you ready to face those challenges of being a blessing to others? Let us ask God to radiate the goodness that God has given to bring the blessings of God’s loving kindness to each person we meet today. May we have the courage to bless each person with the gift of presence. In the love of the Holy Spirit, Sr. Elwira Dziuk
Called by the Spirit, Embracing the World.