| Minute Meditations
St. Theodora Guérin  
 Trust in God's Providence enabled Mother Theodore to leave her homeland, sail halfway around the world, and found a new religious congregation. Born in Etables, France, Anne-Thérèse Guerin's life was shattered by her father's murder when she was 15. For several years she cared for her mother and younger sister. She entered the Sisters of Providence in 1823, taking the name Sister St. Theodore. An illness during novitiate left her with lifelong fragile health; that did not keep her from becoming an accomplished teacher. At the invitation of the bishop of Vincennes, she and five sisters were sent in 1840 to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, to teach and to care for the sick poor. She was to establish a motherhouse and novitiate. Only later did she learn that her French superiors had already decided the sisters in the United States should form a new religious congregation under her leadership. She and her community persevered despite fires, crop failures, prejudice against Catholic women religious, misunderstandings and separation from their original religious congregation. She once told her sisters, "Have confidence in the Providence that so far has never failed us. The way is not yet clear. Grope along slowly. Do not press matters; be patient, be trustful." Another time, she asked, "With Jesus, what shall we have to fear?" She is buried in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, and was beatified in 1998. Eight years later she was canonized. Comment: God's work gets done by people ready to take risks and to work hard—always remembering what St. Paul told the Corinthians, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:6). Every holy person has a strong sense of God's Providence. Quote: During his homily at the beatification Mass, Pope John Paul II said that Mother Theodore "continues to teach Christians to abandon themselves to the providence of our heavenly Father and to be totally committed to doing what pleases him. The life of Blessed Theodora Guérin is a testimony that everything is possible with God and for God." Related St. Anthony Messenger article(s) Mother Theodore Guerin: Indiana's Very Own Saint, by John Fink Presence I remind myself that I am in your presence O Lord. Freedom Saint Ignatius thought that a thick and shapeless tree-trunk would never I ask for the grace to let myself be shaped by my loving Creator. Consciousness At this moment Lord I turn my thoughts to you. The Word of God Reading 1 jb 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5The LORD addressed Job out of the storm and said: Have you ever in your lifetime commanded the morning and shown the dawn its place For taking hold of the ends of the earth, till the wicked are shaken from its surface? The earth is changed as is clay by the seal, and dyed as though it were a garment; But from the wicked the light is withheld, and the arm of pride is shattered. Have you entered into the sources of the sea, or walked about in the depths of the abyss? Have the gates of death been shown to you, or have you seen the gates of darkness? Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell me, if you know all: Which is the way to the dwelling place of light, and where is the abode of darkness, That you may take them to their boundaries and set them on their homeward paths? You know, because you were born before them, and the number of your years is great! Then Job answered the LORD and said: Behold, I am of little account; what can I answer you? I put my hand over my mouth. Though I have spoken once, I will not do so again; though twice, I will do so no more. Responsorial Psalm ps 139:1-3, 7-8, 9-10, 13-14abR. (24b) Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way. O LORD, you have probed me and you know me; you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar. R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way. Where can I go from your spirit? From your presence where can I flee? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I sink to the nether world, you are present there. R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea, Even there your hand shall guide me, and your right hand hold me fast. R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way. Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are your works. R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way. Gospel lk 10:13-16Jesus said to them, "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum, 'Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.' Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." Conversation Do I notice myself reacting as I pray with the Word of God? Do I feel challenged, comforted, angry? Imagining Jesus sitting or standing by me, I speak out my feelings, as one trusted friend to another. Conclusion Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.  Meditation: Psalm 139:1-3, 7-10, 13-14View NAB Reading at USCCB.org | Wrong date? Set your time zone. 26th Week in Ordinary Time You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. (Psalm 139:13)
What makes babies so delightful? Science suggests that a baby's large, round eyes and chubby cheeks trigger an instinctual reaction in its parents. Almost automatically, we smile. We feel a drive to care for and protect the child, to hold him or her close and shower love on this innocent little person that God has entrusted to us. Toy makers use this knowledge to their advantage: for example, eighty-six-year-old Mickey Mouse has gotten "younger" through the years as his head and eyes were drawn bigger and his ears rounder to make him look more appealing. Of course, this isn't the whole story. We savor each stage of our children's growth. We still beam with pride as our daughters become mothers, navigate morning sickness, and fall in love with their own children. We marvel as our sons tackle the challenges of fatherhood. Simply because they are our children, we feel an unbreakable bond, even when relations between us are strained. If earthly parents can feel so connected to their children, imagine how much God delights in you—even when you aren't particularly delighting in him! Think of Job in today's first reading. After enduring disaster upon disaster, he has taken up his case against God. As Job sees it, God owes him an explanation for the way he has treated him, and he will not rest until God answers for himself. But God, ever the loving Father, patiently works to set Job straight. He loves this son of his no matter what, and he will not rest until Job is at peace. Just as he was for Job, God is there for you. He is watching over you, showering you with love, and pouring out grace as you face the challenges of your life. Even if you can't see him right now, a time will come, as it came for Job, when you will be able to look back and see that your heavenly Father has never left your side. You are his child, and he can't help but smile every time he sees you. So try to relax in his gaze today and feel his delight in you. "Lord, help me grasp your love for me. Father, I believe that you delight in me. By your Spirit, deepen my faith today."
Job 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5; Luke 10:13-16 my2cents: Behold, I am of little account; what can I answer you? Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.  adrian
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