A Reply to Love
from the foot of the cross
NEWS RELEASE!!
With gratitude for the support of our Bishop Jeffrey Monforton of the Diocese of Steubenville and Bishop Gregory Parkes of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, The Franciscan Sisters Third Order Regular of Penance of the Sorrowful Mother joyfully announce that we have been given permission to be present in the Diocese of
“What are you giving up for Lent?” Among Catholics on or around Ash Wednesday, this question could be a typical conversation starter. Many of us are familiar with the typical answers, such as chocolate or other sweets, our favorite show on TV, smoking, alcoholic beverages, etc.
It was Valentine’s Day several years ago and it began like any regular day, with Holy Hour at 5:30 am. I sat there, as a true romantic, waiting for God to woo my heart all over again as we celebrated this day for lovers. But I was a little distracted because I was cooking dinner that night and somehow needed to come up with 1 cup of chicken broth for my recipe. With no chicken or bouillon cubes in the house this was going to be quite a task.
Sr.Mary Gemma as Katie (far left) before she entered community
I can still taste the café au lait and the crusty bread. I can walk the cobblestones at dusk and hear the friendly “bonsoir”s that sent me home each night. In my mind’s eye, I can sit on my windowsill at Maison Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul and watch the mist roll off the Pyrenees and hear the morning bells toll from the basilica spire.
This New Year’s Day, I was in the mood for a little adventure. I was visiting with my parents in New Hampshire and I decided that watching the sun rise from the old fire tower on Hyland Hill would be a fitting way to greet the new year.
It was a brisk 10* Fahrenheit when I set out at 6:15 toward the trail with my parents’ dog, Dozer,
"The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world." ~John 1:9
The tradition of the Light of Bethlehem started after the Two World Wars of the 20th century in order to remind the world that true peace comes from CHRIST, not from politics.
“And she pondered all these things…”
This time of year offers us so many beautiful images and virtues to contemplate – many of which, I would say, are easy to miss or take for granted, as they are lost under the glitter and tinsel of ‘the season.’
