Sisters Adopt L'Arche St. Louis as a Prayer Partner

This past Wednesday Franciscan Sister Janet Ryan and Visitation associate Helen Rissi came to update the Sisters on the progress of the L’Arche project in St. Louis. As found on their website, “L’Arche enables people with and without disabilities to share their lives in communities of faith and friendship. Community members are transformed through relationships of mutuality, respect, and companionship as they live, work, pray, and play together.” Author Henri Nouwen popularized this ministry by living in a L’Arche community and writing about his experiences.

In St. Louis, core members—developmentally disabled adults—are being identified to live in community in the tradition of founder Jean Vanier and associate members—those who dedicate themselves to living with them-- are being recruited. The renovation of the former Immaculate Conception convent in Maplewood is only a week away from being complete.

This project has been in the process of planning by Helen and a small group of inspired people whose dream it is to see marginalized persons live in a small loving community rather than an institution. Sr. Janet is leading and coordinating the foundation and alumna Margaret Tucker ’77 is a member of the Board.  This project is dear to the Visitation Community as the Sisters are the official prayer partners for the L’Arche community in St. Louis.

The essence of L’Arche is shared life between persons with visible developmental disabilities and those who carry their handicaps less visibly. What an inspiring example for our workplaces, families, parish and religious communities.

Learn more about L’Arche USA here.

The Mount of Temptation

During my Holy Land pilgrimage in November, I had the privilege of going to the Mount of Temptation. In this sun-baked barren place in Jericho Jesus lived for 40 days and 40 nights, fasting and praying. Here in the desert he withstood the wiles of Satan.

                                                                The Mount of Temptation



The whole scene came back vividly to me as I listened to the Gospel of the First Sunday of Lent. Against this backdrop, the reflection on Scripture of Fr. Carroll Stuhlmueller, C.P. in his Biblical Meditations for Lent opened new vistas:

We are not usually tempted by what is obviously bad. Rather, temptations emerge out of goodness which we desire selfishly for ourselves alone. Temptations change at once to invitations to greater goodness, once we recognize the possibility to share properly and happily with others….

Strange as it sounds, goodness provides the occasion for temptation, goodness around us in other people, places and events, goodness within us in our talents and values….Jesus was tempted while fasting and praying in the desert. Here he was led by the Spirit; here he realized the incomparable gifts which he, a human being, possessed because of being Son of God with a messianic mission. In the desert the devil suggested:”Because you are so saintly and so powerful, work those extravagant miracles quickly, at once, and the messianic triumph all over the world will be accomplished! Why wait?”

Jesus, however, waited and concentrated upon his public ministry. This way of God was long, at times tedious and in the end seemingly a failure. The work had to be handed over to apostles and disciples, and as it continues into our own day, it is still unfinished. Maybe we are tempted to think that Jesus should have followed the devil’s advice and carried out the world’s salvation as quickly as turning stones into bread. Then all the kingdoms of the world would be his, enthusiastically acclaiming this wonder-worker who can even throw himself from the highest and most conspicuous spot of the temple and remain unharmed. Jesus waited; for only by a slow process of thought, prayer and dedication can salvation be achieved according to God’s holy will. This salvation must be shared with everyone before individual persons can consider themselves fully saved.

Fr. Stuhlmueller ends his reflections by contrasting the responses of Adam in the garden and Jesus in the desert. In Adam we are selfish and apt to misuse goodness; in Jesus we are strong enough to share without losing. It is an interesting insight that not evil but goodness provides the opportunity for temptation.

Lord Jesus, help me to fast from selfishness this Lent and unselfishly share goodness.

Lent is the Time for Loving

Again we are entering the joyous season of Lent. Does that adjective surprise you? We have long associated Lent with penance and sharing in the sufferings and death of Jesus by fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. Of course that is correct, but it is only half the truth. It is incomplete because we know the end of the passion story which is not death but resurrection: Christ has died; Christ is risen. So why do Catholic Christians journey through the 40 days of Lent?

I’d like to suggest that Lent is the time for loving—not the hearts and flowers infatuation that is a prelude to real love but the unheroic, unsung, “ordinary” ways that are easily within our reach. In his Treatise on the Love of God St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of Divine Love, teaches:

There are people who imagine doing great things for God, things that would involve great suffering and heroic actions. Yet there is no opportunity to perform such deeds—and perhaps there never will be. They believe that just by imagining these deeds, they have shown great love, but they are often deceived. For while they desire to embrace great future crosses, they anxiously avoid the much lighter burdens that are presented to them now. Isn’t it a big temptation to be heroic in imagination but cowardly in carrying it out?...Great deeds do not always come our way, but in every moment, we may do little ones with a great love.

Francis’ insight that by doing little acts, we practice loving more often, more humbly, and more usefully can give us a clue to making our Lent a time for love. He continues with an ordinary -extraordinary agenda of “Little Virtues” we can practice in union with the suffering love of Jesus:

1. Putting up with other people’s moods and troublesome behavior,

2. Gaining victory over our own moods and passions,

3. Renouncing our petty preferences, coming against our own revulsions,

4. Honestly acknowledging our faults,

5. Keeping our souls in peace,

6. Gently and graciously welcoming scorn or criticism.



Perhaps you would like to join me in choosing one of these practices for each of the six weeks of Lent? Like St. Francis de Sales and St. Therese of Lisieux we will experience in little ways that "Lent is a time for loving."