Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville

13 hours ago

Are we bearing fruit?
Friday, December 14, 2018
Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church - Memorial Is 48:17-19/Mt 11:16-19

The psalm in today's reading has a line which has always seemed rich to me: “The man who follows not the ways of the wicked... is like a tree planted near running water, that yields its fruit in due season and whose leaves never fade.”
This individual is “planted,” set in place by someone who presumably knows what he is doing, and the nearby water is running, alive. The tree, or each of us, has all that it needs at all times even though that support is not immediately visible. It is simple and clear, nearly invisible, and yet it is what the tree, or each of us, yearns for and cannot live without.

And we could say much the same thing about the invisible light that is also essential for such life.

Such a tree yields fruit, not simply enjoying its dependable and satisfying condition, and it yields that fruit in due season, but is there such a thing as the unfading leaves which the psalm mentions next? I would think that fruit trees are cyclic and shed their leaves on an annual basis in preparation for the next fruit-bearing cycle (but what do I know? I'm a city boy), and I would guess that this suggests that this tree does not produce fruit only once a year but does so on a regular and steady basis.

Take a look at Ezekiel 47:12 and Revelation 22:2, which pick up on this idea. The trees in these passages are obviously symbolic, possibly of us, and go well beyond what we expect of the trees in our ordinary lives. Considering these verses in the respective contexts might help develop some of the implications of this psalm verse for us...

To cut to the chase: are we like the tree of the psalm? God has planted us in the time and place that he thought best for us, gave us just the gifts that he thought we would need, and wants us to flourish and to bear fruit for others as a regular event – and I would dare to say that he expects or at least hopes for fruit from us both in season and out (2 Timothy 4:2; Mark 11:12-14). We are able to do so only because we have that almost invisible but radically necessary support from our God that we call “grace” – if we open ourselves to it. By Chas Kestermeier, S.J., Professor of English ... See MoreSee Less

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Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville

2 days ago

"Boldly invite others to enter the Kingdom of Heaven."
December 13
Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr - Memorial -Is 41:13-20/Mt 11:11-15
As I read and pray with the readings for today I see the theme of “the kingdom of God”. In the season of Advent we are reminded that Jesus came to invite us into the kingdom of God through the incarnation. During Advent my prayer consists of phrases like, “Come Lord Jesus” and ”O Come, O Come Emmanuel”. For me it is a time to pray for God to fill my heart. Then I am able to respond with courage and love when Jesus says to me, “Come, follow me” (Mt 4:19). The readings we hear throughout the rest of the year about the life
and ministry of Jesus echo this continual call of Jesus to “Come, follow me.”

The first reading from Isaiah reminds me of God’s generosity and willingness to give the people of Israel all that they need, including the mercy and kindness referred to in the psalm. Israel is striving to be a great nation and kingdom at this time in history and these words from God remind them that they cannot do this on their own. It is God that helps them be a great nation. I can identify with the people of Israel who desire great things but easily forget that God is the giver of all good gifts. In the first reading it is obvious that God seeks to assist, to help and to give good gifts. God is saying, “Fear not”, I want good for you. I trust that God wants good for all of us. Advent is a time to remember the ultimate good gift God has given us all which is the gift of his son, Jesus. Through him we have our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

In the gospel reading from Matthew we hear Jesus talk about the “Kingdom of heaven” in reference to John the Baptist. Jesus says, “Among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist”, but goes on to say, “Yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” The Catholic Study Bible suggests that the meaning of this statement by Jesus is that the greatness of John the Baptist lies in his role as the one who announces the kingdom of heaven. The message I heard in this is the invitation to be like John and to boldly invite others to enter the kingdom of heaven. By being a part of the kingdom of heaven we too find our greatness.
By Kathy Martin – Campus Minister ... See MoreSee Less

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Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville

2 days ago

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Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville

3 days ago

Today is the Feast of our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12, a day we celebrate God revealing himself to us through his mother Mary and a poor boy named Juan Diego.

Zec 2:14-17 or Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab/Lk 1:26-38 or Lk
1:39-47
Today is the Feast of our Lady of Guadalupe,
Patroness of the Americas. There are multiple
readings that are offered for today, for me they all
speak of a God who is immanent. In Zechariah we
read, “you shall be his people and he will dwell
among you.” In Revelation the authority of God’s
Anointed has come to us. The Gospel, of course,
tells us of Mary’s fiat; she literally made ROOM for
God within her and accepted the infusion of the
Holy Spirit willingly. This is Immanuel, God with
us. God inserts God-self into our lives; into human
history.
The story of Juan Diego, a poor Aztec Indian, and
the pregnant Mary requesting that a church be built
on Tepeyac hill is today’s feast. The story of Mary
asking Juan to relay the message to Bishop Juan de
Zumarraga is a familiar one to most people today.
The disbelief of the Bishop and the subsequent
miracle of roses in December and to the wonder of
all assembled, a perfect image of La Virgen Morena
(the Dark Virgin) was revealed emblazoned on Juan
Diego's cloak as the roses tumbled to the floor.
It was 1531; the Spanish had just recently
conquered the Aztec empire. Mary spoke to Juan in
his native tongue. This is Immanuel, God with us.
God inserted God-self powerfully into the life of
Juan Diego and into the world of colonialism. God
did not come to the powerful. God came to the
meek, and the meek believed. Within a few years of
the apparition millions of the natives converted to
Christianity.
What a wonderful time of year to reflect on God
with us. As we begin this new liturgical year and
once again commit ourselves to making room for
God in our hearts and lives we can remember how
God inserts God-self into human history. It is not
through the arrogant, the self-righteous, the
wealthy. It is through a poor girl from Nazareth. It
is through a poor Indian, a recent convert. It is
through the meek. It is through strong faith and trust
in God that allows us to be fully open to God’s
coming into our lives. This is poverty of spirit. God
comes to us through the poor, not only the
materialistic ‘poor,’ but through our own poverty. It
is easy to overlook both the poor and our own
poverty. As we move through this Advent season let
us be open to God’s self-revelation within each of
us.
By Brigid Quinn Laquer - MS Theology &
Professor in Molecular Genetics Laboratory ... See MoreSee Less

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