Recently I was “tagged” by Lisa over at From Where I Write. After a few clicks I figured out what exactly that meant (it’s not a chain letter which is what I thought because normally I pitch those). I actually like this little meme — it gets me thinking … read on … the stuff in brackets is what gets passed on from person to person, and the rest after it is my personal response to it. Like Lisa, I’m going to do this in two parts so as not to O.D. on writing reflectively! When I’m done, I’m supposed to pass it on to someone else so stay tuned to Part II. (01/25/07 update — click here for Part II.)
[A is for apparitions - your favorite]: Saint Teresa of Avila’s vision of Jesus …
I was in prayer one day,—it was the feast of the glorious St. Peter—when I saw Christ close by me, or, to speak more correctly, felt Him; for I saw nothing with the eyes of the body, nothing with the eyes of the soul. He seemed to me to be close beside me; and I saw, too, as I believe, that it was He who was speaking to me. As I was utterly ignorant that such a vision was possible, I was extremely afraid at first, and did nothing but weep; however, when He spoke to me but one word to reassure me, I recovered myself, and was, as usual, calm and comforted, without any fear whatever. Jesus Christ seemed to be by my side continually, and, as the vision was not imaginary, I saw no form; but I had a most distinct feeling that He was always on my right hand, a witness of all I did; and never at any time, if I was but slightly recollected, or not too much distracted, could I be ignorant of His near presence. (Life of Saint Teresa of Jesus, ch. 27, #3)
[B is for Bible- the one you read most often]: Hmmmm …. so many translations, so little time. Personally I am a fan of the New Revised Standard Version (Catholic edition) but I often use the New American Bible. On occasion I peruse the Vulgate to see if I remember any of my Latin.
[C is for Charism- the one you would most like to have]: Humility, simplicity, and zeal … the three virtues that we IHMs strive for … inherited from our Redemptorist beginnings.
[D is for Doctor of the Church- your favorite]: Each of the Doctors of the Church totally rocks. Who wouldn’t want to sit at any one of their feet?! That being said, I’d have to say Teresa of Avila, Alphonsus of Liguori, and Thomas Aquinas.
[E is for Essential Prayer - What’s yours?]: The Eucharist and morning prayer according to the Liturgy of the Hours.
[F is for Favorite Hymn]: My all-time favorite hymn is “For the Beauty of the Earth” … the John Rutter version. I first learned how to sing this song in full harmony when I was in college. Our music director Santo (now a Redemptorist in Canada) taught it to us and we sang it for the Easter vigil. It was one of the most moving musical experiences of my life (I’m not so much of a singer, but that night I was.). For my first profession of vows, my Dad played upright bass along with a clarinetist and pianist to this tune. Then again for my final profession our IHM music director played this for me at the Mass. It was beautiful.
[G is for Gospel - your favorite author?]: I dig them all … each speaks to me in a different way.
[H is for Holy Communion - How would you describe it, using one word?]: Intimacy
[I is for Inspiration - When do you feel most inspired by God?]: Well, most of that is up to God … but I feel most in tune with God when I am praying with my sisters and when I am surrounded by wilderness (literal and figurative).
[J is for Jesus - When did you first meet Him?]: When I was a youngster at Saint James parish, I remember waiting for my Dad to finish up with folk group practice. I was out in the pews, kind of draped over one on the left side of the altar. Behind the altar was a big banner. It read, “I asked Jesus how much he loved me. Jesus stretched out his arms … and died for me.” I was so struck by this banner because it sounded like the question kids ask adults — “how much do you love me?” — and the adult spreads out her arms and says “this much”. That’s what I thought Jesus meant, but then I realized it meant his arms were stretched out on the cross … for me! That blew me away. I was very young at the time, but I will never forget that.
[K is for Kindness- Which saint or person has most inspired you by their kindness?]: Maximilian Kolbe
[L is for liturgical year - your favorite time in the liturgical cycle?]: Again, so hard to choose …. I’d have to go with Ordinary Time. Isn’t it so cool that it is its own season? It reminds me that all time is God’s time … even mundane, ordinary time is sacred and precious.
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