FRANZISKA NOTES January 2010

Franziska Notes No.7/1 January 2010

At the beginning of this year I deceded to sit with Mother Franziska in meditation to see what she thinks of our times. She was wondering what might happen to Europe if it no longer had Catholic rulers. I told her that we, today, choose our rulers by election and they can have any faith and belong to any religion or none at all. I told her that we have had presidents who were divorced and also had scandals while they were living in the presidential residence. But what horrified her to the point of absolute disbelief was the fact that abortion at any time and for any reason was legal and protected by law.
She who cared so much for poor servant girls who were exposed to abuse in large cities as her society experienced the rapid changes of industrialization gasped in horror. What a terrible insult to women and tragedy for lives of innocent children lost. She asked me to imagine how Mary felt in exile in Egypt when she heard what Herod had done to the little boy babies of Bethlehem simply to kill her little child. How she must have clutched her divine baby to her heart as the tears for the mothers and children fell from her cheeks.
Mother Franziska then got very agitated. “What are you doing about it?”, she asked. I told her that many people have become discouraged because it was so difficult for leaders in favor of life to be elected. Energetically she told me that this evil is so great and so damaging to our society and to the souls of our people that we must never rest. Everyone must have the courage to speak in favor of life in whatever milieu they find themselves—in public forums, in private coffee meetings, to the young, the old. This is so serious that we must be strong enough to be countercultural. She warned me that it would be the end of human dignity and civil liberty for all. I felt I had really met her and felt her spirit.

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Gaudete Sunday

When I first entered the convent, there were good Hungarian sisters that did the cooking in the provincial house on Staten Island. Everything was new and tasty to a German-descent Staten Island girl. It was Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent when we were told to "rejoice" for the Lord is coming soon. The somber purple penitential vestments of the priest at Mass were replaced by a more encouraging pink. The first course at dinner that day was a delicious Hungarian cherry soup. Since this was the first time I had this dish, I assumed it was traditional for Gaudete Sunday to match the liturgical vestments. Only later did I learn that this was simply a coincidence of Sister Ligoria's choice of menu. Still, it was delicious and every year the memory adds a smile to the "rejoicing" called for in the Mass.

December Franziska Notes

Franziska Notes
No.6/12 December 2009

Christmas is for the little people. Only much later did the wealthy and powerful get called to the mystery of the Incarnation. Christmas night is hidden and poor, simple, joyful. Shepherds felt at home with angels, saints and God made man. I am sure all of us have had the feeling that our mistakes get displayed on a huge billboard, while the many times we gave a kind, patient answer when we were harried and tired, and our struggle to give a kind interpretation to a seemingly grave injustice went unnoticed. Most of us are far more kind and helpful than irritable and selfish but we must often think those around us see us exactly in the opposite light.
Mother Franziska was born in a small farming village in Bavaria and was considered one of the little people and discriminated against as such in the opportunities available. She made the most of her gifts and what was offered her and became the friend of royalty, but she never forgot the little people. She was known for her kindness and her quiet suffering when those she relied on disappointed or calumniated her. Her ministries were directed to the service of the little people—children, poor country girls in service in urban households, retired servants with no home of their own.
The Holy Family in the poor stable at Bethlehem was filled with joy, celebrating with angels, shepherds and the poor townspeople attracted by the mysterious events. The Jesus of the stable is now the glorious reigning Savior of the World. All our instincts about God tell us that He is ultimate fairness. Nothing we have done in His name is unnoticed or forgotten. His Sacred Heart is carefully storing every tiny hidden good thought or act of our lives. One way to avoid becoming discouraged in our sad and busy world is to spend a moment with Jesus to let ourselves “see” in our hearts His smile of pleasure at the good thoughts, words and actions that seem to have gone unnoticed. Mother Franziska knew that the greatest source of joy is knowing that we have pleased God.
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Franziska Notes November 2009

Franziska Notes
No.6/11 November 2009

November is a month for the final harvest of the fields. Even in the Southern Hemisphere there are feasts of Thanksgiving for the good things we receive from the earth. Mother Franziska recognized gratitude as one of the most important virtues. Grateful people are humble and kind. Many are lamenting the loss of simple courtesy in social interaction. We notice that the media is now allowing more suggestive language than ever before. Insults make up a great portion of comedy routines. World leaders, even those that lead our own country are described by the coarsest adjectives. Parents do not seem to realize that while venting their anger at politicians they are modeling behavior for their children to use against all authority figures and that eventually they will be the objects of this learned disrespect.
In Mother Franziska’s day the social classes were very distinct so it was remarkable that she showed the same respect to the Emperor as to a servant girl or child. She saw every human being vested in the dignity of a child of God. Her love of God the Father would not allow careless or cruel language for any of His children. Today parents read books about raising their children’s self-esteem. Those in the work force receive courses in polite interaction in order to assure the company’s profits. There was a time when this was learned from early childhood. Children felt secure and had a good self-image because of the consistent kindness and forgiveness that was the fabric of family living. There was relative peace in the workplace because one did not have to fear a “put-down” at every question.
We encounter dozens of God’s children in our ordinary daily actions. If they each receive a smile and a kind word, we are giving them an intuitive reason for thinking the world is ruled by a loving God. We are giving hope, spreading joy and ultimately pointing to heaven.

Franziska Notes October 2009

The times in which Mother Franziska lived seem, from our perspective, to have been simple and calmer. Her own life, however, was filled with a hectic parade of activities as she attempted to meet the needs of the poor of her time and environment. As we read her biography we become breathless as we see her travel by coach and train throughout the vast and diverse Austro-Hungarian Empire and spending the time at home with visitors, sisters and candidates. Let us just say that she would understand our tensions and conflicts.
We know from the constant teaching of the Church that we are all called to holiness. How can we achieve that beautiful goal in the daily stress of our day? In October our thoughts turn quickly to the Rosary. Many people of our time discarded this devotion as ‘boring’. Perhaps it is the ‘boring’, the mantra-like repetition of the Hail Marys that is the precise vehicle that can center us on God in all the activities that seem to militate against recollection. Those that pay huge sums to learn secular meditation techniques often buy music CDs to provide a background of calm for “emptying” their thoughts. The Hail Marys, punctuated by the Lord’s Prayer and the Doxology of praise to the Trinity, can have the same effect. Instead of an empty silence we fill our mind and heart with the story of our salvation. We follow the life of Jesus and Mary and learn to live in our secular world according their example. We also experience the supernatural strength that is the fruit of prayer. Slowly we become more patient, we begin to judge according to the standards of the Gospel. The Rosary was again proposed in Fatima as the chief weapon for world peace. The daily headlines should be enough motivation for a continued devotion to this exercise. There are many ways of praying the Rosary and Pope John Paul II with the addition of the Luminous Mysteries has rounded out the Life of Christ. Taking another look at this devotion can truly transform our world.

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Franziska Notes September 2009

If we think about the life of Mother Franziska we can imagine the beautiful Bavarian countryside of her childhood. Every kitchen garden in the village of Edling included besides herbs and vegetables, also flowers to brighten the homes and to add color and beauty to the celebrations in the little village church. Prominent among these flowers was the beautiful sunflower. Most children love to watch these giants as they quickly grow far over their heads in a season. All summer long their massive heads follow the sun in its travel across the bright sky. Surely Christian parents pointed out the symbolism of this flower as a parable for the Christian who wants to remain faithful to the Lord in all of the events of daily life. As the heads matured both children and birds enjoyed snacking on the nutritious seeds.
There is another lesson we can learn from this wonderful flower. One can plant the seeds from one packet and come forward with many different results. If the seed was planted in good soil in full sun and received adequate water, a giant emerged, sometimes with a two-inch diameter stem. On the other hand, seeds from the very same package that found themselves in poor, shallow soil, or shade, or which did not receive enough rain, produce a tiny, though recognizable flower hardly more than a daisy.
Did Mother Franziska notice these things in her mother’s garden? Did this contribute to her ideas of education and motivate her to provide healthy Christian environments for those in her care? In her day it was almost unheard of for a woman from the lower and middle classes of society to receive a higher education. This was not an impediment to her dreams. Education was all around, ready to be “picked” by anyone open enough to understand. We are responsible for what enters our minds and hearts, for that is what we will pass on to those whom we meet. Will they flourish or shrivel because of their encounter with us?

Franziska Notes August 2009

Can God make it snow in August? On the fifth of this month we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Snows. What a strange location for a holiday! It is even stranger, in the heat of the Roman August to see crowds streaming toward the Basilica of St. Mary Major. They are coming to rejoice with Mary in this beautiful shrine, so feminine in its lovely mosaic and appointments. The painting over the high altar is of the Nativity and the arch above shows the story of Mary’s life with her divine Son, Jesus. To understand the snow one must look at the chapel on the left, the most richly marbled chapel in Rome if not the world. A marble relief shows a Pope marking something in the snow with his staff. It is the outline of this very basilica, whose location was indicated in a dream by a rare August snowfall on the Esquiline Hill. The icon in this chapel is the inspiration for the favorite portrait of Mary for the Daughters of Divine Charity throughout the world and was often kept as a day for important events in the life of the sisters.
But getting back to the August snowfall we can look at Mother Franziska who had no trouble at all in believing in miracles large and small. We have numerous accounts of her trusting in God’s providence and signing contracts for buildings and renovations when there wasn’t a “penny” in her pocket. The line between daily life and eternity was not marked in concrete for her. She passed easily and joyfully from human encounters to talks with her heavenly friends. It was St. Joseph who was counted on to provide the means and manly support for the most daring ventures. Never was she disappointed. All over Europe today there are buildings which she built for poor servant girls, the education of youth or the convalescence of the sick. She never asked, “How much will this cost?” or “Do we have the money?” but only, “Is this what God wants?” and then the infinite resources of the Heavenly Father were at her disposal.