We read a strange thing in the account of Our Lord’s Ascension. The disciples accompany Jesus and he raises his arms in blessing as he ascends to his Father. In our imagination we could see them weeping and consoling one another at the farewell of this perfect friend and teacher. That is not what happens. It says they returned to Jerusalem rejoicing. In his book Jesus of Nazareth part two our Holy Father contemplates the same phenomenon. He tells us that the disciples and we can rejoice because Jesus is now not limited by our time and space. Having returned to the Father he is now for all time in “divine space”. He now belongs intimately to all of us. Those who lived with Jesus in Israel were fortunate to meet him once or twice in a lifetime. They might touch his robe and be healed but then he moves on “to the other cities of Israel”. Today we need only turn our mind and heart to him and our friend, consoler, Lord and God is there with us.
Let us not neglect the privileged presences of Jesus to us: the Sacred Scriptures and the Eucharist. Both are concrete and available to our senses. They are the keys to renewing our understanding the mystical presence of Jesus with us always.
Mother Franziska drew her courage and strength from this presence of Christ. She was very aware of Jesus living in her heart, in the Eucharist and in the Holy Scripture which she frequently quoted. As she traveled across the Empire she saluted Jesus in the tabernacle of the churches whose towers passed her train or coach window.
Let us not be afraid of a personal relationship with Christ and his mother and the saints who preceded us. It is countercultural and we will sometimes feel alone. We are not alone, all over the world are Christians ready to serve and lay down their lives for Jesus and their neighbor. Jesus promised that he would be with us always and at every Mass we celebrate that he will come again. So we can rejoice. The Easter joy is not for a day, a week, or a season. He is risen! Forever!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Franziska Notes March 2012
All of March this year is dedicated to the season of Lent. Our times and our experience of this season of penance and conversion is much different from the time of Mother Franziska. The sins of which we are conscious and the penance we must do are also different. Her society by and large supported the faith into which most people were baptized. Expected behavior was clear and those who were different were on the fringes. The news was black and white in more than paper and ink.
We are bombarded by many versions of “right and wrong”. Many different types of behavior are tolerated and judgment of others’ behavior is frowned upon. In many ways this is a Christian stance for God our Father loves all people and makes the sun and rain benefit the “good” and the “bad”. Jesus tells us we must not judge so that we too will not be judged.
We cannot live in a moral vacuum. We have the voice of the Church to guide us as we make decisions. Sometimes a prominent person takes great risk in articulating his or her Catholic faith. Soon they are ridiculed and their words shredded and mocked in the media. In some circles it has become “cool” and even sophisticated to criticize the Bishops or our priests. Our children may very seldom hear the great achievements of our martyrs, scientists, workers of charity of all types. They may hear us apologize for our faith and those who profess it. So we are obliged to study our faith and to rejoice in the many benefits of nature and grace that have come to us with our Baptism. We have the Eucharist, the consolation of the sacraments, the example of the saints and heroes who shared these graces. We must courageously speak of what is good and holy in what we believe, even if it is mocked. We see courageous Catholic public figures who stay true to what the Church teaches even though they risk losing the esteem or office they strive for. We ask the intercession of Mother Franziska, Servant of God, to live joyously and courageously in our time as she did in hers and as the sisters who followed her did in subsequent times of poverty and persecution.
We are bombarded by many versions of “right and wrong”. Many different types of behavior are tolerated and judgment of others’ behavior is frowned upon. In many ways this is a Christian stance for God our Father loves all people and makes the sun and rain benefit the “good” and the “bad”. Jesus tells us we must not judge so that we too will not be judged.
We cannot live in a moral vacuum. We have the voice of the Church to guide us as we make decisions. Sometimes a prominent person takes great risk in articulating his or her Catholic faith. Soon they are ridiculed and their words shredded and mocked in the media. In some circles it has become “cool” and even sophisticated to criticize the Bishops or our priests. Our children may very seldom hear the great achievements of our martyrs, scientists, workers of charity of all types. They may hear us apologize for our faith and those who profess it. So we are obliged to study our faith and to rejoice in the many benefits of nature and grace that have come to us with our Baptism. We have the Eucharist, the consolation of the sacraments, the example of the saints and heroes who shared these graces. We must courageously speak of what is good and holy in what we believe, even if it is mocked. We see courageous Catholic public figures who stay true to what the Church teaches even though they risk losing the esteem or office they strive for. We ask the intercession of Mother Franziska, Servant of God, to live joyously and courageously in our time as she did in hers and as the sisters who followed her did in subsequent times of poverty and persecution.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Mary of Bethany
We read in the Gospels of the women who followed the Lord and ministered to the needs of his disciples.... The impression might be that they did the cooking and the laundry... Women know how to do those things and this makes them strong and independent. We also have Mary, the sister of Lazarus, the contemplative, the theologian who sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to His words. Martha was cooking but she was obviously listening for when her brother died she was the one who articulated her faith in the divine power of their friend, Jesus.
In the fifties and before, there was a very strict fast for receiving the Eucharist. No food or water was allowed before the Mass. There were very strong women who loved the Lord no less than Mary and Martha. They rode the ferry each day to their jobs in lower Manhattan without any breakfast because they wanted to meet their Lord in Holy Communion at the noon Mass during their lunch hour.
Today the fast is more relaxed, but it still requires a special love and courage to be witness to Jesus in the Eucharist. It is sometimes difficult to acknowledge our faith in the Real Presence when so much of our society keep their faith, if they have any, as a personal secret. Mockery hurts far more than an empty stomach.
Still today there are brave young woman who cannot deny their love for Jesus and give up part of their precious lunch hour to find and attend a Holy Mass. How dear they are to Him and how blessed will be their lives and those they touch.
In the fifties and before, there was a very strict fast for receiving the Eucharist. No food or water was allowed before the Mass. There were very strong women who loved the Lord no less than Mary and Martha. They rode the ferry each day to their jobs in lower Manhattan without any breakfast because they wanted to meet their Lord in Holy Communion at the noon Mass during their lunch hour.
Today the fast is more relaxed, but it still requires a special love and courage to be witness to Jesus in the Eucharist. It is sometimes difficult to acknowledge our faith in the Real Presence when so much of our society keep their faith, if they have any, as a personal secret. Mockery hurts far more than an empty stomach.
Still today there are brave young woman who cannot deny their love for Jesus and give up part of their precious lunch hour to find and attend a Holy Mass. How dear they are to Him and how blessed will be their lives and those they touch.
Franziska Notes February 2012
February is the “month between” or sometimes the gateway to the Holy Season of Lent.. In our time Catholicism and individual Catholics in public life are very much in the news. People are curious about our faith. No one can be immune from questions provoked by this publicity. We must take advantage of every opportunity to know our faith on an adult intellectual level. Mother Franziska repeated often to her sisters what she must have learned from her father, loosely remembered as a warning not to “travel around as an “empty suitcase”. Our brains and also our spirits can be compared to suitcases or, today, “tote bags”. What do they contain?. Do we want to imprint our precious brain cells with superficial thrills or petty information or do we want to store treasure there for ourselves and others? Good books and media are available to all but there is also much misinformation in the media used by the general public so that the Holy Father, John Paul II’s desire for a new evangelization can not take place without committed Catholics able to respond accurately to questions about the faith
In this Mother Franziska would have her sisters on the front lines. By their prayers, actions, study and love they would demonstrate the true mission of the Church. They would be familiar with the Gospel from their own dedication to reading Sacred Scripture, and be articulate in a loving and true way about God’s Revelation through His Son Jesus Christ. Were we not promised the help of the Holy Spirit? Can we not rely on that promise during lunch breaks and over coffee as we speak from our own conviction about the wonders God has done in His Church and in our lives. The centrality of the Eucharist will become visible in our own manner in churches and at Catholic liturgies and ceremonies. If we have filled our hearts and minds with the beauty of our Catholic Faith we will be messengers of the Living Christ who wishes to draw all people to Himself. The curiosity about the source of our love and joy will attract them to Jesus. We will make Gods love more radiantly visible in our world.
In this Mother Franziska would have her sisters on the front lines. By their prayers, actions, study and love they would demonstrate the true mission of the Church. They would be familiar with the Gospel from their own dedication to reading Sacred Scripture, and be articulate in a loving and true way about God’s Revelation through His Son Jesus Christ. Were we not promised the help of the Holy Spirit? Can we not rely on that promise during lunch breaks and over coffee as we speak from our own conviction about the wonders God has done in His Church and in our lives. The centrality of the Eucharist will become visible in our own manner in churches and at Catholic liturgies and ceremonies. If we have filled our hearts and minds with the beauty of our Catholic Faith we will be messengers of the Living Christ who wishes to draw all people to Himself. The curiosity about the source of our love and joy will attract them to Jesus. We will make Gods love more radiantly visible in our world.
Franziska Notes January 2012
It is time to say “Happy New Year!” Time passes very quickly, especially after we have said those words many times. Mother Franziska must have felt the passage of time very deeply. As we read her letters or her work we cannot help but become breathless with the urgency she felt about her mission. She is not the only one who has been sent by God… all of us, the baptized, have a mission, a call from God. The liturgy of January is all about call. Beginning with John the Baptist who generously encourages his own disciples to follow Jesus and continuing with Jesus Himself, and down to our own day we must be about announcing the Kingdom of God
No one has the privilege of excusing themselves. It is especially at this time of secularism, materialism and the crumbling of the Scripture based heritage that the world has known for two thousand years, that Christians and all those who love and believe in God, must be active. Even Those who are confined to one room, or to a bare prison cell as many of the Saints were, have a mission and must give witness. The Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City (former Hanoi), Nguyễn Văn Thuận kept in solitary confinement for nine years was such a good witness that they had to rotate his guards because so many were converted by his humility and kindness and by the joy and faith he radiated.
Mother Franziska lived in a very different time, but her love for God and His Church are still models for us today. Holiness shines all the brighter where evil tries to stamp it out. We have far better access to Sacred Scripture, books, stories of saints, because of magazines, diocesan newspapers, retreat programs and books available and especially the Internet. We must spend time learning more about our faith and letting ourselves be inspired so that our actions or even our simple “being” become lamps pointing to the Savior of the World. That is what it means to be a “Servant and Instrument” of God’s love.
No one has the privilege of excusing themselves. It is especially at this time of secularism, materialism and the crumbling of the Scripture based heritage that the world has known for two thousand years, that Christians and all those who love and believe in God, must be active. Even Those who are confined to one room, or to a bare prison cell as many of the Saints were, have a mission and must give witness. The Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City (former Hanoi), Nguyễn Văn Thuận kept in solitary confinement for nine years was such a good witness that they had to rotate his guards because so many were converted by his humility and kindness and by the joy and faith he radiated.
Mother Franziska lived in a very different time, but her love for God and His Church are still models for us today. Holiness shines all the brighter where evil tries to stamp it out. We have far better access to Sacred Scripture, books, stories of saints, because of magazines, diocesan newspapers, retreat programs and books available and especially the Internet. We must spend time learning more about our faith and letting ourselves be inspired so that our actions or even our simple “being” become lamps pointing to the Savior of the World. That is what it means to be a “Servant and Instrument” of God’s love.
Franziska Notes December 2011
We usually look to Mother Franziska as a model for living her spirit and charism in our daily lives today. As we end this year it seems we should come begging her intercession that we may live the spirit of Christ in a very different world. The culture she lived and worked in was pretty much shaped by the Gospels and the Hebrew Scriptures. The enemies of the prevailing culture were weakened and distant. This inimical spirit touched the Drina Martyrs in the form of a small band of partisans. Later this became institutionalized in a large part of the world dominated by atheistic Communism. The Church counts thousands of martyrs from this period.
Today we are threatened by a culture of materialism that ignores or even mocks and attacks the judeo-christian heritage that shaped its greatness. This materialism is dangerous because most of the time we are not aware that it is robbing us of true joy and love, substituting a superficial pleasure that puts the self in place of the giving spirit proclaimed by Jesus.
We ask Mother Franziska to pray for us so that we may be servants of God’s love--that we may be alert to the many opportunities of welcoming and comforting the suffering whom we meet every day. We do not need to be afraid to be generous. The example of Christ that we celebrate this month, is both our model and our strength for the task. The Son of God left the status and wealth of heaven to become a baby in a manger entrusting himself to weak human beings as he does today in the Eucharist. Jesus promised that those who “lose” their lives here will gain eternal life. God’s love cannot be surpassed. In giving of ourselves and our possessions we find a joy that surpasses by far any of the pleasures promised by the false values of our prevailing culture. Mother Franziska who responded to the call of the Lord in your time, be with us and teach us to see rightly in our own.
Today we are threatened by a culture of materialism that ignores or even mocks and attacks the judeo-christian heritage that shaped its greatness. This materialism is dangerous because most of the time we are not aware that it is robbing us of true joy and love, substituting a superficial pleasure that puts the self in place of the giving spirit proclaimed by Jesus.
We ask Mother Franziska to pray for us so that we may be servants of God’s love--that we may be alert to the many opportunities of welcoming and comforting the suffering whom we meet every day. We do not need to be afraid to be generous. The example of Christ that we celebrate this month, is both our model and our strength for the task. The Son of God left the status and wealth of heaven to become a baby in a manger entrusting himself to weak human beings as he does today in the Eucharist. Jesus promised that those who “lose” their lives here will gain eternal life. God’s love cannot be surpassed. In giving of ourselves and our possessions we find a joy that surpasses by far any of the pleasures promised by the false values of our prevailing culture. Mother Franziska who responded to the call of the Lord in your time, be with us and teach us to see rightly in our own.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Franziska Notes November 2011
Anyone who has had the good fortune of visiting the lovely Bavarian town of Edling in the summer and contemplated the golden barley fields shining in the sun while red poppies and blue cornflowers danced with the distant Alps lending a contrasting purple haze, cannot doubt that little Fanny was nurtured by beauty. All her life she cultivated joy in herself and in the women who joined her mission. She knew that the good news of Jesus, which would lift up the sad and discouraged, that would strengthen the weak and encourage service and love of neighbor must be delivered with joy. No one will be attracted to the good news of the Gospel if its messenger is dour, depressing and proclaiming only restrictions and deprivation.
How do we find and cultivate joy in ourselves so that we can become a blessing to others? St. Paul in the letter to the Phillipians (Phil 4:4-9) tells us to rejoice and then instructs us how. We are to fill our eyes and thoughts with all that is true, noble, right and lovely. Today, modern media presents us with thousands of choices, but this demands discernment and responsibility. What kind of film, television, music and art do we support by our attention and money? Everything that enters our eyes and thought contributes to who we become. Our language and manners will subtly change according to these choices. Will we be gentle and kind, or bitter and cynical?
Mother Franziska, sending her sisters through the far reaches of the Empire to collect alms for their works, told the sisters to take time to see the noted sites in the places they stayed. They visited museums and beautiful baroque and gothic churches and saw unique formations of nature in the countries of Europe.
We have access to so much. We can ask the Holy Spirit to lead us to all that is good, true, beautiful and loving – the attributes of the Blessed Trinity made visible in Jesus. We can almost hear Mother Franziska say, “Your brain cells are too precious to waste on trash”.
How do we find and cultivate joy in ourselves so that we can become a blessing to others? St. Paul in the letter to the Phillipians (Phil 4:4-9) tells us to rejoice and then instructs us how. We are to fill our eyes and thoughts with all that is true, noble, right and lovely. Today, modern media presents us with thousands of choices, but this demands discernment and responsibility. What kind of film, television, music and art do we support by our attention and money? Everything that enters our eyes and thought contributes to who we become. Our language and manners will subtly change according to these choices. Will we be gentle and kind, or bitter and cynical?
Mother Franziska, sending her sisters through the far reaches of the Empire to collect alms for their works, told the sisters to take time to see the noted sites in the places they stayed. They visited museums and beautiful baroque and gothic churches and saw unique formations of nature in the countries of Europe.
We have access to so much. We can ask the Holy Spirit to lead us to all that is good, true, beautiful and loving – the attributes of the Blessed Trinity made visible in Jesus. We can almost hear Mother Franziska say, “Your brain cells are too precious to waste on trash”.
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