Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Wednesday December 13, 2017 Feast of Saint Lucy Patroness of Eye problems

Prayer to Saint Lucy

This prayer to Saint Lucy is mainly for people looking for healing of eye problems and the healing of one’s soul.
Years ago I was in the middle of a car accident that caused many lacerations on my face including my left eye. After two eye surgeries I was yet blind with ten sutures in the shape of a 'V' in my left eye. I got used to living with one eye which I had full vision of.
Years later I was shocked when I found that my right eye was developing a Pterygium. I was told that the Pterygium could grow towards the centre of the eye and if it did, I would lose that eye.
Although surgery was an option, the eye surgeon was hesitant due to the risks. Because I was already blind in my left eye, he said that it was too risky.  Cornea replacement in the left eye was another option, but I did not have the funds. It cost a fortune.
In desperation, I prayed and it was during that time that I found the prayer to Saint Lucy.
prayer to saint lucy, saint lucy
Since then Saint Lucy has been a regular intercessor for me.
Initially, I could not see anything through my left eye. But gradually, I began to see light. Then blurry shapes, colours and moving objects.  Yet I cannot read with my left eye.  However, if a printed page is brought very close to my face, I am able to now see blurry letters.  I believe that God through the intercession of Saint Lucy has begun His healing process.
I know that God can heal me in an instant, but I trust that God has good reasons which I don't understand for taking His time.  I believe that in God's time I would be healed. I also know that Saint Lucy is praying for me, more for the healing of my soul.
Saint Lucy is well known as the patron saint for eyes. December 13th is the feast day of Saint Lucy and providentially, it was on that day that I found the prayer to Saint Lucy.
I believe that through Saint Lucy’s intervention, in God's time, God will heal me.

Prayer to Saint Lucy

Saint Lucy
Whose beautiful name signifies 'LIGHT'
by the light of faith which God bestowed upon you
increase and preserve His light in my soul
so that I may avoid evil,
Be zealous in the performance of good works
and abhor nothing so much as the blindness and
the darkness of evil and sin.
Obtain for me, by your intercession with God
Perfect vision for my bodily eyes
and the grace to use them for God’s greater honour and glory
and the salvation of souls.
St. Lucy, virgin and martyr
hear my prayers and obtain my petitions.
Amen.
I also used the Prayer to Saint Lucy to pray for my friend Sue, who was going through an eye surgery. Sue too was in a similar situation, who lived with just one good eye.  She then lost vision in that eye. I asked St Lucy to intercede on behalf of her and we together prayed a novena to St Lucy.
A few months later Sue told me that she had completely recovered from the surgery and regained the full vision in that eye.
In gratitude, I created this webpage, Prayer to Saint Lucy in honour of this zealous saint of God. She is a virgin and martyr. Given below is a link to the life story of St Lucy.
Although, there are many different prayers to St Lucy, the above is my favourite prayer to Saint Lucy. Some invoke Saint Lucy’s prayers for woman with bleeding problems. The reason being, that her mother was healed through St Lucy’s faith and intervention.
I encourage young people to pray to St Lucy at times they are bullied, laughed at or mocked for their faith. This type of persecution happens at schools, universities, work places and even in their own homes. Saint Lucy stood strong in her faith and she will definitely pray for you for courage and joy.

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Sunday, November 26, 2017

Feast of Christ the King November 26, 2017

Feast  of Christ our King

This King of ours,
Father-head of Mother Church,
shepherds us
with tender care,
through all our wanderings,
claims His sheep,
brings us home,
anoints us Sons and Daughters,
He , Anointed-Messiah,
Holy, Holy, Holy
Glory to our King.
FJV

Saturday, November 25, 2017

Christ the King November 26 Sunday

CHRIST THE KING

by achristianpilgrim
CHRIST THE KING
(A biblical reflection on the SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING [YEAR A] – Sunday, 26 November 2017)
 
Gospel Reading: Matthew 25:31-46 
First Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-12,15-17; Psalms: Psalm 23:1-3,5-6; Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:20-26,28 
The Scripture Text
“When the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and He will place the sheep at His right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the King will say to those at His right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see Thee a stranger and welcome Thee, or naked and clothe Thee? And when did we see Thee sick or in prison and visit Thee? And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Then He will say to those at His left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me,  naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see Thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to Thee? Then He will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to Me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46 RSV) 
The scene in the parable in today’s Gospel reading is the judgment at the end of the world. The parable begins with a reference to the Son of Man coming in His glory. The term “Son of Man” refers to the Messiah, the military/political leader through whom God would rule the world and establish His Kingdom. The Messiah will come in his glory at the end of the world when he will be victorious over all his enemies.
In the parable, Jesus says that the Messiah will sit upon his royal throne and all the nations will assemble before him as he separates them into two groups like a shepherd separates sheep from goats. In Palestine, the shepherd usually allowed the sheep and the goats to graze together but separated them whenever he took them home or moved them to another pasture.
The King/Messiah tells those he places on his right side that he will give them a spot in God’s Kingdom prepared for them since the beginning of the world. According to the Jewish rabbis, God created His Kingdom even before the world began and those He will judge righteous He will reward with everlasting life in this Kingdom while the wicked He will send to a place of fire reserved for the devil and his followers.
Notice that Jesus does not say judgment will be based on how well known or popular a person iss, how much money or power one has, or even where someone worships, but on how the individual responds to those who are in need. By telling us that whenever we do something for others we are really doing it for Him, Jesus identifies Himself with those who are suffering and is saying that to serve God we have to serve each other. We cannot separate our responsibilities to our neighbour from our responsibilities to God.
The parable should make us a little uncomfortable because it means we cannot sit back and expect to enter heaven simply because we believe in Jesus and go to church every Sunday. Jesus demands more from His followers. He demands we live out our faith in service to others. Unless our faith finds expression in visiting the lonely, comforting the grieving, feeding the hungry, and clothing the naked, we cannot expect to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
(Source: Jerome J. Sabatowich, Cycling Through the Gospels – Gospel Commentaries for Cycles A, B, and C, pages 116-117.)
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I adore You as my King! I am thankful that You protect me, care for me, and hear me when I call You. Grant me Your goodness and mercy all the days of my life. May I dwell with You in Your Kingdom forever! Amen.
Jakarta, 24 November 2017 
A Christian Pilgrim

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Tuesday November 21 Mary's Presentation

Mary began her yes to God at an early age.
Grace was given her but she continued to be more fruitful through her openness to God's will daily.
We pray that we will always be open to God's will in our lives
and opened to the Grace that God sends us daily.


Monday, October 23, 2017

Monday October 23, 2017

    Our latest picture of our community.
Back row Left to right Sisters Frances, Patricia, Karen, Barbara, Mary Frances, Etta, Miriam and Kathi(postulant)
First row, Left to right Sisters Nelia, Donna, Natalie (seated), Agnes and Florence.

Friday, October 6, 2017

Sister Natalie's 100th Birthday October 6th


We all had a wonderful time. Sister Barbara cooked the meal. with sister Frances and presents were opened and viewed.
all had a great time.

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Feast of Saint Francis October 4th

New post on A CHRISTIAN PILGRIMAGE

SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI – Memoria: 4 October

by achristianpilgrim
Saint Francis of Assisi is a complex and a multi-faceted figure. The more one seeks to understand the secret of his greatness, the more do new and unforeseen elements emerge which expand his personality and the manifestation of his deep spirituality.
The Saint of Assisi, according to the evaluation of more objective historians, is a colossus; just as Dante Alighieri, Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti were in their fields. The human side of his person is no less surprising than his spiritual and mystical side, because Francis the man, with his gifts and qualities, immediately reminds us of the saint of love, of poverty, of peace, of poetry, of fraternity, of the perfect following of Jesus Christ. In him the union of human with the supernatural create such a blend that he is seen always and everywhere immersed in an atmosphere of sweet and intimate converse with God.
Saint Francis had a personality gifted by God. But he was also a person who knew how to follow all he interior inspirations of the Holy Spirit and the promptings of divine grace. In him one must note continually this joyous correspondence, this harmony, this equilibrium, founded in faith, animated by charity, and sustained by hope. The religious and scriptural data became for him the constant norm and rule of life, of things believed, loved, and lived in God and for God. God was truly "his all".
All this was experienced by his first companions. He appeared in their eyes as the perfect imitator of Jesus Christ, as an exceptional creature, as a living miracle, as a kind of mystery. The traces of similarity with the poor and obedient Christ were so obvious in him that it seemed possible to say that in no other man did the living image of the Redeemer shine forth as it did in Francis, so that they who came to know him or were familiar with him saluted him as another Christ. As such, in the judgment of Pope Pius XI, he will remain for future generations. [Adapted from Lombardi, OFM, INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF FRANCISCANISM, page 1]
Prayer: Heavenly Father, You made Saint Francis of Assisi Christ-like in his poverty and humility. Help us so to walk in his ways that, with joy and love, we may follow Christ Your Son, and be united to You. We pray this in the most precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Jakarta, 4 October 2017
A Christian Pilgrim
achristianpilgrim | October 4, 2017 at 1:49 am | Tags: SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI | Categories: READ & PRAY, SAINTS WE LOVE | URL: http://wp.me/p1055h-3WO

Thursday, September 14, 2017

Thursday September 14- Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross


Today we celebrate the exaltation of the Cross.
The Church is fond of comparing the Cross to a tree, especially the tree of knowledge in paradise. In support of this we may first of all cite the words of the Preface for Mass: "It was Your will that from the wood of the Cross our salvation should go forth.  From a tree came death, from a tree also should come forth life.  He who triumphed on a tree (i.e., the devil) should also be defeated on a tree. "

There are passages in which the liturgy gives evidence that the Sign of the Cross has sacramental efficacy. the sign of the Cross puts the devil to flight.
from  The Church's Year of Grace by Dr. Pius Parsch

Friday, September 8, 2017

The White Pine - a Symbol of Peace




Sister Patrice Klausing who is a counselor at Alvernia  University in Reading , Pennsylvania  spent a week in Retreat here at the Monastery. While meditating on our surroundings ,Sister Patrice did some research on the tree the White Pine  and  shared it with us.  
It is very moving to think that the Native Americans looked on the White Pine as a sign of Peace.

We are grateful to her for sharing this  article  with us.

by Sister Patrice Klausing OSF 

THE STORY OF THE WHITE PINE 
Someone once described “coincidence” as God choosing to work a miracle and remaining anonymous. I also see it as the Holy Spirit directing discerning hearts and then waiting to reveal the full meaning at another time. Such, I think, is the story of how you came to live on White Pine Road. 
The Native Americans of the Iroquois and Algonquin tribes lived, among other places, along the shores and in the woodlands of what is now considered the Eastern half of the United States. An Iroquois man named Dekanawidah began to talk about the concept of peace and for this, he was completely misunderstood and isolated in a culture where war was a way of life. However, he persisted, and in time his people began to embrace the idea that peace had value. Dekanawidah chose the white pine as the symbol of peace, thus making the tree “The Tree of Peace.”  
The tree had four symbolic roots, The Great White Roots of peace extending north, south, east, and west. It also encompassed Dekanawidah's three aspects of peace: • The Good Word, which is righteousness in action, bringing justice for all; • Health, which is a sound mind in a sound body, bringing peace on Earth; • Power, which is the establishment of civil authority, bringing with it the increase in spiritual power in keeping with the will of the Master of Life. 
Eventually, the Algonquin tribes, which include both the Lenni Lenape and the Delaware who were both native to New Jersey and to this place, adopted the white pine as their peace symbol. I first learned of this when Bari, a Native American woman with a PhD in ethnobotany (the study of how native peoples used all the green, growing things in their environment) was leading a group of us on a tour of our Provincial House and Retreat Center grounds in Connecticut. When she came to the stand of white pines outside our chapel, she asked us to be silent and she knelt on the ground. She then told us that White Pines were sacred; that they were the tallest tree in the eastern half of the United States; that some white pines grow in “Cathedral” formations; and that they were the only place where Algonquins could bury weapons of war. After a tribal war or skirmish, the peace treaty was sealed by literally burying the battle weapons under a white pine tree. Sometimes, they even dug up the tree, placed the weapons in the hole and then replanted the tree directly over the weapons so that the tools of war were literally transformed into symbols of peace. I cannot help but remember the words of Scripture:  “They will beat their swords into plowshares” (Isaiah 2: 4). 
So, no, I don't think that it's an accident or some random happenstance  that you, the daughters and sisters of Clare of Assisi, a woman who created peace in her own day, are now living on a road called “White Pine,” one of the earliest symbols of peace in this land. • Given to the Poor Clares of Chesterfield, New Jersey, whose Monastery is adjacent to a pine tree farm, on September 8, 2017. • Much of this information came from Bari, the woman mentioned above. Details were fleshed out by Googling “white pine symbol of peace” and using information found on Wikipedia that was confirmed by several other highly reliable sources. • “Dekanawidah” is often spelled “Deganawidah.” 

Friday, August 25, 2017

August 25, 2017 The Volunteers of the FrancisCorps visited the Monastery of Saint Clare


Volunteers of FrancisCorps , recent graduates of College, are giving a year to serving the poor in Costa Rica and Syracuse, New York. Jennifer cook, Strongsville,OH- Berchya Dao-Bai Kew Gardens, NY
Malia Hamilton, Hawaii - Clare Meland, Pittsburgh, PA - Daniel Pezzola, Central Valley, NY Caherine Rainey Willoughby Hills, OH - Domenico Angerosa, glenville, NY -Jenna Breiner, Lincoln ,NE - Matthew Grothaus , Potuoson, VA
Rachel Jones, Loveland, CO
And Natalia Rincon, Freeport, NY.
When one gets discouraged at our world take a look at these generous , wonderful people. thank You all and prayers for your ministry and your family.

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

August 15, 2017 Father Denis O'Brien , an Irish Pallotine Missionary visits Chesterfield



Father Denis, now a missionary in Columbia South America, celebrated Mass for us on the feast of our Lady's Assumption.
Father Denis also spent time visiting with us  and than a visit to our cemetery where his good friend, Sr. Mary McCourt is buried.
Fr. Denis told us many stories of his life with the poor in Columbia.

August 16, 2017 Air force chaplains from McGuire Air force Base met in our multi purpose room in the basement for a day of recollection







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Friday, August 11, 2017

Transitus of Saint Clare august 10, 2017






 Friar Timothy from Kenya represented 
the first Order of Friar Minors by lighting a candle for the past.
A Third order member lighted a second candle for the present
and our sister Karen lighted a third candle for our future or the Order of Saint Clare
Friar Michael Lorentsen gave a beautiful reflection of the dying of Saint Clare and what we are called to do daily.
Little Plant of St. Francis: St. Clare of Assisi QuoteThe words of Saint Clare as she was dying are beautiful words that we can all use as we approach our death which we do daily.