SAINT MOTHER
THEODORE GUERIN
Daily
Acceptance of Death[2]
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I accept from your hands, whatever kind of death it may please you to send me today (tonight), with all its pains, penalties and sorrows, in reparation for my sins, for the souls in purgatory, for the conversion of sinners, for all those who will die today (tonight), and for your greater glory. Amen.
2 Maccabees, Chapter
15, Verse 18
They
were not so much concerned about wives and children, or family and relations;
their first and foremost fear was for
the consecrated sanctuary.
The people were so offended by the
Greeks disrespect to their temple and the God. Whom for them was so holy they could
not even speak His name their were ready to lose everything to destroy the
enemy of Israel. This is unshakeable faith.
“If
you lean with all your weight upon Providence, you will find yourselves well
supported”
When we think about saints,
we often have this image of a perfect person without the struggles or flaws of
an ordinary human being – a person not of this world who spent most of their
time praying and worshiping God. We forget that they are people who often had
to cope with the same issues that people face today. Saint
Mother Theodore Guerin had her ups and downs. Through her
own words, which have been published in Journals and
Letters of Mother Theodore Guerin,
we are able to see the woman behind the saint and why she continues to lead and
inspire people worldwide.
·
She
… and five companion sisters were homeless when they arrived in a
dense Indiana forest on a dark October evening in 1840. They lived with a
generous local family until a new building was completed.
·
She
… experienced tragedies in her early life. Two brothers died in fires and her
father, a soldier, was murdered by thieves while returning from war. She put
her own dreams on hold to care for her family when her
mother could not cope emotionally with her father’s death.
·
She
… and her small band of sisters arrived as immigrants in a
new country. They didn’t speak the language and were unfamiliar with the
customs. She depended on others to help her learn and adjust.
·
She
… learned survival skills and endured poverty.
She and her companion sisters planted and cared for gardens to supplement their
food supply. They helped care for livestock. Their cabin was so cold that their
bread froze. Still they endured.
·
She
… suffered from chronic health problems. Treatment for a disease early in her
life caused severe damage to her digestive system. She could eat only broth and
soft foods for nearly 30 years. This left her weak and frequently ill.
·
She
… stood up to injustice.
As a woman and a leader in the church, she endured bullying, even
excommunication. She met all with grace, determination, strong leadership and
compassion. And she didn’t back down. She also addressed social injustices in
her day.
·
She
… was a strong woman leader. Within a year of
arriving in Indiana, she established the Academy, now known as
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.
She inspired women to follow her and founded the Sisters
of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, a group of vowed women who still today live out her
legacy to create a more just and hope-filled world.
·
She
… experienced prejudice.
Many people weren’t accepting of Catholics in the 1840s, especially Catholic
women who tried to do business in a “man’s world.”
·
She
… knew how to turn to prayer to cope with the many challenges that confronted
her. She placed complete trust in God for survival and asked for God’s support
in establishing schools throughout Indiana, in leading the young Congregation
and in all she did.
·
She
was a teacher, a founder, a healer, a pioneer. She was a person of deep faith
who led others toward God.
·
She
is a very real woman. She is a role model. She is a saint.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I accept from your hands, whatever kind of death it may please you to send me today (tonight), with all its pains, penalties and sorrows, in reparation for my sins, for the souls in purgatory, for the conversion of sinners, for all those who will die today (tonight), and for your greater glory. Amen.
Pray twice daily. By Father
John A. Hardon, SJ
Today is the birthday of my former wife
Diane T. Havermale who succumbed to pancreatic cancer in February 2015; She is
loved and remembered by her seven children: Claire, Christopher, Candace, Dara,
Rachel, Nicole and Vincent. Please pray for her intentions.
“For the Lord God
is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the Lord
withhold from those who walk uprightly.”-Ps 84:11
Daily Devotions
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