Lenten Challenge

Today's Gospel calls us to a uniquely Christian challenge: to love our enemies. It is easy for us to take a cursory check of our acquaintance list and declare ourselves enemy-free. Most of us associate "enemy" with a hostile situation or a person with whom we are "at war." This is neither uncommon nor incorrect; it's just a bit too narrow. If we were to revisit today's Gospel and to consider prayerfully that anyone who disturbs our peace is an 'enemy' we might find that we have a Lenten challenge.

It's easy to dismiss the concept of 'enemy' as someone far away who, in theory, we have to love, but in reality someone with whom we may never have to associate. When we consider the many ways in which we may be irritated by the actions or word of another our list of enemies, in this sense, can grow quickly. Let us not be discouraged when we realize this, let us rejoice that we have an opportunity -- and one not to be missed -- to grow into and to live out this great commandment of the Lord!

"In meditating on Our Dear Lord’s first word from the Cross, you will no doubt be roused to the desire of imitating Him in forgiving and loving your enemies. But that is not enough, unless you bring it to some practical resolution, such as, 'I will not be angered any more by the annoying things said of me by such or such a neighbor, nor by the slights offered me by such an one; but rather I will do such and such things in order to soften and conciliate them.' In this way, my daughter, you will soon correct your faults, whereas mere general resolutions would take but a slow and uncertain effect."
St. Francis de Sales

Motown at the Monastery

The rumors are true ... it's Motown at the Monastery. The eleventh annual dollars-for-scholars gala is here and all proceeds go to our scholarship fund! This year, it's easier than ever to participate in the gala. Those who would like to help purchase needed items may go to amazon.com and just type "Georgetown Visitation" in the search box and you can click on a purchase of your choice. Your contribution will be shipped directly to the SUPREME and wonderful chairs of this year's gala who wait for the mail each day, singing "PLEASE MR POSTMAN bring us some gifts from amazon!" If you are interested in bidding on items in the on-line auction, the bidding begins on 1 March and if you click here, you can SHOP AROUND until you drop (on-line bids accepted only through 10 March)! Visi parents: don't miss the opportunity to purchase a "tuition" raffle ticket. Imagine a year without tuition bills!

We are so grateful for the countless parents, alumnae and friends who have given their time to help us GET IT TOGETHER!

Puppy Pictures

At some point in our monastic life most of us have had the following words addressed to us: "In the world you were called ... and from now on you shall be called by a new name: Sister ...." Today we had a first: Our new puppy arrived and he heard those words, too ... well, almost those words.

When he was born on 26 December 2009, the puppy was named Nicholas as all of his litter mates received seasonal names (he has brothers named Forrest and Rudy and a sister named Peppermint Candy). Since our faithful guard dog of seven years already has claim to that moniker, we had to tell puppy that his new name is "Gabriel." He didn't get a habit and veil with his new name but he got 20 new sisters and a canine brother.

Flying Franciscan

As many might know, St. Joseph of Cupertino was known to levitate when he prayed. As amazing a gift as the grace of levitation is, St. Joseph of Cupertino is a model of perseverance and charity for all of us today. We may not find ourselves brushing the ceiling when we pray, but we do find ourselves in situations where we struggle to be charitable in the face of injustice or unkindness; in this, we find a sterling example in the "flying Franciscan."

February's "movie and pizza" preceding our monthly all-night adoration will be "Reluctant Saint: St. Joseph of Cupertino." Locals may RSVP on FB or by sending an email. The movie will start at 7.15 in our school's "Little Odeon" on the 3rd floor.

A Rich Harvest for the Heart

As we approach this sacred season of Lent, we are reminded of the way in which St. Francis de Sales invites us to traverse the 40 days which lead us to the Lord's Passion. For many of us, Lent may seem like a season of privation -- a dry, dusty road which begins with ashes and ends on Calvary. To St. Francis de Sales, Lent was a "spiritual autumn" -- a time in which we are invited to gather a rich and bountiful harvest so that it will serve to nourish our souls for the rest of the year until the next Lent begins. Those of us who do not stock root cellars with a winter's worth of squash and beets may have a hard time finding this image "fruitful" but perhaps a suggestion might help.

There are many ways to observe the season of Lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving are the primary means suggested to us by the Church. They are all good and fruitful for our souls. It seems, however, that most often we hear people speak of "giving up" something for Lent. When done in the correct spirit, foregoing something to which we have a right is a very good way to fast. In many cases, this fast -- say for example giving up chocolate or some other delectable food -- kept for the season of Lent, usually finds a happy reward when Easter Sunday provides a banquet of pastel-colored M&Ms and other traditional candy. In addition to fasting from something to which we are entitled, we might want to consider refraining from something that we do not want to resume on Easter Sunday. In this case, it might be more appropriate to call it a discipline rather than a fast (since a "fast" usually implies foregoing something which is good for us or pleasing to us from which we deliberately refrain.) Perhaps we find ourselves speaking uncharitably about someone with whom we work. If this is a habit we would like to uproot from our lives, making it a Lenten discipline means that we are training ourselves to continue this practice when the season of Lent is over. If, by the grace of God, we are able to practice a discipline during Lent which helps us to grow in virtue then we have begun to stock the "root cellar" of our hearts with a sort of fruit which will nourish our us -- and those around us -- for a long time to come.

Let us, this Lent, seek to fill our hearts with spiritual fruit which will transform our lives and help us to see the Lord in all those around us. "Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God" ... everywhere!

"His heart is the King of hearts and he keeps his eyes fixed on our hearts."
St. Francis de Sales

Snow Nun Video

Someone once attributed this to Mother Teresa: "What you spend years building can be destroyed overnight. Build anyway." We'd have to agree here at the corner of 35th and P Streets ... it may only have taken a few hours to build Sister Mary Snowden but the effort -- despite the destruction -- was worth the camaraderie with countless pedestrians (and even a few drive-by conversations!)

We've finally collected some footage of the building -- and rebuilding -- of the Sisters Mary Snowden. Not to be missed is the acrobatic move of one of our neighbors at the 1.00 minute mark. He bounced back very dexterously and even managed to take a couple of pictures before continuing along his way.

Among the delightful neighbors we met during our time creating Sister Mary Snowden, were some who came by to help us rebuild after the first snow nun was demolished. We were greeted with suggestions from passers-by about how to get the "new snow" to stick to the "old snow" and we chatted with neighbors who posed with Sister Mary Snowden for a picture. Despite the frustration of seeing sister leveled twice over, we enjoyed meeting neighbors and seeing local families and students.

Nuns Stopping Traffic, again!

Back in June we stopped traffic when we unloaded 5,000 copies of our Jubilee-year book. Yesterday's record snowfall inspired some creativity. Above, Sister Anne E and Stephanie "recycle" some of the snow they shoveled in the morning.

The pile of "recycled snow" grew and Sister Mary Roberta made a "head" for the top. Little by little, our "Sister Mary Snowden" took shape.

A close up of the snow-sister's head and torso (which were knocked down by a loud and drunken bunch of young men at 10.30pm.)

Sister and Stephanie stand next to the finished snow-nun. Why "Sister Mary Snowden"? Of all the 300+ names of sisters who have lived and died in our monastery, we thought our Sister Anne Marie Snowden had the best name for the larger-than-life replica. Sister Anne Marie Snowden entered our community in 1847, made her profession in 1849 and lived here until she died of breast cancer in 1900.

Jubilee Year Event!

As part of our Jubilee year celebrations, we are having a special event on First Fridays: "Doughnuts with DeSales!" We are welcoming guests to Morning Prayer followed by light refreshments and a short talk on Salesian Spirituality. This coming Friday will be our first presentation.

Morning Prayer begins at 8.00am in the monastery chapel. After Morning Prayer, guests can then follow the sisters who will lead them to "Doughnuts with DeSales" -- sustenance for the inner and outer man (and woman!)

Those interested in attending may RSVP in one of three ways: become a fan of our Facebook page and "click" on the event; email us by clicking here; or call and leave a message at (202) 337-3350 ext. 2283.

Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament will take place in our chapel from 9am-3pm. Those who wish may return to the chapel for quiet prayer time following "Doughnuts with DeSales!"

Feature Presentation

In many different places our Jubilee year has been promoted through multi-media, including videos and press releases about upcoming events. After viewing several inspiring video-announcements of our Jubilee year (in French) from some of our monasteries in Europe, our Federation President, Mother Susan Marie has put forth a message of her own, inviting viewers to consider the spiritual riches of the mystery of the Rosary which inspired our Order.

"O my dear Sisters, you who claim this Virgin for your Mother . . . what zeal you should have in imitating her, especially her charity and humility, which were the chief virtues which urged her to make this visitation. . . . be most careful to model your lives on hers. Be meek, humble, charitable and kind, and magnify the Lord with her during this life. And if you do so humbly and faithfully in this world, you will undoubtedly sing the Magnificat in heaven."
St. Francis de Sales

Blog the Good News

Most folks have probably already read that on Sunday 24 January the Holy Father, during his message for 44th World Communications Day, told priests to witness to the Gospel using the latest digital resources available. He did qualify, however, that priests who use the latest in social communications should be recognized for their Christ-like qualities more so than for their technological savvy. Striking a balance between an attractive medium in which to present one's message and keeping the message focused on Christ is a reasonable goal -- one which is met by many of the informative and spiritually enriching blogs already being published by priests.

It is quite fitting that this year's World Communications Day fell on the Feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists (and that this post is published on his former feast day.) It is hardly an accident that he is named the patron saint of journalists. During his time in the Chablais, St. Francis de Sales copied, by hand, many of his sermons and distributed them widely by slipping them under the doors of those who had strayed from the faith. These sermons later became known as "The Controversies" and, more recently, (and more "politically correct") as "Meditations on the Church." His creativity in dissemination of information won him the patronage of journalists. It seems likely then that our Holy Founder would smile upon Pope Benedict's recent exhortation that the clergy use the multi-media available to them to show that "God has a rightful place in every age, including our own."

Jubilee Year Commences!

On Sunday morning at 10.00am, we joined Visitation Monasteries around the world in beginning the 400th anniversary year of the Order of the Visitation. From Annecy, France to Burundi, Rwanda and from Canada to Korea, Visitation monasteries the world over opened this jubilee year with a Mass to honor St. Francis de Sales.

Archbishop Donald Wuerl paid his second visit to our campus and celebrated Mass for the occasion. His homily was a masterful and didactic explanation of our charism, our history and our dual apostolate of prayer and education. His grasp of Salesian monastic life was so extraordinary, one might wonder whether he lived among us here in the monastery! The full text of his homily will be available on our school website in a few days. In the meantime, we invite you to share a few minutes of our opening Mass in the video below.

Being Green

Nowadays we hear a lot about how good it is to "go green." Indeed, it is always a good thing to make environmentally-sound choices. Today's first reading, however, reveals a different way to "go green" which is much less desirable.

Many people are rather embarrassed when they notice jealousy -- or envy -- rising in their hearts. And with good reason. If envy is a kind of sadness at the good-fortune of another person, then jealousy might be thought of as a kind of envy which runs a bit deeper in that it seeks to guard possessively that which we already have. We may be jealous when a friend of ours spends time with other friends: in that case, we guard the friendship as though we owned it. Envy, on the other hand, usually has to do with what someone else has, rather than something we already have. We might be envious of the gifted singing voice of another person: in this case, we are sad that we do not have what we admire in another person.

In today's first reading we are told that Saul is jealous of David. Saul, no doubt, was jealous because he feared that David would take his place on the throne. It is likely, too, that Saul was also envious of how the women praised David in their song. Jealousy and envy are very difficult vices to uproot. Brute force alone cannot tear out the long-winding roots of these afflictions. Love, however, can free us from their power. If we are honest enough to recognize when we sense jealousy or envy springing up in our souls, we can make an effort to be kind to the person of whom we are jealous. This can be difficult, but it is a powerful remedy for an age-old affliction. Small acts of kindness -- beginning with a smile and maybe a courteous greeting -- can stop the spread of jealousy or envy in the heart of one who sincerely desires to be rid of this affliction. Like weeds after a rainstorm, the ugly and unwanted thoughts of jealousy and envy will be dislodged easily if we treat the object of our jealousy with kindness. This is not easy, but it is good. Very good.

"Very few people are free of envy, however spiritual they may be. And the more spiritual they are, so much more the subtle and imperceptible is the envy."
St. Francis de Sales

Christmas Video

As promised a few posts ago, we have some highlights from our Advent and Christmas seasons to share. Our Epiphany Queen, Sister Philomena, can be seen in her earmuff-like crown. Cranberry juice and ginger-ale were used to toast the queen (they make for some high spirits!) Following the toast one should note that Mother read her charming cinquain from a piece of recycled paper (note the typing on the back of the paper from which she was reading her composition!) Enjoy a four minute window into our Christmas celebrations at the monastery!

Perfect Timing!

During this "Vocations Awareness Week" we could hardly ask for better readings! Today's account of young Samuel who hears the voice of the Lord calling him during the night is a beautiful vocation story of one who -- with some help from his "wise elder" -- responded to the Lord's voice.

Samuel's story is a familiar one: The boy awakens to the sound of his name. He approaches Eli and asks him what he wants. Only after waking Eli the third time does the old man realize what is happening; it is the Lord who is calling the young man. Eli points Samuel toward the Lord and instructs him to answer, "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening" when he hears his name the next time.

How often is Samuel's story lived out in our own lives. How often do we need the experienced ear of another's heart to be able to discern which whispers are from the Lord and which are not from the Lord. Sometimes we can be torn between two seemingly good choices and we ask "what does God want me to do?" The answer does not always come as clearly as it did to Samuel but if we listen, it will come. The prayerful consideration of important decisions -- vocational discernment as well as other major decisions -- can sometimes require some assistance. Talking to a "wise elder" who has walked with the Lord for many years can be a helpful step when seeking to discern God's will in our lives. Just as Eli was able to point Samuel toward the Lord who was calling him, men and women who have said "yes" to the Lord and have cultivated lives of prayer and good works can serve to help us listen for the Lord's voice in our own lives.

Over four centuries ago, a young man who was discerning a call to the priesthood sought out a "wise-elder" and wrote to his bishop about how he should proceed. This was part of the letter he received in reply:

"Pray earnestly to our Lord to illuminate you, and say often to Him the words of St. Paul, 'Lord, what would you have me to do?' . . . If you feel the inspiration toward religious life gather strength and your heart urged by it, take counsel with your confessor . . . gradually dispose your [family] toward it, so that the annoyance and pain caused by your leaving may fall as little as possible on religion . . . . May God grant you his peace, His grace, His light and His most holy consolation."

St. Francis de Sales

The School of the Baptist

As we read in today's Gospel about John's ministry of baptizing and look ahead to the account of Jesus' own baptism tomorrow, one must wonder how the saintly precursor of our Lord might have felt about baptizing the Messiah. St. John the Baptist, as we heard today, understood well his role of preparing the way of the Lord. His famous imperative, "He must increase; I must decrease" tells volumes about how the Lord's cousin understood his role.

Yet when Jesus arrives to be baptized it is only in Matthew's Gospel that we read a hesitation: "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" What is so significant is what follows this question. Jesus answers him that this is how it needs to be to "fulfill all righteousness" and his cousin consents to baptize him. Immediately following the baptism of the Lord, the heavens open and a voice is heard, identifying Jesus as the Son of the Almighty God. John's consent to perform an act of which he deemed himself unworthy led to a manifestation from God. How many countless onlookers and bystanders, believers and skeptics, Sadducees and Pharisees were strengthened in their faith because of the manner in which God manifested himself after Our Lord's baptism.

Sometimes we may be hesitant to do something which is asked of us. Perhaps we are asked to be the godmother or godfather of a friend's child; maybe we've been asked to visit some of our homebound parishioners and pray with them. Whatever it is we are challenged to grow into, we might profit from being a disciple of St. John the Baptist. For if we believe that He must increase and we must decrease then we, like the Baptist, will consent to what the Lord asks of us and we will trust that our consent has the potential to lead many others to Christ. If we follow his holy cousin, he will lead us -- and those with whom we interact -- to the Lord.

"We must go to the school of the glorious St. John the Baptist and place ourselves ... among his disciples. For do you not see that this great saint sent his disciples to the Savior to be instructed by Him personally ... and our Savior kept them. If the glorious precursor receives us, he will surely place us in the hands of our Savior, who will in turn place us in the hands of the Eternal Father."
St. Francis de Sales

New Queen ... on the Kings' Feast

Our annual custom of drawing a BEAN in a slice of fruitcake on Epiphany eve took a new shape this year: we used a farfalle ... a piece of butterfly (or bow-tie) shaped macaroni. (Maybe one of the wise men was from Italy!) Above, Sister Philomena selects the cake which contains the butterfly-bean.

A very surprised Sister Philomena holds up the pink butterfly just moments before being seated on the Queen's throne. (To see pictures of sister wearing her earmuff-shaped tiara, you'll have to wait for the Christmas video ...) Toasts to the Queen included an epic future-foretelling poem by Sister Mada-anne, a Cinquain by Mother and a very inspiring impromptu display of homage by Sister Rose. A forthcoming Christmas highlight video will feature snippets of the first hour of the new Queen's reign (which, of course, included ice cream!) Below, Sister Rose begins her performance while Sister Mary de Sales adjusts the decorations on the throne. Stay tuned for our Christmas video!

Jubilee Year and a Disputed Antiphon

With today's Solemnity of Mary, the mother of God, we welcome the year about which we Visitandines -- and our friends -- have been talking for a decade. Later this month we will open our jubilee year with the Solemnity of Saint Francis de Sales and it will conclude on the death date of Saint Jane de Chantal, 12 December.

As we reflect on today's Solemnity, we share a *disputed* antiphon which is no longer included in the Roman breviary but used to follow O Emmanuel in previous incarnations of the Liturgy of the Hours:

O Virgo Virginum quomodo fiet istud: quia nec primam similem visa es nec habere sequentem: filiae hierusalem quid me admiraninimi divinum est mysterium hoc quod cernitis.

---

O Virgin of Virgins, how shall this be? For neither before was there any like you nor will there be any to follow after: daughters of Jerusalem, why marvel at me? That which you believe is a divine mystery.

Although this antiphon points toward Mary in that is addressed to her, it is striking how it points away from her as well: "Why marvel at me?" It points toward Jesus, the divine mystery which she and Joseph were privileged to carry in their arms. As we begin another year and look ahead toward all things new, let us follow Mary's example and let our words and our actions point away from ourselves and toward Jesus. For we may never know how our kind words or our good example can affect those around us.

A happy and healthy new year to all our faithful readers!

Christmas Ass is Retired

Perhaps some of our readers might remember last year's nativity billets where Sister Mary Blogger drew card no. 19, the "Christmas Ass." If you do not, don't be scandalized, just click here for the story. This year the sister erstwhile known as a beast of burden has been promoted to one of the shepherds. Although no one drew the infamous card no. 19, we did have two sisters who drew other animals, the lamb and the ox, to be exact. See picture below for the ox and lamb ... who kept time (cue Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band.)

There are several shepherd cards to be drawn among the billets for the Court of the King and Sister Mary Blogger drew the following card:

No. 4
The Shepherds
Keeping watch over their flocks
-----
THERE WERE SHEPHERDS KEEPING THE NIGHT
WATCHES OVER THEIR FLOCKS.
(Saint Luke, II, 8.)
-----

At the court of the King JESUS you will have the office of the Shepherds who kept watch over their flocks.

Remark that it is to poor, laborious, vigilant men that GOD first reveals the mystery of His birth. If you wish to partake of divine communications, detach yourself from the goods of earth, love labor, and watch over the flock confided to you; that is, over your heart and over all the powers of your soul.

Practice -- Vigilance
Aspiration -- O my JESUS, be Thou the guardian of my soul.

Christus Natus Hodie!

We did it again! We cheated. We sang Christmas carols during the third week of Advent. This year our "Library Angels" and their musical companions were just stellar. Last Friday, some of our sisters gathered with our librarian (who manages to avoid the camera -- but for a cameo appearance seating people during "O Holy Night") and her angels as well as some alumnae and their families. As in the past, the hit of the afternoon was the "12 Days of Christmas" complete with illustrations and individual solos ... or in the case of the "partridge and the pear tree" ... it was a "Tree-O." We share three minutes of our fun time last Friday as we wish our readers a happy and holy Christmas.

Thirteen Years Later

After the fire of 1993, which consumed the inside of our school building and drenched the chapel which connects the monastery to the school, we had our sacred spaces -- our chapel and our choir -- rebuilt and rededicated. On 21 December 1996, His Eminence James Cardinal Hickey blessed and reconsecrated the familiar space where we gather six times a day. With the permission of the Office of Liturgy and in accord with the general norms provided by the Table of Liturgical Days, the 21st of December is a Solemnity for our community: a six-candle, Gloria and Creed, white vestments, proper office, and pull-out-all-the-stops (okay, except the oboe stop, that one sounds funny) kind of solemnity. We have a great deal for which to be grateful and marking the anniversary of our chapel's rededication is a special way to do that. Below is a snippet from the second reading at Office of Readings yesterday. It is from a homily given on the day after the rededication: the fourth Sunday of Advent 1996. Serendipitously, the theme from the Song of Songs is always particularly special for us on the 21st of December since it is the first reading given to us by the Church -- to say nothing of an equally-befitting Gospel!

"I would like to speak about what takes place in this chapel today which continues to make it a holy space. My image here are the two principal characters in the Song of Songs . . . . You know the story well. It is a love story. They spot one another and it's love at first sight! Then they lose one another and search frantically throughout the city looking for each other. When at last they meet, they embrace and speak, heart to heart, these poignant words: 'Tenui nec dimittam!' -- I have hold of you and I will never let you go! . . . . That same story, in one way or another, is the story of each sister here. . . . They speak of their mutual love many times each day in this sacred space. . . . In addition to community gatherings here, each sister finds herself in this space in quiet and brief moments many times throughout each day, from very early in the morning to deep into the night. . . . For it is here where the Beloved awaits them."

Very Rev. Lewis Fiorelli, OSFS