NunEssential

Have you stopped to thank God today? It's so easy to get caught up in our day to day lives and be swept up by the passing current of activity that we forget Who blesses us with every good thing. One thing Fr. Emmerich Vogt, O.P. always mentions in his talks on the 12-steps is that God wills what is universally good but so often we don't really believe it. Or perhaps we believe it in theory but not in the reality of our lives and so therefore many of us live as practical atheists. And I think I have to agree. It seems to me that if we really believed that God wills what is universally good, meaning that we are all included in that, then we couldn't help but be open to all the ways that God leads us, guides us and showers us with gifts. It's a mystery really, how we so often want to sit on the throne of our own lives and relegate God to the backseat when we all know what happens when we try to control everything and everyone around us- we experience utter frustration, re...

If you or someone you know is Catholic but has left the faith or stopped coming to Mass, you might find this link very helpful- Catholicscomehome.com This beautiful site contains not only testimonies of regular people and their journeys back to the Catholic Church but also video clips, questions and answers and more. It's excellent. Check it out!!

Here's a brief teaching by our Founder Fr. James Flanagan! Enjoy!

Here is an account of the arrival of the Holy Father at World Youth Day in Sydney . The Holy Father speaks of how Christ offers everything, He is the Way, the Truth and the Life It's so amazingly true and timely that the Holy Father speaks of these things. I am convinced more and more that the mercy of God is truly the answer to our problems, trials and struggles. It is only His mercy that heals and binds up all of our wounds, that forgives us our sins and allows us to forgive one another. It's the answer to bitterness, hurt, indifference and confusion. And it's freely offered. God IS love and mercy and as we are made in the image and likeness of Him, we too are called to be love and mercy in relationship with ourselves, those around us and to the entire world. What a needed mission this is! Come Holy Spirit, Come and transform us, Come and renew the face of the earth!

This also is great address from the Way of the Cross at World Youth Day Jesus Loves those who make mistakes I love this part of it: " All through the Gospels, it was those who had taken wrong turnings who were particularly loved by Jesus, because once they recognized their mistake, they were all the more open to His healing message. ... It was those who were willing to rebuild their lives who were most ready to listen to Jesus and become His disciples."

Thank you to all of you who prayed for Shannon, the niece of one of our friends. Shannon passed away a few days after being in a coma. We commend her soul to God and remember her family during in our prayers during this time. May God bless them and grant them His peace.

Check out this GREAT address by the Holy Father to the youth at a prayer vigil during World Youth Day. This is TRULY the Good News and words the world desperately needs to hear.

One of the parents at our school is asking that everyone pray for the recovery of her niece Shannon who was seriously injured in a diving accident last weekend. Please graciously keep this young woman and her family in your prayers Thank you- From Linda: We need to ramp up the prayers. My niece Shannon is not improving yet. She has been in a coma since last Sunday and tonight we were told that a miracle is needed to keep her system from shutting down. The Dr. gave Shannon a 5% chance to live. We need prayers. Would you please forward this request and www.getwellshannon.com to as many people as you can and request that they in turn pass it on to others.

In a world of overpaid, overindulged and pampered athletes, I just had to share the story of this beautiful woman with you. 16-June-2008 -- Catholic News Agency Heroic Polish Athlete Dies to Save Life of Unborn Child Rome, Jun 16, 2008 (CNA).- Thousands of Poles lined up to say their final goodbyes to Agata Mroz, a young volleyball star who died on June 4 after postponing a bone marrow transplant in order to allow her daughter to be born. At the age of 17, Agata was diagnosed with leukemia. She battled the disea se and ended up becoming one of the top athletes in Poland, winning the European Volleyball Championship twice with her country’s team. She joined the professional volleyball team CAV in Murcia, Spain, where she also led the team to title wins. Her struggle against leukemia forced her to take a sabbatical year during which she received many blood transfusions. Thousands of Poles donat...

These photos are from the Mass at Yankee Stadium

Here's a little clip our Sisters took of the Pope on 5th Avenue during his recent trip to New York City!

The Holy Father's visit to the U.S. was fabulous. Some of our Sisters went to New City to see the Holy Father and attend the Papal Mass at Yankee Stadium. They returned filled with joy and excitement. I will be posting photos of their trip soon. Until then, here is an article about the Holy Father meeting with the Youth and Religious in New York. We love you Pope Benedict XVI!

Wishing all of you continued Easter Blessings. We know that wherever sin abounds, grace abounds. Even out of dire situations, God can bring something good. One of our friends, a young priest suffering from Stage 4 cancer, shared some very interesting insights with us the other day. From his own experience he was sharing that "God protect me" is not the highest form of prayer. He has found in his own suffering that "Lord, may Your will be done in my life" is the highest form of prayer. He shared that we really are in the hand of God, that we might think we are young and healthy, etc. but our lives are really in the hand of God. From this priests' suffering many blessings are flowing. Just being in his presence is powerful, as if you can feel the grace coming from him. It was deeply moving. Let us keep looking for the good in our lives and all the ways that God blesses us, especially in this Easter Season, every day.

We just a had a birthday celebration here for some of our Sisters and were joined by about 30 of our closest friends and we all had a wonderful time. Friends are a great gift from God. They encourage us, challenge us and just their presence can make life a whole lot easier. So here's to friends! God bless all of you.

On behalf of the SOLT Sisters, we wish you a very Happy and Holy Easter. May the peace of the Risen Christ truly penetrate your heart and overflow into your daily life and onto all those whom you meet. The Resurrection of Jesus is truly the Good News. It's the News that tells us we don't have to remain in the darkness of sin, that suffering is redemptive, that a new day always dawns and eternal life with Jesus is a gift for all. Jesus didn't promise that following Him wouldn't be difficult, but He did promise us that He would be with us always even until the end of time. We see in Him our sufferings and struggles and His victory over sin and death is truly a victory that has a profound effect on our day to day lives, if only we let it. May the Light of this Easter encourage you to continue on your path of oneness with Jesus, knowing that He is with you and gives you His peace. Happy Easter! :)

Here's an encouraging thought from St. Francis: “ Do not fear what may happen tomorrow. The same loving God who cares for you today will care for you tomorrow and everyday. God will either shield you from suffering or will give you the unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings.” Happy Lent! St. Francis de Sales

While I am not advocating Dove products nor any companies they may support, I think this commercial is very telling of the beauty industry--wherein they take an average looking girl and transform her with makeup and computer editing to appear "perfect." Every single image that appears in a magazine has been digitally altered, yet no one tells women this fact. Consequently, women and girls can suffer terrible self-esteem problems when they see that don't look like society's "ideal women" who, quite frankly, does not exist.

Here is Pope Benedict's Message for Ash Wednesday

So here we in the season of Lent. Often times Lent is referred to in a rather negative way, insofar as it is a time of giving things up and going without. And while, yes, this can be difficult at sometimes (okay, a lot of times) we really need Lent. We need time to get away from all the things we make idols of and all the ways we don't see ourselves as we truly are. It seems like we sell out to the world often, trading our true dignity and being for illusion and darkness. Is there someone in your life that you really struggle to get along with? Someone that you talk about a lot or gossip about? Those situations can be tough. We turn negative and blame these people for robbing us of our happiness, self-esteem and "virtue." Or perhaps certain people get on our nerves and we say to ourselves, "That person is negative, all she does is complain and gossip." I would say, let us look at ourselves. People, for the most part, are incapable of robbing us of our happiness ...