Today's newsletter takes a look at the life of Saint Colette, a true reformer of the Church.
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Saint of the Day for February 7: Saint Colette (January 13, 1381 â March 6, 1447)
Colette did not seek the limelight, but in doing Godâs will she certainly attracted a lot of attention. Colette was born in Corbie, France. At 21, she began to follow the Third Order Rule and became an anchoress, a woman walled into a room whose only opening was a window into a church. After four years of prayer and penance in this cell, she left it. With the approval and encouragement of the pope, she joined the Poor Clares and reintroduced the primitive Rule of St. Clare in the 17 monasteries she established. Her sisters were known for their povertyâthey rejected any fixed incomeâand for their perpetual fast. Coletteâs reform movement spread to other countries and is still thriving today. Colette was canonized in 1807. Her liturgical feast is celebrated on March 6. Reflection Colette began her reform during the time of the Great Western Schism (1378-1417) when three men claimed to be pope and thus divided Western Christianity. The 15th century in general was a very difficult one for the Western Church. Abuses long neglected cost the Church dearly in the following century. Coletteâs reform indicated the entire Churchâs need to follow Christ more closely. |
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God's Tears God hears the cries of the poor, the anguish of parents whose children are victims of gun violence, and the anger of those who have been marginalized and oppressed and whose history has been hidden by people of privilege and power. God also delights in the singing of sparrows in the early morning and the flashing of fireflies on a summer evening. God feels the pain of an injured baby bird, fallen out of its nest, and the loneliness of a pet mourning the death of its human companion. Godâs experience of the world is cruciform in nature. The cross is more than an event on Calvaryâs hill. The cross reveals God embedded in all creation, sharing our joys and sorrows. When Jesus wept over Jerusalem, he was crying Godâs tears. When Jesus died on the cross, his pain was real, and so was Godâs. God feels the anguish of those who have been abandoned and persecuted. God has not abandoned you. Do you feel that?
âfrom the book Simplicity, Spirituality, Service: The Timeless Wisdom of Francis, Clare, and BonaventureRev. Dr. Bruce G. Epperly |
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Paying Attention Reflect What does it mean to be attentive to the Word of God? Psalm 103 refers to the angels as mighty warriors âattentive to the sound of Godâs voice.â Is their real superpower their attentiveness? What kind of power might come from being that attentive to Godâs voice? And how would it change the way you lived?
Pray Heavenly Father,
Open my heart, my eyes, and my ears,
and let me be attentive to the sound of your voice
wherever I hear it: in Scripture, in prayer,
in the beauty of a sunrise, in the laughter
of a friend, in the tears of a child.
Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening.
Act Set aside 10 minutes today, settle yourself into a comfortable chair or on the floor, take a slow breath and then slowly let it out. Be still, try to let go of any worries or distractions. When you are ready, open your Bible to Psalm 103 and read this beautiful psalm of blessings. Let it resonate in your thoughts, in your mind, in your heart. Be attentive to what comes to mind. A person? A place? A memory? Something from the news? Let the Holy Spirit stir your heart; discover the quiet power of paying attention to the voice of God.
Today's Pause+Pray was written by Herman Sutter. Learn more here! |
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