Prayer, for Real

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Reflections of Our Sisters and Associates

How do we pray today? What do we pray about? We pray in and through the desires of our hearts and the work of our hands. We pray in the words of our lips and the gestures of our bodies. We pray by contemplating God’s revelation in Scripture and in the experiences of each day. We pray alone, in small groups, in large gatherings of worship. We pray where we live and where we work, at congregational gatherings and with God’s people whom we serve. From the midst of our everyday lives, we find signs of Christ’s risen presence – in our gatherings, in nature, in the suffering and hope of the people with and for whom we serve, in Christ’s call to ignite the fire of his love anew. Wisdom figures of today show us the way.

[hr] Sr-Immaculata-Burke-2014When I’m with the people, I feel as though I’m in the presence of God. The poor have nothing between themselves and God. —Sr. M. Immaculata Burke, dec. 3/8/14, after 43 years of service to the people of Guatemala [hr] In today’s complex times, we must reaffirm faith, hope, optimism and joy – precious gifts that can be ours when we open our hearts and believe in the everyday miracles around us. Sr-Trude-Collins-2014– Sr. Miriam Thomas (Trudé) Collins, dec. 3/20/14, after over 50 years of service to the people of the South Bronx

[hr] There’s no question about the reality of evil, of injustice, of suffering, but at the center of this existence is a heart beating with love. You and I and all of us are incredible. I mean, we really are remarkable things; … we are, as a matter of fact, made for goodness.” —Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Anglican) of South Africa [hr] Easter is for us all a dying to sin, to passion, to hatred and enmity, and all that brings about disorder, spiritual and material bitterness, and anguish. This death is indeed only the first step toward a higher goal— for our Easter is also a mystery of new life. – Saint John XXIII 

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