Abbey-Roads2

+ Mother Paula of the Eucharist, OCD +

Today, the feast of the Transverberation of St. Teresa, another holy Carmelite nun died.  This morning at 3AM, my little Mother Paula of the Eucharist died with the community assembled around her bed. Mother had suffered for a long time, and due to severe osteoporosis, her bones would easily break when she was moved.  Mother had been in the infirmary of the monastery for several years.  She had been an exemplary Carmelite for six decades, from 1947 until now.  In fact, she was one of the foundresses of the Carmel of Our Lady of Divine Providence at Lake Elmo, Minnesota.

When I entered monastic life, I had asked the prioress if I could have one of the nuns to be my spiritual sister, to which she agreed - after much prayer.  (Carmelites don’t do that too frequently.)  Mother Paula consented to be my spiritual sister and remained so after I left monastic life.  I am fortunate to have her very good counsel in several of her letters, although our communications were relatively rare.  Mother was the model of prudence and discretion; at the turn our conversations were short, as on the phone, and her letters were infrequent and concise - which is as it should be for a Carmelite.

Mother Paula is the holy Carmelite I often quote from a letter she wrote to me, “A saint is a sinner who keeps trying.”

It is difficult to feel anything but compunction, along with a very peaceful, quiet joy at the news of my Sister’s death.  I thank God for her beautiful life. 

[When Mother Marie called to tell me that Mother had died, I was a bit confused and humbled, so I  can only say I think she told me that Mother's visitation is from 6:30 to 8PM Monday, and her funeral Mass is at 9AM on Tuesday morning.]

Don Marco and Elena beat me to it, but today is the memorial of the death of Bl. Mary of Jesus Crucified, the Carmelite ecstatic.  Her spiritual life reads like a mystical Disneyland in comparison with the recent revelations of the interior life of  Bl. Teresa of Calcutta, yet the differences illustrate the many facets of Christian mysticism, as well as the individual’s mission and participation in the mystery of Christ.

Today is also the feast of the Transverberation of the Heart of St. Teresa of Avila.  It commemorates the event when the Angel pierced her heart with a flaming arrow, thus increasing the fire of divine love in her heart.  There is no other such feast in the Church’s calendar save that of the Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi.

Today is also the 30th wedding anniversary of my Bruderhoff brother and sister, David and Stephanie.  I wish them every grace and blessing and much love.  

Then who can be saved? 

The Gospel is rather sobering today.  The disciples ask, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?”  He answers, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, I tell you, many will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.”  Then he goes on to describe - maybe many of us; the ones who in the end are locked out, those of us who imagine that we are always in his company, eating and drinking with him at Mass, listening to him in the preaching and teaching we hear throughout our lives, attending to him  in our prayers, and spreading his teaching through our advocacy groups, peace demonstrations, even our websites, etc., and so on… and so on.

Now days, when anyone dies and has a Catholic funeral, the deceased are always talked about as being finally at rest, in heaven with the Lord.  As if everyone is automatically saved and goes straight to heaven.  In the same way, some priests oppose the correct English translation in the words of consecration, which currently is recited thus, “…It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven.”  In the Latin, the prayer says, “for many” instead of “for all”.   Nevertheless, bishops and liturgists have big arguments over this point - as if all people are saved.  Though our Lord offers salvation to all, not everyone accepts it.

Many of us, self included, can at times become rather smug about our salvation - especially when we have the measuring lines of orthodoxy.  Likewise, peace and justice activists, as well as  ’dissenters’ are just as convinced of the nobility of their cause and good intentions.  Nevertheless, I keep thinking of John of the Cross in his passionate admonition: “O, if souls only knew the denial the Lord wishes of them!”

I guess all any of us can do is keep on trying and trust in the Lord’s mercy…