'The Shepherd Who Didn't Run' Blog Tour: Day 11, Susan Stabile

My husband Michael likes to say that my work (for 30 years now?!) in the Catholic press has brought into our lives some of our best and closest friends. 

It is certainly true that my work has blessed me/us with some phenomenal faith-filled people!

But it is his work as a law professor that I have to thank for bringing Susan Stabile into my life! 

Susan is a spiritual director, a retreat leader, a gifted writer, and yes, a law professor. Like me, Susan yearns for the ocean and loves the Camino de Santiago (which she walked a few years back!). 

One of the many things that I appreciate about Susan is how well she brings together in her writing and her speaking the many aspects of her life and her rich experience, allowing her faith journey and honesty to touch the hearts of many. Her book, "Growing in Love and Wisdom: Tibetan Buddhist Sources for Christian Meditation," is a great example of this! 

Do check out Susan's blog, appropriately titled, CREO EN DIOS!

My Life is For My People

February 7, 2016 by Susan Stabile

Who is Father Stanley Rother?  Not a household name, except perhaps for the people in the state from which he hailed, and I knew nothing about him. My dear friend Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda, the incredibly talented and award-winning author and journalist, has done her part in rectifying our ignorance with her new book,The Shepherd Who Didn’t Run: Fr. Stanley Rother, Martyr from Oklahoma.

Given how many things are on my plate right now, it says a lot that once I picked up the book I did not put it down again until I finished it.  No small part of that is simply that Maria is a gifted storyteller who paints vivid descriptions of the man and the people who he served.

A large part of what compelled me, however, was the man himself.  Rother, once thought not smart enough to complete seminary studies to become a priest who seemed more at home tilling the fields or building retreat facilities than writing sermons, deserves to be remembered for his selfless commitment to his people, a commitment that led to his martyrdom.

Maria’s book takes us through Rother’s family background, his upbringing, his struggles in seminary and his early priesthood.  But the most compelling part of Rother’s life begins in 1968, when he was appointed to Oklahoma’s Guatemala mission team.  We learn from Maria about Rother’s growth in his life as a missionary.  One commentator observed that Rother “didn’t go there to do anything.  He went there to be there, with the people.  And because he was there, other things happened…like the school, and the clinic, and farming the fields.”  He was tireless in performance of his pastoral duties as well as developing cropland and other activities designed to better the lives of the poor in the area he served.

Alas, Guatemala during the time Rother was there began to look more and more like the El Salvador in which Oscar Romero ministered.  (And much of what I read about Rother reminded me of Romero.)  Violence and upheaval, massacres,  disappearances, persecution of the church as well as the people.  It was an increasingly dangerous situation, especially for those, like Rother, who raised their voices for social justice.

In early 1981, Rother made the last of his visits to his family.  At the time it was clear his life was in danger and most people believed he should not return to Guatemala.  He himself knew that if he returned he would be deported or killed.

But stronger than any fear or concern for his own safety, Rother felt, “I need to be with my people.  When warned not to return he said “My life is for my people.  I am not scared.”

And so he did return, much to the joy (and surprise) of the people he served and served with.  And he paid the ultimate price for doing so.

If you want to be inspired, if you want to look at the life of someone who truly deserves the label hero (as well as martyr), if you want an example of what it looks to give such a complete “yes” to God that you can accept whatever consequences flow from it, read Maria Scaperlanda’s book about this man, Fr. Stanley Rother, “the shepherd who did not run.”

I would also encourage you to take a look at Maria’s blog, which you can find here.

happy Fat Tuesday!

photo from Oregonlive.com

My good friend Susan Stabile put together an impressive list of resources for Lent. With her permission, I'm reposting here some of this invaluable collection:

Amy Welborn has made available for free the out of print Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ in Your Life, written by her late husband, Michael Dubruiel, which you can find here. 

Creighton University Online Ministries has a host of Lenten prayer material here. 

The American Catholic website also has a variety of material for Lenten prayer, as well as general information about Lent here. 

The Sacred Space website has has an online Lent Retreat this year on the theme Women of the Passion, which you can find here. 

The Ignatian Spirituality site has Lenten resources here.  More here. 

Loyola Press has daily prayers, thoughts and other inspirations for Lent here.

To read the rest of Susan's list, go to her CREO EN DIOS blog -- or just click here.

Susan's list got me thinking about other sources that I like to tap into during Lent, so I've put together for you a list of Catholic apps that you may find helpful as we begin our Lenten journey.

1.  Confession. A practical app with an examination of conscience based on age, sex and vocation. (iOS, Android)

2.   Mass Explained ($0.99). From the daughters of St. Paul, an app that helps us gain a deeper understanding of what we experience in the Mass.  Lent is a great time to learn more, and to fall deeper in love with the Eucharist. (iPhone, iPad)

3.   The Pope App. Your gateway to the latest news and information on Pope Francis, courtesy of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.  This app may fall under the “news” category—but it also includes Pope Francis’ homilies, speeches, and even @Pontifex tweets!  (iOS, Android)

4.   CRS Rice Bowl. This app from Catholic Relief Services is a great way to tap into almsgiving during Lent. You can set specific goals and track your progress. It even offers meatless recipes, connected to personal stories of Christians throughout the world.

5.   Laudate. Known as the most popular and most comfrehensivse free Catholic app, it offers a plethora of resources: daily readings, saint of the day, liturgy of the hous, interatrctive Rosary and chaplet of Divine Mercy… Lent is a perfect time to explore this one! (iOS, Android)

6.   Fighter Verse app ($2.99) – Great app for learning Scripture! It even has a Kids section for “Foundation Verses” that include visual flash cards.

and last but not least,

7.   Magnificat Lenten companion ($1.99) – You know what a fan of Magnificat Magazine I am. The print version of this special Lenten companion is sold out, but the app is not! 

By the way, drop me a message on the blog,

Twitter, or Facebook -- for a chance to win a FREE download 

of Magnificat's digital Lenten companion! 

I'll say more on getting started with Lent, hopefully by the end of the week? 

But if you're like me, scrambling to figure out what I'm "doing for Lent," I hope you will find something on these lists helpful!

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Note: Two other online sources that you may like:

+  Have you heard of Catholicapps.com? If not, drop on by . As its name implies, it is full of practical and helpful resources, reviews, and even YouTube videos!

AND

+  Pauline Media – I’ve been a huge fan for years of Pauline Media and the Daughters of St. Paul, the community of sisters who dedicate their lives to be missionaries of the Gospel using every form of communication. This quote says it best:

“The Daughters of St. Paul are not Catholic publishers whose main concern is to produce religious products; instead, we are witnesses to a certain way of living the Faith and proposing it in the world of communication” (Don Sassi, Superior General of the Society of St. Paul, 2007).

Check out their line of beautiful apps – and the rest of their products, while you’re there! For iPhone and iPad apps go here. For Android apps, go here.

Happy Advent: do we want to be transformed?

my Twinkies! Cecilia and Ignacio

Thanksgiving weekend was truly wonderful.

I love the crazy chaos of a full house, all of us sharing space and breaking bread under one roof.  And even though I’ve been a grandmother for almost four years now, I’m still getting used to—and blessedly surprised—by the thrill of grandchildren around me… running, crawling, and squealing in delight (for the sake of this thread, we’ll just ignore the crying part which we all know is inevitable!).

It certainly made missing those family members who are absent this year—and those no longer with us, a little less painful.  Even grief, especially grief, is made bearable when shared.

Yet it feels like a blinked, and here we are, already lighting the second candle on the Advent wreath!

I confess that I spent that first Sunday of Advent in bed—or running between my bed and bathroom.  A crazy stomach virus made its way through pretty much everyone who was at our house for Thanksgiving… which was an amazing 22 people this year!

I was thankful that I was the last person in the bunch to get sick, and that it was a very strong but very quick virus.

As far as Advent goes, I’ve been playing catch up every since. The plus side is that all the down time has given me the opportunity to read some beautiful Advent reflections.

My friend Susan Stabile, for example, has already published several insightful Advent blog posts this past week, including this one ("Why does Advent matter?"—where she quotes a Henri Nouwen Advent Prayer, one I don’t remember ever seeing before:

Lord Jesus,
Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.
We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.
We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.
We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.
To you we say, “Come Lord Jesus!”

In her typically direct manner, Susan proposes three questions to reflect on as we embrace the active waiting of the Advent season:

Do we want to be transformed?

Do we believe we can be transformed?

What is the transformation God asks of us?

 Here we go... 

this little light of mine

There’s an email story making its way through cyberspace about a boy helping a classmate with a stack of books – and the life-saving meaning of that simple act of kindness.

The email story ends with the statement:

“Never underestimate the power of your actions.

With one small gesture you can change a person's life.”

I’ve read the story before, but found myself pondering it from a new angle this week, mostly in light of the Boston bombings.

I received the email story through my friend Sr. Tess, whom I recently wrote about and who currently lives in Boston. In a personal note, Tess asked for prayers for her city—and for a friend who is nervous about the London Marathon taking place in her city this coming weekend.

In my reply, I asked Tess to also remember the people of Oklahoma City in her prayers. Not only is this Friday, April 19, the anniversary of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, but the OKC Memorial Marathon will also take place on Sunday.

Everyone is a bit on edge.

Not only can the acts of one person change irrevocably another person’s life, for good or for evil… it can also affect an entire global community.

Perhaps when evil acts hit close to home we pay more attention. But at daily Mass today I was reminded that we never stop being connected to the suffering Body of the Christ. We remain in communion with one another, in Christ who is our Light.

Nothing that I do is inconsequential. Everything that I do affects other people. I don’t have to be able to see it to believe it’s true.

As my friend Susan Stabile wrote today on her blog CREO EN DIOS!:

“…we don’t always feel brave or strong or inspiring. But we don’t need to “feel brave to be brave…. feel strong to be strong…or feel inspiring to inspire.” We need to remember that our star, however small, can light the way for others.

temptations

Do not grieve over the temptations you suffer. When the Lord intends to bestow a particular virtue on us, He often permits us first to be tempted by the opposite vice. Therefore, look upon every temptation as an invitation to grow in a particular virtue and a promise by God that you will be successful, if only you stand fast.

~St. Philip Neri  (1515-1595)

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The beginning of all temptation lies in a wavering mind and little trust in God, for as a rudderless ship is driven hither and yon by waves, so a careless and irresolute man is tempted in many ways. Fire tempers iron and temptation steels the just. Often we do not know what we can stand, but temptation shows us what we are. 

Above all, we must be especially alert against the beginnings of temptation, for the enemy is more easily conquered if he is refused admittance to the mind and is met beyond the threshold when he knocks.

~St. Francis De Sales (1567-1622)

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I woke up the other day hearing a song from my dreams--one that I’ve never heard before: 

“come to the Father who loves you and won’t ever leave you.” 

What a beautiful reminder, especially during this season of Lent and it’s proding to shed away my illusions. Like the illusion that *I* can take care of my own personality defects, what a great temptation!

As my good friend Susan Stabile noted in a recent CREO EN DIOS blog post, 

"for those of us attempting to lead spiritual lives, temptation often comes in pleasing disguises. How much easier it would be to avoid temptation if the tempter appeared as a devil with pitchfork trying to persuade us to do some obviously evil act!"

Check out Susan’s entire post, including an image of Titian’s painting of “The Temptation of Christ.” You will be surprised.

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“Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure 

should take care not to fall.” 

~1 Corinthians 10: 12