Glorious Heavens Viewed from Earth
“The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1). They certainly do. Witnessing the red Sturgeon full moon hanging like a jewel in the sky two nights this week, prompts me to write about the phenomena above Earth.
The Moon
The moon has always fascinated people. Its appearance changes as it goes through phases from a delicate crescent sliver to a bright, full disk. And it disappears during a lunar eclipse. Each month’s full moon has a name. The closest celestial body to Earth, the moon causes tides and some say, affects our brains! We sing songs about it like “Moon River” and “Shine on Harvest Moon.”
We speak of the man in the moon, while Japanese see a rabbit formed by the dark areas. Can you see it here?
If you were fortunate, you watched the first lunar landing live. If you missed it, here is a fascinating video of it.
The Sun
The sun, which Earth circles every year, is our source of life as it travels across the sky 93 million miles away. Days when the sun shines perk up our spirits. Our solar system is zooming around the Milky Way Galaxy at about 450,000 miles an hour! Last year we were treated to see a solar eclipse, when the moon passed between the Earth and the sun.
Sunrises and sunsets are arguably the most beautiful sights on Earth.
The Planets
This past Sunday six planets aligned, forming an arc. Four of them could be seen with the naked eye right before dawn. (I forgot to look!) Venus, the planet closest to Earth, can be spotted as the Morning Star or Evening Star.
Gustav Holst composed The Planets. Each of its seven movements is named for a planet. Here is the one called “Jupiter” that expresses abundance of life and vitality. Its seven minutes long.
Stars
Riding across Texas land unlit by electrical lights, I saw a spectacular expanse of stars. What a gift in the night sky! Different cultures discern constellations and create stories to accompany them. There are 88 modern constellations. Arguably the most familiar are the Big and Little Dippers. I can usually spot Orion the hunter because of the three stars that form his belt and Cassiopeia the queen whose stars form a wide “W”.
Meteors
On Monday through Wednesday of this week the Perseid meteor shower peaks. “Falling stars” like these are a sight to behold. Actually they are small rocks or other matter glowing from being heated by speeding through Earth’s atmosphere.
In June a meteorite crashed into a Georgia home. Scientists say it was about 20 million years older than earth.
Aurora Borealis
These colorful northern lights occur when charged particles from the sun collide with gases in Earth’s upper atmosphere. This past year the aurora borealis was visible more south and some lucky people in Ohio saw it. There is a southern borealis too, but it is not as accessible.
Comets
Comets are bright bodies that orbit the sun. They are mainly composed of ice, dust, and frozen gases and may develop long tails. Of course, the most famous comet is Halley’s comet, which will be visible from Earth in 2061. It takes 76 years to circle the sun.
Rainbows
Who isn’t excited to see a rainbow shimmering in the sky? The dispersion of sunlight in water droplets creates a spectrum of color. Sometimes a second rainbow is formed. Several times while flying I’ve seen a pilot’s halo. That is a rainbow encircling the shadow of the plane on top of clouds. It flies along beside the plane.
Clouds
Clouds are masses of tiny drops, ice crystals, or other particles suspended in the atmosphere. There are ten basic kinds. Most of them created by the Supreme Artist add breathtaking beauty to the sky.
Even threatening dark clouds are attractive.
Lightning
Bolts of lightning streaking through a dark sky are awesome. Lightning is a giant spark of electricity caused by negatively and positively charged regions interacting within a cloud, between clouds, or from cloud to earth. Then its heat makes air molecules explode, resulting in a flash and thunder.
• What is the most glorious sky you have seen?
Creation Speaks of God and for Him
Creation is one powerful way God speaks to us. In 1987, my book Voices: Messages in Gospel Symbols came out the same time as my book Leading Students into Scripture. (The publisher said I made history because it was the first time they published two books by the same author in the same publishing season.) Because of our current focus on the environment and Pope Francis’s Laudato si’ , the book Voices is even more relevant today. I republished it myself as Voices: God Speaking in Creation in 2017.
Creation’s Messages in Literature
We pray in Psalm 19:
The heavens declare the glory of God,
The vault of heaven proclaims his handiwork . . . .
No utterance at all, no speech,
No sound that anyone can hear;
yet their voice goes out through all the world.
And author Nikos Kazantzakis wrote:
I said to the almond tree
“Sister speak to me of God.”
And the almond tree blossomed.
Creation in My Slice of the World
A man in our ND Village often walks around outside visiting the Mary shrine, our cemetery, and large statue of Mary. For hours he can sit on one of the benches, soaking in the landscape. His explanation: “The property is so beautiful, I want to take advantage of it.” He is right. Our land here in the country is a kind of Paradise. I combed through photos I have of nature at our Province Center, and I share them with you now.
• What facets of creation near you do you cherish?
• When do you take time to drink in the marvels of nature and listen to what they say?
Hymn about Creation and the Creator
For your enjoyment and inspiration, here is a jazzy hymn with a potent message:
Mother Mary Images with Meaning
Mother Mary is the woman most portrayed in art. No doubt, you have your favorite image of her. Today I present three of my favorites.
Mother Mary’s Looks
In the first century, cameras were not yet invented, so we don’t know what Mary looked like. Because she lived in first-century Israel, a Middle Eastern country, we can assume that she most likely had tan skin, brown eyes, brown or black hair and was short—5-feet tall or less. (This description contradicts modern images of pale, blond, blue-eyed Mary.) Visionaries described Mary as beautiful in her apparitions on earth. In these cases she takes on the looks of the nation where she is appearing. For example, Our Lady of Guadalupe came as a pregnant Aztec woman.
Mary’s Statue at Our Convent
At the entrance to the Sisters of Notre Dame property in Chardon, stands a bronze statue of Mary as the Immaculate Conception. Her foot is treading the serpent, symbol of Satan, whom her Son conquered. She gazes down at the viewer with open hands, as though she is welcoming us, preparing to embrace us, or ready to respond to our pleas.
I have an affinity to this statue because long ago we were united. As I took my geometry test at the end of my sophomore year at Notre Dame Academy, Sister David called me away. I was to be photographed standing with this statue, which at the time stood at the Notre Dame provincial center on Ansel Road in Cleveland. This photo was published in our diocesan newspaper along with the article about the Sisters relocating to Chardon. Later, I was pleased to discover that this statue made the move too. Nowadays each evening, weather permitting, I take a walk to it.
My Statue of Mary
When I became diocesan vocation co-director, my office downtown needed a statue of Mary, I decided to find one with Jesus. After all, our Blessed Mother became the most powerful woman in the world because of him. At a conference at Regina High School, on a religious goods table there was a beautiful statue of Mary that conveyed her purity, humility, and tenderness. I fell in love with it at first sight.
However, the statue was of her alone. No Jesus. Besides, it was also too expensive for me. Fortunately, at the end of the day, a sign on the table read, “ Everything half price.” “This statue too?” I asked. “Yes, and you get the clergy discount.” I purchased it, rationalizing that Mary was pregnant with Jesus. The statue now stands in my bedroom. A tiny terra cotta Baby Jesus figurine is next to is.
Mother Mary’s Icon
I usually do not care for icons (“windows into heaven”), but Our Lady of Perpetual Help is an exception. This 15th century picture does show Mary with Jesus, but she is not looking at him. Instead, she is looking directly at us, her other children. She is always ready to help with whatever concern we have in our heart just as she was always there for Jesus.
History of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Supposedly a merchant who stole this icon from a church in Crete brought it to Rome, claiming that it was miraculous. Mother Mary appeared to a girl and asked that the image be placed in the Church of St. Matthew the Apostle, saying, “So that all who seek my help will receive it.” During the war the icon was taken away for safety and disappeared. It was recovered, given to the Redemptorists, and now is displayed in the Church of St. Alphonsus in Rome. In the 1990s it was restored.
The Child Jesus
Jesus is not looking at you or his mother. He is frightened because he knows his future depicted above him. Archangels hold the instruments of his crucifixion. Saint Michael has the spear and wine-soaked sponge, while Gabriel carries the cross and nails. Jesus finds refuge in his mother. He grasps her thumb. Notice that he has run to her for comfort so quickly that his sandal falls off and dangles at the bottom of the picture.
The icon’s message is that Mary is a mother to you too. Whenever you are in need, she lovingly invites you to come to her for comfort and help. She will intercede for you with her Son.
Theology of Mother Mary
Click on the link to view a short video summarizing what we Catholics believe about Mary.
• What is your favorite image or images or the Blessed Virgin Mary?
* Where do you display an image of Mary?
Here is arguably the most famous Marian hymn:
Churches and an SND Chapel to Explore
I recently discovered that popular Catholic pilgrimages involve visits to many churches, basilicas, and shrines. This prompted me to present a virtual visit to the SND chapel in our Province Center. You will see that it is rich in symbolism.
The Gathering Space
Before entering the chapel, you come to the gathering place. One wall is covered with clay plaques. At the time of the chapel’s renovation, each Sister made one to represent herself and wrote an explanation of it. A book on a stand there holds these explanations and when a Sister dies, it is opened to her page.
My plaque has a large chi-rho (P and X — Greek “Chr”) for Christ the King. I celebrate my name day on the feast of Christ the King, and my religious name was Kirene from chi-rho. I included a rock from the Holy Land where I visited once and a tiny dove for the Holy Spirit who inspires all my writing.
Also in the gathering space stands a statue of our spiritual mother, St. Julie Billiart, created by Sister Megan Dull. It depicts her soul, which is always focused on God.
Off to the right is the sacristy room.
Chapel Proper
Walking into the chapel, to the right you see a lighted case holding the three sacred oils: oil of catechumens, holy chrism, and oil of the sick. These are in hand-blown German glass, a reminder of our German roots. Next to the case is a Reconciliation room.
Facing you is a large baptismal font formed by large rocks taken from our property. Why a baptismal font in a convent? Our religious vows are rooted in our baptismal promises. The font is in a direct line with the altar and the tabernacle, expressing the connection.
The altar is a squared circle, a paradox like the mystery of God that will take place on it. The tabernacle, decorated with three red drops of blood, is behind a large glass screen of red and blue that becomes transparent at the top. Chairs before the tabernacle are for private prayer. The wall behind it has a narrow, rectangular stained-glass window. Above is a round stained-glass window of red and blue whose colors shift, representing the mystery of God and his actions in our lives.
At the side is an unusual Y-shaped crucifix modeled after the 13th century one in a Coesfeld, Germany parish, where our two founders lived and worked. It can be used as a processional cross.
Devotional Stations
Around the back wall of the chapel are five devotional stations. They include stained-glass windows created by an SND long ago for the previous chapel.
Station One
The first station represents the Communion of Saints and heaven’s glory. The triptych of quilts sewn by our Sisters show the progression from earth to glory.
A large open book is the Book of Life in which names of deceased Sisters from 1877 are beautifully recorded by our calligrapher, Sr. Joanne Zeitz. A book for writing down intentions is also displayed.
Station Two
The second station contains a realistic statue of Mary and chairs where you can converse with her. Currently it also has reminders to pray for the situation in the Ukraine. I used a picture of this statue for the cover of my yearly devotional book Heart to Heart with Mary.
Station Three
The next station is a liturgical one for items representing the Church year seasons and feast. At Easter it holds a statue of the Risen Lord, and at Christmas a large Nativity set. Now you see statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Station Four
The last station is our historical station. Pictures of St. Julie, our spiritual mother, and Sister Aldegonda, our founder, are displayed as well as handwritten letters from our community leaders. The back wall has a magnificent triptych painted by Sr. Carol Dikovitsky. It represents the love of God flowing down through all the ages. The Coesfeld cross and a fleur-de-lis for French St. Julie. On either side are circles with symbols of the continents where SNDs are present.
Dots in the blue background form animals and constellations in God’s creation. I like to have visitors detect them. In a wooden case below rests a relic of St. Julie, her anklebone.
Way of the Cross
Along the back of the chapel are free-standing stations of the cross from the walls of the original chapel.
Choir
On the left side of chapel are the organ, piano, chairs for the singers, and tables for the bell ringers. A bass and sometimes flutes and a viola accompany the music.
There is no clock because in the chapel is God’s time.
A large sheet of glass at the back of chapel contains the names of donors who contributed to the chapel renovation.
SND Chapel’s Exterior
Your Church
• How familiar are you with your church? What shape is it? Does it have special features? What do its stained-glass windows represent? Where is its baptismal font?
• Have you ever investigated your cathedral? It probably has many interesting features.
Video
Every day I receive an email written by a priest who presents artwork related to the day’s Gospel and explains the Word. Recently, he included a video explaining one feature of Westminster Cathedral. I thought you might be interested in it:
Charles de Foucauld: Sinner, Hermit, Saint
I was happy when Charles de Foucauld was canonized in 2022. Several times he has crossed my life. Most memorable is discovering his morning prayer, “Lord, one more day to love you.” As a young sister, I was moved by these words. What a great way to start the day: thinking of God, thanking him for the gift of life, and preparing to carry out the day’s tasks for love of God. As a craft, I created a banner with these words and saved it all these decades! You can see it here.
Much later a fellow teacher gave me a terra cotta baby Jesus made by the Little Sisters of Jesus, a community based on the spirituality of St. Charles. The figure has the symbol of St. Charles on the back: the heart and a cross.
Then when I was on a pilgrimage in the Holy Land, in Nazareth we stopped at the Poor Clare convent where St. Charles worked as a porter and servant, and we prayed in its chapel.
Another saying of St. Charles that I like is “Jesus is Lord of the impossible.”
Who Is Charles de Foucauld?
Dorothy Day claimed that he was among the greats. Born in 1858 to French nobility, he was orphaned when he was six. His grandfather raised him. For twelve years he was an agnostic. He lead a dissipated life and was expelled from school. A large inheritance supported his extravagant lifestyle. He attended Saint-Cyr Military Academy and the French cavalry school, but, restless, he quit the military at age 23. Then he traveled and studied the geography and culture of Algeria and Morocco, receiving a gold medal for his exploration and research.
Conversion
In Morocco he encountered Muslims of strong faith and began praying, “My God, if you exist, let me come to know you.” He returned to the Catholic faith at age 28. During a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, he realized that his vocation was to follow Jesus in his simple life at Nazareth.
St. Charles became a Trappist and took the name Charles of Jesus. However, he considered the villagers more poverty-stricken than they. So, after seven years, he left the order, moved to Palestine where he lived in one small room, prayed, and worked for the Poor Clares. He was ordained a priest when he was 43.
He went to the Sahara in French Algeria and lived as a hermit near Morocco. His goal was to live among the furthest removed and the most abandoned. He built a hermitage where hospitality was offered to all regardless of their religion, and he dreamed of founding a community of “little brothers of Jesus.” He said, “Our entire person must breathe Jesus, all our actions.”
Life among the Tuaregs
After moving to southern Algeria, he lived with the Tuareg people, becoming their friends. Over ten years, he studied them, learned their language, translated their poetry, and worked on a dictionary and grammar. He wanted to live in such as way that people would ask, “If such is the servant, what must the Master be like?”
In 1916, bandits intended to kidnap him, but two French calvary members stopped them. A 15-year-od bandit shot St. Charles, and the two soldiers were also killed. The Tuareg people buried St. Charles the next morning. In 1944, the young bandit was executed.
The Legacy of St. Charles
Although the dream of founding a religious congregation never materialized, the spirit of St. Charles lives on in Little Brothers of Jesus, Little Sisters of Jesus, and 18 other religious organizations. His vision is one of radical simplicity, humility, solidarity with the marginalized, and deep-rooted love. We celebrate his feast day on December 1.
St. Charles’s Prayer of Abandonment
Father,
I abandon myself into your hands;
do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you:
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me,
and in all your creatures –
I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my soul:
I offer it to you with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands without reserve,
and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father.
• Is there a saint who often comes across your path?
• Do you have a connection with the Little Brothers or Little Sisters of Jesus?
This hymn that is new to me summarizes St. Charles’s spirituality:
