I apologize that it’s been a little while since I posted here.  I’ve been down at our provincial house in Hankinson working on projects for the retreat center, and I didn’t have the password to the site.  If you’d like to check out the new website for the retreat center, just head over to sfcretreats.org.  New brochures will be available in the near  future as well. 
 
This was a very nice opportunity to get away and see our Sisters there, but it was also a bit sad. 
 
While I was there, Sister Edwardine Gerou died from cancer.  I was so grateful to have had the chance to see her these days. 
 
I just returned to Grand Forks less than an hour ago, and am now working a short shift at the reception desk. 
 
Your prayers for Sr. Edwardine and our community would be greatly appreciated. 

The psalm I prayed at night prayer Sunday evening (91) seemed to sum up a lesson that’s been on my heart lately:
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High and abides the shade of the Almighty, says to the Lord, my refuge, my God in whom I trust.” 
 
The past months have been stretching me in the area of faith and trust, leading me to pray recently for an increase in these virtues. 
 
Then, over the weekend, someone suggested and passed on to me a special prayer of surrender and trust.  It has been a bit of a game-changer for me.  
 
I thought I was getting better at this whole “trust and surrender thing,” but events this evening let me know that I’m not there yet. 
 
However, I find encouragement in St. Paul’s words to the Philippians (1:6): “the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
 
I need to just keep coming back to Jesus and try to keep my eyes on Him.  I have been noticing, too, that when I start to surrender and trust more, my focus is set more on Jesus and less on myself and my problems. 

In this month of January, which is set to honor the Holy Name of Jesus, I am preparing a talk for our women's group on this topic.

Today is actually the optional memorial of the Holy Name of Jesus, which has long been held dear by the Franciscans.  We even got to use our red Franciscan supplement book today for the Liturgy of the Hours.

For this wonderful occasion, I would like to share a quote from the Catechism as well as several pertinent scripture verses which I found when doing research for my talk. 

I hope you find them fruitful, and encourage you to pray with them.

“But the one name that contains everything is the one that the Son of God received in his incarnation: JESUS. The divine name may not be spoken by human lips, but by assuming our humanity The Word of God hands it over to us and we can invoke it: "Jesus," "YHWH saves." The name "Jesus" contains all: God and man and the whole economy of creation and salvation. To pray "Jesus" is to invoke him and to call him within us. His name is the only one that contains the presence it signifies. Jesus is the Risen One, and whoever invokes the name of Jesus is welcoming the Son of God who loved him and who gave himself up for him.”  Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2666

Isaiah 9:6   For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
 
Mark 16:17-18   "In my name They shall take up serpents; and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall recover".
 
Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
 
John 14:13-14 “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”
 
Luke 10:17   The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”
 
Acts 3:6      But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”
 
Acts 4:12    And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
 
Romans 10:13     For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
 
Phil. 2:10  “Though He was in the form of God, Jesus did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at.  Rather, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave…so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” 
 
Colossians 3:17 "All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ..." 

For Christmas, we each received a beautifully molded wire piece from a friend of our community, of the name of Jesus (pictured above).  I attached it to the gold trim on the ambo in our chapel for today's memorial.