Sunday, July 5, 2009

Monday, July 6, 2009


From A Year With Blessed James Alberione,
Compiled by J. Maurus
Small virtues lead to great virtues

     Small virtues lead us to great ones because one advances in the way of perfection  only step by step.  It is so much so that in the evening we may have to say:  "Today I have done almost nothing."
     Once, St. Therese of Child Jesus wrote:  "See, Mother, I am only able to do small acts of virtue."
     To be able only to do small acts of virtue, and to be persevering, will bring us even to heroism.  This is the distinctive mark of saints.  For we need heroism in faith, hope, charity, prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.
     The habit of endurance will make one patient, not to be easily troubled because one is always united with God and accepts everything from the Lord.  

What Strikes Me Most Today

Today's writing by Blessed Alberione makes me think of the use of the internet in evangelization today.  Blessed Alberione wanted to use all means of social communication to spread the gospel to the world.  When he discusses small acts of virtue done in perseverance, I think of the many truths of the faith I have read from websites, blogs, facebook, tweets, etc. from the Daughters of St. Paul.  Each item they type may seem like "a small act of virtue," but they have profoundly affected my relationship with Jesus Master, Way, Truth, and Life!
     My opinion is that Blessed Alberione, founder of the Pauline Family, would love the means of the internet with its many communication opportunities, to spread the gospel.  It has definitely been a blessing in my life.
     I have to say I also love spending times in their Pauline Books and Media Book Centers. I love to talk with the Sisters; I especially love to discuss books and movies with them, and spend time in their chapel.
     I know the Daughters of St. Paul represent the future of evangelization through all means of social communication.  Their own website is under construction, but on Facebook you can go to "Daughters of St. Paul on Facebook."  You can keep checking back at Pauline.org, as their site is under construction, or you can stop in one of their many bookstores.  
     I don't know how likely this is, but wouldn't it be awesome if each Sister had an iPhone to keep evangelization right at their fingertips?  I envision "Pauline Online" so we can constantly benefit from their evangelization through this incredible internet means of reaching the world.  I bet St. Paul and Blessed Alberione would love this incredible tool to reach the world, which is in such desperate need of the Daughters of St. Paul evangelizing the world!  And you can even become a Pauline Cooperator (www.paulinelaity.blogspot.com) as I am studying to do, to help with their mission of evangelization even as a member of the laity.

What strikes you most today?  
Click on "COMMENTS" below to share your thoughts.
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2 comments:

  1. Sister AnneJuly 8, 2009 at 9:03 PM

    We dream of having iPhones and other tools so we could explore the possibilities they offer for broadening our mission field... if only they didn't come with such a hefty monthly fee! WAY beyond our means!

    ReplyDelete
  2. jeffmathewsJuly 8, 2009 at 11:09 PM

    I know you're right, but to think how many people you could reach! It seems more cost effective than those printing presses, paper, ink, etc. that cost so much in the past. I could just picture Father Alberione, excited about the possibilities for spreading the Gospel through the media available on iPhones, purchasing them and trusting that the money would somehow come through. It may just be wishful thinking on my part, but how awesome if you could reach the world in that way! Maybe it's up to Pauline Cooperators and lay boards to come up with ways to fund them. I'll have to work on that!

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"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

Pauline Prayer Book for our Haitian Brothers and Sisters

Be Not Afraid

Be Not Afraid
"Fear not, I am with you. From here I want to enlighten. Atone for sin."

Daughters of St. Paul

Daughters of St. Paul
Evangelizing the World!

New faith and family friendly video sharing

New faith and family friendly video sharing
Great Pauline Video Sharing Site

Why?

Why a blog? Why St. Paul? Why do I think I have any business doing this?
We are all on a spiritual journey. We all want that journey to lead us to heaven, to eternity with God. For this journey, we need one another.
The journey so far has led me to read and learn about so many forms of authentic Catholic spirituality - Ignatian, Benedictine, Carmelite, Dominican, Franciscan, etc. My biggest problem was that I came to love each one tremendously. I began reading more and more, spending more and more time at the Daughters of St. Paul bookstore on Watson Road here in St. Louis. Who would have thought my greatest conversion story would take place in a bookstore? Mine was not quite as sudden or dramatic as St. Paul on the road to Damascus, but getting to know the Daughters of St. Paul affected me no less significantly.
The sisters are Eucharistic by nature. The first time I entered the chapel in their bookstore, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed and one of the sisters was on her knees, gazing at Christ, with an indescribably beautiful smile on her face. I had a glimpse of heaven. I knelt at one of the other kneelers and noticed on the wall behind the monstrance the words: "Fear not, I am with you. From here I want to enlighten. Atone for sin." I had that brief moment of absolute certainty that I was on the right path.
Over the last several years I have worked my way through as many books, CD's, DVD's and conversations with the Daughters of St. Paul that time has allowed. Time is at such a premium for all of us. Years ago we were told that with advances in technology we would have much more free time on our hands. We all know this has not been the case. Our lives are busier and more hectic than ever. Even if we are unable to find time to read good books, see enlightening movies or attend lectures and discussions, maybe we could all spend a little time on the internet supporting one another on our faith journeys. Many of you know more about many aspects of Catholic spirituality than I do.
Pope John Paul the Great called us all to a New Evangelization, to share the Gospel with the world. I am hoping we can all be St. Paul in this blog space by sharing Christ with one another and with others. St. Paul travelled to many foreign and often hostile regions to evangelize the world; we are fortunate to be able to use the internet to reach even farther and more quickly.
The idea of using today's means of social communication to spread the Gospel was given to Blessed James Alberione on the night between the centuries (December 31, 1900 - January 1, 1901). He was a 16 year-old seminary student adoring Christ in the Blessed Sacrament when a special light came to him from the Host. Following this, Blessed James Alberione became the founder of the Society of St. Paul priests, the Daughters of St. Paul, the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master, Sisters of Jesus the Good Shepherd, Sisters of the Queen of Apostles, and numerous institutes that are also part of the Pauline family.
So what is Pauline spirituality? In my experience, Pauline spirituality encompasses all the teachings of Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and love of all the other spiritualities and Saints of the Church. It is the members of the Pauline family who are the happiest people I know! It is loving God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit with all our hearts and souls, through the intercession of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, and St. Paul.
So why St. Paul? I can relate to St. Paul. We first meet him in the New Testament as a sinner. He has a thorn in his side that God decides is best not to take away. I sometimes wish I knew what that thorn was, but it's probably better I don't know. I like to pretend it is one of my many weaknesses or faults. If St. Paul could go from persecuting Christ and His Church to becoming the person responsible for spreading the Gospel and establishing the Church in foreign lands, the least I can do is start a blog. I have been especially inspired by my two favorite bloggers, Sr. Margaret Charles Kerry, fsp, and a Pauline Cooperator named Rae Stabosz. I believe Sr. Margaret and Rae are doing just what St. Paul and Blessed James Alberione would be doing with the internet.
In future blogs (which will be shorter than this first post!), I would like to share writings of St. Paul, Blessed James Alberione, and many others. I look forward to others sharing writings from other Catholic spiritualities and writers. An especially Pauline way of sharing is to point out to one another what aspects particularly speak to each of us.
Another Pauline trait is to pray for one another. My prayer is that we support one another on our path to holiness. Our goal is to glorify God in all that we do - so let's do it!