From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   Few Love the Cross of Jesus:  (3)   
      
        If a man give all his wealth, it is nothing; if he do great   
   penance, it is little; if he gain all knowledge, he is still far   
   afield; if he have great virtue and much ardent devotion, he still   
   lacks a great deal, and especially, the one thing that is most   
   necessary to him. What is this one thing? That leaving all, he forsake   
   himself, completely renounce himself, and give up all private   
   affections. Then, when he has done all that he knows ought to be done,   
   let him consider it as nothing, let him make little of what may be   
   considered   
   great; let him in all honesty call himself an unprofitable servant.   
   For truth itself has said:   
        "When you shall have done all these things that are commanded   
   you, say: 'we are unprofitable servants.'"   (Luke 17:10).   
        Then he will be truly poor and stripped in spirit, and with the   
   prophet may say: "I am alone and poor."  (Ps. 24:16.)   
       No one, however, is more wealthy than such a man; no one is more   
   powerful, no one freer than he who knows how to leave all things and   
   think of himself as the least of all.   
   --Thomas à Kempis --Imitation of Christ Book 2, Chapter 11   
      
      
   <<>><<>><<>>   
   May 9th - Blessed Karolina Gerhardinger   
   Also known as, Caroline Gerhardinger, Maria Teresa Gerhardinger, Maria   
   Theresia of Jesus   
    (1797-1979)   
      
   "All the works of God proceed slowly and in pain, but then their roots   
   are the sturdier and their flowering the lovelier."   
      
     Blessed Theresa was selected to govern her community at a time when   
   men generally oversaw the spiritual development of religious   
   communities.  Possessing a deep spirit and keen mind, Theresa   
   recognized that the Sisters of Notre Dame required her leadership, and   
   through her guidance, the community spread through Europe, and later   
   the world.  It is written of Blessed Mother Theresa:   
      
   "Longing for the oneness of all in God, grounded the congregation in   
   Eucharist, anchored it in poverty, and dedicated it to Mary. A woman   
   of faith, ever seeking God's will, she struggled for unity in our   
   international community and responded to urgent needs, preferring the   
   poor and educating with a world vision. In these gifts of the Spirit   
   to our foundress, Mother Theresa, we recognize the evolving charism of   
   our congregation." (Prologue, You Are Sent, p. 17-18)   
      
   Blessed Theresa was born Caroline Gerhardinger, to a working class   
   family in Bavaria.  As a child, she demonstrated a love for the Lord,   
   a gentle spirit, and a concern for others in her parish.  Her parish   
   priest encouraged her to pursue an education, to become a teacher.   
   Caroline approached this task with a sprititually balanced view,   
   believing strongly that a child's need for love, safety and food were   
   as important as formal education. She wrote, "Let us never forget the   
   love of Jesus for children, whom he took upon his lap and blessed."   
      
   Gradually, through her work, Caroline felt drawn to greater service to   
   the Lord.  She received education from the Canonesses of Saint   
   Augustine, until 1809 when all religious orders were closed by decree   
   of the Bavarian government. Caroline was discouraged, but not   
   disheartened, and soon came to realize that she was to found a new   
   religious order, once which would remedy social difficulties through   
   education.  She dedicated her life to assisting the downtrodden,   
   namely women and children, to achieve and succeed through education.   
   This founding principle was the driving force behind her new order,   
   the Poor School Sisters of Notre Dame.   
      
   In 1828, when the Vatican was able to negotiate the reopening of   
   religious communities with the Bavarian government, Caroline and the   
   sisters of her order moved into a refurbished convent.  Caroline took   
   the name Theresa in religious life, and soon became known as Teresa of   
   Jesus due to her devotion to the True Presence of Christ in the   
   Blessed Sacrament. The congregation’s Rule and Constitutions were   
   approved by the Vatican in 1854 and the Order began to quickly spread.   
   While most religious orders of her time were governed by men, she was   
   convinced that a woman could better understand, direct and motivate   
   her sisters.  The Constitution of the School Sisters of Notre Dame,   
   approved by Pope Pius IX in 1865, allowed Mother Theresa and her   
   successors, rather than local bishops, to govern the congregation.   
   Teresa spent the rest of her life devoted to the work.   
      
   Under her leadership, the congregation spread across Europe, and later   
   to America following the wave of German immigration.  Within a year,   
   they established a presence in seven US cities.  By the time Blessed   
   Theresa died, the congregation numbered more than 2500 sisters,   
   working in elementary schools, orphanages, industrial schools,   
   nurseries, and Kindergartens. Today, there are over 7500 Poor Sisters   
   of Notre Dame, spread across 825 convents in 31 countries on five   
   continents!   
      
   Blessed Theresa once said, "For us education means enabling persons to   
   reach the fullness of their potential as individuals created in God’s   
   image."  We pray today for all those who are deprived of education due   
   to poverty, oppression, or other factors.  We pray for liberation   
   through education, for spiritual growth that comes from freedom, and   
   for grateful hearts for all we have received.   
       
      
   Saint Quote:   
   Prudence must precede every action which we undertake; for, if   
   prudence be wanting, there is nothing, however good it may seem, which   
   is not turned into evil.   
   -- St. Basil   
      
   Bible Quote:   
   If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but   
   deceives his heart, his religion is vain. Religion that is pure and   
   undefiled before God and the Father is this: To care for orphans and   
   widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.   
   [James 1:26-27] DRB   
      
      
   <><><><>   
   Prayer of Petition   
      
   O Divine Jesus, Thou hast promised that anything we ask of the Eternal   
   Father in Thy name shall be granted.   
      
   O Eternal Father. In the name of Jesus, for the love of Jesus, in   
   fulfillment of this promise, and because Jesus has said it, grant us   
   our petitions for the sake of Jesus, Thy Divine Son. Amen.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)