LMC Vow Renewal

Now is the 22nd time I have renewed my vows of chastity, poverty, obedience, and whole-hearted and free service to the poorest of the poor within the MC charism, first as a Carrier of God's Love and later as a Lay Missionary of Charity (LMC). I renewed by vows at St. Joseph's Church in Yakima, WA and they were witnessed by the celebrant and by my Spiritual Director Sr. Alice St. Hilaire who is one of the best spiritual directors in Washington state. They were also witnessed by my link who is me.

This is also the first time for my use of the new vow formula:

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. For the honour and glory of God and moved by an ardent desire to quench the infinite thirst of Jesus on the Cross and in the Eucharist for love and for souls, I, (NN.) vow for one year (conjugal) chastity, poverty, obedience and whole-hearted and free service to the poorest of the poor according to the Statutes of the Lay Missionaries of Charity. I give myself with my whole heart to God's service so that by the grace of the Holy Spirit and with the help of Mary, Mother of God, cause of our joy and Queen of the world, I may be led to the perfect love of God, of my neighbour and in a special way to the members of my own family; thus to make the Church more fully present in the world of today."

The new portion of the vows is found in the phrase "quench the infinite thirst of Jesus on the Cross and in the Eucharist for love and for souls". Over the years the MCs have more and more emphasized the Eucharist in their prayer life. A few years before her death Blessed Teresa of Kolkata asked the contemplative sisters to include more adoration time. Also one of the expressions she has used was something like this: You can see how much Jesus loved us by his death on the Cross and you can see how much he still loves us by giving us the Eucharist.

These new words give us a new challenge to be more active in our adoration of Jesus in the Eucharist and also in spreading Eucharistic Adoration.

This past weekend I met Robin who is a new "Come and See" who lives near Seattle. I now know that I do not want to live near Seattle ... the traffic was horrendous. Anyway the session was a meet and greet. Robin is a charming lady. Because of the distance involved some of the meetings will have to be phone meetings ... especially during winter when Snoqualmie Pass can be chosed for avalanche clearing.

After the meeting I went to Petticoat Junction which is a place for Dance Attire. While there I picked up several videos on line dancing and square dancing. I was looking for someway to continue exercising during the summer.



From there I went on highways 522 and 2 to Leavenworth. The view was absolutely great. Some of the mountains look almost like shear rock. I saw several large falls off in the distance. And there were some small falls next to the side of the road. Also for a good portion of the way there was a river on the right hand side of the road.
I will add pictures to this blog after I transfer from my camera to my computer. While I was in Leavenworth I caught pictures of flowers, etc. - More will be added later. I decided to go to "South" which has Latino food. I ordered "Platanos con Crema" ... which is fried plaintain with sour cream ... very good.

I went on down toward Yakima stopping at one point to call up my friend Sue. Please pray for her as she is in frail health but I think has a good attitude going.

Anyway coming into Yakima around 10 PM once again the view was fantastic ... much to pray for. Also the light had not yet disappeared totally from the sky.

Sunday I went to the Spanish Mass. Padre Rafael is really good!

Today Padre Rafael had the 7 AM Mass and the Bishop read the Gospel.

Last Several Weeks

On Saturday May 23 Maggie, Virginia, and I took a trip by way of Chinook Pass. We began the trip around 11 and stopped for lunch at Whistlin' Jacks. Maggie and I both had Alaskan Whitefish which I liked. I am not much of a fish person but it was good.

The day could not have been prettier and Mt. Ranier was in all of its glory. We stopped several times for pictures. On the other side of the pass one of the first things we encountered was a town along a river that looked like it was set up for fishing and boating. The road was shaded by beautiful trees. A little later we went through Enumclaw. What impressed me there was the flowers were outstanding and there were lot's of Rhododendrons in various hues. We headed over to Tacoma where we visited a Catholic bookstore and a two story Borders Bookstore. I am a book-a-holic ... I think I need a 12 step program for that. I picked up several CDs, June and July Magnificats, and at Borders several books, one on desert hikes in Washington and one on Roadside geology of Washington. As you know if you have read any of my earlier blogs, I truly love what God has created. Later we had a rather uninspired supper at a DQ. Then we headed back to Yakima by way of 18 (I think) up to I-90 then toward Ellensburg where we caught I-82 down to Yakima. One of the sights I really love is that of the Yakima Valley as we come down to it. It was night and the lights are really lovely. And you think of all the people there that you are praying for.

The next morning was "Ascension Thursday Sunday". Drives me a little nutty. I went to the 11AM Mass ... great music ... then took a drive down to Goldendale. I truly love the terrain on the trip.

Then came Memorial Day. I went to the Memorial Day Mass over at the Catholic Cemetary and helped Maggie clean up the Memorial Marker for she and Leo.
Tuesday it was back to work. In the afternoon I had chills and fever. I left work sometime around 3. I had to cancel my spiritual direction for that evening.
I stayed home for 2 days and went back to work on Friday. It was a blessing because a friend who helps me out sometimes came over and put together 4 bookshelves for my home office area.

Saturday after watching Jan's dog Joshua compete at a dog show I called up St. John's Monastery and my 300 knot prayer rope was finished. So another trip down toward Goldendale. I stopped at the Monastery and got the prayer rope, a second 100 knot one, and several books. I felt I did not have enough gasoline to make it back to Yakima so I went on down to Goldendale. I tanked up and then took an excursion. I went by way of the Bickleton Hwy across to I-82. At one point you go down into what I believe is a canyon at the bottom of which is Rock Creek and there is a dirt road kind of paralleling the creek. Sometime I want to explore there but not until I have the right kind of vehicle. Most of the trip was on a plateau with lot's of agriculture going on.

Sunday I was back to being sick with a lot of trouble breathing. Monday and Tuesday more of the same. On Tuesday evening I did meet with Sr. Alice for spiritual direction and formally closed out my participation in the SEEL Retreat. Now I am back to work and have had several really productive days.

Chapter two

THE VOWS

"...I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, fruit that will last; and then the Father will give you anything you ask in my name. What I command you is to love one another."
(John 15: 16-17)

Dearest Jesus, I desire to be a good fruit on your vine, to be firmly fastened to the vine.

"The Lay Missionaries as worshippers leading holy lives in every place, consecrating the world itself to God"

Dearest Jesus we are here for you and your people. May we spread continuously throughout the world. May we be holy as you are holy. May we be "only all for Jesus through Mary".

8 - Upon completion of two full years of formation, the LMC, if considered ready, can make the first yearly profession of the vows of (conjugal) chastity, poverty, obedience, and whole-hearted and free service to the poorest of the poor according to the Rule and Statutes of the LMC.

Notice that this states that the vows are made according to the Rule and Statutes of the LMC. This means that we have to know the Statutes so that we understand that which we are doing.

- The vows are renewed annually with the expiration of the preceding profession. For special reasons, it is possible to anticipate renewal of vows but not by more than one month.*

During my time as an LMC I have seen this done several times. It usually was done when the LMC was planning to be out of the area at the time of the renewal of vows. I have also seen it happen that an LMC was allowed to renew vows late when they were (through no fault of their own) unable to attend the meeting when the vows were to be renewed. For example being ill themselves or a family member being sick at a distance and they were needed to take care of the person in question.

- The vows of an unmarried person automatically expire if and when that person marries. He/she is allowed to renew his/her own vows only if the spouse desires to eventually enter into the Movement, or, at least give the other spouse the necessary consent.

This makes sense. After all the commitment in marriage is to one another. We do not want the commitment to LMC to be a divisive influence. Mother Teresa likes to use the marriage image of "cleaving" in describing how her sisters are to be in their relationship to Christ. It makes sense that there be nothing to interfere with the cleaving of spouses. This is all a foreshadowing of the marriage of the Lamb.

9 - The formula used for profession is the following:
"In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. For the honour and glory of God and moved by an ardent desire to quench the infinite thirst of Jesus on the Cross for love of souls, I, (NN.) vow for one year (conjugal) chastity, poverty, obedience and whole-hearted and free service to the poorest of the poor according to the Statutes of the Lay Missionaries of Charity. I give myself with my whole heart to God's service so that by the grace of the Holy Spirit and with the help of Mary, Mother of God, cause of our joy and Queen of the world, I may be led to the perfect love of God, and of my neighbour, and in a special way to the members of my own family; thus to make the Church more fully present in the world of today." Chapel of the Holy Family, Rome, this 28th day of October, nineteen ninety-five.

Thoughts on the vow formula:

-In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Every thing we do is done in the name of the Most Holy Trinity. Our thoughts and actions should flow from the Trinity.

For the honour and glory of God and moved by an ardent desire to quench the infinite thirst of Jesus on the Cross for love of souls

Here is where the spirituality of the MC and LMC comes in. Jesus says "I thirst." Mother and the members of the MC Family want to respond with all our being "I quench." Jesus longs for our love and the love of all humanity.

I, (NN.) vow for one year (conjugal) chastity, poverty, obedience and whole-hearted and free service to the poorest of the poor according to the Statutes of the Lay Missionaries of Charity.

The vows are important and I'll remark more on them later. Here the thing I want to emphasize that the vows are according to the Statutes. If you do not know the Statutes you can not make the vows knowing what is expected. One of the minor problems we have had over the last few years is that the changes to the Statutes haven't been posted to the internet where they can be easily found. It is almost as if you hear the changes by word of mouth.

-I give myself with my whole heart to God's service so that by the grace of the Holy Spirit and with the help of Mary, Mother of God, cause of our joy and Queen of the world, I may be led to the perfect love of God, and of my neighbour, and in a special way to the members of my own family; thus to make the Church more fully present in the world of today.

One of the things Jesus said to Blessed Teresa was "How can they love me if they do not know me?" By giving of our whole heart to God and his people we can reflect the love that God has for his people. I remember someone once saying that you are sometimes the only Bible that some people see.

Be happy. The LMC formula is almost word for word the same as that of the other branches of the MC family.

10 - In addition, the LMCs together renew their vows for purposes of devotion on the Feast of the Holy Family, which they celebrate the last Sunday before the Feast of Christ the King.

This is always a bit confusing to LMCs. The Feast of the Holy Family is celebrated in the US and possibly in many other countries on the Sunday after Christmas or on another day in the Christmas Octave. I know that for some of us this meant that we renewed our vows on the Feast of the Holy Family. I am hoping that after the recent gathering this will no longer be confusing.

The formula is the following:
"For the honour and glory of God and moved by an ardent desire to quench the infinite thirst of Jesus on the Cross for love of souls, I renew my vows of (conjugal) chastity, poverty, obedience, and whole-hearted and free service to the poorest of the poor according to the Statutes of the lay Missionaries of Charity. I give myself...etc."

Recent note
*Every renewal calls for a return to the original fervour, charism and spirit. It demands a reflective, prayerful rereading of the Statutes. This is simply because one does not make the vows according to the Bible nor according to any kind of rules however beautiful and wonderful they may be.
Every Lay Missionary of Charity makes or renews his or her vows according to the Statutes and tries to stick to it in all its details as far as it is possible. It is not a formula to be read and repeated annually, but a life to be lived each day with its demands and burdens. It is not one more among the many commitments but it is "The Commitment", because it is an unconditional response to a divine call to be "the salt of the earth and the light of the world". True, free in accepting the call but becomes obligatory when accepted, to fulfil the demands of the call. Membership in the Movement is not meant to divide or separate married couples from each other or take them away from the heart of the family or from the world; no, it is meant to complement, support and fortify the bonds of the sacrament of marriage and family life.

The following then are some of the points to help to clarify regarding the renewal of vows or newly making them:
a) those who intend to make or renew their vows may write a formal letter to their respective Spiritual Directors two months before the date of expiry;
b) the letter must include the date of expiry and the date in which he or she or the group is going to renew the vows or make them;
c) in case the date fixed for the renewal of vows in groups creates a problem for someone, it is possible to anticipate the renewal, but not by more than a month. In case of serious illness one may renew or make his or her vows on the sick-bed, but always with the permission of the Spiritual Director;
d) those who do not renew their vows by or before the date of expiry are considered to have practically left the Movement, and this is so especially where there existed no communication or dialogue with the Spiritual Director or the persons in charge of the groups;
e) places where there are no LMC groups nor Spiritual Directors one may try to be in touch with the nearby group and Spiritual Director. If that, too, is not possible, he may refer the matter to Rome in advance to be able to receive the reply before the expiry date;
f) to be able to make or renew the vows at least two third of presence in the group meetings, prayer etc. is required;
g) continued or interrupted absence from the group meetings more than one third excludes one from making or renewing vows;
h) places where there are no groups, the LMC can keep in touch with the nearby group and Spiritual Director, and even that is not possible, they may contact Rome;
i) those whose vows are expired and would like to return to the Movement have to do the year of formation all over again, which of course bring much grace and strength not only to them, but also to the entire Movement.

As I have mentioned before the only problem I have is the difficulty of maintaining contact at a distance and when one is at a distance at the time of renewal especially unexpectedly to take care of a member of the family. This has happened on a frequent basis. Personally this has happened with me during the terminal illnesses of both my mother and my sister. In each case I was given the opportunity to telecommute for my job.

In general I find that the Statutes do not deal as well with our elderly house-bound members. The Statutes could easily make them feel that they are not valued. Again I am hoping that this time things are done that make them feel that they are still a part of the Movement.

Let us implore the Holy Family to be our continual source of inspiration and guidance and may help us to persevere in our commitment as LMCs even unto death.

AMEN

Greenway and Leavenworth

This past Saturday was busy. I went to Mass, worked briefly on laundry, started playing some tapes on spirituality by Sr. Tessa Bielecki. I found one of my old tapeplayers and used it when I took Sr. Jan's dog Buddy for a walk. He is such a sweet dog. People asked if they can pet him and I said only if you allow him to lick you. Jan says he should be named Whiskey because "He can't hold his licker."

Virginia called me and we made a trip up to Leavenworth, WA. The ride was really neat. For a while you are going through high desert hills with sagebrush and some wildflowers. Around Ellensburg you begin to see some farms. One of the crops you see stored under quonset style roofs is hay. Then you head up north toward the Stewart? range. You begin to see forest lands and snow parks and Blewett Pass. Then down the other side. It is not far to Leavenworth which is an Alpine themed town. It is a tourist village where the artists hang out. We looked for a clock for Virginia and I looked for inexpensive paintings or prints. We had a wonderful German dinner. Looking from one end of the town you can see the "weeping" trees and above them you can see snow on the mountains. Then we headed back home.

During the journey back and forth we listened to Sr. Tessa's tapes. One of them was on spousal prayer.

Then I spent the whole night working on organizing my audio tape collection. I put aside four boxes of various conferences. Then I organized my spiritual tapes and audio books. There are quite a few.

Sunday I picked up Virginia for Mass and I watched "Eight Below" partially. I slept through part of it. I went to bed to take a nap and woke up at about 1:30 AM and went back to sleep waking up at about 7:30 AM.

In His Heart,

Val

Wednesday Sister Jan called to ask me to come put together a table to put her tabernacle on. So I went over prepared to have to use tools to put it together. What we found on opening the box was that it was well constructed and came already assembled and very well packaged for the shipping. Dharmacrafts did an excellent job. And to top it off it was a perfect match to the tabernacle - exact same shade of wood. Sometimes I think that you are led to see the perfect thing. This means she also has a place to store extra candles, etc.

There are lots of interesting things on the dharmacrafts.com website. You might want to check it out. I especially am looking for some type of a timer and some sort of seat. At my age I find that my ankles are too inflexible for the type of prayer bench I used to use. No matter what if I get down on the floor I do not get up gracefully. I feel like an elephant getting up.

This weekend will be the SEEL retreat weekend. So I will be going over to the Providence Sisters' house where we will meet for prayer, a meal, and also a Mass.

Gifts from the Father

This past weekend I found myself all of a sudden with some spare time. I decided that it was time to go down to the Greek Orthodox Monastery to visit their gift shop. Somehow I had lost my 50 knot prayer rope and wanted to replace it. On the way there I had a few things I had to do. First, fill my gas tank. Second, get a long overdue oil change. Third, stop for lunch. This I did at a little cafe where 97 branches off toward the west in its trip toward Goldendale. Lunch was very good and I appreciated the mixed vegetables that went along with a very good steak.

The next part of the journey goes across part of the valley on the Yakima Reservation, then up into the hills. The hills were carpeted with some black eyed susans and also some blue and purple flowers. I would like to have stopped to capture close-up shots of the flowers. God, you are so wonderful and your creation is awesome in reflecting your Beauty. So part of the way you have a stream with some trees on the left side of the road. Later you get a mixture of hardwoods and evergreens as you approach Satus Pass. Wonderful!!

After going over the Pass I started looking for the Monastery on the left side of the road. While I was there I found a 100 knot prayer rope and also purchased a small pair of icons for my office, one of Christ the Teacher and the other OL of Vladimir. I have them on my desk with a representation of Rublev's Trinity above them. I also got an icon of St. Anthony of Egypt at the same time. That one will go in the prayer room along with Mother Teresa and St. Andrew. While I was there I also picked up another hint on making the prayer ropes from the sisters.

The trip back was also a joy. I got to see everything in reverse. It was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Sunday evening I wore myself out with a round dancing class and then on Monday evening Sr. Jan and I spent quite a few hours talking about our Journey to Catholicism and to our Vocations including some of the books we have read that were meaningful for us. It was a time of shared joy.

In the Heart of my Spouse,

Val

"Love makes the lover like unto the Beloved."

A NEW LMC

Last night the Yakima diocese received a new LMC. Melissa received her LMC cross which is worn on a safety pin on the left shoulder. I asked her to find one that was meaningful for her. She went on retreat recently and while there found a crucifix with Mary and John at the foot of the cross. While I worked on putting the cross on a pin we watched the film "Mother Teresa" which came out some time ago. The film never fails to inspire me ... especially the part where Mother wanted to go to the other side of Beirut. Her community prayed for a Cease Fire and it came about. We will review Chapter One and begin Chapter Two of the Statutes at our next meeting. At the end we prayed Night Prayer before ending our meeting.

The Lord has given another Easter Gift

When I headed out this morning I discovered that we had rain mixed with snow. A little later I found that we had huge flakes coming down ... about 1 to 1 1/2 inches across. It looks like large feathers drifting down ... or like an immense snow globe. I always feel like a child when this happens. I would love to declare a "play day". "Frost and chill, bless the Lord. Ice and snow, bless the Lord."

While last week I was meditating on Passion Week this week my meditations have been on the resurrection appearances of Jesus and also on the incidents in the Acts of the Apostles. In the simple gradual (see "By Flowing Waters" an english version of the simple gradual) there is a hymn that can be used as a processional. It seems to be based on the Easter Sequence. This sequence "Victimae Paschali Laudes" is beautiful. Check it out here

Christians, to the Paschal victim

offer your thankful praises!

A lamb the sheep redeemeth:

Christ, who only is sinless,

reconcileth sinners to the Father.

Death and life have contended

in that combat stupendous:

the Prince of life, who died,

reigns immortal.

Speak, Mary, declaring

what thou sawest, wayfaring:

"The tomb of Christ, who is living,

the glory of Jesus' resurrection;"

Bright angels attesting,

the shroud and napkin resting.

"Yea, Christ my hope is arisen;

to Galilee he will go before you."

Christ indeed from death is risen,

our new life obtaining;

have mercy, victor King,

ever reigning! Amen.

This week has been busy and will continue. The celebration of Easter, Easter visits to friends, Square Dance class, Tax Day, receiving a new LMC, a Phase II round dance night, and finishing it off with another glorious Paschaltide Sunday (Mercy Sunday, Low Sunday).

Forty years ago I stepped inside a Catholic church for the first time (acually on Low Sunday April 11th in 1964) on the day Holy Family Parish in Margarita, Canal Zone had an open house. We received a tour of the church. My Latin teacher from Cristobal High School was one of the tour guides and my friend Nancy Largent and I went there together. I was soooo excited. I had decided about 4 or 5 years before this that I would become a Catholic but was going to have to wait until I reached the age of legal majority (21 at that time). Even before then I made what I called "pilgrimages" by the church especially after dark when you could see the light from a tabernacle candle in the window of the rectory. I knew Jesus was there.

My big goal is for my house to be ready to receive Jesus by the Feast of Corpus Christi.

In the Heart of my Spouse,

Val

I have been visiting one of my favorite blogs again. Sr. Laurel pointed out how much different our lives would have been if Jesus had not risen from the dead. I still have a few of my Lenten practices that do not go into effect until Good Friday. Usually I try to read either "The Day Christ Died" by Jim Bishop or excerpts from "A Doctor at Calvary". Another addition to my Holy Week practices has become watching "The Passion of the Christ". I can hardly believe that the film has been out for a little over five years.

MagnifiCAT (AKA "Maggie") and Rocky are now entering their 19th year. Considering their age they are doing very well. Maggie is my Abbey Tabby. I got her at St. Anselm's Abbey in Washington, DC. Rocky on the other hand is from Florida. He was named for Rocky Marciano and is a pugilistic kitty. Very feisty! But he also loves to sit in his mommy's lap. I think his greatest delight is making reading a difficult thing to do. I believe this is part of the law of "hampering".

Need to end my "lunch break" and get back to work.

God bless you all.

I am helping someone through the formation process for LMCs, so I thought I would look at the Statutes again at this time. When I was a Holy Spirit Adoration Sister we went through a reading of the vows in common twice a year and also studied them twice a year during formation. I believe that the MC sisters spend time every week with their Constitutions.

Chapter one
NATURE AND MISSION OF THE MOVEMENT
"Once you were no people
but now you are God's people;
a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, God's own people."
(1 Pt 2:9-10)

We are special to God. Remember that Jesus cried out "I Thirst". He thirsts for our love. And He also wants to love others through us. We have to be Jesus for his people, to show them his love and at the same time others are Jesus for us.

"Family, become what you are!"
(FC No. 17)

We all know what a family is supposed to be, what it should be. How do I become family? In my case I am a single with very little in the way of living family. But I do have a good sized circle of friends. How can I be "family" to them? In my case I try to be deep friends to those who are lonely. I want them to feel their worth, to know that they are loved.

NATURE AND MISSION OF THE MOVEMENT
1 - Our Movement known as the "Lay Missionaries of Charity, is an international Association of lay persons, both married and single:

Note that this is an international association - we must be ready to recognize that we come from all corners of the world. As such we need to be ready to meet also the stranger in our own land and recognize our common human bond. Perhaps in this I am going overboard but I have seen deep prejudices in my own family or in the workplace in the past. I have seen anti-catholic prejudices, racial prejudices, and also those against those of different economic classes. As a member of an international association it would be arrogant to hold onto these.

- who take private vows of (conjugal) chastity, poverty, obedience and whole-hearted free service to the poorest of the poor, lived according to each one's own state of life;

My way of living these vows has to be within the state of life of a consecrated virgin living in the world. For me this means also looking at the requirements for consecrated virgins. The Rite of Consecration of Virgins living in the world has a good basis for the life of consecrated virgins.

- with a life marked by prayer and a spirit of joyful sacrifice within their own families and in the heart of the world, and thus living an upright and holy life in every place, consecrating the world entirely to God, aided by a spiritual father who understands and shares the spirit of the Missionaries of Charity;

How have I prayed today? For whom did I wish to pray? How quickly did I respond to someone's need? Who is my spiritual father? Sometimes we do not live in an area that has anyone to be our spiritual father. I consider the bishop of my diocese as my spiritual father and I also make it a point to read as much on the life of Mother Teresa as I can. I also spend time reading about I Thirst (check google for this).

- who are intimately linked to the family of the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and with whom they are spiritually affiliated;

If you are a remote member remember to stay in touch with some group somewhere. The LMC website can put you in touch with an internation link(maybe).

- who fully recognise the Magisterium of the Church, and respect and obey its ministers.

I try to stay informed about what is going on in the church on the local, diocesan, national, and international levels. I also make it a point to do what I call formational reading.

2 - The spirit of the Lay Missionaries of Charity is one of total abandonment to God's holy will, child-like trust in His Fatherly care and readiness for service in profound humility after the example of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

For the MC sister this is expressed as total surrender, loving trust, and cheerfulness. This is also the spirit as it was taught to me before Mother Teresa's desire to have the Carriers of God's Love become Lay Missionaries of Charity. This is worthy of a lot more comment - especially have you noticed how cheerfull the MC sisters are? They have joy. So we are to become all for Jesus through Mary and do it with a big smile.

3 - The aim of the lay Missionaries of Charity is to quench the infinite thirst of Jesus on the Cross for the love of souls, by means of the annual profession of the four private vows according to the Statutes.

Here is where I would really try to make an effort to read about I Thirst. Right now I have difficulty with the website but it is http://www.mcpriests.com/15legacy/indexB.htm .

4 - The special mission of the LMCs is to work for the salvation and the sanctification of the members of their own families and of the poorest of the poor of the whole world:
- with their constant effort to transform their own families into true sanctuaries of love by means of family prayer, dialogue, sharing and service;

For the single, living alone this is difficult but this is the point where staying connected to family and friends by means of phones, email, and snail mail is important. Also it is good to make a point of gathering with those who are near on a regular basis.

- doing ordinary little things with extraordinary love, for the greater glory of God;

Mother says "Do small things with great love."

- living a life of prayer, penance and service, marked by simplicity, humility, and the practice of the Gospel teachings; loving and adoring Jesus under the species of Bread and Wine;

I love the words that Mother spoke when the Contemplative branches were formed.

• Know the Word of God.
• Love the Word of God.
• Live the Word of God.
• Give the Word of God.

For me the greatest thing is to pray in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament - especially when there is exposition.

- with their consecrated presence in the heart of the world;

We really are in the heart of the world. It seems that as each day comes along we have more to pray for. We are located where the rubber meets the road so to speak.

- loving and serving Jesus hidden under the distressing disguise of the poorest of the poor;

How often have we heard Mother speak of the distressing disguise of the poorest of the poor? Has it sunk in yet? He is that "bum" you avoided. He is the teenage hoodlum you crossed the street to avoid. He is that person who phones you with all depressing news.

- giving material help according to their own means and spiritual comfort to all those who are in need;

Yes this includes those outcasts of society and the "black sheep" of the family.

- sharing, as far as possible, the work and the life of the Missionaries of Charity;

Here the closest MC branch is four hours away by car - but I pray for them and their works and try to live the LMC charism as much as I can.

- accepting with joy their own sufferings and offering them to the Lord in total surrender, loving trust and cheerfulness.

Yes, here is where the total surrender, loving trust, and cheerfulness are brought in. These are much easier to talk about than to do. Let an adversity hit us and then we know how much more we still have to surrender, to trust, and to be cheerful.

5 - The Patron of the LMCs is the Holy Family of Nazareth, the model of life and source of inspiration.

I think honoring the Holy Family in the home is special. What I have is a nice framed picture of the Holy Family. One friend of mine has a lovely statue of the Holy Family with Joseph sitting with Mary in his lap and the baby Jesus being held by Mary. Joseph appears very much as the protector of the family. My friend has a miniature vase with little artificial flowers before her statue.

6 - The sign of the consecration is a simple crucifix which they receive at the beginning of the period of formation, to be worn over the heart or around the neck, and a large one is given at the time of first profession.

This sign of consecration also becomes a form of witness. When someone asks about it a chance is given to tell about Mother Teresa, the Missionaries of Charity and the LMCs. It is especially a humble sign if the crucifix is of an inexpensive type and on a safety pin but I will admit that there are times when a simple cross on a chain is what I wear.

7 - The mode of dress is simple and dignified: a sign of the dedication to serving the poorest of the poor and as an example of modesty for all.

This is also a chance to exercise the vow of poverty. I have been known to shop at thrift stores for some clothing. Personally I try to make sure that my clothes do not fit too tightly. I have ended up using boy's sandals so that I have some that fit.

Am back to updating my blog. Much has happened in the last two years.

In May of 2007 I went through a reduction in force. I had been working as a consultant for Federal Highway Administration for 21 years, 11 months, and 1 week (who is counting?).

I decided to move to Yakima, WA and have become a part of the Yakima diocese. The place is wonderful in my estimation. The weather is mild. It can get hotter than Washington, DC but the humidity is much better.

It took a long while to find a new job and it used up all of my savings plus unemployment before I found a job with a mental health agency. The job is really right up my alley since I love to create reports.

I just got a new tablet syle PC and now I can get back to writing in the blog again.

Now it is just about time to begin Holy Week. For me this usually means a rereading "A Doctor at Calvary". This book makes excellent Lenten reading. Another book I like to read at this time of the year is "The Day Christ Died".

Another thing I am doing is introducing the Lay Missionaries of Charity to the Yakima Diocese. Several people are interested and I have been meeting with one on a regular basis. So Yakima might have a brand new LMC in a few weeks.