What Has Gotten In Your Way? Kate Kleinert, OFS, Regional Minister, April 2023

What Has Gotten In Your Way?

God knows its not always easy to attend to our spiritual life but I had a very powerful reminder from Acts, Chapter 6.

It is not right for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables.

That verse smacked me right in the face.  Wasn’t that exactly what I was doing?  Wasn’t I being the Martha and taking care of every detail before I sat at the feet of Jesus?  Can you imagine having Jesus sitting in your living room and you are in the kitchen doing dishes?  Mary chose the better part.  She was right in the living room sitting with Jesus and listening to His every word.

We have chosen the better part, too.  We have chosen to be Franciscans and with that choice comes obligations.

Our Franciscan Pledge tells us With God’s grace, we will participate as fully and as often as possible in the Mass, the Sacraments (especially Reconciliation), and the official prayer of the Church.  We will spend a portion of time each day in personal prayer.  And we will be involved in the monthly meeting as an act of worship and a building of community.

We will be involved in the monthly meeting…. There surely will be times when something interferes with your plans.  But that should be the exception, not the rule.  We have chosen the better part; not the easier part.  Our obligation to our Franciscan Life comes before all the other things that get scheduled for a Sunday afternoon.  Before other parish functions, before other organizations meetings,

I know I am preaching to the choir, because….you are present at your monthly gatherings. If all of our members made the effort, the rooms would be filled. We have chosen the better part.  At our professions, we embraced the Franciscan Life, willingly.  What has gotten in the way of that?

When God comes looking for you, do you want Him to find you in the kitchen doing dishes with Martha, or sitting at the feet of His Son?

How will you feather His bed this Christmas? Kate Kleinert, OFS, Regional Minister December 2022

How will you feather His bed?

Here it is the first Sunday of Advent…already!  Although this day begins the Liturgical year and the start of Advent, it is also a reminder that Christmas is a scant 4 weeks away.  That thought always made me cringe BF  (before Francis!)  How would I get all the shopping done, write all the cards, bake, wrap presents, decorate the house after a thorough cleaning.  Whew!  Makes me tired even writing all those tasks.

AF (after Francis!)  I have an  entirely different perspective on Advent.  It is not the switch that starts the countdown to Christmas day, but a beautiful reminder that we are preparing for the birth of a precious Child.

This is a joyful time given to us to prepare for the birth.  Lent is so very different.  That time is sorrowful knowing that it will culminate in the death of Our Lord. But, of course, there is the glory of Easter that follows.  We spend Lent making sacrifices, giving up things that bring us pleasure, offering up whatever is difficult about the journey and feeling empty from 3:00 p.m. on Good Friday until we take part in an Easter Mass.

Advent is a much happier time. I believe instead of giving things up we should add things to our daily living.  Be nice to someone!  Hold the door for the person behind you.  Allow someone to pull in ahead of you in traffic.  Call someone you haven’t spoken to in a long time. Help an older person get their groceries into the car. Cut yourself a break trying to finish the long list of tasks.  Follow the reverse Advent Calendar that was sent out a few weeks ago.  Do something positive!! Each thing we do will add some comfort to the bed of the Baby Jesus.  How will you feather His bed this year?  I pray that you find a way that pleases you both!

From the Heart of the Regional Minister – October, 2022

Welcome glorious October! My favorite time of year!.  The earth is getting ready to rest for the winter months but before she lays down her head, there is a surge of beauty and comfort.   The hot weather has slipped into chilly nights and days that are bearable and cooler.

A great number of us are in the Autumn of our lives. Where is the surge of beauty and comfort for us?  Just because it is Autumn doesn’t mean it is time to stop functioning or even worse….stop caring.

You would think by this age we should be running on auto pilot. We have spent a lot of years learning our life lessons so now should be a time to lean back and ride on our past experiences. NOT! This is our time to shine, to be living examples to those who are at an earlier part of their journey.

What are we doing to make this happen?  Do we add color to our lives by adding something new to our prayer routine?  Yes, routine. It can be comforting to do things the same way all the time.  It can also be boring or stale or allow us not to pay attention.  Shake things up a bit. Change up your routine.

Light a candle before you say the Liturgy of the Hours.  Turn off all the background noise before you start. – (phone, TV, computer)  Don’t let the electronic world intervene in your prayer practices.  If I am going to be in church, I like to pray the Office before Mass.  There is a pew filled with older women who manage to sit behind me no matter which pew I land in.  They chatter and visit before Mass like long lost relatives.  More than once I have turned to them and said “I am trying to talk to God, but I can’t hear Him”.  Maybe not the most Franciscan way to handle it, but my usual M.O. is to keep quiet until I’m ready to explode.  I need to learn to deal with it before I get to that point!!

Is your prayer life broken or missing something?  I don’t know about you, but I have a magic drawer and a magic closet for just such things.  I put things that are broken or missing a part into either the drawer or closet and expect if I leave them there long enough, they will magically become whole again. These places are also known as the junk drawer and the bottom of the closet.  Every so often I go through the ‘stuff’ in these two places; pick up each item, look it over, say “hmmm” to myself…..and put it back hoping that somehow the magic will work this time.  Believe me, brothers and sisters, it doesn’t!

We need to fix the broken parts of our lives and find the missing pieces. It’s not that hard, really. But it is always easier to put something out of sight and then we don’t have to deal with it.  Saying a Crown Rosary?  Try using the 7 Sorrows and 7 Joys of St. Joseph that has been featured on our website.  (Can’t find it?  Let me know and I’ll send it to you)

Add a little color to your prayer life and to God be the glory! Sit in a different chair, go outside when the weather allows.  Any little change will shake you out of your routine.  God deserves our full attention.  Isn’t that what He gives to us?  How can we offer back anything less??  I’d love to hear your success stories!  Until next time….

Blessings and much love,

kate

 

Will I Need a Name Tag in Heaven? From the Heart of the Minister May 2022

Will I need a name tag in Heaven?

Well if I have done this life correctly, I guess I won’t.  But suppose I have withheld myself from God, hid behind the tree when I thought He was looking for me, averted my eyes when walking down the street?

How about when He said, “Excuse me, would you like to spend some time together on Sunday morning”?  Am I only answering His mail that is addressed to Current Resident?

Why is it so hard to accept that He knows me so well, that His “Kate radar” functions 24/7?  Because I’m afraid? Because I don’t want anyone to know me that well? Because if you know me that well, how could you love me?

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; ”   Jeremiah 1 1.

That’s a hard one. Before I formed you in the womb….  before!  So even knowing every single thing about me You still went ahead and formed me. My next words are:  in spite of who I am…. Yours are:  because of who you are.

Before becoming a Secular Franciscan, I thought God was ‘aware’ of me. On the mountain in the crowd of the 5000, being hungry after spending the day listening to Jesus preach, He knew I was there but maybe not exactly where.  Now I feel like Jesus would say, “Wait; Kate didn’t get any fish and bread. No, please, take it…..I saved it just for you.”

In my very human mind, I thought God wouldn’t be interested in knowing me.  He had so, so many others to look after.  People who suffer more; people who need Him more; people who love Him more;  people who deserve Him more.

I need my name tag on here on Earth because I have a hard time believing God can love me as I am…warts and all.  “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Again from Jeremiah 31 1.  Maybe Jeremiah had trouble with his name tag, too.

I am coming late to maturity in faith, but thankfully, I’m getting there.  I know….can feel…that God knows right where I am on that mountain.  I don’t need my name tag any more to know who I am and the best part is that I know God knows me without needing that name tag.  He always has!

copyrighted kate kleinert, ofs

From the Heart of the Minister – Kate Kleinert, OFS, April 2022 I Will be Your Simon

I will be your Simon.

What a difficult task to take on.  I don’t remember reading in Scripture that Simon of Cyrene jumped to the aid of Jesus.  The Roman soldiers “volunteered” him.  Simon didn’t know this Man who was so badly beaten and not able to carry His cross.  He was only in town to do some errands and that was it;  so much for getting out of town without becoming involved in some political strife.

Have you ever been asked to be a Simon to someone?  God asks you every day.  I imagine Simon to be a tall, muscular man and that’s why the Roman soldiers picked him out of the crowd to help Jesus.  God looks at our muscles, too, before asking us to help carry someone’s cross.  Has my muscle of kindness been exercised lately?  How about that compassionate muscle that may be out of practice?  Is God asking us to help not only for the ease of the person carrying the cross, but to get us to use our long dormant muscles of humanity?  I will be your Simon.

Patiently holding a door open while an older person struggles with their walker,  taking a few minutes to talk to the person you were trying to dodge in the parking lot, putting the trash out for the neighbor who is suffering from a devastating illness and their spouse is struggling to keep up with the kids, a job, and the overwhelming knowledge that the illness isn’t going to resolve itself.  I will be your Simon.

Simon was a young healthy man who had a job that kept his muscles in great shape.  It wasn’t hard for him to get under that beam of the cross and carry it.  He was ready and he was able.  We can’t be of much use if our muscles haven’t been used and used regularly. It is what we are called to. I will be your Simon.

The times we are living in now offer us many opportunities to be the Simon for someone in need. Are you keeping your head down so you don’t have to make eye contact?  These last weeks of Lent are the hardest to get through.  Keep your head up and search for the beaten man carrying the cross and lend your strength to him.  On Easter Sunday morning, He will come find you and say “Now, I will be your Simon”!

February 2022 by Kate Kleinert, OFS, Regional Minister

Valentine’s Day!  The day celebrating love and giving a gift to your sweetie.

It’s also a good day to reflect on the gifts God has given you.  He gave them to you with love and He gave them to each and every one of us.

Some people jump in right away and say I don’t have any gifts.  I’m not good at anything.  I’m not talented.  Well, that just isn’t so.  God gave each of us many gifts and it’s an insult to Him if we aren’t using them.  You know how you feel when you have spent a great deal of time deciding on a gift, finding just the right one, wrapping it carefully and then wait joyfully for the time to give it.  If the receiver doesn’t ever use the gift, you feel cheated and a little hurt.  You put a lot of effort into it and the other person doesn’t appreciate it.  I wonder if God feels the same way?

God gave us specific gifts for a reason.  Sometimes that reason isn’t so easy to figure out and sometimes our gifts aren’t so easy to see, either.  But they are there, and it’s our job to cultivate them and offer the fruits back to God.

That is the message in Matthew, Chapter 25.  I never quite understood this story.  It’s the one about the Master given the talents to the three servants.  The first servant invested the talents and made many more.  The second servant did likewise.  But the third servant, afraid of losing the talent that belonged to the Master, buried it.

When the Master asked for it back, the servant dug it up and returned it.  Now here is where I always got confused.  The Master was angry.  But I could not figure out why.  After all, the servant didn’t spend it.  He didn’t gamble it away; he didn’t forget where he buried it.  But the reason the Master was angry is because the servant didn’t put the talent to good use.  It wasn’t helping anyone by being buried.

If you still cannot figure out what your gifts are, stop and think about what it is that you are good at.  Are you a good listener?  Clever with your hands?  Able to trouble shoot computers? A good cook?  What do people tell you, you are good at?  These things were given to you for you to use to glorify your Lord.

I’m sure there is someone sitting here thinking the only thing I am good at is eating!  Then go out to eat with someone who is alone.  Good cook?  Make a meal for the neighbor with a new baby or a family member in hospice.  Clever with your hands?  Crochet a baby blanket and drop it off at the Mother’s Home in Darby.

There is no reason to take pride in our gifts or talents.  They came from God and really are no reflection on us.  They are part of the package.  Something that was tucked in for good measure as you made your way to Earth.  But we can take care of them, nurture them and use them.

I would love to draw.  I even took a class.  But it’s just not in there.  I don’t have that gift.  Taking classes or wanting it badly doesn’t make it happen.  I do like to write and have used that to write to a number of prisoners.  Besides writing to my friend Christy for the last 35 years, I have several other prisoners on my pen pal list.  I’m not saying that with any pride because I get much more out it than I put in.

I have been told most of my life that I have a nice singing voice.  But I could not or would not get up in front of people and use that gift.  I always felt like who did I think I was,  supposing I was good enough to do that???

It took me a long, long time before I was able to see that using that gift was not a source of pride. But not using it was the same as the servant burying the talent he was given.  I have no control over being able to sing.  But God put it in my package for a reason.  He must want me to use it.

If you are still having trouble, ask for the gift of using your gift.  After all what parent doesn’t beam when a child asks them how to use what you’ve given them.  God is waiting for you to use your gifts.  And isn’t He the last one you want to disappoint.

One of our own sisters, Donna Adams, OFS, St. John Neumann Fraternity has this quote as her email tag line.  It is from writer Erma Bombeck who many of us will remember as someone who wrote with great humor about her family.  And the quote is:  When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.Erma Bombeck

Everyone has something to offer.  Put a smile on God’s face by using what you were gifted.

 

 

 

July 2021 From the Heart of the Regional Minister

May the Lord give us the peace we need and crave!  July 2021…..who could ever imagine the year and a half we have been through? We have all had tremendous losses.  Many of our loved ones have passed and we could not say goodbye in a way that is familiar to us.   There have been family weddings, graduations, First Communions, milestone birthdays, Baptisms, holidays….either cancelled, postponed or celebrated in a downsized way.  Not our choice, not what we wanted. Now here we are with all that resentment and all that sadness bottled up and repressed.    It has been one, very long night in the Garden of Gethsemane.

So, what now?  The world is taking baby steps to open up again. Life is starting to return to …… what?  Will things ever return to what we think of as normal?  Don’t think so!  So what do we do now?  What we have always done.  Follow in the footsteps of Jesus.  He spent a lousy night in the Garden and now it is time to move on.  Was He relieved to get the whole terrible end of His life in motion?  Was He thinking, “Let’s just get on with it.”?  Maybe.  We won’t know that until we can ask Him in person. But this we do know….. even under all this stress, He remained kind.  He healed the ear of the soldier while still in the Garden.  Even in His own agony, He was concerned for His mother’s welfare.  He stopped to console the women of Jerusalem.  All while carrying His cross.

It’s not easy to follow in His footsteps. But it is what we are called to do.  Everyone is carrying a cross.  These days, the crosses have gotten heavier and harder to carry. So try being kind.

Like everyone else, I’ve had my cross to carry lately.  After a particularly hard time, my friend/mentor/spiritual helper said “I want you to buy yourself some flowers.”  I said I would.  But the day got away from me and suddenly it was 8:30 and dark.  Did I really want to get in the car and go buy flowers?  I got in the car anyway!  I went to the local ShopRite and the flowers are right inside the door.  There was a bunch of beautiful apricot carnations that were calling my name for $4.49.  Next to them was a bin of baby’s breath.  Also $4.49.  I put the two bunches in the baby seat and went on to pick up a few things while I was there.

There was a very attractive young African American couple going up and down the aisles at the same pace that I was.  I imagined they were on a date because of the beautiful way they were looking at each other.  They were joyful just to be in each other’s company.  After we had traveled several aisles together, the young man remarked that my flowers were very pretty and asked who I bought them for.  I told him I had been through a rough couple days and that I bought them for myself.  He then asked how much they cost.  By now I was talking to his lovely date and when I didn’t answer him right away, he reached over and turned the bunches around so he could see the price.  He said, “I want to buy those flowers for you”.  I laughed and said “Oh, go on!” and he said again, only more seriously, “I want to buy those flowers for you”.  I didn’t know this guy from Adam.  I protested, but he took a ten dollar bill out of his pocket and put it in my hand.  He closed my hand around it and said “I really want to do this for you.”  The events of the last few days and the kindness of this young man brought me to tears.  He and his young lady headed down the aisle while I stood there shaking my head in wonder. When they got to the end of the aisle, they turned and both of them said, “Have a good night”. And they were gone.

I wanted to go get on the PA system and tell the whole store about what had just happened. (No, I didn’t!)  But I spent the rest of the night in awe of the hug I had received from God through this kind young couple.

I’m not suggesting that you go buy flowers for someone. But, holding the door, saying good morning, helping someone get their groceries into the car are all acts of kindness that are a soothing balm that each of us needs right now.  The world is weary and hurting.  It is our calling to be kindness itself.  If Jesus could be kind on His way to Calvary, we can certainly do no less in our every day dealings with each other.

May God bless you abundantly so that you may bless others,

kate

Poverty of Attitude - March, 2021 Kate Kleinert, OFS, Regional Minister

Poverty of Attitude

A few weeks ago, a friend called to tell me that a mutual friend had passed away.  Although we knew Dottie was very sick, we were not were aware that she was so close to the end of her time and had been in hospice for a while.  My friend and I felt guilty that we had not tried harder to reach Dottie or her sons.

I called the sons to offer my condolences.  The call rolled over to the answering machine.  I was not prepared to hear Dottie’s voice and even more shocking was how wonderful she sounded.  I hadn’t heard her sound like that in more than a year.

I was so startled, that I‘m not sure what I even said on the message. But I began an entire conversation in my head that I’m sure I planned to have with everyone and anyone I ran into…..oh how awful, this poor woman died and I called and here she is sounding alive and well.  Wasn’t that a cruel trick to have to listen to that….

But as I hung up the phone, it dawned on me that Dottie was right at that moment feeling as good as she was sounding on that machine. She was already in heaven, sitting at the feet of Jesus and cured of every pain and illness.

But I almost fell into the trap of poverty of attitude.  It made a good story, why shouldn’t I tell it?  I’m sure you know people who can keep the drama going on and on and on.  And before you know it, your whole attitude has sunk to that level – to say nothing of the poor people having to listen to you.   Some people hold onto complaining and being miserable like it’s a life raft.  And maybe for them it is.  But as Franciscans, we need to be willing to give up our attachment – our materialism – to let go of our need to complain and be miserable. And put on the attitude of Christ. If CNN were able to interview Jesus on the morning of Good Friday,  do you think he would be saying” Oy, what a night, I haven’t slept, but my friends did!  Great bunch of guys, they are. You wouldn’t believe what I’ve been through.”  Or do you think he said, ”I loved you the most today. It’s been a tough day, but I got through it. Thanks for asking.”

God makes His presence known to mankind through each of us.  We cannot extend His hand to anyone else unless we are holding onto it ourselves.  And if we are telling our story with both our hands waving in the air, we aren’t holding onto Him. In the famous prayer attributed to him. St. Francis asks…make me a channel of your peace.  Not give me peace.  Make me a channel – let me empty myself.  From  Ephesians, chapter 4 are these words that we need to hear:   Never let evil talk pass your lips;  say only the good things men need to hear, things that will really help them.  Get rid of all bitterness, all passion and anger, harsh words, slander and malice of every kind.  In place of these, be kind to one another, compassionate, and mutually forgiving, just as God has forgiven you in Christ.

And just what is evil talk.  We immediately think curse words would fall into that category and they do.  But Evil Talk isn’t a single entry topic.  What about gossip.? What about telling things that you promised you would hold confidentially?  Making fun of people, laughing along with the crowd when someone else is doing the insulting? What about the ‘adult topics’ you discuss when your children or grandchildren are within earshot?

God has given us two hands for a reason.  Keep one hand in His.  And keep the other one free to extend both His and your grace to someone in need. Keeping both hands occupied is a blessing.  After all, remember what your mother told you about idle hands???

May your Lenten journey continue to be filled with the graces that you need, opportunities for your growth, and the ability to take a step or two closer to Our Lord.

 

Lent in the Garden of Gethsemane

Being in the Garden of Gethsemane

As I write this, Lent is just 24 hours old and I feel like I have been sitting in the Garden of Gethsemane forever.

The real problem is, the Garden is very crowded this year.  Even in the midst of misery, there is no peace and quiet!

The pandemic continues to rear its’ ugly head – now in several new mutations.  The political scene is still in an uproar, no matter which side you are on. We are coming up to the first year marker (I refuse to call it an anniversary) of when the shutdown began and life as we knew it was over.

So many problems, so many real tragedies all around.  So many requests for prayers.  It is overwhelming, disheartening.  And isn’t that exactly where the Evil One wants us?  I can see him standing at the Gate to the Garden of Gethsemane with his straw hat and megaphone saying “Hurry, hurry, hurry.  Step right up, folks”.

But, we are in good company.  Our Lord sat in this very Garden with a very heavy heart, feeling lost and abandoned by those closest to Him – including His own Father.  There is nothing wrong with being in the Garden.  After all, Jesus Himself, spent time there.

The difference is, Jesus got up and continued the will of His Father.  What a beautiful example for us.  This Lent we can offer up whatever has us sitting in the Garden – struggling with finances, adjusting to a new job or losing the old one, and certainly all the health issues that are attacking so many of us. Some of these issues have us nailed in place and it might feel like we can’t get up.  But remember Who took all these things with Him to His cross and was nailed there.  How can we do less than was done for us. Don’t let what is holding you down, keep you there. We all spend time in the Garden throughout our lives. Use your experiences in the Garden as an offering to the Father for the time that His son spent there for you.

The only good thing about the Garden being so crowded – you don’t have far to go to grasp the hand of someone who understands what you are going through. Look around.  Everyone who has ever walked this earth has been to the Garden.  Ask your loved ones who have gone “home” to pray that you will benefit from being there.

May your journey through Lent bring you closer to the glory of Easter morning when Jesus broke free of all that had nailed Him to the cross!

Pastoring our Pastors in Time of Pandemic

Photo by Nazim Coskun on Unsplash

Need for Pastoral Care of the Clergy

Herefordshire Monastery of Benedictine Sisters – used with permission

I know the word ‘pastoring’ doesn’t really exist, but I wish it did because it expresses something we are apt to forget. Those to whom we look for pastoral care are themselves in need of care and support. Throughout this pandemic we have heard a lot from parishioners who are sad or unhappy at the way in which some clergy have seemed unresponsive to their needs, especially during periods of lockdown or church closure. As one disgruntled man remarked, ‘They think they have done enough by becoming third-rate movie stars with their live-streamed Masses and what not.’ I daresay some have; but most haven’t. They have tried to be good and dutiful priests in a situation none of us has met before. A few have been blessed with the imagination and creativity to meet the new circumstances positively, but many more have struggled and one or two have been utterly crushed by the experience.

Some clergy have felt abandoned by their bishops and left to soldier on, not sure what to do for the best. They have been burdened with an extra load of admin at the very time when those they chiefly rely on to help — mainly more senior members of the parish, who may well be shielding because of age or infirmity — are not available. They live alone; some admit to being close to breaking-point, others cannot bring themselves to articulate their feelings of loneliness and discouragement. For them celebration of the Holy Mysteries is not the only aspect of priesthood that gives joy and purpose to their lives. They miss the interaction with people. More than one has confessed that, being naturally shy and without the ‘excuse’ that coffee after Mass or regular parish meetings of one kind or another provide, they are becoming more and more isolated.

Wrap and Throw Service

Happily, this is where the brotherhood of the priesthood takes on fresh meaning and importance. It has been heartening to learn of the support received from friendly ‘phone calls and video meetings with fellow priests; but it isn’t enough. Here at the monastery we do our best to listen non-judgementally and sympathetically to those who feel the need to unburden themselves of the distress they feel. I hope we manage to reassure them that they are not letting the side down or being a failure because they are not exercising their priesthood in ways familiar to them. We try to give encouragement. In the monastery we refer to this as our ‘Wrap and Throw Service’, meaning we do our best to wrap those who come to us in the love of God and throw them back into their parishes to minister to others. But again, it isn’t enough.

The Role of Parishioners

The people best placed to support the clergy through this time of pandemic are their parishioners. Yes, you! The bishop can only do so much; fellow priests and monasteries can only do so much; but you are there. You know your priest in a way no one else does. It does not take much time to send a friendly email asking how he is and saying you miss seeing him on a regular basis. A word of thanks and appreciation for what he is doing to meet the needs of the parish will never go amiss. An offer of help may be warmly received. Who can tell? Pastoring our pastors isn’t a difficult art. It simply requires a warm heart and the ability to see the human person wearing the collar — someone just as much in need of encouragement as we are ourselves.