Recently, Kat and I went to a Paint n Sip night with the other women from our branch of Disciples of Jesus in Sydney North. As the night progressed and we worked at our lighthouse paintings, guided by a YouTube tutorial, each one of us at some point fell into the trap of tinkering too much with our paintings: obsessing over a crooked line, a wonky petal or some imperfect colour blending.

Pope Francis wrote an Encyclical, Fratelli Tutti – meaning Brothers (and Sisters) all – during the thick of COVID. This was a time where for many of us, we experienced in an unprecedented way, the pains of isolation and loneliness. A time where we came to the realisation that we really cannot do this life on our own. We need connection. We need community.

I recently visited the Henri Matisse exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW.  Matisse’s early work is a collection of colourful and detailed paintings and sculptures, often depicting real life images and people. In the final room, Matisse’s work takes a dramatic shift, a result of his battle with cancer that almost took his life and greatly limited his physical capacity. Rather than give up, Matisse poured his creativity into developing a new art form using paper and scissors.

This Lent, the MGL Sisters have had a unique opportunity to prayerfully contemplate the crucified Jesus, which was something that we began exploring in our recent Chapter. The Cross is the pivotal point of our faith in Jesus. While gazing at the one who died for us, Jesus shines his Easter light into our suffering and meets us there. The Cross for us is one of the most intimate places we can meet Jesus. Here, alone, broken, disillusioned and in pain, searching for answers, vulnerable and honest with ourselves, Jesus can begin to speak the truth of his perfect love into our lives. It is in this place, where our pain and the unconditional love of Jesus meet, that our lives can begin to be healed and transformed.

Ordinary moments have the potential to reveal the grace and blessing of God to us in extraordinary ways.

Check out this story from Katherine.

In January I started to notice that my Facebook feed was filled with posts that had images of green, yellow and white squares with something like Wordle 250 4/6 written over the top. After a few days, curiosity got the better of me – I wanted to know what it was all about. And now, like many others, I find myself trying to solve the daily word in as few guesses as possible. My personal record, (AKA a fluke) was 2/6 but more often than not it takes me about 4 guesses. There is definitely something about Wordle that draws me (and indeed millions around the world) in.

Today we launch a new blog series - Things I love about MGL Life. 

Wanting a beautiful way to pray in these last days of Advent? If that is you, keep reading...... 

Have you heard of the O Antiphons? They are a gift to us from the church in the final stretch of our advent preparation which help us reflect more deeply on the rapidly approaching birth of Jesus. Each O Antiphon is usually sung at Evening Prayer before the Magnificat from December 17-23, but if you are not a regular pray-er of the Divine Office you can simply use them in your daily prayer as a point of inspiration. 

The other evening was surprisingly balmy for Melbourne, so Mel, Ayanthi and I made our way into the city to see the Christmas lights and displays, including those in the famous Myer windows in the downtown CBD. This year it is Peter Rabbit themed and we joined the large crowds that were still out at 10pm, lining up with small children in order to make our way past the multiple display windows, exclaiming at the cute way mechanical mice ran in and out of fake vegetable plots while Peter Rabbit peered over upturned buckets and an angry farmer brandished spades and pitchforks.

As the Year of St Joseph ends, Angela shares what it has meant for her.

I have an avalanche of praise and intense gratitude to God for St Joseph, a faithful and noble saint who loved Jesus as his own. I met first met him when I was quite young, but was re-introduced by an 85-year old friend this year and found myself drawn to his fatherly care at this stage of my vocation.

I grew up isolated, lonely and always felt invisible, so the gift of knowing St Joseph showed me new truths about fearlessly trusting that God has gifted me with people to keep showing me the truth of who I am. Here are the truths I that I have grown in through St Joseph.

In case you missed it, Taylor Swift released new music last week, much to the delight of her fans and the likely dismay of her exes, who generally get a bit of a roasting in her catchy tunes of love and loss.

In certain circles, the release of her re-recorded version of the RED album was significant, as it further devalues her original recordings, which are owned by a nemesis of Taylor’s. It also marked the release of a longer version of the crowd-favourite song, All Too Well, widely known to be about the short-lived romance, and subsequent break up, of Taylor and actor Jake Gyllenhaal, a song famed because of the overwhelming audience reaction whenever Taylor performs it live.

Have you ever found yourself singing along to a song in the company of another, only to find them looking at you rather strangely and trying to suppress their laughter? Some might experience this if they have a not so in-tune singing voice, but here I am thinking about those times when we catch someone singing along to a song with the words all wrong. Often these words we are singing may make little sense, but we are so used to singing them and are so sure they are the actual words that we continue to belt them out at the top of our lungs.

Have you ever counted, or wondered how minutes there are in a year? One of the great things about the song Seasons of Love from the musical Rent is that it gives you an instant answer to a common trivia question without needing to pull out a calculator. The song tells us several times that there are 525,600 minutes in a year. The song ponders how we can measure a year, whether it be in minutes, daylights, sunsets, midnights, cups of coffees, inches, miles, laughter or strife.

Did you know that FOMO is a real word? An acronym for Fear Of Missing Out, FOMO was added to the Oxford dictionary back in 2013. It describes the experience of anxiety at the thought that exciting and interesting things might be happening elsewhere, and that you aren’t able to be a part of it. Many of us know the experience of feeling disconnected to a group of people who start to reminisce about something important or trivial, funny or solemn, exciting or otherwise of which we have not been a part.

Are you feeling a bit weary, lethargic and out of sorts at the moment?  Lockdown, lack of access to the sacraments, decreased opportunities to gather face-to-face and being out of normal spiritual routines can leave us feeling flat and in what I’d describe as a bit of a spiritual funk that feels hard to shake off.

Here is the next blog in our Moments with Mary series

When I was a little girl of 8 or 9 years old my dad spent some time working in France. On one of his trips, he visited Lourdes and brough back some Holy Water for my sisters and me. I heard about the miracles that had happened in Lourdes and desired one of my own. I have worn glasses since I can remember, and back when I was in primary school, I was one of the only kids who did, meaning I would often get teased for it.

Even though I may sometimes struggle to get out of bed in the mornings, especially on cold winter days, I know that it is a gift to be able to rise early and spend the first part of my day with Jesus. I love being able to sit in silence with him, simply enjoying his presence, listening for his voice and allowing this to transform me.

Did you hear about the retreat we ran leading up to Pentecost?

Have a read to learn more - with a bonus reflection about lsitening to the Holy Spirit.

Wondering what the sisters have been up to?

Here are some mission snapshots from pre-lockdown adventures in Twnsville and Milton.

We are beginning a new series on our blog - Moments with Mary. In this first installment, we share something Therese originally wrote for our newsletter about Mary and obedience.

You may or may not have heard that recently I have been elected as leader of the MGL Sisters. Whilst I am humbled and honoured to serve the sisters, I am a little overwhelmed and truly relying on God’s grace to carry me through the next four years. We do have an AMAZING group of very capable, gifted, and beautiful women which eases my apprehension regarding the leadership role.   

Have a read of the latest blog in the Songs I Love series - Angela shares with us about a childhood favourite and how it encourages her in her journey with God even now. 

COVID became as real as can be when my Dad tested positive recently. God’s gift in this experience was a new bravery and courage, one I never knew I could ever have. The reality of not being able to care for him physically, not being there for my family full-time, and the possibility of death, created a sense of loss and helplessness. But like a fearful little child, I cried out loud to God and stretched my arms, asking him to carry me.

Now that National Vocations Awareness Week is drawing to a close, it may be helpful to take a minute to think about how God might be calling you to keep walking, that is, to keep journeying with him and asking the big questions about what he is calling you to in your life.

In a time of discernment, it is a gift to have Mary by our side. Today Rachel shares 3 ways Mary has journeyed with her. 

It fits well with our '3' theme. We have '3' pillars in our MGL life, and today Katherine shares about the gift of prayer, sisterhood and mission - as well as a mystery 4th pillar.

I grew up loving watching the Olympics whenever it was on TV. I always thought it would be amazing to be able to go and compete and would dream about being in multiple events as a superstar swimmer, fearless diver, graceful gymnast or high-flying pole-vaulter. Now this was never going to happen, and I knew this even as a child, because my talents definitely do not lie in any area remotely connected to any sport you can participate in at the Olympics.

In the 2019 Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit, Pope Francis opened by writing, ‘The very first words that I would like to say to every young Christian are these: Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive’. (CV 1) I believe these words are significant because at the heart of discerning and discovering a vocation is the reality that we can only truly be alive when we discover ourselves in God, and choose to walk with faith, joy and trust along the path which he leads us.

On my recent retreat, I was led to pray with the story of the raising of the daughter of Jairus. I had an image where I pictured Jesus and Mary placing their hands on my head and saying the words to me, ‘Talitha Cum’, that is, little girl, get up. But before I share my reflections, have a read of the story.

You will have to be of a certain generation to know who Psalty the Singing Songbook is – and if you were to just see a picture, you might find him rather scary looking. If you are wondering who Psalty is, then think an early 80’s version of Veggie Tales – songs for kids to encounter Jesus and discover faith. I think I received my first Psalty album for my first communion and I loved it. I would sit at the cassette player and listen to it over and over, singing along (in an American accent just like Psalty) and also reciting by rote all the dialogue between songs.

In the blog we shared last week, I talked about journaling as a way of prayer after discovering the dictate function on my laptop. Now there are many ways we can journal but last week I shared the idea of asking God a question and listening for his response. If you haven't had the chance to read that, you might want to check it out before you read this one.

I've just found the dictate function on my new laptop so I'm starting out by speaking this blog rather than typing it. However, it got me thinking - I wonder how accurate it can be. So far it hasn't managed any punctuation, but it's typed exactly what I've said. I simply gone back and added the punctuation just so it is possible for you to read. And you know what I'm thinking now - just imagine if the words that started to appear on the screen we're not mine, but God's answers to my questions that I have for him at this time.

On Saturday May 29, two of Rosie's brothers - Stephen and Daniel - were ordained to the Priesthood. Here, in a reflection originally written for Catholic Outlook, Rosie shares about her own joy celebrating this day.

Eleven years ago, my brothers Daniel and Stephen surprised most of my family, including myself, by announcing they were joining a religious order, the Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity. While I’ve had over a decade to get my head around the reality that two of the six brothers I’ve played sport and board games with and done farm chores alongside, and even occasionally fought with, were preparing to become priests, it was still surreal watching them be ordained.

Imagine the best view you have ever seen… where were you and what did you see?

Were you sitting on a beach and watching the constancy of the waves as they constantly broke upon the shore?

Had you climbed a mountain, rising to the top and looking out to see a panoramic view of trees, rivers, hills, cities and more?

Were you watching a sunrise or sunset, awestruck by the colours?

I have been particularly seeking to hear more from the Holy Spirit – the voice of God. I was on my 3-day solitude facing hectares of land of green trees and hills at Mt Carmel where the MGL Sisters in Sydney live.  It was a lovely, sunny day and was the second day of my solitude. God had been silent, but I was not worried about it because when I go on solitude, I always expect a conversation with him regarding what is on my heart or a particular situation in my life.

Here is another in our Songs I Love series.....

I am definitely a fan of musicals – one of my favourites is Starlight Express. In a nutshell, the plot centres around a whole heap of trains that are going to compete in a race. Each of them take a turn to tell their story through song. Whilst I love it all, the song that I want to share about today is called Freight. It features the freight trains and the coaches, who are arguing about whether it is better to carry cargo or passengers.

The celebration of my Perpetual Vows was every bit as beautiful as I imagined it would be.  Since joining the MGL Sisters in 2012 I’ve often wondered what this occasion, which in many respects is like a wedding day, would be like.  I got excited as a I designed invitations, chose a ring, planned the Mass and thought about things like music, decorations and having a cake to cut – it really felt like a wedding!  I was overwhelmed by love as family and friends travelled from all over to attend and pitched together to make it such a special occasion.  It felt very surreal to walk down the aisle as Mass began, carrying my candle and hearing the voices of everyone singing and realising what a massive moment in my life was taking place.

You may have missed it in our recent newsletter - Judy shared about the beautiful gift of consecration which we live as MGL Sisters. 

Nothing on earth could persuade a healthy young woman to give up all plans for marriage, career and individual freedom.  Yet Jesus, with a unique intimate invitation into ultimate eternal love, has persuaded many to make a life commitment to be given for God so that many others may come to know God’s love and experience life to the full.  This is always a miracle of grace.

Did you get a chance to check out our latest newsletter?

As the Easter Octave draws to a close, we join with Thomas and his experience with the Risen Jesus.

If I told you there in Japan, they grow square watermelons because they will stack better in the shops, would you believe me, or would you be filled with doubt? Leave that one in the back of your mind for a moment, and come with me on a journey with Thomas, commonly referred to as the doubter.

Today, once again, there is a very clear call to proclaim the Good News, to share the gift of our own story and relationship with Jesus with the whole world. This call to share what we have been given reminds me of a television show that was around a number of years ago.

Today, as we continue to ponder the Resurrection, we join Jesus on the beach as he eats breakfast with his disciples.

No doubt you have heard people say that the peace that Jesus can bring is like nothing else. But what does this really mean, and what might it look like in our lives. In today's Resurrection Reads, we pray with the story of Jesus offering the gift of peace to his disciples.

Today’s blog is a reflection written from the point of view of the disciple who was walking with Cleopas on the road to Emmaus. I pray it helps you to enter in to the story.

Have you ever gone long distance walking? Most people have at some stage in their lives, and it was something I enjoyed doing, even though it was the primary means of travel anyway. Somehow it helped to clear my head, so I would go when I was worried, stressed, confused, sad. I would walk to all kinds of places, along clearly defined paths and through scrubland, through desert like places where the dust would coat my feet, and along the shore where the gentle waves would cool me after a long day, over rocks, up mountains, through tall grass, – you name it, and it is likely to be territory that I have traversed.

Happy Easter – He is Risen – Alleluia.

I love the Easter Octave. Everyday this week we are celebrating Easter Sunday. It is a clear message to us that this is monumental – that Jesus dying on the cross and rising from the dead really is at the centre of our faith, at the centre of our lives.

Each day this week, we will reflect together on the Gospel of the day – you guessed it – a resurrection story. Today we turn our attention to Matthew 28:8-15.

Happy Easter – Christ has Risen – Alleluia!

Today is a day of joy, today is a day of hope, today is a day of grace, today is a day of promise, today is a day of love, the greatest and most amazing love that we can ever encounter. Jesus has conquered death, Jesus has risen – and because of this everything is different.

I know we’ve been reflecting on songs just recently, but I actually don’t think that there is a song that fits the awkward nothingness of Holy Saturday better than stark silence.  As in, no sound at all!

It’s the day we don’t know what to do with.  Friday is all invested in the grief and sorrow of watching Jesus suffer and die.  And Sunday is all about the joy of the resurrection.  So for us who believe, Saturday is the awkward-inbetween: we know the resurrection is coming, but we can’t shake the solemnity of what we just witnessed the day before.

Today is Good Friday, and we continue on this solemn day to reflect and pray through the use of songs. The song chosen today is How can it be? (Lauren Daigle)

Today marks a shift in Holy Week as we now head into the Easter Triduum.

We continue to pray in song, and today reflect on Stay with Me (Taize).

During Holy Week, each day our blog will invite you pray with a song as a way of entering into the mystery of what we are celebrating.

Today we pray with Anastasis, from Hillsong Worship.

During Holy Week, each day our blog will invite you pray with a song as a way of entering into the mystery of what we are celebrating. Before you have a read of the blog, listen to the song and ask Jesus to speak to you through the power of the words.

Today, we pray with At the foot of the Cross, by Fr Rob Galea

During Holy Week, each day our blog will invite you pray with a song as a way of entering into the mystery of what we are celebrating. Before you have a read of the blog, listen to the song and ask Jesus to speak to you through the power of the words.

Today, we pray with Love Ran Red, by Chris Tomlin.

During Holy Week, each day our blog will invite you pray with a song as a way of entering into the mystery of what we are celebrating. Before you have a read of the blog, listen to the song and ask Jesus to speak to you through the power of the words.

Today, we pray with King of my Heart written by Bethel.

I really love board games! My sisters could testify that when we were growing up, I would often ask them to play games with me, but the problem was that for them they were more like bored games.

Have you ever played Blokus? It is a strategy game that involves putting down as many of your coloured pieces onto the board as possible. Each new piece played must touch another piece of your colour, but the one rule is that only corner-to-corner contact is allowed

In his Lenten Message for 2021, Pope Francis reminds us that Lent is a time for believing, for welcoming God into our lives and allowing him to “make his dwelling” among us (cf. Jn 14:23). We are invited and challenged to grow closer to God and to allow him to draw nearer to us. He also reminds us that "Fasting, prayer and almsgiving, as preached by Jesus (cf. Mt 6:1-18), enable and express our conversion. The path of poverty and self-denial (fasting), concern and loving care for the poor (almsgiving), and childlike dialogue with the Father (prayer) make it possible for us to live lives of sincere faith, living hope and effective charity". In this three-part series, we will consider the place of prayer, fasting and almsgiving in our Lenten journey to Easter and beyond. Today, in part three, the focus is on almsgiving

In his Lenten Message for 2021, Pope Francis reminds us that Lent is a time for believing, for welcoming God into our lives and allowing him to “make his dwelling” among us (cf. Jn 14:23). We are invited and challenged to grow closer to God and to allow him to draw nearer to us. He also reminds us that "Fasting, prayer and almsgiving, as preached by Jesus (cf. Mt 6:1-18), enable and express our conversion. The path of poverty and self-denial (fasting), concern and loving care for the poor (almsgiving), and childlike dialogue with the Father (prayer) make it possible for us to live lives of sincere faith, living hope and effective charity". In this three-part series, we will consider the place of prayer, fasting and almsgiving in our Lenten journey to Easter and beyond. Today, in part one, the focus is on fasting.

In his Lenten Message for 2021, Pope Francis reminds us that Lent is a time for believing, for welcoming God into our lives and allowing him to “make his dwelling” among us (cf. Jn 14:23). We are invited and challenged to grow closer to God and to allow him to draw nearer to us. He also reminds us that "Fasting, prayer and almsgiving, as preached by Jesus (cf. Mt 6:1-18), enable and express our conversion. The path of poverty and self-denial (fasting), concern and loving care for the poor (almsgiving), and childlike dialogue with the Father (prayer) make it possible for us to live lives of sincere faith, living hope and effective charity". In this three-part series, we will consider the place of prayer, fasting and almsgiving in our Lenten journey to Easter and beyond. 

Today, in part one, the focus is on prayer. Immediately I am reminded of a story.

What?    Eating chocolate is self-denial – are you crazy. Hopefully the name of this blog got your attention because it is actually true. When you think about Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, what comes to mind? Are you excited for the opportunity to embrace a season where we are encouraged to deepen in relationship with Jesus or do you feel dread at the things you are challenged to give up or take on.

 Vocation Views is another new series for our blog. We will use it to explore different aspects to a call to Consecrated Life – stories from the Sisters, discernment tips, things we love about our life and more.

This is a new series for our blog. Music and songs can speak to us and nurture us in powerful ways. Every month or so, we will feature one of these posts from one of our sisters, sharing with you a song they love and why and how it has changed them, brought them alive, reached into the depths of their being in a given moment etc etc. The songs will be a whole range – because songs from many genres can become songs that we love!

Here is another story to reflect on during your beach walks (or at any time really).

Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions. 

I am not sure if you had the same experience, but last year often felt like one of treading water for me. I felt like I was waiting for so many things, so of which seemed to take forever to be possible. The image of treading water was powerful because it seemed to encapsulate my experience. I definitely felt like I was going nowhere, and I sure was getting tired. 

Footprints in the Sand is a rather well-known story/poem. In a time of year when beach walks are common, it offers us some insight and encouragement in our own life journey. Whether this is familiar to you or not, I invite you to read and pray with it with fresh eyes and an open heart. How might God want to use it to speak to you at this time?

Over the month of January, many people have the opportunity to take a well-earned break and have some time to relax. One of my summer traditions is to spend time with my family at our holiday house about two hours south of Sydney. This year, I have particularly been looking forward to it as there was a long period of time when I thought the pandemic, closed borders and more might prevent this taking place.

Are you thinking about making any New Year’s Resolutions for 2021? Just thinking about it brings a wry smile to my face – because 2020 sure did not turn out the way any of us expected. Perhaps we have unfulfilled hopes, dreams and resolutions from 2020. There was much written during the year in 2020 about using it as a time to nurture our journey with God, and regardless of whether we were able to respond to those invitations or not, a new year always seems to bring a chance to make a fresh start. It can focus us and encourage us to consider where we are headed, and what we might want to put in place to help us to get there.

Today is a day of hope, peace, joy and love. It is a day for rejoicing in the gift of our salvation. It is a day for discovering anew what it means to live life to the full and for opening our hearts to receiving the gift of the baby born for us. Many people know the delight of welcoming a new baby into their families, and the beautiful and profound changes this brings as people come alive in fresh and new ways. Let’s allow this baby, Jesus, to make a difference to our lives in a new way today.

Once again, we reflect with Mary on her expereince of being the Mother of Jesus

As I wrap, you up my child

In cloths of love, soft and pure white,

I pick you up, I hold you close,

And I feel your heart beat with mine.

Christmas is a feast of love, a celebration of love, an invitation of love and to love, a reminder of the gift of love entering into the world like never before. Although it can never be simplified this much, reflecting on the readings on this 4^th Sunday of Advent brings to mind two central things. The first is the invitation to receive this love, and the second is the call to respond by sharing this love with others.

Today, Judy leads us in reflecting with the Shepherds....

Before that night I had a few stories to tell about my life as a shepherd: wolves, cliffs, ewes lambing, these were the stories we swapped among ourselves around the fires, in our families. But since that night, there is only one story that I tell.

The work of a shepherd is sometimes hard and often dull. Except for that night.

 It took me a while before I realised we can find happiness in the way we love and value ourselves. It is a great gift we can give ourselves and it is richly expressed in our psalm response today as we say, “my soul rejoices in my God!” The first reading from the prophet Isaiah confirms that our souls are filled with the Spirit – it is the joy within that allows us to bring good news to the poor and set captives free. Advent is a season of joy which invites us to explore ways we can find interior happiness.

Today we spend some time with Joseph - in what ways can he lead us more deeply into the mystery and gift of Christmas?

How could it be
This baby in my arms
Sleeping now, so peacefully
The Son of God, the angel said
How could it be?

Waiting sure has been a theme of my year – waiting to be allowed to travel more than 5km, waiting to be allowed to visit a friend, waiting for borders to open, waiting in lines at shops because there are already too many people inside or waiting for shops to reopen so I can actually go, waiting for mail to arrive that takes twice as long as usual, waiting to be able to return to Mass at my church, waiting, waiting, waiting, you get the idea. Waiting can be challenging, and I think Covid has emphasised this to us like never before.

Today we reflect with Mary - what was the experience of carrying Jesus in her womb?

“And he that made me rested in my tabernacle”

Within me he is alive

Within me, and with me.

                Holding me close, holding me near

                Embracing me always, holding me dear

Do you associate Advent with candles?  In my family, lighting the candles on the Advent wreath at family prayers each night was a sought-after role! 

I also associate candles with hope.  A single candle lit in the darkness brings not only a focus-point, but a lessening of the darkness around it.  Hope is like that.  If I have a reason to hope in the midst of situations of difficulty and even despair, it lessens the “darkness” surrounding me.

Regular readers of our blog would know that my main ministry is as a chaplain in Youth Justice. In these Covid-19 times, one of the processes in place there to prevent the spread has been that young people are in isolation for two weeks when they first enter. Two weeks of isolation means they are in their room for most of the day, only able to come out for short spaces of time. They do not have contact with other young people – and staff present with them wear full PPE.

In my own ordinary little way, I want to share how much I appreciate, love and continue to be inspired by the extraordinary example of St Therese of Lisieux, also known as the Little Flower. She is the saint for all missionaries and one of my mini personal missions in life is to spread God’s love through her. There is so much in her spirituality that I have been drawing from in my faith journey. Here are some of the highlights.

Part of my duties as the person in charge of the chapel is to melt down candles until the candle wick is visible. This is to prevent the candles ‘smoking’ once they are in use, because we have at least an hour or two of daily morning prayer and the candles burn for that long. As I was burning the candles down in a pan, the candle wax was melting to a form of thick oil.

I am bit of a lolly muncher, and whilst I have lots of favourites, it is pretty hard to go past refreshing, chewy yummy Minties. And what’s more, their advertising slogan ‘it’s moments like these you need Minties,’ is also rather memorable. (In case you are wondering I do not work for Allen’s, the company who make Minties, but simply want to use them as an analogy).

I know what it is like for life to get busy…. really busy. At times, I myself writing lists of all the things that I need and want to do. When there are many things pressing for our time, prayer can seem like the easiest thing to let go of in order to have more space in our lives. But paradoxically, as I read recently in a book by Sheila Cassidy, prayer really is the last thing to let go of, rather than the first. This is certainly a challenge, but I believe it to be true.

"Christ has no body now, but yours.

No hands, no feet on earth, but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ looks compassion into the world.

Yours are the feet with which Christ walks to do good.

Yours are the hands with which Christ blesses the world."

Have you ever wondered what the great things are about consecrated life … here is a whole alphabet of reasons why I love life as an MGL Sister

ADORATION and many other ways to pray – the first great thing about being a sister is so much time for prayer. Whilst that was confronting at first (and sometimes still is) I have grown to love it more and recognise it as the thing that sustains me no matter what.

BUCKET LIST – far from stopping me from living and realising my dreams, I have had the opportunity to knock things off my bucket list – things like travelling to the 12 Apostles, going to my first AFL game and going to prison (for ministry that is)..

As a woman consecrated to God, living and probing the depths of the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience is a mind-blowing reality.

In my novitiate I read a story about St. Francis of Assisi and a vision he had before receiving the stigmata. The Lord appeared to St. Francis and asked him to give a gift.  Perplexed by this request, Francis replied that he had given up everything for the sake of the Kingdom and that he had no further gift to offer.

Not so long ago, my sister posted a video of her two-year-old in our family Facebook chat. In it, Sebastian was searching the kitchen for his dad – who was actually at work. He looked in the cutlery drawer, the pantry, under the sink and even in the narrow gap between the fridge and the wall. Each time, he would say to himself, ‘in here’ before taking a look and then saying ‘no’ and calling out to his dad again.

Many people know the experience of dryness in the spiritual life, perhaps because in reality it will be a part of any authentic journey. If you experience dryness in the midst of discernment, it can seem discouraging,  but perhaps that is the moment to spend time with Ezekiel in the valley of the dry bones.

We may think that vocational discernment is about good decision making. Often discernment actually gives us a clearer sense not so much of what to do but about who we are meant to be.  

I think the silver lining to the cloud of COVID-19 could very well contain traces of technology. Thanks to platforms like Zoom, Facebook Live, Youtube Live, Skype, Facetime etc, we’ve been able to connect with each other online as I don’t think has happened in previous global pandemics.

Sometimes on retreat we go to a house with a fireplace for winter inspiration.  Watching flames can remind us of the deep mystery of God’s intimate and perfect love for us.  Our key symbol in the Missionaries of God’s Love is the Cross and Flame.  The flame represents the fire of God’s love seen most clearly in Jesus’ dying on the cross for love of us all. 

I painted this image on retreat. I was at the beach watching the huge waves crashing against the rocks. There was a chasm in-between the rocks that stood in a circular shape, and the water was constantly rushing as if to fill this gap. It also created white foam when the water was hitting the rocks. As I was watching it, I had an insight that the love of God fills the gulf in me, just like the water in the ocean rushes into the vacuum in- between rocks. Nature works as such that when there is an empty space, air, water or other atomic contents hurry to fill the chasm. Similarly, the love of God fills the gaps in me.

 As MGL Sisters, when we take our Initial Vows, we begin to wear the Cross and Flame - a symbol that speaks deeply of our charism and the life we have chosen to live. In this two-part series, Sarah-Jane unpacks the impact of the Cross and Flame for her life. This second part focusses on the flame.

On the World Day of Prayer for Vocations earlier this year, Pope Francis identified four key words - pain, gratitude, encouragement and praise  - richly weaving them into the story of Peter in the midst of a storm with Jesus (Matthew 14:22-22). This seems very fitting for our own reflection as this National Vocations Awareness week concludes. Perhaps the invitation for us is to take these words of Pope Francis to prayer, allowing him to highlight these four vocational words in our own lives

During National Vocations Awareness Week, we want to share with you about the gift of our life as sisters. Today it is Sarah-Jane's turn to share the three things she loves about being an MGL Sister. 

Today Kathryn asks us which movie we are going to see. Intrigued? Have a listen to her sharing in this video - and it really does link to National Vocations Awareness Week!

As Missionaries of God's Love Sisters, we take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Often young women who are discerning ask us questions about what these vows really mean. Here, Berna shares with us about the gift of them in a simple, yet profound way. 

During National Vocations Awareness Week, Kat shares with us three things that she loves about her vocation as an MGL Sister.

Relationship with Jesus is at the heart of discerning your vocation. Today, Rosie shares with us a beautiful song she wrote that expresses the gift of her relationship with Jesus. 

In this blog, Mel shares about her love of geocaching and what it can offer to anyone discerning.

One of the latest things that I love to do is to go geocaching. In case you have never heard of it, geocaching is a GPS based treasure hunt where you search for containers of various sizes that are hidden at particular coordinates. (for more info, go to www.geocahing.com). People all over the world do it, and there are literally thousands and thousands of them to find. At the start of this year, I set a goal to find 366 throughout the year – the equivalent of one each day – but Covid has put a stop to that goal for the time being. 

Today marks the beginning of National Vocations Awareness Week. In this short video, Mel explains what it is all about. Spend some time in prayer and keep connected with us this week as we will be posting content every day - blogs, videos, sister stories, discernment tips and more. We will be praying for you!