Archive for the ‘Elizabeth Lowe’ Category

Newer Entries »

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Friday, April 8th, 2011

Sunday, April 10, 2011 

Reflecting on the readings for this Sunday, although still in the Lenten Season, I gave myself permission to shout, “Alleluia.”  Our Father/Mother God, through the Prophet Ezekiel in verse 37, lines 12-14, assures us that we will rise from our graves as Jesus did from his and we will live with God forever!  There is much joy in this passage for it also says to us that God is all about raising us up on a moment-to-moment basis when the burdens of life assail us. “Oh my people!  I will put my spirit in you that you may live.  I have promised and I will do it.”

We receive further nudging to shout “Alleluia” for the assurances of the love and

plan of God for us in a letter to the Romans, verse 8, lines 8-11, written long ago by Paul, one of God’s chosen messengers and a disciple of Jesus.  We may know that Paul, (formerly called Saul) was not always in sync with the Lord.  Paul was a soldier in the Roman army and took pleasure in the persecution, torment, and murder of Christians.  Like many of us perhaps, it took him a while to pay attention.  One day while on his way to do more harm to the followers of Jesus, Paul was struck by a bolt of lightning and knocked off his horse!   (So goes the story, but there are many ways to describe the event!)  Paul came to his senses and spent the rest of his life in contrition and in service to the cause of Christ.

Paul’s gift to us is in helping us to distinguish between a life lived for the pleasures of the world and a life lived in the spirit of God.  In other words, our intellects and emotions should mature in step with our physical selves.  When that occurs we grow as whole persons.  When we work toward that end, the spirit of God dwells within us and we can effect change in the world around us.

“I am the Resurrection and the Life,” says the Lord, “whoever believes in me, even if that one dies, will never die.”  John 11:25-26.  Is there not an “Alleluia” welling up inside of you now?

Through John’s gospel, we are gifted with a story of the greatest teacher and healer of all times: Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  This story shows us Jesus, our brother, doing the kind of ministry we do here at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center /d’Youville Pavilion and Rehabilitation Center on a daily basis. Follow him in this scene as he teaches us how to receive hard news, how to go unhurriedly to the friends and family who are grieving the loss of a loved one who has died, or who have been given tragic news.  See Jesus, who himself is bereft at the loss of his friend Lazarus, go with compassion and patience to the doubters, the impatient, and the demanding.  Jesus shows us how to “Be With.”  He shows us how to trust, how to pray, and how to let God be God.

May you go unhurriedly to speak soft words, to hold hurting young and old hands, to look into tired, sad, questioning eyes, to celebrate new life and honor death.  Keep in mind the healer/teacher who walks beside and a bit ahead of you.  Breathe, smile and whisper “Alleluia!”          

Go gently and with a grateful heart!

Elizabeth Lowe
Chaplain

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Elizabeth Lowe | No Comments »

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Monday, January 17th, 2011

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Isaiah 8:23-9:3          Psalm 27 1,4, 13-14        1Cor: 1:10-13,17           Matthew  4:12-23

Throughout the readings the uplifting themes of Unity, Hope, Calling and Belonging fill our spirits with excitement.  It is incredible to realize that God’s love for us and need for us is so strong that from the beginning of recorded history we are invited to be God’s people. 

Isaiah: ( referring to the gift of Jesus) speaks, “Anguish has taken wing, dispelled is darkness….”  Is this not cause for hope and joy?  Think on the joy of the angels, the shepherds, the kings and others called to the manger to witness the birth of the Son, the healer, teacher, and caller.

The gift of hope is extended in Psalm 27 vs. 1,4,13-14. Verses 1& 4 are a song of confidence.  Paraphrased, they remind us that with the Lord as our light, our salvation and our stronghold, we need not be afraid of anyone or anything?  In 13-14, the listener acknowledges belief that the goodness of God will be seen “in the land of the living.” I believe that is here and now.  Do we not witness the goodness of God daily in our ministries?  We witness joyful births, healings of the sick, peaceful and holy deaths. We take part in comforting families, calming the elderly, walking journeys with the addicted and the cured.  “Wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage.”

St. Paul writes to the Corinthians: “I urge you brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose…”  

Does this not ring a bell for us here at St. Mary’s Health Care System?  We follow in the footsteps of St. Marguerite d’Youville to live out a ministry of healing to the sick, the poor and the marginalized people of God. We are called to do this with the same respect, compassion, stewardship and excellence that Jesus practiced in his ministry and required his apostles to do as well.  Be united in mind and purpose!  Would that we, in our present day society, could/would value that call.  Our political leaders cannot seem to manage it.  Many church leaders insist on a type of ownership of the word of God that often leads to further separation.

Matthew’s Gospel 4:12-23 allows us to look in on a new dimension in the life of Jesus.  John, who is Jesus’ cousin, companion and mentor is imprisoned by a cruel, unevolved ruler.

Jesus must be grieving.  Leaving his home in Nazareth, Jesus journeys to live in Capernaum by the sea.  This was the land spoken of by Isaiah; the land of the Gentiles.

“The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light.” On those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has risen!”  That light was and is Jesus.  Putting his own sadness aside, Jesus picked up the work of John.  “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Then, Jesus calls, echoing his fathers’ voice, who called all of us before conception.  “Come after me and I will make you fishers of men!” 

“Look up at the Lord with gladness and smile.” Your face will never be the same! Psalm 33:6 (paraphrased.).      

Go Well and Gently!
Elizabeth, Chaplain

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Elizabeth Lowe | No Comments »

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Thursday, December 16th, 2010

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Isaiah 7:10-16          Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19            Romans 1:1-7      Matthew 1:18-26

Joseph’s Yes

        “Somehow in the midst of our tears, a gift is hidden.
         Somehow in the midst of our mourning
         The first steps of the dance take place.” 

Henri Nouwen

Welcome to the final week of “waiting time” on the journey to the stable and the wondrous gift that our generous God chose to send us in order that we may find our way home.  Some of the themes common to the readings as I discern them are: seeking, cleanliness of heart, weariness, and God’s dependability.
For this week’s reflection I have chosen to focus on Matthew’s Gospel 1:18-26:
       
This is how the birth of Jesus came about.  Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.  Joseph, a righteous man, unwilling to expose her, decided to divorce her quietly.  While asleep, an angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife into your home.  It is through the Holy Spirit that the child is conceived in her.  She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:  Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and he will be called Emmanuel, “God with us.” When Joseph awoke he did as the angel bid and took Mary into his home.

The woman you are about to marry suddenly turns up pregnant, and you know you didn’t do it.  What do you do?  Smile and say, “It’s okay”?  Perhaps you pack up your things and head out of town?  Your culture does not smile on this kind of thing.  You could turn her over to an angry crowd to be stoned.  Word will get around and it will not go well will family or friends, and surely not with authority.  You find prayer difficult.  How could God let such evil happen to you?   What about the schmuck who did this to her?

Joseph is facing life-and-death decisions, character testing decisions. Joseph knows the law, but
he also still cares greatly for this woman.  His character shines through.  There will be no violence done to her or to the man.  Perhaps he will send her quietly away where no executioners can reach her; far enough and lonely enough away to remind her of what she has done.
Joseph is weary.  God hears him.  An angel brings the answer.  His reaction to this messenger also requires character.  He could have been angry with God.  After all, why is God interfering with his wife and how easy is it to believe that you have what it takes to raise God’s son?  What will that involve?  He would not have been the first Jew to wrestle with an angel!  Instead Joseph gave a “Yes.” It was a difficult and important yes to make.  The son of God would have an earthly father, a just man who would raise that son with the depth of character that he showed in this traumatic situation.  Joseph chose compassion over the letter of the law.  Mary’s yes and Joseph’s yes pleased God and serves as an example for us in our everyday professional and personal lives.

Go Well and Gently with Joseph into Christmas!

Elizabeth Lowe
Chaplain

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Elizabeth Lowe | No Comments »

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Friday, October 29th, 2010

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Sirach 35                    Timothy 4                   Luke 18 

Psalm 104  “Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord. Seek the Lord and the Lord’s strength. Seek always the face of the Lord.”  This is a directive from our God; to seek always what we need from that source. How beautiful it is to actually process into church singing those words. This was a practice in my youth in the church I attended, as well as in the religious community in which I lived and ministered for many years. There is something in the singing that makes the words well up and assures us of a response from our Lord.

First Reading: From the book of Sirach. This book is also referred to as the book of Ecclesiasticus when referring to the complete old English translation. In its oldest tradition it is believed to have been derived from its author, Jesus son of Eleazar, son of Sirach, or the wisdom of Sophia. It is a delight to skim through the entire book in the New Interpreters Study Bible-NRSV. There we read common sense wisdom that touches every aspect of our mortal lives. Wisdom in the way Jesus taught: “Give to the most high in the way the most high gives to you… “(the translation of Sirach 35:12-14 & 16-18 in your Daily Mass booklet is different from the NRSV. It is interesting to read both and see how much more the wording in the NRSV invites and challenges us to take a more active part in becoming a partner with God to heal the ills of God’s people.)

The fun I found in researching for this reflection is that our all-patient God listens to all of us! Even though Paul, {2 Timothy 4:6}, sometimes whines, he gets our attention with that tactic and then goes on with bold faith to assure us he knows he had a reward awaiting him.

We move on to Luke 18:9-14. The Pharisee and the Tax Collector are in the temple praying. {this is praying?}.  God is laughing and we in the 21st Century may be thinking about the candidates running for a seat in the Blaine House!  Yet, the Lord hears the cry of the poor and the rich and the proud and the broken because Jesus once walked this earth, experienced every pain, joy, and emotion that we do. Therefore, among all the caring ministries that God has placed his people into, God created Pastoral Care and Chaplains. We may not all be called to Chaplaincy, but we are all called to Care. As a Chaplain here at St. Mary’s I witness in every department the highest form of caring. Gentle voices, gentle touch, gentle assurance. People moving with the needy as Jesus did until the release of suffering is evident.

In my own recent experience as a patient, I could not get over the concern and care poured out upon me by nursing and rehabilitation staff as well as housekeeping and nutrition staff. I had a total knee replacement which is a common enough procedure for the professionals. However, I felt as if I were the only person with that particular affliction. I was treated as an individual with a knee that was also individual.

Jesus healed one at a time. He took time to touch, glance, smile, assure. During Pastoral Care Week, let us aim to “Let the beauty we love, be what we do.” So Be it! 

Blessings, 
Elizabeth Lowe
Chaplain

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Elizabeth Lowe | No Comments »

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Thursday, September 9th, 2010

The Cost of Discipleship

Sunday, September 5, 2010

This Sunday, the first in September, when work and school vacations are over for most of us, we find the readings for the day’s liturgy carrying a common thread. We are invited to renew our commitment to further nourish our call to follow Jesus in our particular vocations.

The first reading from the book of Wisdom 9:13-18 asks us, “Who can conceive what the Lord intends?”We can all relate to that question. God has God’s own agenda for us, so we take an extra dose of the Trust vitamin and move along, because, as we recite Psalm 90, each verse returns us to the truth of, “In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.” The second reading which is St. Paul’s letter to Philemon, a fellow Christian and co-worker, Paul asks that Philemon give shelter to a young man who has been in trouble and is now marginalized. Paul himself is in prison and asks as Jesus would have, “Take him not as a slave, but as a brother…and in the Lord. Welcome him as you would me.” We come lastly to the Gospel reading. The words present difficulty for many of us. “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, spouse, children, brothers and sisters, possessions, and even one’s own life, that person cannot be my disciple.”

This is hard talk from the “Good Shepherd,” “gentle welcomer of children,” “defender of women,” and the “Good Samaritan.” A possible easy fix is to go to another translation. Matthew 10:37-8 reads, “Whoever loves father or mother son or daughter,. more than me, is not worthy of me.” That is gentler; however Luke’s writing is the one for the day. We can take the time to research the Hebrew and Aramaic languages, which were those spoken in the time in which Jesus lived. However, in our own life experiences we know there is a cost of following. Those who marry follow the one they fall in love with. Making the sacrifices that come with building family life costs something. Following a vocation to the religious or single life, costs. Taking part in ministry to the aged, sick, and dying as all of us do here at St. Mary’s Health System as disciples of Jesus Christ and Marguerite d’Youville, costs. So, how is it we smile so widely? Perhaps it is not important to dwell on words or translations or costs, but on what we know in our hearts. There are four messages I see in the four readings:

Wisdom 9:13 -18 ~ God called us for a purpose. God intends a life for each one.
Psalm 90: 3-6, 12-14 17 ~ God will provide a way for us.
Philemon 9-10, 12, 15-17 ~ We do welcome the marginalized not as less than, but as brothers.
Luke 14:25-33 ~ Through our teams we can ease the cost of discipleship/ following, and the Lord will show us how if we but ask.

Go Gently,

Elizabeth Lowe
Chaplain

Posted in Elizabeth Lowe, The Scribes | No Comments »

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Monday, August 16th, 2010

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Hebrews 11: 1-2 Luke 12: 32-48

Sisters and brothers: faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.* Heb.11:1

The letter to the Hebrews actually comes after the Gospel of Luke in the Bible. It is amazing how it can bring a smile to our faces, when we hear Jesus as he makes the connection between the two passages and says to his followers, “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.”

This is Jesus’ assurance that if we go the path he has laid out, if we give of ourselves and our goods in order to give to the marginalized, the lonely, the heart broken, we will be storing up for ourselves treasures that do not wear out, do not deplete. We will experience inexhaustible blessings in this life and in the next. Jesus reminds us that where we place our values, that is where our hearts are.

“Gird your loins and light your lamps.” To contemporary listeners that may sound odd. In the time of Jesus, girding one’s loins meant tucking up the long loose robes worn by men and tying them in a knot between the legs in order to prepare for hard work, running, or fighting. Jesus, the teacher, was warning for then and for now that following in his path would not be easy.

Lighting a lamp was always wise as of course there was no electricity and we know from other parables like that of the of the wise virgins and the widow who swept her house looking for the lost coin, how necessary it was to keep the lamps filled with oil. Jesus wants us to be spiritually, physically, and mentally alert in order to ward off the forces of evil, but also to be ready to welcome the God who called us to service when we are called home.

Whenever I truly am stumped by any of the teachings of Jesus, I look further into the gospels to see if the lesson is brought up again for the purpose of further clarification. I usually find it referenced by Peter. I relate to Peter; we both find it difficult to just accept the order of things without understanding. However, once we “get it,” we are on board.

Peter takes the girding concept even further in his first letter to new Christians in parts of Asia Minor. “Therefore,” he says to them, “gird up your minds, be sober [as in serious]. Set your hope fully upon the grace that is coming to you from Jesus Christ. Do not be conformed to the habits of your former ignorance. He who called you is holy. Be holy as well in all your conduct.” Peter 1:13-15

As we take these admonitions to, “gird our loins” and “gird our minds” to heart, we can bring them into our own everyday lives, especially into the life of our work.

There is some physical girding going on as support partners and therapists don their Gait belts to assist residents or patients to stand or walk. We are so easily made aware of our own mortality when serving the sick and elderly.

“Truly, truly I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go.” John 21:18.

According to the writers, Jesus used this metaphor to show by what death Peter would die; for us it may serve to remind us of our own journeys forward and provide us with the graces of patience, compassion, and friendship toward our fellow travelers.

In closing, I refer back to Peter 1:15. Each and every person who ministers at St. Mary’s Health Care System was called by a holy God, (a wholly good, wholly trustworthy, wholly loving, and kind God). Be wholly as well in all things.

Go gently, go well, and whole.

Elizabeth Lowe, Chaplain
St. Mary’s D’Youville Pavilion and Rehab Center

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Elizabeth Lowe, The Scribes | No Comments »

Feast of Corpus Christi: The Celebration of the Body and Blood, Joys and Tears, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sunday, June 6th, 2010

June 6, 2010                                                                           

Early Contemporary Reminders:
The whole being needs to be fed bread and drink for the body, knowledge and wisdom for the soul, atmosphere and consciousness for the Spirit.

Ernest Holmes 

Within, where Soul and Spirit meet, is the only place where the true bread of life is found.           

Eva Bell Werber 

Ancient Reminders
Deuteronomy 8: 2-3:  Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart.  The Lord humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, in order to let you understand: it is not by bread alone that man lives, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 

Psalm 147:   The Lord heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds. The Lord makes grass grow on the hills and gives the animals their food. 

1 Corinthians 10:16-17:  Is it not the cup of blessing which we bless?  Is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ?  This bread that we break is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? 

John 6:51-58:  I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  Whoever eats this bread will live forever.  The bread that I will give you for the life of the world is my flesh. 

Today’s Reality
Visit a unit in our nursing care facility at meal time.  Observe a nurse or CNA feeding a resident. The gentleness and peace that prevails is truly a “God feeding us” moment.

A room where nursing mothers may feed their infants is provided on 1 East at d’Youville Pavilion Nursing Care facility.  God is there. 

We who receive nourishment from God have the obligation to give to others.  We know that in this abundant universe, there are sufficient resources for each person to be able to eat, and yet we do little to walk in that truth unless we are met by some devastation.  (Somewhat like the Hebrews in the desert who don’t believe until the manna falls from the heavens.  Their belief in the “ever Goodness” of God is weak, so they hoard the manna away in fear of going without.)  

Are we hoarding?  Our food, our goods, our time, our love? 

God holds back nothing from us.  Jesus at the Last Supper found a way to be with us always….”This is my body, this is my blood.  Do this in memory of me.”  If we fully partake in the bread of life, all our needs will be met. 

If God can be so creative in giving, can we do less? 

Go Gently!  

Chaplain Elizabeth Lowe
St. Mary’s d’Youville Pavilion

Posted in Elizabeth Lowe, The Scribes | No Comments »

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Monday, April 26th, 2010

April 25, 2010
Our Good Shepherd 

Catacomb of Domitilla/Domatilla,
c 200CE
The King of love my shepherd is,
where goodness fails me never;
  I nothing lack when I am his, and
  he is mine forever.
Where streams of living water flow, to
rest my soul he leads me,
   Where fresh and fertile pastures
   grow, with heavenly food he
   feeds me.
And so through all my length of days
your goodness fails me never;
   Good Shepherd, may I sing your
   praise within your house forever.

Celebrating: Our Good Shepherd

It is always a delight to discover that the simplest things in life are the most profound; the humblest, the most rich. That was my realization as I contemplated the theme for this Sunday. I always loved the idea of shepherds. The scene is usually calm and pastoral; that is in pictures. In my younger life, I actually had the opportunity to care for real sheep. By nature they are nervous, lack a sense of direction and the rams have an annoying penchant for butting the “shepherd” and sending the care giver into a nasty tumble. It is hard work and not always like the paintings.

Another issue, can be that we, as intelligent ,independent beings, do not like being compared to sheep. That word indicates a follower; one who does not think for oneself.

In the Gospel for today, Jesus says emphatically, “I am the Good Shepherd.” If we are the “sheep”, we would be well off to hear those words as a both a declaration and an invitation. Jesus wants to care for us. He lived our life. He knows life can be scary. Illness is scary, the loss of loved ones in death or abandonment is frightening. Aging can be scary.

Jesus in his humanness had frightening moments; moments of unsurety, moments when he questioned even the presence of his Abba.

Go to the Shepherd. Let him hold you, hear his voice. Once in a while it is good to follow! There is learning in following the Teacher. You will find that when you are strengthened, you will be have the desire and the ability to go out , to reach out to other “sheep” ; in the fields or far afield who are in pain. When you reach out to touch and hear the pain of others your own can take on new meaning.

Jesus does not see his “sheep” as mindless followers , but as ministers; God’s Potters, who have joined Him in the joyful art of healing.

Go Gently and Well with the Shepherd!

Elizabeth Lowe, Chaplain

Posted in Elizabeth Lowe, The Scribes | No Comments »

Newer Entries »