Refresh My Heart in Christ

November 13, 2008
Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, virgin

Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me, but even more so to you, as a man and in the Lord. So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me. Philemon 7:15-17

Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he said in reply, "The coming of the kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, 'Look, here it is,' or, 'There it is.' For behold, the kingdom of God is among you." Luke 17:20-21

Piety
Forgive O Lord, our indifference to the needs of others. Our thoughtlessness and self-interest. How easy it is to forget, when we are loading our trolleys in the supermarket, that others toil to bring us our daily food.
Forgive O Lord, our voracious appetites for some thing new, regardless of where it comes from, and who produces it. The unrealistic prices we pay, and the subsidies we expect.
Forgive O Lord, that we do not equate the results of our own self interest with the plight of so many producers who live in poverty.
Forgive O Lord, when we turn our heads and pretend we do not see.
© Irene Sayer

Study

When Jesus said the “kingdom of God is among you,” he literally was referring to himself and metaphorically referring to each person in which Jesus dwells to build up the kingdom on earth.

Today, we mark the life of a woman who literally built up the kingdom on earth. One hundred years ago, a small, 59-year-old Italian woman took the oath of citizenship in the United States. She had journeyed a long way from her birthplace in the village of Sant' Angelo, on the outskirts of Lodi, about twenty miles from Milan. When Francesca Cabrini was born, she was so frail that her mother walked her straight to church to be baptized in fear the little girl would not survive.

That frail baby would grow up to become the first United States citizen to be elevated to sainthood. According to her biography, Mother Cabrini has a double claim on our interest. “Foundress of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart and pioneer worker for the welfare of dispersed Italian nationals, this diminutive nun was responsible for the establishment of nearly seventy orphanages, schools, and hospitals, scattered over eight countries in Europe, North, South, and Central America. Still living are pupils, colleagues, and friends who remember Mother Cabrini vividly; her spirit continues to inspire the nuns who received their training at her hands.”

Action

This is a heady week for Catholics. The last four days stretch the meaning of “ordinary” time as we have reflected on the extraordinary lives of St. Leo the Great, St. Martin of Tours, St. Josaphat, and now St. Frances Xavier Cabrini.

The stories of all these saints touch our lives but none in quite the same way as Mother Cabrini’s story does because she did not live in France or Turkey or ancient Rome. Rather, she lived right here in the United States and died when many of our grandparents were still around to know her and her work.

Mother Cabrini epitomized the admonition in Paul’s letter to Philemon. “Welcome him as you would me.” Mother Cabrini came to the aid of Italian immigrants in cities all across the country. Who are we called to welcome today?

Many have followed in her footsteps to welcome the Vietnamese in the 1970s, Eastern Europeans after the fall of the Berlin wall, and immigrants from central and South America. How can you extend the welcome mat to the “tired, poor, huddled masses yearning to breathe free?”