Call & Response

The Call: St. Francis of Assisi — Cheryl

Today, in the Catholic Church, we celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, who wrote:

We may know with certainty that nothing belongs to us except our vices and sins. We must rejoice, instead, when we fall into various trials and, in this world, suffer every kind of anguish or distress of soul and body for the sake of eternal life.

Let all the brothers, therefore, beware of all pride and vainglory. Let us guard ourselves from the wisdom of this world and the prudence of the flesh. Because the spirit of the flesh very much wants and strives to have the words but cares little for the manner of working; it does not seek a religion and holiness in an interior spirit, but wants and desires to have a religion and holiness outwardly apparent to people. They are the ones of the whom the Lord says: Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. The Spirit of the Lord, however, wants the flesh to be mortified and despised, considered of little worth, rejected and insulted. It strives for humility and patience, PURE SIMPLICITY and true peace of the spirit. Above all, it desires the divine fear, the divine wisdom and the divine love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Let us refer all good to the Lord, God Almighty and Most High, acknowledge that every good is his, and thank him “from whom all good comes for everything.” May he, the Almighty and Most High, the only true God, have, be given, and receive all honor and respect, all praise and blessing, all thanks and glory, to whom all good belongs, he who alone is good.
— published in Magnificat, October, 2012

The Response: Little Panda Helper — Jessica

Today, for the first time ever, I bought a nebulizer and gave a child a breathing treatment. I expect that, even though I have almost 18 years of mothering under my belt, there will be many more first times with Danny in the days to come.

He’s doing much better now, too, after his third treatment today.