Maxim Monday: Summer...Quietly Await Grace

May you quietly await the movement of grace,

and when it comes move gently

with humility, fidelity, and courage.

Quietly Await, Joanne Gallagher, CSJ, ©1976 
Based on Maxims of the Little Institute, #84

This is not the exact translation of Maxim 84 but it is what has become quite popular among the Boston Sisters of St. Joseph and Associates. As many readers know, these words are the refrain for the song, Quietly Await, that I wrote quite a few years ago. Writing this song was, in itself, a true moment of God's grace which continues to humble and amaze me.

"Maxim Monday" is taking a "summer break." When I thought about a Maxim for moving into summer, this version of Maxim 84 seemed appropriate. So I offer it for summer reflection. The last of the four verses is also part of my summer prayer for all of us:

To be a healing presence, for this you are called forth

to offer strength through gentleness

toward all whose lives you touch.

Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to spend several hours sitting quietly on one of the porches of St Joseph Retreat Center in Cohasset. The sailboat above was one of many that passed grace-fully by on what was an idyllic day. Happy Summer. May you have a few graced moments during the weeks ahead.

Maxim Monday: Quietly Await-Maxim 84

I explained earlier that I don’t intend to go in order with these reflections on the Maxims of the Little Institute of Jean-Pierre Medaille. This week I’m offering Maxim 84 for your reflection:

Never go ahead of grace by an imprudent eagerness, but quietly await its movements and, when it comes to you, go along with it with great gentleness, humility, fidelity, and courage.

This is one of my favorite maxims. Many years ago, I wrote a song based on this maxim and it’s been sung over and over by our sisters. Several years back a co-worker actually invited me to sing this at her wedding. Here is my adaptation of Maxim 84:

May you quietly await the movement of grace, and when it comes move gently with humility, fidelity, and courage.

The major reason for the adaptation was so that the message of this maxim would blend with the melody that grew in my head and heart around these words. That said, this maxim is one I live by in the most ordinary moments of my life. In those moments when I feel stretched to capacity with a “to do” list that is growing, I hear God saying, “never go ahead of grace.” Over and over, Médaille cautions us about “imprudent eagerness,” or “over-eagerness.” How often in our need to get the next task checked off our list of things to do, do we become “over-eager” rather than going deeper and letting God’s grace move within us? In the moments when I do go deeper and “quietly await” God’s grace, I find that is when I can, indeed, enter into a situation with humility, fidelity, and courage.

Several years after I wrote this song, I was on retreat in Madison, CT. Retreatants were being encouraged to use all our senses for prayer and perhaps even draw or paint as a way of reflecting. That’s when I began creating Mandala designs. The first one I did used the words of Quietly Await and is pictured here. This is scanned from greeting cards that we made for a craft fair for our congregation.

Advent...a time to ‘quietly await’ the coming of our God

Our December 9 issue of Soundings Update is now available on our website at http://www.csjboston.org/su-Dec9-2009.pdf

There’s no doubt about it. No matter how much we try to slow down during the Advent/Christmas Season, there is still much to do and many places to be. There are quite a few dates to remember during Advent, Christmas, and into January. Also in this issue are some opportunities for “alternative Christmas shopping.” Our Mission Advancement Office has cards available for gift-giving. Dear Neighbor Gift Store is offering some special shopping days before Christmas. As we live this Advent, may we take time to "quietly await" the coming of our God.

On another note: Today is actually the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception -- otherwise called a Holy Day. There are several places where Jean-Pierre Medaille, SJ. speaks about Mary in earliest documents of the Sisters of St. Joseph. In the Reglements or the original "rule" that dates back to the mid-seventeenth century he writes about the goal of the Sisters of St. Joseph. About Mary he writes: [bear in mind that this is an English translation of a 17th century French document]

In honor of the glorious Virgin Mary,
who is completely filled with
and obedient to grace,
they will live a life of perfect fidelity to all the movements of this same grace...

This reminds me of the maxim about which I based a song a few years back:

May your quietly await the movement of grace and when it
comes move gently with humility, fidelity, and courage. [based on #84 Maxims of
the Little Institute]

May this be our prayer for one another as we continue to live this Advent season.