Julie Billiart’s Passionate Heart
I was always satisfied with what was given me, and never desired to have more.
Counsels of Perfection, p. 23
If you want to become who you really wish to be, if you wish to live fully, if you desire life abundantly, then the single and only thing you can do is to respond in graciousness to the graciousness that surrounds your life like air and holds you firm like gravity. … The spiritual person is the one who is deeply aware of the giftedness of the universe, the giftedness of one’s life, the giftedness of those others who allow me to become, the giftedness of the God who has lured me into being.
Francis Baur, OFM, Life in Abundance, p. 111-112
…I began to understand fleetingly what Parker Palmer means when he says that scarcity and abundance are not merely economic or political issues. They are deeply spiritual conditions connected with assumptions and choice. He believes that if we are to effectively balance the scales of justice and if we take seriously our responsibilities as stewards of creation, then we must examine the assumptions that inform our choices. It is not enough for us to explain our global imbalance solely in terms of greed and power. There is a connection between our inner life and our ability to respond to the situation of our world. If I have the attitude that this is mine by right, if my inner experience is that of scarcity and grabbing for all I can get because there is not enough to go around, then surely I will not be able to freely share the goods of the earth. Equitable distribution of resources and opportunities will be a problem. That we move from having and grabbing possessions to trampling others is perfectly consistent. If on the other hand my inner experience is that of living in a world that has been simply and graciously given to me, that truth and resources are ample and available, then I will be able to live in ways which allow others to live as well. I will be able to recognize the intrinsic preciousness of all life, human and non-human. I will be able to reach out in partnership to all creation with confidence that our prodigal God holds us all together in his great heart/her spacious womb. Marie Chin, RSM, “Recasting the Fire,” p. 4
We hesitate to choose another way of living because we do not have enough: enough time, enough money, enough energy, enough support, or enough internal strength. … Our sense of being consumed by dissatisfaction is already a grace. Our desire for a different way of life already carries intimations of how to proceed. One of the mysteries of the great economy of grace is that we seek because we have already been found, we ask because we already have the answers placed deep with our soul.
Mary Jo Leddy, Radical Gratitude, p. 144
My little Felicite is to leave for my own part of the country today. Yesterday I had a letter from my brother. My poor mother is very ill and he himself feels quite deserted. I am sending him what I have. I share with him the little bit left over from what Providence has given me through you. My little Felicite will work to earn a living when she comes back. And if I can't do anything else, I shall again ask you, my dear lady and my good friend in the Lord, to help me. L4 -- To Francoise Blin de Bourdon, September 1, 1795
As for the evangelical counsel you mention of selling all and giving to the poor: the good God does not ask everybody to practice it with the same perfection. But he does ask us to share what we have, as you have done with me, my dear friend. And when the good God wants it, you are still quite ready to be of use to me. By God's grace, I have not, up to the present, been lacking in the necessities of life either for myself or for my poor little Felicite, because she has been working all through the winter. But at present her little trade is no longer successful. You know how the good God made use of you last summer to help her and me. Well, if I find myself in urgent need, I shall tell my good friend quite simply, so that she can serve holy Providence as an instrument.
L15 -- To Francois Blin de Bourdon, February 4, (1796)
My only worry is that you may lack something necessary for life, though I want in everything to rely on the loving and adorable providence of my God. Moreover, you know I am ready to share with you the little piece of bread the good God leaves in my hands. Speak, my daughter, are you in need? I am confident that you would tell your mother in all simplicity of heart. L164To Soeur St Jean, December 22, 1810
We shall all share together whatever it pleases divine Providence to send us.
L187 -- To Soeur Anastasie, August 16, 1811
All resources belong to the Congregation, not to Units or to individual Sisters.
Jubilee Fund Assumptions and Values #3
There are ample funds among the units to re-distribute and share with Africa and Latin America. L&P Report, 1999
Contributing and generating income for the Jubilee Fund now is important because the number of Sisters and salaries is probably greater than it will be in the future. (It is also less than it was in the past). Jubilee Fund Assumptions and Values #13
We could be limiting our prophetic witness by not risking some of our financial security to contribute more generously to the Jubilee Fund.
Jubilee Fund Assumptions and Values #17
Celebrating Ntre Dame