A Valentine’s Day reflection for 2014

I woke up thinking about hearts.

Physical hearts — healthy ones, not-so-healthy ones; baby hearts, grown-up hearts; gifted, transplanted hearts; hearts stopping suddenly or over years and years of time.

Metaphoric hearts — source of our emotions — happy, sad; wounded, broken, mending, healed; sturdy, fragile; confident, wary; optimistic, fretful; carefree, burdened; passionate, indifferent. The list could on and on, couldn’t it?

How’s your heart — physically and/or metaphorically? Are you inclined to prayer of praise and/or petition when you think of your heart’s condition? Perhaps you will take some time to pray however your heart moves you today.

How would you describe our collective heart — the collective heart of Earth’s people — all 7 billion-plus of us? Again, are you inclined to prayer of praise and/or petition as you ponder this? Perhaps you will pray what moves within you as you move through this day celebrating hearts, love.

I would like to join my prayer with yours today. Let’s pray with and for the heart of each person of Earth; let us pray with and for the heart of Earth, our dear planet.

Let us bless Providence every time we see a red, pink or multicolored paper heart today — or candy heart!

Let us praise Providence for all those in our lives about whom we can say this: For true hearts there is no separating ocean; or rather, God is their ocean, in whom they meet and are united. They love; they lose themselves in him (Saint Mother Theodore Guerin).

Happy Valentine’s Day! Know you are held in the prayer of all the Sisters of Providence.

Sister Denise Wilkinson

General Superior