A Few Thoughts from Sister M. Anselma - June 2020

 The Grace of Encounter 

Dear Family and Friends,

In our religious community, we do not celebrate our Birthdays… instead we celebrate our Namedays!! A Nameday is the day on which the Church celebrates the saint or aspect of God for which we are named. For example, Sister Mary Elizabeth took her name from the Gospel passage in Luke 1:39-56, which describes the encounter between Mary, who had just conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, and her cousin, Elizabeth, who was with child in her elderly and barren years. We call this event the “Visitation” and we celebrate the Visitation every year on May 31st. Thus, May 31st is Sister Mary Elizabeth’s Nameday and we thank God for her life, her joy, and her vocation!!

In the Visitation, so much happens in that brief moment of Encounter. When Mary comes into the presence of Elizabeth, it is the unborn babies who lead the Encounter. John, in the womb of Elizabeth, literally “leaps” when he senses the presence of His God. This causes Elizabeth to intuit the presence of God in the womb of Mary, which she then proclaims with great astonishment. Mary, hearing that Elizabeth knows of the presence of God, then proclaims how great and merciful God is, who has sent a Savior into the world to fulfill all the promises He has made to His people over the course of history!!
  • Mary and Elizabeth, who had previously been alone in the knowledge of their miraculous pregnancies, now had a chance to share these graces with another who could understand.
  • John, who is still in utero, has been given his mission of proclaiming God in our midst, something he will do for the rest of his life on earth.
  • And Jesus has begun His work of turning this fallen world back to God and showing people the value of their lives.
Could you pack any more substance into that brief, but powerful, Encounter??!!

For Sister Mary Elizabeth’s Nameday this year, we decided to watch a movie called “Peanut Butter Falcon.” (FYI… It is PG-13 due to strong language.) It is the story of young man, Zac, with Downs Syndrome. Abandoned by his family and a ward of the state, he is placed in a nursing home for elderly people. The social worker in the movie literally says, “we had no place else to put him.” While the movie depicts delightful, supportive relationships between Zac and the other residents of the nursing home, he clearly is not in the right place, and he knows it. He has dreams and goals, and every intention of accomplishing them.


Thus comes another Encounter… Zac manages to escape the nursing home in the middle of the night and hides on a boat owned by Tyler, a guy who is grieving the loss of his brother and has made some very bad decisions. He is running for his life. The two are headed in the same direction and thus make for unlikely travelling companions. While at face value, Zac is the one who needs Tyler to make it… Zac has no clothes, no money, and lacks the resources to find his way. On a deeper level, Tyler is the one who is lost. And when he Encounters the inherent dignity and goodness within Zac, Tyler begins to heal and find his way. Throughout the story, Tyler is protecting and providing for Zac, but in the end, Zac saves Tyler’s life, on multiple levels.


Here at the Mother of Good Counsel Home, I see the beauty of Encounter every day. We have one resident with dementia who repeats certain mantras all day long… “Lord, help me…” or “Lord, I need Your mercy most…” We have another resident who prays the “Hail Mary” again and again for long periods of time. We have residents who express their gratitude in such heartfelt and sincere ways. I could go on and on with examples. What a beautiful experience to be in such an environment!! These residents, even though some may not be aware, provide an Encounter for us that elevates and transforms. In serving them, they are the ones deeply impacting us and drawing our hearts to God.

Every Encounter is pregnant with possibility, with an eternal moment that can impact the rest of our lives. Like Mary, Elizabeth, Zac, and Tyler, may we be open to the mystery, the invitation, within each Encounter.

In His Merciful Heart,

Sister M. Anselma, FSGM

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