Regine Fanning - Spirit Script

Advance Praise for Spirit Script

A Down-to-Earth Guide to the Things of Heaven

Your reflections are both spiritually provocative and practically helpful. Many will find your book a down-to-earth guide to heaven.

Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I.

Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago

A Prayer for the 21st Century

Regine Fanning has written a book that should be a staple in the library of anyone seeking to slow down and tap into the sacred in the everyday. She uses the Psalms as a springboard for prayer, knowing full well that these ancient texts also contain more action, more drama, and more plot twists than the latest movie . She knows fully well that the Psalms are the Rosetta Stone to understanding the human condition. And when we understand ourselves, we can lead a more contemplative, and, therefore, more meaningful, life. This is wisdom offered in bite sizes that can be savored at an airport, riding a commuter train, or sitting at home in a comfortable chair with a candle and incense burning. It is prayer for the toll collector and the computer analyst, the homemaker and the securities trader, the seeker and the already devout. It is prayer for the 21st century.

Judith Valente

Judith Valente is a journalist, poet, and essayist. She is an on-air correspondent for Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly on PBS-TV, the author of the anthology Twenty Poems to Nourish Your Soul and two collections of poetry.

Engaging in a Simple, Yet Profound Way

Regines Spirit Script: Praying with the Psalms is a lovely, poetic, gentle text that is highly readable and engaging in a simple, yet profound way. She certainly wrote for a general audience and the accessible language is highly an invitation to anyone interested in pausing with the Psalms and discovering how God writes on our human hearts. I was reminded of the powerful phrase about the deep truths of faith: ancient, ever new.

In a gentle, poetic flow, each motif in Spirit Script is a unique threshold to the ancient treasure trove of the Psalms. Sister Regines simple elegance of method provides readers of all ages a user-friendly access to the mystery of encounter with holiness in the everyday.

Avis Clendenen

Avis Clendenen is the author of Experiencing Hildegard and coauthor with Sister Irene Dugan, r.c. of Love is All Around in Disguise: Mediations for Spiritual Seekers . Currently, she is Professor of Religious Studies and Pastoral Ministry Institute Director at Saint Xavier University, Chicago.

Aid to Any Adults Prayer Life

I found the work to be delightful and inspirational. While meant for the homebound, it really would serve as a fine meditative guide and aid to any adults prayer life. A mixture of scripture resources, reflections, and poetry, it lifts mind and spirit in prayer and praise. Wisely mixing prayer, reflection, and action, it leads one ever deeper to an encounter with God. It appeals to a busy person, to Come and see, and rest awhile, while directing them back to their real and active world. I happily and highly recommend Spirit Script to anyone seeking to expand and deepen their prayer life, or to spark their life of prayer back to life again.

Rev William T. Corcoran, Ph.D

Rev William T. Corcoran, Ph.D. is Pastor, St. Linus Parish, Oak Lawn, Illinois, Dean of Deanery D, Vicariate V, Archdiocese of Chicago

Substance

In an age that is addicted to superficiality, Sister Regine offers us substance. In our world, where faster is better, she invites us into the quiet places in our souls where God dwells. In a culture that craves excitement, this gifted teacher takes us into that quiet, still place within us where we learn to listen to the voice of God. I highly recommend this little book to all who are seeking a more intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Michael J Sparough, SJ

Michael J. Sparough latest book is Whats Your Decision? co-authored with Fr. Tim Hipskind, SJ and Jim Manney. He is Founder of Charis Ministries, Jesuit outreach to young adults in their twenties and thirties and Fountain Square Fools, a religious performing arts troupe.

Refreshing and Delightful

Refreshing and delightful! Poignant and to the point! With few words and a lifetime of experience, the author takes you on a journey through ordinary life with carefully selected psalms as stopping places along the way. Originally written for the homebound, Spirit Script carries a message for us allthere are treasures in our midst, and the age-old wisdom of the psalms is one of them!

Mary Ruth Broz, RSM

Mary Ruth Broz, RSM is on the Staff of Portiuncula Retreat Center in Frankfort, Illinois. She co-authored the book, Midwives of an Unnamed Future: A Spirituality for Women in Times of Unprecedented Change.

Copyright 2015 by Regine Fanning, RSM. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.

No portion of this book may be reproduced mechanically, electronically, or by any other means, including photocopying, without written permission of the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it on a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission from the publisher.

Bible Verses from The New American Bible

An Imprint of Love Your Life Publishing
427 N Tatnall Street, #90946
Wilmington, DE

636-922-2634

Printed in the United States of America
First Printing 2015

Authors Note

To name the I Am.

To dream the impossible dream!

As surely as you try to name our God, so do I. Two of my favorite names are: The God of Surprises and Extravagant God.

There have been many instances in my life that make both names believable. This book is the latest.

Spirit Script began in 1994. My original intent was a newsletter as a way of companioning for the homebound, one on one, monthly by mail.

Because of a promotion in the magazine Praying , Spirit Script grew, reaching readers in twenty-five states. With the final edition in December 2005, Spirit Script had a circulation of 500 and included the homebound, hospitals, parishes and otherslike you.

My decision to conclude Spirit Script came after much prayer to the Holy Spirit. I was at peace with its conclusion. However, the God of Surprises, through the inspiration and ingenuity of Alyce Christensen and Eileen McGuire, proposed a way to continue Spirit Script . The result is this copy.

The blessings embracing this Spirit Script project are apparent. It is truly an impossible dream become a reality. Thanks to Alyce and Eileen, and their generosity of spirit, time and talent, we present to you a new edition of Spirit Script . A special thanks to Daniel Trompeter, who typed fourteen years of Spirit Script material, forging the way for this book.

Blessings for Life in the Spirit!

Regine Fanning, RSM

Contents

Know the God who created you.

Discover how the Spirit energizes us in unbelievable ways

Create a new heart, a new spirit within you: Gods promise

Look deeper into who you are.

Turn nothing into a shimmering day with God.

Sing: To sing is to pray twice.

Discover Jesus throughout the Churchs liturgical seasons.

Discover Jesus throughout the Churchs liturgical seasons.

Introduction

Most of us learned Gods name at the knees of our parents. Then, some awesome, some doubtful, and even some scary ideas about God evolved as we grew up and began to question authority.