The Annals of Saint Anne - Summary
September-October 2026
Editorial by François-Marie Héraud
To Be Filled with Wonder
The Beatitudes are the path Christ offers to lead us to true happiness. They are like a prism through which we can view our lives. Humility and poverty shape our way of seeing things differently, not so that we may seek power, possessions, and pleasure, but so that we may learn to appreciate what comes from God and what truly has value.
“Christ cannot be owned. He does not belong to us. He gives Himself. He is grace. He comes and He goes; He is here, and then He is no longer here.” (Marie-Joseph Conruyt)
Is this not also true of our own lives? We want so much to possess, constantly pursuing wealth, fame, and places of honour. Yet nothing ever seems to be enough. Our desires continually lead us to want more and more. And one day, we shall leave everything behind. We shall depart, taking none of these things with us when we are called back to God.
“If you knew the gift of God.”
(John 4:10)
The Parable of the Rich Fool gives us a striking perspective. A rich man had a property that had produced a great harvest. He rejoiced and began planning for the future, when he would finally be able to rest and enjoy life. “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God.” (Luke 12:20–21)
So, how can we become rich in the eyes of God? How can we reap this very different kind of treasure? Perhaps we must first change the way we see and the way we think. For in the end, there is nothing we can do to deserve or earn this gift. It is given to us. We simply need to welcome it and accept it. That is where the real challenge lies: recognizing that this gift comes from God. This requires a profound awakening of the heart and a deep faith.
Here, as with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, we must allow ourselves to be surprised, to be filled with awe and wonder at an unexpected encounter. When Christ says to the Samaritan woman, “Give me a drink” (John 4:7), she is surprised and enters into dialogue with Him. This conversation will lead her to believe in Him when He tells her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” (John 4:10)
Let us, in our turn, dare to be filled with wonder at the beauty of nature, at a smile, at a gesture of kindness and tenderness. These simple things will gradually train our eyes and our hearts to recognize the most extraordinary of gifts, the greatest of wonders: the life that we have received, freely and completely as a gift from God. Then, perhaps, we shall begin to truly understand and savour Christ’s words: “If you knew the gift of God.”
United in prayer!
___________________________________________________
Charles Duval, C.Ss.R., – Archbishop of Grouard-McLennan
Noticing What Others Do Not See
Wonder is another of those saintly qualities which I have spoken about before. It is the gift of seeing what others overlook and allowing ourselves to be moved by what God is doing in creation, in the lives of others, and in our own hearts. It is easy to be captivated by extraordinary events and remarkable achievements. Yet it is a grace to delight in the ordinary moments of everyday life, in quiet acts of love, and in the smallest of things. God is present there as well, often even more so than in the things that attract everyone’s attention.
Just as those who can laugh at themselves will never run out of reasons to smile, those who have learned to marvel will never cease to be amazed.
God longs to share an intimate relationship with each of His children. Yet He remains gentle and discreet, never forcing Himself upon us. For the Almighty, there is a kind of divine restraint in allowing His human creatures to remain completely free to love Him in return. We so often assume that we must somehow earn His love, His grace, or His blessings. After all, who am I that God should care for me? (Psalm 8)
“As we learn to live with hearts attentive to God’s voice and eyes alert to His presence, we begin to recognize that He truly is at work in our world. He walks beside us.”
Surely there must be a catch. It cannot really be that simple. And yet, it is. The real struggle is not in entering into a relationship with God. It is in resisting our fallen nature, which constantly pulls us away from Him; the spirit of the world, which seeks to discourage us; and the Enemy, who will do everything possible to break that communion. Day after day, we are invited to choose to remain close to Him and to protect that intimate relationship with Him.
As we learn to live with hearts attentive to God’s voice and eyes alert to His presence, we begin to recognize that He truly is at work in our world. He walks beside us. This attentiveness is itself a grace, a grace that we need only ask for, because God is always ready to give it.
Without this spirit of wonder, Elizabeth might never have recognized the significance of John the Baptist leaping in her womb, revealing to her that the Messiah was present in the womb of her cousin Mary. (Luke 1:42–43) Without it, Peter could never have proclaimed to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16) Saint Anne and Saint Joachim might have surrendered to discouragement during their years of childlessness. Saint Francis of Assisi would never have left everything behind to answer God’s call to rebuild the Church. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux would never have discovered her Little Way. And countless men and women might lose faith in a God who appears to remain silent.
Let us, then, open our eyes. Let us become attentive. Let us allow ourselves to be filled with wonder by all that God does.
