Today is the anniversary of the death of St. Julie Billiart, foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. While this is not the community to which I belong, we do claim St. Julie as our spiritual mother and so consider ourselves "cousins." Our own foundress was deeply influenced by the spirituality of St. Julie and so I am most grateful for the spiritual patrimony she has shared with the Church.

While much can certainly be said about St. Julie, the characteristic of her life by which she is most commonly known is her recognition of the goodness of God. Amidst the great sufferings and trials of her life, she was consistently able to exclaim "How good is the good God!" The deep joy that grows out of this sense of gratitude for God's goodness has earned her the title "The Smiling Saint."

As I consider this spiritual heritageI've received from St. Julie, I'm encouraged and challenged to be more firmly rooted in my awareness of God's goodness. This good God will never fail me and desires only my best as He accompanies me through each and every day. Indeed, how good is the good God!