PLAY – I Dare You!

“Where there is play, there is infinite possibilities.” A number of commercials are really pushing the idea of “play” trying to release us into the outdoors and away from our electric gadgets. These commercials bring us back to the golden years of our childhood (at least those of us who are seventy and more). 

Remember skipping, double Dutch, marbles, street hockey (when cars didn’t drive fast and were willing to move over), baseball games (including kids and parents), hide and seek, especially after the street lights came on. Coaches were parents sitting on the porch, hollering encouragement and refereeing.

Unfortunately much of our time has been taken over by gadgets that serve to exercise only our fingers. Chores use to be decided by rock, paper, scissors, not by lists on the computer. You didn’t need watches because when the street lights came on, it was time to come in and play a game of cards or checkers, with the radio playing (“The Shadow Knows” or “The Green Hornet”) in the background.

Summer is running away from us. Outdoor play is not just for children.  How can we play outdoors (running bases is kind of out)? Walking, sitting on the porch and playing “I spy”, maybe use a two wheel bike.  Even sit out in the fresh air chatting with some friends. Let’s exercise the infinite possibility of play. Don’t let the rapid movement of summer rob you of playtime.

If we turn the ‘L’ in play to an ‘R’, it becomes pray. Pray also has possibilities. Let’s combine the two activities pray and play! Won’t God be pleasantly surprised!

Sr. Barbara Vaughan

Outside, Inside the Box Thinking

"In God’s Womb: A Journey with yourself and God."

 When I first read Edwina Gately’s words on the flyer advertising her day of retreat, I was somewhat overwhelmed.  To be a co-creator of God!  A tall order, or as Edwina writes ‘an enormous task.’ However, I wanted to learn more about co-creating with God. I mean, really, God needs me to help God create?

From the time Edwina was introduced that Saturday morning at Kings College, I knew I was in for a treat. It immediately was evident that this wise woman, whom some call a mystic, and who has travelled the world, has vast experience.

Her unique manner of presentation, and her wonderful sense of humour were evident from the moment she began our day together. We all instantly knew it would be a day of great soul food which would also challenge our minds. She was definitely going to invite us to think outside the box. When she invited us “to look at all that has gone before us, and to recognize that each one of us, however small, has a unique task in co-creation” my heart nearly skipped a beat. So what is this task of each one of us? 

As I continue to reflect, Edwina’s latest book of poetry Soul Whispers inspires me to continue to look outside the box, deep within myself. Just as the healthy food inside our lunch box sustained me that day, Edwina’s image of my life’s journey inside God’s womb, is in the forefront of my mind, and tucked into my heart. Her question ‘who is God for you’ still resonates within. Instantly I recall the image of God I used to have. In my younger years God and happiness were never synonymous. God was a stern judge … ’do as you’re told, be obedient’ are words that used to echo through my soul. Thankfully I no longer have this image. 

Edwina’s suggestion to see God as a great seducer, ever inviting me deeper into a journey of intimacy, has stayed with me. Along with caterpillars, the sod, the animals, the birds, every man and woman I am part of an interconnected interrelated cosmos. In God’s womb we are one. As a co-creator, God has mandated me, all of us, to care not only for the dear neighbour, but for our common home, mother earth. In light of the recently published encyclical Laudato Si by Pope Francis, I renew my personal commitment to be a loyal faithful co-creator of God’s wonderful earth.

Loretta Hagen, csj

Personal Resurrections and Empty Tombs

On occasion, my friends have commented that my mind sometimes has a way of seeing things with a unique twist. The subject of this blog might be a case in point. Thinking ahead on the Resurrection and the empty tomb, this thought came to me.

Perhaps the empty tomb is an apt symbol for that inner space within oneself which holds the memory of hurts now healed. There’s no denying the reality of painful experiences. In truth, the journey to healing is one’s own resurrection experience. Through healing, the painful memories are quieted but not forgotten. We are set free from their hold on us. We find ourselves more alive. Such is the Good News we can celebrate this Easter.

Nancy Wales CSJ

From Lent to Easter and Winter to Spring: The Journey of Hope and Promise

We are journeying through the Easter Triduum. We are looking forward to Easter and spring with all the hope that accompanies the liturgical season and the natural season – both times during which we celebrate resurrection and new life. The Paschal Mystery celebrated in our churches and reflected so clearly in the “nature of things” – of all created life, reminds us of continuity and wholeness:  cross AND resurrection, winter AND spring.

This Lent I have been reflecting on (and trying to practice) some ways in which our traditional Lenten practices have been “greened” in churches.  Four years ago, for example, parts of the Anglican Church proposed that rather than fasting from usual things like chocolate or other favourite food items, members consider participating in a carbon fast. Examples included carpooling or taking public transport or being more careful with the use of electricity, shopping for local produce and resisting items from far away requiring long-distance transportation to our supermarkets. All of these practices were recommended in light of the urgent call to Christians to respond to the devastating consequences of climate change.

The following Lent, the Roman Catholic bishops of England and Wales recommended a return to Friday fast and abstinence. This was not solely about the externals of a former “Catholic identity” but was closely linked to current environmental considerations. In particular, the conference of bishops suggested that abstinence from meat at least one day each week during Lent as well as being a “spiritual discipline” reminds us that the over-consumption, especially in wealthier countries, of red meat leads to environmentally problematic farming practices and a reduction in grain so necessary to feed the hungry worldwide. 

What was of special interest in the Catholic bishops’ recommendations was the proposal that the practice of Friday fast and abstinence be continued beyond Lent. The Lenten practices were about forming new habits spiritually, or conversion, that could be linked closely to ongoing contributions to wellbeing in the world. So rather than putting a “damper” on our Easter celebrations perhaps some reflection on traditional Lenten practices might lead us to a “green conversion” that will truly allow us and the world to rejoice in new life. What if my prayer became a contemplative prayer of thanksgiving and rejoicing in the gift creation? What if my lifestyle were such that my “fasting” from some things becomes “almsgiving” for the wellbeing of the environment and my poorer neighbours? This truly would be a celebration of resurrection:  Lent into Easter, winter into spring, love for life!

Mary Rowell, CSJ

Here we are, moving through the last week of Lent. How the time has flown!

We realize that Lent is a special time to reflect. I hope you managed to build into your day some quiet space to just “be” and listen to your deep self and to your God. The readings from the Christian scriptures, up until now, would lead us to see that these four weeks have been all about us – God inviting us to a change of heart, mind, and soul. Four weeks ago, we were invited to fast, pray, give alms and learn to empty ourselves of some gratifications, some excesses, so as to have more space for new life.

This fifth week and into Easter is all about Jesus and His faith-filled response to Abba, Father.

I am struck by the steadiness and stability of Jesus’ focus as He moves toward Calvary. In my quiet time one morning recently, I learned some helpful lessons from nature. As I looked out our large window onto the river nearby, I thought about the stability of nature. The sun comes up always, the moon and stars appear at regular times, the trees and bushes can be counted on to be in their places. These are symbols of our God who can be counted on, no matter what. God’s power is the power of love.

As Jesus climbs the hill of Calvary and sees the cross, we too can sense the power of this coming week as we live it with Him. We ask, like the kids on a family trip, “Are we there yet?”  No, we are not, because the graces of this week are a work in progress. Our vulnerability is caught up in Jesus’, but we know we are the Beloved of God, cherished far beyond our understanding. And so I pray the Way of the Cross, asking for the grace to appreciate more deeply the surrender of Jesus to His mission on behalf of me.

Elizabeth Berrigan, CSJ