Praying during the Pandemic

I knew, eventually, I could no longer ignore that persistent little voice within urging me to write a blog about praying. I do not mean writing about praying per se, but about praying during this pandemic. Don’t worry, I am not about to write a dissertation or manual about prayer. People much better equipped than I am have literally written millions of books about prayer.  In my small eclectic collection of prayer books and books about prayer, you can find the writings of Joyce Rupp, Thomas Merton, Margaret Silf, Anne Lamott, Anthony Bloom, Nan Merrill, and others.  I also have a copy of the impressive anthology, Prayers for a Thousand Years.

During my forty-plus years as a Missionary Sister, I have done a fair amount of praying.  Yes, there is a time for everything. There is a time for “doing praying” as we do in formal communal prayer.  People gather and pray in groups in a vast array of different ways. Think of the Sufi Whirling Dervishes who whirl in communal prayer, on the one hand, and the sedate prayer form practiced by those who prefer the Taizé form of prayer or the contemplative prayer of women and men in religious communities, in small groups, and by individuals around the world.

“prayer is not a contest but, “a doorway … into thanks and a silence in which another voice may speak.””

Mostly, we tend to use words when we pray, and therein lies the rub.  I should think all of us have experienced how easily words can be misunderstood.  However, I would think we have also experienced how loudly and clearly silence can speak.  In her poem Praying, the wonderful poet Mary Oliver concludes that when we pray there is no need for elaborate words.  For her, prayer is simply patching a few words together since prayer is not a contest but, “a doorway … into thanks and a silence in which another voice may speak.”

Some might say this is an oversimplification of prayer.  I, however, have come to view her description of prayer as a wonderful invitation to pause and pray as we are, where we are.  It confirms what I discovered long ago; prayer is more listening than speaking with God. While musing and praying during these pandemic times of quarantines and lockdown, I have often thought how apt these words by C. S. Lewis are, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”  I would say during this pandemic God is doing a great deal of shouting, a shouting which seems to fall on deaf ears, unless we spend time in “a silence in which another voice may speak.”  God shouting during these days of the pandemic may not only threaten to burst our eardrums; for many this pandemic is more a space to doubt God or prayer.  When we do listen, underneath the “shouts in our pains”, and easily missed, we will hear that small, still voice reaching into our hearts. It is only when we pause in silence and listen attentively, and not turn a deaf ear, that we may hear what God is really saying to us during this graced time of enormous global and personal upheaval.

““God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” - C. S. Lewis”

None of us is immune to the impact of this dreadful pandemic nor remains untouched by it in every aspect of our lives.  It most certainly has touched and transformed the way I have communed with God during these past six months. Yes, at times these weeks and months have been incredibly challenging, however they have also been surprisingly graced.  In her book on prayer, “Help, Thanks,Wow” Anne Lamott offers us her insight into grace, “I do not understand the mystery of grace -- only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found us.” Indeed, so true.  Whether I sit silently on my balcony bathed in the early morning light or in the glow of a candle at the end of the day, these intimate moments of mostly silent communing with God, these times of prayer are a great source of comfort and strength.  Here, grace has met me and has not left me where I was.

- Sr. Magdalena Vogt, CPS

Praying

It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.

Mary Oliver, Thirst, Beacon Press 2006

With Gratitude in Our Hearts

I am delighted that Canadian Thanksgiving occurs amidst the glories of autumn.   Fall has a beauty all its own.  During my morning walks, I’m in awe of the amazing changes occurring all around me.  The sun is still warm on my skin but there is a pungent smell in the air as trees begin to change their leaves from green to yellow, orange, and red. The sumac wears her crimson gown. Roses fade while asters, zinnias, and fall flowers show their purples, rusts, and golden hues. It reminds me of the school fair displays of flowers long ago. Grass grows longer and dew covers the lawn.  Overhead, I imagine the chirping birds are telling each other it’s time to fly south to the warmer climes.  Even the resident turkeys are keeping their distance from us these days.

Often, the autumn scene causes me to break into a quiet song as I wander throughout the neighbourhood.  Thanksgiving hymns from my childhood that are still sung today rise spontaneously from deep within my being.  I find the famous, “Now Thank We All Our God” surfacing and “For the Beauty of the Earth” giving voice to my elation.  Sometimes, it’s “God Created Earth and Heaven”; other times it’s “How Great Thou Art.”  No, I don’t forget The Old 100th tune, “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow.”

““With gratitude in your hearts, sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God” (Colossians 3:16).”

I think I’m in good company with autumn praise. St. Paul himself encourages us by exhorting, “With gratitude in your hearts, sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God” (Colossians 3:16).  Probably, you too, often respond to thanksgiving with song. Whether alone or in smaller groups to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, let us remember that God’s blessings are abundant and renewed each day and in every season of our life.

- Sister Jean Moylan, csj

In the Spirit of Gratitude and Hope

As the celebration of Thanksgiving approaches, I write to you in a spirit of gratitude and hope. At this time of year, it can sometimes seem like a time of loss, as we see trees and gardens completing their summer cycle. In the midst of COVID, this sense might be heightened.

In the past two weeks, I have harvested my vegetables and flower seeds. I have been filled with gratitude for the food I have been able to share. As I have picked cranberries, both high bush, and low bush, I have been grateful for the quiet, reflective time in the silence of the trees. Thanksgiving filled my heart as I remembered the beauty of each flower that graced my yard this summer.

In collecting seeds from some of the flowers, I experienced a sense of hope as I looked at the tiny seeds, and knew the potential each seed held in bringing new life and beauty next summer. I smiled the other day as I sat reflecting from my recliner. Looking out the front window, I was surprised to see a small sunflower blooming on the edge of the riverbank. With a closer look, there were two more sunflower plants growing. No doubt, a bird or squirrel had dropped the seeds. Such potential of new life!

Walking through the backyard a few weeks ago, I noticed a delicate, soft, cream coloured pansy in full bloom, growing away from all the other flower beds. It caused me to ponder, what an unlikely place to grow; how did it land here; how did it survive my footsteps?

We have each been blessed with the fruits of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.These are our seeds to sow; our gifts to share. Which particular gift is yours to share? During these days of COVID our works and presence in our communities may be altered, and yet we are still called individually and as a group of dedicated women, to be witnesses to our values or pillars of faith, service and justice. Where might our seeds fall? How might my gift give life to another? I may never know.

Blessings, Sister Margaret Ann Beaudette, csj

In the gift of this new day,

In the gift of the present moment,

In the gift of time and eternity entwined

Let me be thankful

Let me be attentive

Let me be open to what has never happened before…

Taken from Sounds of the Eternal: A Celtic Psalter, Morning and Night Prayer, J.Philip Newell

"Tensions and Tragedy": World Day Against The Death Penalty

On March 15, 2018, the State of Georgia executed Carlton Michael Gary, for the crimes of rape and murder. The case against Gary was based on the flimsy and conflicting evidence of an “eye witness” and a claim that he had confessed although no documentation of the alleged confession existed. Ultimately, it was shown that a dental mold ordered by lawyers, the size of a footprint found at the scene of the crime, and DNA evidence excluded Gary. In Gary’s unsuccessful petition for clemency, Gary’s lawyers stated that “we are not talking about questionable recanting witnesses who came forward long after the trial, but hard physical evidence of innocence.” Nonetheless, the execution of Gary went ahead.

October 10 marks the 18th “World Day Against the Death Penalty” (capital punishment). The day, supported by numerous world governments, the European Union, the United Nations, Amnesty International, and many NGOs, calls on all people to oppose the death penalty, globally and in all cases.

The following reasons are given by those who call for the abolition of the death penalty:

• The inherent possibility of mistakes being made by the justice system whereby innocent persons may be condemned to death. The example of the case described briefly above illustrates this point. Globally, there is compelling evidence that wrongful executions occur and not infrequently. There is also evidence that confessions are often derived from torture.

• The practice is inhumane and rather than bringing justice for brutal crimes it perpetuates a cycle of violence.

• The act is irreversible, leaving no possibility for repentance or forgiveness.

• The death penalty is ineffective in deterring violent crime.

• Importantly, the death penalty is disproportionately applied to the poor, visible minorities, and marginalized groups.

• Often, little attention is paid to the existence of mental illness and cognitive challenges in the perpetrators.

Sister Helen Prejean

Sister of St. Joseph, Helen Prejean, makes the point that “if we believe that murder is wrong and not admissible in our society, then it has to be wrong for everyone, not just individuals but governments as well. Sister Helen continues, “people are more than the worst thing they have done.” These words guide her ministry with people on “death row” as depicted in the powerful book and movie, based on a true story, “Dead Man Walking”.

Sister Helen’s words, however, may give rise to moral tension in us especially when we look upon heinous crimes, particularly murder, often committed against children, adolescents with so much promise in their lives, and seniors.

In “Dead Man Walking”, we see Sister Helen facing such moral tension.  Lloyd Le Blanc, the father of a teenage boy murdered alongside his young girlfriend, challenges Sister Helen. Lloyd reprimands her for not speaking out for the victims and their families. His excruciating pain moves Sister Helen profoundly. She reflects upon and questions her position and above all, she reaches out to Lloyd and his family with deep compassion. She does, not, however, alter her pastoral care for the alleged perpetrator, Patrick Sonnier whose own poverty and sad life speak volumes. For Sister Helen, “mercy is stronger and more God-like than vengeance.”

Interestingly, it is Lloyd LeBlanc who witnesses so convincingly to this. In the book, we read that when he was taken to view the body of his son, he knelt by him and prayed the Lord’s prayer. As he reached the line, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”, he added, “whoever did this, I forgive them.” Said in one moment, Lloyd continues to struggle to live out that forgiveness day by day. In his actions, he bears witness to it. He provides financial support for Sister Helen’s ongoing work, he regularly prays not only for his son but also for the Sonnier family, even comforting Sonnier’s mother on her deathbed. What Lloyd shows us is that while punishment is necessary, revenge and the death penalty are not the answer.

Together with others, many religious traditions echo this. The Roman Catholic Church has, in recent years, moved to the abolition of the death penalty. In line with his ever-evolving “consistent ethic of life” position, Pope John Paul II was clear on the issue. He stated, “A sign of hope is the increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must never be taken away even in the case of someone who has done great evil. Modern society has the means of protecting itself without definitively denying criminals the chance of reform. I appeal for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary.”

In his Encyclical (letter) entitled, Fratelli Tutti signed just a few days ago (October 3), Pope Francis follows in his predecessor’s footsteps now categorically stating that the death penalty is a “false answer” that “ultimately does no more than introduce new elements of destruction in the fabric of national and global society”. Francis thus, “calls upon all Christians and people of goodwill to work for the abolition of the death penalty.”

Today, The World Day for the Abolition of the Death Penalty, October 10, provides us all no matter our background, religious or not, to work together for this end.

Sister Mary Rowell, CSJ