Presence, Grace, and Gift

Sean came to live with me in late December 2020. His mother passed away about 9 years ago when she was 45 years old due to complications from juvenile diabetes. Prior to that, Sean lived with his step-father in Chatham.

Sean is 35 years old and has Cerebral Palsy and is on the spectrum for autism.  Sean functions cognitively around the age of 8-10 years old.

I went to pick up Sean to come live with me on Dec 24, 2020 following the death of his step-dad from pneumonia. Sean’s only sibling passed away suddenly a few years ago at the age of 32, which left Sean with no immediate family except a grandma and grandpa who are elderly and unable to have Sean live with them.  Sean is not able to live alone due to his cognitive abilities. Sean’s biological father is “not in the picture”.

Sean has taught and continues to teach and remind me of so many priceless and valuable life lessons.  For example, Sean is simple and simply lives in the present moment. He doesn’t worry or have anxieties: he simply lives in the present moment.  When his mother, brother, and step-dad passed away, Sean would say that “they are in heaven now watching over us”.

If you ask Sean today, he would say that he is living his best life through God’s grace. He loves camp and loves to help out.  I am convinced an angel, the Holy Spirit, all of the above was looking out for Sean as he immediately landed a volunteer position at an overnight camp where he works in the kitchen. He gets to stay overnight in a cabin he shares with other staff members. The staff are so good to him, they include Sean in after work activities and treat him as an equal.  Sean came from the Chatham area where his step-dad worked and Sean had some experience working as custodial in a factory on modified duties and later in a marine shop.  Sean graduated from a special college program that provides life skills and specialized classes to students with special needs. When Sean lived in the country near Chatham, he would watch TV or listen to music and had little contact socializing with others due to the country setting.

“ I am convinced an angel, the Holy Spirit, all of the above was looking out for Sean ”

The camp director tells me that we need more people like Sean: he is on time for work every day, always completes all chores/tasks and he takes pride in the work he does in the kitchen and shows others how to use the industrial size dishwasher.  Sean never complains and he never asks for anything. 

I am truly grateful for the gift of Sean’s presence through the grace of God.  I am reminded to slow down, not to judge others, not to complain, and to see life as true gift from God.

Sean is a gift from God and during Advent and Christmas, I continue to reflect on Sean’s purpose in life and how and why he entered mine.

-Julie Angiolillo

A Special Celebration

A Special Celebration This Year

There were twenty of us aged 5 to 91 years, Muslim, Buddhist and Christian gathered for the first time after COVID to celebrate being with one another again or meeting each other for the first time.  These were refugees associated with the Sisters of St Joseph Refugee Committee in Hamilton as well as members of the Committee.

We went around the circle and asked what each was looking forward to over the holiday time.  One woman said, ‘being with friends like you’ before tears began rolling down her cheeks.  Another woman and her son were relieved after becoming permanent residents seven years after arriving in Canada.  At this time last year, they had their plane tickets as they were being deported back to their home country even though they feared for their safety should that have happened. We are so thankful that those circumstances changed and we were able to celebrate together this year!

Everyone brought some food, and the variety was amazing.  Games were played with the biggest hit being the old-fashioned game of Musical Chairs.  Much laughter ensued.

I have the privilege of being included in many celebrations with family and other friends but this particular celebration will hold a very special place in my heart.

Image: Unsplash/Kolby Milton

May we all find and spread joy with being with others, whoever those ‘others’ may be.  This is truly the joy and hope that God promises.

-Sister Nancy Sullivan, CSJ

The Incarnation: God With Us

On this last Sunday of Advent, Matthew’s Gospel presents a synopsis of how the birth of Jesus the Christ took place.  It focuses on Joseph’s visit from an angel who revealed that his wife Mary was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. This unusual occurrence came to be known as the Incarnation.  The word Incarnation, as it is known in Christianity, if capitalized, is the union of divinity with humanity in Jesus Christ.  (Wikipedia)

During an hour of exposition of the Blessed Sacrament recently, I was overcome thinking about the Incarnation.  In Spanish, incarnation means “flesh”. God has taken on flesh and is one of us. During prayer, I was overwhelmed that Jesus would put on flesh and be born a human being.  How awesome that God would find a way to send His Son, as scripture explains, by overshadowing Mary. The baby who would be born would be the Son of the Most High.

Throughout the centuries. Christmas has been associated with the birth of Jesus, Mary’s son. Is Christmas only a one-day celebration and then we let it go?  Oh no! Jesus is an ongoing Incarnation. Every time we imitate Jesus and have faith in Him, He is born again and again.  On the cusp of Christmas, Advent reminds us of the Incarnation of God’s abiding presence.  Jesus continues to be born every time His presence leads us to imitate Him.

The late Thomas Keating, Cistercian monk and noted spiritual writer, in his book, Awakenings, refers to the Incarnation:

“God has become

one of us and is breathing our air”…  Through His humanity, the whole universe has become divine… By becoming a human being, He is in the heart of all creation and in every part of it”.  (AW, 95-97)

Incarnation, what an amazing Christmas gift!

-Sister Joan McMahon, CSJ

Accounting for One’s Hope

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Peter 3:15

We might find ourselves at times somewhat hesitant to answer this soul-searching question posed in 1 Peter 3:15. Yet, being ready to give an accounting for one’s hope has the power to ground us. Furthermore, I trust it has the potential to be life-giving for others.

Regarding hope, a newly published book by Maude Barlow caught my attention. As an avid bookworm, how could I resist adding it to my library? The writer is a well- known Canadian activist and author. She openly admits in the first sentence of the introduction that she has been contemplating the notion of hope for a long time. In her book, Still Hopeful: Lessons from a Lifetime of Activism, Barlow, without hesitation, eloquently delivers the reasoning behind her hopefulness amid global trauma.

The author relays her life experiences during her forty plus years as a social activist. She was active politically during the struggle for the expansion of women’s rights, the battle against free trade and globalization, and the global fight for water justice. Her recollections transport the reader through the twisting, slow course of societal transformation while conveying the lessons she has learned in the process. Barlow provides the reader with 223 pages of wisdom and encouragement. Woven within her engaging storytelling are eight cameo appearances of other notable changemakers who answer the question, “Where do you find hope?” Together with Barlow, they contribute an antidote to the temptation to succumb to a growing sense of universal pessimism.

At right, Maude Barlow being interviewed about Still Hopeful: Lessons from a Lifetime of Activism and here is a link to a wonderful 4-minute interview on Global News.

 -Sister Nancy Wales, CSJ