Did you watch the Oscars last Sunday?

Did you watch the Oscars last Sunday? What razzle and dazzle, the stage was radiant with sparkling light and the voices rang out in proclamation “And the award goes to”.  Well wait till you hear the Gospel proclamation for Sunday the Second Week of Lent – here is a description of another amazing experience of dazzlingly light and a voice proclaiming “This is my Beloved; listen to him”.  Just before this extraordinary experience, Jesus and three of his good friends had trekked up a high mountain peak: made a huge effort to arrive at this sacred space where no one knew what would occur, what the results would be. But then a flash of dazzlingly light and words of intimate conviction! An extraordinary revelation! A vision that clarified and claimed Jesus as the beloved of God. 

The Oscars may honour the extreme effort and talent of cast and crew, writer and artistic designer, composer and special effects. But the Gospel passage invites us into contemplating what this transforming scene might mean for each of us faith filled pilgrims in our daily life, far from the hype of TV cameras.

Circumstances like this are rare for most of us. I am not quite sure how I would react. But we are told in other gospel renderings that the three on-lookers were so engaged that they wanted to stay – to sustain this mysterious joy? In spite of their response Jesus urged them to move on and not to say a word about what was revealed.

And yet our world needs to know that such amazing love is beckoning us. At a time when the earth and its people are in much need of healing, is not this tale important to tell?

The passage tells us that the four returned to the ordinary ways of life, eating and drinking at table with the sick, the fragile, the broken, the lost. Perhaps the invitation “Listen to him!” became a mantra for his friends, as Jesus welcomed the stranger, spoke words of comfort to those in sorrow, prayed for the release of disturbing illnesses of the mind.

Jay Cormier in reflecting on this passage suggests that: “The challenge of discipleship is to allow the love of God within us to “transfigure” despair into hope, sadness into joy, anguish into healing, estrangement into community.” Can we find that depth of amazing love, as gift within ourselves, and become the vessels for God to “transfigure” terror into beauty?

Loretta Manzara CSJ

Jay Cormier quotation from “Daily Reflections for Lent, Not by Bread Alone, 2010”, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN, page 29. Liturgical Press grants gratis permission for one-time use.

It Matters to Us!

How many of us really know our Canadian history?  In grades 5 and 6 we learned about John Cabot, Samuel de Champlain and others who arrived on our shores as explorers and claimed Canada for France and England.  However, are we really aware of what their conquering ways did to the Native Peoples who inhabited this wild, wind-swept and magnificent country?

The foreign invaders scooped up a wealth of furs and natural resources and brought settlers who introduced disease and pestilence. Land was bartered away in a series of treaty agreements that were ignored by the settlers.

Eventually, there ensued over a century of residential schools established by the government “to take the Indian out of the Indian”.  The residential school experience has left a huge black mark on the Canadian psyche.  Much healing needs to occur.

Today, most Canadians have heard about the Truth and Reconciliation Process which is an effort to bring healing and reconciliation among Aboriginal Peoples and Non-Aboriginals, the settlers of the present day. 

Come and join us on Tuesday, March 10^th and Wednesday, March 11^th at Western University’s Faculty of Education Building as we advance the work of transforming the legacy of residential schools.  Join us for an evening with well-known singer Susan Aglukark and the Sisters of All Nations Singers from Western University.  Be with us the following day to hear Wab Kinew one of “9 Aboriginal movers and shakers you should know” share his message of truth and healing.  Participate in workshops to facilitate learning about the residential school experience and our way forward.

Our conference promises to be an uplifting, healing experience.

All are welcome.  Click HERE for poster.  We would be happy to have you join us.

Jean Moylan, csj

A Lenten Journey in the Desert: “Living God, Quench My Thirst!”

Water is a tremendous gift! Call to your awareness your total dependency on water.  In every culture, water is a powerful metaphor for life. Water is associated with mystical experiences. Where is your favourite body of water and why does it hold a special place in your life?

During Lent, like the Israelites in the Book of Exodus, we are also led into the wilderness, where God speaks to our heart. In the dry wasteland of living out of our false self, we are asked to empty ourselves of all that clutters this landscape, so that there is space for God. We take an honest look at ourselves. In letting go of limiting forms of life, we can be filled with the fullness of authentic life in God. The way of the wilderness is the way to a renewed self. God will “satisfy your needs in parched places … you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.”  (Isaiah 58:11)

What is your experience of thirst for God? God invites us to: “Come to the waters, all who thirst; … come and drink with joy!” (Isaiah 55:1)  Jesus beckons: “If any are thirsty, let them come to me! Let them come and drink who believe in me! Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37b-38) In our thirst for God, we must go to the deep spring within ourselves to encounter the Spirit of Jesus, the Living Water. We will discover that God faithfully and compassionately accompanies us on our inner journey to wholeness.   

After Jesus was baptized, the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness. Jesus knows what it is like to be in a barren land thirsting for signs of new life and refreshment.  God’s angels ministered to Jesus, in his humanity.  As the waters of life were poured over us in Baptism, we became one with Christ. During our Lenten journey to new life, we pray that God will help us to recognize and accept God’s constant care for us in our personal deserts. 

Our intimacy with God deepens when we take time daily to commune with God in prayer. Going to Christ as to a well and drinking deeply of his Spirit, our thirst is quenched. As earthen vessels, we can then be water-bearers to others who thirst for life-giving nourishment. Who have you been a living well for? What persons have been living wells for you? (Refer to Seasons of Your Heart by Macrina Wiederkehr)

Kathleen O’Keefe CSJ

Sharing salt and breaking bread – facing racism head on

Recently, Winnipeg has been in the news as a hotbed of racism. But I have encountered racism and discrimination everywhere I have lived, and when I lived in Lethbridge, Alberta, I took action.

It all started when I was at a Tim Horton’s and heard some customers making racist remarks about aboriginal people. Looking up, I saw the hurt and shocked face of an aboriginal woman sitting at a table near mine. It was not the first time I had heard racist remarks in my city, and I thought to myself “they can’t do that anymore!”

I contacted two friends from the aboriginal community and a church minister. We formed a small committee and set up Lethbridge Action on Racism Circle. Eventually, our small group of four expanded into a board of directors which also included another church minister, an aboriginal graduate student, an immigrant woman, and two university professors.

Our first step was to get people talking about racism and discrimination. We set up a blog: http://lethbridgearc.blogspot.ca/ with posts about initiatives taken by other community groups such as Lethbridge Immigrant Services and the Aboriginal Council of Lethbridge. To help get the city talking, we participated in CTV special about racism and discrimination in Lethbridge. We also went to the community college and spread a big sheet of brown paper across three tables and laid out markers. As students walked by, we urged them to write their thoughts about racism and discrimination.

Throughout the coming year, we worked to support events put on by community organizations that promoted diversity and tolerance, such as the aboriginal Friendship Festival, the Immigrant Achievement Awards, the Sisters in Spirit Vigil, the Amnesty International Demand Dignity campaign, and Anti-Hate Crime Week. Our view was that if we worked in partnership with others, we could make our community stronger.

We undertook a really innovative poster campaign. The “Show Your Face” campaign featured the faces of southern Albertans with the tag line “I live in southern Alberta, and I am standing up against racism and discrimination. Show your face – speak out!” We simply called for volunteers to have their photos taken, made the posters, and then put them up all over town. It was really effective, because people would walk by and see their neighbor’s face with the anti-bigotry message.

But perhaps the most interesting aspect of our work was the two potlucks we held. We wanted to get the community together to talk about racism and discrimination and come up with a grassroots plan for action. We invited religious organizations, civic society groups, aboriginal organizations, Lethbridge City Council, the Lethbridge City police, and extended an open invitation via the Lethbridge Herald to members of the public. We were donated space in a church to hold the potlucks. We had no idea how many people would show up!

We gave each attendee a number when they arrived, so that people would be sitting with people they did not already know. We wanted everyone to meet new people and break out of their familiar circles. Each table had a facilitator who helped their fellow dinner guests answer the set of three questions which were posed. We had simple ground rules: everyone's ideas were equally important, everyone must show respect, and everyone was worthy. We began to eat at 6:00 pm, and at 7:30 pm the facilitator from each table presented the results of their discussions to the whole room. Notes were taken on flip chart paper, and posted around the room as we progressed. By 8:00 pm, we had so many good ideas for positive action!

The recommendations from over 100 people who attended our potlucks were published in two booklets: “Sharing Salt” and “Breaking Bread.” These recommendations were presented to Lethbridge City Council, the Standing Committee on Community and Social Development, the Holy Spirit School Board, and in collaboration with the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs at a public library event. The reports were widely disseminated and published on the web.

I felt that, in one year, our small group, the Lethbridge Action on Racism Circle, accomplished a lot, and planted the seeds for social change in our community. And most amazing of all, we did everything without any funding! People brought food to the potlucks, the churches donated space, we used a free blog hosting site, we all donated our labour, and the booklets were printed by the YWCA who incurred the costs. It just shows that all that is needed to make change is to act. I moved away from Lethbridge when the year ended, but I hope that racism and discrimination continue to be openly addressed, because that is the only way to bring about change. It starts with talking and sharing and learning.

Mary Kosta
Archivist
Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada

Breathe In – Breathe Out

By Tuesday, it seemed we had just recently finished off the last of the Christmas goodies and already it was time to clean out the pantry to make ready for Ash Wednesday, in preparation for our six week journey from Lent to Easter. It seems the older we get the faster the cycle goes or perhaps that is just me talking.

Well folks, this wonderful journey through Lent has begun and it gives us the opportunity to put on the brakes again and look at life squarely in the eye – take a deep breath, breath in God and slowly exhale the Spirit of healing into the world. Ask yourself, “This Lent what am I ready to exhale for the betterment of the world, my community, and myself?”

Breathing is a two way movement. Our present world needs all the breath of life we can give to it. We may need to practice some deep breathing exercises first to really make an impact individually and as a community.

• We can breathe out positivity and with each breath it will grow stronger.
• We can breathe out compassion helping to heal individuals and even daily crises.
• We can breathe out welcome to those who feel so alone.
• We can breathe out justice – take a stand, let your voice be heard.

The more deeply you breathe in the more strongly you can breathe out. We put a positive rhythm in place and life around us becomes renewed.

We can’t change the world in six weeks but we can do our part to refresh the air around us. You know the saying “It only takes a spark to get the fire going.”

This Lent may our breath spark peace, comfort, and a lived sense of community.

Are you ready? 1-2-3 altogether – BREATHE!

Barbara Vaughan CSJ