ere is Nothing Wrong with You by Cheri Huber. Here is a book about challenging all of the little internalized messages that say you have to change in order to be likeable, loveable, or worthy. The title sums it up nicely. You don't need to listen to these messages at all, and you can absolutely learn a different truth about yourself.
The Sacred Heart
The month of June is dedicated to The Sacred Heart of Jesus as a reminder of the love that God has for us. When we look upon images of the Sacred Heart, we often see Christ pointing to His heart, a sure sign that He loves us, but only if we see His heart as open.
If I mention the name Bugs Bunny many will smile. We all know this beloved bunny, but if I was to mention Charles Jones, you may wonder why and who he is. Well, he is the one who developed the beloved character, but his own personal favourite was not Bugs, but rather Pepé Le Pew, the romantic skunk who was forever falling in love with someone. Sadly, his love was always rejected because of his smell or often just due to the fear of his potential to smell. However, that did not stop Pepe. He kept right on loving. He just refused to give up. Pepe, like Jesus always was open to love even when it was rejected. The offer would always be there.
Perhaps, like Pepe, you have been rejected. How do you, how do I, react when people reject our love? We may even ask if God loves us, even when we know in our hearts that our God is a God of mercy and compassion. Despite our prayers, our faith may not feel as strong as we thought. So, we need more reassurance and that is why Jesus came, to remind us of God’s presence and love.
Let me share a story which illustrates this beautifully. A little boy had just gotten his own room. During his first night in his new room, a violent thunderstorm broke out. The boy started screaming, “Daddy, daddy, come quick I am scared.” “Don’t worry, Bobby” his father called out from his room, “God loves you and will protect you.” The boy yelled back, “I know God loves me and will protect me. But right now, I need someone with skin on!”
That is the reason for celebrating the Feast of the Sacred Heart in early June. It is God coming among us with skin on. It is God revealing God’s self as one of us. It is God reminding us that even if others reject our love, God could not and would not. Scripture shows us that the human Jesus grew tired, wept with and for His friends and foes, was rejected and died in pain on the Cross and yet He always reaches out. His wounded heart open to love, willing once again to offer hope, to offer mercy, to offer love.
When you meditate and pray from your own heart, what image of Jesus speaks to you as you listen to the Sacred Heart?
- Fr. Ian Riswick, Chaplain of the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood in Toronto.
And now the Fire is with us
"And now the Fire is with us...as though through a sacred door opening to the Universe, God passes through...and spreads RADIANCE."
These words of Teilhard de Chardin were written by him on the battlefield, of all places--where he was a stretcher-bearer during WWI. They speak loudly of the fierce and ever-present passionate love of God for us, everywhere and in all things. And perhaps they speak especially to us now in the midst of an unprecedented upheaval of soul, of consciousness, and of governments presently happening in Holy Earth. Now the Fire is with us, Holy Fire, Spirit Fire, an energy, a radiance! Now the sacred door has been opened to the Mystery and majesty of the Universe. We are the first generations to be flooded and filled with the radiance of this Divine revelation….God passing through, entering us. A Pentecost.
Can we turn our attention to this fire, this power at work within us? Can we turn from the terrible “too-small” worlds of politics and division, finance, fear and ambition? Can we let ourselves be seized, animated by this Great Love alive within in us. This fiery love has power to heal our divisions and make us one! What can we do with so great a love? We can burn with love for the whole Sacred Earth and all its beings! We can burn with Love for the ONE who loves us so! We can become LOVE!
- Mary Southard, Pentecost 2018
Reflection and Artwork (titled Le Puy, Thank You) by Sr. Mary Southard, CSJ (used with permission). Mary Southard Art www.marysouthardart.org
Breakfast of Champions
CSJ staff member Natalie recalls the Breakfast of Champions on May 8th she attended at the London Convention Centre. This is an annual event presented by St. Joseph’s Health Care. The featured speaker was Clint Malarchuk, former NHL goaltender and coach whose career was nearly cut short by a gruesome on-ice incident.
Clint spoke of the two most important events in our lives: the day we are born, and the day we find our purpose – ‘why we are here.’
He started off saying that he shouldn’t be here. He almost died three times. Once with a skate slicing his jugular and possibly cutting his career short. He was told by the doctors to take a year off, but went back to playing hockey just eleven days after surgery. He had discharged himself the day after surgery with 32 stitches. Clint said, ‘because you had to be tough and carry on.’ The second time was later when he was taking medications and not supposed to be drinking, and was, then his heart stopped. The third time was when he put a gun to his head. He still carries the bullet in his skull.
When Clint was a boy, he suffered from anxiety because his father, whom he admired, who was also a hockey player, was an alcoholic. Skating on the ice rink was the only time he felt free of any worries. He explained that when he walked home from the rink with his equipment on his toboggan he could feel the anxiety filling up inside of himself.
Later Clint found out that that not only was he suffering with anxiety, but also OCD, PTSD and depression. He explained the importance of getting help as soon as you can and stressed how far things have come along regarding the treatment and care for these conditions. He does a lot of work with American veterans and says, ‘they are the real heroes!’
Clint went on to stress the importance of being kind to one another, because you just do not know how many people out there are really struggling from day to day with whatever disorders they may be carrying because you certainly cannot see it in them.
He mentioned that when he wrote his book and left his email address and Facebook link, he received so many letters and messages of thanks from people, saying ‘thank you for being our voice,’ many of them being fellow hockey players as well. He was quite comical also. It was a very emotional event and yet there was a lot of humour mixed in with it. Clint is certainly a person who is appreciating life!
Guest Blogger: Natalie Saika
Earth Day 2018
Spring arrived here today, April 20th, no doubt about it! As I walked in the woods early this morning everything felt more alive! The biting winds were stilled at last, and warmth seemed to emerge from the trees, the trail, the buds on bushes just loosening, and trout lilies were finally poking up on the trail. The robins’ gold-throated singing above me was more vigorous than ever. The sun has been shining all day, and people are shining too!
And Sunday was Earth Day. This year’s Earth Day was for me a relief and a call to hope. What a relief to know that people across the world celebrated our sacred planet. She has brought forth such a magnificent abundance of life forms including ourselves, and continues to nourish us body and soul. Instead of hearing new of the dismantling of Earth’s sacred places and ecological safeguards, we will, at least for a while, were called to be awake, aware and grateful together for Earth, so beautiful and precious to God and to us. How lovely that Spring has come to make this Earth Day even more alive after such long, dark winter so many of us have had!
Thich Nhat Hanh’s little book LOVE LETTERS TO EARTH caught my eye this week. One of the section titles, “Breathing With the Planet”, spoke to me. Following the breath is such a central concept in meditation. Here’s a breathing meditation you could do with Earth, together as One. Become still, close your eyes, and breathe with Earth: BREATHE IN—the oxygen that the trees and green beings are breathing out to give us life, (and maybe fragrance and freshness. . .) BREATH OUT—my CO2, and my gratitude and love for the trees to breathe in.
Breathe in—breathe out, slowly, mindfully…for a while. An exchange of life. Try it…especially if you can be out of doors. Then remember, this exchange of life is taking place all the time between our Earth and us, whether we realize it or not.
Finally, here’s a beautiful song/prayer you can spend some time with on YouTube. Let yourself feel it: “Song for the Earth” (featuring Jim Scott + Paul Winter Consort) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGBtko4oUX0
Have a beautiful Earth Day, Every Day!
Mary Southard, CSJ
Reflection and Artwork (titled Spring’s Promise) by Sr. Mary Southard, CSJ (used with permission). Mary Southard Art www.marysouthardart.org