Reflections

TRANSFORMATION

OH, THE DEPTH

When I read this poem I felt the depth of our Sisters of St. Joseph charism and wholeness of the evolutionary process of all of Creation. The person who wrote this poem is my classmate, Sister Caroline Bering.

She told me that it “just came to her”. My impulse to share this poem with you is that I felt that it would resonate with many of us and together we would feel its beauty, goodness, and truth.

Here is the poem as originally written by Caroline without punctuation. Just let the poem speak! -Sister Mary Vandersteen

 

                                                 TRANS

                                                      FORM

                                                           A

                                                              TION

                                 is it the fuzzy caterpillar letting go of its very self

                                                              to become an amazing butterfly

                                         or maybe it’s the excited bud imagining what it will be –

                                                                              a rosebud

                                     or even a yellow head dandelion always turning to the sun

                                                                                       or

                                                is it me looking inward through layers and layers

                                                                         until I reach down to

                                                                               the divine spark

                                                                     that calls me to flare forth

                                                                         in a blazing fire of love

                                                       to ignite cold hearts to burn with compassion

~Sister Caroline Bering

Right to Truth Day - Remembering Saint Oscar Romero

Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero.

Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero.

We remember Saint Oscar Arnulfo Romero who was assassinated on March 24th, 1980.

Canonized on October 14, 2018, Romero was a vocal critic of the violent atrocities of assassinations and torture in his country, El Salvador. He preached openly against prevailing poverty and social injustices.

In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 24th as the “International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims”, in recognition of the role of Bishop Romero in defense of human rights. (Wikipedia)

We remember Saint Oscar Romero reflecting on his own words:

“If God accepts the sacrifice of my life, may my death be for the freedom of my people. A bishop will die, but the Church of God, which is the people, will never perish. I do not believe in death without resurrection. If they kill me, I will rise again in the people of El Salvador.”

Submitted by Sister Mabel St. Louis

Crashing in The Darkness

Waves, picture by Sr Donna Smith, 2021

Waves, picture by Sr Donna Smith, 2021

Have you ever sat and just listened to waves lapping against the shoreline? “Yes”, what about on a very cold winter’s night and the water is meeting the ice cap that has formed along the shoreline? Imagine the sound of geese off to the west and a distant train echoing through town, but what I hear the most is the unique sound of water splashing over the ice along the banks of Lake Ontario.

It is like an unfolding roll of thunder, not an unpleasant noise, but a sound that is intriguing and mysterious to listen to. It is quiet then suddenly a wave hits the ice cap, sprays over it, and ebbs back into the lake. Isn’t that how our mind works some days? Our minds are quiet then without prelude we are awash with a flood of thoughts and emotions disquieting our stillness, awakening us from our darkness, or maybe even bringing the darkness with it.

How do we cope with this intrusion in our minds? Do we accept it and carry on or do we meander over each new thought and emotion? Each time we experience this differently, but we must never let these moments overwhelm us. We are invited to sift out what is good and carry that forward, perhaps especially these days of isolation. It is in these moments that God speaks to us if we are truly listening with the heart. It is in this darkness that we may crash about but we are never if open, beaten. Rather, in these moments we are offered opportunities to draw us closer to what really matters in life: our families, our friends, our contacts, but most of all the beauty of creation, faith, and values of God.

So, let’s take the time and listen to the darkness and what is crashing about, we will never know what God wants us to hear when we cannot see it in the light of day.

 - Sister Donna Smith, CSJ | Feb 17, 2021 Cobourg, Ontario