Pentecost Sunday

This Sunday, June 8, Christians celebrate the feast of Pentecost when the apostles gathered in the upper room, “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:4

What does it mean for us to be “filled with the Holy Spirit” in this modern time?

This is an unprecedented time of chaos in our world: uncontrollable wildfires, political unrest throughout the world, the threat of Democracy being replaced by autocratic leaders who seek only the power that grants them wealth at the expense of others; the crisis on the Gaza strip; the war in Ukraine; the unrest worldwide due to the Tariff war initiated by the administration of the US; the very threat to our own Canadian Sovereignty. There is indeed a wind blowing that seems to fuel only disaster. It would seem that the “spirit of the Lord” is needed even more than ever.

“Why are you downcast, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God. For I shall again praise him. He is my help and my God. ”

— Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5

For Christians today, what is the upper room in which we find solace and where that new spirit of HOPE and LOVE can flourish? There is solace in each other working together for a better world.

I sincerely believe that in these times, there is also another kind of wind that is blowing that can and will change the face of the earth. There are so many new expressions of love, of hope being made available to people. One example, The Portal of Hope program initiated by Krista Tippett.

Ilia Delio in this 4-minute clip, brings real hope and love to our world.  As she indicates, we need to plan for the future, live for the future and live with dreams and imagination...live into those dreams and imagination. She adds that “the only way to predict the future is to create it.” We can do this by focussing on one core value and that is the value of LOVE that holds us together no matter who God is or isn’t to us. We need to live as one big family together.

There are other signs of hope in today’s world that include acts of kindness, collaboration, and progress in addressing global challenges. Individuals and communities demonstrating compassion and resilience, as well as nations working together, indicate a commitment to a better future. Additionally, efforts to address the climate crisis and promote sustainability, such as green recovery packages and corporate initiatives, also offer hope for a more resilient future. 

Where I live, in London, Ontario, Canada, amongst a community of Sisters, I see DAILY, many small acts of kindness: one Sister or staff member pushing another who is wheelchair bound, many examples of patient listening to each other, as conversations emerge,  enjoying a joke together, praying together in or outside of the Chapel; using technology to bond us, connecting by countless Zoom calls, enjoying card games together. For this, we are grateful.

So when it seems that the spirit of evil is overtaking the world, let us also be mindful of another Spirit that is operative: the spirit of Love and in that alone can we place our hope.

In conclusion: what it means for us to be filled with the Holy Spirit is to know that love and to spread it over all the earth by beginning right where we are.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit by Diarmuid O’Murchu:
Come Holy Spirit, breathe down upon our troubled world.
Shake the tired foundations of our crumbling institutions.
Break the rules that keep you out of all our sacred spaces,
and from the dust and rubble, gather up the seedlings of a new creation.

Come Holy Spirit, enflame once more the dying embers of our weariness.
Shake us out of our complacency. Whisper our names once more,
and scatter your gifts of grace with wild abandon.
Break open the prisons of our inner being,
and let your raging justice be our sign of liberty.

Come Holy Spirit and lead us to places we would rather not go.
Expand the horizons of our limited imaginations.
Awaken in our souls dangerous dreams for new tomorrow,
and rekindle in our hearts the fire of prophetic enthusiasm.

Come Holy Spirit, whose justice outwits international conspiracy,
whose light outshines religious bigotry,
whose peace can halt our patriarchal hunger for dominance and control,
whose promise invigorates our every effort:
to create a new heaven and a new earth, now and forever. Amen.

-Sister Kathleen Lichti, csj 

Leisure Reads

“The thing about books,’ she said, ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.”
― Evie Woods, The Lost Bookshop

For many of us, one of the pleasures of summertime is that it affords us more time for leisure reading. Just in case you are on the lookout for a new book or author, may I introduce you to Evie Woods. Evie Woods is the pen name of Evie Gaughan born in 1976 in Galway, Ireland. Though, perhaps we can claim some Canadian closeness  to her since before her writing career she studied business and marketing and lived in Canada in her twenties.

Evie Woods is an author who truly understands the transformative magic of storytelling. However, not wanting to be a spoiler, but wanting to entice you to go in search of “The Lost Bookshop” by Evie Woods, I quote Goodreads:

For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives. But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder… where nothing is as it seems.

Copies of “The Lost Bookshop” can be found in your local library. I found a used copy on Amazon which I have shared with several others who have found it a good read. Evie Woods' other notable works include The Story Collector, and The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris.

Happy Reading!

-Sister Nancy Wales, csj

A Poet's Voice from the Past

Rediscovering Sister Mary Evelyn Connor: A Poet’s Voice from the Past

Sister Mary Evelyn (Marie Noella), was a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton. Beyond her dedication to education and healthcare, she was also a gifted poet. Her poems offer a glimpse into her spiritual journey and the contemplative life she led.

In a rare archival recording, Sister Mary Evelyn recites two of her poems, providing a personal and intimate connection to her work. This audio, preserved from an oral history interview, allows us to hear her voice and experience her poetry as she intended.

Here, she recites some of her poetry:

Last Times, July 1930

When I sew on a lace for the last time

When the postulate dress I doff

Then I'll wear the habit forever, never to put it off

When Miss Connor I'm called for the last time

When Evelyn I'll hear no more

Then I'll have a new name forever, till I reach the eternal shore

When I leave my class for the last time

When I give up teaching at last

Then I'll rest from my labors forever

Death will become in Christ

When I receive my God for the last time

When he comes midst faced chimes

Then I’ll rest (audio recording ends, but the remainder of the poem is:)

Then I’ll rest in His Bosom forever

And then there’ll be no more last times.

Novitiate ABC, September 1930

A for the Angelus, three times a day

B for the bell, when you hear it, don't stay

C for canonicals, five of us here

D for our duties, to each of us, dear

E for eternity, a model you'll find

F for the furniture, ours, not mine

G for good, which we try to be

H for holy and happy are we

I for “I mustn't!” I sometimes hear

J for St. Joseph, our patron so dear

K for the kitchen, a place to have bees

L for lecture, don't fall asleep, please

M for our Mother in heaven above

N for Novenas, they make many of

O for the orphans, there are quite a few

P for permission and penances too

Q for questions they must not ask

R, recreation, a real pleasant task

S for sewing, we each have some

T for tomorrow, which may never come

U, it's unnecessary, then we turn

To V for the virtues, we all must learn

W, the waiting to the floor we do

X, the unknown which may happen to you

Y, we all yearn for our heavenly home

And Z, is the zenith of glory will come

This audio recording was able to be digitized in part thanks to the Library and Archives Canada’s Documentary Heritage Communities Program.

Feed My Strength: A New Way to See Ourselves

The other day the Greek yogurt Oikos tagline, “Feed My Strength” caught my attention. At first, the phrase struck me as counter to the usual human modus operandi. Most often, inner dialogue tends to center more around shortcomings, vulnerabilities, and areas for enrichment. This tagline advocates for a completely different approach. Instead of being overly conscious of my weaker suits, why not put greater attention on my strong suit?

It made me pause and wonder:

What if my personal strengths also deserve my attention?

What might happen if I shifted even slightly how I saw myself?

What if my strong, capable, and consistent parts need just as much attention and nourishment as the parts I'm trying to strengthen?

The more I reflected, the more sense it made. Recognizing my strengths is not about being boastful. It's about finding equilibrium, recognizing  and embracing my whole self, not focusing only on what needs improvement.

“Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t. ”

— Rikki Rogers

I then recalled a personal experience. Years ago, I took part in a summer leadership training program. In a particular class, the presenter wrote down and discussed all the internal skills that come into play before a single word is uttered. Skills like determining a purpose, forming ideas, understanding one’s audience, choosing one’s words, and constructing the message.

Formally, I often found myself shying away from speaking in public and feeling quite incapable of doing so. That day, to my surprise ranking myself on those inner speaking abilities, my score was quite respectable. I realized that I had never really valued those abilities before. Suddenly, I discovered I had been overlooking my strengths. I acknowledged that I had a good start in delivering an oral message. That shift in perspective made a significant difference. I became more confident. Not because I was suddenly “better,” but because I was finally recognizing and nurturing what was already strong within me.

““The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.””

— Carl Jung

Of course, I am still mindful of areas for improvement. However, I am becoming  more fully aware that my strengths and weaknesses are partners. All my personal traits deserve my attention. Thank you, Oikos, for the reminder that our strengths are worth feeding too.

Here’s  a question worth asking: What strength in you is quietly waiting to be fed?

-Sister Nancy Wales, CSJ

IMAGE: Vicky Sim/ @speckfechta | Unsplash