We are asked to choose which world we want to live in – a world of retributive justice or a world of forgiveness. We can’t operate in both orders.
Melissa Florer-Bixler
The Blessing of Memories
“We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they are called memories. Some take us forward, they are called dreams. ”
Today, my heart was touched by the blessing of memories. The month of November offers me several occasions to think of my departed loved ones, All Souls Day, All Saints Day, and the anniversary of my mom’s death on the 19th.
As I recalled my loved ones, the phrase of our Jewish neighbours, “May her or his memory be a blessing,” came to mind. One of the gifts of longer years is the treasure-house built up of memories to access, to be enjoyed. The beautiful human ability to evoke times, places, and relationships is indeed, as our faith companions often say, a blessing.
I invite you to recall one particular memory stored in your heart’s treasure house of memories today and behold the blessing.
-Nancy Wales, CSJ
IMAGES: Unsplash/Nathan Dumlao; Alex Guillaume
Celebrating Mother St. John Fontbonne
Love in the Underground
Mother St. John’s Anniversary of Death, November 22
Most of us are stunned with the recent results of the U.S. election. For us Canadians, it is almost unbelievable that such a majority of Americans, our friends and allies, could choose Donald Trump over an excellent, integrous and forward-looking candidate like Kamala Harris. How could this happen?
I won’t join the hordes of pundits who are trying to analyze what the Democrats did wrong, or what the Republicans did right. What interests me, is just what is going on world-wide that makes this happening understandable?
The world’s pulse shows us a global shift to the far right, politically. Many countries have had elections in the recent months and nearly all have opted to oust the incumbent, and choose someone farther to the right, more conservative, a party or an individual who promises to “make America great again”, “fix what is broken”, or “restore common sense” and make things stable the way they used to be.
People everywhere are experiencing chaos on many levels: floods, hurricanes, typhoons, volcanic eruptions, wildfires; housing crises, rising interest rates, economic instability, political polarization and upheaval of many kinds. Even the Catholic Church is experiencing the revolt of some Bishops and rebellion against Pope Francis’ leadership. Chaos seems to reign.
This is a scary moment to be alive. Folks are looking for something, someone, who can restore some order and stability. And so, they reach for someone who looks like a strong leader, who seems very sure of him/herself, confident and unafraid. So they vote for an apparently strong leader, one whom they think will take charge, get a grip on things and bring them back to “normal”, i.e. the known, the secure, the stable. Of course, we all want stability and predictability.
However, that impulse will not give us what we are looking for if that leader takes us in the wrong direction. Going back is not the way forward. Helping us to ruin the environment even faster than at our current rate, will not bring us more stable global temperatures. Deporting our countrymates, bullying other nations, reacting with force will not bring about peace. Manipulating the markets for our own profit, will not produce economic stability. These actions proceed from fear and end up producing more fear. “He who lives by the sword will die by the sword.”
Species that survive as the world evolves are not those that cling to their old ways of behaving, but those that adapt, change, and find new ways of doing things. These species are not acting out of fear, but out of an urgency to survive. Those that survive are not the majority, but they are the ones that make it to the next stage in the evolutionary process.
The earth and the universe proceed from Love and thrive on love. When fear is the major dynamic at work, we need to counter that fear with creativity, bonding, mutual assistance, i.e. love, hope, trust, and gentle confidence. In this war of world-views, “moving with love” is our way forward. During the Second World War, thousands of people refused to cooperate with the Reich, by quietly working underground, harboring Jews, forging false documents to create new identities for them, carrying messages to the allied forces, and generally reaching across the divide, to do good, to be who they believed they were and wanted to be into the future. In time, that underground swell helped to carry the day. Today we are called to be the underground, cooperating with the universe in its evolution into Love: under the lies, to speak truth; under the hatred, to spread love, under the bullying to stand up for the undocumented, or the minorities, under the vociferous far-right of some versions of Christianity, to live the Gospel truth of love, compassion, inclusion and sharing. It’s not glamorous. It’s not big screen, but it is effective. And it is Gospel.
Mother St.John Fontbonne
Mother St. John and her Sisters lived through the reign of terror of the French Revolution. Their moment in history took them there. Our moment in history takes us here, now. Will we react with fear, or keep on “moving with love”?
-Sister Mary Diesbourg, csj
Talking to a Stranger
Put Aside the Old Adage
With our childhood days behind us, it’s time to put aside an earlier message, “Don’t talk to strangers.” I’m hoping you are already aware that the week of November 18-25 is designated as Talk To A Stranger Week. But just in case you haven’t heard about it, hopefully, I can help you get up to speed. The week is intended to tout the positive advantages of reaching out to others and encouraging Canadians to try to engage with others. Something as simple as saying good morning, smiling, or striking up a conversation with someone unknown to us, displays trust. These friendly gestures have been correlated to individual well-being, thereby making a difference in our daily life and the lives of other people.
A 2021 Canadian Social Connection Survey highlighted that those who said they talked to a stranger just once a week were up to three times happier than those who didn’t speak to strangers. While this finding may seem unbelievable to some, other research suggests that only 20% of Canadians talk to strangers each day and it is nearly 100% of the time that both parties are happy that the exchange happened.
Dr. Gillian Sandstrom, a Canadian researcher at the University of Sussex, suggests that a simple chat with a stranger can: improve well-being, make us happier, increase a sense of connection and improve levels of trust. Her research also indicates that practicing conversations with strangers for at least a week can reduce the fear of rejection and boost confidence!
For our well-being and that of others - let’s initiate reaching out to others. With the world as it is, don’t we all want a boost of confidence and a greater sense of belonging?
-Sister Nancy Wales, CSJ
