Every choice we make, every thought and feeling we have, is an act of power that has biological, environmental, social, personal, and global consequences.
Carolyn Myss
Weekly Pause and Ponder
A Soul Map
I often find unexpected spiritual inspiration in the world around me, even in something as seemingly mundane as a commercial tagline. Recently, Mazda Motors’ simple phrase, “Move and be moved,” struck a chord with me. Four simple words promoted a fresh reflection on our community’s current congregational direction statement: “Moving with Love.”
Let me offer its wording to you before I continue sharing my thoughts.
“Moving With Love”
Immersed in Life and Love
we embrace this moment of possibility
as a graced path to Transformation.
Listening to God, to the universe, to the world’s pulse,
we trust that healing and whole-making energies
are released in ourselves and the planet,
as we commit to valuing diversity
in our witnessing, listening and discerning,
everyday caring and conversing,
our partnering and advocating,
risk-taking and justice-making.
Direction Statement: Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, 2021-2025
It has been my experience that each of our congregational direction statements, like this one, always seem to carry a quality of the now and the not yet. “Moving With Love” is not only a declaration of our mission but beckons us forward on a communal and personal journey. Words committing us to embark on a sacred walk that is evolving, always in progress, and never quite complete.
Personally, the phrases of Moving with Love, have become more than just a directional guide for our community, they have become a soul map and a spiritual checklist for me. Moving With Love invites me to assess the manner in which I move through this world.
Am I tuned into the pulse of God?
Am I listening to others deeply today?
Where have I witnessed the sacred in the ordinary?
Am I risk-taking and justice-making?
Not rhetorical questions, but daily invitations to live more fully, more lovingly, and more intentionally.
Sure, Mazda likely meant something entirely different when it said, “Move and be moved,” but the Spirit finds ways to speak through all things.
May we continue to move and be moved with love as our map and transformation as our path.
-Sister Nancy Wales, csj
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’
”
image: Marek Piwnicki
Be Seen. Be Heard. Be part of the Change.
“The act of voting is the most important act a citizen can perform in a democracy.”
— Jean-Pierre Kingsley, Canada’s Chief Electoral Officer from 1990 to 2007
Many young Canadians, sadly, have not been exercising their right to vote. In the last three federal elections, 2015, 2019, and 2021, voter turnout among eligible voters, ages 18 to 24, has declined. In fact, this age group had the lowest turnout of all voter demographics in the 2021 federal election. These trends are concerning and do not bode well for the future of engaged citizenship.
According to Elections Canada’s 2015 National Youth Survey, many young people feel that their voting will not make a difference. They also believe that the government does not care about their views. On top of that, young voters are often less informed about how to register and vote, and many perceive the process as confusing, difficult or not pertinent to their lives.
Despite this, today’s youth, in this election, form the largest voting bloc in Canada. This gives them a powerful voice and one that politicians cannot afford to ignore. They have the decision-making power to play a decisive role in shaping the next federal government, but only if they show up and cast their ballots.
If you are part of the over-fifty crowd, like me, where more than two-thirds of us typically vote, we have a role to play too. We can encourage first-time and younger voters to make their voices heard by participating in the 2025 federal election.
Let us help our newest, younger voters understand how to register, where and when to vote, and why their participation matters. More than ever this time around the front burner issues, cost of living, housing affordability, and labour and employment concerns directly relate to their days ahead. Let us clearly, kindly message all eligible voters:
Do not sit this one out.
Be heard. Be seen. Be part of the change.
No matter which party you support or who ultimately wins, elections shape our future. Civic participation by voting is one of our most powerful ways to influence what comes next.
-Sister Nancy Wales, csj
Sources: https://electionsanddemocracy.ca/elections-numbers-0/table-voter-turnout-age-group
Images: Unsplash/Glen Carrie, Phil Scroggs
An Earth Day Reflection
In the Garden
In the morning
sometimes
there is a mist
that softly,
gently
touches everything
in the garden
and for a moment,
you can feel everything tracing
its connections one to another,
earth, spirit, human
and you know
in the stillness,
all is one….
and even after
the mist is gone
the memory
lingers in the soul
-Sister Linda Gregg, csj
Image: Noah Buscher/Annie Spratt/Unsplash