The Final Countdown

Blogging has been light of late as I have plowed through a few very busy weeks of ministry and school commitments as I head towards the big day on 11.11.11.

You might say we're in the final countdown ... yes, that song has recently popped into my inner dj mix, although it is a little unusual for heavy metal to find a home there.  Plus the lyrics are a bit more dark than my own mix of peace and joy in the midst of the busyness of life.The details are pretty much under control for the big day, thanks to my over planning personality and the gracious help of community members!

I've got one more week at work and then I'm going to spend a week on silent retreat to prepare for final vows.  I'm so glad that I was able to schedule that time away.  It's not that I'm not at peace with this decision to make the big final plunge into a life commitment to God and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace.  The peace I felt when I wrote my letter requesting to profess final vows this summer and the deep gratitude I felt when my request was approved have only deepened! Rather, it just feels right to spend some time in quiet prayer with God. The word that came to me recently was "spaciousness."  I want to say yes to this life commitment from a space not only of peace but of spaciousness in mind, body and spirit.

I had a moment recently when I realized that this really is a luxury.  How many brides make a life commitment in the midst of crazy last minute details before their wedding day, and here I get to spend yet another week in quiet contemplation!  Only more reason to be grateful.

As much as I'd like to say that I'll be blogging between now and then, most likely blogging will continue to be light this week and then I'll enter into intentional silence for my retreat week.  But while these days may be a final countdown of sorts, the journey is just beginning.  This blog has been a gift to me as a way to document, process and share this amazing journey into the heart of God as a Sister of St. Joseph of Peace.  In my morning prayer earlier this week, I realized that another gift I have received on this journey into religious life is the discovery of my gift of writing.  Another reason to be grateful!

Rest assured, my musings will continue, just as I hope to remain a discerning woman until the end of my days.

For now, Peace Out.

Margaret Anna Fridays ... on the Vows

Most Fridays, I’m going to share a quote from the founder of my groovy sisters, Margaret Anna Cusack, known in religion as Mother Francis Clare. In the weeks leading up to my profession of final vows on November 11th, I will be highlighting some of her insights on the vows.  Here's today's installment:

Devotion to the interests of Jesus, absolute, unmeasured, untiring--this is what our vow of chastity demands. ... His interests to be our interests, his cares to be our cares, his advancement to be our advancement.

Mom memories

Today marks eight years since I got the late night phone call that my mom passed away.  That moment was not unexpected.  In many ways it was anticipated; she'd been in so much pain and recovery wasn't really in the cards by that point.  My entire family had spend about two years of being intensely focused on my mom and each other as we journeyed with her through a hodgepodge of very serious health concerns.  I wouldn't want to go through all that again, but it also carried with it a certain beauty.  As the lyrics to the Death Cab for Cutie song What Sarah Said so aptly put it:  "Love is watching someone die." 

Love of course is so much more than that too.  It's everything.  The happy, sad, silly, serious and so-so moments.  Mix it all up and you've got something very human and very holy ... love.

Eight years later, my love for mom hasn't changed.  It's different of course, but it's also the same. I know she loves me and is present in some mysterious way I'll never understand but that I am very grateful for.  The whole nun thing happened after she passed away, but looking back on our last deep conversations with each other I don't think she'd be surprised.  We spent a lot of time in her hospital room talking about the state of the world, God, love, life.  Most likely she's watching on from heaven as I get ready to profess my final vows as a Sister of St. Joseph of peace with that smiling smirk she often wore on her face.

Margaret Anna Fridays ... on the Vows

Most Fridays, I’m going to share a quote from the founder of my groovy sisters, Margaret Anna Cusack, known in religion as Mother Francis Clare. In the weeks leading up to my profession of final vows on November 11th, I will be highlighting some of her insights on the vows.  Here's today's installment:

The Sisters should always have a great love and devotion for the observance of this vow [poverty]. As the inordinate desire of riches and worldly possessions is the principal cause of wars and dissensions which destroy nations and disturb the peace of families, the Sisters of Peace will find in the sacrifice which they make by this vow a glorious means of obtaining a spirit of peace for themselves and others.  Those who desire nothing, and who have nothing, cannot excite the envy of the avaricious, while their holy example will add weight to the means which they will use to inspire a love of peace in the hearts of others.

Margaret Anna Fridays ... on the Vows

Most Fridays, I’m going to share a quote from the founder of my groovy sisters, Margaret Anna Cusack, known in religion as Mother Francis Clare. In the weeks leading up to my profession of final vows on November 11th, I will be highlighting some of her insights on the vows.  Here's today's installment:

Now there is one consideration in regard to the vow of poverty of which we should do well to take very special note both for our own sanctification and for the good of others.  It is this--there is no doubt that though we have made a vow of poverty, there are thousands of our fellow creatures whose actual poverty is beyond all comparison greater than ours.  Even in the most austere orders in the Church, even where the vow of poverty is observed most strictly in every detail--in appearance as well as in fact--there is no such poverty as the poverty of the poor.

Public Face on Young Nundom

I'm starting late this morning after a marathon day yesterday--at least for my introverted self.  Somehow I managed to overschedule my day so that I had not one, not two, but three presentations on human trafficking.  Two of them were the shorter after-mass-informational-talk variety at the Cathedral parish.  The third was a longer youth group evening at a suburban parish with about 40 Junior & High School students.  Talk about energy!  Both my energy, used in engaging large groups of people and the kids' energy, which was just bubbling up and out.

It was all good.  I appreciated the opportunity to share a bit of the global and local reality of human trafficking, ask some questions as to what allows it to happen, look at the role of demand through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching and then talk about ways we can take action.  With the kids we actually took action, writing letters to chain stores and clothing manufacturers asking them what their policies are to eradicate slavery from their supply chain.  (You can send similar emails to all your favorite brands if you are so moved at chainstorereaction.com by the way).

Aside from the importance of the topic, after three years of giving presentations on a fairly regular basis on a variety of topics--from peacemaking to care for creation to immigration--I'm also realizing something else.  In addition to whatever the important justice topic is that I'm bringing to parishes or schools, I'm also an ambassador of young nundom.  Yes, we do still exist, and yes what we do still matters and yes, we're even happy while doing so.

This came home especially to me yesterday.  There's this odd twinkle in the eye of people, usually middle aged folks who were taught by Sisters but don't interact with them much anymore, when they see a younger Sister like myself. Then of course there's usually the surface level curiosity and questions.  Where do you live (in a real convent?).  What about the habit (which of course I'm not wearing, although I do dress simply and conservatively for presentations).  You can tell there are oodles of other questions simmering underneath the level of what they think it's appropriate to ask.

Yesterday one of the gentleman at my first presentation came up to me at the end.  He introduced himself.  Thanked me for the presentation.  And then leaned in and said, "Nice habit Sister."  I looked down.  I was wearing a lot of black--black pants, grey top, black sweater.  Not sure if he was joking, complimenting me on my modern nun attire, or thought it was actually the new habit.  In any case, I said, "Thank You" and smiled.

With kids, it's different.  For the most part they have never seen a Sister other than Whoopi Goldberg on reruns of Sister Act, which come to think of it is probably older than they are anyway.  When the youth minister introduced me last night, she said very dramatically ... "Believe it or not, she's a NUN."  Looking out at the group, their eyes got a little bigger and the ones who weren't really paying attention looked up.  There was one boy, I kid you not, who said very loudly and seriously ... "Woah."

How do you follow that?  In my case, I went with the moment and said "Yeah, .... woah."  I proceeded to tell them a bit about me and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace before launching into the topic of the evening.

All in all it was a great if tiring day.  Now it's time to find some coffee and get ready for another marathon day!  After I finally make it into work for my delayed start, it's off to my theology class tonight.  Oh, the life of the modern nun.

Margaret Anna Fridays ... on the vows

Most Fridays, I’m going to share a quote from the founder of my groovy sisters, Margaret Anna Cusack, known in religion as Mother Francis Clare. In the weeks leading up to my profession of final vows on November 11th, I will be highlighting some of her insights on the vows.  Here's today's installment:

The ordinary obedience of a child in this world is something very different from the obedience of the vowed religious ... Mere obedience to the letter is the obedience of a slave, it is the obedience of a servant to a tyrant master.  It would be a poor obedience to offer to a God who has been obedient unto death.

Building Community through Prayer

Tonight I was able to experience a "God moment."  I attended an event at a local Mosque and Islamic Center, organized collaboratively by the mosque and the Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center where I minister.  It's part of a series called "One God, Three Faiths: Building Community through Prayer."  This month we experienced Muslim prayer at the mosque.  Next month we'll have an opportunity to experience Jewish prayer at a synagogue. And in December we'll experience Advent prayer at a Catholic church. It's a pilgrimage of sorts.

I've had the opportunity to participate in a variety of Interfaith events.  Prayer services where each of the 3 Abraham traditions are present and some of their sacred texts are read.  Peace marches and vigils.  Speakers and evenings of dialogue.  They are all good efforts to bridge the divide and embrace our common human experience.

What was so special about tonight's event was that we were welcomed, incredibly graciously, by the Imam and the community members at the Mosque into their spiritual home.  They had baked delicious delights for us to enjoy.  The Imam shared his love for Islam--their beliefs, traditions and practices.  We had a chance to get to know each other.

Then we were invited upstairs, into the Mosque itself.  We left our shoes outside on shoe racks.  The women--Christian, Jewish, and Muslim--were invited to wear scarves as they entered the prayer space, so as to join in the prayer experience of Muslim women.  I was impressed with the respect which everyone gave to this aspect of the faith tradition.  It may not have been how most of us are accustomed to being dressed when we enter a prayer space, but it didn't feel contrived.  There was deep intention on the part of all gathered.

Our hosts shared their space, their home, their prayer, their movements, their love of God with us.  Some of us fumbled through the movements.  Others just sat and soaked it all in.  All were welcome, and participation at whatever level was ok.

One of my coworkers has been busily working to help set up all the details for the event.  I was simply there to be a helping hand, and to experience the evening.  It was a full house, a VERY full house--the response to this opportunity was overwhelming--and so I spent most of the time standing just outside the door.  This gave me such a wonderful perspective, to see all the people eager, open, welcoming or welcomed, praying together .  At one point I got a little teary eyed and thought, "God is good."

This is the way to peace, to harmony, to love and understanding.  One God, three faiths.  It truly felt as if we were building community through prayer.  I am so very much looking forward to the two next stops on this pilgrimage journey.


And God said, it was very good.

Ten Years of War

Today is the 10th Anniversary of the start of the U.S. war in Afghanistan.  Please join me in praying for peace, praying for those who have lost their lives, and acting for a safe, swift and responsible end to the war.

•  More than 1,500 US military personnel have been killed and more than 10,000 seriously wounded in Afghanistan
• An estimated 12,000 to 14,00 Afghan civilians have been killed, with more civilian deaths in May 2011 than in any month since 2007
•   The financial cost for U.S. taxpayers is also too high.  In the midst of our economic crisis, U.S. taxpayers have spent an estimated $336 billion for operations in Afghanistan.

If you also think the time has come to finally end the war in Afghanistan, take two minutes on this10th Anniversary to write to President Obama and tell him what youthink.

If you would like to start building positive relationships with the people of Afghanistan, consider participating in the next Global Day of Listening on October 21^st organized by the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers.

God of Peace, grant your peace to the people of Afghanistan who have known nothing but war for decade upon decade.  Comfort the families of those who have died on all sides of the conflict.  Heal the minds, bodies and souls of those who have been injured.  Inspire our world leaders and all of us to act courageously on behalf of peace. Amen.