Peace and Nonviolence in 2014

The start of a new year. A time to stop and take stock. A time to pray for peace. A time to commit to being a person of peace and nonviolence. At least in my book.

The Catholic Church celebrates New Year's Day as the World Day of Peace. In his first World Day of Peace Message, Pope Francis calls each of us to recognize that we are kin, all God's children, even across borders and differences.

A lively awareness of our relatedness helps us to look upon and to treat each person as a true sister or brother ... All men and women enjoy an equal and inviolable dignity. All are loved by God.

He comes to the radical yet simple conclusion that recognition of this kinship (or "fraternity") is the "foundation and pathway of peace."

I received word today that the Leadership Team of my congregation, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, have endorsed the new Campaign Nonviolence, an effort of Pace e Bene. It is no coincidence that they announced this at the new year, on the occasion of the World Day of Peace, when we are called to recognize each other as kin and to act with love and respect that honors that God given relationship.

We are called to be women and men of peace, but we must respond, act, and commit to taking this relationship and call seriously.

That's where Campaign Nonviolence comes in. As we begin this new year, consider taking the Campaign Nonviolence Pledge. Click here to learn more!

Blessings of Peace!

Religious Life Today and Into the Future

Illustration from the America article.
For the record, I own one of these t-shirts.

My friend Sister Julia Walsh, FSPA has an amazing article in the current issue of America Magazine titled "Changed, Not Ended: A View of Religious Life from a Young Sister." I know Julia through Giving Voice, a group regular readers of the blog should be very familiar with. Giving Voice is a network of younger women religious, an opportunity for us to connect across congregations with our religious life age peers, to pray, reflect, have fun, and share our hopes, dreams, desires and experiences of this amazing yet counter-cultural way of life.

For the past few years, I have been honored to be part of the peer-leadership of Giving Voice. This has given me a real bird's eye view into the landscape of religious life, particularly as viewed from the horizon of younger women who have entered in the past 10-15 years.

While Julia is clear that she is writing from her own perspective, I must say that I resonate with so much of what she writes in this peace. For example:

About Giving Voice

• "Hope is obvious at [every Giving Voice] gathering. "
• "The collaboration and connections made possible through Giving Voice help us to keep saying yes to our vocations."

About living religious life today as a younger Sister

• "I appreciate my experience as it is."
• "This experience, of course, does have its challenges. As modern religious life—and its size—evolves, even the most hopeful and eager need to deal with practical consequences of transition. For me, the hardest element of the quickly shrinking population of my community is the regularity of death announcements."
• "I love being a sister because I am permitted to be the best version of myself within a community of like-minded, prayerful women."
• "The religious vows, prophetic in nature, free me to move to the edges and encounter God in new realms. This vocation creates opportunities to live a life of radical simplicity, solidarity and accompaniment with those who are oppressed."
• "Being a sister has warped my perception of age. Even though I am [41 - Julia is] 32, I feel as if anyone under 60 is my peer. That said, my experience of intergenerational communal living is energizing. I gain wisdom from my elder sisters; I am enriched by what they have lived through. I am humbled to know we young sisters are receiving their legacy."

About the future of religious life

• "Some people, focused almost exclusively on numbers, are concerned that religious life is in decline. This narrows our ability to see what God is doing."
• "Religious life is not in decline; it is simply changing. And it should change. New paradigms of religious life can emerge only if we are open to God changing us beyond our limited imagining and dreaming. We need to remember that numbers do not make communities. In fact, I prefer to be part of a community that feels more like a family than an institution. The freer and more open we are, the better we can live the Gospel according to God’s vision and not our own ideas. We can experience the freedom to have meaningful conversations about “right-sizing” and new forms of ministry. We acknowledge it can be life-giving for the size of community to decrease; lower numbers can open up new opportunities for healthy, intimate relationships." [I LOVE this entire paragraph and will be borrowing the term 'right-sizing']
• "I am not worried about changes in religious life; I am excited. I trust that God is up to something amazingly good. I believe that God is helping religious life evolve to meet the changing needs of society. "

And I LOVE and affirm her last sentence: "Thank God, by grace, we are in this together."

Thank you Julia for articulating so well what religious life looks like from the horizon of those in our 20s, 30s, or 40s.  

For any of you reading this who might be thinking that maybe possibly God might be calling you to this wonderful crazy life ... come on in, the water's fine! Seriously though, if anyone has any vocation or religious life related questions, my email box is always open. The address is in the side bar.

I may not know what the future of religious life will look like, but I know there are incredible needs in our world, powerful and prayerful women on the journey, and a loving God who is calling us into the future. Trust. Love. Risk. Live. Together!

God Breaks Through

I decided to make this Christmas Eve a quiet prayer day. Tomorrow I will spend Christmas Day with family. Today it was just me and God, catching up and getting reacquainted. I decided to make an outing of it, and even though it was frigid outside (barely entering double digits mind you), I drove out to a forest preserve in the suburbs for a walk. Outfitted with my down coat and gloves, long johns, snow boots (and my camera), I found a beautiful spot in the woods. Sun, snow, trees, beauty!

When I came home, before heading out to mass, I created this video prayer reflection to immortalize the day, set to Sufjan Steven's version of "Joy to the World."


Heaven and nature do certainly sing! Despite the cold I felt the calm and peace of God's creation, the sheer beauty in simplicity. I felt centered and connected, loved as we prepare to welcome and celebrate the in-breaking of God's love into our world ... Jesus, God-with-us.

I was reminded of an earlier Christmas Eve walk, this one when I was discerning which religious community to enter and received gift upon gift through contemplation of God's creation. I've written about that walk before, even sharing my journal entry from that momentous day when God's love broke through and guided me to where I found my heart, as a Sister of St. Joseph of Peace.

Today's Christmas Eve walk did not have any life changing realizations, but instead was simple in its beauty. Taking time away, reconnecting with God and God's creation was what my spirit needed today, and that is gift indeed.

Peace

Home Vacation & Family Time

It's the longest night of the year. I decided to cozy up today in true Christmas vacation fashion and finish a (non-theology) book ... Longbourn by Jo Baker, a creative take on the lives of the servants in Pride and Prejudice.

Of course, many items on my vacation to-do list were also beckoning. I realized the other day that when one says yes to lots of little projects and commitments, they pile up rather quickly! This is true in my case anyway. So these days of winter break from school will also necessarily involve a variety of projects, mostly editing, a little writing and research.

But it's a balance.  Monday I'm planning to have some quality father-daughter time. Christmas Eve will be a quiet Susan prayer day. Christmas morning with my little nephew, big sis and brother-in-law (that's where Santa fills my stocking these days!). Christmas afternoon with my Dad at his retirement facility. Then more family fun the day after Christmas when my oldest sister and three nieces descend on Chicago for a week.

Classes start January 6th (ecclesial Latin) so in between now and then will be a mix of family, quiet down time, and whittling away at my many projects.

While I'm at it, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish each of you, dear readers, a blessed last few days of Advent and a very merry Christmas!

Peace

Margaret Anna Fridays - Advent Reflections

M.F. Cusack, Mediations for

Advent & Easter, 1866

Most Fridays I am going to share some words of wisdom from the founder of my religious community, Margaret Anna Cusack, known in religion as Mother Francis Clare.

Peace is the beatitude of heavenly wisdom, and spiritual consolation is its special reward. If we have only one end in view, and if that end is God, we shall never be disturbed, our peace will be continual and abiding. 

Praying with Joseph (A Video Prayer Reflection)

You might not be surprised to learn that I have a special affinity for St. Joseph, especially given that I am a Sister of St. Joseph of Peace!  Advent is a special time to pray with St. Joseph. Think of how excited and nervous he must have been, awaiting the coming of this child who he had dreamed about, the son who would bring light into his life and light into the world.

Last year I created this video prayer during Advent .... and now I share it with you!

Pray for us St. Joseph!

Snowy Gaudete Sunday

Well as it turns out I spent Gaudete Sunday--3rd Sunday of Advent for those not in the know, when we REJOICE that Jesus is coming very very soon (liturgically)-- in a snowy Chicago instead of driving between Seattle and Portland as planned. My Dad has been having a few health challenges and needed some company to get through them, so I came back a bit early from my west coast sojourn. I spent Friday night & Saturday with him, and happily he is doing better. Hence I'm back on my own in Hyde Park and sorting out the disorganized mess I left in my room when I skipped town after my last assignments were turned in for the semester.

When I left Seattle, it was warmish and raining so all I needed was my lightweight rain gear over fleece. Here in Chicago, where it is 11 degrees!, I needed much more than that for my walk to mass and the grocery store this morning.

This morning during mass, I was reflecting on how sometimes life is messy and complicated. Sometimes people might disappoint us, other times we might feel like we can't give someone everything they need.  We are busy, our time is limited. Etc...  Yet, it is into this very real human world, for surely even Joseph and Mary were stressed and torn in multiple directions, that Jesus came. It is into this very real human world, where we are torn in multiple directions, weary and worn, that Jesus comes. Think about that for a minute.  Truly, there is so much to be joyful about as we await the coming of the Prince of Peace.

Margaret Anna Fridays - Advent Reflections

M.F. Cusack, Mediations for
Advent & Easter, 1866

Most Fridays I am going to share some words of wisdom from the founder of my religious community, Margaret Anna Cusack, known in religion as Mother Francis Clare.

Consider the gentleness of this Infant King. He comes as the Prince of peace. Oh! surely we will endeavor to drive all His enemies far away. ... Surely, from very love of His infant gentleness, we will use every effort to prepare our hearts for His reign, and we shall take care that He rules undisturbed.

Home for Advent

I am spending some sacred Advent days with my CSJP Sisters at our regional center outside Seattle, otherwise known (in my own mind) as groovy sister HQ. It is such a joy to pray in the chapel in the morning with my Sisters. To gather at the table and laugh over our dinner. To be among the forest and soak in the beauty of God's creation. Pure gift!

In a bit I am headed next door to our Peace and Spirituality center to participate in a Peace Day for Women led by my old housemate Sister Beth. Should be a restful and renewing day!

Margaret Anna Fridays - Advent Reflections

M.F. Cusack, Meditations for
Advent & Easter  1866

Most Fridays I am going to share some words of wisdom from the founder of my religious community, Margaret Anna Cusack, known in religion as Mother Francis Clare.

Hence it is that those who are most devout to Mary know Jesus best. The see Him with and in her light, and her light in His ... She sees all things in the light of the Sun of justice, for He abides in her. 

Something Worth Living For...

On December 2, 1980 four American churchwomen working with the poor in El Salvador – Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, and lay missioner Jean Donovan – were kidnapped, abused and murdered by the US backed military of El Salvador. In the end they met the same fate as thousands of the unnamed poor of El Salvador who were killed or disappeared.

What follows is an except from a letter written by Ita Ford to her niece and goddaughter Jennifer a few months before her murder. I found it somewhere online and used it a few years ago in an Advent Peace Vigil. It takes the abstract and makes it very real in the every day sense.

August 18, 1980
Dear Jennifer,

The odds that this note will arrive for your birthday are poor, but know I'm with you in spirit as you celebrate 16 big ones. …

What I want to say...some of it isn't too jolly birthday talk, but it's real... Yesterday I stood looking down at a 16-year-old who had been killed a few hours earlier. I know a lot of kids even younger who are dead. This is a terrible time in El Salvador for youth. A lot of idealism and commitment is getting snuffed out here now. …

Brooklyn is not passing through the drama of El Salvador, but some things hold true wherever one is, and at whatever age. What I'm saying is, I hope you come to find that which gives life a deep meaning for you...something worth living for, maybe even worth dying for...something that energizes you, enthuses you, enables you to keep moving ahead. I can't tell you what it might be -- that's for you to find, to choose, to love. I can just encourage you to start looking, and support you in the search. Maybe this sounds weird and off-the-wall, and maybe, no one else will talk to you like this, but then, too, I'm seeing and living things that others around you aren't...

I want to say to you: don't waste the gifts and opportunities you have to make yourself and other people happy... I hope this doesn't sound like some kind of a sermon because I don't mean it that way. Rather, it's something you learn here, and I want to share it with you. In fact, it's my birthday present to you. If it doesn't make sense right at this moment, keep this and read it sometime from now. Maybe it will be clearer...

A very happy birthday to you and much, much love,
Ita