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Pentecôte

“Donne-moi la Sagesse, assise près de toi.”  Sagesse 9, 4

Il y a quelques années, je me promenais sur le terrain de notre chalet communautaire, déambulant un peu n’importe où quand je me suis retrouvée devant une balançoire accrochée entre deux arbres.  C’était en soirée et la rivière par derrière était calme. J’ai pris une photo, ne sachant pas ce qu’elle ressemblerait (car c’était avant l’ère des caméras digitales)! Une fois développée, la photo était très belle!

La vie est un peu comme une vieille caméra.  On se promène un peu partout, on prend des décisions au sujet de ceci ou de cela, sans savoir précisément comment les choses vont tourner.  Et parfois, sinon toujours, c’est mieux ainsi. Si l’on savait à l’avance ce qui allait nous arriver, nous céderions probablement à la panique en figeant sur place ou en nous sauvant en courant; en tout cas, ce serait probablement l’une de mes réactions…

C’est correct de ne pas savoir ce qui va nous arriver parce que l’Esprit saint nous a été donné.  La fête de la Pentecôte nous rappelle que nous ne sommes pas seuls. Parfois, j’essaye de m’imaginer ce que les disciples de Jésus ont dû vivre.  Ils ont partagés trois ans de leur vie avec Jésus. Ils ont bénéficié de sa sagesse et de tous ses autres dons de Dieu. Ils pensaient avoir tout perdu lorsque Jésus est mort sur la croix, mais voilà qu’il leur est apparu ressuscité.  Mais cela ne s’arrêtait pas là; voilà qu’il allait leur être enlevé de nouveau. La pensée de cette deuxième séparation a dû être difficile à accepter. Mais Jésus leur fit une promesse qu’il ne les laisserait pas seuls, que Dieu leur enverrait l’Esprit saint.  Ils ne pouvaient pas comprendre ce que ceci voulait dire avant de le recevoir, mais quelle allégresse ils ont dû ressentir lorsque l’Esprit saint leur fut effectivement envoyé. Ils ont alors reçu tous les dons de l’Esprit saint et ils ont compris que Jésus, Dieu et l’Esprit saint seraient toujours présents dans leurs cœurs et parmi eux.

Et c’est ainsi pour nous.  Nous ne sommes pas seuls et nous n’avons pas à avoir peur de ce qui va se passer si nous croyons réellement que l’Esprit saint nous donnera ce dont nous avons besoin, quand nous en aurons besoin.

L’image de la balançoire vide n’en est pas une de tristesse.  Plusieurs religieuses y ont passé du temps à prier Dieu. Quand je vois cette balançoire vide, je vois la présence de Dieu dans la vie de mes consoeurs, dans ma propre vie et dans le monde.  Que Dieu nous accorde sa sagesse et tous ses autres dons à travers l’Esprit saint afin de nous aider à consentir à ce qui est à venir.

Joyeuse Pentecôte!

éline Belliveau, NDSC

Religieuse de Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Coeur

“Give me the wisdom that sits by your throne.”  Wisdom 9, 4

A few years back, I was at our sisters’ cottage, wandering around the grounds with my camera, and I fell upon this swing hung between two trees.  It was evening, and the river behind it was calm. I took a picture, not knowing how it was going to turn out (because it was before the era of digital photos)!  And it turned out beautifully!

Life is a little like a roll-film camera.  You wander around, you make decisions to do this or that, but you never quite know how things are going to turn out.  And sometimes, if not all the time, this is okay. If we knew in advance all that was going to happen to us, we would probably panic and either freeze or run away; anyways, I know I would…

It’s okay not knowing what is going to happen because the Holy Spirit has been given to us.  The feast of Pentecost reminds us that we are not alone on our journey. Sometimes, I try to put myself in the shoes of Jesus’ disciples.  They had been with him for three years. They had benefitted from Jesus’ wisdom and other great gifts of God. They thought they had lost everything when Jesus died on the cross, but then he was with them again, resurrected, only to be taken a second time from them.  The thought of this second separation must have been so difficult to bear. But Jesus made them a promise that he would not leave them alone, that God would send them the Holy Spirit. They couldn’t understand beforehand what this meant, but what elation they must have felt when the Holy Spirit did come upon them.  They then received all the gifts of the Spirit and they understood that Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit would always be present in their hearts and among them.

And so it is for us.  We are not alone and we need not fear what is to come if we truly believe that the Holy Spirit will give us what we need, when we need it.

The image of the empty swing is not one of sadness.  Many sisters have spent time in it, praying to God. When I see this empty swing, I see God’s presence in my sisters’ life, in my own, and in the world.  May God give us his wisdom and all his other gifts through his Holy Spirit to help consent to what is to come.

May you all have a blessed feast of Pentecost.

Céline Belliveau, NDSC

Religieuse de Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Coeur

 

 

 

He Has Risen!

A mother of 5 spoke to me this past week about the need for everyone to be more in touch with the reality of God’s love and spending less time online.  She talked about her and her children’s constant battle with distractions of all sorts and put her finger on technology as making it more difficult to stay in touch with what is real and healthier.

As a younger religious I’m grateful for 2 things this Easter.  One, that I have the privilege of being able to relate and enter into the emptiness of upcoming generations.  And, two, that Christ has risen in a way that calls us all to get excited about facing a new reality of health, healing and hope.  Perhaps it is the hunger for these very things that drive us all to distractions that ultimately leave us isolated, empty and broken? In any case, I, like Mary Magdalene and the other disciples choose to run to the emptiness of any tomb in my restless heart that has death and despair in it so that I can be in touch with my own reality and invite Christ risen from the dead into it.  I always seem to feel more free when I do this and more in touch with my responsibility to deal with what I lack and what Jesus’ resurrected presence means for us all.  May God bless us this Easter with the courage to model what it means to live in the reality of our brokenness so that in the face of despair the narrative that begins with an empty tomb may become more real and transformative for everyone.

Photo and reflection by:  Toby Collins, CR – a Resurrectionist who ministers with two other Resurrectionists at St. Mary’s Parish in downtown Kitchener, Ontario.

A Lenten Meditation

4th Sunday of Lent 

As you begin, take a moment of silence be attentive to God’s presence. Invite your body, mind and spirit to slow down. Be aware of any distractions around you or within you…

pause

What grace or gift do you ask God for as you begin this prayer time?

 Reading

Luke (15:1-3,11-32)

Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’

So he told them this parable:

Then Jesus said, ‘There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.” So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and travelled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, “How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.’ ” So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his slaves, “Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!” And they began to celebrate.

‘Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, “Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.” Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, “Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!” Then the father said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.” 

Reflection

This parable, which happens to be the longest of all the parables that Jesus shares, is a familiar one for most of us. The wisdom of the Church to place these readings of reconciliation and celebration in Lent is a sure sign that it is food for our journey to Easter. Compassion is the key that unlocks the way of the heart. The father in the parable gives us a glimpse into the heart of God. There are several  examples of this and the two I wish to note are when the younger son returns and when the older son will not join the party. The father does not wait, in either circumstance, to judge or condemn the sons. Rather, he meets them where they are; one on the road coming home and the other in the field. By meeting them where they are, the father never says, I told you so. The father’s compassion is an active waiting. He never forces either of them to come into the house. His generosity and compassion embraces their repentant and angry hearts.  Our God waits for us in active ways. When we choose to sin and distance ourselves from God, God waits for us in the people and events that surround us. Then when we experience God’s compassion  through the words or actions of others or in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are again reminded that God’s heart is much larger than we can ever imagine or comprehend.  

Meditation

Take time to reread the passage. 

What word or phrase remains with you?  

As you think about your life, What ways do I actively wait and meet people where they are at?Do I place a greater value on being right rather than being compassionate? Are there times when I make choices that prevent me from accepting God’s compassion?

Take a moment to ask God to journey with you through the fourth week of Lent. Be mindful of the Lenten promises you have made. 

Closing Prayer

Pause and share with God the needs and prayers that rest on your heart this day.  Amen.

Written by: Michelle Garlinski, SNJM

 

Will you come and follow me?

One of the most powerful songs that I have heard in liturgy is ‘The Summons’ by John L. Bell. The hymn is a series of questions that Christ poses to his disciple, and it becomes clear that the Gospel way of life is concrete and demands utmost sincerity of heart. Throughout the song Jesus invites the disciple to follow him, not hiding the fact that love and closeness to God is linked to self-giving, discipline and suffering. Yet he asks and awaits our response.

The third Sunday of Lent presents us with the encounter between Moses and God in the burning bush. The Lord affirms, “I have heard the cry of complaint of my people against the slave drivers, so I know well what they are suffering.” (Ex 3: 7). For this reason, God calls Moses to lead his people out the suffering and oppression in Egypt. Our God is merciful, compassionate, caring and aware of our deepest needs.

This encounter between God and Moses reminds me of the long story of fidelity and infidelity on behalf of the Israelites. Although God is loving and merciful, slow to anger and rich in compassion, I need to do my part to move out of the desert. God constantly extends a hand, to save me from so many forms of spiritual destruction and slavery- and I am free to extend my hand to accept the gift. But the gift of salvation entails my own work and discipline to embrace the new life offered to me in turn.

The words of Jesus in today’s Gospel seem harsh, “If you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!” (Luke 13: 5). In no way is the Father abandoning the work of his hands. Rather, Jesus tells us that we are free to follow the path of salvation. He does not want slaves to a rule, but rather free sons and daughters who welcome the Gospel and live it with gratitude. 

Lent is a time to listen to the loving voice of Jesus that invites walk with greater freedom and decision on the narrow path of the Gospel.

Article by: Kate O’Connor

Listen to the The Summons

 

 

Feb 2: World Day for Consecrated Life

Consecrated Religious Today

February 2 is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. This is the day the church celebrates Mary and Joseph bringing Jesus, their firstborn, to the temple to present him to the Lord. It is here that the wise old Simeon and Anna declare that their light and redemption have come.

Since 1997 this feast has also been declared the World Day of Consecrated Life. It is day of prayer and celebration for male and female religious communities. Religious communities are called to reflect the light of Jesus and bring his light to all the world.

We asked Brother Benjamin Ripley, O.F.M. to share his thoughts on being a consecrated religious today.

What does it mean to me to be a consecrated religious today?

Being a consecrated religious gives me a unique way to live the joy of the Gospel and bringing it to the world in my own, little way. It gives me the opportunity to bring joy in a world where there is often a lack of joy. Consecrated life for me is the way to bring God’s compassion, mercy, healing, and the Gospel message of salvation. My vocation to consecrated life is an assurance to me that I am loved by God, I am important to Him and he is calling me to bring that message of joy to others. Consecrated life is an ongoing spiritual journey where I am continually transformed within in my interactions and ministry with my fellow Franciscan brothers and to all those I meet in my ministry. It means a renewal and continued growth in my relationship with Jesus Christ, myself and my relationships with others and the world.

Consecrated life challenges me to go beyond myself and meet the issues which are affecting my local community and beyond. My vocation has given me a desire and restlessness to share the joy of God’s love to others, to perhaps transform the world and people’s lives in my small, humble way.

Living out my vows of living without property, obedience, and chastity also helps me to live the joy of the Gospel life by giving complete trust to the Lord. I have the joy of knowing that I do not have to rely on material things that have the power to control me, but that God will provide me with what truly matters. My vow of obedience allows me to give of myself and sacrifice my personal pride and ego and allow God to work within me. My vow of chastity allows me to center my love towards Jesus Christ and others.

What do I love most about being part of a Religious Community?

The thing that I love most about belonging to the Franciscan Friars is the gift of living in fraternity with such a diverse mixture of people who are also desiring to live the Franciscan way of life. There is such a variety of personalities and perspectives within each community which work together towards a common mission. This diversity manifests itself in sometimes humorous or infuriating ways—I believe this is the beauty of living in community. I can be myself and am accepted by the community—imperfections and all. Community challenges me to grow and know that I have value and gifts that I bring to the table and contribute to the life of the community and its mission of spreading the Gospel joy to the world.

We humbly ask for your continued prayers for all consecrated men and women, that we may indeed by bearers of the light of Christ and go forth with the Good News.

Article by: Michael Perras, OFM

 

Some Reflections on Leadership

A few months ago Michelle Garlinski asked if I would share a reflection on my experience of leadership as a younger religious. I’m happy to offer a few thoughts, but before I do I’ll point out the obvious; I’m not really a young religious. I made my first profession a little over 25 years ago; some of my friends from high school are already grandparents, and others are considering their retirement; and when I travel to countries where religious vocations are plentiful, they consider me an elder! So, these reflections on my experience of leadership are those of an Oblate in his early 50’s, in leadership in a province where the average age is close to 80! In addition, the ideas presented here are not meant to be a systematic piece, but are preliminary thoughts on a few areas of our ministry and community life.

Challenge and Change

Five and a half years of leadership and administration has brought it’s fair share of challenge and change: diminishing numbers (we were about 230 Oblates in our province in 2013, today we are about 165); the lack of new membership and the place of religious life in the Canadian church today; managing the blessings and tensions of our increasingly international communities; the important issues emerging around accountability and transparency of religious leadership regarding our handling of historic abuse cases; our Oblate response to the TRC Calls to Action. And yet, in the midst of challenge and perpetual change, I find myself hopeful in the face of this uncertain future, and grateful to go forward with Oblates, Oblate Associates, and the many others who share in our charism, life and work today. 

Leadership is ministry too!

Shortly after my appointment as one of the two vicars for my Oblate province, I travelled to Rome for leadership formation along with about fifteen other Oblates newly appointed as provincial and vicars provincial. Playfully referred to as charm school, the workshops and reflections offered there by our congregational leadership and others were consoling and practical.  One of the most helpful pieces of advice we were given over those two weeks was this: to remember that leadership and administration (managing change, encouraging and assisting other leaders, facilitating and organising various meetings and initiatives, and ensuring the obligations of the Province and Congregation are met, etc.) is in fact, ministry. Our new ministry would be a service to the Oblates (ad intra rather than ad extra), and a necessary part of our corporate mission. Over the last five years I’ve made the same point when encouraging Oblates to be open to the internal ministries of the community, something most of us are reluctant to take on.

Make decisions and move!

As religious we learn that discernment precedes decision, and that decisions should be made at the most appropriate level. This is true, but as religious (like other groups of people I suppose) we get lost in process and discussions about subsidiarity, and important decisions are delayed, or not made at all. 

When we began our first term as Provincial Council back in 2013, our Provincial, Fr. Ken Forster said that as a provincial he intended to take significant decisions in a number of areas of our Oblate life. He was clear that we would gather good information, consult appropriately, and in a spirit of prayer make decisions and act on them.  I’ve come to appreciate the wisdom of this. Over almost six years we’ve made a good number of bad decisions, but I’ll take that over a lack of direction any day; and so it seems, will most Oblates. A bad decision can be changed and learned from, but a lack direction takes us nowhere. 

Committing to ongoing formation…

When I entered the Oblates in the early 90’s, our Oblate province (one of five provinces that would amalgamate to become OMI Lacombe in 2003) held a community retreat just after Easter each year, then in late August we’d gather for Study Days. Today I have warm memories of these and other smaller gatherings as opportunities for intellectual and spiritual growth, but even more as time taken together to learn and grow as a community. There were also programs and gatherings organized at regional and international levels of the congregation; all of which was part of the intentional commitment of the Oblates to ongoing formation. 

In recent years the attention given to ongoing formation has diminished due to many reasons; an aging membership; reluctance to free ourselves from ministry commitments (especially priests); the time away for these events is seen by some as an indulgence; lack of personnel to organise gatherings, to name just a few. This diminishment in attention to our ongoing formation can have consequences : a lack of communal reflection on our life together; a diminished consistency in our Oblate pastoral practice (I.e. What distinguishes our pastoral presence as Oblates?); a lack of depth in our homilies, teaching, or talks. 

The Oblates in Canada and the US are are taking steps towards shared ongoing formation programs, especially with our younger members in the area of leadership training, and hopefully these efforts will lead to other initiatives. 

Grateful for our gatherings…

This is why I’m grateful for our gatherings in Saskatoon over the last two summers, and that there is third retreat planned for July. For me these retreats were at least in part experiences of ongoing formation, where we pondered together the signs of the times, and began to explore what God might be asking of younger Canadian religious today, and into the future. This can only be a good thing for us, our communities, and for the wider church. 

Written by Fr. Ken Thorson, OMI

A Poem to Conclude the Christmas Season

Come Into My Heart

Yes, Christ Child come into my heart,

open me up to see you in the manger

and see that simplicity.

Open me up to see

your gift of trust,

your gift of abandonment,

your gift of hope and joy.

Yes, Christ Child come into my heart,

again this Christmas,

so that with Mary & Joseph

I may prepare a room for you

as small as my heart and as big as the world

so I may ponder all you fill my life with

and embrace you more and more.

Yes, Christ Child come into my heart,

so I may be filled with wonder and awe

like the shepherds and magi,

so I may give praise to you for all your goodness,

so I may be strengthened to build the kingdom,

so I may proclaim:

God is With Us Always until the End of Time!

Yes, Christ Child come into my heart,

Oh Christ Child you have come again… Thank You!

  • Br. Michael Perras, OFM

 

Christmas: Being Found by Joy

In my community and in my family I have noticed that we can all be stubborn about our need to be in control and independent.  That’s why I find it interesting that God chose to reveal the Messiah laying in a manger.  For me, this revelation can be quite difficult to accept because I didn’t think of it and I certainly would never have thought to be saved through such poverty.  I simply don’t understand.
This past summer I caught my nieces and nephews in a moment of pure joy.  They were all well-fed, playful and reconciled with each other.  It was a beautiful moment! I could see God’s presence in each of their faces.  Perhaps the birth of Jesus simply says that God wants to draw near to us all.  To help us to smile and experience pure joy.  Wanting us to be more and more humble and loving.  Wanting us to be more trusting of a God who made an eternal covenant of love the moment we were baptized. Wanting us to stop trying to manufacture joy and simply be found by it.
In a way, the birth of Jesus can seem like the opposite of joy.  In some ways Christ’s birth marks for Jesus, Mary, Joseph (and many others) the beginnings of  tumultuous times of insecurity wrought with pain and suffering.  But they all eventually found by joy.  Like them we can discover through a baby lying in a manger that God will always find us.  And that there is no place in existence where we cannot be found so long as we are willing to God’s plan usurp our own.  May Christ’s presence in our communities and families this Christmas continue to lay waste to what keeps us from becoming one family.  And may his joy, forgiving heart, and eternal desire to reconcile all things find us wherever we go in 2019!
On behalf of the editors of aroundthewell.ca may you have a blessed Christmas and a happy, and holy new year!
Toby Collins, CR
Pastor of St. Mary’s Parish
Kitchener, Ontario
(below: a picture of my nieces and nephews in ‘perfect joy’)

Advent: A Call for Conversion

“A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” (Isaiah 40:3-5)

Visiting the Nativity Church in Bethlehem- the star marks the place of Jesus’ birth

Each year Advent has a different tone for me. This year from the very beginning of the Advent season, the word ‘Conversion of Heart’ has been present. Initially I was a bit confused as to why there was a call to conversion in my prayer and reflections- turning back to God and repentance of sin seems to be more fitting for the Lenten season. 

Nevertheless, as I ponder on the celebration of Christ’s birth and the invitation to prepare a way for the Lord, I perceive the winding roads and rough ways that are present in my heart. 

Here in Brazil (the Southern Hemisphere) where the closing of the academic year aligns with the end of the civil year, I need to make a heroic effort to not be swept away by the frenzy of yearend activities, closing projects, last minute meetings and endless Christmas parties. 

Truly, the voice crying in the desert needs to be heard in my prayer, each day. Am I making God’s entrance into my life easier, smoother, clearer? How can I raise up and rise above the deep valleys of frustration, impatience and activism?

The voice in the desert draws me towards the empty manger, inviting me to silence and conversion of heart. I want to be ready to welcome the Salvation that is to come and, at the same time, is present among us.

Pictures and Article by: Kate O’Connor.  She is a member of the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi, a Society of Apostolic Life. Originally from Stratford, Ontario, she currently carries out pastoral ministry with adults in the Archdiocese of Sao Paulo, Brazil.