Holy Family

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brother, connected, family, Holy Family, New Year, nuclear family, one family, one world, sister, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today, the feast of the Holy Family, I am flooded with memories and gratitude for the blessings of my youth. The luxury of growing up with an intact nuclear family as well as the proximity of cousins galore is somewhat more rare these days and something to be treasured. In some wonderful, seemingly organic way, those of us who are now the “elders” seem deeply connected to the younger generation of our family. Although scattered around our country and even the far reaches of the world, on the infrequent occasions when we are together, delight is as palpable as the genetics that we share.

I know that I am privileged far beyond the boundaries of what money can buy and I wish such love as exists in my family for all people. Such love does not imply lack of struggle but rather a willingness to acknowledge our imperfections as well as the bonds that hold us together. And in our time we are faced with a new sense of what family can mean as people research their ancestry and submit their DNA to testing, learning whom they ought to be calling “sister” an “brother” in a wider sense than we could have imagined.

Let us, then, on this threshold day of a new year, recognize that we are all connected, and let us resolve to hold the possibility of “one world, one family” as our goal for the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Fitting Name

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birthday, Ephesians, generosity, Jesus, Jude, patron saints, praise God, Simon, sister, sisters, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today our Church remembers Simon and Jude, both apostles who are only known by their names or titles. Jude (not to be confused with Judas Iscariot) is mentioned in the gospel with the others chosen by Jesus as his close followers. Simon, known as the Zealot, was one of a sect of extreme Jewish nationalists who believed in the Old Testament concept that God alone was their king so that they were not to be subject to the Romans. Simon was converted by Jesus to a new and gentler way of living, it seems, but that is all we know of him. I didn’t know of him at all in my youth. As far as I knew October 28th was the feast of St. Jude alone, and I knew that much because it was – is – my sister’s birthday. By custom (way back then) she might have been named Judith but circumstances and the fact that we already had a close cousin with that name resulted in the fact that she is Paula.

Patron saints were a big deal in those days and I was proud to have Ann as my middle name so I could call the grandmother of Jesus my patron. I would have felt sorry for Paula if Jude was hers since Jude is the designated patron of those in “desperate situations” (http://www.franciscanmedia.org) We used to know that as “hopeless cases” and actually kidded my sister about that around her birthday on occasion.

I felt a lift this morning when I consulted the lectionary readings for the day. In contrast to some of the recent texts that seemed so serious and dark, today’s are filled with energy and motivation in the spirit of St. Paul. First, Paul announces to the Ephesians: You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God! (EPH 2:19) Then we hear the psalmist sing: Through all the earth their voice resounds, and to the end of the world, their message – a tribute to the work of Paul and the other early voices as well as creation itself (PS 19:5). Finally, the gospel reminds us of those called by Jesus as his first disciples (LK 6: 12-16) among whom we find Simon and Jude.

I was happy to hear these words – a birthday gift to my sister who has been in her life one who has always labored for the good of the whole, in both personal and professional relationships. Steadiness and generosity of self have clearly defined Paula’s life and blessed all of us who live within her sphere of influence. So today I honor my elder sister (my one and only!) and give praise to God for her life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Living Words

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apostles, creativity, discoveries, Hubble Space Telescope, human heart, inventions, Jesus, psalm 19, sister, Sister Linda Neil, CSJ, Sister Marion Honors, CSJ, St. Jude, St. Simon, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, universe, world

Illustration by Sr. Marion Honors, CSJ

Today is the feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles. The job description of these followers of Jesus was one of proclamation, telling their immediate (and sometimes far flung) world what they had learned in the company of Jesus, specifically about spreading the message of love. Psalm 19 attests to that ministry. We read this morning: Not a word nor a discourse whose voice is not heard; through all the earth their voice resounds and to the ends of the world their message.

If that were not enough to call us to celebrate the presence of God, the psalmist broadens out the reach of the message earlier in the psalm, singing: The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day pours out the word to day and night to night imparts knowledge. Last evening that glory was visible to a group of participants at the Sophia Center. Sister Linda Neil, CSJ was skillfully flashing slide after slide of images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope interspersed with the art of Sister Marion Honors, CSJ in a magnificent reflection on the place of humans in the universe. It was, as the psalmist knew so long ago, glorious!

We have, of course, been blessed many times over by the discoveries and inventions of the human mind even just in our lifetime. What was clear last night and again in my thoughts this morning is the magnificence of human creativity and the centrality of the work of the human heart. Our great artists attest to this – but so do we all in what we contribute to the growth and care of the universe, our home. Knowing that, I give thanks for my sister who celebrates her birthday today. She has been a beacon of generosity to people and to causes of justice & charity throughout her life both professionally and personally. Her care for the next generation of extended family is clear in the joy young cousins always take in her presence to them and her interest in the goings-on of their lives. So for all of the above, especially for God’s “handiwork” in the creation of my sister, I sing in gratitude and wonder.

Got Humility?

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each of us is special, God, humility, Lois, Mark, mother. brothers, name, Paul, sister, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Timothy

The readings this morning make me smile. It isn’t everyone who gets their name in the Bible, you know. Today (2TM 1:1-8) as Paul is writing to his young disciple, Timothy, he says: “…I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother, Lois…” Hah! See me special! (my ego says). Then swiftly on the heels of that, I read the gospel (MK 3: 31-35) where Jesus is told that his mother and brothers have arrived and are asking for him. He says in reply, “Who are my mother and my brothers?…Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” So much for my special relationship based in my name. The irony of the lectionary pairing did make me smile, however, and reminded me that each of us is special in our own way to God. That’s a good thing to remember no matter who is in our presence at each moment. Our full attention is required for it is God who desires our time and consciousness and who calls our name as if we were the only person present in the universe. May the joy of that knowledge bless you this day!

The Old and The New

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convent, foremothers, gratitude, head of household, Jesus, Matthew, motherhouse, reverence, silver jubilee, sister, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Next week one of the youngest Sisters in our community will celebrate her Silver Jubilee – 25 amazing years among us. She has chosen our Motherhouse as the location for this event because, as she told me this week, that way many of the older residents who wouldn’t be able to travel can participate. She couldn’t imagine doing it without them. Betsy has ministered in places and ways that would never have been possible when I was “a young sister” – e.g., traveling the world as the World-Church liaison for Habitat for Humanity – and is very engaged in the conversation about possibilities of a sustainable future for us as a Congregation.

I was reminded of Betsy by this morning’s gospel verse where Jesus says, “Every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.” (MT 13:52) I’ve always been grateful that I entered the convent on the cusp of all the changes in religious life occasioned by the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s because I understood “the old” experientially while struggling to understand and live into “the new” – a process that is in some ways still going on. I am comforted, however, and filled with hope for the future by those who have come after me whose reverence for our history and the women who shaped it is strong. Reverence and gratitude can go a long way – in any organization or culture – toward life in abundance. Today I pray God’s blessing for Betsy and all of our foremothers, trusting in God’s Spirit as we go forward on the road that has brought us to where we are.

Universality

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brothers, electric shock, Jesus, love of enemies, love of neighbors, Mary, Matthew, mother, sister, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today’s gospel is one of those that provides a bit of an “electric shock” to the reader. It’s hard to get a visual sense of where Jesus might be as it says he is speaking to “the crowds” but is obviously inside a house or some sort of structure because someone comes to him and says that his mother and brothers are outside asking for him. Perhaps he and the disciples have stopped at a relative’s house for a rest and, as often happens, people follow him and as many as possible crowd in (or on the roof) with the rest scrambling for space outside so that they can still hear what he’s saying. The shocking moment comes when his mother and brothers arrive – too late to get even close to the door – so someone brings a message to him that they are there. His response is a challenge to everyone there. He says, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? (and pointing to his disciples) Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, sister and mother.” (MT 12: 46-50)

Is Jesus showing disrespect to his mother and family? I can imagine that some in the crowd would think so and be horrified. Anyone who had been really listening to Jesus all along (like us, hopefully) might understand it differently. Jesus came preaching love of neighbor and even enemies in a revolutionary way. There was (and still is) no one outside the circle of his care. He even said we should love others as ourselves – as if they are not separate from us in any way. It’s like my mother who in her last days told everyone who approached her not just that she loved them but that she loved them best! I suspect that Mary got that point because she already knew Jesus and his message intimately. I can’t imagine her turning away in a huff or holding back tears because she felt dismissed by him. I have a sense that she waited until the crowds dispersed (listening proudly to his every word) and then had some time – maybe a meal with him and the family and the disciples – as the day ended.

In these days of cultural mobility when family members live far from each other and do not see each other often, it is important to recognize that distance does not imply lack of care. Even when responsibilities keep us apart it’s good to have the confidence of connection and to celebrate the freedom it offers us to be present to all who cross our path – loving them best of all in that moment of encounter.