StarChild

Just got permission for use of this sound track--project I did on Christmas eve after being inspired when the song was used for our morning prayer.

Mission Sending

Am moved and excited today because it is Mission Sending today.

Ten wonderful people will be sent by the Maryknoll Family and other family and friends who love them...sent to countries around the world:

Bolivia, Cambodia, China, El Salvador, Kenya, Panama, Tanzania.

This afternoon we will gather in our Maryknoll Sisters Main Chapel. Maryknollers (Priests, Brothers, Sisters, Lay Missioners, Affiliates), some of whom have given more than 50 years of their lives to sharing a global mission of solidarity, healing, reconciliation...together with others...will send forth seven new Lay Missioners and three Sisters.

We will pray, sing, rejoice in this quintessential moment that celebrates the call to mission of these ten...and of all of us. And we will continue to hold them in our prayers, in our hearts.

May God bless them with courage, hope, fidelity, joy, and especially, love.

Celebrating Mercy

We had a beautiful celebration with Mercy today, seasoned with Tanzanian and Brazilian cultures and faith and love.

Religious vows--whether first, renewal, or final--are a time for all present to renew their commitment to following Christ.

As Mercy says, "Here I am Lord..." we also present ourselves once again to God and to our community.

Here is a quick overview:

God bless Mercy, all who love her (especially her parents), and the people she serves in Brazil.

Celebrating Commitment

I am unable to bilocate today. So while I will be present in our main chapel for the final vows of Sister Mercy Mtaita, my prayers are also with Dr. Susan Nagele who, just about one mile away, will be renewing her commitment as a Maryknoll Lay Missioner...and celebrating 25 years of service in Tanzania, Southern Sudan and Kenya.

I have many families, and most of them are big families. Sometimes my commitments and loyalties stretch me--and sometimes there's not enough to stretch as far as I would like.

Nonetheless, commitment to service to mission is a cause for celebration. And for affirming our commitment to service the mission of Jesus, to continue to seek and serve God's amazing reign of love.

Susan has been doing this for a long time. Mercy is younger, but in her service in Brazil, she also learns, grows, inspires.

Please join me and our Maryknoll communities and their families and friends in celebrating and praying for Susan and Mercy, and for all who strive to serve God and the people of God.

Encourage One Another

Thursday, I posted on my facebook status the little piece of Micah scripture:
Act justly, love tenderly, walk humbly with God.

Yesterday, I was with Maryknoll Lay Missioners celebrating 15 years as an Association of the Faithful. This same theme was celebrated in song and reflection.

It was a time to celebrate connection, to encourage each other, to commit to continuing to serve God in whatever way possible.

Fr. Bill Voss added to this (for his tombstone, hopefully not needed for many years to come):

Act justly, love tenderly, walk humbly with God. I tried.

I try.

May you also try. Today and always. To serve God and the people of God the best we can. And to help each other, encourage each other, remind each other of this great gift and purpose we have.

Esperanza's commitment

As I continue to try to learn many things, not all efforts are successful. This is not my best little movie, but gives a tiny glimpse of Sister Esperanza's first commitment as a Maryknoll Sister--continuing the long journey of faithful commitment to service she has already been living.

Too busy to seek?

I often find that I have to make a disclaimer about my spirituality--along the lines of, no one is every going to ask me to be a spiritual director...

the underlying substance of which goes to, when I get out of balance in the world of ministry-prayer, action-reflection, etc....it is always on the busy side of the equation.

I am lucky. Sometimes friends, things, flash moments..remind me to slow down, breathe, be.

I thank God for that, while still hoping for the grace/discipline/????? to move toward better balance.

From Slovenian Perpetuum Jazzile a memory of "Africa"

Amazing, fun, joyful

New conversations

I am on vacation with my family this week and it is an interesting time to learn new things, look at different perspectives.

Each of the people (and we are a big crowd +/- 30 at different times) serves the bigger mission of bringing love into our world in a different way. Parents and aunts and uncles are focused this week on being coaches, mentores, teammates to the younger generation.

We see the core issues of our faith differently, but not less faithfully. We have fun together.

And throughout the week are living communion (even if that is not the language most of us would use to describe these moments).

As the deer stands

As the deer longs for running water
so my soul longs for you, O God.
~ Psalm 42:1

As I walked down the hill this morning, somewhat distracted with thoughts of
things to be done
choices poorly made
and the usual things that can make me miss what it is real and important and beautiful...
suddenly I looked, and there, standing still not far from me, was a beautiful deer.
A little twitch, but mostly mutual gaze for a minute.
Then, another twitch and off (she?) went.

What a gift for the morning...an encounter that helps drop away the other thoughts and refocus.

As the deer stands, quietly, peacefully, so may I be peacefully and quietly rooted in a different posture for my day.

Giving changes everything

This post on how giving changes everything is a helpful add-on to my thoughts from yesterday.

Why I do what I do: reflections on fundraising

We have been in some meetings about planning different times during the last few weeks. This pushes me to reflect on why I do what I do.

(Of course, I've also been reflecting on my problem with focus, which would indicate that I don't stop often enough to on this...)

Full-time work in our Development Department has been a huge challenge for me. But it is also an incredible privilege. We have the opportunity to share with the wonderful, amazing people who make our ministry, our vocation, everything about our lives possible...

the people whose prayers make all the difference in the world

the people who give $1 or $100,000 once or over and over again to make God's love visible....

• so that Sister Connie can work with people in Guatemala to get better housing
• so that Sister Fran can work with young people orphaned by AIDS in Zimbabwe to provide for themselves and their families
• so that Sisters Susan and Norma can learn Chinese culture (language and so much more)
• so that new young women can enter our Congregation and receive the education, support, formation, training....orientation that they need to be prepared to make vows and live lives of ministry, community, prayer, service...making God's love visible as Maryknoll Sisters.
• so that Sisters working with the poor all over the world have food and shelter
• so that our ill and elderly Sisters can receive care in their last years as they do their final ministry of prayer for all of us in preparation for their final journey home to the amazing, loving, merciful God they have served in so many ways.

there are thousands of reasons I do what I do: connecting with people who share our missionary call through their prayers and donations

there are thousands of reasons I do what I do: trying to make it possible for our Sisters to serve the poor and suffering wherever they are, with whatever gifts and talents they have...whether it is health care in Bolivia or Education in Tanzania, artistic spirituality in Hawaii or theological education in Taiwan, care for our earth in the Philippines or catechetical training in East Timor....

there are hundreds of reasons I do what I do: the names and loving hearts of every one of my Maryknoll Sisters who reaches out to serve the mission of Jesus in whatever way she can

there is one reason I do what I do: to be as faithful as I can to the vocation that is my gift, my challenge, my call, my struggle, my hope, my best expression of God's love in me and trying to make God's love visible to others.

Seeking focus

My office resembles a war zone more than usual after a couple of weeks of moving from mailing deadline to special event to mailing deadline to special event to...more deadlines.

I came across this reflection on service and it is one more reminder: We all have to be vigilant about making sure our actions are aligned with our core values.

The other day I used the image of the pinball machine (or rather, the pinball) to describe my reality.

So I am back to seeking focus, seeking alignment.

In Good to Great, Jim Collins makes an interesting response to an assumption that one can't lead an organization to greatness and have a life. No, balance is important. Loving what you do is important. Being with the right people on the bus is important. (I am enjoying and being challenged a lot by this book...)

So I am back to seeking focus, seeking alignment, seeking balance. And hoping to be less pinball bouncing off whatever bumper, lever or wall happens to come.

The next generation

I am preparing the materials for a mailing to solicit funds for our major renovations efforts. My focus for the renovations tends toward the idea of strengthening the foundation for the next 100 years of mission. I hope it will continue to be collaborative, in the Maryknoll spirit and beyond.
Here is a celebration of that next generation that will serve mission.

Yesterday was the ordination of Father Stephen Taluja. In the picture on the left, Father Stephen is blessing Archbishop Timothy Dolan.




















This morning was Father Stephen's first mass. Here is pictured with Sisters Janice McLaughlin, Jareen Aquino, Genie Natividad, Sue Rech, Laura Guledew, and Linda AB. Genie, Laura and Linda have nearly completed their formation as Maryknoll Sisters. Soon they will profess their vows and prepare for their first mission assignments as Maryknoll Sisters.






These committed people, far more than the buildings, are the foundation for the next generation of making God's love visible.

(Photos thanks to Maryknoll Fathers Joe Veneroso and Dennis Moorman)

Poverty and Simplicity

Some of us have been reading articles and sharing conversation around the vow of poverty during the last few months.

I am out of times that focused on simple living. "Live simply that others may simply live."

A lot of religious discussion on poverty addresses the common good.

In some many ways, simple lifestyle was easy in Bura-Tana, Kenya. There wasn't much to have so we didn't have to worry to much about choices. And the focus of our day to day ministries were integral human development--helping people with basic needs. So maybe I am spoiled. I didn't have much money and didn't have anything to spend it on except basics (rice, beans, onions, tomatoes, cabbage, kale and collard greens [locally, sukumu wiki--low cost greens to push the week until something else could be found].

Now, I try to learn and be informed by a bigger consciousness of common good--common good of the whole of everything--all of God's amazing, magnificent creation. The idea of footptrint (usually as in carbon footprint) can be expanded.

How much do I need?

How much do I use?

In addition to trying to reduce my carbon footprint,
what about reducing my attention footprint--listening, and paying attention more to a bigger world than demanding attention for my own.
How about expanding my mindfulness footprint?

Seeking peace

Inspirational Poems or really quotes. Takes a few minutes, but some nice things to reflect on.

Friday afternoon

Some days it is easier to be a seeker than other days. Perhaps it has something to do with remembering the purpose of the seeking.

It's Friday afternoon. And I am thinking: blessings and peace to all.

Music Sharing

The Power of Beauty in the Internet/Global Sharing:

Stand By Me International Street

International Orchestra

We can work together for beauty and good in our world.

Praying for Peace in Africa

Prayer for Peace in Africa

Easter dawn

Happy Easter

Cold in the Tomb

I took a walk yesterday morning. And it was colder than expected. While I love the path around our woods, part of the time I was just focused on being cold.

How petty, it seemed after a while. Good Friday. Surely Jesus cold in the tomb trumps my poor-judgment-caused discomfort.

In these past months, how many people have been left "out in the cold"--suffering the worst effects of the economy.

Cold in the tomb: way beyond physical cold. What about people who are freezing inside because they are lost, lonely, afraid...in some way or another alienated and therefore burdened by the absence of knowing they are loved in the ways that matter.

People so cold and confused and full of sorrow and despair that their only solution is opening fire on a world that has somehow failed them?

Is this not some part of the Easter promise in which we are called to participate?
the communion of love in which all find a home in God's reign of love? in which there are other solutions? in which we get through this precisely because we get through it together?

Holy Week Meandering

We had the reading of the Passion yesterday morning. A couple of things struck me differently than I remember from past years.

Peter: boldly proclaims his loyalty, promptly betrays, weeps in sorrow.
Jesus between two thieves.

And it's ok. Jesus' closest followers have been getting it "wrong" for millennia and the deal (aka covenant) is not broken. God still trusts us as partners in bringing about good news.

Come closer, friend

At mass the other day, I was sitting on the end of a pew in a spot with obstructed view. My often buddy in said spot gestured and whispered, "Come closer, friend."

As we seek to create a transformed world by living differently, finding the way to respect differences while belonging to each other in one creation, one body, one mission...can be difficult.

Come closer, friend...

Such a simple, practical, elegant way to live into oneness.

Thank you, Sister Blanche.

Mission seeking

Seeking mission
Mission seeking
Mission: seeking

It's Lent and I am trying, though words are often elusive.

I'm rereading Entering the Castle, in which Carolyn Myss explores Teresa of Avila and invites the reader to a life as a mystic without a monastery.

As a contemporary mystic, you are measured by the quality of attitude you bring to all your tasks, by your capacity to be a model of generosity, and by challenging the fear that there is not enough to go around in this world--whether that is money, love, food, fame, power, attention, success, or social position. Mystical service means modeling calm in chaos, kindness amid anger, forgiveness at all times, personal integrity--to live, in other words, mindful that every second offers a choice either to channel grace or to withhold it. (p. 29)

I find this inviting, challenging, overwhelming.

In seeking mission, I am seeking that integrity that in every way, in every moment is mindful of the greater good, the cosmic communion in which we are all one and therefore there is no we-they, no above-below, nothing beneath me, nothing beyond me, all in all in love.

Here is my purpose and call: to keep this in mind as I try to plan my day, my week, my months and year ahead in a job that is a lot about being open to hope, opportunity, encounter, communion.

Jubilee Witness and Challenge

We are celebrating Jubilees today--Sisters with 60, 65 and 70 years of commitment and service to the mission of Jesus. Some of them I have been privileged to know for many years. (a little rough glimpse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XCMh1TGCsk )

This witness of long service and commitment stands in stark contrast to the apparent superficiality of so much involvement. As I continue to explore "cybermission," it makes me wonder about many things. FaceBook makes it very easy for me to click and join a new cause--that I do believe in (ending child prostitution, peace...) and also easy for me to post my causes (Darfur, AIDS) and hope that others will be influenced.

And clicking I can feel that I am DOING something (rather than NOTHING).

But am I?

Is a click, a post actually transforming relationship and action? Does it create in me a new heart and/or do anything to turn swords into ploughshares? Does it create peace, justice?

Sally McFague speaks of contemplatives in liberation. "The Christian practice of radical love knows no bounds: it does not stop at any border, even the human one."

Our amazing Sisters have crossed so many boundaries to make God's love visible. Their lives truly witness to Christ in whom all is redeemed and made one.

Seeking Vision

I will live of life of vision rooted in God's love for all...rooted in God's will for all: communion: one bread, one body.

I shall stand at my post,
I shall station myself on my watch-tower,
watching to see what God will say to me,
what answer God will make to my complaint.

Then Yahweh answered me and said,

Write the vision down
inscribe it on tablets
to be easily read
for the vision is for its
appointed time
it hastens towards its
end and it will not lie.
Although it may
take some time
wait for it
for come it certainly will before too long.

~Habakkuk 2:1-3

When vision calls us, informs us, pulls (or pushes) us, we are reminded and drawn into the bigger purpose. God's enterprise is about love. Love that is patient, kind, tolerant. Love that is just, merciful, transforming. Love that draws us into the One who is One. It's organic, interactive, (and, of course, beyond our knowing and understanding).

So the vision requires hope and humility, purpose and persistance, love and longing. And it will take time.

I shall stand at my post...watching to see what God will say to me....

Differences, Conversation, Hope

I have been reading a book by Margaret J. Wheatley that promotes conversation. In Turning to One Another she shares lots of interesting and thought provoking ideas.

This is the one that stays with me the most:

It's not our differences that divide us. It's our judgments about each other that do. (p. 36)

It is very easy to judge--I seem to be exceptionally good at it.

Wheatley is promoting conversation as a means--Conversation is the natural way we humans think together.

But I am also challenged to understand something beyond this. (Which is not to say that it wouldn't be good to keep working on my listening skills.)

But if conversation is the way humans think together
is contemplation the way all creation thinks together?