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The Lord bless you and keep you!
The Lord let His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!
(Num. 6:24)
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Friday, February 10, 2012
And This Little Lady Sang Songs All the Way Home
My heart was moved yesterday, first by a great sadness and then by a steady joy. As only God can do, these emotions took place in the midst of a single event, which was a day out at the Mystic Seaport Aquarium with our Sisters from next door.
Countless individuals around the globe enjoy spending time with their loved ones at the zoo or aquarium, and I was one of them until I watched "The Cove". Now I can't help but be turned off by what has been imposed upon our fellow creatures of the earth. When we went to watch the sea lion show, I recalled what I had heard in the movie about the anxiety and anti-depression medication given to the stressed porpoises of Sea World. Such information seems to have sealed itself in the part of me that acts as my conscience. I do not judge, nor am I angry with, anyone who supports these things out of innocence or lack of information, but I do pray that for those of us who know better, we may use the knowledge, talents and hearts that God gave us to make a difference.
As for the steady joy that settled within me, it came from the laughter, adventure and companionship of my Felician Sisters. At one point, a few Sisters and I journeyed over to the shops in Mystic which were separate from the aquarium. We stopped in an Irish store, a fancy boutique, a general store, and a chocolate shop. One man insisted upon purchasing my items and so I gave him a rosary that I had made. "Thank you," he said, "I haven't had one of these in years." In receiving blessings and giving blessings, receiving kindness and doing our best to reciprocate it, and working as a team among ourselves and with those around us, we were able to find some gifts for a few friends and make a few friends along the way.
During our total of about three hours on the bus, we shared meaningful conversations, sat in contemplative silence, and made a few knotted rosaries. Sister Angelise even brought her guitar and played everything from "If You're Happy and You Know It" to "I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane" as we sang along. People truly are inherently good, and as I begin to see more of it wherever I go, I am more able to see the hope that comes from God by way of His creation despite the devastation I have also witnessed.
The Lord bless you and keep you!
The Lord let His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!
(Num. 6:24)
The Lord bless you and keep you!
The Lord let His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!
(Num. 6:24)
I just read this in the book "Weight of Glory" by C.S.Lewis...seemed apropos!
ReplyDelete"It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with awe and circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics.
There are no ordinary people.
You have never talked to a mere mortal. ...It is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit...And our charity must be a real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinner--no mere tolerance, or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment.
Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbour, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ vere latitat--the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden.
Hello MK!
DeleteThank you so much for posting these words of C.S. Lewis, they do seem very fitting for this blog entry indeed. His thoughts point toward a very Franciscan view of how we must relate to the world and to one another. I may have to pick up this book you mentioned!
You are so welcome Sister. A priest recommended it to me in the book store at the Basilica in Washington D.C. when I was there for the March for Life. I love C.S.Lewis and hadn't read this one yet. It's actually a book of essays, "The Weight of Glory" being one of them. I realize this had nothing to do with the other species of God's creatures with whom we share the earth, but your story of the exchange with the man in the shop reminded me that every person we meet is special indeed. Good luck with your blog. I'll be checking in frequently.
DeleteYou might also enjoy the movie "The Big Miracle". Not only is it a wonderful film about man's relationship to his fellow non-human friends, but it is a testimony to the basic, innate goodness of man. The US Coast Guard, Russia, The Inuits...all pulling together, working with each other, in such an unlikely set of circumstances...well, it was moving to say the least. It was interesting to watch Drew Barrymores' maturation process as she realizes that those we disagree with are not necessarily evil and there are many ways to look at a situation. The reverence that the Inuits show to the whales, the recognition that they are gifts from God and are to be treated as such, was truly inspiring. God Bless.
Oh, one last thing, if I may (feel like I'm running on and on but your post made me think of so many things), I thought you'd like this poem by St. Terese of Avila, given the title of your post.
DeleteEnjoy Me
"Love once said to me, "I know a song,
would you like to hear it?"
And laughter came from every brick in the street
and from every pore
in the sky.
After a night of prayer, He
changed my life when
He sang,
"Enjoy Me."
MK,
DeleteThank you again for your insightful words! I saw a preview for "The Big Miracle" and have been interested in it ever since. We don't often go to the movies, so I'll have to wait until it comes out for rent, but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing it -- especially after what you shared with me!
On Friday night we rented "Dolphin Tale," have you heard of it? It was also a very inspiring movie, showing us that the impossible can actually be a possibility if we believe in the goodness that exists around us. It also gave me some ideas as to how we can enjoy God's creation without holding it captive...
The poem you posted is wonderful! I am going to write it down so that it can remind me of just how easy it is to enjoy God and the life He provides us each day. The poem is so simple, yet it contains a wealth of wisdom! I had never seen it before, so I am truly grateful that you've shared it with me.
May God continue to bless and keep you, dear friend!
It is uplifting to see Felician joy in action even though it may co-exist beside a heavy heart...May sharing such thoughts about entrapment of our fellow creatures trigger ideas on how we might create spaces where we can enjoy these wonderful creatures and still let them be free...so will your next outing be a safari???
ReplyDeleteMy dear Sister Nancy!
DeleteI do believe that going on a safari may help me to think of ideas as to how we might free the captives... Where do I turn in my request?
Thanks for your Sisterly support! :)
Dear Sister, are there other novices with you? Do they also have a blog? I would love to have them add their insights to your postings as well.
ReplyDeleteHello Friend,
DeleteThere are three other novices with me: two other 1st year novices and one 2nd year. They do not have a blog, but I think it is a wonderful idea to have them share their insights! Perhaps I could ask them each to write something for the blog and it could be like a featured article of sorts. I know a couple of them would rather talk than write, but maybe I can convince them to at least post a comment... Good inquiry! I will talk with them about this!
I forgot to mention that one of our neo-Professed Sisters has a blog. Her name is Sister Grace and she actually completed the novitiate just this past August. Here is the link to her site:
Deletehttp://graced-days.blogspot.com
She shares a point of view from someone who is a step ahead of me :) Enjoy!