Sunday May 8: Heaven Opens Where We Are

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  • Sunday May 8: Heaven Opens Where We Are
    • Posted by pbegeman on May 5, 2022 at 4:37 pm #124028

      [link to full email]: https://mailchi.mp/coutreach/word-of-the-week-may8

      [excerpt from email]: “In the end, the only thing that will matter will be how well we loved. … Heaven opens where we are and invites us in as we are. The moral of the story is that grace is everywhere and love abounds, but it must be received and celebrated. This is the sacrament of everyday life.” – Ilia Delio, The Hours of the Universe: Reflections on God, Science, and the Human Journey

      To Practice: * Re-read these passages in the manner of Lectio Divina. What do you hear for your journey now? Is there an active prayer sentence or affirmation that you can pray with throughout the week? * During the next week, pay attention to the small and ordinary graces in your life, without effort, without reflection. Receive and celebrate the sacrament that is your life.

       

       

    • Posted by Susan Kenney on May 8, 2022 at 1:10 pm #124083

      “Grace is everywhere. Love abounds. The sacrament of everyday life.”

      I live in a senior apartment. There are 99 one bedroom apartments. There are no extra services, although there is a community room and some welcoming outdoor spaces. There have been no community activities since the pandemic. Last week, we had a going away party for two women who will be moving to be closer to family.  More than 15 people came. Lots of memories and laughter. We turned an empty, lonely room into a welcoming and joyful place. Truly,  grace was everywhere.

    • Posted by Kathleen M. Kelly on May 8, 2022 at 2:23 pm #124085

      i find that staying in the moment, talking about “this”, “now” is the most lifegiving type of interaction.

      we all have storylines and beliefs  about what is real and they often seem to divide along ideological lines. better to commune outside of our baked-in, rigid “frames “. even in church. especially.

      • This reply was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by Kathleen M. Kelly. Reason: spelling
    • Posted by Adeline Behm on May 8, 2022 at 4:32 pm #124092

      “the grace place” unfolds – a couple of weeks back alone in the room I hear a female voice: How may I help you? Startled!( I guess I had pushed something on my cell phone some hours before, which I am learning how to use for other than phone calls.). Last week preparing for a gathering, in an irruption of feelings I don’t like, I hear myself saying out loud: God is this a test? (I’ve never done that before). A serenity washes over me sorting out the feelings, anger, the one I dread most; a choice becoming evident, powerlessness or rise to the challenge  engaging in justice, in an evolving situation: then being me, respectfully,  addressing the challenge. Two days later during the gathering, perhaps a modern day, mini-Pentecost, each one named/shared their experience, felt heard, an anonymous empowering beginning to unfold; personally, a newly found courage.

    • Posted by Susan Kenney on May 10, 2022 at 2:06 pm #124171

      And we thought it was their mental illness. Years ago, I worked with a mental health program. Whenever tragedy struck, some of the clients felt it as if it had happened to them. At the time, we thought it was their mental illness. Looking back, I realize that their hearts were opened to the presence of the divine everywhere and felt a kinship with all beings.

    • Posted by Susan Kenney on May 11, 2022 at 7:29 pm #124199

      “You don’t have to be anybody. Just be what you are already. “. As I head off to a meal with a small group of high school friends, I will carry this invitation with me. I often find myself speechless in conversations about travel, shopping, grandchildren, restaurants, movies, etc.  So, let me be a good and focused listener as I hear the reality of these women’s’ lives.  We have all weathered storms of one kind or another. something worthy of celebration.

    • Posted by Adeline Behm on May 13, 2022 at 10:31 pm #124237

      It is confirmed, that in spite of his mobility issues, Pope Francis will be in Canada July 24-29. The focus is not the Canadian Church but on the lives of our Indigenous people who are in need of healing and of our relationship in this healing, reconciliation process. It is a significant small step in need of the committed “walking with” now and of future generations. We walk humbly…. into the grace of the moment, one breath then another. And in this walking, our settler hearts, too will find healing, reconciliation, as the dried leaves of our arrogance gently float off, are gathered and fertilize our common earth, our common home.

      • This reply was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by Adeline Behm.
    • Posted by linda rhead on May 14, 2022 at 10:18 am #124240

      This week I took as my active prayer affirmation the phrase “we can even be a grace place for others”. Conversations with family and friends became oases of rest and refreshment. As I sat in prayer, God filled me with grace to pour into my auto service advisor, the grocery store employees, etc. And I started to practice being a grace place to those who are not seen yet encounter daily: people working behind the scenes to maintain websites, online merchants, security for banking transactions. Brought my frustration levels with “computer glitches” down to near zero. Who knew? <3 linda

    • Posted by Susan Kenney on May 17, 2022 at 9:52 am #124279

      “A walking with”. Thank you, Adeline, for your reflection on Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Canada. We in the US have much to learn from our Canadian sisters and brothers and from Pope Francis. Humility and truth are essential if we are to heal the wounds of white supremacy in all of its forms. May the Pope’s visit be transformative for Canadians and the world. .

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