We at Mercy by the Sea have so much we want to share with you:
Inspiring and transformational quotes, prayers, poems, videos and books we discover or rediscover
Conversations with upcoming presenters
News and events about what's happening at Mercy by the Sea
Resources and thoughts on contemplative prayer, spiritual direction, the second half of life, emerging leadership, creativity, our relationship with nature and much more!
You'll find seasonal photos of the grounds — vegetation, trees and winged and four-legged creatures that make their homes here. We'll capture changes in the light and colors as the seasons change. So bookmark this page and come back regularly. or subscribe to our weekly eNewsletter where these posts will be sent to your email inbox.
This week the monarch butterflies have returned to Mercy by the Sea, the result of a remarkable feat of nature, a complete transformation of one being into another totally new being. I marvel at the creativity and diversity of God as manifested in the various life forms on this sacred Mercy by the Sea property.
Also this week the need for another kind of transformation came to light with the release of the 900-page Pennsylvania Grand Jury report. Repeatedly I have been asked about this and how I deal with it. I think people expect me to say that my faith has been shaken or that I can’t go to church anymore or something like that. We all know that the abuse of a child is a serious, immoral and illegal act. What is most troubling to me is not the individual act, disturbing as that is. Rather it is the systemic nature of the problem that is most unsettling: That this act, on the most vulnerable among us, was apparently widespread — and at times accepted or at least tolerated — a secret culture of sex and sin by those who made moral declarations for others. The call that Saint Francis of Assisi heard hundreds of years ago to “rebuild my church” nags at me.
Nurturing growth during times of scarcity is a challenge for the gardener and the seeker. Certain guidelines apply to both the quest for a bountiful harvest and a fruitful life. Here are just a few:
Preparation One must start with good soil. Watering land that is compacted and not fertile is wasteful. Likewise, the soil of our spirit must be open to spiritual direction.
Cultivation The gardener does not plant and then ignore the new seedlings. Instead, faithful aerating creates soil that can absorb water while weeding eliminates other plants that compete for valuable resources. It’s a good practice to eliminate distractions from our life that crowd out the spiritual lessons we seek.
Many of you, as you read this, will find yourself recalling how special your times at Mercy by the Sea have been. Whether walking the grounds, sitting by the water or attending a program, you tell us that you experience the Center as a sacred space of peace and tranquility where your hearts are strengthened and spirits renewed.
I am sure you have thought, as I have, that you wished everyone could have this experience. We agree!
Poet, peacemaker, minister and Celtic spirituality scholar, John Philip Newell, gave a retreat entitled "The Song of the Sacred Earth" at Mercy by the Sea in mid-July. Sister Mary Daly offered this spiritual practice as part of the three-day retreat.
“I was searching without while you were within ... more inward than my inmost self and superior to my highest being.” St. Augustine, The Confessions
“Let the final word be, ‘God is in all things’.”
Every artist knows that her work of art bears some resemblance, some likeness to herself. And then, the viewer contemplating the art work also is, in some sense, contemplating the artist. Sometimes you resonate, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you find a piece of yourself being opened by this art as you let it enter your being.
So I would like you to consider God the artist present to all that God has made, that bears God’s likeness. Let the God in creation, actively present, actively engaging us, impinge upon your senses, arouse your feelings, engage your thoughts and emotions through some part of creation that will speak God to you.
