We at Mercy by the Sea have so much we want to share with you:
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.
After a quiet winter season and before the riotous explosion of spring growth, there is a time for pruning. When storm debris is removed, the skeletal structure of the garden becomes starkly evident. Now it is time to eliminate, on trees, shrubs and woody plants, that which is diseased and damaged.
"You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love the stranger as yourself." – Lev. 19:34
In these challenging times, filled with rejection of immigrants, racial prejudice, shootings and fear of the perceived “other,” it is deeply challenging to feel hopeful. It is important not to give in to despair, but to renew passion for life and belief in the future through love for one another.
“Giving ... is a very rich and beautiful activity. It is a confident, joyful, and hopeful
expression of ministry. In ministering to each other, each from the riches that he
or she possesses, we work together for the full coming of God’s kingdom.”
– Henri Nouwen
We so value our ongoing conversation about the spirituality of giving that, as spring begins to take shape, we hold you in our thoughts and share Nouwen’s words.
We gathered five days after the high school shooting that killed 17 people in Parkland, Florida, to begin planning for the Holy Week Triduum of 2018. There had been 18 school shootings since the beginning of January. Within a month’s time, the noted artist, Janet McKenzie, would bring her exhibit, “Embracing Hope” to Mercy by the Sea’s art gallery. How does “Embracing Hope” enter into our “celebration” of the Passion/ Resurrection of Christ with anything more than platitudes?