I don’t recall when I first began sitting in my prayer chair early each morning. With the demands of four young children, most likely my practice was born out of necessity. I needed quiet and peace before the many tasks of motherhood took precedence.
The chair is just an ordinary chair that over the years acquired meaning beyond just a piece of furniture. I don’t remember which child first named it the “prayer chair” or which one called the living room the “loving room” but somehow we all sensed the subtle field of grace that permeated the room.
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.
When I originally began this reflection, I had planned to write about the Climate Study which had been released to the media. Within days of my putting pen to paper, Mr. Trump responded to North Korean threats with warnings of “fire and fury,” and we were suddenly on the brink of a nuclear war. Then came the threat of military action in Venezuela, quickly followed by the horrendous events in Charlottesville, Virginia. What’s a blogger to do? It’s all so overwhelming for me that I forget that also this week people were kind to each other, mothers gave birth, families enjoyed vacation time, students prepared for school, and most people continued to prefer love to hatred, violence and bigotry.
