We have received two books of divine revelation, the book of Scripture and the book of nature. Creation is a sacred text through which the presence of God is revealed. Mercy by the Sea and Mercy Farm are places of exquisite beauty where creation and the Divine are met. As I gaze upon the water or walk the land, it is clear in me that our relationship with the Divine and creation is integral to the flourishing of all beings.
Since 2005, the Sisters of Mercy have had a commitment “to reverence Earth and work more effectively toward the sustainability of life.” There are many ways this commitment has been integrated into Mercy ministries. The Northeast Community initiated the work of Mercy Ecology in 2006. An eco-spirituality retreat house and farm in Benson, Vermont, and New Dawn Center for education in Cumberland, Rhode Island were established. (New Dawn has since had to close.) Mercy by the Sea was also part of this effort before closing for renovation. The dream was to help bring about a healing of Earth and provide a haven of peace where people could reconnect with the natural world through educational and experiential opportunities.
As of September 2018, I am thrilled to step into a collaboration between Mercy Ecology and Mercy by the Sea developing and offering eco-spirituality programs. My focus is to deepen the efforts of making the two books of divine revelation evident, vibrant and accessible. Through integrating the spirituality of ecology into programs, practices and decision-making, I hope that all who visit will experience the gifts of creation and come to know what Teilhard de Chardin called the “breathing together of all things.”
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.
Keeping a nature journal is a quest to find, through art and nature, a kinship with the universal and the Divine. When sitting quietly in the woods, I am learning to discover all the mysteries and lessons nature has to teach. I am finding my place in the universe and recognizing universal principles and patterns of life. My observations help me to come to terms with life and death. They help me find meaning.
Program participants and retreatants frequently walk the grounds here at Mercy by the Sea, as do staff members. For guests, the land and water offer opportunities for quiet reflection. For staff, walking the property can clear our heads or give us the chance to move our bodies, which have been sitting too long. It’s also a beautiful way to walk towards one’s daily goal of 10,000 steps.
