What Does It Mean to be "Prophet"?

This week, we spent our third Tuesday evening at Aquinas, listening to Father Mike Demkovich, O.P. share who Meister Eckhart was, and continues to be through his writings.  In this particular week, Father Mike shared excerpts from multiple sermons given by Meister Eckhart, one of which I would like to share with you. 

“Should the soul know when God is coming she would die of joy and if she knew when He was departing, she would die of sadness.  She never knows when He comes or goes but she perfectly grasps Him when He is by her.”

Have you ever been so excited to see God?  Have you ever had the experience of knowing you were where you were meant to be, met who you were meant to meet, and left either feeling such joy you felt like running or even skipping down the street?  Better still, screech with delight?

On the other side of this “knowing”, have you ever been at the bedside of someone you love who is anxiously awaiting, with joy albeit, to meet their God, while you on the other hand, sit in your sadness?  This person is a gift given by God to help you grow in your own relationship with God.  A gift freely given. 

We never know when the face of God will be revealed to us; or when God will ask us to be present in our “aloneness”.  As I reflect on this week during Lent, what comes to mind is Anna, the prophetess who was in the temple when Mary and Joseph presented Jesus.  Luke’s Gospel is the only one of the four who mentions her brief encounter with Jesus.  Luke describes Anna as a widow, who never left the temple.  But it was the line, “coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.”

I could just imagine something grabbing Anna’s attention, where joy filled her heart, and she had to run and meet her God.  She knew, and she gave thanks.  In that brief moment, God had fed her with food for the journey, and with that, she left her physical space she shared with God to share the Good News with anyone who would listen.

So I ask myself, during my Lenten journey, how have I shared my own encounter with God? Where have I found God?  Have I missed an opportunity to bring God to someone because it didn’t fit in my schedule and felt the need to ask for forgiveness?  Have I taken my sadness back to God, and found in my heart a desire to try again?

Chris

Itinerancy

We are taking the concept of Dominican Itinerancy to heart this week as we embark on Spring Break. We were each sent to travel to a different community to live for the week while ministering in the area. Chris and Kelly both journyed north to Chicago to work with the homless population and also some adult literacy tutoring. They are staying with Maryknoll novices, Dominican Volunteers and Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa. I also traveled north, but not as far. I am staying with the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, IL. My ministry includes helping at the Diocesan Youth Conference, Ronald McDonald House and the Faith Coalition for the Common Good.

Of course we will also squeeze in some time for sightseeing and fun around the community and ministry obligations.

There will be many pictures and stories to share when we get back, so stay tuned.

--Krissie

EVICTION

Once a week we have a Day of Reflection. Each person in the community takes a turn planning this retreat day with a theme, reflection questions, scripture and a bit of input. This past week, Chris offered us a unique opportunity. Below is what she gave us Thursday night. We encourage you to think through the proposed questions and possibly even embark on the journey. Some of our experiences will be posted later this week.

"You have been issued an eviction notice for failure to pay your rent for the last 3 months.  By 10am tomorrow morning, police will be at your door, and your landlord will begin to nail the doors and windows to your home shut.  Tonight is the last night you can sleep in your bed.  You are aware of only one shelter close enough for you to walk, but their doors don’t open until 3:00pm.  It is located at 4928 Washington Avenue. 

In this shelter, there are no lockers, and about 30 bunkbeds in one room for women.  You are expected to be out by 8am the next day, and there is no guarantee there will be a bed available each night.  You have $20 in your pocket, and your SSI (supplemental security income) will not be automatically deposited to your checking account for 3 more weeks.

You know no one in the area who will offer space for you to stay.  You have been through this before, and have overstayed many-a-welcome and have not been able to reimburse your friends for the time they once gave you to stay.  As a result, they have told you not to return.

For the next 17 hours, reflect on the experience of receiving an impersonal note stating simply, “You are being evicted from your home.  You have 24 hours to remove your belongings.  All items that are left will become the property of your landlord.  If you are able to pay your outstanding balance within 72 hours, you will be allowed to return.”

Discern what is most important for you to take on your journey, keeping in mind the miles you will have to walk, and the insecurity of the shelter where you will hopefully stay.  Please pack these items, and take them with you for the day, from 10am (eviction takes effect) until 3:00pm (when the “shelter” opens).  What is most important to you, and why?  Keep in mind you have $20 cash which is to last you 3 weeks.

As you journey through your day, ask yourself the following questions:

     1. How did I perceive people looking at me?

     2. How did I feel as I walked?  Stopped for lunch? 

     3. What were my feelings as I closed the door one last time?

     4. What did I take with me?  After I left, as the day went on, did I wish I had something I chose to leave behind?

When you return, what is the first thing that you do?  Why was this “first thing” so important to you?

Reflect on one of the following readings, or on one God may have put in your heart as your day went along.  When we come together at 4pm, if you feel called to, share why this reading meant something to you, and how you may have read this reading differently based on your experience.

Matthew 26:6-13- Jesus anointed at Bethany

John 6:1-15- Jesus feeds the five thousand
1 Kings 17:7-16- The widow at Zarephath
Luke 16: 19-31- The rich man and Lazarus
Matthew 9:20-21- The hemorrhaging woman

Solidarity

My view of Lent has changed as I grew up. As a kid it was about giving up things –candy, sweets, caffeine –whatever my addiction was at the time. Later, it was less about giving things up and more about what new things I could do to better myself during Lent (and hopefully after) –exercise, volunteering, smiling more.

 

 

I've realized recently (meaning while writing this blog post) that I have also changed the way I view the vows during my discernment of religious life. In the very beginning, they were about giving things up: poverty meant I couldn't own anything, obedience meant I couldn't decide anything, and celibacy meant I would never get married (remember, I did say this was my thinking at the very beginning).

 

 

Of course, a large part of religious formation is examining the vows from all different perspectives and applications. We've had/will have a semester-long course, panel discussions, and workshops on the subject. Before coming to St. Louis, and definitely since being here, I've come to see the vows as less about giving things up and more about taking on an entirely new way of living – a prophetic life with less fetters and more openness to God's call, God's will, and God's people.

 

 

Lately, I've been re-examining the vows in the light of solidarity with diverse groups of people. Poverty obviously helps put us in solidarity with the poor. Ron Rolheiser talks about how the vow of chastity puts us in solidarity with the lonely. The vow of obedience puts us in solidarity with the powerless. It's a new and interesting way of thinking about them and I'm enjoying the reflection.

 

 

So, to complete the circle, let's go back to Lent. This year, I'd like my Lenten observance to not just be about giving up, or even about taking on. I want to try putting this newest reflection into practice. How can I use the next 40-some-odd days to become in solidarity with a group of people I've previously overlooked, ignored, or been ignorant of? I'm still figuring it out, but at least it's given me plenty of food for thought.

So, what are you doing for Lent?

--Kelly

What does it mean to be “homeless”?

A hole lies exposed where there once used to be a window.  Inside are strewn blankets, empty cans and markings on the wall that indicate this “home” has been claimed.  In a nearby hospital, people are being taken through the Emergency Department door, uncertain of their diagnosis and feeling some anxiety about their future.  And at the Collaborative Dominican Novitiate, a novice visiting from another congregation is welcomed to what will be her new “home” for a few weeks.

As I reflect back on the examples that have been shown to me of what it means to be “home”, no longer are those who are homeless limited to those who must survive on the street.  No, they have become for me anyone who must “pick up their mat and walk”.  Where they lay their head one day may not be where they are being called to place it the next.  Like the paralytic person, we are being invited by Jesus to try something new, be open to a new way of living and not to close the door on the gifts that await us. 

During these last few weeks, we have been blessed with the presence of Mary Therese Perez, a second year Dominican Novice from Mission San Jose.  At this time, her congregation is not a part of the Collaborative Novitiate.  After meeting Mary in October, during the Young Dominican Conference at Mission San Jose, her congregation asked us if Mary could come visit for a couple of weeks, but it is we who have been blessed.  We have been changed. 

We have learned through Mary that when we open ourselves up, risk the journey into the unknown, we come out stronger than we first began.  Home is more than shelter.  To me, home is where we can lay our head in trust, resting in the belief that where we are provides food for our journey.  What “food” we receive, through the support of new friends, a dry place out from the cold, a new diagnosis that reminds us our bodies have changed, are gifts that feed the soul and give us strength to face tomorrow.

--Chris

What Does Community Mean?

One pillar of Dominican Life has been the focus of my thinking and praying recently. I am a very independent person and have grown up doing things for myself, so when I became sick and needed assistance in November I began to understand what community means. I had to rely on my sisters to lift things, pick things up off the ground and even take notes for me in class when I was not able to go myself. They willingly helped me but still let me to do what I could do, however small it was. Community means helping even when it is not convenient, but also allowing others to still do for themselves.

When I went to the Mound this Christmas break I continued to expand what community means. I was blessed to lead some of the sisters in an art project and to witness their sense of accomplishment and pride when they had a number of completed projects in front of them. Over the next couple weeks I heard what the pictures were being turned into. Community means sharing the gifts I have and being receptive to how those gifts are used for others and God.

When I returned to St. Louis a couple weeks ago my understanding of community expanded again. We participated in a two day workshop that prompted a long conversation at supper one night where we learned quite a bit about each other and deepened our relationships. Community means really listening to the other and being present to the person/people in front of you. It means mutual risking of self as relationships grow deeper.

How do you define community?

-Krissie

Navel-gazing – useless or excessive self-contemplation (from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/navel-gazing)

Call me old-fashioned, but I never cared much for psychology before. I remember taking a course in college, but honestly the only thing I remember about it is signing up to be a participant in various studies to I could get extra credit on exams.

I never, never expected psychology to be such an important part of my novitiate experience, but time has proven me wrong.

At first, this emphasis on “know yourself, know your issues, know how to cope with them” seemed excessive, even self-defeating. Why spend all this time thinking, talking, and remembering just to be able to shout “I'm screwed up!! And X, Y, and Z made me so!!” [insert your own favorite players there – parents, siblings, cultural mores, pop icons, etc]

But lately I've begun to wonder if this isn't so much about excuses as it is about explanations. An excuse is something you hide behind (“I couldn't do ______ because of __________!!”). It provides you an out, and escape, of an otherwise uncomfortable or unwanted position. It seemed at first that a lot of this “navel-gazing” was all about finding excuses (“I can't meet community obligations because I didn't have enough rigid boundaries when I was a kid!”). However, the more we talk about self-reflection and personal development, the more I see it can be used to explain our “quirks” or our “buttons” – not with the idea of using them as excuses, but with the goal of being able to work around them and try to make sure that they don't stand in our way.

So, I guess I'm coming around to the overall usefulness of this psychology stuff – or at least, I'm willing to talk about it!

-Kelly