Memory Work - First Day of Fall

When I was a child ‘memory work’ was very important in school.  As a child, it was a big effort to learn prayers by rote, to memorize perfectly the answers to the questions in our Catechism, and to memorize certain numbers of lines of poetry.

Then later in life I began to understand all the things I had memorized as a child.  The prayers, Catechism answers and poems, were no longer just words strung together but the words I had memorized found their way to my heart.

Trees by Joyce Kilmer, is one of the poems that touches my heart every year as I ponder their awe-inspiring beauty in the Autumn of their lives.  I’ve even found that my memory works best when I sing the poem. 

May these words reach your heart today.

-Sister Elaine Cole, csj

Trees

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the Earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

Joyce Kilmer, 1886-1918

Images: Ricardo Gomez Angel @rgaleriacom | Aaron Burden @aaronburden Unsplash

Let's Celebrate, eh!

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

School is out!  Now we can review what we have learned.  It’s holiday time!

Image: Chi Liu @chiditty/Unsplash

We begin by viewing our country—Canada. 

We’ve learned that we are a country that values its freedom and when we look around the world at wars and totalitarian regimes, we get a sense of how fragile freedom is.

We’ve learned that our land produces enough food to feed Canadians as well as provide for other countries, yet we are not encouraging youth to farm and are paving over more and more prime farmland every year.

We’ve learned that we provide education for all our children, yet we see rising in our society, more and more bullying, violence, suicide, mental illness and addictions especially among young people.

We’ve learned that a sense of belonging is what each person craves.

We’ve learned that we are dependent on nature. Plants and animals, the four seasons provide for our very existence, and we are learning, and need to learn more, how to dance together in harmony.

We are aware. We have attitude. We need action.

HAPPY CANADA DAY - LET’S CELEBRATE, EH!                                      

- Sister Elaine Cole, CSJ                                                    

Image: Hermes Rivera @hermez777/Unsplash

World Day of Prayer

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER - MARCH 1, 2024

In 2017, a group of ecumenical Palestinian Christian women were chosen by the World Day of Prayer International Committee to write the 2024 service based on the theme “I Beg You … Bear With One Another In Love” inspired by Ephesians 4:1-3.

During COVID the committee of Palestinian women continued to work, pray, reflect, and write the Prayer Service for our World Day of Prayer this year.  These women are convinced that standing together as one global community and transcending our differences can result in a brighter future for the troubled area of Israel and Palestine.  The Committee of Palestinian Christian Women wants us to join them in praying together with hope that one day, the people of their land will enjoy peace and prosperity.

The prayer service will include testimonies of women who dare to speak the truth in love of their personal journeys living under occupation; it will include a brief devotional message as well as, music, hymns, and prayers.

Women attending the prayer service will be asked to join in the following commitment of the heart:

• “May we commit to working for peace as we stand with all women, particularly those experiencing oppression, violence, or discrimination.

• May we be faithful advocates for decision makers working on all levels of society, including religious institutions.

• May we bear with one another in love until God’s justice and peace reign throughout the whole world.”

-Sister Elaine Cole, CSJ

Video: واطلب اليكم (Wa atlubu) - I Urge You, by Najwa Hashweh Azazian (Palestine) | This song was especially composed for the 2024 World Day of Prayer.

TILT

            “By the word of the Lord the Heavens were made;. . . .” (Ps. 33: 6)

How’s your imagination?  Have you ever imagined God speaking words at the beginning of creation–especially the creation of our Earth?  I imagine God completing the planet Earth and then saying, “Tilt.”

We are approaching the summer solstice on June 21.  For us in the northern hemisphere, as we continue our revolution around the sun, we will be ‘tilted’ toward the sun and will feel its warmth.  The ‘tilt’ of the Earth is what gives us our seasons and so because of the ‘tilt’ of 23.4 degrees of Earth’s pole, we will have the longest day of the year.  In other words,  Earth’s northern hemisphere will begin the season summer.

As summer begins in the northern hemisphere we can honour human consciousness and rejoice with the British at the 5000 year old monument at Stonehenge.

-Sister Elaine Cole, csj

Image: Unsplash/Philip Mackie

My Trees

Image: Unsplash/Erwan Hesry

NATIONAL LOVE A TREE DAY is MAY 16th

I never had a favorite tree.  However, I have tried to grow trees from seed.  My first attempt was at growing an orange tree from one of the seeds in the orange I was eating.  Remember when there used to be seeds in oranges?  I think it’s ironic the way we want to control everything having to do with reproduction.  Seeds in oranges are definitely an inconvenience.  But I digress.  My orange tree actually grew quite tall (about 10 cm) and then I moved and gave it up to the elements.

My second attempt at growing a tree was to take a maple seed key from Southwestern Ontario to Edmonton, Alberta to see if I could grow a tall tree there.  Unfortunately, when I put the tiny 4 cm high seedling out in the yard to get more sun, I watch a bird sit on the side of the pot and pull out the plant by the roots.

I have to laugh at myself for thinking that I am the one growing trees when really I only planted seeds and kept them moist.  It really is God who gives the increase.  It’s all part of the plan in which we can actively participate.  

-Sister Elaine Cole, CSJ

Header image: Unsplash/Simon Wilkes