And now the Fire is with us

"And now the Fire is with us...as though through a sacred door opening to the Universe, God passes through...and spreads RADIANCE."  

These words of Teilhard de Chardin were written by him on the battlefield, of all places--where he was a stretcher-bearer during WWI. They speak loudly of the fierce and ever-present passionate love of God for us, everywhere and in all things.  And perhaps they speak especially to us now in the midst of an unprecedented upheaval of soul, of consciousness, and of governments presently happening in Holy Earth. Now the Fire is with us, Holy Fire, Spirit Fire, an energy, a radiance!  Now the sacred door has been opened to the Mystery and majesty of the Universe. We are the first generations to be flooded and filled with the radiance of this Divine revelation….God passing through, entering us.  A Pentecost.

Can we turn our attention to this fire, this power at work within us?  Can we turn from the terrible “too-small” worlds of politics and division, finance, fear and ambition?  Can we let ourselves be seized, animated by this Great Love alive within in us. This fiery love has power to heal our divisions and make us one! What can we do with so great a love?  We can burn with love for the whole Sacred Earth and all its beings!  We can burn with Love for the ONE who loves us so! We can become LOVE!

 - Mary Southard, Pentecost 2018

Reflection and Artwork (titled    Le Puy, Thank You) by Sr. Mary Southard, CSJ (used with permission). Mary Southard Art   www.marysouthardart.org

Earth Day 2018

Spring arrived here today, April 20^th, no doubt about it! As I walked in the woods early this morning everything felt more alive! The biting winds were stilled at last, and warmth seemed to emerge from the trees, the trail, the buds on bushes just loosening, and trout lilies were finally poking up on the trail. The robins’ gold-throated singing above me was more vigorous than ever. The sun has been shining all day, and people are shining too!

And Sunday was Earth Day. This year’s Earth Day was for me a relief and a call to hope. What a relief to know that people across the world celebrated our sacred planet. She has brought forth such a magnificent abundance of life forms including ourselves, and continues to nourish us body and soul. Instead of hearing new of the dismantling of Earth’s sacred places and ecological safeguards, we will, at least for a while, were called to be awake, aware and grateful together for Earth, so beautiful and precious to God and to us. How lovely that Spring has come to make this Earth Day even more alive after such long, dark winter so many of us have had!

Thich Nhat Hanh’s little book LOVE LETTERS TO EARTH caught my eye this week. One of the section titles, “Breathing With the Planet”, spoke to me. Following the breath is such a central concept in meditation. Here’s a breathing meditation you could do with Earth, together as One. Become still, close your eyes, and breathe with Earth: BREATHE IN—the oxygen that the trees and green beings are breathing out to give us life, (and maybe fragrance and freshness. . .) BREATH OUT—my CO₂, and my gratitude and love for the trees to breathe in.

Breathe in—breathe out, slowly, mindfully…for a while. An exchange of life. Try it…especially if you can be out of doors. Then remember, this exchange of life is taking place all the time between our Earth and us, whether we realize it or not.

Finally, here’s a beautiful song/prayer you can spend some time with on YouTube. Let yourself feel it: “Song for the Earth” (featuring Jim Scott + Paul Winter Consort) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGBtko4oUX0

Have a beautiful Earth Day, Every Day!

Mary Southard, CSJ

Reflection and Artwork (titled Spring’s Promise) by Sr. Mary Southard, CSJ (used with permission). Mary Southard Art www.marysouthardart.org