A Book Launch

Book Launch:  In the Fullness of Time

On a beautiful fall afternoon, a special book launch was held at the Sisters of St. Joseph residence to celebrate the publication of Sister Kathleen Lyons’ book, “In the Fullness of Time”.  Printed in slim booklet form, it distills the wisdom mined in significant dreams that the author received throughout her adult life – a gift given to us in her 93rd year.

With the invitation of Pope Francis to a synodal process urging the world to embrace the pressing issues of humanity, Sister Kathleen was inspired to share the wisdom of her dreams regarding the importance of the feminine in the culture and the Church. The Pontiff’s teachings and urgings for our world to embrace the pressing issues of humanity today drew Sister Kathleen to respond to the call for wholeness by sharing her insights gleaned in the messages communicated to her through her dreams. The Pope’s urgings set forth a clarion call to free the feminine spirit that has been held captive for centuries in our world and Church.

Working with a Jungian psychologist in Switzerland, Sister Kathleen learned to bring the unconscious into consciousness, contemplating dreams and surfacing their symbols.  Thus, she was able to decipher significant dreams and relay their messages to others.

In tandem with the dream messages, Sister highlights significant scripture passages which call us to a new wholeness where everyone’s voice, especially the feminine, is heard in society and in the Church.  New beginnings must also replace the repressive structures that stifle the voice of women longing to have their truth revealed and respected.

The thrust toward unleashing the feminine spirit that leads to wholeness is urged today by Pope Francis in his speaking, writings, and bold new action.  His recent proclamation of the synodality process whereby we listen to ALL voices in our Church is right in line with the prophetic words of hope and possibility about which Sister Kathleen has described eloquently.    

At the end of Sister Kathleen’s presentation, one of our Sisters stated, prophetically:

 “In the Fullness of Time” is a small book but it seems to be evolutionary.

Can you not see what is happening in our Church and society?

Are we on the precipice of change?

YES!

-Sister Jean Moylan, csj

“To sleep, perchance to dream…”

“To sleep, perchance to dream…” (Hamlet Act 3 Scene 1) “Hear my words: if there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision, I speak with him in a dream.” (Numbers 12:6) According to my concordance, (Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible), there are 22 instances in which dreams are referenced. From Genesis to Revelations, dreams are part of our history. Why, if Joseph had not listened to the angel in his dream (Matt 1:18), we would not have a Christian history!

Now having stated this, I must confess that when I began my studies in Spiritual Direction, I would not have taken the Dream portion of the program had it been an elective. I wanted the concrete subjects which would help me guide my directees in their personal journey with God. But having gone into its study with trepidation, dreamwork soon became, and remains today, one of the most exciting aspects of Spiritual Direction for me. On many occasions, I have witnessed someone experiencing the ‘aha’ of a revelation gleaned from a dream shared in either a dream group or in one on one Spiritual Direction.

And it’s not about this meaning that as in ‘oh, you dreamed about a car accident therefore you’d better be careful while driving’. It’s more about ‘what do you think God is saying to you in this dream of a car accident?’ Is there perhaps an area of [my] life that is out of control?

It is also not about one person telling the dreamer what the dream means. The dream belongs to the dreamer. When I work with dreams I actually preface each comment with the words “if this were my dream….,’ making clear that it is for the dreamer to work out its meaning with God. The feedback simply gives the dreamer a broader view of what the message of the dream might be.

Do you dream? Most of us do. Do you remember your dreams? Try writing them down as soon as you wake up. Keep a pad of paper and a pen on your night stand and scribble down as much of the dream as you can remember. Date it and then keep recording your dreams. You might be surprised at the patterns you discover over time. Find a Spiritual Director or a dream group in your area and get feedback.

Your dreams can open a whole new world into your sub conscious self. For some of us, sleep is one of the only times we are quiet enough for God to be heard. Wouldn’t it be exciting to see what God might have to say?

Sue Hamilton
CSJ Companion