Now, More Than Ever

Summon the more, the maybe, and the not yet in me. The heart waits and waits. Inspiration comes as the words, “Now, more than ever” surface to awareness. What could these words mean? Curiosity and wonder builds. Might they be related to my unnamed sketch of the Nativity, my Advent Journey or simply be a reminder of how to live more deeply in the “now” moment, like there is no tomorrow?

The above sketch is as simple as a stable, yet can unfold in profound meaning. The multiple consecutive circles invite the viewer into the picture and to engage, to wonder and ponder in the heart, the Mystery of mysteries. Through flowing line, which overlaps in places and sometimes one behind the other, there is suggestion about the relationships between Jesus, Mary and Joseph. If colors were introduced here and there I muse, how might that impact the image? Is this another example of “Word” being made flesh” and “flesh” becoming word, image or symbol?

Eventually, after much reflection, it feels imperative to title this contemporary work, Now, More Than Ever.  It is written that Mary pondered “all these things in her heart” and Saint-Exupéry, author of The Little Prince, proclaimed, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” The Incarnation changed the world then and now, more than ever. The role of art in society is, writes Pat Bergen csj* that “artistic works are capable of evoking what is stirring in the soul and awakening a more expansive knowing.”  Hence, art is key in the “informing, forming and transforming of society” by awakening and evolving consciousness in the process of ongoing revelation.

TRANSFORMATIVE ACTION:

Add words, (3 different times) to the phrase, Now, More Than Ever, …….............

MUSIC VIDEO: Da Pacem Domine - Arvo Pärt - https://youtu.be/wUC4_GCSJno (6 minutes)

WHILE WE WAIT – ADVENT REFLECTIONS 2016

Spiritual Ministries Network of the Sisters of St. Joseph and Associates of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada – London Site

ART and TEXT: Sr. Patricia St. Louis, csj

*Bergan, Pat,   Visual, Musical, and Poetic Art as Transformative Agents, in LCWR Occasional Papers: Summer 2012: Leadership and the Evolution of Consciousness, Pages 16-18, found at: https://lcwr.org/publications/occasional-papers

Light Up the Pink!

As we live out the days of our Advent journey we find ourselves drawing ever closer to the celebration of Christmas. In anticipation of Christmas joy we light the single pink candle on our Advent wreathe. The third Sunday of Advent has been traditionally called Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete from the Latin meaning, “Rejoice”. Amid our Advent preparation we pause to rejoice. We are already filled with joyfulness in anticipation of the arrival once again of Emmanuel, God-With-Us.
Nancy Wales, csj

In writing a reflection for the third week of Advent Sister Eileen McAleese says, "I turned to the Psalms. They hold words expressing the Joy of God, our Savior. During this time of waiting we anticipate this deep Joy in prayer.

I will sing your praise, O God, every day of my life
From sunrise to sunset, every day of my life.

In Joy and holiness let us serve God our Savior.

I will greatly rejoice in you, O God,
In you my soul shall exalt.

In joy and gladness we give praise to you, O God, for you come to share life with us. Come and assist us to see your loving care in the midst of our daily struggles.

May you continue to grant us peace and Joy that surpasses all understanding. We ask these gifts in the mystery of our God, Source of all life.  Amen

While We Wait

This image holds mystery and has caused me “to wonder “about it all year. With what do you resonate? Is this about someone on a journey moving into the unknown? It captivates me as to what personal meaning it holds, but I am reassured it is gift and blessing. Questions emerge, such as, “What is this art saying? What might it be calling me to?” There is more to evolve, unfold, and speak. However, there too, trickling into my consciousness, are also elements of fear.

At this time of Advent, I ruminate about Mary, mother of Jesus, and her call to come to the edge, to be an “edge walker”, the call to carry child and deliver. For her that path had to evoke shifting degrees of fear.

Margaret Wheatley, in her recent address at the Leadership Conference for Women Religious, spoke on Finding Ground in the Age of Groundlessness and writes; “we are called to be careful listeners to the still small voice that is leading us to the edge” and, she says, that requires “surrender.” Yes, surrender can evoke fear, hence the need to continue to unpack the energy, mystery and trepidation I experience with this painting. It has been said by others before me, that every work of art moves us in some degree to greater revelation, change, challenge and is gift.

This painting, Evolving Consciousness, was created in a brief span of time in an effort to be “faithful to the moment”. In the act of continuous surrender, our own art has power to reveal and move soul into an amazing depth, writes Stephen Nachmanovitch, author of Free Play. He goes on to add, “Surrender means cultivating a comfortable attitude toward not knowing, being nurtured by the mystery of moments that are dependably surprising, ever fresh.” Through creativity, and with our humble simplistic, honest art, we can bring about awakened consciousness and way of relating with self and others and in our world. We are called into the new day where God is seeking to create through us.

TRANSFORMATIVE ACTION:

• Experience letting go by doodling. Without judging your art, notice what images emerge and trace over it a few times.   How might this image speak to you? 

• What thought or word do you carry forward as we go deeper into these Advent days?

MUSIC VIDEO: Echoes in Rain: Enya, 2015 - https://youtu.be/8DDHulO485k

WHILE WE WAIT – ADVENT REFLECTIONS 2016

Spiritual Ministries Network of the Sisters of St. Joseph and Associates of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada – London Site

ART and TEXT: Sr. Patricia St. Louis, csj - mshamley@csjcanada.org

Wheatley, Margaret.  Transcript of Address. Finding Ground in the Age of Groundlessness. 2016 Assembly of the  Leadership Conference of Women Religious August 10, 2016 https://lcwr.org/sites/default/files/calendar/attachments/lcwr_2016_assembly_keynote_-_margaret_wheatley.pdf

Nachmanovitch, Stephen. Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art. (Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher, INC./Penguin, 1990)

We are more alike than we are different . . .

Whispers in a dream
The world is quiet and waiting
And all around the air is still
And sings the angels - Gabriel's Oboe (Whispers in a Dream)

As we continue to move more deeply into a new liturgical year, we are invited to let the spirit of the Advent season influence the everyday events of our lives, to let it influence the way we connect and interact with others as people of hope. 

Recent world events have certainly challenged my ability to remain hopeful. As I watch the nightly news I am dismayed by the fear, lack of understanding and heartbreak being experienced by so many.  The world seems so divided. 

Advent couldn’t have come at a better time for it calls us to bring light where there is darkness, peace where there is discord and love where there is hatred. 

The prophet Isaiah challenges us to create a world where differences do not matter, where “the wolf will live with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid.” (Isaiah 11: 1-10)  As we continue to face into the reality of the world’s suffering may we also face into the reality that we are more alike than we are different for we all come from the same God and are called to be examples of that great love for one another. 

The words of French Idealist philosopher and paleontologist Pierre Theihard de Chardin also give us reason to hope for he tells us that the process of evolutionary change flows over deep time. “Beneath the surface ripples and rapids, the river itself is still flowing smoothing in its channel.”  It is a fact that God will never give up on us so let us not give up on each other!

As we move more deeply into the Advent season let us turn toward not away from one another less we miss the presence of Jesus alive within each of us.

When all is come to pass
The storm has breathed its last
And the rain has washed our fears away
Love will fall on us all
And we can smile again - Gabriel's Oboe (Whispers in a Dream)

Susan Glaab, CSJ

Between the Now and Not Yet

This painting, entitled Between the Now and Not Yet, is about journey, movement and being in relationship with others. It is about trying to see through the fog, imagining what lies in the distance and wondering what to do next. Staying on the rock can save the women or immobilize them. Letting go of control and being in the present, or the now moment, is so often what softens us and is what we are called to live out of. In that space of time is the opening to become more deeply aware and awake. Where is the Spirit leading? It is insidious, this invitation to abandon thought and discover Divine Mystery.

Advent likewise invites us to stop, take time to listen, reflect and see through the confusion we often experience in the social, political, economic and religious stressors of our times. I believe the women in this painting are in solidarity. Women continue to be an inspiration to us today as we uncover in our own midst that which stifles freedom and new life. Could it be we roll into Advent differently now, than in the past, because we have evolved in our awareness and relationships, and long to refine our focus/intention for living meaningfully? Indeed. Or, maybe we notice time goes more quickly and life is going faster? I think so.

It is easy to feed into and on the fears generated by the news media. This is the time to stand on the rocks and not to be swept away by the tide and turmoil of our time but rather lean into the wind in solidarity with like-minded travelers from all over the world, open to outcomes leading to greater love and peace in our world, rather than attachments to the world around us.

I want to, and do believe, that just as the ebb and flow of the paint danced unconsciously together to create this painting, we have infinite, hidden, untapped potential to draw from, to spark spirit, life and hope. Also, the Divine life within us and around us is like the water at our feet and the rock that holds us.

Transformative Action:

I look out into the midst and name what gives me hope .......................................................................

The unique spark I offer the world today is ....................................................................................... 

WHILE WE WAIT – ADVENT REFLECTIONS 2016

Spiritual Ministries Network of the Sisters of St. Joseph and Associates
of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada – London Site

ART and TEXT: Sr. Patricia St. Louis, csj