Third Sunday of Advent

Here we are in the midst of all the pre-Christmas parties, in the middle of cold weather and snow, in the midst of Advent and we read from the letter of James: “Be patient like the farmer who waits for his precious crops.  Strengthen your hearts for the coming of the Lord.”  For many of us this may seem like it is much easier said than done.  Many of us are frantically attempting to be patient with the family and community.  Here I am supposed to be living in peace and expectation, but life seems upside down and inside out.  Like John the Baptist in today’s gospel we are asking “Are You the one to come?”  I need some assurance that it is You Lord.  Hopefully You have not forgotten me, or just maybe I have not forgotten You, in the midst of the frantic running around?

Waiting is not an easy task.  It demands courage and strength.  What am I waiting for?  Do I really listen?  Do I really see?  Do I really hear?

I had a dear friend Sadie whom I met when she was a patient, and I was a chaplain.  She suffered greatly from her common law partner who would not allow her to go to the doctor.  When I met Sadie, she was blind and lost her nose to cancer all because of neglect.  She was a patient at St. Joseph’s hospital for more than a year.  Needless to say, she was a great teacher for me.  In the world’s view she was an unfortunate soul who had nothing.  One day I was reflecting with her and asked her when were her happiest days?  Her response was amazing!  It was this present year that she spent in the hospital.  You see, she had people who cared for her.  Her birthday and Christmas were wonderful!  She had presents coming out the door of her room.  Before this she had never celebrated her birthday or Christmas!  This year she had friends; she felt loved and was secure and free from harm! 

“in their simpleness they witness truth to us”

As I reflect on my dear friend and her life I wonder if sometimes the moments that we feel most empty can be the seeds of hope.  After all, the seeds put into the earth bear much fruit.  Today I am asking myself to hold onto the Sadies of our lives because in their simpleness they witness truth to us.  John the Baptist witnessed to the Truth, yet he needed encouragement along the way.  From my prayerful reflections on the readings of today I believe if we give love freely our faith will remain secure in the Lord. 

Sadie was a teacher without knowing it, pointing the way to Jesus.  Look for the teachers who show the way to the Lord even when they do not have a great education; even if they do not recognize it, they are leaders! 

Finally from Oscar Romero: “There are many things that can only be seen through the eyes that have cried!”  From Sadie, I believe she would be encouraging us “to let these tears water our hearts to see more clearly through the eyes of faith!”

From Sadie:  Merry Christmas to all!

-Sister Kathleen O’Neill, CSJ

Gaudete (Joyful) Sunday

Lately I have been watching the children preparing for Christmas. Such enthusiasm, joy and excited anticipation. Their preparation seems to involve going to parades, shopping with family, making cookies, making lists of special things they want from Santa and telling everyone they see how many days left till Christmas.

In some school settings there is a similar excitement brewing as Christmas cribs are built, pageants rehearsed and joyous songs practiced for the welcome of the Christ child.

Image: Unsplash/Austin Schmid

As we approach this third week of Advent I delight in the invitation to also prepare joyfully for the rebirth of Jesus in my whole being.  Isaiah’s (35: 1-6,10) vision of the desert blooming abundantly challenges our own dryness to rejoice and sing aloud the goodness of our God. The reading from James (James 5: 7-10) invites us to be patient and strengthen our hearts while waiting for the coming of the Lord. Jesus, in Matthew’s gospel, (Matthew 11:2-11) reminds us to go tell each other of the wonders we see.

Could it be that our call this Gaudete Sunday is to announce the presence of God all around us with great Joy? Would the sharing of the wonders we have seen and experienced help someone else to prepare to receive Christ into their hearts in a new way this Christmas? This week I will plant Joy!

-Maureen Condon, CSJ Associate

A Shift in Perspective

Image: Unsplash/Vicky Sim

A recurring line from a TV commercial caught my attention. Repeatedly, we are asked, “What’s strong with you?” Not wanting any viewer to miss the query, the line is printed several times across the screen.

Upon reflection, I decided to adopt this line as my focus this Advent. What insights might I gain if I sat with the question,

“WHAT’S STRONG WITH ME?”

How might my experience of Advent change if I stopped asking “What’s wrong with me?” and started to ask, ‘What’s Strong with me?’ Placing the focus on my inner strengths and the graces given to me by the sacred strength Giver. How might this shift in perspective open my heart to new graces? What might I discover about what buoys up my spirit? What messengers of new strength might I identify as the ones who bring tidings of good news and encouragement into my daily life? Who in my circle of interactions might I find an opportunity to thank for their recurring strength?

During this season of Advent, I challenge you to join me in reflecting upon your own life and asking,

What’s strong with you?

Sister Nancy Wales, csj

UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal, Canada

Today was the first full day of meetings at COP 15, an international meeting of 196 countries working toward an agreement on biodiversity protection — a ten-year plan.

What’s biodiversity?

Image: Unsplash/Sonika Agarwal

Biodiversity is the term used for the wide variety of living things on earth — everything from bacteria and fungi to insects, rodents, birds, fish, mammals and more. The complex relationship formed between different life-forms is what enables ecosystems to flourish.

Why does it matter?

All life-forms depend on healthy ecosystems to survive, from the oxygen we breathe to the food we eat. But earth’s ecosystems are under threat due, in part, from biodiversity loss caused by human patterns of economic activity like cutting down forests, clearing wetlands for things like housing and highways, and drilling for mines in ways that strain species in the area.

What are some of the issues the delegates are grappling with?

Here are a two:

  1. Around the world, Indigenous peoples are playing a critical role in protecting biodiversity. But they are also in endless disputes to get title to their traditional lands. Indigenous advocates and their allies are pushing for language about Indigenous rights and title to be included in the COP 15 agreement.

  2. Another issue concerns nature-based solutions to biodiversity loss.  One of the key questions for our global human community is: How can we shift economic patterns so that hundreds of billions of dollars will flow toward protecting land, water and earth species rather than making billions by extracting raw materials from nature?

There is much to figure out but the world must move forward.  As a youth delegate said this morning, “The dysfunctional status quo is not acceptable.”

Sue Wilson, CSJ | Office for Systemic Justice | Federation of Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada