issue #7 july, 2007

Issue #7 July, 2007

Vancouver April 16th – 27th 2007

Editor FUEL7 celebrates Mitakuye Oyasin: the ‘connected spirituality’ gathering that occurred in Vancouver April 16th – 27th 2007. Collected here are the reflections, prayers and liturgies submitted by participants. FUEL has included all submissions as sent and asks that if there are errors in the association of names to works that you advise FUEL. So, warm the pot and make yourself a nice cup of your favourite beverage. Sit back and enjoy. I think you will agree, what is contained in the pages that follow is testament to the power of inter-faith dialogue and purposeful reflection; yet another inspirational edition of FUEL.

Enjoy!

CRT Comment We are living during a time where we appear to be experiencing a collision of the ‘tectonic plates’ of incompatible cultures, differing religious perspectives and a clash of stories of what it means to be ‘prosperous and successful’. As we know, when nature unleashes her power through the folding of the earth’s crust the consequences can be devastating. Hundreds of thousands were killed in the resulting tsunami in Asia and many more made homeless. Yet amidst this devastation humanity responded

generously by donating billions of dollars in aid; a tangible sense of solidarity was released when humanity was confronted by an overwhelming crisis; a shared compassion appeared to replace any sense of separation.

‘The spiritual unfolding of the heart continues as we deepen our understanding and experience of the ever-larger-God who is inviting us to live life to the full.’

The Edmund Rice Movement (brothers and associates) worldwide gathered in Vancouver April 16 – 27 entitled Mitakuye Oyasin (Connecting Spiritually) to consider the ‘colliding plates’ of religion and spirituality, eco-spirituality and the devastation being caused to our earth by an obsessive consumerist society and the spiritual traditions of seemingly incompatible faiths such as Buddhism and Christianity. Here too, among the rich diversity of approaches to sacred practices there was much common ground to be discovered. So what was discovered during this unique gathering in Vancouver? The reflections, written by participants and collected here in FUEL, give insights into what was discovered through the inner movements and personal journeys experienced during the 11 days of Mitakuye Oyasin. The spiritual unfolding of the heart continues as we deepen our understanding and experience of the ever-larger-God who is inviting us to live life to the full. Please take time to read these personal offerings with the ears and eyes of the heart and, if you are moved to comment on what you have read, send these comments and reflections to FUEL. There in we keep the dialogue and the journey open.

Peter Harney on behalf of the Congregation Renewal Team (Valda Dickinson, Francis Hall and Kevin Mullan).

FUEL7: Mitakuye Oyasin 2 of 45 www.servicecommons.org

CONTENTS

OPENING REMARKS 6 Philip Pinto 6

REFLECTIONS 7 Aiveen Mullally 7

Search for the Larger God 7 Caroline Cirino 8

I am 8 The eyes of Now 8 Mitakuye Oyasin: Beautifully paradoxical 8

Clement Sindazi 9 Francis Hall & Neasa Ni Argadain 10

An invitation to plant trees! 10 Denis Gleeson 10

A Glimpse of the Himalayas from Vancouver 10 Jim Donovan 13

MAKING THE SHIFT 13 Appendix 14

Reflections of a 72 year old Loreto Sister 14 Compassionate Connection 14 The Universe becoming conscious 14 What does Jesus teach? 15 A liberating gift 15 Change in perspective 15

Jim Glos, cfc 16 John Dornbos, cfc 16 John Matthews 17

The Green Man: Spirit of Nature 17 Julieanne 17

Reflection 17 ‘Embracing All Is Love’ Song written by Julieanne - Music by Kevin Bates - April 2007 19

Luseni Paul Mark 19 A ‘COME AND SEE’ EXPERIENCE 19

Mark McGlaughlin 20 Your Breath… My Breath 20

Moy Hitchen 20 Spring in a Canadian Forest 20 Outcome and Implications of Mitakuye Oyasin 21

Peter Harney 25 Where Are You? 25

Senan D'Souza 26 Reflection 26

Trevor Parton 26 What Does it Mean to be Human? 26

Valda Dickinson 27

PRAYERS & LITURGIES 28 Jenny Wehinger 28

Meal Blessing 1 28 Meal Blessing 2 28

Br. Gerard Alvarez 28 Part of a Eucharistic Prayer 28 Doxology 28

Br. Reg Whitely 28 Anne Barry-Murphy 29

PRAYERS FROM THE MICHAEL MORWOOD WORKSHOPS 29 Moy Hitchen 29


Prayers for a Man Becoming - a collection of nine prayers, for male cycles 29 For a Baby Boy 29 For a Boy at Puberty 29 For a Man in Love 29 For a Man becoming a Father 30 For a Man in Mid-Life 30 For a Man Failing 30 For a Man Dying 30 For a Man Running Wild 31 For a Man in Anger 31 For a Man Sexually Active 31 For a Man in Fear 31 For a Man in Grief 31

Cathy Harrison 32 Be (Invitation for Pilgrims) 32

Valda Dickinson 32 Prayer of Love and Gratitude 32

John Ahern 33 A Prayer for an Assembly 33

Victor Deen Kamara 33 Prayer for gathering of brothers 33

Thane Hall 33 Living Waters 33

Unknown 33 Reconnecting with our Spirit 33 Start of a meeting 33 For use at Spiritual Direction 34

Andy Kuppe 34 Thanksgiving and Farewell 34

Mike Chalmers 34 On Arriving Home 34

Denis O’Brien 35 A BLESSING ON THE BELOVED GRANDCHILDREN (Thomas and Leila) 35

Ian Robertson 35 At the start of Day 35

Jim Donovan 35 PRAYER PROVINCE GATHERING - May 5th 35

Mark Quinn, Chicago, Illinois. USA 36 Cosmic Creed 36

Michael Godfre 36 Grace before Meals 36 An Opening Prayer for a Community Eucharist 36

Mark McGlaughlin 37 New Staff Induction gathering prayer 37

Caroline Cirino 37 A prayer for school leavers 37

Joe Mosely 37 Prayer for the sick 37

Rose Marie Conlan 38 Prayer at the taking up of the ministry of leadership in a religious congregation 38

Shams-ud-din Muhammad Hafiz 38 I Have Come Into This World to See This 38

Peter Harney 39 Haiku’s: Born from Reflections on Mitakuye Oyasin 39 Haikus From the Quiet of Mitakuye Oyasin 39

Senen D’Souza 40 The Sound of One Hand Clapping 40 A New Day 40 Prayer for the Gathering of Brothers at the Formation of a New Province 41 (1) To Begin a Meeting 41 (2) Lamentation for the Universe 42 Gathering Prayer 42

D. Brown 43 Earth Blessing 43 Journey Blessing 43


Susan Burns 43 Pray a Making Prayer 43 [Untitled Prayer] 44

RITUAL 44 EARTH: Prayer and Chant 44


OPENING REMARKS OPENING REMARKS

Philip Pinto

Philip Pinto opened Mitakuye Oyasin with the following words:

I am more convinced than ever before that what Jesus was all about was the sharing of a spirituality. This

is what brought hope and new life to people, specially the poor. When the disciples came to Jesus and

asked to see where he lived, what did they talk about? He would have shared his way of seeing God, his

own experience of God. Notice what he shared with Nicodemus. His experience of God is in his head,

what he has received all along. Like the Samaritan Woman in the following story (Our Father Jacob who

gave us this well; Our fathers worshipped on this mountain; I know that Messiah is coming…) Nicodemus

‘knew’ his religion but had no experience of his God. Jesus tells him about the freedom of God (The

Wind blows where it will) and it is this God who is being revealed once more in our world today.


REFLECTIONS REFLECTIONS Aiveen Mullally Search for the Larger God In Vancouver, with the Christian Brothers, I realised that I was an ‘Antevasin’. This is a Sanskrit word for ‘one who lives on the border’. It is someone who leaves their village, or comfort zone, and goes to a forest, or retreat, where the spiritual masters dwell. A person who is ‘in-between’, a border-dweller, who lives in sight of both worlds, but looks towards the unknown. Mitakuye Oyasin was a two week experience, in the forest of British Colombia, where a cross-section of people from the Christian Brother Network all over the world left their villages and gathered together to reflect on the belief that ‘All Reality is Connected Spiritually’. It was an experience of the heart, as we sat at the feet of Tenzin, a Tibetan Buddhist Nun and a Rabbi from the Jewish Kaballah tradition and whirled with two Sufi Dervishes. We smoked the sacred pipe during a ceremony with Priscilla, a First Nations woman from a North American Ojibway tribe, who welcomed us into the practices of her tradition and heritage. We explored the wisdom of the Medicine Wheel and prayed to our ancestors with her. I couldn’t but become more aware of the sacredness of the soil beneath our feet. We sat in deep silence with one another every morning and realised how easy it is to connect to the divinity within us, together, in silence and through prayer, regardless of our traditions or worldviews. We allowed our minds and imaginations to be stretched by experts on the New Cosmology and Earth Spirituality. I’m still trying to cope with the notion that our milky-way is the equivalent to one grain of sand in the whole continent of Australia..! There is no doubt that we are living during exciting times, and possibly through the greatest shift in Christian history. Our religious imaginations are being challenged now in a new way due to our scientific awareness of our place, our very small place, in the cosmos. There is great newness unfolding. The more opportunities we have to travel and communicate with people in all parts of the world, the more we realise that we Christians, certainly do not have a monopoly on God. Listening to the opening address by Peter Harney on the first evening I was struck by his reference to the words of the Dalai Lama, that we can only open our hearts to another spiritual way of seeing the world if we are truly rooted in our own tradition. We must be rooted in our spiritual tradition but not stuck. If we are stuck we cannot listen to a larger God and expand our religious imagination. This statement felt like a breath of fresh air to me. I felt a sense of relief and ‘at home-ness’ to be with a group of people who were open and on a common search, without binds and limitations. This sense of community and connection was one of the most important aspects of the retreat for me.

I also discovered that I have a Sufi-heart! I have experienced and endured many attempts at mental gymnastics, trying to emulate the Buddhist practice of observing my mind and reaching a place of inner quiet and acute awareness. I crack up with laughter when I observe my mind! I find it very difficult to reach this meditative state…but it will never stop me trying! However, I found great inner peace and a sense of wholeness and unity with others when I allowed myself be led by the Sufi practice of prayer. It involved chant, movement, focusing on our heart rather than our mind, recognising the beloved in one another rather than in a remote place, reaching out to one another, singing, dancing and building up a momentum of prayer which finished with a dervish whirling around among us. It took my breath away and despite myself I realised that my mind had become very still indeed! No matter what religion we are, we are all on a path of the heart. I took many people into my heart as companions on the way in Vancouver and feel very grateful. I have tremendous admiration for the Congregational Renewal Team, Peter, Valda, Kevin and Francis, who listened to so many people around the world and dreamt up this event. It is impossible to return home the same or unaltered from an experience like Mitakuye Oyasin. We were reminded regularly that we were having a Sabbath experience. I was intrigued to listen to and observe Michael Skobac, our rabbi for the weekend, on the Sabbath. It really is a day to turn inward and be with our God and our loved ones. The word Sabbath also reminded me of the in-between day between Jesus’ death and resurrection - a day of great expectancy and waiting. It was also the day Jesus lay in the silence of the tomb, a place where I believe society is residing today. We are living in a time where apathy is contagious, where people believe God is dead. Many are disillusioned with the religion they grew up with. We are awaiting new life in the spirit. Our responsibility now is to keep the Mitakuye Oyasin dream alive, together. The stone has rolled back. The scales have fallen from our eyes. The time is now. We need to be creative and continue this revolution of the spirit in our times! Ya-Fatha!

“Earth is crammed with heaven And every common bush afire with God.

But only those who see take off their shoes. The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.”

Elizabeth Barrett Browning


Caroline Cirino I am - A reflection written on Tuesday 17th April during Mitakuye Oyasin

In the stillness of the night I am the moon to reflect the light upon your sleeping face. I am the breeze that makes you

wrap up warm and I am the shadow that makes you think twice.

In the breaking of the dawn I am the hope that is brought by the morning. I am the birdsong that greets the rising sun and I am the mist that slowly raises the curtain to the beautiful day.

In the heat of the say I am the vapour trails in the sky painting pictures for all to see. I am the thirst that desires water and

I am the very water that then quenches you.

In the setting of the sun I am the artist that holds a pallet of yellow, orange, pink and lilac. I am the West that beckons the orb and I am the relaxation that your body needs.

In the stillness of the night I am you and you are me, drawn together in a truthful bliss.

The eyes of Now - Reflection written on 3rd May after Mitakuye Oyasin

Looking through the eyes of Now a whole new world has opened up to me. I thought that I was observant before, but Now has taught me to look more carefully than I have ever done. How much have I missed and can I ever succeed in finding Now’s appeal? How did I miss the blue-headed flower struggling to burst through the cracks in the pavement? How did I miss the

intoxicating smell of the red and orange shrub in my garden? How did I miss the rough skin that is so well hidden in the smoothness of his palm? How did I miss the greyness that is growing beneath her fringe? How did I miss the tickle of the ice as it slides around my mouth? How did I miss the real feeling of the smile in my stomach? How did I miss the beauty of

mundane conversations? How did I miss the benefits of careful confrontation? How did I miss the chilling breeze on my toes? How? By not looking through the eyes of Now! Now is the best teacher that I have ever had and I hope that she remains with me for all of the others firsts that I have yet to come.

Mitakuye Oyasin: Beautifully paradoxical Arriving in Vancouver for Mitakuye Oyasin was like entering very choppy, unchartered waters for me. I felt like a very small sailing vessel about to be entered into an international race against some of the most elegant and sturdy ships on the Ocean. Not only was I uncertain of the program, people and place, but as one of the lay minority I thought that I had only been entered into the race as a token and would be relentlessly tossed and turned in the Religious waters. How very wrong I was! I would say that in fact my small vessel not only sailed well, but in some cases was encouraged to charter the way for the others, and this has been my greatest learning and privilege. The variety of people gathered was hugely diverse in terms of age, culture, spirituality and authority, and yet all were united by their unquestionable acceptance and respect for ‘the other’. I could not have been more welcomed by all that I encountered, and the equality that I was afforded will continue to surprise me for a very long time. The most notable example of this was that the Christian Brothers ship named ‘hierarchy’ was not even entered for race, even though it was the odds-on-favourite to win. The theme of the conference was to spiritually connect, and like any learning in life, it is not truly understood and consolidated until one has personally experienced it. But

the joy here was that people were truly open, and therefore these connections were so quick to develop that sometimes the experience of connectedness preceded the academic teachings. Speaking of which, if I were to try and explain some of the content that was presented to us to a colleague, they would probably call for a psychiatrist, an exorcist or both! Yet the diversity and challenge of the course only enhanced the notions of the ‘unity in difference’ and the ‘truth within seeming falsities’. How this occurred I do not know, but I certainly know that it did, and it therefore gave an inside into the picture of the ‘Bigger God’. If I were challenged to sum up my experiences of Mitakuye Oyasin, I would have great difficulty in finding words that are suitable for this conference, but what I do know is that everything about it was Paradoxical. That is not to say that it was paradoxical in a way that was disconcerting or uncomfortable, but more in a way that nurtured comfort and peace. I don’t think that there are many people that can say that as a member of the Catholic tradition, they have been opened up to a radically progressive worldview that seems to shatter their heritage, and yet simultaneously upholds it so beautifully, and I feel extremely privileged to be able to say that I am one of the very few that can.


Clement Sindazi My experience of the Conference was that of homecoming. I felt at home with others and myself because our ten days of togetherness was an experience of connectedness with new people, culture, climate, environment and other religions. On the other hand I felt reconnected to some Brothers and some of our lay associates I met before, my culture, my own people in Africa, God and the rest of the universe. I learnt that spirituality is our way of life that makes us become awake and fully alive. We learn our connecting spirituality through stories (both personal and communal), sharing, learning, beliefs, ceremonies; rituals just to mention a few. The area I felt challenged was the new understanding of Cosmology as the story people tell about themselves concerning the world. The world as a web of life that is deep into interconnectedness. In short, we are the universe and whatever we do to the universe affects human life and everything in the universe. This is a call to mutual relatedness, which is about right relationships with oneself, others, God and the rest of God’s creation. This interconnectedness was very much experienced through the interactions we had with speakers from different cultural and religious background. If Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and Judaism would tolerate each other the way we shared our faith and beliefs together at this conference then I have no doubt that sooner or later this universe will be a better place for all humanity and other living beings to live in. A place that will give us a sense of belonging and identity despite our race, geographic boundaries, political or religious affiliation. This awareness of our interconnectedness as one universe will help us to shape and change our concept and image of God because every creation is the image of God. We can only be aware of this union with the universe through our encounter with the risen Christ who awakens us by opening our eyes and ears to see and hear more. It is his spirit that refreshes us with new energy that moves us from our fear into love. The Bibles says, “if we live in love, we live in God and God lives in us”. The Jesus’ story is a story of love and connectedness. We exist as a Church to carry on the mission vision of Jesus. I feel that the conference is challenging us all to be part of the answer rather than being part of the problem. If we respond to this challenge positively our prayer life will be shaped in a life giving way because we shall discover that prayer is not about making contact with God but to be aware that God lives in us and He is reflected in our daily ordinary experience. Many times we struggle with questions like who to start, when to start and where to start? Jan Novotka who was one of the musicians at the conference responds to these questions in one of her

songs that “The time is now and the place is here to let healing begin”. My experience of Mitakuye Oyasin will benefit our novices and the youth who come for the Edmund Rice camps here in Stellenbosch especially in the areas of new understanding of cosmology, spirituality and faith, the image of God, inter-religious dialogue and lastly the different types of meditation. The fact that we are blessed with mountains and the sea here, we have already started taking the novices to the mountains, caves, waterfalls, the sea and conduct prayers and reflections on the importance of water in our lives, creation and the image of God. We have a day of recollection every month so, this gives us an opportunity to put into practice our experience of Mitakuye Oyasin. Another way we have engaged our novices into inter-religious dialogue is by providing Spiritual directors who are non-Catholics. We have a woman on the team of spiritual directors from the Anglican church whose prayer life and the image of God is based on what our congregation is about. We also start the day with meditation every morning from Monday to Friday. When I was in Vancouver I had an opportunity to meet Br. Moy Hitchen. Moy will be visiting Africa in September 2007 so I have invited him to come and spend a week or so with our novices and share something with them on Eco-Justice. We intend to invite leaders from the Edmund Rice camps to come and join the novices at Moy’s workshop. Basically my experience of the conference builds on what I have been teaching the novices on prayer and the African spirituality which, is very much rooted into the beliefs and practices of the African people in terms ceremonies, rituals, and their perception of God. Africans experienced God more through the creation; hence most of the names attributed to God were drawn from the creation. Our prayer as African was based on the situations and daily events of the people but when the missionaries came to Africa, they saw it as paganism and discouraged our people from seeing God in nature like mountains, rivers, Baobab tress just to mention a few. I am glad that the church in Africa has come back to her senses and be able to reclaim our lost treasure by allowing people to express their faith in their own tradition and culture. I commend the job well done by the CLT and the CRT by promoting this kind of spirituality in our Congregation through out the globe. I wish them all many God’s blessings. I pray in a special way for Peter, Kevin, and Francis as they venture into new challenges of leadership roles.


Francis Hall & Neasa Ni Argadain An invitation to plant trees! One Friday afternoon five of us found our way to Marino Institute of Education in Dublin. We were warmly welcomed there by Aveen and Neasa, two of our other companions at Mitakuye Oyasin. We enjoyed chatting over a delicious meal in the staff room. We then used the booklet that Valda had sent us for a follow up reflection. As the conversation flowed we were led outward in our vision, conversation and intent. The time speed but not before we had agreed to meet again on Friday 21st September at 5pm. On this occasion we plan to plant trees around the grounds of the new

European Province centre. We intend to plant some Irish species and some maples to remind us of Vancouver and where our friendship and our sensitivity to the environment was enhanced. We are hoping that others who attended Mitakuye Oyasin can join us for this tree-planting event. We realise that there are other groups meeting around the world and look forward to hearing about the activities they are doing in terms of environment, inter-faith dialogue and contemplation.

Denis Gleeson A Glimpse of the Himalayas from Vancouver Mitakuye Oyasin, a conference on spirituality and an “extended Sabbath” took place in Vancouver in British Columbia from April the 16th to April the 27th, 2007. The phrase, Mitakuye Oyasin is a Lakota phrase and conveys the meaning that all things are connected spiritually. The idea of the idea of this extended Sabbath was to gather Brothers, friends and associates from the Edmund Rice Network around the world to explore together just how true this reality actually is. The event was a wonderful success and a marvellous experience for anyone lucky enough to be a participant. Inevitably, Vancouver, with its snow-capped peaks and spectacular coastline added to the event in no small measure. The nine days fell into three parts of three days each. The first three days looked at cosmology, concern for the earth and the spirituality of one of North America’s First Nations. There was the chance to create story beads, learn about the medicine wheel and experience sacred rituals such as the ritual of the peace pipe. The second three days looked at aspects of Buddhist, Islamic and Judaic spirituality and the last three days looked at Christian spirituality, the practice of centering prayer and the relationship between religion and spirituality. As all of this was going on, a resident musician offered help to turn prose and poetry into song and resident artists encouraged the faint-hearted to dabble in colour, shape and form. About seventy-five people took part in this extended Sabbath and they, of course, created their own unique dynamic. As a Network, we seem to have developed a very happy knack of getting on particularly well with each other when we gather. Within a day, old friendships were renewed, new friendships were formed and there was an undeniable excitement and vibrancy. People were challenged in all kinds of ways and both questions and insights came thick and fast. Comfort zones were transcended and the proverbial envelope was

pushed as we sang, chanted, danced, swirled like dervishes, amazed ourselves with musical composition and engaged, child-like, in art. Something was being brought to birth. So, what was being brought to birth, and how could it be translated into significant activity by the Brothers and the Edmund Rice Network around the world? On this extended Sabbath, what were we celebrating? For me personally, the experience of Mitakuye Oyasin first of all raised a number of issues and challenges, reflection on which could lead to something new, something that would meets the needs of people and of Church today. These issues and challenges were around consciousness, or, awareness, faith sharing, prayer, inter-faith relationships, cosmology and care of the earth, compassion and justice, language and tradition. You expect a spiritual gathering to heighten consciousness and Mitakuye Oyasin did just that. The raising of one’s level of consciousness, if it is not actually the trigger of a spiritual awakening, is certainly, at the very least, its first demand. It is always relevant, after all, to question the level of one’s awareness around God’s presence, relationships with others, the delusions I harbour about myself, the assumptions that I make and live daily and my grasp of what are truly important issues for our time. Mitakuye Oyasin offered plentiful opportunities for doing all of this. People were challenged to widen their horizons and it was just wonderful to be part of a group where this challenge was being met with intent and where it was being wholly enjoyed. Draw a picture or compose a song when you have never done so before. Listen attentively to a viewpoint radically different from your own. Hear a personal story that inspires you, offers you affirmation, or sets you back on your heels with a very uncomfortable question to ponder. Confront your ego when it looks for attention, sets limitations, raises objection, complains that it is misunderstood, or unappreciated, or is simply not getting its own way. These are ways of raising consciousness and


Mitakuye Oyasin offered ample encouragement and companionship to engage in the task. Faith sharing and the sharing of life experience do go hand in hand. There was encouragement to do both and to explore spirituality and the link between the two. The wonder is that the chance to do this is for many of us a rarity. We readily and justifiably acknowledge the power of a story such as that of Edmund Rice but seem less willing to recognise the power of our own stories when they are humbly told and respectfully received. This seems strange when we consider that we belong to a Church that seeks to create community and anchors its identity in the exhortation of Jesus that we love one another. Do we need to do more faith sharing within the Edmund Rice Network? Well, I know what my answer to this question is. Prayer was also central to the Mitakuye Oyasin experience. There were many types of prayer. We prayed with chant. We prayed with gracious movement. There was song. There was the breaking of bread. Most of all, there was silence. The silence took the form of centering prayer, which precisely because of the hustle, bustle and, often, the deafening noise of our times, is a prayer for our times. Most participants, I am sure, had experienced centering prayer before, but for some, it must have been a new experience. Being introduced to centering prayer can change a person’s life and it is not difficult to provide people with an introduction. Centering prayer also fits well with any attempt to raise one’s level of consciousness and its fruits can easily be traced in our actions, in our interactions and in our relationships. All things are connected spiritually and the faith sharing and prayer during this extended Sabbath were across a variety of faiths. There was wonder in coming to realise on an experiential level that we are actually all on the same journey. The learning seemed to be that though theology can divide, the experience of God and the mystery of God unites. Regardless of how we might articulate our belief in God, the articulation of our experience exposes common ground. This is never more evident than when we share our insights into the mystery of prayer with each other and when we pray together. As I have already said, centering prayer was a key component of the conference and to hear a Buddhist nun talk about her contemplative tradition and practice in the same vein as centering prayer had been presented was a great affirmation. With the snow-capped Grouse Mountain at our backs, we were getting a glimpse of the Himalayas. Wherever the high places, east or west, north or south, God is to be found there. By way of contrast, difficulties were identified, but, not with inter-faith and inter-denominational dialogue. Rather, the difficulties arose from the language that we use within our own Catholic tradition. So embedded has our language become that theological, liturgical and even devotional mores and models, are often confused with dogma and authentic tradition. This is no new insight but it was striking to see in Vancouver that we struggle today to say what we really mean when we find ourselves using, for example, such instinctively familiar words like God, Church, incarnation, consecration, redemption, heaven and hell. Then, why is it that we tend to speak more comfortably of

the breaking of bread than of the sacrifice of the mass? What are the consequences of such an apparently simple change in language? How did we get ourselves into a situation where we actually have to reclaim a tradition such as the contemplative tradition for fear that it will be lost? These are not just interesting questions, they are critical questions. Though not answered during Mitakuye Oyasin, they were certainly asked or implied, so, where are they going to be answered now? Who will offer an opportunity and a responsible context so that we can even make a start? Mitakuye Oyasin, however, did not just raise questions. It also made an emphatic assertion as to what, apart from the ever pressing need for compassion and justice, is the great issue of our time. For a gathering focused on the connectedness of all things, therefore, cosmology and care of the earth had to loom large. In another event, which took place in Vancouver just prior to Mitakuye Oyasin, Brian Swimme had suggested that the great challenge facing humanity as we struggle to come to terms with our responsibility for our planet, was not scientific, or economic, or political, but spiritual. What I took him to mean was that humanity has to undergo a complete change in mindset, a radical turnaround in our perspective on our relationship with the earth, our relationships with each other and our relationship with God. That would certainly be a spiritual revolution, a challenge and task worthy of every youthful idealist and every adult who believes that each one of us is on the earth for a purpose and has a spiritual calling, a vocation. Mitakuye Oyasin, boldly confirmed care of the earth as a global issue and as an essential ingredient in Christian spirituality and in any contemporary spirituality. Our extended Sabbath had been a Sabbath celebration and all the elements of religious celebration were manifest. We had been reconciled with spiritual seekers from other faiths and the mutual blasphemies of centuries-old intolerance had been laid aside. We had broken open many sacred scriptures and had listened to the Spirit. We had taken and raised up timeless symbols, among them simple bread and wine, and seen in them the timelessness of a billion galaxies and of just one. We had broken the bread, drunk the wine and communed with one another, with God and with the cosmos. We had challenged ourselves to launch forth, to continue the pilgrim journey and to reach out in new ways. So, where do participants of Mitakuye Oyasin, go now? How can we reach out? I would suggest that we have to find a way to continue the search that we so joyfully engaged in during our time in Vancouver. An outline as to how we might do that has been hinted at above. It was the Edmund Rice Network that gathered us. Can we find ways now, through the Network to continue to come together, to share faith, to grow in prayer, to reach across religious boundaries, to find new theological language, to explore liturgy and to raise consciousness around the spiritual apathy that threatens our very existence. Can we initiate a spiritual revolution among ourselves and among others? We are already familiar with the idea of basic Christian communities. Can we form communities along the lines just described? Are we committed enough to meet on a weekly basis and raise our levels of personal


and communal consciousness? Do we dare let the Spirit lead us? The New Life in Mission Group in the European Province has proposed that the corporate mission of the Brothers in Europe become the sharing of the spiritual search. Speaking of Blessed Edmund’s charism they wrote: We compromise our inheritance when we fail to listen to the Spirit.

We honour our inheritance when we respond to the Spirit of God

with open hearts and when our response is validated by tradition.

I believe that the spiritual search was shared eloquently by those who took part in Mitakuye Oyasin. I am also convinced that the Spirit was present during that unparalleled and extended Sabbath and that we are now called by the Spirit to share with others the gift that we have received. By doing so, we will validate our tradition. We will, in the spirit of Edmund, empower ourselves and others to respond in love and full consciousness to the life promptings of the divine. We will make of every day a Sabbath and of every day a celebration.


Jim Donovan MAKING THE SHIFT ‘Making the Shift’ is the title of a booklet made available at the Vancouver Spirituality gathering in April 2007. The sub title is ‘Seeing Faith Through A New Lens.’ The author is Sr. Elaine Prevallet. Both the title and sub title sum up for me the challenge arising from the gathering. What a shift there is to be made, to own the insights of the new cosmology, and to see our Christian faith through this new lens! Exposure to the traditions of the Native American tribes and to other faiths i.e. Judaism, Buddhism, Sufi Muslims, makes the shift even more challenging. So much happened, so many new concepts were encountered that I feel it will take me a long time to make sense of what happened. In a very real sense, nothing will ever be the same again. Once aware, there is an obligation to follow through on the consequences.

Beginning I find it hard to know even where to begin the reflection. It was stated that the new cosmology provides a new frame in which our theology, beliefs and spirituality have to be re-articulated. This frame is so big that the implications are immense. Who is God? What is God? Where is God? Do I still cling to the childhood notion that God is in heaven, ‘up there’? If God is everywhere, present in every particle of created matter, why do we pray, ‘Our Father who art in Heaven’? One of the exercises we were given towards the end of the gathering was to compose a prayer, without invoking God. The point of the exercise was to demonstrate the need for new prayers, new rituals in the light of the new cosmology. If God is everywhere, why do we pray, ‘O God, send down your spirit?’ It was stated by one presenter that our theology is based on an image of God who intervenes in human history. The new cosmology would state that God is always present in human history, working from within creation, not intervening from outside. This view, taken seriously, raises questions about the implications of the language we use. If we say that Jesus ascended into heaven, are we not reinforcing the notion that God is in heaven?

Gathering the threads We are the universe becoming conscious of the divine presence acting through the human to heal and unify. These words, quoted in the appendix from Elaine Prevallet,1 speak to me of the title of our Vancouver gathering, ‘Connecting Spiritually.’ You and I, each one of us, is part of the universe. We are all connected. Each atom, each molecule created in the ‘Big Bang’ is also part of the universe. We are all connected, not just to one another as humans, but to the very cosmos itself. The human species, as the universe becoming conscious of itself, has an awareness that gives rise to a responsibility. This responsibility has come into very sharp focus in very recent times with the huge body of scientific thought claiming that global warming is caused by human action.

As Christians, we have an added motivation. As Prevallet describes, ‘the whole process of creation comes centre stage as revelatory of Gods’ presence.’ ‘Jesus’ teaching represents a mutation in evolutionary history’ (Prevallet), urging us towards a compassionate connection with every human being and with the whole of creation. God is present and working within creation, calling us through the evolutionary process and through the revelation of Jesus, to that compassionate connection with all of life. God is also working through and in all the different faith traditions. We Catholics do not have a monopoly on the truth! Some of the statements issued by the Vatican recently in calling theologians to account and quoted by Michael Morwood in Vancouver, seem to be dangerously close to claiming that the Catholic church in fact does have that monopoly! We were privileged to have a Jewish rabbi, a Buddhist nun and Sufi Muslims with us to share their experience of God with us. What came through to me was the emphasis on meditation/centering prayer, that way of getting in touch with the God within, by disciplining the mind and emotions in wordless prayer. Our gathering opened each morning with this type of meditation at 7.00am! Listening to the Buddhist nun about the need for discipline in spiritual practice was like hearing the voice of the novice master again, but this time with a deeper understanding! We had Susan Byrne, a disciple of Thoms Keating2, a woman and not even catholic, teaching us Centering Prayer! What would the novice master have thought of this?! The similarity between the approaches of the Buddhist nun and the Keating disciple were so similar as to convince me that God is at work in all traditions. And we have so much to learn from the other traditions. There are now thousands of followers of Thomas Keating involved in a worldwide organisation called Contemplative Outreach. One of the participants at the gathering, another non-catholic Christian, spends at least 10 days in Keating’s monastery annually on a Centering Prayer retreat! One of our presenters was a Canadian Catholic nun who belongs to a native North American tribe, who are now referred to as First Nations’ Peoples. Her emphasis on the basic elements of air, fire, water, and earth was reminiscent of a simpler lifestyle, close to nature and close to God. And I wondered how we are being affected today by living in the concrete jungles of our towns and cities? She says, ‘Aboriginal people believe that if we respect nature it will respect us. It will always provide for us just as it does for all living things. Our ancestors in this land, lived close to the rhythm of the land………Every spring they tapped the trees. Every summer they moved to the berry picking and fishing grounds to harvest these foods. Every fall they gathered

1 Making the Shift by Elaine Prevallet 2 Open Mind Open Heart by Thomas Keating (Trappist in Colorado)


the wild rice. Every winter they hunted the moose and caribou.’ (Eva Solomon CSJ). I thought of our cosmology centre Brú na Cruinne in Carrick on Suir and felt grateful for this initiative.

Conclusion The Christian Brother participants at the Vancouver gathering were greatly encouraged by the presence of colleagues from different parts of the world, there like us, to answer an invitation to a deeper call. And I think the call is to a new and deeper interiority within the framework of the Christian tradition, in the spirit of Edmund Rice. I feel very hopeful that the seeds sown in Canadian soil will have far flung effects within the network in the years ahead. Great credit is due to the Congregation Leadership Team for setting up the Congregation Renewal Team and we are all deeply indebted to Valda, Peter, Kevin and Francis from the Team for having the courage to organise a gathering that was so forward looking, risky and challenging. Ad multos annos.

Appendix Reflections of a 72 year old Loreto Sister Elaine Prevallet writes as follows: “In human embryonic development, the brain develops reptilian (fight or flight response), to mammalian (pleasure/pain response) to the neo-cortical, which is our capacity for rationality and language. Finally, and after birth, the prefrontal cortex (or fourth brain) unfolds, developing especially during the first two years. This is the youngest part, in evolutionary terms. The prefrontal cortex developed only in the last 40-50 thousand years, in contrast to the hundreds of millions of years needed for development of the reptilian brain. This brain, then, is the cutting edge of our development. Each development provides the capacity to transcend the operations of the prior one. The earlier parts of the brain retain an important function. The reptilian brain, for instance, will immediately alert us to a threat to our lives or to something we value. But rather than responding by striking out or skipping out, our brains can now respond with the higher capacities of the neo-cortex: reason and language. The newest developments, the prefrontals, are designed to entrain and govern the more primitive responses. They equip us not just with reason but with the deeper and more humane capacities for responses of creativity, love, compassion, altruism. Both the neo-cortical and the pre-frontal cortex develop in proportion to the quality of nurturance and emotional well-being in the family. This places a daunting responsibility upon the human species: now the development of those deepest and most humane capacities in the infant depends upon conscious compassionate love and nurturance, particularly of the mother. In other words, the future course of human evolution is now in the hands – and the hearts – of humans. Will we consciously and willingly attend to the task of developing the capacity for compassion in the brains of our offspring by means of their own steadfastly compassionate nurturance? Human participation in our own species’ future has awesome implications. Human brains function in such a way as to register contentment, joy, happiness, vigour, enthusiasm, when we do good for others. We are, then, apparently programmed in such a way that altruism is in fact a source of deep satisfaction for humans. All of this information about brain development seems critical because it tells us that in its forward-moving development, Life has been preparing, perhaps even prodding and encouraging us as a species, to

move in the direction of relational compassionate care, embracing in its scope the whole of creation. An awesome responsibility is in our hands.

Compassionate Connection I remember years ago an article by Joanna Macy entitled, ‘What’s so good about feeling bad?’ Macy was reflecting on the sadness, the compassion we experience when we confront, for instance, the proliferation of nuclear weapons or pollution or clear cut forests: she sensed a new and deeper level of responsiveness among increasing numbers of people. Her question was: Why do we care, why does it hurt us? She suggested that our response signals something in us knows we are connected. As I have reflected on the question over the years, it seems more and more important to me that we pay attention to these impulses of compassion and recognise their message: our brains are wired for compassion because we as a species are connected with all the others, depend on all the others, are in some way responsible for the well-being of all the others. Even a moment’s reflection on this phenomenon – that we humans are able to experience compassion – should fill us with amazement! The fact that we can feel another’s pain and that that feeling moves us to respond in a sensitive, healing way is a daily miracle that the divine Mystery is working in us humans, in order to draw the world together and heal its wounds. The ‘Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world’ finds expression in our own hearts’ capacity to bear the suffering of others and transform it through Love’s healing energies.

The Universe becoming conscious We humans carry the responsibility for the future of the community of life on planet Earth. When we say, ‘We are the universe becoming conscious of the divine presence acting through the human to heal and unify,’ we indicate that we are becoming aware of the responsibility enjoined on us by our capacity for compassion. We are beginning to want to act consciously to nourish and develop that capacity. The universe arises from a Holy Oneness: it is our role to bring that Oneness to consciousness and translate it into our minds and behaviour. Compassion is the new vehicle, the opportunity the universe is offering us to bring healing to the whole of creation. Our compassion is a measure of our acceptance of our role to unify creation with the All-Encompassing Love that is its Matrix. We have said earlier that we humans have only recently begun to understand our identity as a species. And more recently still, Earth is giving us signals that our way of


relating to other species and to the rest of creation as a whole is not sustainable. It is maladaptive. Earth is prodding us to understand ourselves as kin to other species, as responsible to extend our capacity for care and concern beyond our self-centered concern for our own species and to include in that circle of concern the rest of the creation. Might we not see in evolutionary development a revelation of the Will of God, the intention or the dream of God for this reaction? The future of the human species and with it the future of the planet is in the balance, teetering between chaos and the potential emergence of something new. We are right on the cusp. Might we now be ready to hear the gospel of Jesus?”

What does Jesus teach? This is how Prevallet describes it: “’Love your enemies, do good to those who persecute you.’ ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’ ‘Those who would gain their life must lose it.’ ‘Whatever you do to one of these least of my brothers and sisters, you do to me.’ ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, blessed are those who show mercy, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice.’ ‘Be compassionate as the Holy One is compassionate, who makes the sun to shine upon the just and unjust……’ Jesus was always wanting to widen the circle, to expand people’s hearts to include those who have been neglected, overlooked, those who have been judged as unworthy and therefore dismissed. He taught, and his life expressed his teaching with perfect congruence. That gospel is dramatically relevant to our world today; it needs to be embodied in us. It may well be our last, best, most practical hope. Jesus’ teaching represents a mutation in evolutionary history that works as a compass and a magnet, guiding us in the direction that Life, the God who is Author and Giver of Life, is working to bring to the forefront of our human consciousness. Christianity places incarnation right at the centre of its revelation: God, in Jesus, is recognised as present in a decisive way in a human being, and, through Jesus, recognised as active in the whole creation. In this man Jesus, the whole process of creation comes centre stage as revelatory of God’s presence. When the Christian tradition focuses the spotlight on Jesus’ death and resurrection, we see revealed a truth not just about Jesus but about the whole of creation. The dynamic of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection shows us how the interdependence, the giving and receiving that is always going on in the whole creation, expresses itself in human form, when a human being lives in complete congruence with the divine energies that infuses everything that is. In Christian tradition, we sometimes speak of it as the ‘Passover principle’: that we humans have to consciously come to terms with the fact that giving of ourselves, even dying is the way to larger and fuller life. Humans must choose to participate in this basic principle that under girds the whole creation. Humans must live by that principle, expressed most cogently in Jesus’ saying, ‘ Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.’ (Jn. 12:24).

A liberating gift To be able to see Jesus in that cosmic frame has been, for me, one of the most liberating gifts of my life. It gives me just a glimpse of what ‘redemption’ might mean, a meaning free from categories of atonement or ransom. Redemption on the large scale means opening a possibility for the human species to act in such a way as to transcend the instinctive aggressive survival mechanisms and behaviours characteristic of other species. Humans can live a different way, on that is not trapped in shallow egoisms or greed, competition and violence, but open to heal hurts and to embrace the good of all specie, the good of the whole planet. Humans can live with compassion. God’s revelation in Jesus is that humans have minds and hearts that can keep on opening to deeper and richer capacity for compassionate caring, opening to include the whole creation until finally giving away to unity with God’s own Self. We start with the fact that Jesus responded completely to God’s intimate loving presence within him, teaching and living the advent of the reign of God. We recognise that Christianity has focussed on the life/death/resurrection of Jesus as its central symbol. Add the fact that now, 2,000 years after Jesus, neuroscience discovers that evolution has programmed our human brains to produce a ‘good’ response when we do (or even think of) something honest and generous and compassionate. Consider as well the negative response of post traumatic stress when we designate other people as enemies and kill them. That sequence of ‘facts’ appears to me to be strong evidence that the Spirit of Jesus is alive and working in the whole evolutionary life process, now nudging us humans to develop personally and culturally in the direction of compassionate care, in the image of Jesus. ‘Let that mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus….,’ St. Paul advised the early Christians (Ph. 2:6). We are still on that path of discipleship.

Change in perspective How does this new framework change our perspective? It is not the quantity of suffering but the quality of love that is redeeming. Did God need Jesus to suffer to the nth degree in order to compensate, to atone for our enormous sinfulness? What kind of God is that? I have found myself unable to believe in, let alone worship such a god. I see Jesus as a new Word of God for us humans, the sacramental embodiment of the role we must play in the ongoing process of evolutionary history. So it is not ‘Jesus and me.’ Holy Week has taken on a new meaning. It is not just about Jesus, but a kind of symbol of how the whole creation suffers the violence of ab-use. Everything suffers from my/our refusal to believe God’s intention for us is the contentment, the peace and sense of authenticity that comes from loving and compassionate service in the world. Earth’s history and salvation history, creation and redemption are no longer separate. They have been journeying hand in glove from the beginning. This new thinking deepens my appreciation for the importance of the gospel, of living the gospel, of being a disciple of Jesus I have gained a whole new appreciation of


a lively, overflowingly compassionate God slowly but steadily, continually working within this creation. I have a new and different sense of my/our inescapable human connection to the process of life in time and history and

even a new confidence in my/our role as Christian participants in the process. We, like Jesus, are to be conscious of the Divine Presence acting through us to heal and unify our world, to bring new Life. “

Jim Glos, cfc The following are some sentiments and ideas that I experienced in my participation in Mitakuye Oyasin, and continue to experience in my thoughts and prayers.

Gratitude I feel grateful to have been part of Mitakuye Oyasin, grateful to the people on the IRT that made this Conference possible and grateful to the “Greater God” that continues to manifest His/Her beauty, truth and goodness in a myriad of ways: in an ever-surprising and unfolding Cosmos and in the profound contemplative and religious experiences of the beautiful and gentle people (presenters and participants) of the Conference, all of which is/was completely gratuitous and unpredictably astounding.

Better Future This Conference confirms my conviction that in our world there is developing a cr i t ical mass of compassionate, contemplative and gentle people who will eventually replace with love all war, destruction, intolerance and hatred. The following is what I have shared or intend to share with those in my area of the world: As part of the Education Commission of the Peruvian Religious Conference, I have organized a workshop for teachers on the topic of Eco Theology. This workshop emphasized the loving presence of the “Greater God” in the ever-evolving cosmos as well as the sensitivity needed to care for the earth. The main presentation of this afore-mentioned conference was given by Father Guido Zegarra, a Peruvian Franciscan. I have sent a copy of the text of his presentation to all the brothers of the Latin American Region as well as to other members of the Edmund Rice Family.

As the Regional Coordinator of Eco Justice, I have asked that each community develop a plan to promote care for the earth, both within its community setting as well as in the apostolic sites of the brothers. I have spoken with the Latin American Region Leader, John Casey, suggesting that in our Region Chapter (Buenos Aires, July/August, 2007) a number of practices be implemented:

! A daily half-hour community mediation as the first activity of each day.

! A space to be set aside in which each community present its ecological plan.

! Have a display of photos, banners, written materials, etc., from the Spirituality Conference in Vancouver.

John Dornbos, cfc

Humanity is the universe coming to consciousness. In this way, as I grow in my understanding of the universe and my dependence on it, I am the universe. It is stunning to accept God, The Source, in all that has comes before this and all that is moving on into the future. The cosmos is expanding. I, myself, am not, however, The Source, and I am not each of the others that is part of this, most especially other people. But I need The Other, The Source, and I need the others who share with me in this gift. My life is sustained and continued in The Source, and grows in relationship with the others in the universe. The cosmos is a very sacred place. My consciousness has a vast potential. Jesus, freely one of us and God’s Son, came into this universe bringing an even deeper awareness of life and its history, or how life is lived, and how life becomes even greater. In freedom and in fidelity to his call, Jesus made it quite clear how I, and others, are deeply loved, even as The Source has done. In accepting this love, in my own freedom, my life opens more and more, in the receiving and giving of compassion. I learn to walk with others: they walk with me and we help each other enter into these gifts.


We are not free of dying in this journey. But in knowing and accepting the paschal journey into which Jesus entered, and being loved, I can enter/ I can transcend death, and rise to new life, helping all of the cosmos to do the same, as I consciously live out this beautiful path..

John Matthews The Green Man: Spirit of Nature A Nature Walking Meditation Take yourself to a place in nature where you can walk. A park is fine, if you’re in a big city; if you’re in the country, then world is your oyster. When you are ready to begin your meditation, find a suitable place where you can start; a gateway, between a pair of trees, through a set of over-arching branches – you decide. Let go of anxieties and focus upon one pressing concern that you are going to take to the solution of nature for the duration of your walk. Your intention is to seek connection with the green life of nature and ask for help or guidance about your issue, so think about his before you step forward and ask for that help. Begin your walk, noticing whatever comes to your attention as you go. Sometimes, a particular plant, the

shape of a cloud, the song of a bird, the rustle of a bush, the apparition of a butterfly or the small of a flower can be the messengers of nature. When something strikes you deeply, stop and consider it, relating it to the issue in your heart. Don’t try to figure out what anything means – just accept it and hold it loosely in your heart and mind. The trick is to be receptive to your surroundings and to acknowledge them respectfully, just as you might greet a person you meet upon the road. Each element of the natural world can mirror – and help you reflect upon – what moves you. Continue your walk until you feel that you’ve come to the end. You’ll have a good sense of this. Before you

go home, give thanks for the help you’ve received, event though your conscious mind may not have a clear or rational grasp on what has happened. You will notice that you have an altered perspective on your issue and that, in the next few days, you will feel differently, and perhaps begin to feel your way to solution.

Celebrating the Green Man The spirit of the Green man can be invoked in a number of ways and he

can easily become a focus for all kinds of activities in your life. Honour your

connection

with nature and your relationship with the ancient Spirit of nature. Celebrate his dynamic presence in your life. You may like to have a plant in your office and have the Green Man peering out at you through the foliage.

In a common gathering place have the Green Man present to be present and bring life to your gatherings. The Green Man can be used as a new beginning after difficult times. He is the harvest of friendship to come as well as acknowledging the life-giving love that nourishes.

Julieanne Reflection ‘Mitakuye Oyasin - Connecting Spirituality’ was a refreshing experience full of awareness, affirmations and challenges; a journey into the spiritual heart of our being, joining circles of process and relationships, learning through our bodies, minds and spirits. Personally from this experience, I believe I have learned more about the comfortableness of looking into my deeper self. I have also gained a stamp on an inter-cultural/religious passport which embodies many different ways including symbols, songs, prayers, dances and inclusive practices that acknowledged the cultural capital

that people brought and shared throughout the weeks through their different spiritual beliefs. I feel, this passport has a connective capacity which allowed for the freedom of my spirit to interpret and to move fluently among different cultures/religions - by joining us all together in meditations, prayers, rhythms, movement and energy of a larger circle of ‘Different Cultures, One People’

Part of my preliminary thoughts on ‘Heart Spirituality’


The element of the ‘Heart Spirituality’ is one of ‘being’, rather than ‘becoming’……..

It is the friendly feelings, as we feel comfortable to look within ourselves. Our Heart directs us into ways of ‘learning ourselves’ & allows us to ‘be’, that is, to just ‘be’ with all our thoughts, emotions, actions & reactions.

Our ‘Heart’ continuously shines a light for us to be

able to remain open to all of life’s challenges, as well as, open to all the wonderful experiences. These heartfelt experiences are what connects’ our own Spirit, of our mind & our body, but they also enable us to connect with the Spirit of those we meet along our pathways. These experiences/thoughts//feelings/emotions can all be celebrated in large & small ways through scared ceremonies, rituals, special events or sometimes just a tear or a smile is enough.

While there were many outstanding presenters who shared their Spiritual concepts and directions, for me of special note were the1st Nations presentations and sacred ceremonies performed by Priscilla Solomon. On the first morning Priscilla shared her personal story of receiving her eagle feather and carried out an initial ceremony of honouring the strength and protection in the symbol of the Medicine Wheel. This symbol of a circle with intersecting pathways in the four directions acknowledged that for thousands of years the Indigenous Peoples of Canada held ceremonies using this same symbol in their rituals to honour the Creator Spirit and the Tree of Life, both which remain in the centre of the circle. The Medicine Wheel is a symbol of Life’s directions and even though Indigenous cultural ways have continually shifted patterns and changed to adapt, the Medicine Wheel is still used to direct us. Each person remains at the centre of their own Medicine Wheel and it is essential for them to continue to make their own journeys to each of the symbolic directions many times over for their own awareness, wisdom and spiritual maturity. It was through this important ceremony and interplay where we first came together in prayer as a group to make our own connections with the Creator Spirit and the Tree of Life and to draw on the timeless wisdom from the Land, from the Ancestor Spirits, from the Animals and from Nature. We also joined together in the Pipe Smoking Ceremony – all sharing together in this sacred ceremony the story unfolded further, of our connectedness with each other and all things. The challenge was to become aware that until one can acknowledge our Brother & Sisterhood and become immersed into the Indigenous cultures of the world, to find of a place of belonging, or to feel embraced as a member of the tribe, one cannot fully understand how

Indigenous Spirituality is part and parcel of everyday life and how everything offered is a sacrament. During our time at Rosemary Heights there were times for communication, exploration and practices all building to make our ‘Spiritual Connections’ stronger while listening to the ‘Heartbeat of God’ – is was a holistic experience which encompassed our physical, intellectual and our spiritual being. By being, doing, and celebrating! There were also many other excellent presentations, with various experiences and discussions about our ‘Connectedness to all Things’; our Significant Place in the unfolding Universe. We were offered ample opportunities for ‘Exploring our own Creativity’ - through song writing, dances, drawing, bead making, directed through a cosmic walk, painting, prayer writing, learning different meditation methods, walking and breathing techniques, learning and sharing; all directed to ‘Centre Us’, as we reflected and contemplated on the elegance, the power of the cycles of change, and to embrace the diversity of all the different spiritualities presented. My understandings from the gathering are; these are long- time learning’s and as the messages become clearer so will our strength to participate in each other’s journey. For each of us it’s an intimate journey that involves personal reflection, open communication, mutual trust and respect and then being prepared to share our own stories and experiences cross-culturally/religiously. For me, these new learning’s will grow and develop as I journey along my own pathways but, at this point, I understand the basis of ‘Mitakuye Oyasin - Connecting Spirituality’, to be ‘the story of how we begin to remember’…… Then as this awareness inside continues to happen it will translate more fully into a more open and honest spirituality supported by new practices of how people can treat each other and the Earth more justly….knowing ‘We are Many, but One’. There are many more ways we can join a larger circle to share with each other, while honouring ‘Eddy’s Spirit’ and story, which in turn will allow us to find a balance and also new and different ways to continue to strengthen our relationships, while building on the important work within each of the different Ministry sites. I think we have been ‘blessed with a burden’ and it is definitely time for ‘Listening at the risk of being changed’…….. From my heart, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who organised ‘Mitakuye Oyasin’, I appreciate the efforts of those who nominated and supported me to attend this gathering and particularly to all those special people who participated in Unity along this part of my journey.


‘Embracing All Is Love’ Song written by Julieanne - Music by Kevin Bates - April 2007

The Rainbow Spirit sang at our birth Connecting us to Mother Earth Winds from the four directions Bringing messages From those on the wing Echoes of the sacred songs The Ancients always sing Listen to the raindrops Hear the thunder roll Wisdom gained from ages old Learning from the stories I’ve been told Chorus: My life is yours – your life is mine Together our lives now continue to entwine There’s seven fires holding up Seven flames, which give us the Seven Sisters names that mark our way Friendship Healing and Respect with Care Honour Sharing and Embracing all there is Love Chorus: My life is yours – your life is mine Together our lives now continue to entwine

Luseni Paul Mark A ‘COME AND SEE’ EXPERIENCE.

‘Rabbi,’ they asked, ‘Where do you live?’ Jesus replied, ‘Come and see.’

John 1;38-39 The Mitakuye Oyasin – A Conference held recently in Vancouver could be described as a ‘Come and See’ experience for me. In the Gospel of John (John. 1:46), we are told that the come and see experience changed Nathaniel’s world view. From that day onwards he declared Jesus as ‘teacher’, ‘son of God!’ and ‘King of Israel!’ Such beautiful expressions will never be heard from someone who has not experienced the Bigger God. From Br. Philip Pinto I get the message that I am invited to let go of my lesser gods and be open to the Bigger God allowing that experience to transform me.

Having been exposed to various Spiritualities: Sufism, Buddhism, First Nations, Jewish Mysticism, etc., I feel there is a great awakening in me. I am challenged to wake up to the Dance of the Spirit in my innermost being. To the realities, for the day is awake, to growth, to be alive and aware. I also realized that my spirit never slumbers, nor ages. The experience called me to care and share with all of God’s creation for the simple fact is that we are connected. It has also drawn my attention to the justice and peace issues in and around me and provoked me to take action. Like Nathaniel and his experience with Jesus Christ, I have developed a

new world view which does not limit me to MY IDEA OF GOD (parochial), but OUR IDEA OF GOD (global). A God whose name is not sufficient as expressed in Exodus 3:13-15 (CB 2008 Chapter Document page 3). The conference helps me to focus on some of the questions of the said document – that is, ‘what it means to me to receive God’s name/a bigger God and how is it connected with my profound changes in my/our understanding of the world, our/my action in it? (CB. 2008 Cht. Doc. pages 4- 5.) The experience invites me and probably all my brothers and sisters in the circle of Blessed Edmund Rice to look at our Spirit-Filled journey and see what has evolved.


During the conference, the presenters shared their experiences to the best of their abilities, which reminds of Jesus’ statement as spelt out in the chapter Document pages 13 - 18, ‘I have shared with you everything I have learnt from my Father.’(Jn.15:15). From this exposition my experience of God has broaden into three directions –‘view all of life as God viewed it.’ Not

to simply believe in God, but to know God. To know God not as a person-like being out there separate from the universe, a long way away, but as the encompassing Spirit that is all around us. Secondly, an understanding that God breathes through me at all times. Lastly that God calls me to be compassionate in the world.

In summary I will say my ‘come and see’ experience challenged me to give birth to a broader image of God and not to fear the strangeness I feel, for the future must enter into me and the Congregation. The future is not a place we are travelling to but a way of living that is coming to: are we ready and willing?

Mark McGlaughlin

Your Breath… My Breath

Bridge: Your Breath… My Breath Breath of Creator…. all breathing as one Breath of Creator…. all breathing as one Verse Breath ever present, ever constantly drawn Residing within, ever restlessly awaiting A moment of stirring, of grace giving birth To awareness of gift our creation unfolds

Bridge Breathe this life in to arouse the deep Spirit Breathe your love out, so the universe sings As you breathe in my life, come to know the beloved As we breathe out our love we rebirth God each new day

Bridge Draw breath from the truths far beyond our own realms Give breath without seeking a breath in return Honour the breath in your innermost dwelling To awake from illusions “I am” and be free.

Bridge

Moy Hitchen, Promoter of Eco-Justice

Spring in a Canadian Forest Rosemary Heights Retreat Centre, where Mitakuye Oyasin happened, is surrounded by a fringe of forest, on a ridge overlooking the Nicomeiko River. The river snakes its way south-west across boggy fields and blueberry farms to enter the Pacific Ocean. In the fringe of forest, there is a track. I walked this track every day, as spring opened its wings. The tangles of twigs and bare branches sprouted vivid greens and sticky buds and the moist

earth broke into unfurling fronds. Every day I saw something new in the forest – a new bird, a new plant, a new animal. Some of these acted as guides to what I was experiencing inside the large meeting hall where over eighty members of the Edmund Rice Network were at prayer each day. I wonder what image flashed into your mind when you read ‘at prayer’? Let’s say, rather, they were at spir i tual pract ice, for thus did our presenters often describe what we were doing in there.


Our ten days together involved intense practice. Our three creative spaces (two well equipped art rooms and a music room) yielded a continuous stream of beautiful things that slowly spread over our walls. Outside, in the forest, pink salmonberry, white elderberry and yellow Oregon grape burst into flower. Vancouver is no place for the faint-hearted. It lies on the margins of two continental plates, that have been grinding against each other for 175 million years, forcing up the Rockies in the process. The glaciers of the last Ice Age (only 15,000 years ago) have left great granite boulders strewn across the grounds of the centre. Our presenters came to us came to us from traditions that have endured enormous pressures too – Indigenous wisdom, the Earth itself, war-torn Judaism, the Tibetan Buddhism of exiles, strife-ridden Christian and post-Vatican Catholicism, persecuted Sufism. Vancouver sprawls across deltas and estuaries, rivers and fjords, between a wall of snow-covered mountains and the wide Pacific. Mitakuye Oyasin (‘We Are All Connected’) arose from meetings at the margins of different worlds. It was a time of growing tips and uncurling fronds. Spirals were everywhere. It was spring. One day I saw an owl, beset by two noisy jays. Some of our meeting was in silence. Tenzin Palmo and the Buddhist practice of becoming aware of breathing brought us mindfulness. Like an owl in a dark cedar forest, the Network may need to “go within,

in order to move ahead”, in Ken Wilber’s phrase. After such experiences, we understand more – and talk less. A wren sang his territorial song in the undergrowth every day. The First Nations presenter, Priscilla Solomon, kept orienting us – moving us through a solar cycle of east, south, west and north, and the healing journey this entails. At a time of restructuring for us all, never has the wren’s song (“This is where I am”) been more urgent! Within the Network, I sensed currents began to flow – the Gulf Streams, the El Nino flows, that bind the planet in those erratic rhythms and cataclysms we call ‘weather’. It was the Sufis, Mira and Hafiz, whirling, moving our circle in dance, and the Jewish rabbi, Michael, rocking, as he chanted psalms, that gave us the movement we needed. Weaving, breathing, sounding, around our common Heart. As if in confirmation, a bald eagle soared in slow circles above us one afternoon, as we practised on the lawn. Pity the Catholic presenters! They came at the end of our time to connect us with our own roots. Yet the vision granted us, of our Church, was from another turn of the spiral. The bird that appeared that day was the pileated woodpecker – pounding away at rotten wood, hard-headed, with a harsh cackle, but flaunting such a flaming scarlet crest! I left Rosemary Heights with my heart awake. For our Edmund Rice Network, I suspect it was a spring.

Outcome and Implications of Mitakuye Oyasin Mitakuye Oyasin is the name for the 10-day gathering of some 80 members of the Edmund Rice Network (ERN) at Rosemary Heights, a retreat centre in Surrey, BC, Canada. It ran from April 16 to 27, 2007, but it had been preceded by months of preparation by the participants in small groups, and has been followed by further small group meetings, as well as written reflections shared between participants and the wider ERN. So it is embedded in a broader process of renewal across the ERN. Mitakuye Oyasin was organised by the Congregation Renewal Team (CRT), and constituted the major event focusing on spirituality in the ERN within the 6-year term of the present Congregation Leadership Team (2002 – 2008). The CRT had also run several ‘God in the Now’ at-home retreats in various provinces of the Congregation, between 2002 and 2007. These undoubtedly served as remote preparation for the Surrey gathering. I reflect here on the experience, suggest some major outcomes for the whole ERN, as well as important implications for my own work as Promoter of Eco-Justice for the Congregation.

Significant Outcomes for the Edmund Rice Network (ERN) In many ways, it is too early to gain perspective on Mitakuye Oyasin. But there is also a grace in hearing the immediate impressions and strong emotions of participants as they left the gathering. The participants have been invited to contribute pieces to FUEL, the e-journal that the CRT has designated as the vehicle for such reflection and feedback. [FUEL came into existence as a follow-up mechanism for the ERN conference on social justice held in Kolkata in November 2005.] FUEL 7, with some of these contributions, will appear in late May 2007. The editor of FUEL, Damien Norris, will act as a clearinghouse for all such reflections, whether they are published or not. I list here, in no fixed order, some of my strong impressions of the outcomes of Mitakuye Oyasin for the ERN. Each outcome is accompanied by some elaborating comments, and some evaluative remarks.

• For the first time, eighty ERN members from around the world spent serious time together in prayer, over an extended period.


o The atmosphere created was somewhere between a retreat and a conference. Each morning, half an hour was spent together in meditation, silent prayer, chanting or yoga, always conscious of the breath. There were three full Eucharistic celebrations, during the ten days, and several other opportunities for prayer and spiritual practices every day, in the whole assembly or in smaller groups.

o Given the importance of prayer for ERN members, as individuals and as communities, families and ministry teams, this was a historic chance for the Spirit to work amongst the ERN as a global group.

o Some areas of the ERN were under-represented, notably the Region America Latina and Papua New Guinea, and many cultural traditions within the ERN were absent (notably from India and Africa), and the prayer experiences were impoverished by this lack.

• The ERN members shared spiritual practices from several different traditions, many quite new to them. o The major contributing spiritual traditions to these practices were Indigenous, environmentalist, Buddhist,

Jewish, Sufi, Christian and Catholic. o All participants shared practices from all these spiritual traditions. o There was widespread openness to trying different practices, which suggests that cross-cultural sharing of

spiritual practices is possible at this level and may be a direction in which the collective ERN spirituality is moving.

• Different ERN members found some practices more congenial than others to their spiritual life. o The participants were actively reflecting on their experiences daily and sharing these, informally. Through

this process they came to personal evaluations of different practices, in the context of their own spiritual journeys.

o This process saw significant spiritual growth in the participants, as they faced the challenge or invitation in each practice they were presented with.

• There was a logical dynamic in the structure of the programme that provides a useful pattern for understanding contemporary ERN spirituality.

o The structure consisted of three sets of three days (tridua), with a ‘day off’ (which was spent exploring aspects of the local setting) after the second triduum.

o The three ‘movements’ embodied in this structure were: (1) Indigenous and environmentalist spiritual practices; (2) spiritual practices from other world religions; (3) spiritual practices from Christian and Catholic traditions, plus some theologising in the Catholic tradition.

o The three ‘movements’ suggest a pattern of grounding oneself in local ecosystems with support from local Indigenous people, opening oneself to other spiritual traditions of a universal nature, and returning to one’s own spiritual traditions with increased awareness and further questions.

• There was an emphasis on heart-centred practices. o The participants were obviously ‘primed’ by the recent focus on heart-centred spirituality in the ERN. o The presenters often stressed how their practices were heart-centred. o Physical movement and awareness, artistic creations and music, rhythms of the local natural world, and

emotional expressivity were common aspects of every spiritual practice. o Many participants reported that their hearts were ‘touched’ or ‘moved’ by our shared spiritual practices. o There were very few ‘getting to know you’ exercises in the programme. o There was very little structured sharing in small groups in the programme (only three opportunities on one

of the ten days), which would be the ‘normal’ ERN way of becoming aware of heart movements.

• There was a lot of heart-centred spiritual growth reported. o Many reported, formally and informally, that their hearts had moved or shifted or were changed. o Given the lack of structured sharing opportunities, this growth apparently came through the spiritual

practices, rather than the closeness of sharing aspects of ourselves with others. o This has implications for developing heart-centred spirituality in the ERN. Silence, breath meditation, chanting

and sacred song, intimacy with nature, dancing, painting and sculpture, telling sacred stories, and centering prayer may also strengthen and deepen hearts.

• The whole group bonded closely, across cultural, national, language, gender and age barriers. o Without a structured ‘getting to know you’ programme, and with no formal ‘socialising’ occasions, the

participants moved closer to each other through shared experiences, and heart-felt (informal) dialogue. o The presence of some with cross-congregational ministries, and the presence of several formation leaders,

helped to make connections across the eighty participants. o The formation leaders aided the group to achieve both depth with each other, and structure, in terms of

asking how the experiences could impact on life in home provinces. o The group organised some social activities of its own towards the end, with a rich sharing of music, food,

drink and dance.


o The bonding has built a platform on which future global ERN gatherings can build, just as the 2002 Chapter and the Kolkata Conference provided some substructure for this gathering. The earlier gatherings provide some actual ‘people links’ (those who’ve shared more than one gathering) but more importantly, a shared past event and common directions.

o The bonding has also realised, for the participants, the Lakota wisdom in the saying Mitakuye Oyasin – everything is connected.

• Without Indigenous participation, ERN spirituality is not grounded in local or global realities. o There are Indigenous people already within the ERN. Some played important roles at the gathering. Some

areas of the ERN are building partnerships with Indigenous groups. o In some countries, the question who is an Indigenous person is harder to answer. But all countries have

Indigenous people. o All landscape we see is ‘peopled’ (ie owned and interpreted by groups of people with varying rights and

interests in that land), whether people live there or not. o All areas where ERN members live and work are part of Earth’ s surface. Many of these areas are ‘owned’

(legally) by ERN groups or individuals. This does not negate the ‘rights and interests’ of others in that land, especially the local Indigenous people.

o The way forward for the ERN is to build partnerships with local Indigenous people, in every area where it lives and works.

o This will involve a sharing of spiritualities, and perhaps, with Indigenous permission, some spiritual practices. o Globally, the ERN can only face a post-colonial world with clear acknowledgement of Indigenous rights, and

serious commitment to partnerships with Indigenous people.

• Without contact with the local ecosystem, ERN spirituality is not grounded in local realities. o The site for Mitakuye Oyasin included a fringe of natural broadleaf-coniferous mixed forest (partly regrowth),

which is the local ecosystem, and the gathering stayed closely in touch with local weather and seasonal events, and used the gardens and grounds.

o The environmental presenters invited us into closer relationship with Earth, through various rituals, practices and reflections.

o Some responded more to the gardens, some to the forest walk, some to the weather (spring sunshine and rain), some to the view of the snow-clad mountains north of the city, some to the rural surrounds. Some walked, some watched, some jogged, some took photos, some explored.

o Some probably maintained a distinction between recreational activities outside and the spiritual practices inside (the ‘work’ of the gathering).

o The Indigenous and environmentalist presenters linked Earth with soul-work, and helped participants to connect with Earth.

o The gathering showed ERN members that building a partnership with Earth is part of the ongoing spiritual journey for each member and for the whole movement.

• Without dialogue with the world religions, ERN spirituality is not located within the twenty-first century.

o While only Buddhism, Judaism and Sufism (as a movement originating within Islam) were represented by guest presenters, the gathering specifically included awareness of all the universal religions [those accessible to any human on the planet].

o Involvement with these traditions was through spiritual practices, customs or stories, not through rational input or explanation.

o While dialogue is not limited to non-rational methods and media, it is distinguished from discussion or debate by its inclusion of person-to-person forms of communication. Each presenter was available to participants at meals and in free time.

o Communication was often at the heart level with these presenters, and that facilitated mutual understanding and appreciation.

o Each individual chosen to present in this triduum had a cross-cultural background. The Tibetan Buddhist nun was English, and had lived for five years in Assisi. The Sufi couple were Americans, with Christian upbringing. The Jewish rabbi had participated in a Buddhist retreat. This enabled participants to identify more closely with cross-cultural movements of the Spirit.

o The twenty-first century is marked by a globalised economy and a diminishing resource base. Dialogue between religious traditions is essential for social justice and eco-justice, as religious differences can create barriers to communication and cooperation. The ERN is now a player within this globalised world. This gathering revealed that inter-religious dialogue, at the level of the heart, is life-giving for ERN members and their work.

• Within the ERN, theological reflection is needed on the questions raised by such cross-religion spiritual experiences.


o Of the three Christian presenters, one continued the sharing of spiritual practices (namely, through centering prayer), but the other two raised theological questions.

o One presenter offered a chance to reflect on the connection between religion and spirituality, and on whether there was a distinct Catholic spirituality. The other questioned the nature of Catholic concepts of God, in the light of contemporary understandings of the universe.

o Participants’ responses to these presenters ranged from enthusiasm to resistance. Some wondered whether these presenters were out of sympathy with the other sessions, that had stressed spiritual practices. Others saw them as addressing the necessary theological questions that the spiritual experiences had provoked.

o As part of the Catholic tradition, the ERN is a participant in this theologising. As well as dealing with marginalised people, which poses one set of questions to the Catholic tradition, ERN members at Mitakuye Oyasin were in dialogue with Earth, with Indigenous traditions, and with other religious traditions.

o Several major areas this opens for theologising are: Creation, Revelation, Redemption, Incarnation, and Church.

o These questions cannot be avoided by thinking ERN people, even if close cross-religion connections can be made by the same people praying.

o There seems to be a need for theological reflection within the ERN on the spiritual lives and experiences of its members. This will require appropriate structures and resources.

Implications of these Outcomes for Promoting Eco-Justice in the ERN

Implications of these outcomes for the work of the Congregation Promoter of Eco-Justice are listed below. As above, elaborating comments and evaluative remarks are added.

1. Eco-Spirituality has taken root in the ERN. a. The numbers responding to the presentations and practices offered by the Indigenous and environmentalist

presenters showed that such eco-spirituality has found a home in ERN members. b. The presence of Indigenous people, as partners, has been a critical factor in enabling this shift to occur.

2. Eco-spirituality develops from a relationship with Earth, especially from a loving partnership with one’s local ecosystem.

a. This was the wisdom of the Indigenous people at the gathering, both presenters and participants. b. This relationship can be mediated, interpreted and enabled by local Indigenous people.

3. Eco-Spirituality connects with other spiritual traditions at the heart level. a. This seems a truth for all spiritual traditions, based on the experience of ERN members at Surrey. b. Possibly, the capacity of the human heart to love many people, in many ways, also enables it to seek or love

God in many modes. Given that ERN members are usually deeply loving people, this suggest they have an enhanced capacity for sharing in various spiritual traditions.

4. Eco-Spirituality may play a grounding role in the spiritual journey of each ERN individual. a. According to the schema sketched above, and practised at Mitakuye Oyasin, eco-spirituality may be the

grounding movement in ERN members’ lives, followed by the opening movement towards other religious traditions, and then the returning movement back to Catholic traditions.

b. This has implications for how ERN members ‘enter’ another country, culture or religious tradition. ‘Grounding’ needs to precede ‘opening’, in order to gain perspective on the ‘universal’ claims of another religion.

5. Eco-Spirituality develops best when there is a respectful partnership with local Indigenous people. a. This follows from the role Indigenous people play in interpreting and mediating a relationship with the local

ecosystems for ERN members, and from Indigenous rights and interests in the local land.

6. A process of theological reflection is needed within the ERN to respond to the questions raised by our relationship with Earth and our dialogue with indigenous people and world religions.

a. Because most Catholic theological reflection has taken place within Catholic contexts, it now needs to be practiced within a global context, and to engage a much wider range of stakeholders.

b. ERN members, operating at the level of their hearts, are connecting with Earth and people in many other spiritual traditions. They are in a good position to grasp the urgency of the questions that arise from these experiences and how they relate to Catholic traditions.


Peter Harney

Where Are You?

Mitakuey Oyasin took those who participated yet another stage into the deeper implications of the imperative of the 2002 Congregation Chapter to restructure in order to bring about ‘the transformation of minds and hearts.

This fortnight was declared ‘Sabbath’ and so the presenters did not deliver ‘academic papers for discussion’ but like the great spiritual teachers of the past and present, invited participants to turn inwards away from world of thoughts. It was an invitation to take the most difficult of paths, the one into the heart and spaces in the soul. Initially there was a murmur of consternation as some held onto the mind-set of ‘academic seminar.’ Gradually this changed over the days together. The changing sense of being more ‘mindful’ was perhaps best expressed in the ever-deepening silence of the half hour sitting meditation that most of the group participated in each morning. Michael Morwood challenged the group to pray to an ‘Everywhere God’. To stop praying to a God ‘elsewhere’ and to come home to ourselves and to our planet Earth. It became painfully obvious that our prayer formulas, so commonly used when we gather for ritual, only addressed an ‘Elsewhere God’. Michael asked the group to write prayers that listened for and addressed a very ‘present God’. It was a struggle to change the way we had always done and said things in our spiritual lives. Priscilla Solomon, from the First Nation Peoples, began our time together by gently inviting the group to see with the ‘unscaled eyes’ of St Paul and truly recognize that everything is holy because God, the divine spark within, is everywhere. Now what does this mean for us in the way we relate to the birds, trees, fish and even our mountains and soils? The group gradually came to see that they were being invited to ‘gaze’ with heart-vision not just look and move on. This was truly 20/20 vision that saw through and behind our selves and all who make up our community of earth. The inner searching took many to the art/music rooms to find a different way of expressing their emotions and spiritual yearnings and searchings. We slowly began to hear some deep wisdom through listening for the quiet, still voice of the spirit. We heard the mystical poetry of Rumi and then, in an act of total trust, we rose as one and danced the words into life. Such movement got us in touch with our bodies and our inter-connection with others and a new freedom of expression dawned in the group. Each morning a poem written by a participant and turned into a song by our resident musician Kevin Bates, was sung as part of the morning gathering ritual. These moments may seem very superficial in the re-telling but they made us get out of our comfort zones and break apart some old patterns of seeing and believing that had confined and defined us for a long time.

Rabbi Michael Skobac, who shared the Kabbalah tradition of Judaism, invited us to ‘soak’ in the word of the Hebrew scriptures. He suggested that this text contained great wisdom for the spiritual seekers of our time. One approach used by Rabbis over the centuries to help disciples to find inner wisdom, was to go to the text where spiritual questions were asked. The most important questions generally were those that came first. The first question in the Hebrew Scriptures was asked by God: ‘Where Are You?’ Adam, to whom the question was addressed, was ashamed and felt naked and hid (Gen 3: 9). The question is now addressed to us? What is our response? Are we able to answer this question honestly without feeling the guilt and embarrassment of Adam? Or do we feel like hiding from the gaze of an ‘Elsewhere God’ who is waiting to judge and punish us? Over the millennia, to add more understanding to the biblical events, stories became associated with certain texts. They invite the listener or reader to go past the literal into the metaphorical meaning that is ‘the language’ of the soul and spirit. A story that has been connected the Book of Genesis from which the ‘Where are you?’ question arises is ‘The Cobbler’:

The cobbler stitched every shoes with such finesse that each stich was a ‘mystical union with God’. He did not pray when he stitched he was just aware of the present moment and in that space he saw things as they really are – transfigured. He knew there would be peace, happiness and comfort for those who wore the shoes he made.

At this juncture I need to stop and ask ‘Where Am I?’ Adam was hiding because he was not fully attentive to the presence of the ‘everywhere God’; he was not attentive to where he was. He seemed to think that God was ‘elsewhere’ and not present. He was confused, shocked and uncomfortable. He certainly was not attentively and mindfully present… Is there something that we have missed in the text because we have become too familiar over the years with the literal meaning of the words? We who attended Mitakuye Oyasin have had a few weeks to step back from the experience and to look again at the reality of what was shared and planted. Perhaps now is a time for listening, waiting, watching and pondering….a bit like God in the garden or the cobbler stitching his shoes…


Senan D'Souza

Clement, Senan & Luseni

Reflection MITAKUYE OYASIN: this is how the First Nations’ Lakota people describe the connectedness that underlies all things. It was the name given to a gathering of Edmund Rice followers in Vancouver for eleven days in April to explore this connectedness. The programme, well organized by the Congregation Renewal Team, collected over 60 of us for this ‘sabbath time’ of retreat and renewal. A typical day began with meditation led in various traditions. The mornings were filled by 3 hour-long presentations from our spiritual guides and in the afternoons there were workshops by the same guides to further explore, question, ritualize the topics. In between there was space for talks, walks, rest, reading, art and music. The first three days had sessions on First Nation’s spirituality and wisdom (with workshops on medicine wheel and smoking the peace pipe), Cosmic Spirituality, Earth wisdom with workshops in Story Beads and Cosmic walks. The next three days we had sessions by a Buddhist nun, a Rabbi and a Sufi couple. Each brought us their

wisdom with meditation, dancing and stories in sessions and workshops. Next we had a free day which gave us a chance to taste the beauty and wonder of Vancouver. The last three days were on Religion & Spirituality, The New Cosmology and Centering & Welcoming Prayer. Each day the music room and art rooms were places where we could express and capture our experiences with the help of our in-house artists and musician. These gave rise to a new poem or song performed at the start of the next day and an exhibition of pictures at the end. Looking back several things stay with me: the number of non-CBs in attendance men and women who share passionately in Edmund’s spirit and work, the quality of enthusiasm and engagement throughout the programme, the high level of connectedness among the diverse (in age and culture) participants and the magic that happens when people gather in good will and the honest searching that is going on in individual lives and in the Congregation. As I take time to unpack the experience further for myself I offer this poem in conclusion:

Trevor Parton

What Does it Mean to be Human? At a time when Thomas Berry is urging us to re-define the human as a species, this is a really important question.

Homo sapiens is the only member of the Homo species to survive to the present. The most recent other representatives of our species would have been the Neanderthals who died out maybe 20,000 years ago in Europe and the recently discovered remains of the smaller ‘human’ on the Indonesian island of Flores. It seems that Homo sapiens has been undergoing subtle modifications during the last 10,000 years which in a manner of speaking could be taken as a process of speciation. The agricultural revolution of about 10,000 years ago was probably one such occasion when the human moved from being predominately a hunter gatherer to being located in settlements where the land was farmed and animals raised. At about this time, and probably because of this move, written language began to make its appearance. Darryl Reanney* suggests that this was a crucial period in the development of human identity as we know it today. In brief summary he points out that earlier humans did not have the sophisticated experience of what we in our culture refer to as our ego. Earlier humans were more identified with clan, land and animals, something that

indigenous peoples still have and cherish. The earlier human experienced and measured time as cyclic, as in when they referred to events as happening ‘many moons ago.’ The month mirrored the lunar as well as the menstrual cycle. Even now the Jewish calendar is still lunar, and it lingers on in the Christian celebration of Easter. Earlier groups of humans frequently identified themselves with a totemic animal which they saw as embodying the great ancestral creative spirit, into which they might be reabsorbed at death. Our idea of ego with its assumptions of independence, autonomy and immortality had not developed prior to more modern times. Up to now, this ‘instinct’ might be recognised in our Christian traditional language of oneness with Christ as an iconic or totemic person, and our eventual re-unification with God. The question might be, is there a middle ground that could bring us back to a less transcendental language, to a more cosmic way of speaking, respectful of the sacramentallity of nature, and less ego-centric and nature-phobic? The modern human is very conscious of the passing of time compared with earlier humans. We live longer, maybe four times longer than our ancestors, and Reanney


says that with the arrival of written forms of language about 8,000 years ago we had more accurate ways of realising the passing of time, recording it and planning for the future, not that we are very good at the latter. Nine of us had the opportunity last month of traveling on the annual retreat/tour to Lake Mungo and the Flinders Ranges. Lake Mungo has been given World Heritage status for several reasons associated with the preservation of human cultural events and scientific discoveries made there. The experience we had there of sunrise and sunset on the sand dunes of the lunette cannot be described. It took us out of ourselves, out of our egos. Interestingly, renowned writer Satish Kumar recently said in a lecture at CERES that ‘ego’ and ‘eco’ do not easily co-exist. The experience of the Flinders Ranges was something else. The ranges have exposed a unique sereis of rock strata that allow you to walk through around 100 million yearsof

time commencing with the earliest origins of single celled and multicellular life. What does it mean to be human so that the human and the setting in which the human is embedded, both survive? It seems that we need both individually and as a race to recover our identity of embeddedness in nature rather than cultivate a very limited ego that pretends we are separate from it. I hold that this is work for heart as well as mind. Can we respectfully reframe the words of Jesus “The Father and I are one” as parallel to the notion that we are one with what we may call nature, or more metaphysically, with the mystery that surrounds and leads us on - to an emptying of self, and a discovery of what it really means to be human living a gospel of comprehensive compassion. * Darryl Reanney, Death of Forever

Valda Dickinson

At Mitakuye Oyasin we had the wonderful experience of listening to Michael Skobac speak from his Jewish tradition. Here is a brief recounting of two stories he shared with us and a few reflections of my own. 1) According to the Midrash (about 2000 years ago) Abraham’s father, Terach, sold idols. He once left Abraham in charge of the shop, and Abraham destroyed all the idols, except for the largest one. He placed a hammer in its hands. When his father returned, he was shocked to see the devastation and asked Abraham what happened. Abraham said that someone brought a gift for the idols and they got into a fight, the largest one smashing all the smaller ones. His father replied: “What are you talking about, these idols can't do Anything? Abraham said: “So why do worship them?” Personal Reflection: There are times in our life when we realise that we can no longer worship certain images of the Deity handed down to us by family, teachers and tradition. Often it is difficult for those who love the old images and love us, to understand what is happening. It troubles them to see our smashing of their cherished images. Perhaps this is why Abraham had to leave the comfort zone that he inhabited and travel to another land. There was reason involved as well as faith. May we each have the same openness to a new ways of seeing and the courage to leave home when faith and reason require it. 2) The bible tells that Adam was created by God taking earth and forming it into the shape of a human and breathing the breath of life (soul) into that form. We are told that this Adam was in the image of God. In Hebrew, the word for "image" is TZELEM...if you think about this scene, it sounds similar to what humans do when constructing an idol. We take earth/clay, and mould it into the shape of God and make it an idol. In Hebrew, the word for idol is also "TZELEM". What do we learn from this? God already created something in the Divinity’s image...the message is that if we want to serve God we should serve humankind by doing acts of loving kindness, rather than serve our clay image of God (which is idolatry). Personal Reflection: There is a major transition in God image taking place today. It is from an image of a God who is immanent and externally transcendent to a God who is immanent and transcends from within. While this seems simple it has far reaching effects. It highlights the interconnectedness of the Divine, human and natural world in a co-creative unfolding Mystery with no in-betweens… All is One and being revealed gradually. Consequently we might enlarge this Biblical image of God to include the cosmos, earth, plants and animals. If so we would extend our loving kindness to the natural world as well as to the human remembering that this world is part of the larger Self, part of the whole. Perhaps this is a sign of “grace” and the evolution of consciousness for many people in our historical time.


PRAYERS & LITURGIES Fruits of Michael Morewood’s Session

PRAYERS & LITURGIES Jenny Wehinger

Meal Blessing 1 In gratitude we recall the abundance Poured forth from the earth to feed

And sustain all of life within her. We give thanks for these holy gifts Of soil, water, and sun that have

Been gathered here and prepared For our nourishment.

Meal Blessing 2 Ancient elements, loving energy Dance of sun and soil and rain Spun before us as bread to eat

So pure, so blessed, so holy.

Br. Gerard Alvarez

Part of a Eucharistic Prayer This is my Body Broken for you

Blood poured out for you.

Trees victims of brutal genocide 1st Nation people still hanging

On the Cross of ignorance, Or prejudiced and discompassionate hearts

Women, bashed, brutallsed, Abused, silenced

Water toxified! Men and women languishing in prisons – all under trials!

Doxology Christ is dying Christ is rising

Christ is in communion with all of our Cosmos still.

Br. Reg Whitely Blessed food make us aware that everything is gift. The bread before us, the cup of wine – these too are gifts. It is a special gift because our community present here sees this as a sign of unity, a sign of commitment and a sign of love. In stating this we accept the challenges involved. We are your body and you are in our midst. We pray as we break and share the bread that we may become a true sign of unity and love.

Christ as you handed the chalice to your disciples from which to drink, as a sign of commitment, so as true followers we drink from the cup to the last drop in memory of what you did. We ask for the necessary strength to enable us to follow you in this for your very name is The Enabler who is united and committed to a loving relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit the giver of all good gifts. Amen.


Anne Barry-Murphy

Creator Spirit, move within our world. Gather us in union with all creation. As we leave this place, deepen in us the Spirit of Life which moves in our very being and all around us. Life of all Life, flow through us to others. Let our ending be our beginning.

PRAYERS FROM THE MICHAEL MORWOOD WORKSHOPS

Moy Hitchen Prayers for a Man Becoming - a collection of nine prayers, for male cycles

For a Baby Boy

Your birth as a boy has brought us to the mystery

of the life of God in us, and our call to grow. May you be brought

to the workings of wonder in your being a boy,

to the joy of the divine at play between our genders,

and the fun to be found in growing up in a family.

Amen.

For a Boy at Puberty

Your becoming a man awakes deep gratitude in us

for the fertility of God’s evolving universe. May you become a man for others,

as Jesus was, and be amongst us

as one who acts justly, loves tenderly,

and walks humbly with your God. Amen.

For a Man in Love

Your heart in love is a light for us,

in a world illumined by God’s loving presence. May you learn to love

in harmony with the whole universe, in the wisdom of your people, and in the joy of your beloved.

Amen.


For a Man becoming a Father

The child you are forming lies in the lap of a universal love,

and calls you to care and compassion.

May your fathering honour the God who gives life and love,

and nourish us all. Amen.

For a Man in Mid-Life

May the cross-roads of life bring you gently

to the time of decision, and your fundamental freedom.

May the Old Ones stand with you, and the God being born in you

lead you safely into the second journey.

Amen.

For a Man Failing

You struggle brings you closer to the Earth’s and humanity’s suffering.

May Jesus, who dies before you, break open the sacred way,

and may you learn the path you’ll walk with God.

Amen.

For a Man Dying

Your birth as a boy, your life as a man,

have brought us to this time. May your dying be for us all

a grateful grieving, a fond farewell,

and a grace-filled letting go into God.

Amen.


For a Man Running Wild

Your wildness stirs in us the longing in the universe

for ecstasy. May you run in the circuits of wholeness and health,

and may you find what your heart desires.

Amen.

For a Man in Anger

Your anger is for us a fire,

that leaps within the human soul, and flames across the worlds. May you not be consumed.

May you ride your anger to a place of peace and reconciliation,

and may God bless the path the furies fly. Amen.

For a Man Sexually Active

You are immersed in cosmic cycles of life and death.

May you learn the great gift of God, in his image and grace,

and celebrate the mystery alive in you. Amen.

For a Man in Fear

Your fear is a call, invoking for us

all that threatens. May God, as your inner energy,

hold your feelings, release your spirit,

and grant you the vision you need. Amen.

For a Man in Grief

Your grief is calling you

into deep waters, and the loss of so much you love.

May love emerge

to sustain you through sadness and find a way back to joy.

Amen.


Cathy Harrison

Be (Invitation for Pilgrims) Be freed from that which you never believed; That which you no longer need to carry. Be freed. Be healed from that which is wounding and disorientating you. Be healed. Be wounded, rendered vulnerable, then surrender to the arms of those who walk with you. Be wounded. Be held, in loves pure embrace; in ocean’s waves and mountains splendour. Be held. Be disturbed by the presence of bud unfurling, perfume divine. Be disturbed. Be awakened by the suddenness of sun, ten thousand stories exploding in our heart’s deepest desire. Be awakened. Be awkward, different or, inadequate, It is there you are your truest self. Be awkward Be mindful of all that is spoken and unspoken as you journey Life’s nights and days. Be grateful for life’s blessings bidden or not bidden. Be grateful. Be

Valda Dickinson

Prayer of Love and Gratitude From the deep stillness that is From the source of life that is I send love and gratitude- To you who love, befriend and care for me. To you who dislike, doubt and block me. I know that I only meet myself And the Real Presence that unites us When I share life with you.

From the sacred energy that is. From the beauty and diversity that is. I send love and gratitude to all in the natural world- Rocks, trees, plants, animals, sun and moon, sky and cosmos. Your vibrant presence takes away my aloneness, comforts me. I know that I only meet myself And the Creating Presence that is birthing us When I share life with you.

From the uncertainty that is From the memory of ancestors and spirits that is. I send love and gratitude to all who live in the worlds beyond. I sense your presence in the night and wonder. Are you real or is it only my imagination? I know that I only meet myself And the Sacred Mystery that haunts us When I share life with you.


John Ahern

A Prayer for an Assembly

We gather today conscious of the all pervading Spirit of God flowing in us all – flowing in the world around us, the trees, the flowers, the grasses the birds, the sky and all the Cosmos. We open ourselves to this Spirit, wanting to be people with compassion for all of Creation. We are aware of the destruction of habitat, of creatures, of the effects of global warming and the poverty and struggle of many peoples in

the world and we dedicate ourselves to be agents for change. As we celebrate our gifts and achievements, we are aware of our privilege, comforts and obligations to our world to help create the dream of Jesus for all in our own school community in the way that we respect our environment and in the way that we reverence the Divine in all. Amen.

Victor Deen Kamara Prayer for gathering of brothers We gather here in the Spirit of Brotherhood. Your name, your sound, can move us if we tune our hearts as instruments of this time. Let us breathe one holy breath as Brothers, feeling only you,

and may each breath create a radiant love, a shrine of light inside us. May we be moved to love beyond our ideals and sprout acts of compassion for all creatures. Unite the crowd within this gathering in a vision of passionate purpose, in responding to the realities of our times.

Thane Hall Living Waters Effervescent fountain of life, gush forth your life giving water into this stagnant pool that I have become. Permeate me with new water teeming with life and vitality. Create a whirlpool within me, so I can flow forth renewed with your molecules of rebirth. Allow me to share this fresh water with all those who are thirsty and need to drink of your cool, refreshing life giving and life

sustaining water. Open me to your new fountains along the way, so these waters may combine with ours and show forth your pure and

portable nature.

Unknown

Reconnecting with our Spirit We are here to experience the greatest within each of us. We bring with us the spirit that is ever present in us and all that is and was on this earth. We pray that we may be awakened to the Spirit that lives in each of us so that we may grow in strength of loving each other each day that passes. Amen

Start of a meeting We gather here in the awareness of the mystery of God everywhere present and moving powerfully in our hearts and minds. In confidence, we affirm the Spirit present in each one of us and pray that wisdom and understanding will prevail. In truly listening to one another, right decisions will be made. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen


For use at Spiritual Direction

Begin with Lighting of Candle . . . Close with extinguishing of candle . . . .

Opening ourselves to all that is Everywhere and always present

We light this candle Trusting the mystery to unfold

Grateful for illumination in darkness We extinguish this candle Emerging as light ourselves

Andy Kuppe

Thanksgiving and Farewell We gather here today on sacred land. Land drenched with the Spirit of God, As the rain-water runs over it and the Yarra River flows through it. For thousands of years the Wurundjeri people were aware of this as they lived, walked, remembered and ritualised here. Some were born here, others died here. Some fished the river or hunted kangaroo here for nourishment for a time and then moved on to other places. We remember …N… who leaves Amberley soon. He has been nourished here by the Spirit working in and through

him. He has endeavoured to share that experience with others and assisted them to grow in awareness. We are so grateful for the leadership he has offered us in courageously striving to be, as Jesus did, fully responsive to the presence of God. We thank him for calling us as a community to strive for that awareness too. Where he may have failed in this we offer him our forgiveness and love and ask the same from him for our failings. We wish for N.. that he continues to draw on the wisdom that has grown here that he remembers the presence of God in all people and creation and responds with humility, compassion and awe.

Mike Chalmers

On Arriving Home Enveloped, surrounded, all embraced

We rejoice in our embrace… Your embrace

We are mindful of your gifts in us

Showering them on each other Drawing us together

Kindness in tenderness

Generosity in giving Gentleness all embracing

Mindfulness seeking others

Brother, companion, sister, friend, Drawn together, united in splendour

Rejoicing together

One Re-united

Thanks…Gratitude…. Acceptance


Denis O’Brien A BLESSING ON THE BELOVED GRANDCHILDREN (Thomas and Leila)

You have within you the seeds of eternal truth and the hopes and aspirations of humankind.

As each of you develop and evolves as part of the unfolding universe, may you grow into a world and community that welcomes you and sustains your spirit.

May you learn to share your good news with others less fortunate and to nurture the things of the earth, both living and non-

living

May you be a source of inspiration to your parents such that their love for each other and for all things is enhanced.

And may you always be aware of the dynamic Spirit of God that dwells within you.

Ian Robertson

At the start of Day This morning I am greeted by the fingers of a golden sunrise Reaching out across the sky. Things are so peaceful With the noises of nature around. The new day dawning Offers so many things to behold. I love this world And the chance to behold The beauty of its creation The tranquil blue water So much a reflection of the sky Adds peace to this moment. It is good to pause Before the start of another day. A chance to…. Be conscious, Reflect, And give thanks For all

Jim Donovan PRAYER PROVINCE GATHERING - May 5th We gather today in memory of Jesus who calls us to give flesh to his dream for the world; a dream in which all creation finds a home. We gather today in memory of Edmund Rice who was so moved by the plight of the poor as to spend his life for them as a religious brother. We gather today in memory of all the brothers of our three provinces who have gone before us. May we open ourselves, today, to the spirit of Jesus and Edmund and all our ancestors, in order to fashion a new vision for our European province. As we build on the heritage given to us, as followers of Jesus and Edmund, may we welcome the energy of the cosmos as the source of deeper life, greater enthusiasm and fresher hope.


Mark Quinn, Chicago, Illinois. USA Cosmic Creed I believe that the Living Truth surrounds me, I believe this Living Truth always was, always will be, and is active everywhere in the present moment. The whole plan underlying the evolutionary development of the universe originated with this living truth. Existence is welcoming to every being because of the inherent goodness and generosity of the living Truth. Other names for the Living Truth are the One and the All, Other descriptions for the Living Truth include the Good, the Beautiful, the all-knowing, the all-powerful, the all-loving. I believe that the purpose of life for every person is to learn how to exemplify or embody this Living Truth in oneself. I believe that after death I will be transformed into full participation in Living Truth I believe that Living Truth embraces all people that have ever lived, or ever will live on earth, as well as all non-sentient beings on earth, all other planets, stars, galaxies, meteorites and everything that exists anywhere. I believe that Living Truth is threefold: the original creative thought, the receptive medium, and the product of their collaboration. I believe that Living Truth in uncreated, unending, non-discriminatory, prodigal in blessing, enlivening, and unfolding. Anyone anywhere who lives in beauty, truth, and goodness is a witness or exhibit of the One and the All, the eternal, omnipresent Living Truth. Amen

Michael Godfre

Grace before Meals 1. We gather around this table, aware of the presence of the Spirit among us and within us. We remember how Jesus

often gathered with his disciples around a table in friendship and feasting. We gather in gratitude for the bounteous gifts which are offered to us for our nourishment and pleasure. Amen

2. We come together around this table just as Jesus often gathered around a table with his disciples. We receive all of

these gifts with much gratitude. Amen

3. We come together again around this table, grateful for the gifts of food and drink, knowing that so many of our brothers and sisters live in scarcity and hunger. We are thankful of the gifts of community and table. Amen

4. As we gather we are aware of the presence of the Spirit within all of us around this table. We know we are blessed

by the abundance of gifts of food and drink and we accept these for our nourishment and enjoyment with much gratitude. Amen

5. We come together aware of our privilege of having gifts of food and drink before us in abundance. We share and

enjoy these gifts in gratitude for the nourishment and energy which is offered to us on this day. Amen

An Opening Prayer for a Community Eucharist We gather together around this table with the every-day gifts of bread and wine. We remember that Jesus often gathered his disciples around a table and, as he broke bread and shared wine with them, he taught them about the Kingdom. Jesus reminds us ‘to do this in memory of me’. So we too break bread as a sign that we are willing to break open our lives, to commit ourselves, and to face the challenges of being faithful to the call of living as a disciple. We share the common cup of wine as a sign that we need the support of one another in community, and of how we are prepared to offer our body and blood in service to one another and to all humanity. Amen


Mark McGlaughlin New Staff Induction gathering prayer As we gather we honour the sacredness of each person present. We celebrate each sacred story as a living expression of the presence of an ever revealing God residing within and around us. Our genuine presence to one another animates this spirit and opens us to a renewed awakening of its universal embrace. We acknowledge that for thousands of years before us the Nungah / Kaurna people were alive to this spirit, and in harmony with it, as they lived, walked, remembered and ritualised on this very ground. We recognise the sacredness of this story, its link with our own ancestral journey and the call of the one spirit within these stories to wholeness and reconciliation.

Our being together today is gift – gift of wisdom… of fragility …. of awakening – gift that both draws breath from and breathes life into the Co-creative Spirit. Affirmed by our unity in the name of Edmund, let us discern what moves within us each day – what energises and stirs us, what ignites our passion, what shapes our dreams and vision. In allowing the truth of these movements to both disturb and excite us, may we be encouraged to say YES to the same evolving spirit that moved in Jesus as it continues to unfold the universe before us.

Caroline Cirino A prayer for school leavers Gathered in a circle of familiarity let us feel the comfort that comes from the friendships that we have here. The thread of commonality and community that has held us together over the last two years is strong and tight; it holds us upright and sure. But as we grow we need to seek different paths in order to find new supports and strengths. Just like a tree cannot fully grow in the shade of another tree, then we cannot come into fullness in a forest of sameness and comfort. Therefore let us be open to the excitement and challenge of being

uprooted and replanted. Let us be reassured that the immediate sense on imbalance and sadness will give way to growth and change that will stretch our boundaries, and give us a new, more fruitful life, just like the tree that stands apart from the others. Let us allow ourselves to be replanted, and to experience new growth whilst remembering that our roots are still deep within the very same soil from which they were once removed. On our new paths let us be true to all that we

know to be right, looking for love and beauty in all situations, and acting justly and humbly with all those we encounter. This is not new to us and so will bring us balance and an old sense of unity when we need it most. Let us go forth from Saint Joseph’s college as nourished saplings so that we can, each and every one, blossom into the beautiful trees that we are to become. Amen

Joe Mosely Prayer for the sick "We bless each other as we gather here. We acknowledge the presence of the Divine One in and among us. In a particular way, as you live in your pain of sickness we recognise the presence of the Divine as healer, alive in the very depth of our being. May we, at this moment, awaken to the healing power within us and draw deeply on that which is the very core of our person to bring you to wholeness, to lead you into all the ways that desire and seek to be healed. When we are apart may we continue to be conscious of the Divine healing presence who desires for us all that is good, all that is giving and receiving of life. We make this prayer in the name of the One who embraces you and the rest of creation, and in whom we live and move and have our being. Amen."


Rose Marie Conlan Prayer at the taking up of the ministry of leadership in a religious congregation

Facing and gesturing towards the east As we commence our ministry of leadership of the congregation this morning we acknowledge, honour and take courage from

the presence of the Spirit of God in us; in the members of the Congregation; in all peoples and in all of creation – that same Spirit of God which inspired and empowered Jesus and our Founder/Foundress, (name)

Facing and gesturing towards the south We undertake to honour the ‘holiness of the hearts affections’- the sacredness and integrity of our relational lives with each other and all of creation. As we interact with each other on the team, and with membership as a whole, we undertake to

challenge ourselves to become who we say we are – expressions of God’s mercy- respecting the needs of each member of the congregation and the earth community to fulfil its potential to co-operate and share.

Facing and gesturing towards the west We are mindful of the role of Religious life throughout the ages as that of breaking new ground. The new ground we see today is the new cosmology - the new universe story, - and this story points us to a new inclusive sense of God present at all times in

all peoples.

Facing and gesturing towards the north We want to be known as a group willing to explore the consequences of this universe story for who we are and for who Jesus

is. We want to provide places and opportunities where people can explore this safely. We join with other groups/faith traditions in the belief that this is the new Pentecost, and so we open our heart to the blessings and challenges of this time in

the Congregation.

A poem … written in the 1300’s by Shams-ud-din Muhammad Hafiz … a beloved poet of Persia. This poem seems to have emerged out of a deep dream experience. Imagine Hafiz having a dream of seeing, hearing and experiencing a deep peace for this world – imagining a great harmony as the way forward. (from Love Poems from God, p. 159)

I Have Come Into This World to See This I have come into this world to see this: the sword drop from men’s hands even at the height of their arc of anger because we have finally realized there is just one flesh to wound. I have come into this world to see this: all creatures hold hands as we pass through this miraculous existence we share on the way to even a greater being of soul, a being of just ecstatic light, forever entwined and at play with God. I have come into this world to hear this: every song the earth has sung since it was conceived in the Divine’s womb and began spinning from God’s wish, every song by wing and fin and hoof, every song by hill and field and tree and woman and child, every song of stream and rock, every song of tool and lyre and flute, every song of gold and emerald and fire, every song the heart should cry with magnificent dignity

to know itself as God; for all other knowledge will leave us again in want and aching - only imbibing the glorious Sun will complete us.

I have come into the world to experience this: men and women so true to love they would rather die before speaking an unkind word, men and women so true their lives are God’s covenant - the promise of hope.

I have come into this world to see this: the sword drop from men’s hands even at the height of their arc of rage

because we have finally realized

there is just one flesh

we can wound.


Peter Harney

Haiku’s: Born from Reflections on Mitakuye Oyasin Warmish Spring Day A window slightly open Air laden with light. The voices fade The stillness of air remains This quiet Midday. The longest hour More time now Fro being still. Spring by the labyrinth flowers drop purple petals There footprints.

A robin orange-breast Hopping; Eastern Christ Stares pointedly. The pause Into the soul it pierces The cry in loss. Sitting The hard seat Spring warmth. Blues sky Endless spaces Eyes full.

Glary light Voices and inspiration Dancing together. Quiet is spreading Like pollen floating softly While busyness sleeps. Buddha sits Solid earth In-vites. Dragon fly alights Bending at the rims of leaves Holding onto life.

Haikus From the Quiet of Mitakuye Oyasin Early dawn Over the mountains; silence Comes to heart. Lost in the darkness What is cooking for dinner Sink into the abyss. In the soil at rest The mind is stilling to home Dancing fantasy at play.

Japanese maple leaves, Hang quietly awaiting Then comes the centre. I meet myself now Letting go of my thoughts My back is aching. The true dawn Of the one how enlightens By seeing.


Senen D’Souza The Sound of One Hand Clapping What’s this: the sound of one hand clapping? A trick question with a catch 22? An oriental puzzle or some cosmic su doku? A riddle unanswerable, a mystery unexplained, Or the truth, plain and simple, like a brilliant haiku? What is this: the sound of one hand clapping? Have I heard the sound of one hand clapping? Maybe when the mundane became mystery Like water turned into wine. Or bread shared as body. Human transfigured with the Divine. Yes, I have heard the sound of one hand clapping. Have we heard the sound of one hand clapping? For if we look and listen the world is full of the sound, And in this room, these past days, it was often found, In the silence and singing, dance and drawing, In ……(where did YOU hear it?). Yes, we have heard the sound of one hand clapping!

A New Day

As the new day dawns I am reminded once again that I am

more than my physical body.

I am thoughts, feelings and beliefs. I am the physical manifestation of my lived experiences.

I share in a collective journey with others who strive for peace and enlightenment.

At the beginning of this new day

I pause to purify my mind. I engage the universal energy to help and guide me to move from what is unreal in my life to what is real;

to lead me from the darkness of night, from the shadow of life to light. May I avoid death-like experiences

and move to ones of enlightenment.

Oh universal spirit, you are my mother, you are my father. You are my lover and you are my friend.

You are riches, you are wisdom. You are my all.


Prayer for the Gathering of Brothers at the Formation of a New Province How fortunate we are to gather as Brothers one in mind and heart to celebrate our entry into a new way of being. We acknowledge the road that has led us to this space and the Divine Energy that has sustained us, nurtured us, goaded us along the way. We acknowledge the Power of this presence that is everywhere and in all things and rolls through all of life. We are grateful for this Presence and of our intimate relationship with it. We are grateful too for all those men in our Congregation who have gone before us. Their efforts to remain connected to the Ground of their being gave them a wisdom which they passed on to us. We treasure that wisdom and build on it. We are conscious too of those dark places on the road when we missed the Creative Spirit

and felt alone, abandoned, lost. But every now and again wise people in our midst reminded us of the Presence and of our story. We grieve for the harm done by our lack of generosity and our lack of connectedness to one another by our selfishness, fear, and smallness of spirit by our abuse of the gifts of our earth and the abuse of the gifts of our brothers and sisters. We commit ourselves to healing the rifts we have caused and bridging the gaps we have created. We accept the challenge to be aware of the Presence in all of life, in all religious beliefs, and in every culture of our earth. We pray that our new Province might reflect the vision of Jesus in its inclusivity, its tolerance, its non-violence and its love. We pray too that each of us gathered here will commit ourselves to bring life life to the full like Jesus our brother. Amen.

(1) To Begin a Meeting We sit for a few moments in silence before we begin our meeting. We recall our participation in the life-giving energy of all creation.

We remember that this energy flows through us now.

As we sit, let us become aware of the wonderful exchange happening constantly in our universe –

the giving and the taking, the dyings and the risings.

Conscious of this, may our sharing and listening in this meeting

lead us to new insights and revelations about ourselves and our ministry.


(2) Lamentation for the Universe Leader: We gather together in painful awareness of the suffering inflicted by human beings on this earth we call home. Cantor: For the pollution or air, water and soil causing grief to all living beings who depend on these for life. All: Kyrie Eleison Cantor: For the violence and damage done by human beings which prevents the forward thrust of evolution. All: Kyrie Eleison. Cantor: For our failure to be conscious of the interdependence of all creation and setting ourselves up as above and outside the unity of all creation. All: Kyrie Eleison. Cantor: For our refusal to accept our human responsibility to promote and work towards the health and flourishment of Mother Earth. All: Kyrie Eleison.

Gathering Prayer As we gather today let us breathe

in the spirit of the earth, the sky and the river that surrounds us.

Today we are all called to be

present in the sharing of sacred stories of our brothers and sisters

who have gathered with us.

We pray that we can honour our brothers and sisters by sharing

the joy and pain of their story and to allow them to

resonate with our own stories.

And may we be blessed with each other’s presence.


D. Brown

Earth Blessing We gather today under the southern skies to give our thanks We bless the earth and we are reminded of the need to be grounded We bless the waters of the earth as we are reminded of the impatience of our presence We bless the trees with whom we exchange and share breath Creatures of the Earth we bless you knowing that you have a place in our world We give thanks to the creatures of the water, for all that we receive from you and the blessing you carry We pray together as the earth community that we may live in harmony with each other Together we bless this EARTH.

Journey Blessing We have been united in prayer by honouring the story of this community gathered today. In the many stories we have heard of the joys and blessings, and the hurts and challenges of our Aboriginal brothers and sisters. As the ER Community we are challenged and called to look for new ways, to create a new songline that honours the past and present and one that creates a future path for us all to walk with each other. Let us bless one another as we start a new journey, a new life. My non Aboriginal brothers and sisters may you find it in your hearts to say SORRY. My Aboriginal sisters and brothers may we also find it in our hearts to say I FORGIVE YOU. And may we bless one another and offer each other blessings for the journey.

Susan Burns

Pray a Making Prayer Mother Earth holds the strength and sacredness of the land, all the landscapes, valleys, mountains and plains All peoples are invited to come listen up and learn to show respect and care for our lands everywhere For all waters – rains, oceans, rivers, seas – we give thanks For all animals – creatures of the land sky and seas – we give thanks

Father Sky holds the knowledge and stories within the planets and stars All peoples are invited to look up and learn, to read the skymaps, to understand the scenes in the heavens For the universe – we give thanks The Ancestor Spirits now pray a Making Prayer to invite all peoples to walk in their footprints, to connect with all of us and to show us where we fit in.


[Untitled Prayer] We come willingly, wanting to spend time apart, yearning for solitude, surrounded and embraced by love we turn our hearts to listen; we turn our very selves to be attentive. We open knowing this place to be sacred knowing this time to be sacred knowing the sacred within and around us We leave outside this place our plans for tomorrow We leave outside this place our memories of yesterday We enter the wonder of the present moment Our praise and thankfulness rebounds throughout the cosmos and each cell of our bodies. In gratitude, in hope, in trust we pray.

RITUAL

EARTH: Prayer and Chant

We gather on this land, Archer, to celebrate, to be conscious, to be present.

This ground, this place is our home.

We are aware of a Creative Presence here among us; we are aware that this Presence is the ground of our Being, the Source of all Life.

We take rock and soil, elements of Earth, place them in this building Eamonlea that they may evoke Presence and Being in all

who come to stay here, in all whose feet touch this sacred Ground.

(People place symbols in the building.) Chant

AIR Light main candle

We light this flame acknowledging

the flame of creation flaring forth into creativity

over billions of years.

May this creative fire warm the hearts of all who

stay here and may it awaken within their hearts

Nnw insight, wisdom and compassion.

Take tea candle . . . light it and place it somewhere in Eamonlea

Light incense stick

FIRE Taking a few moments to notice our breath

Breathing in the pure mountain air of the Archer

we become aware of each breath as a source of life. We give thanks for the trees

as the beings of the earth that bless our own lungs with air.

As this incense mingles with the air

may it purify and bless this place. May the breath of life be awakened in all.

May all who come experience stillness here.

Incense sticks. Bless air and leave within place.

WATER We gather in this place

aware of water, precious resource of earth, Symbol of the Creative Energy of our Universe. This water is our ever-flowing Source of Life.

We take this water and bless this building Eamonlea to remind all who come to stay here

of the gift of life, of the fluid nature of all created things,

and our need for inner soul nourishment.

Chant

Breath

Within me are canyons and mountains

and the maker of mountains and canyons and five million stars.

The God I love is within me.


FUEL Publications

FUEL and Re-FUEL are electronic publications produced by the Edmund Rice Justice Network. Anyone can contribute! Two more publications are scheduled for 2007: September and November. To find out more or download past FUEL and Re-FUEL editions, go to www.servicecommons.org. In general each FUEL has a focus or theme however all submissions are considered. Write to [email protected].

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issue #7 july, 2007

Documents