The reflections and ramblings of a religious woman called to love and live from the heart
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The other day a friend and I walked around St Ignatius church in Stamford Hill, in London. Built about 120 years ago by the Jesuits, who still run the parish, its walls are gilded with stunning mosaics, and some interesting symbolism, which we enjoyed interpreting and discussing in enthusiastic whispers. My friend drew my attention to the arch above the entrance to the Sacred Heart chapel; to the…
We've somehow reached the mid-point of August, at the end of a week which contained an astonishing solar eclipse and the fifth heatwave of this summer. A week for seeking shade, rather than being adorned or clothed by the sun, as the first reading for today's feast of the Assumption, from the Book of Revelation, poetically describes Mary. But a week, too, for trying to coax my shy sunflower into…
I hope I won't inadvertently jinx anything if I say that this year, for the first time ever, I am on the brink of growing some sunflowers. Having sown them just over three months ago, watered and nurtured them, I had hoped by now to be enjoying the flowering of at least one, but... not yet... Instead, I must learn to be patient! Of the original eighteen seedlings, all growing at different speeds,…
Uphold me, Lord, according to your word, and do not disappoint me in my hope. This is the Suscipe, full of faith and trust in God's fidelity, sung before the altar by Benedictines when they profess their vows. They sing it again at anniversaries, whether in good times, or when illness or loss might make this a poignant yet essential reminder of the joy and fervour of their commitment. And finally,…
The house of Bethany was the delight of Jesus when he was on earth; it was his favourite dwelling. There he was intimately known by Lazarus, served by Martha and madly loved by Mary. ~ St Teresa of the Andes We all have places where we love and delight to be, and people we love and delight to be with. It's especially lovely when the two come together: when we arrive at a door, knowing that love,…
I smiled when I saw this Sunday's Gospel, in which a landowner, faced with weeds among his wheat, tells his servants Let both grow together until the harvest... (Matthew 13: 30). When I moved to my new home last September, I decided to give everything in the garden - unless it was bindweed or an obvious bramble - a year in which to show me its potential, before I made any decisions about changes,…
After hearing the news of Bonnie Tyler's death during the week, I turned to YouTube for some of her ballads, begining with Total Eclipse of the Heart. It is a strange, theatrical song, and a timeless one, simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar. I have heard and sung along to it countless times, its tune part of the soundtrack of my youth; but in truth, I have only sung along to the lines and…
This week the weather has blessedly been as it should be at the height of an English summer: the right amount of sunshine, a cooling breeze, and temperatures hovering around 25 degrees. It has been a week of relief, after the brutal, record-breaking mini heatwave towards the end of June, even more intense than the record-breaking mini heatwave at the end of May. During those days of scorching heat…
Today, as I quietly celebrate the 23rd anniversary of my perpetual profession of vows, I am, of course, wearing the cross I received on that day. On one side it bears the initials of our Society's motto: Cor Unum et Anima Una in Corde Jesu (One heart and one mind in the Heart of Jesus). This is the spirit and the love we aspire to have among ourselves, as sisters sharing a common call and mission,…
One of the many unexpected blessings of being an RSCJ is the people I know, and the networks I belong to, simply because I am a sister. I was saying something about this via WhatsApp to one of my colleagues, to explain how I knew and could introduce her to this or that person... Her response was an affectionate, half-joking observation, that Being a nun is the gift that keeps on giving. I…
