Sisters of Nazareth
By Fr. Terence Bateman OFM Conv
Somebody once said that “life is simply about waiting for the next thing to happen.” There is a lot of truth in this. We seem to spend most of our time waiting for some event, person or ideal situation that will fulfill us or bring some meaning into our lives.
“By means of all created things, without exception, the divine assails us, penetrates us, and moulds us. We imagined it as distant and inaccessible, when in fact we live steeped in its burning layers”
It is vital that we rediscover the Gospels, the proclamation of the whole Christ. Our fundamental stance before reality, our spiritual vision, and our attitude and behaviour in our daily life should be anchored in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Sisters of Nazareth create spaces of welcome and care in cities and suburbs throughout the world. In their houses people find more than just a modern professional care home, but a place of peace, loving attention, and spiritual nourishment.
A visit to Poland during Holy Week becomes the occasion for a meditation on Beauty and Faith.
When we are a spiritually and emotionally paralysed and are unable to receive God’s love and are cut off from the spiritual energies within our souls, we need to allow Christ to whisper into our depths – ephphatha!
Wisdom enters through love, silence, and mortification. It is great wisdom to know how to be silent and to look at neither the remarks, nor the deeds, nor the lives of others.
Like Our Lord we too must look upon the city with great tenderness and allow our hearts to be moved with compassionate love for those who dwell in the city.
Adam answers "I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself." These words are an invitation for us to reflect on that same question and our attempt to name where we are – how things are with us.
The wind and the flame have settled down and have left a breeze and a soft glow in our hearts. And so we are sustained in these ordinary days by the gentle outpouring of the Spirit who brings joy into our lives and energy into our spirits.
Our Easter Joy takes on a deeper meaning when we have fully engaged in the liturgies of Holy Week – when we have prayed in the garden, stood beneath the cross and sat outside the tomb.
God reveals Himself to us in so many ways – in the magnificence of the cosmos, the beauty of the Earth, the unfolding of history, the events of our times, the love of family and community, the joy of our relationships – in this He shows us His presence and love.