Shoveling to make more space for God

Since last July, I have spent one Saturday morning each month with the alpacas at White Violet Farm Alpacas at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Alpacas are wonderful animals, known for their curiosity and friendliness, their intelligence and grace.

White Violet Farm Alpacas at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind.

 On “Alpaca Saturday,” though, my primary interaction with the alpacas involves a shovel and rake. It is not glamorous work, but it’s good work, and I have learned a great deal in the alpaca barns and pastures.

Last summer, I worked for a week with Madeleine Little, an intern who spent the summer here before entering veterinary school and who introduced me to what she called the “Zen” of pasture work.

“It’s easy to do this work and think about something else,” she told me. “So I try to think about what I need to ‘shovel’ out of my life, and what needs to take its place.”

Former White Violet Farm
Alpacas intern, Madeleine
Little, rakes in the pasture.
She introduced Sister Lisa to
the "Zen" of pasture work.

That’s been a helpful question for me on Alpaca Saturdays and a helpful reflection for these middle-of-Lent days: Indeed, what do I need to shovel out of my life? How can I give God more space?

Granted, not everyone has the luxury of turning to an alpaca herd as a springboard for spiritual reflection. But Spring holds many opportunities for such reflection. Clearing flower beds, removing dead leaves and stalks from perennials, raking leaves, limbs and pine cones from lawns, removing winter’s grime from the patio furniture, rearranging closets and cupboards — all can be activities that free us to think about the “stuff” that clutters our hearts and minds and spirits. And all can lead us to consider how to give God more space this spring, this Lent and beyond.

What can you shovel out of your life? How can you give God more space? Please comment below.

The season for greater prayer, fasting and almsgiving

You might ask, what does Lent have in common with human trafficking? Quite a bit!

This is the season for greater prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Almsgiving, in the broadest sense, has to do with bettering the lives of others.

Macy's is currently being petitioned to sign on to the No
Dirty Gold Campaign.

Embracing this third traditional pillar of Lent signifies our care for those in need and is an expression of our gratitude for all God has given to us.

Works of charity and the promotion of justice are integral elements of the practice of almsgiving.

This third practice offers a wide range of possibilities for those who have made a commitment to ending human trafficking. Here is one possibility. One effort underway is to end the deadly effects of gold extraction processes which can pollute the air, water and soil, affecting the nervous and digestive systems when inhaled.

For example, in the last six months, more than 400 children under the age of 5 have died as a result of environmental contamination caused by gold extraction in Nigeria.

Learn more about the innocent victims of gold extraction processes by going to care2.com to sign petitions promoting an end to what is called “dirty gold” and encouraging the “Golden Rule” for Responsible Gold. Macy’s is currently being petitioned to sign on.

How many slaves work for you?

Somewhere in these early days of Lent somebody said, “Lent is not about you; it is about your right relationships with others, with the world.”

Thinking about the relationships of my life could keep me very busy during these 40 days of Lent, but my relationships with the world and with the peoples of the world will surely take me a lifetime.

So, as is my practice, I looked for something concrete to do or, more importantly, someone concrete to think and pray about. That led me to the Slavery Footprint.  

If you have been following the recent justice activity of the Sisters of Providence, you know that we have tried to raise consciousness about the issue of human trafficking. Our proximity to Indianapolis and the Super Bowl brought home the reality that one of the major ways that human trafficking occurs in our country is at major sporting events. However, this is only one aspect of the human trafficking problem.

Forms of slavery in the 21st Century. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.

There are 27 million people around the world who are forced to work without pay and unable to walk away. Forced labor most often happens to those made vulnerable by high rates of unemployment, poverty, crime, discrimination, corruption, political conflict or cultural acceptance.

This, too, is human trafficking and, unlike the sexual exploitation of women and children, this is a kind of slavery in which I do participate. 

The Slavery Footprint helped me identify how my own patterns of living and buying enslave people around the world. It was pretty sobering to find out how many slaves work for me.

Fortunately, the Slavery Footprint organization provides positive steps to help raise awareness, the kind of awareness that can lead to change. They even offer a blog of their own about actions to take during Lent against slavery.

I don’t expect to be able to eliminate all the slaves in my life by Easter, but I do hope that my new found awareness will help free some of them.

Picture of the week: February 22

Sister Jan Craven, the coordinator of the Office of the Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore, and Tina Soules, coordinator of tours at Providence Center, pose with ashes. Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent, a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. You can read Sister Denise Wilkinson's musings on the season in her reflection, "Gracious, spacious and precious."

Walking near the edge — Fat Tuesday

By Leslie Thayer

Tuesday, Feb. 21, marks a significant day in both popular and religious culture since the Middle Ages. It is the day before the Christian celebration of Ash Wednesday – the beginning of the season of Lent, and is known variously as Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Pancake Day, Fasnacht Day, or the last day of Carnival.

Each title for this special Tuesday highlights an aspect of community life over the centuries, and depicts a creative tension between secular and sacred life.

Fat Tuesday is the English translation of “Mardi Gras,” originally a three-day celebration before Lent. The purpose was to consume all spoilable foods such as meat, fish, eggs, and milk prior to the 40-day fast of Lent. “Shrove” Tuesday is a translation of the Latin word “shrive” — to hear confessions, denoting an aspect of cleansing and self-sacrifice in preparation for Lent.

The title “Pancake Day” comes from the English traditions of using up the flour, eggs, and milk in order to make pancakes and fritters, as well as participating in Pancake races wherein women would run pre-designated courses holding a hot skillet and flipping a pancake three times while Across the Channel in France children go around their neighborhoods in masks demanding pancakes or fritters.

In Province, an old adage stated that if one held a coin in the left hand and flipped a pancake with the right hand, he or she would become rich. And in Brie, the first pancake of a batch was given to the hen who laid the eggs used to make them. Incidentally, it was always considered bad luck to drop a pancake on the floor while flipping them!

German-American communities, especially in Pennsylvania and Ohio celebrated Fasnacht Day with the eating of sweet, cake-type doughnuts, and games and music. “Carnival” comes from the Latin carne vale – farewell to the flesh – at one time an entire season of frivolity and feasting in parts of Europe, South American, and French-Catholic communities along the U.S. Gulf Coast such as New Orleans. The season would culminate with Mardi Gras.

Today we see a creative tension between the boisterous, public revelry and carousing sometimes associated with our Americanized Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday celebrations and a more subdued, methodical “getting our house in order physically and spiritually” celebration.

King cake is a popular Mardi Gras treat.

Yet,the colorful palate created over the centuries of feasting, costumes, dancing, parades, cleaning out of cupboards, pancakes, doughnuts, and fritters have a singular focus or conclusion: They point to the days ahead, to Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent, when our lives become more introspective, when we take time for prayer, “give up” or fast from things that distract us or are unhealthy, and when we offer ourselves – our time, money, physical efforts – to assist others in need.

Even as we acknowledge on Fat Tuesday that all our feasting and celebrations of life are gifts from our loving and generous God, we look ahead toward the season of Lent and acknowledge that God’s love and generosity culminated in the gift of the passion and death of Jesus Christ.

Happy Feast!

Reflection from Burundi, Africa

Sister of Providence Deborah Campbell says the
Catholic Relief Services Lenten rice bowl will take
on a special meaning for her this year.

Note from the Sisters of Providence leadership team: Sister Deborah Campbell is currently in Burundi, Africa conducting an audit for Catholic Relief Services (CRS). As we approach Lent this seems a fitting reflection for all of us; we invited her to share it.

Reflections from the Field
Bujumbura, Burundi
February 14, 2012

I just ate lunch, such as it was, and am realizing how lucky we really are. Most of us, including me, have no idea how the rest of the world attempts to survive on a subsistence diet. The CRS Lenten rice bowl will take on a special meaning for me this year.

The meal that we have for lunch is prepared by a local woman who cooks the food in her home, and then sends her son to serve the food and collect the money. For many of our CRS workers, this is the only meal they will have today. The portion of rice, beans, cassava and little potatoes seems generous to me, but I have access to breakfast in the hotel restaurant every morning and the promise of something else later this evening. Additionally, I really don't have to eat this at all. I can bring my own food or skip lunch knowing that I can dine at the restaurant tonight.

The food is served all together in what I'll call a large cereal bowl. The bowls are pre-made when they arrive. The employees stir up the ingredients and create a sort of casserole or stew. Yesterday, in place of the potatoes we had boiled bananas. I'm told that the basic ingredients don't vary much. The rice, beans and cassava are always present. Bananas, potatoes, and french fries are rotated. Yes, I did say french fries!! Perspective and attitude are certainly important here. I look at the lunch and say, "rice and cassava again!” Others look at the lunch and thank God that they have something, anything, to put into their stomachs. I wonder if the boy who brings the lunch even eats lunch. He takes back what is left in the bowls. Is that what he eats when he gets home?

I felt guilty yesterday and today because I didn't eat all the food. And... because this isn't the only food I'll have today, I still could afford to be choosey and only eat the part I liked... the rice. To ease my conscience a bit about wasting food where so many have so little, I've asked for only rice tomorrow. But imagine my surprise and embarrassment when the man interpreting from French to Kirundi for the cook's son questioned my request for rice only. He clarified my request with me twice, thinking perhaps he had misunderstood. I don't think he was insulted, but the two were certainly shaking their heads. Who was this woman? Did they think I was arrogant in turning down the food they treasure? I'm not sure.

Ash Wednesday is next week, and I’m wondering what I can do for Lent. Maybe I should try eating the entire meal and having nothing else the rest of the day? Will that teach me how it feels to be hungry? Will making food unavailable, so that I can't snack whenever I want, teach me anything?

But does it really mean anything if I do it knowing that it is temporary? Knowing that once again when I am back in the states, I will have access to quite a bit of variety and as much or as little as I want?

Approximately 90 percent of the 6 million people who live in an area the size of Maryland make their living from agriculture. Most of these are subsistence farmers. Can anything I do really make a difference in even one person's life?

The World Bank ranks Burundi as the poorest country in the world. There are a few other rankings, so even if you want to argue that it isn't number one, all of the others will list Burundi in the top five.

How can I really make a difference here? How can all of us or any of us make a difference? If the answer comes to me, I'll let you know!! In the meantime, I'll try to be more thankful for what I do have, and to be more conscious of those who have nothing.

In Providence,
Deborah

Holy Saturday Lenten reflection

Sister Joan Mullen, SP, writes in her Holy Saturday Lenten reflection:

“As Easter people, we bear witness to the paschal mystery when we proclaim Providence in our daily dyings and risings, and that in our war-torn and earth-shaken world our belief that Good Friday is followed by Resurrection.”

To read all of Sister Joan’s reflection, click here.

Good Friday Lenten reflection

Sister Ann Margaret O’Hara, a Sister of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, reflects on evil and suffering in this Good Friday Lenten reflection:

“I believe that the most important understanding about evil and suffering is that no matter what happens, God is WITH us: loving and holding us in an embrace of grace. And we are to be that presence of Providence for each other especially in times of suffering.”

To read Sister Ann Margaret’s entire reflection, click here.

Holy Thursday Lenten reflection

In her Lenten reflection for Holy Thursday, Sister Fran O’Brien, SP, writes:

“To be ‘in Christ’ today is to see the Jesus event in human history as part of the Great Story. Because Providence penetrates to the furthest limits of the cosmos, the resurrection of Christ is a cosmic event. The Easter mystery embraces the universe.”

To read Sister Fran’s entire reflection, click here.

Week six Lenten reflection

Sister Joan Coultas, CDP, writes in her Lenten reflection, “While the God of Providence does not intervene in stopping natural disasters, the pulse of a Savior beats throughout the universe, especially during hard times. As Providence people, we then are called to bring order out of chaos.”

To read her entire reflection, click here.

Week five Lenten reflection

At the Last Supper, Sister Ellen Rufft, CDP, writes that Jesus forever changed the model of Lord and servants between himself and the disciples to one of friends. Sister Ellen’s hope for the Church is much the same.

She writes: “It is understandable, therefore, that women religious pray for the time when similar efforts to imitate Jesus’ paradigm of communion will characterize the actions of the hierarchy of our Church.”

To read her entire reflection, click here.

Week four Lenten reflections

“Excessive consumption is bringing our planet to the brink of destruction. …” Sister Mary Horgan, SP, in her Women of Providence in Collaboration (WPC) Lenten reflection addresses this issue. She suggests, “Perhaps during Lent we Providence persons may set aside time to reflect on our awesome responsibility from a spiritual vantage point, a deep love of this beautiful Earth entrusted to our care by our loving Creator.” Read her entire reflection here.

Sister Elsa Garcia, CDP, writes, “Those who enter difficult times or situations out of love are moving in the presence and life of our crucified-risen Lord, Jesus Christ.” Read her reflection here.

Week three Lenten reflections

During this third week of Lent, two more reflections are offered by the Women of Providence in Collaboration. Our very own Sister Dawn Tomaszewski and Sister Lucy Zientek, CDP, offer words to ponder this week.

In her reflection, Sister Dawn encourages high school-aged students, “Instead of treating our Earth as our stomping ground or worse yet, our dumping ground, we simply need to love Earth and then ask ourselves as we would for any loved one: ‘What will I do to help restore health to Earth?’” Read her reflection here.

Sister Lucy writes, “When we exploit each other, we are inevitably exploiting all of Earth’s creatures. It means that when we fail to reverence each other, we are inevitably failing to reverence all of Earth’s creatures, and that in the worst of ways: we are depriving them of their right to be shaped by human love.” Read her reflection here.

Week two Lenten reflections

Two more Lenten reflections are offered by the Women of Providence in Collaboration. Sister Myra Rodgers, CDP, asks, “Why does it take a horrific natural disaster [such as the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile] to break our hearts open?” Read her reflection here.

Sister Esther M. Guerrero, MCDP, writes, “This Lenten season, we are given the opportunity to love and do good to others. May God’s Provident love, manifested through us, bring healing to others. …” Read her reflection here.

Reflections for the first week of Lent

The Women of Providence in Collaboration offer two reflections for the first week of Lent. Sister Carol Stenger, CDP, asks if we are willing to grow into one with all of creation. Her reflection can be read here.

Sister Nancy Nolan, a Sister of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, writes, “Understanding that ‘we see from where we stand’ I realize that depending on where we live and with whom we minister each of us will face the world’s injustices from a different perspective. And each of us is called to respond using our particular gift and creative abilities.” Click here to read her reflection in its entirety.

To view other Lenten reflections, click here.

Picture of the Week: February 19

The monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament (consecrated host) sits on the altar of the Church of the Immaculate Conception after Mass on Sunday, Feb. 14. This began a 40-hour devotion in preparation for the Church season of Lent, which began with Ash Wednesday this week.

This monstrance usually resides in the beautiful Blessed Sacrament Chapel.

Lenten reflections

The Women of Providence in Collaboration (WPC) have prepared 15 Lenten reflections based on quotes about Providence spirituality. Two reflections will be added each week during Lent with one being posted each day of the Triduum. The first reflection, posted on Ash Wednesday, was written by Sister Jan Craven and is titled “Providence is promise through resurrection.”

To read the reflections, click here.