Walking the Labyrinth

The season of Advent is a time of anticipation and preparation for Christ’s coming. For many, preparation involves prayer and meditation. Guest blogger Heidi Williams shares a reflection on walking the labyrinth, an ancient meditative tool that has been used for centuries for prayer, ritual, initiation, and personal and spiritual growth. All visitors to the Franciscan Center are welcome to walk the center’s labyrinth, which is located on the south side of the campus’ main building.

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The Labyrinth (a great tool for teaching patience)

I had no issue to resolve today. Nothing preying on my mind. No question burning for an answer.

So I began. Empty. I asked the Lord to direct my steps, to guide me.

The labyrinth is the path my life takes. Turns. Dead ends. Some long stretches, some shorter, some only a couple of steps before I must change direction.

I tried to place my history into the maze. Where was I at this corner? What stopped me at this wall?

I couldn’t fit the events into the pattern. I haven’t a long memory and have no idea where I am in the journey now.

OK. So I have my reflection. Let’s get out of this so I can write about it. But it wouldn’t let me go. The beginning of my impatience.

I tried to look ahead. I hadn’t reached the center. How much farther do I need to go? I looked back. I looked over the pattern. Where was I in the scheme of things?

I couldn’t tell. OK. Keep walking.

My mind strayed. My eyes roamed. I almost tripped on a stone. OK. Focus.

I’m getting frustrated. How long will this take? I’m not even to the center yet. And then I’ll still have to walk out!

Step. Step. Turn. Stop. Step. Step. Step. Where am I?

Finally I reach the center. No revelation. Have I arrived? Is this midway? What part of my life should this represent? Am I closer to God? Is the center the goal?

Then why isn’t there a quick way out?

Turn. Follow the path. Step. Step. It should go quicker. I should recognize the route. Step. Step. Step. Turn. Stop.

I look around. I am lost. I try to see the pattern. Visualize the path. No. I can still just see the next few steps. The last turn I made.

Even in retreat I don’t know the way. Just follow the path. One step at a time.

Lord, direct my steps. Guide me.

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Editor’s note: Heidi Williams lives in Myakka, Florida and regularly enjoys the Franciscan Center’s Writing Circle that meets every Sabbath Day.

For the Love of God, Then and Now

On All Saints Day morning in the center of Vienna, Austria, my husband and I sat, surrounded by beauty. We were attending Mass at the Jesuitenkirche (Jesuit Church).

The church was built between 1623 and 1627 and extensively remodeled between 1703 and 1705. Plain on the outside, the interior is filled with gold gilt and trompe l’oeil paintings, a feast for the eyes. As if that weren’t enough, the music was Antonin Dvorak’s Mass in D Major (composed in 1892), performed by the church’s marvelous choir backed up by an orchestra. I found myself deeply touched by all the work that went into creating the beauty
of that church, by how much love of God went into it. I marveled at Dvorak’s love of God expressed in his creation of wonderful music. It was such a gift to rest in that beauty and that tradition.

Theologian Elizabeth Johnson, in her book Consider Jesus, says:

“Each child receives from the riches of the world while at the same time he or she brings to the world something never before seen. As a community with a living tradition, Christians find themselves similarly gifted.  Believers today receive an enormously rich heritage won by the struggles and advances of the cloud of witnesses that has gone before, at the same time that they must witness to the  good news in ways that are credible to their own world and to their own heart. If it is not to stagnate and dry out a living tradition needs to be passed on in a living  condition.”

All of that has me wondering. I love resting in what the cloud of witnesses that has gone before has done and created for the love of God. But what of beauty is our generation creating for the love of God? I think of some of my favorite poets – Mary Oliver, John O’Donohue, Denise Levertov. But that doesn’t seem enough.

Sometimes I wonder if what our generation is called to create for the love of God is something less tangible: a more just society; beautiful communities in which the gifts of all the members are honored; lives of love, compassion and service. Sure, there are tremendous obstacles, but it can’t have been easy to build that church in the 1600s without
all the modern equipment we have today.

What of beauty do you see us creating for the love of God? What would you like us to contribute to the living tradition we belong to and cherish?

On Wednesday, November 16, I, along with Sister Mary Arghittu and Maureen Connors,
will host an informational evening for an upcoming five-month long program, “A Retreat in Everyday Life.” Running from January to May 2012, “A Retreat in Everyday Life” offers the opportunity to connect at a deeper level with God’s loving presence in our busy lives, to claim more fully our own unique vocations as followers of Jesus, and to explore our living this out in our day-to-day activities. The “Come and See Evening” on the 16th is a chance to get your questions answered as well as to experience a little bit of the flavor of the retreat. The evening will include a presentation, and time for prayer and faith sharing. “Come and See” if the “Retreat in Everyday Life” is for you! For more information, visit our online calendar.

Read Any Good Books Lately?

Editor’s Note: Women! Do you like to read books? So do we!  In fact, since 2007, the Women’s Book Circle has been meeting monthly at the Franciscan Center to discuss stimulating, interesting books. The group meets the first Wednesday of every month and new members are always welcome to join at any time. Here’s what’s coming up: On November 2, the group will discuss Composing A Life by Mary Catherine Bateson. Then on December 7, the women will celebrate with a holiday party and talk about how the books they have read this year have impacted them. Looking ahead to January? The selection is Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon.

Meanwhile, to whet your appetite, here are two book reviews from Carol Mitchell, the group’s facilitator and center’s co-director of programs. She examines Judy Cannato’s Radical Amazement and Field of Compassion, and Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into
Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.

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Judy Cannato writes intriguing spirituality books that challenge us to think beyond our current paradigms. Her two books, Radical Amazement and Field of Compassion, weave
together strands that are too often at war with one another: science and the new cosmology, faith, what’s going on in the world and individual experience.

In Radical Amazement she explores the complicated web of the new cosmology with a mystic’s eyes. She leads us to see that what science is discovering is not contrary to faith.
Rather, it can fill us with wonder and increase our faith, if we are brave enough to let our paradigms shift. The new science and faith illuminate each other and shed light on the state of the world and our place in it.

In Field of Compassion, she further develops the ways one of these new concepts, morphogenic fields, connects with the vision of Jesus. These nonmaterial spheres of influence have far-reaching implications for the life of the world. An example of such a field might be the climate of fear and contentiousness in the political life of our country or the outpouring of compassion in response to a natural disaster. Often we are swept along by the fields in which we are held, completely missing our power to help shape them. Jesus preached and lived a clear vision of the kind of field we are invited to co-create. Cannato calls this a field of compassion.

These two books challenge us to live with more consciousness of the wonders of the
expanding universe God continues to create and of the impact our thoughts and
behaviors have on this world. They invite us to take up our roles as co-creators of the world around us by being more intentional about contributing to a field of compassion.

At the beginning, Half the Sky is not an easy read. Nick Kristof and his wife, Sheryl
WuDunn, chronicle the oppression of women worldwide, tackling topics we often would rather not hear about. They explore, for instance, human trafficking, forced prostitution, genital mutilation, and the unwillingness to spend money to lower rates of maternal mortality. What makes the book bearable are the stories of the heroism of ordinary
oppressed women who have pulled themselves out of terrible situations. What makes it inspiring is how many of them go on to fight for the freedom and healing of those still caught in oppressive systems. The book opens our eyes to the vast scope of the oppression of women, while using engaging stories to put human faces on each issue.

Books about the horrible things people do to one another are often depressing. They tempt
us to despair about the world. This book, however, focuses on solutions. The final chapter suggests what we can do in the next ten minutes that will make a difference. Throughout the book the authors make suggestions about contributions to organizations that have the most impact, (e.g., KIVA, Camfed).

In the end Half the Sky is a hopeful book that challenges us to open our eyes and support solutions to the brutal oppression of women worldwide.

Thoughts on Marriage

Editor’s Note: On Sept. 3, Kate Mitchell and Marton Balla celebrated their marriage at the Franciscan Center. Kate is the daughter of Bill Mitchell and Carol Mitchell, the center’s co-director of programs.

Read about the Mitchell-Balla wedding in the St. Petersburg Times.

Carol made the following remarks at the ceremony.  They are timeless and universal, so we thought we would share them with you.

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I know that I am biased, but marriage is one of the most important things that people can do. The world needs marriage. It is hungry for the things that marriage can teach us.

Marriage is about hospitality, welcoming the stranger. Two strangers meet and welcome each other. As they get to know each other, differences in gender, in personality, in culture surface and the challenge to be welcoming becomes steeper. Sometimes we find ourselves wondering, “Who is this strange person I’ve married?” Hospitality makes room for those differences. Our world needs more hospitality.

Marriage is about love and acceptance, the kind of love that is a conscious choice rather than something one can fall into or out of. It understands that sometimes people wake up with their “crabby pants” on, or have complete meltdowns when they haven’t eaten, and it forgives that. The world needs this kind of love and forgiveness. 

Marriage is about freedom. It is a long process of learning to let the other person be who they are instead of who we want them to be. In a good marriage, each person cares as much about the other’s freedom and happiness as they do about their own. The world needs that kind of care. 

Marriages that do these things invite others in, build communities, raise amazing children. That all works for the good of the world. 

What they often forget to tell you, though, is that marriage is really hard work. I think the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child” also applies to marriage. A good marriage needs the support of a village. Marton and Kate, you’ve chosen a great village. Village, Kate and Marton are asking for your support to be their best selves together.

A Reflection on the Anniversary of 9/11

As we observe the 10^th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, many
different aspects of that event are called to mind.  I read a recent statement of my Franciscan Brothers that touched me deeply.  They suggested that we examine our attitudes toward those who are different from us.

The statement recalled the story of St. Francis going to the Sultan of what is now Egypt,
al-Malik al-Kâmil, during the Fifth Crusade.  Francis wanted to talk about finding a peaceable solution to the conflict between Christianity and Islam.  The visit was remarkable in the 13^th century when war was the only way the two religions were relating.

The visit to the Sultan was peaceful, and although we don’t have a transcript of their conversations we do know that Francis was deeply affected by the encounter.  The Sultan assured Francis safe passage through very dangerous territory.  When Francis returned home he encouraged his followers to respect the followers of Islam and to live in peace with them.  Extraordinary thought during the Crusades!  Extraordinary thought today!

St. Francis and the Sultan by Brother Robert Lentz, OFM

The tenth anniversary of 9/11 can be an invitation to examine our own attitudes,
prejudices, and ways of dealing with hurt and betrayal.  People in some parts of the world continue to experience on a daily basis some of the terror and injustice that shocked us so a decade ago. Let us pray for peace and safety for all people, and let us have that peace in our hearts.

Later this month, on the 21^st, we’ll be marking International Peace Day at the Franciscan Center with a special program, “Being the Change You Desire to Be!” with Robin Rose, M.A., the CEO of Frameworks of Tampa Bay.

And on October 7^th, there will be a “Lunch and Learn” program about world religions with Linda Taggart, MA, who presented a powerful program on Islam, Christianity and Judaism in October 2001, in the month after September 11.

Please plan to come to one or both of these programs; you can learn more about them here: The Franciscan Center Event Calendar.

Finally, this link might be of interest to you as you reflect on the anniversary.  It is a Reflection on 9/11 by Sister Camille D’Arienzo, RSM, a member of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas:  Sister Camille D’Arienzo reflects on 9-11