What an outstanding and wonderful day, held last Saturday 3 November 2012, as Dominic Arcamone led the Marist Laity Reflection Day at St Patrick’s Church Hill. The day named, Faces of Love provided an opportunity for people to reflect on the face of love in a number of ways and concluded with the Eucharist celebrated.
To begin the day Dominic invited us into the world of St Therese of Lisieux and Friedrich Neitzsche through excerpts of a dialogue from Paul Michael Gallagher’s book Dive Deeper: the Human Poetry of Faith.
This dialogue highlighted the yearning of the soul, the seeking of the spirit within to understand love, the purpose for being and the place of God in the life of each. It highlighted the anguish that existed as both the saint and the agnostic endeavoured to say “Yes” to life amid the darkness of their personal struggles and the profound questions that life presented them. The beauty of the dialogue demonstrated humility and the depths and darkness of both their journeys and indeed the similarities that made them companions on the edge, seekers of understanding and respectful of each other’s viewpoint.
Viewing an excerpt from the film The Mission provided an opportunity for those gathered to reflect upon the transforming nature of forgiveness. The loving face of Mercy. The powerful journey of Rodrigo Mendoza into the Community of the Guarini people became the vehicle to depth the wound of forgiveness. In the words of Jerome A Miller from Word become Fountain: “The violator, in receiving forgiveness, would become the open wound he inflected. This wound is itself redemptive, if divine grace transforms it into a fountain of forgiveness. To receive forgiveness is to become the body and blood of the person one has murdered”.
The loving face of mercy was followed by Love as a face bearing patient suffering. Dominic led the group through excerpts from the letters of Fraz Jaggerstatter, which revealed great tenderness, self sacrifice and was poignant, beautiful and inspiring. This was complimented by a passage from St Francis of Assisi, who like Franz Jaggerstatter, demonstrated the depths of love in bearing rejection and suffering, and which for St Francis was to be embraced in a spirit of ‘perfect joy’.
In our final Face of Love Dominic illustrated how love unites, using an excerpt from the film “As it is in Heaven”. The interplay between the characters explored the depths of the uniting power of love. How pain, cruelty, rejection and isolation can be healed, embraced and united within the loving acceptance of community.
Those who attended the MLA reflection day were provided with the opportunity to be deeply touched, warmly enriched and communally engaged in a way that inspired trust, dialogue and openness of heart. Indeed, one might even say that the day itself became yet another Face of Love, as those present within the group gave witness to the power, depths and unifying strength of love. We thank Dominic for his inspirational facilitation, for sharing his great gifts of knowledge, wisdom and insight, for creating such a day for love to reveal itself.
Margaret Woods.
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I don’t say very much. I hope you will reflect your insights from me to you. There are lots of years of life. Through those experiences we can share that with each other.
Let us begin by listening to a song.
I arise today Through the strength of heaven; Light of the sun, Splendor of fire, Speed of lightning, Swiftness of the wind, Depth of the sea, Stability of the earth, Firmness of the rock.
I arise today Through God's strength to pilot me; God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me, God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me, God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me, God's hosts to save me Afar and anear, Alone or in a mulitude.
Christ shield me today Against wounding Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in the eye that sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me.
I arise today Through the mighty strength Of the Lord of creation.
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Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, I arise today….
We will enter into conversations throughout the day. Through each conversation I have tried to capture a number of conversations of love. The first face and first conversation is that we want to look at is that of humble love. This relates to the Marist and Marian movement. We see Mary as a mother of humility. What does that mean? Can this conversation gives us insight into the meaning of humility?
The second conversation is that of love of bearing one’s sufferings. We talk about mother of sorrows. This insight gives us insight into love as bearing one another’s sufferings.
The conversation around forgiveness. Love through forgiveness. Forgiveness is a tough reality particularly when experienced the trauma evil. When someone has not opened the door for us. When someone has left the milk out and we have constantly said “put it back in the fridge”. The trauma of evil.
Lastly, the conversation of love that unites and enables people to stand up to life. To be able to say “a yes to life”. Yes I have something to give. I have been recognised and I have been understood. I have something to give others.
(Audio Available)
