Maria’s Musings—A Letter from the President'Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the
words,
And never stops at all.
And sweetest in the gale is
heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm
I’ve heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me'. I have always loved this poem by 19th century American, Emily Dickinson. It is disarmingly child-like in its simple words and rhythm, yet, holds within it a profundity of truth. The image of the “little bird” (like the walnut-sized blue-wrens that sing to me at breakfast time down at Gerringong) is so appropriate. Birds have always been associated with the spiritual. They soar, and represent the possibility of transcendence.
As it “sings the tune without the words”, we understand that Hope, like music, is often beyond explanation. Both can move a person to a new level of being that mere words cannot define. Like the bird, Hope is persistent and “never stops at all.” The power of Hope is remarkably strong, even in the face of gales and storms. It keeps us “warm” in the “chillest land”, miraculously thriving in the most extreme of times. And surprisingly, Hope does not need to be fed from without. Because it “perches in the soul”, it gets its nourishment from the interior spiritual life of a person. That is why abandonment of Hope- despair- is such a tragic state as it can see the world only in the negative.
 Our Marist Family International Year of Prayer to “Mary, Bearer of Hope to the World”, calls from deep within us, the desire to live our lives in the spirit of Mary – love, simplicity. hiddenness and prayer. From this way of being, we are asked to be bearers of hope to “those most yearning for hope”. It is through a “tender and deep love for Jesus” like Mary’s, that we can keep hope alive, not just for the next life but especially for the now, not just individual hope but for the whole human family.
Creators of Peace is a programme of Initiatives of Change, a diverse, global network committed to building trust across the world’s divides. It comprises people of many cultures, nations, beliefs and backgrounds who are committed to transforming society through changes in individuals and relationships, starting in their own lives. Last year, I joined a Peace Circle of women in my local area. They were of varying cultures, nationalities and religions. We met over a six-week period, going through a process identifying what causes and feeds conflict in our lives and in society. . It was a challenging six weeks the goal; of which is to become a creator of peace. By the last session, each of the women had shared her own story. This was the most moving part of our time together as the abstract ideas of peacemaking found flesh and feeling in the lives of these women, some of whom have suffered greatly. As a Marist, I instinctively thought of Mary and how close she was to me in these stories of joy, sorrow and glory! Check the website: www.iforc.org
Hope for a New Creation The Social Justice, Ecology and Peace Group of Kiama Parish invited interested parishioners to a day of prayer and planning to formulate a way forward for the parish to become more sustainable in keeping with its Environmental Stewardship Project. In the beautiful surrounds of St Matthew’s Jamberoo, we were allowed to “wonder” at creation and dream of possibilities for the future. We also engaged in some nuts-and-bolts planning. The spirit of the day was certainly one of hope, to counter the “doom and gloom” which often accompanies the environmental forecasts. Hope comes from spiritual authority, which is the voice of God within each of us, urging us to have the courage to live more simply and lightly in our world. Three lay Marists, Alison Smith, Mary Clarke and Maria Baden participated in this project. Check the website: www.catholicearthcare.org.au 
| |
HomeNews June 2009 |
