Changing Growing and Moving

Living several months here at Green Mountain Monastery, I am one with nature and learning from the Earth Community about change. So many changes to deal with in coming from a very different culture - changes in language, food, customs, new ways of acting and being, very different from what I am used to, from the ways that keep me in my own comfort zone. I am learning to stretch and adapt like all the beings in the natural world.

Nature in all its beauty also has to adapt to constant change. When I arrived from Indonesia at the beginning of April, this land was white and covered with snow. The ground, the leafless trees and the temperature were all so unreal for me, as I come from a tropical country.  When the summer finally arrived, it gave me lots of energy! I began to work in the garden and take care of the life community here on this land. The softness of the soil and rich smell of earth gave me a feeling of aliveness. I looked in wonder at how the landscape went from snowy white to vibrant green!

Change requires patience! Tending to the seedlings and working gently with the baby plants has taught me patience. Weeding too requires patience! The weeding has become part of my meditation and connects me with the deep silence of this land. The sound of the birds in the wind gives me sense of oneness with them.  Harvesting also calls for patience, to wait until the plants are ready and know when to take them from the earth. All through this growing season I have felt so humble to find myself in the middle of the abundant grace of the fruits that mother Earth gives to us. The whole summer has energized me and all of us here. “Gratitude is the memory of heart”.  Fall is upon us now and change is in the air! Leaves are beginning to fall and soon the garden will be put to rest for the winter. It is going to be hard for me to say good bye to the garden and to allow the soil to rest for its winter sleep, as the garden has been so much a part of my experience these months, and it has given so much of itself. I am full of gratitude for this garden. Yet it is really true, everything is changing and moving. There is no such thing as staying fixed.  

We are in the new decade of the 21st century. Living in a world of interconnectedness. Our aim is to bring about the vision of one earth, one world. All – is – one.    We are challenged to be creative and dynamic in bringing about change. We are changing and we are moving...... bringing about something new by witnessing with our lives what we want to proclaim.

We Are Part

Recently I learned the genesis of Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si -Praise Be, Care Our Common Home. It began with this incident- Two years ago typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) which took place in the Philippines on November 2013, brought huge damage to the city of Tacloban. Many lives were lost, people went missing and properties were destroyed. This global climate catastrophe, became the inspiration for Pope Francis to do something seriously and address climate change.

In the Encyclical, Pope Francis says simply that if we destroy creation, it will destroy us. This line sounds so similar to what Fr Thomas Berry often said when speaking to groups of people - “We will go into the future as single sacred community, or we will perish in the desert.” I guess Pope Francis was inspired by the writings of Father Thomas Berry, perhaps Thomas Berry was a ghost writer for the encyclical! With these insightful words we are aware of our mission, expressed through our lives of service and dedication for the healing of our planet Earth.

In our daily living we engage in work with care and consciously work the land with our hands, daily praying for the earth. We live our lives simply with the seasons. We know very well what is happening to our planet today. Coming from Indonesia, a third world country, I know my country has the third largest area of rainforest in the world but now more than 70% our forest in Indonesia is being destroyed by logging companies. It is very sad, even then the poor become poorer. Our children have no place to play. Most of them don’t know anymore the big trees in the forest which has become bald, the rivers are polluted, and the meadowlands have become sub divisions, condominiums and malls. Humanity consciously and unconsciously wants to be superior and dominate everything in life. Yet nature is stronger than us humans. Its remind me of Thomas Berry and the story of when he was a child experiencing the meadow across the creek. This experience became the guiding force for his consciousness. “Whatever preserves and enhances this meadow in the natural cycles of its transformation is good; whatever is opposed to this meadow or negates it is not good”.

We in many different cultures, with different ways are all part of the meadow. We have the same responsibility in caring for our common home as we move toward the future as a single community. Just like the meadowland not only lilies but also the insects, the water, the sky, everything and everyone, every group of people and community in the community of life participates in the dance of differentiation. We are not alien to each other. We are part of the differentiation, part of the community of life and part of the cosmic universe.

Let us be one heart and mind with our sisters and brothers in Oklahoma with their crying for their love ones in this terrible tragedy. We pray that our loving Shepherd gives consolation to them and may the generous peoples more coming offering help. We are one with you.

The joyful Zeal

This word was come to my mind on my recollection last Sunday. What does it mean by the joyful zeal? Zeal is the fourth vows of the religious of the Good Shepherd. This vow was the legacy from our Foundress Saint Mary Euphrasia. The vow of zeal which we believe is the special trade mark of the Good Shepherd sisters.  Not all religious order has fourth vows like us. Normally vows of chastity, poverty and obedience are the common vows for religious and priests; but not the diocesan priests they only have two vows chastity and obedience to the bishop.  The vow of zeal is also the ecological vow because the vow of zeal is symbolized with the burning fire and the fire is one of the seven elements; earth, fire, air, water, human, plant and animal. On my personal reflection the vow of zeal is the center of the others tree vows. I am not saying that the others three vows; chastity, poverty and obedience are not center.

 I will give the example of the computer. When we say the computer, does not mean only monitor, or key board, mouse and CPU, all those gadgets we call computer but the one running or moving the computer is the CPU. It is the one makes the computer working. It’s almost the same with the vow of zeal. Zeal keeps burning in our heart so that we can move on for our mission. Zeal is not simply working hard or done many things. Zeal symbolized with the fire can be too demanding sometimes does indeed pain and purify. We may unwilling to move out from our comfort zone and to risk the unknown and security of change. We might be fearful or afraid to the changes of our lives and yet with the zeal we can over come.

According to Saint Mary Euphrasia love and zeal were always united, and loving person is joyful. What does it mean? And what is the connection? There are characteristics of a joyful person. First is Present, our loving God is present all the time. We can only enjoy when we are present to God what ever circumstances. Our life is always mixture joy and affliction. We can give what we have. We can give joy and love to others if we have joy and love. Self giving means acceptance. When we accept something is not acceptable sometime cause pain. When we continue giving our self that is zeal. 

Secondly is creativity. Joy is creative. When I am doing creativity, I will not show my frown face or murmuring. I will do with a joyful heart. Living in the community with the different personalities is very challenging. Sometimes our creativity is not accepted. But when we are responded creatively that is zeal.

Third is Acceptance. Joy leads us to self acceptance and the acceptance of others. When we accept ourselves, we will easy accept others. Actually we could not accept what is in us that is why we hardly to accept others. Sometimes what is unacceptable for us will shadow in others. We have to accept all things; persons, things and circumstances from God. Successes and failures become opportunity for growth. Zeal is the spirit on the person to move on and to grow. When we become a present, creative and acceptance person automatically we are enjoy life. When we are enjoyed life that is zeal. When we do something unfamiliar and unknown situations and moments with a great enthusiasm that is zeal and must be a joyful zeal. The happiness of our calling and look forward with joy to all the good we are destined to accomplish. 

bykristprast

Living the mystical and prophetic dimension of our lives in a changing World.

 We are in the beginning of new decade of the 21^st century. Every day we witness new discoveries about life- world and creatures. Technology, information, communication, media, industry are fast growing that life has become easy, instant and comfortable. Religious life faces the challenge to live it with the glamorous culture of consumerism. Seemingly “worldy” and secular culture but  also spiritual as it strive to be faithful in living out the prophetic and mystical dimension of religious life, in a  life style of simplicity, meditation, prayer, hospitality, and  committed devotion  to serve the poor and the marginalized.

We are now living in world  of interconnectedness. Our aim is to  bring up the vision on one with others, one with the earth, in one world. All – is – one.  This is now the time for Religious life to respond to the changing culture patterns. This is the responsibility of religious life to empower and enable people, to grow, to change, and to find meaning in the midst of success and failure of earthly life. We, as religious are called to be agents of change and social promoter. We are challenged to be creative and dynamic in bringing about change.

Religious life  as a consecrated life of service to God and his people  is  filled with spiritual exercises like prayer, evangelical counsels, gospel asceticism, renunciation lived in common. Mission in this life has two aspects; the personal interior life and community life

Mystical dimension has to do with our relationship with God, the God as only source of our life by trusting fully on his care for us. It is an experience of being at tune with God in prayer, meditation and devotion.  However, we need to face the reality. Sometimes we feel that our life seems meaningless.  We experience difficulties of our inner selves, like the weight of the baggages of our woundedness, emptiness and crisis.  And we question ourselves, what am I/we here for?   It is a time for us to entrust our lives to God. We need God’s grace in our daily living to raise ourselves from those moments of difficulties.  We need to renounce and humble ourselves to remove our pride and humbly walk with God. Living out the vows of poverty, obedience and chastity that we professed is difficult if we are not connected with God. Thus we need create constantly and experience more of silence, solitude and prayer.  Hopefully, we can enter the deeper caves of the self and the unwanted elements inside be transformed by the Spirit. This is not an easy process, but since we are rely on God’s grace, we believe this is not something impossible for us.

Prophetic dimension as lived in the community. Means living with another out of self is not an easy task.  We offered our life to others by living in community. To be prophetic, demands a constant listening and attentiveness to what the creative spirit of God is doing in the community.  Listening to others and responding to the needs of others especially the marginalized and the poor among us is the way to grow in our spirituality.  Prophetic dimension is also reading the sign of times and the challenging to respond to the needs of our time.  We are called to help enhance the lives of people making them more human and  conscious to its spiritual or contemplative dimension.

bykristprast

The Samaritan and the sheep

Jesus said; do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  We know very well, in other verses before Jesus’ ascension into heaven he says; Go and make all disciples of all Nations. I found it contradictory.  Samaritans are not exception; they are part of the nations.

The Samaritans are not the Jews. Who will be a prophet among the Samaritans? Samaritan woman met Jesus in the well.  She was the first among Samaritans who recognized Jesus as Messiah after Jesus revealed himself to her. She became a prophet for her own people.

Jesus has many followers.  Among them he chooses only the twelve disciples. As humans, the chosen felt “better” than the others but Jesus reminds them not to be involved in all. In other words Jesus reminded them not to judge others. It is better to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  

This has deep meaning for me.  As a young sister newly professed, I feel “better” than others. I know and I can do many things. I am work faster.  I am an observer. I am assertive. I am generous. I am creative. I am a daring person. I am confident. I am a strong person and finally……………. I am proud of myself!

In today’s Gospel Jesus remind me how not to be proud with all that he gives to me, rather more humbly look my “sheep”. One of the authors says; we live the way we pray, and we pray the way we live. I felt ashamed. When I realized, my prayer is far away with what I live. Probably, Jesus saw at the character in the twelve. They can do either proud or humble. Every one of us has the tendency to be proud or to be humble. Humility is not guaranteed if we are praying everyday; the important is how we really lift up our hearts to God.

How we relate our prayer with our way of life? True prayer penetrates and transforms the totality of our life but in God’s time. Everything is possible, when God’s time come. So who are the Samaritans? And who is the sheep? The Samaritans are my neighbors.  The sheep is my own being. I do believe, Jesus will reveal in me as he revealed to others.

bykristprast

Everything is growing

I was sitting in the community room and facing to the house of our dogs. My eyes struck with the leaves of the Indian trees in front of me. I show all the branches have a leaves.  The leaves as a whole have side to side even in the last part of every branch.  This is something in every human being.  We are all pilgrim people on our way toward wholeness of life. For three months living in the community as a young sister many things happen, with the good and not so good experiences, made me realized that we are all in the same boat,  no matter how many years the person in the religious life is not a guarantee she is free from conflict. The conflict is between ourselves that produce emotional or spiritual discomfort. As the youngest in the community I cannot demand a witness, each one of us capable to become witness, in fact I will be frustrated in this reality in my present moment. I am a witness. I have to open my eyes and encounter with their uniqueness as they encounter with my uniqueness. Every person has back ground, as well as all grew up with the different atmosphere family. 

Sometimes I try to understand why people doing this and that and for me something is not properly, and all of my answers was every person has two influences; from outside their self and from inside. Outside them are atmosphere in their family, cultures, how their parents and environments treat them. And from inside are our genetic from our ancestors, our way of responds, life style choices and even God within.  Even the ways we express our love are different, some with gentle and some with challenge. Actually my expectations with the person or moment produce conflict within myself. 

The conflict within journey together with the awareness and understanding.  That is open to grow.  Like the leaves of the Indian tree, is always side to side with the branch in the middle, human being as I am growing together in my positive and negative, love, egoism, goodness,  influence from  inside and outside as God creation.  Living in wholeness is never achieved completely in my time, is always in the way, the whole of my life. Everything is growing. I can only make effort but everything will rely in God alone, he is the true healer.

bykristprast