The Los Angeles Province Fall DESIGNS magazine will be in the mail soon! The theme this season is “The Power of the Present Moment.”
Many of our sisters and associates sent in beautiful reflections of their experience with how to get into the present moment. We were not able to fit all these pearls of wisdom in the magazine, so we are highlighting them here.
This one is from Sister Mary Murphy, CSJ:
Being in the Present Moment – What a Challenge!
Brother Lawrence’s core practice was “being aware of the presence of God” (That’s all he ever did). St. John Vianney, the Cure of Ars, said “When we cannot pray make each breath a prayer.” In the “Way of a Pilgrim”, the Russian peasant gave us “The Jesus Prayer” as a constant repetition.
I was taken by an article in the Summer 2023 LCWR Occasional Papers on An Interview with Christine Valters Paintner. She stated, “I often think about mystics who dedicated themselves to doing small things with great love like Brother Lawrence.”
She goes on to say, “When I commit to sitting in silence, when I commit to a life that is slower, … the more life reveals itself to me and the more God reveals the next invitation in my life. …. We are never guaranteed anything other than that moment-by-moment learning to trust in what’s unfolding and learning to tend to those little signs that come to us… All of this contributes to changing the world. Those small acts make a difference – even though we will probably never know how.
Another thing… is how to make space to welcome in some of the younger activists in the world who need that contemplative refreshment to fuel, sustain, and inspire them.….
You have a culture of wise elders and I think this could be a time for the wise elders to step forward even more to share the value of their inner lives and do so with the confidence that this is what is needed in the world today and for the future.
~ Sister Mary Murphy, CSJ
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