Up from Tennessee
After the Civil War,
the Sisters laid this road
not the straightest line
between two points,
but a slow curve
to gentle the hill.
The bricks, without benefit of mortar,
set liberally,
a wide and rosy swath
up the green hillside.
A curb of fieldstone
cut flat into rectangles
and planted in the dark Kansas earth,
to grow side by each–
no mean feat,
two or three blocks worth of that.
And along the approach
remembering their southern homes,
the Sisters planted–
measuring distance against time–
Scotch pines
with an occasional maple.
Now for any summer,
a cool canopy
against the Kansas sun;
for any autumn
melody in color;
for any moment
we clear for remembering,
testament to all the paths
that bring us here.
-Sister Mary Janet McGilley, SCL
By Sister Judith Jackson, SCL
I don’t know about you, but I know that nature and poetry draw me closer to the Divine. This poem by Sister Mary Janet McGilley, SCL, a member of my religious community, has always brought me to a sacred place with descriptions of nature on the SCL campus and inspired words.
This late summer, with the recent heat dome, I am aware of my longing for the “cool canopy.” But today, we finally have a reprieve from the horrific heat. Every year, I look forward to the autumn changes, the “melody in color” and the letting go of the leaves. This “letting go” can be an invitation in a spiritual sense for all of us to be attentive to both the perceived good and the challenges in our life journey.
Currently, if we are attentive, we are aware that we live in a milieu of challenge, chaos, often fear, division, war, hunger, and racial discrimination. We experience discord in families, neighborhoods, and churches.
We pray for hope, inner and outer peace, a listening spirit, and solidarity among all people.
Where can we seek additional solace? We invite you to consider engaging in spiritual direction and the upcoming activities at Marillac Center in September.
Spiritual direction is a privileged time to reflect with another about one’s relationship with God. The “agenda” includes images of God, finding the Sacred, questions of faith, worries, grief, fear, and causes for joy and celebration.
Join Us for Upcoming Events
Consider joining us during our autumn journey at Marilac Center for one of the following events:
Good Conversations
Thursday, Sept. 5
9:30 a.m. – noon
During this election season, we learn ways to listen and hear, to speak and encourage, to hope and help, as a way to foster and promote respect and the goodness of the other. How do I live with the well-being of others and the promotion of common values in my life?
To Hope and Act With Creation
Friday, Sept. 6
9 a.m. – noon
“The first fruits of hope,” inspired by St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, is the symbol chosen to accompany the theme: To Hope and Act with Creation. The symbol shows the first fruits of hope arising from collaborative action (active hope) with humanity. “Hope is trust that our action makes sense, even if the results are not immediately seen.” Romans 8:24
Please join us at the Marillac Center for a time of reflection on this year’s theme. Sue Robb will help us discover the fruits of hope in our own world.
Retreat Days: The Healing and Hope We All Desire
Saturday, Sept. 28, 4 p.m. – Tuesday, Oct. 3, 9 a.m.
Danielle Harrison will facilitate this retreat, which will offer a daily rhythm of prayer, reflection, and conversation that helps us grow in hope. We will delight in God’s love for us: as God rejoices in us and wants nothing more than for us to rejoice in our life and live it to the fullest. We will rediscover the beauty in our brokenness and reunite with our deeper selves, so that we can do “the work that our soul must have” for the Kingdom and ourselves.
Register at https://www.scls.org/retreat-days-the-healing-and-hope-we-all-desire/
