What Has Emerged and What is Emerging Now?

In the past several years, perhaps from the time of the Apostolic Visitation, it seems that what has emerged and what continues to emerge within the Loretto Community is a greater awareness of who we are and what we are about. Perhaps this greater awakening is a result of COVID-19, which is forcing us to look at our lives in greater depth.

The Buddhists tell us that at “first trees are trees and mountains are mountains.” Living in a world without awareness of attention, things are taken for granted. “Then there comes a point when trees are no longer trees and mountains are no longer mountains.” We begin to notice, we wonder, we are amazed. “Then trees are trees. And mountains are mountains.” We become more attentive. We ask what is really happening? Why is this tree here? Why am I here?

Teilhard de Chardin spoke of our evolutionary task: “Our role is no longer to merely ease suffering, bind up wounds, and feed the hungry, but through every form of effort to raise the powers of love upward to the next stage of consciousness.”

During this Advent winter of silence let us ground ourselves in the Divine Mystery, opening our hearts to see anew, to nudge this evolution of consciousness toward even greater LOVE and inclusion, experiencing the trees and mountains, all of creation and life and each other in the beauty of LOVE that is calling us. Let us not be afraid of this “Advent-ure.” It may be the imperative of our time and the most important thing we can offer the world.

Please share with us your musings. We would love to hear from you. Thank you and blessings on your “Advent-ure” 2020!

Source: “The Evolutionary Task Now” by Liz Sweeney, SSJ, from LCWR Occasional Papers, Winter 2016