I think in images. What came to me as I reflected upon the varied gifts that continuously sustain and enrich my life and ministry was the image of a tapestry. This tapestry has different colors and strands, some more prominent at times than others.

 

The basic cloth is the gift of being a Sister of Mercy – gifted to live a vowed life, in service, in community as a member of the people of God. We Sisters of Mercy proclaim in our Constitutions that we have committed ourselves to a life-long direction of following Jesus in his compassion for suffering people. We state that “to speak our corporate word in a discordant society requires a deep faith and an interior joy.” For me, this deep faith and interior joy are nurtured through centering prayer, in times of solitude, through rich conversations and sharing with friends and co-workers, and by spending time with God in nature. In all these things, I strive to be a source of hope and energy for and with others. These nurturing and sustaining elements are the bright and varied colors in the tapestry.

 

 

 

What gives me MOST encouragement – day in and day out – is another conviction stated in our Mercy Constitutions: “We believe that God is faithful and that our struggle to follow Christ will extend God’s reign of love over human hearts.” It always strikes me that we do not say our successes are what is most important, but rather our fidelity to the day-in and day-out struggle. Therefore, “we rejoice in the continued invitation to seek justice, to be compassionate and to reflect mercy to the world.”

 

Let us all reflect upon the tapestry of our lives and the threads that are sometimes bright, other times muted. These are the things that keep us faithful and energized and give us strength to be faithful to the struggle, just like the Christ of God.