2nd October Text Only Version Feature A Year On...Reflection on the Year of Consecrated Life As we draw near to the end of the Year for Consecrated Life we take time to gather a few thoughts and maybe share with another, if we have not done so already, to what are we still being invited? Remember God loved us first (Jn 4.10) so it is a gratuitous love. God incarnated this love in Jesus. It is out of this concept we, through our baptism, are called to love God and love one another. God has called us into being, knit us together in our mother’s womb (Ps 139), holds us in being, sustains us as we respond to the call to be God’s disciples – to follow Jesus closely through life as vowed Mercy women. Jesus told the Apostles at the Last Supper "It was not you chose me, but I have chosen you" (Jn15.16). This reminds us that all Vocation is always God’s initiative, though it depends (as Pope Francis reminded us) on us to freely opt to belong to this economy of human-divine relationship and to live the life of agape, the way of discipleship "in the light of the Church’s pilgrimage". Have we savoured the loving gaze of God and recalled the meaning and essence of our vocation? It is the answer to a call, a call of love. The aims of the Year of Consecrated Life were to (1) to look to the past with gratitude (2) to live the present with passion and (3)to embrace the future with hope. Have we taken time to give thanks to God for how our Mercy charism has grown from a tiny seed to our presence now in forty- four countries? The expressions of the charism have changed over the years but the core has remained – to be the compassionate presence of God to all we meet on life’s journey and to all of life itself. We give thanks for the creativity the charism sparked, the difficulties it encountered and the concrete ways these difficulties were surmounted. We give thanks for the abundance of life that we have enjoyed. There have been new geographical and cultural contexts. Pope Francis asked us are our ministries, our works and our presence consonant with what the Spirit asked of our foundress Catherine. Are they suitable to carry out today? In society and the Church are these same ministries still needed? Do we have the same passion for our people, are we close to them to the point of sharing in their joys and sorrows, thus truly understanding their needs and helping to respond to them? (this includes those with whom we live). During the past year there have been many conversations, shared reflections, both written and oral, prayer services, holy hours, get- togethers with other religious and lay people, pilgrimages (local and national). It is fitting therefore that we pause and name for ourselves some of the fruits of the year, moments of rejoicing, of joy and the painful moments too. What if anything remains with us? Let us continue to give thanks for God’s love, for our vocations, our human response which has often been flawed but always faithful. Last Lent and I’m sure on other occasions too we have had the opportunity to share our stories – whether we have lived in the congregation for two years or sixty years. Doing this shows where our true unity lies. Telling each other how we are living the mercy charism in today’s contexts reveals that age does not really separate us and what makes our hearts beat is very similar. "Story-telling fills us with courage and prepares us for change, for daring new ventures that ensure a creative fidelity to our charism" (Sr. Carmen Sammut UISG Council of delegates, Rome 2015). In his message for the year of consecrated life Pope Francis quoted Saint John Paul who said "it is up to you to place your charism at the service of the Church and to work for the coming of Christ’s Kingdom in its fullness". He (Pope Francis) encouraged us to live the present with passion meaning becoming ‘experts in communion’. Several times he has referred to the prophetic nature of religious life – how we are called to offer a concrete model of community which by acknowledging the dignity of each person and sharing our respective gifts makes it possible to live as brothers and sisters. This witness is as necessary today as it has ever been. We live in a world where different cultures experience difficulty in living alongside one another, where the powerless encounter oppression, where inequality abounds. Are we living in the loving relationship of the three divine persons (1 Jn 4:8), the model for all interpersonal relationships? How could we improve? We want to offer to the Church and to humanity, as consecrated women, a ministry of compassion and healing. "As consecrated persons we should be able to arouse in men and women of our world – regardless of where they are and whatever their existential circumstances – the desire of an encounter with the Lord and to show the way" (UISG Booklet 57) (International Union of Superiors General). The third aim of the year was to embrace the future with hope – not fear. If one were only to go by the news as portrayed through the media it would be difficult, there are decreasing vocations in the West, economic problems, wars, global crises. But it is precisely amid these uncertainties which we share with so many of our contemporaries that we are called to practise the virtue of hope, the fruit of our faith in the Lord of history, who continues to tell us: Be not afraid … for I am with you (Jer 1:8). This hope, as Pope Francis reminded us is not based on statistics or accomplishments but on the One in whom we have put our trust (2 Tim 1:2) the one for whom nothing is impossible. Daily we set out anew not trusting in our own strength but like Catherine trusting in the Lord. Towards the end of his Letter to Religious, Pope Francis offers us for our contemplation the image of Mary at the foot of the cross, in sorrow but one still believing, hoping. By faith she sees the birth of the new future and waits with hope for God’s tomorrow. Pope Francis asked do we expect God’s tomorrow. Or do we want only today? The tomorrow of God for Mary is the dawn of Easter morning. He goes on to say that the only lamp lit in the tomb of Jesus is the hope of his mother, who at that time held the hope of all mankind. The question he posed to us is, is this light still alight among us? There are many challenges still facing us. The future is, at times, uncertain. It can be hard to assert a way of life that our modern culture sometimes sees as old fashioned or just plain odd. Hopefully during this past year there has been a moment of special blessing for us, to hear again the words of the Lord to Joshua following the death of Moses: Have I not told you: be strong and stand firm? Be fearless then, be confident, for go where you will, the Lord your God is with you (Joshua 1:9). Let us continue to rejoice. By Margaret Casey rsm Congregational Leader From the Congregational Offices Mission:Southern Sudan continues to Invite............. ‘The Spirit of The Lord is upon me, He has anointed me to proclaim the Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set the downtrodden free and to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour’. This is the mission of Jesus that continues to invite a response from each one of us as we read in this month’s mercy@live article by Ailish O’Brien from her community in Yambio, South Sudan. Thank you very much Ailish for bringing alive this reality to the whole Congregation, a reality that evokes a response. Thank you for your article that has inspired, enthused and challenged me to seek life beyond my comfort zone. Indeed your article paints a picture of a joyful community living, serving and being enriched by the gifts of diversity present among students and the volunteer community. No doubt, the young church out there is alive and open! God’s blessings on you Ailish as you give and receive God’s mercy in every interaction with the people of South Sudan. As Congregational Leadership Team (CLT) we desire to keep hope alive for South Sudan and once more call upon individuals who feel called and inspired by the mission of Jesus to volunteer for South Sudan. Do you feel called to physically represent Mercy in South Sudan? A read through the following extracts from Solidarity with South Sudan Annual Report 2014, Development 2015 gives you a clear picture of the unmet needs. These are the areas for which volunteers are needed; South Sudan: Health Services in Need of Trained Personnel The country’s context has specific barriers to health service delivery; which need to be summoned before meaningful progress can be registered; a nascent health system, human resources challenges, poor integration and decentralization of services, poor coordination and weak accountability. Despite these, the government is committed to improving health service delivery, as evidenced by its cordial relationship with regional and international health actors such as AMREF HEALTH Africa and the Catholic Church.