Angels of grace

As rest can heal the sores of a body and sleep restore its strength,
so may your angels of grace visit me in the night
that the senses of my soul may be born afresh.
Visit my dreams with messengers of grace, O God,
that the senses of my soul may be born again. (from Celtic Benedictions by Philip Newell)

My self-imposed five-month sabbatical ends today as I begin a new job this week as the transitional executive director for Mennonite Central Committee U.S. The time away from work has healed the sores of my body and restored my strength as surely as rest and sleep do for each of us on a daily basis.

My experiences of the last five months have been visited by many messengers of grace. I think of Weldon at St. John's Abbey, Joel and Barth in Arizona and Nevada, Lloyd and Bernie in Jamaica, Larry and Eleanor in Strasboug and a rag tag band of merry pilgrims in Scotland, Ireland and Wales. And, of course, Mim who has given me this space without one word of anxiety. This time has truly been a gift of grace.

The photo above is of a small church in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, near the ruins of the chapel of St. Non, who was the mother of the patron saint of Wales, St. David. The image serves as a symbol of my five months in a number of ways:

- Its location on the rocky coast of Wales serves as a reminder of the rest for my soul I have found in so many "water" places, from the Colorado and Rhine rivers, to the beaches of Negril and the rocky coasts of Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

- Close to the chapel is a retreat house of the Sisters of Mercy, a place of hospitality for sanctuary and reflection. The chapel marks an historical spot but also houses a modern day ministry of welcome for all people. I remember the hospitality of the Benedictine fathers at St. John's Abbey, the open arms of the circle of condo owners who welcomed Mim and me in Negril, the Mennonite World Conference staff in Strasbourg and our pilgrim experiences with so many folks in U.K. who opened their hearts to us.

- The chapel also stands as a symbol of the many ways in which my expereinces these months have opened my eyes and my ears so that "the senses of my soul may be born again." It is a chapel, yes, but it is also a doorway to a deeper understanding of who God is and of the moments of grace in my life.

One final messenger of grace came today in the form of an email from one of my fellow pilgrims in Scotland and Ireland who writes to thank me for my "laughter and humor throughout, and for the details, depth and soulful sharing, both on the journey and in the blog."

How can I tell Beverly that it was I who gained from her presence on the trip, she who in her quiet way always pointed to the deeper meaning beyond what was evident on the surface? Her depth of character and insight providing a foundation for the rest of us?

This evening, Mim and I are hosting Larry and Eleanor Miller, from Mennonite World Conference in our home. This seems a fitting way to bring these months to a close. Thanks to all who have helped me on my journey and will continue to do so in the days ahead.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

They welcomed us

Image
One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see. (John 9:25) She was addicted to drugs for 20 years. She was in prison and her family broke apart. Her child was in an orphanage and her husband died. Because of her substance abuse, she eventually lost her one arm below her elbow. She saw no way out. She had hit the very bottom. When she came to know God, Natalia says everything changed. She found she had a deep desire to help people like herself and she discovered that her life experiences helped her understand others. “I remember what God did in my life and I have hope that God can touch other peoples’ lives and give them new life, too,” Natalia tells me. In Nikopol, Ukraine, she and Olga and Valodya, both of whom have similar stories to tell of their own, began New Life Charitable Fund a half dozen years ago to help people in prison, or who have drug or alcohol addictions, are HIV positive, homeless or for some other reason need a helping hand. Ukraine has ...
Read more

God multiplies our efforts

Image
Sister Zita at the La Posada shelter with baby Emmanuel and members of our border learning tour. Photo courtesy of Janae Rempel The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail. – I Kings 17:14 Ana Hinojosa remembers growing up on the Texas-Mexico border near Brownsville in the late 80s. Her family’s house was a mile from the border wall and she remembers the extended family gatherings in her back yard. Ana, an MCC immigration staff person, says border patrol agents would rest in the shade of the trees near the front of her house and, in the same day, it would be possible for a family from Mexico to knock on her front door to ask for food or directions. Her family turned no one away. Life on the border can look quite different today. When we enter the Catholic Charities respite center in McAllen, Texas, it is startling to see the contrast from the serenity of the neighborhood outside to the chaos inside. Cesar Matta tells us that, today, the cente...
Read more

A river of love

Image
For it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. – Matthew 25:40 “We are happy you are here to see this with your own eyes,” the leader of the Islamic Charities organization in Deir Attieh, Syria tells us, a group of MCC people visiting partner organizations in Syria. “We can’t express enough our heartfelt thanks to you.” Islamic Charities works with 3,000 at risk families affected by the war in the region and relies heavily on the work of volunteers. MCC provides food boxes to Islamic Charities as part of our humanitarian assistance in Syria. When I visit five families who received these food boxes, I recall the heartfelt thanks but feel mostly heart broken.    We visit two families living in a partially constructed apartment complex that stalled when the war began. The first family lives in a small two-room apartment, the mother and her five children and the woman’s father. Her husband is serving in the army. The second family inclu...
Read more