First Friday reflection for September 2020

Twenty-five weeks ago, we found ourselves heading towards a new frontier, not of our choosing. From east coast to west coast, and the from the most northern tip of the United States – Canada Province to the Gulf, we gathered to listen, to be heart-grounded and to share what we could in this time of pandemic unrest.

Eighty-three submissions from members of the Sacred Heart Kinship, on this continent and beyond, shared music, poetry, video, prayer, prose, imagery and love. From week to week, we thought that ordinary time would be just around the bend. But, like the mirage in the desert, the ordinary has become extraordinary and over and over we experience the call of the prophet Micah “to act justly, to love tenderly, to walk humbly.”

We, the HEART Response Team, a Province committee comprised of RSCJ, Associates, Provincial staff and alumna, gathered at the onset of the pandemic and made the commitment to let go of individual identity and to work together “as one body.” Week upon week, we have met, shared our experiences, challenges and graces, and like a still pond, we have reflected back what we have seen, heard and pondered.

Schools have now begun, using hybrid ways of co-learning and connecting. With a new academic year, we all may feel the seasonal pull, knowing leaves will give way, making room for new buds. Like the changing seasons, we know that it is time to shift and respond in a new way.

In this spirit, we on the HEART Response Team will continue to add new resources as we receive them on the Revealing God’s Love in the Midst of Uncertainty landing page on the RSCJ.org website. While you will not receive a Monday email from us, we expect to reach out to you with new invitations.

We have heard and listened to members of the Sacred Heart family. Going forward, we will be offering various opportunities for virtual gatherings to pray together and reflect on the challenges we face and the responsibility we hold to act with virtue in the midst of violence.

We pause, then, in the midst of this new beginning, to give thanks for all that we have received during this time of a virus and violence, of uncertainty and unrest, of woe and of wonder. Let us practice the gratitude of gifts received and the grace of things hoped for. Let us hold each one in our hearts, and be one.