Welcome back! It was nice to see more then a dozen at our first meeting on Tuesday. Did you know that September 21st is National Day of Prayer for Christians in the Holy Land?
Here is a prayer from the CWL website:
Prayer for Justice and Peace in the Holy Lands Salt + Light Media
Lord our God, author of life and giver of peace,
the tragic events unfolding in Iraq, Syria, Israel and Palestine pain us.
We know that violence is not conquered by violence.
We remember all those forced from their homes in Iraq.
We entrust to Your loving kindness those who have lost everything in Gaza.
We commend to Your mercy those who have suffered violence and death in Syria. We ask Your protection for the people of the land of Israel.
They are all our brothers and sisters and they depend on us.
Teach us to live in solidarity with all those who suffer.
Let justice and peace rain down upon Your people
living in the land of Abraham and in all of the lands we call holy.
Together with us, Jews and Muslims also look to the person of Abraham
as a model of unconditional submission to the will of God.
Watch over those who have lost faith and hope.
Comfort the sick, the imprisoned and all who suffer.
Console those whom mourn the loss of loved ones.
Grant shelter to those who have lost their homes and lands.
Watch over the church’s pastors and the entire community
of believers who live in Your lands.
In the church we are all members of a single body,
all mutually necessary, because each has been given a grace
according to the measure of the gift of Christ, for the common good.
May Mary, the Mother of Jesus, help us to understand and live every day
the fraternity that springs up from the heart of her Son,
so as to bring peace to each person on this our beloved earth
especially in Your own lands.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer inspired by St. John Paul II and Pope Francis
Following are a few astonishing photos to demonstrate the creativity and novelty of our Creater!
As National Faith Day is coming up on Sept. 21, we could focus on learning more about how the catechism explains the creed. One resource is the video What is the Creed and why is it important? The creed is a statement packed full of meaning and mystery. Ask your diocesan counterparts to encourage members to talk about what it is and how it can affect their lives. Learn more at realtrue.org/videos/what-is-the-creed-and-why-is-it-important/.
Knowing with Our Whole Being
Father Richard Rohr affirms that true “knowing” occurs within our bodies, not just our minds:
Deep knowing and presence do not happen with our thinking minds. To truly know something, our whole being must be open, awake, and present. We intuitively knew how to be present as babies. The psychologist D. W. Winnicott (1896–1971) once said “There is no such thing as a baby.” [1] There’s only an infant/caregiver. In the first several months, from the infant’s perspective, they are one and the same. Infants see themselves entirely mirrored in their family’s eyes; they soon believe and become this vision. Contemplative prayer offers a similar mirroring as we receive and return the divine gaze.
In his book Coming to Our Senses, historian Morris Berman makes the point that our first experience of being alive is not through the visual or auditory experience of knowing ourselves through other people’s responses; it is primarily felt in the body. He calls this kinesthetic knowing. We know ourselves in the security of those who hold us, skin to skin. This early encounter is not so much heard, seen, or thought. It’s felt. That’s the original knowing. [2]
Psychologists say that when we begin to move outside of that first kinesthetic knowing, we hold onto things like teddy bears and dolls. My little sister, Alana, had the classic security blanket as a baby. She dragged it everywhere until it was dirty and ragged, but we could not take it away from her. Children do such things to reassure themselves that they are still connected and one. We all begin to doubt this primal union as the subject/object split of a divided world slowly takes over. Body/mind/world/self all start getting split apart. The basic fault lines in the world become real to us—and the rest of life will be spent trying to put it all back together again. True spirituality is always bringing us back to this original, embodied knowing that is unitive experience.
When primal knowing is wounded or missing, an immense doubt is often created about our own and God’s foundational goodness. Many people live with this doubt, and religious experience only comes to them with great difficulty. Most people don’t know how to surrender to God. How can we surrender unless we believe there is Someone trustworthy out there to surrender to?
Hopefully, our caregivers’ early gaze told us we were foundationally beloved. But when we inevitably begin to see ourselves through eyes that compare, judge, and dismiss, then we need spirituality to help heal the brokenness of our identity and our world. The gift of true religion is that it parts the veil and tells us that our primal experience was trustworthy. It tells us that we are beloved, whether we received that mirroring gaze or not. It reassures us that we live in a benevolent universe, and it is on our side. The universe, it assures us, is radical grace.
Sobering Funeral Chapel, Beausejour, Manitoba: information regarding Reverend Father Owen Steeves
August 13, 1962 ~ December 13, 2020
Ordained ~ December 12, 1996
Father Owen was called home to his eternal rest on December 13, 2020. A year has passed, and we all miss him more than ever. Our care, gratitude and love for him and our Memories of him will never fade.
Father Owen is survived by his siblings, Treva, Susan and Jim, and numerous nieces and nephews, his best friend Robb and his beloved dog Binky.
Father Owen was a beloved priest and cared deeply for the communities which he served. He had a remarkable presence with people, and a down to earth nature. His deep faith touched the lives of all who knew him. He connected easily with all people and his preaching brought the Gospel into his parishioners’ lives in meaningful and relevant ways.
A Celebration of Reverend Father Owen Steeve’s life will be held on Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. at St. Mary Roman Catholic Church, 530 Atlantic Avenue, Beausejour, MB.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
What a surprise to hear on Sunday that we will have a priest weekly, and it will mainly be Archbishop LeGatt, including Christmas. He has asked that we invite him for meals- that would be a blessing to have some CWL members and Archbishop LeGatt for a few meals. Anne Sedo spotted him at the Ukrainian Pavilion during Folklorama. She talked with him and he loves Ukrainian food.
Have a wonderful week! Enjoy the Our Lady of LaSalette Pilgrimage activities this weekend!
Anne Wolkenstein
Spiritual Chairperson Beausejour CWL