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“What are you looking
for?” John 1;38
The
first words of Jesus in John's Gospel are these. A question, first of
all a look towards two of John the Baptist's disciples who have quietly
begun to follow him. “What are you looking for?” and they offer shyly :
“Rabbi, where do you live?'” -
“Come and see” is Jesus' reply to them, an invitation that will lead
them into the adventure of their lives.
“What
are you looking for?” These simple words speak to each one of us, each
in our search for our life's true meaning, in the deepest longing of a
human heart. “What are you looking for?” The question urges us on to
seek, it deepens the heart's desire. It turns us towards a person, to
Jesus whose gaze fell on us one day, just as he looked at Nathaniel,
and said “I saw you”; and so we set out.
“What
are you looking for?“ This question was there just beneath the surface
in the theme we chose for our Council and that gave us direction
throughout the year, “Being and becoming a disciple”. It brought us
back to Christ's call to us in our own lives, to give thanks for it and
to allow the real meaning of being a disciple in today's world to
resonate within us. Even if we are already disciples, we will never
finish becoming true disciples. We travel from one beginning to
another.
We
only become disciples by journeying with Jesus day by day. Following
him today as we did yesterday opens us up to the unexpected, and does
not excuse us from testing times. Jesus' attitude often surprises the
first disciples and he upsets their outlook and ways of thinking. They
had to accept being overwhelmed by events and coming face to face with
their own need and fear; their faith was tested till they no longer
understood where he was leading them nor by what path- and yet they
con-tinued to go on.
For
us like them it means staying close to Jesus, listening to him,
watching him live: as he withdraws into solitude, meets with the poor,
the sick, the excluded and in particular, welcomes children; and we see
him facing misunderstanding, rejection and suffering. To become a
disciple is to learn from Christ who is “humble and gentle of heart”,
who never imposes himself or judges others. We learn to receive
ourselves from him, just as Jesus received himself from the Father and
to allow the Holy Spirit, with time, to make our life like Jesus' life,
as we enter into his compassionate gaze, his gestures, his silences.
Journeying
with Christ will always mean welcoming the gift of a communion, a
Presence, a Love that awaits us, which never hangs on to evil and
constantly offers new-ness of life. “Do you love me?” was the last
question that the Risen Jesus asked Peter on the Galilean lakeside
where it had all started. What a journey it was for the disciple with a
stormy temperament and generous reflexes,
who,
like the others, often misunderstood Jesus' attitude and intentions,
and his true mission. It was a journey that had to go through the
painful experience of weakness and denial at the time of the Passion,
of the failure, towards rebirth in the light of
Easter,
under the gaze of the Risen Christ as he asks “Do you love me?” It was
a look of infinite goodness that met Peter in the deepest recesses of
his being and freed the secret ardent impulse of his heart. “Lord you
know everything, you know I love you.” And so he again heard the call
sweeping him along, beyond himself, to the total gift of his life:
“You, follow me.”
It is
a call that is always new at every stage of life. The Risen one
journeys with us and tirelessly puts us back on our feet, by the
strength of the Holy Spirit, each time the temptation comes to reduce
the Gospel to our human capacities alone. He carries us across the
inevitable passages.
How
then can we train ourselves to look at our everyday lives, at
today's world with all its challenges, at the Church with
much calling into question, with the eyes of faith? God is at work. In
such trust we want to let him throw light on the questions that
preoccupy us. Take for example the fact of growing older that most
communities are experiencing, with the accompanying reduction of
capacity to do things… whilst the requests increase. What does God
expect of us? Like so many others today, we have to accept reality as
it is, with all the insecurity that comes with it that can put us off
balance, but without yielding to the temptation of trying fearfully to
organise the future. We need to accept journeying with open questions,
without knowing where we are going. Our consent frees up our strength,
stimulating a whole new creative approach to simplifying our daily life
and opening us to new ways of sharing and working with others. God is
waiting for us today as we learn to give our life, to love, to be
together as a poor sign of the love with which we are loved, of a
communion open to all. “By this everyone will know that you are my
disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13;35)
What
are we looking for except to go forward together in the steps of the
Risen one, offering the little we have, trusting that Another is at
work and that this little offering is enough?
It is
up to us to go forward with so many others, both known and unknown to
us, both near and far, who sometimes live in vulnerable situations in
their stand for justice and peace, and we uphold each other by prayer
and through sharing, as we let ourselves be filled with the
spirit of the Beatitudes:
THE JOY that the world needs so much
THE SIMPLICITY that lightens life
THE MERCY that widens our hearts
Sister
Pierrette
The
yearly News of the Community take a different turn this time. We offer
you four stories or testimo-nies given by sr Regina after her
trip to the D.R.Congo, by Renaud and Sang Wha both volunteers for a
time among us and by sr Françoise fol-lowing the beautiful and
bright Fes-tival of Inter-Faith Dialogue and Friendship in
Neuchâtel ... as several little windows open on this very rich
year we experienced in many
respects.
* * *
Journey
to North Kivu
Welcoming
sisters from other cultures is an invitation to go one day and discover
those other countries. In the spring Sister Regina, who welcomes the
new sisters, was able to fly off to D.R.Congo to join Sister Mariane
where she was staying with her family in the region of North Kivu.
While there they shared 10 inten-sive days of visits and
meetings…
After
a long journey I landed at Butembo in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Around the airport, as at Bunia, army camps and barracks are noticeable
straight away, reminding us that this is a country still at war, a war
that appears to be genocide, especially in the North Kivu region.
Throughout my stay I was to be overwhelmed by the beauty and fertility
of the country, and by the great suffering of this ravaged and
exploited land.
Sister
Mariane, members of her family, her pastor uncle who came specially
from Goma, sister Emmanuela M'Bake, prioress of the Oblates of the
Assumption, Eve-Evelyne, and her sister Jeanne, were all there to meet
me. Their welcome was warm and joyful, according to african custom, a
custom we experi-enced time and again throughout the ten days I was
there, with countless invitations to share meals. And we were
welcomed just as generously by Eve-Evelyne's mother, brothers
and sisters.
A
friend of sr Mariane is father of 9 children and looks after three of
his brother's children too, and he said to me: “God blesses the women
of Congo with so many children”. Lots of families take other children
into their homes to enable them to go through training or education -
children who are so keen to learn. I was amazed by this: ”Oh that's
nothing Sister”, Mariane's sister, who has several young people
staying with her, told me: “it's just African solidarity”. And there
are another three girls staying with her mother while they study.
Every
morning and evening you can hear drumming and songs of praise in the
houses - you could almost think of Congo as one big monastery! We
joined in an enthusiastic, lively prayer service. A preacher spoke of
the importance of gift: “It's only in giving that we receive; that's
the spiritual law”. What a lesson: to give without counting the
cost, even when you don't have enough for your own household. Several
times I found myself thinking of the widow in the Gospel who gave the
little she had.
We
met with church pastors and elders and spoke about monastic life within
the Reformed tradition. There are women in this Baptist Church in Congo
who feel called to a life of prayer in community, and so that is what
they are truly seeking.
On
one unforgettable outing with the father-in-law of sr Mariane and
Jeanne's brother, we went to a vast area with herds of cattle and
flocks of sheep, up above Butembo. “All you have to do is plant it and
will just grow by itself,” the farmer told us. The beauty of the hills
and the rich earth with its banana trees could almost make us forget
that this land has flowed with innocent blood. Rebels came here at
night fall, burned the huts of the peasant farmers, stole what little
they had and took away children of 8 to 12 years old. Now people are
trying to reintegrate and educate these child soldiers, boys and girls.
A young Congolese man who works for an NGO told us that there is so
much work to do, but that it's seen as useless by some Europeans since
it's hard to see results: very often the rebels come back to look for
the children. For those who give themselves in this work it is simply
an act of humanity and solidarity with people who are suffering. The
families and villages of the children don't want them back and are
afraid of them, because often, under the influence of drugs, they have
suffered and been made to commit, incredible acts of violence.
Another
time we went out to Ouicha, about 80 km from Butembo, to the Little
Sisters of Jesus. Sr M'Bake and sr Mariane's cousin both came with
us. Long lines of women and men carrying heavy loads now dare
again to walk along the road to go and sell their products. At one time
the fraternity of Little Sisters was on the edge of the forest where
pygmies lived. Today the village has grown, but the sisters' pygmy
friends, who retreated further into the forest, still come to see them.
As
the plane took off, taking us back to Switzerland, sr Mariane and I
were able to see what a vast city Butembo has become. And as we flew
over immense tracts of virgin forest and huge lakes I had a last look
at this country that is so rich, …and which incites so much greed.
What
an experience this journey has been! My heart has grown wider,
becoming a little more universal, and in a small way I can be part of
the reality of the Congo, lived within the body of our community
through the presence of sr
Mariane.
sr Regina
* * *
Volunteers
at Grandchamp
A
large number of volunteers, men and women, of different ages, from
different countries and continents, have come in their turn to
experience community life at Grandchamp in the course of this year.
Their presence, their quest for God whether expressed or not and their
questions have opened new horizons for us and brought us back to what
is essential urging us to live out that essential by the whole
of our lives and by our life together. The gift of communion is lived
out in shared prayer and work each day. The volunteers' help is
invaluable and vital for us, enabling us to cope with the welcome of
many visitors. Volunteering is a rich experience for the volunteers and
for us!
I
close my eyes and, in the silence, allow all sorts of moments at
Grandchamp to emerge in me. A smile spreads over my face and peace in
my heart. I'd like to sum it all up in these words of the prophet
Isaiah: “Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!” (Isaiah 2,
5).
During
a time of personal journeying and searching I had the good fortune to
pause for a while at Grandchamp, a place that became for me a setting
out, handing over and destination point on a pilgrimage
undertaken in my search for God, for prayer and monastic life. To be
able to take some time out in my life, to place God at the centre, was
a real blessing for me. In wonder I could
sample
the truth of words in the Epistle of James: “Draw near to God, and God
will draw near to you” (James 4, 8).
Living
at the rhythm of the common prayer, being nourished by silence,
discovering communion through solitude, taking part in the life of the
community, sharing work and meals together, and journeying with the
help of one of the sisters, listening and ready to share. All of this
forms a whole which gave and taught me so much, and which helped me
above all not to get lost on this huge journey which is faith.
To be
able to journey through the Holy Week, day by day, step by step,
towards the radiant Light of Easter day, was a unique and intense
experience for me. To live that in a place apart, with my mind and
heart centred in God, enabled me to experience powerfully, and for the
first time, that deep joy of the Resurrection.
Grandchamp
was also for me a place where I could discover the reality of God's
presence in Creation. My walks along the stream down to the lake, the
sun rise, birds songs: all of nature
inspired
me so much. And I'm so grateful too for an insight whispered to me one
day by the lake, that I've kept in my note book: “little by little
water polishes stones; little by little God's love polishes hearts”.
Renaud (23 years)
***
Thinking
about everything I experienced at Grandchamp gives me so much joy - and
gratitude. So it was, too, with the presence of sr Lucie-Martine at my
ordination this spring in the Korean Evangelical Holiness Church -
where women have been ordained only since 2005. Before becoming a
pastor, and beginning my ministry in Seoul, I worked for 16 years as an
evangelist. Those long years of work left me worn out, on the edge of
depression, full of doubts, regrets, self-criticism and sadness…
One
day a friend showed me a photo of a monastery in Switzerland. In a
strange experience this picture touched me, and I felt my heart beating.
That was what propelled me towards Grandchamp - a place I didn't know.
I arrived in 2004, at the start of Lent. Straight away I felt happy, at
home. By the entrance to the chapel, l'Arche, there was a picture,
painted by a Korean woman, showing Christ holding the world in his arms
- he seemed to be waiting for me and I felt attended by him.
During
Lent, with the help of a sister who listened to me, I was able little
by little, and not without tears, to return to God, like the prodigal
son; and in the end I could say with confidence: “I am a child of God”.
In this journey of heaing I was able to rediscover my relationship with
my mother, who died 25 years ago, and to discover too that place in my
heart where God dwells forever. Once again I could hear God's voice,
and I could say with the
psalmist;
“It was you who created my being, knit me together in my mother's womb.
I thank you for the wonder of my being…” (Ps 139, 13-14)
After
that wonderful experience of 9 months at Grandchamp, I was able to go
back to my ministry. And then, just before my ordination, I returned
for a short stay, to breathe again the air of my re-birth…a return to
my heart's sacred place, which will surely help me, despite my fragile
faith, to face those difficult situations in the Church where women
struggle to find their place.
Sang Wha (50 years)
* * *
Inter-faith
Dialogue at Neuchâtel:
“the
feast of friendship”
There
was a general air of excitement in the courtyard at Grandchamp on the
7th June as the first participants arrived. Small groups were busy with
the preparations.
At
least 8 people including Buddhists, Jews and Christians sat around the
table peeling vegetables. There was animated conversation! Preparing a
“kasher” soup needed lots of help from the spiritual leader of la
Chaux-de-Fonds Synagogue, the spiritual boss of our kitchen and our
saucepans.
Buddhists
were preparing the place for the tea ceremony, which kindled a lot of
interest. A group of Ba'hais welcomed people as they arrived, and put
out the sweetmeats for the intercultural tea; meanwhile the orchestra,
playing Kleezmer music that is traditional to the Ashkenazi Jews of
Eastern Europe, practised under the baton of M.F. Lilienfeld.
The
'Arche' Chapel saw succession of events unfolding throughout the
day: musical interludes, round-table discussion, a lecture given
by Denis Muller on the theme of “Wisdom that reaches out to others;
towards a common humanist ethic” and personal encounters. This first
public event of Neuchâtel's Inter Faith Dialogue Group bringing
together representatives from all the religions in the district
(Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, Ba'hai, Christians) was a day of discovery
both culturally and personally.
To
mark the end of this day of celebration, the community invited the
participants to attend evening prayer. The orchestra played again,
giving the service a moving intensity. We
almost saw the roof of the 'Arche' chapel opening for God's joy to
descend on the assembled gathering, before flowing out into our world.
Over
50 years ago, some sisters went to Israel, Algeria and Lebanon to live
in small fraternities in a concrete expression of their desire to be
open to the Jewish roots of our faith, and to the world of Islam. Today
in the multicultural societies in which we live and in our common
search for greater justice and peace in the world, for active
non-violence, it is vital to weave strong bonds of friendship between
all those who seek the divine. Interreligious dialogue exposes us to
what is new and stimulates us…Each discovery in the prayer and
spiritual texts of another religion stirs us and makes us go deeper, to
discover the seriousness and depth of our own prayer. In addition it
widens our prayer, gives it new colour. This quest for God together
carries the world.
sr Françoise
* * *
The
Horizons Widen ...
...
the horizon of everyday life is rather ordinary but it is enriched and
made colourful by so many connections, ties from near and far creating
communion; visible and invisible links, bonds of soli-darity and
friendship. We are amazed by it, and are infinitely grateful too for
the prayer that surrounds us, the support of so many of you. From the
bottom of our hearts we thank you !
In
this new Advent time, may we be granted to see the face of the One who
comes to meet us in the humility and poverty of the manger in Bethlehem
- Yes the Prince of Peace! To each of you we wish a happy Christmas and
a blessed New Year in his sight !
The Grandchamp Sisters.
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