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“The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. In green pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul.” Psalm 23:1-3
In spite of the crazy weather we’ve been having, the grass is turning green, the trees are budding and blooming, the birds are singing and new life is bursting forth. There’s something refreshing and invigorating about being in nature, especially at this time of year.
As we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday in the Catholic Church this weekend, we reflect on images of God as a caring and protective shepherd. In the 23rd Psalm the shepherd leads the sheep to pasture and restful waters. We are invited to follow the shepherd’s lead away from the chaos, stress and struggles for some time resting and soaking in God’s love and care for us.
During this busy time at the end of the semester, will you take some time to rest and be refreshed in the quietness of a pasture? Perhaps your pasture is a quiet walk through VanderVeer Park, sitting in Christ the King Chapel listening to the sound of water in the Baptismal font, lying comfortably in a hammock or enjoying a cup of coffee on a picnic table. The key to being in the pasture with the Good Shepherd is to get away from distractions and noise.
“God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass – grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence. . . We need silence to be able to touch souls.” -- St Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Have a question about a program or event going on in Campus Ministry? Got an idea for something you'd like to see happen? EMAIL US at ministry@sau.edu.
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After the trauma of witnessing the crucifixion of Jesus and suddenly hearing the earliest reports of his resurrection, the disciples found themselves on the road to Emmaus, unsure of what to believe, when "Jesus himself drew near and walked with them."
The king of heaven and earth, our resurrected Lord and Savior, miraculously walked beside them, listened to them, and talked with them, "but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him."
It makes me wonder: what prevented them from seeing him? And furthermore - what prevents us from recognizing Christ's eternal presence with us here on earth today?
Last night, a large group gathered on campus to watch The Letter: A Message for Our Earth, a documentary film that tells the story of a journey to Rome of frontline leaders to discuss the encyclical letter Laudato Si Care For Our Common Home' with Pope Francis. The film personalizes the heartbreaking toll climate change is already taking on the poor, indigenous populations and wildlife, while threatening to get much worse and increasingly impact every single one of us. People are losing their homes, living in fear and even dying already, and it looks like things will continue to get worse.
It's painful to witness the harsh reality of climate change - so hard that like the disciples, we may close our eyes to the possibility of Christ's resurrected presence walking beside us through it all.
Yet, the film also shines a profound light of hope into the darkness of our global issues, illustrating how we can harness the power of interfaith dialogue, the energy of our young people, the voices of diverse people groups, breakthroughs in science and the depths our common humanity to unite and create massive waves of positive change in the world.
Our miraculous God walks among us, whether we can perceive his presence or not - setting our hearts on fire with faith in his resurrection power and calling us into action on behalf of each other and our common home.
As Earth Day approaches, I encourage you to read this prayer by Pope Francis and open up to ever-greater inspiration on how we can work together as Ambrosians to address climate change.
Have a question about a program or event going on in Campus Ministry? Got an idea for something you'd like to see happen? EMAIL US at ministry@sau.edu.
