The rose Project Day Three
SNJM writings “Contemplation inspires action; action reflects contemplation. They are two aspects of a single love.” (Constitutions, 58)
“Prayer keeps me in touch with this giant heartbeat of the Risen Christ living in all of us, keeping the Church moving forward in love and mercy...” - Mary Ellen Robinson, SNJM
12
Reflection - Praying
From Scripture:
Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.” He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come.” - Mark 1:35-39
Reflection:
Contemplation and action…are two aspects of a single love. Prayer draws us into the heart of Jesus if we desire that, a heart full of tenderness and compassion, especially toward those with the greatest need. That prayer drew me to the Yakima Valley when I was 29, to participate in an intercommunity house of Sisters seeking to respond to the needs of Mexican immigrant farmworkers and their families in Washington State. Prayer kept leading us. We instinctively responded to the needs of neighboring children, many from immigrant families crowded into pieces of a family home divided into four or five apartments. Some children could speak English. The Sisters offered after-school tutoring, times for games and puzzles for the littlest ones, and a two-week summer vacation program that drew volunteers, including students from Holy Names High Schools, who would stay with the Sisters for a week or two. Intense and constant prayer, and the generosity of many donors and volunteers, keep the ministers and their ministries going. Contemplating the words of faith leaders help fuel the action. From the Documents of Vatican II, Medellin’s (Latin American Bishops’ Conference, 1968 in Medellin, Colombia) commitment to “a preferential option for the poor”, and the U.S. Bishop’s Conference affirmation that “justice is a constitutive element of the Gospel” to Pope Francis now calling all Christians to deepen their prayer in union with the heart of Jesus; for the sake of the poor and our very Mother Earth herself, the Holy Spirit has been guiding us, you and me, I believe, to advocacy and action with people who are poor and on their behalf.
