An “Assignment” for Us All?
A week ago now, I received one of many emails you have probably been receiving, too, canceling an event or gathering we were so looking forward to attending. The stab of disappointment came on so quickly I almost did not finish reading the entire text of one I had received.
Our dear artist friends, Carey and Julie, were postponing our morning of “Artful Devotion”. Every few months we gather, focus on a spiritually-based topic, pray, reflect, and then, suitably inspired by the quiet and presence of others, create a work of “art” from bountiful offerings of pens and pots and paints, of papers and fabrics and shards, of leaves and flowers and seedpods live and dried. The choices and challenges are both daunting and exhilarating. And yet in scattered isolated togetherness, we create – and then, laughingly, poignantly, and somewhat shyly share the results.
As I said, I almost did not read the whole email but am glad I did because in it was an assignment:
As many of us will be at home over the weekend with unexpected time for prayerful reflection, may we suggest the following:
...Take some time to consider a written reflection, poem or scripture that pertains to a subject on your heart. With art materials such as water color, markers, magazine images, or whatever you have on hand, create a visual meditation that is a heart response to your theme.
If you find this to be rewarding and would like to share it with others, take a picture and use the list of e-mail addresses above to send it to us all. Ways of practicing community are still possible whether near or far in this age of technology.
Among other subjects, women’s ordination was on my mind. As I looked around in my confinement and its limited options for something of beauty, something I might be missing as so many miss the power of women’s ministry and leadership, I found a houseplant raising one flower in bold, beautiful defiance and said, “There. That is us!”
But others began posting, and I could see the same reflection of us in the works by other artists – like this one by Lynne Horoschak. Look at the rising waves of energy, feel the elation, sense the eruption and evolution, strong, powerful, “There. That is us!”
And this, also by Lynne: the bursting life of the flowing stream, the daring darkness of the bristling trees, the honeying ground of the brightening day. “There. That is us!”
It remains a continuing assignment for us to see and imagine how all that is so familiar could be breathed into new life.
6 Responses
The sacramental economy should not be a patriarchal economy. How can this be represented visually?
The Mass could be said by two people, a male priest and a female priest and the congregation could be asked to say the words of consecration with them. Alongside this should be a deeper teaching on the reality of the Trinity as God’s creative, saving and enlivening presence in us, in the Church and in the world in and around us. That’s what is meant by the teaching that all the baptized share in Jesus’ gift of Priest, Prophet and King in Vatican II.
I love this, Ellie! Thank you.
Really liked the visual representations–I appreciate artistic creativity, but have no skill in that area. I do have a peace lily with one flower now in bud, so I particularly liked your drawing, and your interpretation of all of the images.
Ellie, thank-you. The last painting so touches my heart, as I clearly see a beautiful yellow butterfly in it “just when I needed it most”!
I am reminded,at this difficult time, of the story of the caterpillar saying to her companion,”Who–me fly?”…and a poster of the photo of a woman in vestments at the altar (very early on in the women’s ordination movement) which said, “Patience is active, concentrated strength”!
A Biblical kind of plague has been allowed into our world because of the hardness of hearts, especially those few in power, now over many. MEANT To shake us up spiritually, helping us even to non-violently be able to end the idolatry of wide spread inequality, already seen by most good hearts, as not in the best interest of any in the long run.
In the past by the use of patriarchal languages and controlled cultures, of a false male/only image of God, indoctrinated many into beliefs of inequality, of mostly females, but in many ways affected males too in both religious, political, and economic companions.
The One God of All, being neither just male or just female, but our Heavenly Parent, having the qualities of both Mother as well as Father, or in the most original meaning of “ABBA”, the Aramaic word Jesus used, for God, in the language of the people in Biblical times and Holy Land.
the now not such a Holy Land, in remembering the inequality I found there in 1986, that has increased since for most of the natural born descendants of Abraham, who historically believe and do have a Biblical right to live in peace there again! Hopefully someday soon if we are able to avoid World War III or another Armegeddon, which is only possible if we agree to live together in Peace and Equal Respect, Forgiving each other our imperfections and tendency to violence, by setting aside revenge, by knowing our un-forgiveness of ourselves and others, hurts us and everyone more than doing even more, by putting it in God’s Hands to deal with in God’s Time. learning to and teaching by example to live together in the Golden Rule of Equality and equal concern, even for our enemies as the only way to make them friends instead! See John 3:3-7 to understand better.
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