Entrance procession
All that glitters is not gold, and I know gold when I see it. On Saturday Sr. Agnes Anderson, with whom I share community, gathered her family, including her mother, her twelve syblings with their families, colleagues, and IHM friends for a joyful Golden Jubilee Mass. A definite Wow! In her reflection Sr. Agnes spoke about the power of questions. She spoke of learning early in her teaching ministry that the key to teaching was not so much in telling her young students information, but in asking them questions that engaged them in the learning. What did you like about the story? Where were you in the story?
In her own life too she had learned that God was with her as she stayed with her questions. When she remained true to the questions God led her to amazing experiences she never would have imagined, for example, teaching elementary teachers in Ghana how to teach. Now as she reflects back on fifty years of IHM vowed life she sees that through her questions she learned that God was enough. She sees that she had always had enough. Sr. Agnes concluded the reflection by singing and inviting the congregation to sing with her “Oh what do we do with so great a love, so great a love?” All of us left chapel lifted up on that love.
If you folllow the word of god throughout your whole life you should live a full and rich life. There’s nothing more satisfying.
I would agree that questions have great power. I learned that almost everything good starts with a question – a person that seeks the truth will accept it, despite of fact that the truth could be difficult or hard to believe. If someone doesn’t want to know the truth, he won’t. Even if you show that person some hard evidents – that will not be ever enough. I saw people like this and talked to them. Talking to them is similar to trying make a conversation with concrete. But still there is a need to try and try again.
Thanks for your comment. Oh yes, talking to a person who doesn’t want the truth is like conversing with a piece of concrete. However, I agree that we need to try and try again. Very difficult, eh? An IHM friend of mine whom I admire greatly truly dedicated her life to justice. Once she said to me that those who work for justice cannot be attached to success. They have to just keep working even in the midst of disappointment or they will burn out. Another sister shared that she had spent much of her life fighting for justice, but she has realized now that she is older that a person must stand up for justice from a centered, prayerful place within herself, never letting love get lost in the struggle.