IHM Assembly 2011 ___________________ Marlene Weisenbeck, FSPA

IHM Assembly 2011

ASSEMBLY: A time to call ourselves to –A deeper & peaceful stance of contemplation –A time of balancing the realities of death & life, hope & resurrection –Readiness for the cost of the vision –A renewed sense of mission –Staying in our own truth & intention

PART I Our Prophetic Call: Rooted in God and in the Gospel PART II Call to commitment: communion & community for the people of God IHM Assembly 2011

Part I Summons to prophetic witness The call to change -- - what conversion is about; - not giving up on vocation or life The Mysteries of prophetic hope, transfiguration & change IHM Assembly 2011

Part II Communion & community for the people of God The work of transformation & transfiguration As a community, how will we provide a way forward in uncertain times? IHM Assembly 2011

THE MYSTERIES & QUESTIONS of Prophetic Hope, Change, & Transfiguration Called to change (conversion) A prophetic vision of hope in the midst of change; What is the reality of our community life? What does hope tell us? What is the work ahead? Do we have the capacity to change; if so, then what must we do, and how? What is our call to mission at this time?

Called to change The first and most important thing that Jesus and all the prophets have to say about the new future is that it is –“at hand” –“coming soon” –“near” Change is a new saving act of God, an act of judgment and salvation; an event of the near future in which God is going to put right all that is presently wrong. IHM Assembly 2011

Richard Reiser, iconographer

Hope in a time of change This makes our present time a truly prophetic kairos... A time when everything is at stake, a time for taking a clear stand, a time fraught with joyful anticipation as well as fear, and HOPE. It is a time to appeal for radical change in our lives, a time for standing out in our society and church as people of HOPE. Albert Nolan: HOPE IN AN AGE OF DESPAIR. IHM Assembly 2011

Readying Ourselves to Change Be willing to drop our certainty, what we think we know, for the sake of seeing more Hold in abeyance our knowing & our opinions so we can see & hear the new before us A posture of prayer: God, what would you have me pay attention to? So that we might see what is being given to us! To do or leave undone and awake to the hope rising in our midst Rose Mary Dougherty SSND: Readying Ourselves to See the New. LCWR Winter 2011 IHM Assembly 2011

The prophetic dimension prevents the religious organization from being “tamed” by political structures that are oppressive, violent, or unjust. This means addressing, not the crisis of the time, but the dominant crisis of having our alternative vocation co- opted and domesticated. John Heagle. Justice Rising, IHM Assembly 2011

Creative tension

Being prophetic is the hallmark of Religious Life There is a prophetic dimension which belongs to the consecrated life as such, resulting from the radical nature of the following of Christ and of the subsequent dedication to the mission characteristic of the consecrated life... Vita Consecrata IHM Assembly 2011

Vatican Council II Religious Life as Charismatic A Community of love Orientation to the world IHM Assembly 2011

Response to Historic Reality Charismatic: To see, perceive & understand our reality from the perspective of the Gospel; always radically at odds with the dominant consciousness through critique, animation, & sometimes confrontation Community Of Love: See how they love one another! World Orientation: How vast is our vision for the Gospel reign of God?

What is the biblical legacy of prophetic life? Restoring order to God’s household (charismatic) Preaching the good news of God's love for all peoples. (world orientation) It is about transforming God’s people into the family of God. (community of love) IHM Assembly 2011

Authentic role of prophets A prophet is one who ‘combines a very deep love, a very powerful dissent, & a powerful resolve with envisioning hope. Rabbi A. J. Heschel IHM Assembly 2011

Functions of Biblical Prophets Giving an account of the HOPE within us means: To speak on behalf of God with passion To unveil sinfulness & challenge structures To be the conscience of their people To call people back to their original covenant of faith As visionaries, to see a new world order To imagine a different present & the possibility of a new future To speak God’s blessings IHM Assembly 2011

HOLDING ON Embrace reality. Resist tendency toward complacency. Curb arrogance Reduce self-centeredness Awaken inner consciousness. Insistently love creation. Form authentic relationships, Receive the “hard grace” of the Paschal Mystery. Allow graceful giving to have the last word.

Paschal Mystery dynamics & the call to mission Suffering & gift, freedom & binding Love is to bind oneself to the finitude of others’ lives. A fundamental form of Christian hope & grace Our bodies are a fundamental touch point of the Paschal Mystery We do not flee the needs of others in denial of our finitude, but hold on, giving our lives for others in love. IHM Assembly 2011

Witness to Prophetic HOPE with Holy Saturday spirituality 1.Grieve 2.Deep prayer; contemplation 3.Remember past enthusiasm 4.Relationships 5.Trust 6.Have courage and be joyful. IHM Assembly 2011

We have reached a new depth in our process of renewal and we are speaking in ways that continue to require courage, generosity, and new expressions of living faith. We are speaking with solidarity, with joy, and with conviction. At the same time, may we always speak with humility, with truth, and with holiness. How else will we perceive what God is doing in our midst? Mary Hughes, OP LCWR President LCWR Annual Report IHM Assembly 2011

CONTEMPLATIVE MOMENT Speak to your Sisters about What transfigurations in your life have brought you to a depth of certainty about your mission ? How is it we are being called to influence the world today? IHM Assembly 2011

WALK My gaze is already upon the hill bathed in the sun, ahead of the way which I just began. so that which we could not grasp is grasping us, abundant epiphany, approaching us from afar— and even if we cannot reach it, it transforms us into that which, though barely aware, we already are; a sign if carried on the breeze in reply to our sign... But we only feel the head winds. Rainer Maria Rilke, Poet (Translation by R. Bieringer & M. Elsbernd) Kathrin Burleson, Painter