May my mind come alive today
To the invisible geography
That invites me to new frontiers,
To break the dead shell of yesterdays,
To risk being disturbed and changed.

Sometimes starfish are poetry

Doorway at a home in Caleruega, Spain, St. Dominic's birthplace. Might a Dominican doorway be inviting you?

In today’s Gospel reading we see Jesus naming the Apostles and sending them (the word apostle means one who is sent) to do the ministry of preaching. All of us are called at the time of our baptism, and we are all sent to preach the Gospel in our own particular way, according to our own particular gifts.

The Dominican Sisters are hosting a “Come and See” day in San Rafael. It is an opportunity to reflect upon how God is calling you to preach the Gospel, in your own particular way, according to your own particular gifts. Why not come and see if life as a Dominican Sister might be good way for you to live out the call you received from God at your baptism. The date is February 4, 2012 – please contact us at 415-257-4939 or vocations@sanrfaelop.org for more information.

Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.

And today I’ll let this morning’s sunrise in Bolinas do the preaching!

The morning sun give praise to our God!

St. Martin de Porres in one of the tapestries at the Cathedral in Los Angeles

Today is the Feast of our Dominican Brother, Saint Martin de Porres (December 9, 1579 – November 3, 1639). He is known for his care for the poor and vulnerable, and care of the sick. Many are the reports of his gift of healing, and he was skilled in the art of healing herbs. Animals loved Martin, and he they; they were comfortable in one another’s presence.

Though the priests of the Order were far more educated then he, Martin continually taught his brothers through example how Jesus taught us to value one another.

It was recalled by his prior that once when Martin was punished for picking up a destitute elderly beggar and placing him in his own bed at the monastery, Saint Martin went humbly to his superior and asked for forgiveness. He said that he didn’t know that obedience took precedence over charity.

He said, “Compassion is preferable to cleanliness. Reflect that with a little soap I can easily clean my bed covers, but even with a torrent of tears I would never wash from my soul the stain that my harshness toward the unfortunate would create.”

Saint Martin is one whose life was a preaching, and when necessary, he could add the right words.

E.B. White
Charlotte’s Web

Weed preaching the presence of wonder.

Every morning I receive a daily quote from Gratefulness.org. After reading today’s, I knew there were many images that easily preach the presence of wonder. Are we listening?

]]> http://opreach.org/2011/10/29/preacher-of-wonder/feed/ 2 OPreach weed_of_wonder http://opreach.org/2011/10/16/sometimes-watercolor-is-preaching/ http://opreach.org/2011/10/16/sometimes-watercolor-is-preaching/#comments Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:14:48 +0000 opreach http://opreach.org/?p=236 ]]> This watercolor painting of Mount Shasta was created by Sister Joanne Cullimore, OP.  Mt. Shasta is a majestic snow covered mountain that is part of the Cascades in California. It is one of the state’s 14ers, and stands 14,161 feet high.

Watercolor of Mount Shasta

 Truly, this painting of Sister Joanne Cullimore does all the preaching that is necessary.
God is revealed in creation.

So, I ask you

• Did the driver and the passenger agree with the sentiments reflected on the side of the car they were sitting?
• If so, would you want to be a rider in that car?
• Is this what we are experiencing as we travel through life today?
• How is it riding in that car?
• Are these the competing voices inside of the heart and mind of the driver?
• How is it living inside my own skin listening to the competing voices?

Right now I’m reading the book Amish Grace, by Donald Kraybill. It’s all about forgiveness. “In the Amish view . . . people receive forgiveness from God only if they extend forgiveness to others.” In other words, they put the words given to us in The Lord’s Prayer into action. The lives of the Amish are a preaching on forgiveness.

Many wondered, following the tragic events of October 2, 2006, if the families of the West Nickel Mines School were merely putting on a show of forgiveness. But no, it is clear that this was something they practiced.So that when they found themselves between a rock and a hard place, their practice of the virtue of forgiveness won out. Thomas Aquinas, that great Dominican theologian from the 13th century would agree that if we practice the virtues, we will be able to exhibit them when it is difficult.

I wonder which virtues I’m cultivating . . .

There’s a wonderful Cherokee story called, “Which Wolf Will You Feed?”* I need to choose one or the other, or they may devour one another. It would be like sitting between those two bumper stickers!

*It can be found many places on the internet; here’s one link.

Lake Tahoe

On this mountain the Lord will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines. On this mountain God will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, the web that is woven over all nations; God will destroy death forever. The Lord will wipe away the tears from every face; the reproach of the people God will remove from the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken. On that day it will be said: “Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us! This is the Lord for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that God has saved us!” For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain.

“A desire to kneel down sometimes pulses through my body, or rather it is as if my body has been meant and made for the act of kneeling. Sometimes, in moments of deep gratitude, kneeling down becomes an overwhelming urge, head deeply bowed, hands before my face.” – Etty Hillesum

May the Holy Spirit grant us the same capacity for forgiveness and gratitude.

Omega, by Sister Adele, Copyright © 2011, Dominican Sisters of San Rafael

Sunday’s second reading from Philippians tells us:

“Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

In Sister Adele’s words (some forty years ago):

“My fifty years of life fall into nearly equal parts: a quarter of a century at Dominican college in the ministry of teaching, and a second quarter of a century at the same location in a ministry of preaching -”preaching” that is via the visual arts.

While awed by the world’s natural beauty, a real reflection of the Divine, I feel my kind of art must present more than a straight picture of nature. For this reason, I fracture my original image with another, carefully chosen one, enabling me to utilize the counterpoint capability of the montage technique, to create my Counterpoint Imagery.”

To fulfill the preaching component of this art ministry, the art must be made available for public viewing, hence it is available at this link:

Counterpoint Images

The Artist