May 2022: Now the green blade riseth!

Dear Friends,

"Now the green blade riseth . . ."

So begins my favorite Easter hymn. The seed that lays in the earth becomes the wheat that "springeth green." Just so, the hymn says, Jesus lay in the grave and then rose.

Some people are offended by the use of natural metaphors for the resurrection. They want our Easter talk to be about the resurrection of Jesus, the promised resurrection of our bodies, as distinct from any cyclical natural events. That's fine, if you can do it. But for me, the Easter story is made concrete in all the ways the world is made new.

Spring is the closest I can come to experiencing the power of surprising new life. It happens every year, and every year my heart opens to the miracle as if for the first time. I walk up and down our little lane, inspecting the flowers and grasses and trees as they bring forth new beauty.

This year we planted a wildflower mix in our flower beds. We don't know what is coming up - we just see the signs of unstoppable growth. I think the Easter moment is like that. We may know (or not) what has been planted, what we saw go into the ground, but we don't really know what will appear. We know that the Christ energy never dies, but we don't know what form it will take in our lives today. That means we need to pay attention.

Each day I visit the flower beds. I see the little green sprouts, and I wait to learn what sort of flower they are. And each day I visit my soul, and see what might be growing there. Sometimes weeds are growing, but I may not know yet which are weeds and which are new blossoms I don't recognize. Each day I visit Jesus in our chapel, and in the garden. I listen for the voice of the Beloved. As I go about my day, I continue to look and listen for abiding love and shocking transformation.

"Love has come again, like wheat that springeth green." May your weary heart be touched by that love, however it appears to you. May you find yourself to be a surprising new shoot in God's garden. And may you rejoice to see all the others with whom you share God's soil.

Sister Shane, for the Companions

The Feast of Mary Magdalene, Apostle to the Apostles

Mary Magdalene! Today is her day, dear friends.

She radiates, yes. But what?

There are so many remarkable images of her, created throughout the ages. Images painted with pigment, images rendered in words, she catches the imagination.

But don't be confused. Yes, the images are beautiful. Yes, her story is compelling. Yet Mary Magdalene is not peering into a looking glass and shining with what she is seeing there. She sees the one who is God's radiance in flesh and blood. The story, her radiance, our experience--all are living within another.

Her gaze is on Jesus--healing and, in her, lifting humanity up. In that gaze, which mirrors the immense radiance of the One she loves, she goes beyond what seems possible for a woman of her time. In Jesus' feet-on-the-ground time on this planet, as he walks a life path that is unfathomable, Mary meets him. Transformed by his healing power, an outpouring of love, she returns that love, shares in providing for his needs, follows him as a disciple and receives the deep teaching of what God's love does in a life that let's Her in.

Mary Magdalene's vigil at the cross shatters her as she watches Jesus' tortured death. Believing all is lost--even his body, which she cannot find, Mary stays faithful through her grief, weeping at the tomb. Then she hears her name. She turns and takes it in She knows, for awhile, something no other human knows: that with Jesus the Christ, in death life is changed, not ended. He sends her to the other disciples, called apostles by the gospel. She proclaims the good news of his resurrection life and what is newly alive in her. She knows the truth. Christ is alive, and she is called to be the Apostle to the Apostles--whether they hear or refuse to hear.

The Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, among others that were pushed to the margins by what became the mainline church, tell of a woman on fire with Jesus, radiating the light and heat of that fire--the fire of unstoppable love--and inviting others to encounter life with him. A life that will offer and require more and more until we offer it all, it opens into territory that we cannot foresee. We must not seek to impose our limitations on it, even as our limitations will make themselves known, sometimes mightily.

The promise is that the Holy One will act and work through our weaknesses, the messes we create, the woundings we visit on one another. Love will grow in us through receiving the joys, surfing the turmoil, and accepting the griefs and challenges that are part of being human. God will work through it all and transform it all, as surely as S/He called Mary Magdalene from her life of brokenness to a life exceeding her expectations and what was expected of her as a woman of her time.

The promise is that absolutely everything will be made new through our encounter with the Truly Human One, the One that refuses to be swayed by any agenda that doesn't coincide with the will of God. He walks the way that opens before him with faith and trust, and very human trepidation, before his final YES! to live through and beyond death. Jesus invites us to do the same.

Six years ago Shane Phelan, CMA, and I, "E" Broyles, CMA invited--compelled?--by our encounters with Jesus, and accompanied by Mary Magdalene, made life vows to surrender (as much as we can!) to the transforming power of the Risen Christ in the Companions of Mary the Apostle. We remember that day with awe and wonder. And we give glory to God, and thanks to Mary Magdalene--and all of you who have been companions on the way. From her we learn to go with Jesus beyond our expectations, feel and let go of fears, and allow the Holy One to take us into a territory with a "ready or not, here I go," approach that is possible only when powered by Divine Love.

That day we joked about "Leaping off a cliff into the loving arms of Jesus." That is an aspect of what it felt like. With Mary Magdalene we learned that we never leap alone, actually. This mystery was transformed for me this week. I saw that we weren't actually leaping into the loving arms of Jesus at all. We are clasping his hand and he holds ours. Mary comes with us as we all leap into the mystery that life devoted to walking God's way always is. It is revealed to us, usually a bit at a time. Could we really take full revelation of what life will hold and what God will do all at once?! I think not. The step-by-step "Trusting in the slow work of God," as Teillard deChardin says, is the way. The leap is only the beginning. And we give "glory to God whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine."

I am deeply grateful for this life in and with Christ and Mary Magdalene. I am grateful for my own, quirky walk as a monastic as my life is knit together with so many remarkable journeyers who are radiant with Christ and faithful leapers. I am deeply grateful for the slow work of God in me, and in this creation that she so deeply loves.

And I am grateful for the hope and trust--given me--that the promise of abundant life for all--a life of flourishing, peace, love, inclusion and self offering--is for NOW. It is not some far off, future time or place, but in the present moment that God lifts us up and reveals a mystery. The reign of God is always here, interpenetrating much that is murky at best, and given over to evil at worst. Despite our differences, our fears, our failures, we are One and, in Christ Jesus, the radiance of God shines as we are empowered to live, love and be companions together on this wild, woolly way, one day at a time.

Thank you for accompanying us. May Christ's radiance shine through you--through us each and all--as we become more and more who and what we are created to be. May the example of Mary Magdalene egg us on and encourage us as we celebrate her today, and allow her to clasp our hands as we walk and wobble, stumble and leap into ever new LIFE in Christ with each other.

with Love in the Christ,

Elizabeth

June 2021

Change is afoot in the Community as Shane and Elizabeth recommit to a life of prayer and monastic living in general. The last few years have been a time of intense activity and it seems that we went overboard with that. We are pulling back from some of that activity and it will bring changes in our lives, and in the Companions' community as a whole. It feels a bit as if we are in the dark of the cocoon, waiting to see how we will emerge. We will keep you posted, and ask your prayers for ongoing openness to the guidance of the Spirit.

Meanwhile, summertime brings a slightly different rhythm to our lives as monastic Companions. A little less work, a more time for quiet, prayer and study and more than a little more play. In the last while we have visited Innisfree, a glorious garden in Millbrook, New York. We enjoyed it so much that we went with friends, then returned on our silent retreat to imbibe the beauty without words. Both were wonderful ways to have awe and wonder drawn out, and to practice our Love of Creation, the Second Love that we commit to as part of our Covenant.

Coffee Table Communion had its first live, in person celebration of the Eucharist last week. It was filled with the joy of being together and powerful to get to share in Communion again. We are continuing to have an option to "Zoom" in, with the gift of a larger screen so that the people who are online are visible to those in the room. There are some wrinkles to iron out, but it is good. Very good.

Elizabeth and Shane continue to provide spiritual direction. As I write, Shane is at Mercy by the Sea on the Long Island sound in Madison, CT, directing people on silent retreat and enjoying some time with the water and its myriad critters. E is tending the home fires (or air conditioner controls!).

May your summer bring some time immersed in the beauty of creation, having some time for connecting deeply with God and in play. We are all ripe for it, given the stresses of this last year plus. God bless you!

May 2021

Elizabeth: I am grateful to have seen my family recently, and for committing my mother’s ashes “to the deep.” And thankful for Shane, who led the prayers. I have been doing a great deal of reflection on community, continuing to practice spiritual direction and enjoying a renewal in my prayer life—both with Shane and on my own.

Shane: I am enjoying learning frame drum and noticing the flowers and trees opening up. I am grateful to be fully vaccinated, and so able to return to the gym. Memoir writing continues, along with spiritual direction and getting a crash course in the technicalities of being CMA’s treasurer.

Dario: In terms of news, Kaity and I have been working on programming events for the Balancing the Scales of Justice. We built a new website (https://balancingthescales.org/), where people can sign up for the newsletter and learn about past and future events.

Annie: I am mid-move to Virginia, and to a new position as a Hospice Chaplain. I am glad to downsize again! I feel so much lighter when I have less stuff.

Joy: I am contemplating this poem from Rumi:

Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don't open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

I am practicing kneeling, kissing the ground, and paying attention to its wonder. I have been regularly searching for the greening of spring (which you can see in photograph above). This month I have also taken up a musical instrument and am learning to play the ukulele.

March 2021

The big news is that the availability of the vaccine for COVID means that we may well be able to gather for our summer retreat in July. Missing last year’s was a great loss and we have really felt that. Thanks be to God!

Annie accepted a new position at Affinity Hospice of Virginia. She says she is “scrambling to put things in good order” at Hospice of St. Mary, and to sell or give away many possessions, and to pack and move the rest.

Dario is quite busy recording the last few video lectures before the semester ends in May, as well as juggling several ongoing research projects.

Elizabeth continues her spiritual direction practice, and receiving the blessings of a Lenten renewal of quiet prayer. March was stormy. Vacation with Shane at a friend’s cabin helped!

Ernesto’s contribution this month is a poetic one. Check it out!

Joy is spending her free time visiting the Arnold Arboretum, and looking for signs of spring.

Shane got her first acceptance—for a piece she wrote about serving as a chaplain at Ground Zero. It will be published in “Herstry” in July. The stormy March was true for her, also. Vacation time with Elizabeth helped. Clearing happens!

February 2021

February has been a considerably quieter month for the Companions--but has flown by, none the less. The Vowed and Covenant Companions continue to gather online once a week--joined by the Covenant Group one of those weeks. Shane and Elizabeth continue to pray the round of daily offices, see people in spiritual direction and enjoy rousing Bible Conversation with a delightfully engaging group of women (mostly) on Friday mornings. The snows have provided lovely walks and lots of shoveling!

Elizabeth has been participating in "Three Sunday" online offerings by the poet and philosopher David Whyte.

Shane led an international dialogue call for the Mastery School for Leadership and participated in the Mastery Foundation annual Board meeting online. She is also preparing her nephew and his partner for marriage in the Spring.

The Covenant Companions report that... there is not much new to report. That means they "just" work faithfully and hard as professors and researchers and communication specialists and pastors and chaplains...and that is without mentioning the many other ministries that they engage in on a regular basis.

January 2021

January has been yet another full month for the Companions--all of us! Shane and Elizabeth began with a pause--a five day silent retreat. They agree that beginning the day after Shane ends leading one isn't a good idea to repeat! And that finding a way to go elsewhere (ie. not at home) would be good, too. Here's just some of the news for us:

Annie continues to serve as a hospice chaplain, and at a local parish. She is also exploring some writings on Intuitive Eating.

Dario has been co-facilitating a series of Sunday encounters on the theological foundations of justice with Kaitlin Reese, a Covenant Group member. They co-chair the Diocese of Nebraska's Task Force for Balancing the Scales of Justice.

Diane is preparing to begin painting a new icon, The Virgin Mary Oranta (aka Our Lady of the Sign). It is an icon of Mary with her arms raised in prayer.

Ernesto said a heartfelt goodbye to the church he was serving as interim pastor, is beginning as Senior Pastor at another. He continues to read The Book of Concord. Pray for Ernesto, for Susan, his wife, and for both churches.

Elizabeth has been gathering up thoughts and reflections on Companions' community life. Notes have been piling up since her Sabbatical this summer! She is also participating in a local journal writing group which is using the process suggested in Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad.

Joy is practicing her fire-building skills as she and her partner hike in the Adirondacks (BBBBRRRRRR, I say). She is "falling in love with the sacred beauty of the snowy earth. She is also doing the 30 day Minimalist Challenge, giving away unused belongings--one on day one, two on day two, etc. It is another way that she is living out the second love of our Covenant--love of the earth.

Lauren made a new recipe that greatly pleased her: chicken orzo soup with fennel. She says it isn't a time for a great deal of focused reading, but it sounds like cooking is feeding her soul!

Shane led the New Years' Recovery Retreat--a Holy Cross online offering. She is spending lots of time hiking and walking in our "low tick presence" season. Shane continues to write, write, write new chapters, and is looking for publishers of her memoir.

December 2020

On December 30, Shane and Elizabeth complete eight years living in community. For all those years Elizabeth has been our treasurer and Shane our communications director; now they are trading places. Pray for them both! Shane will still pop up now and then, but Elizabeth will be our anchor.

Christmas was simple and beautiful in West Park; we did all the services here, sang hymns, and had a virtual open house. Then we shared dinner via Zoom with two friends who are usually at the table with us. The other Companions were with their families, either in person or virtually.

Ernesto is preparing for his transition from one church to another. He is the one reading the Book of Concord, the foundational doctrinal collection of the Lutheran Church. He is now officially a pastor in the ELCA.

Elizabeth has made a wonderful recovery from her hip surgery; thank you all for your prayers.

Shane is preparing for the New Year's retreat, growing in her technical expertise as well as reflecting on her journey of recovery. She pulled out her favorite Christmas song, Gesu Bambino, for our open house. She and Elizabeth did perhaps the silliest version of "Angels We Have Heard on High" for the open house.

Joy has just completed her spiritual direction training, and continues to be active in local anti-racism work.

Lauren finished her first embroidery project, and is now learning cross stitch.

Diane has begun an icon of John the Baptist, and continues to study the Orthodox tradition within which her icon school originates.

May you be blessed in 2021, with lots of good news!

November 2020

November has been challenging in West Park, but it's coming to a nice conclusion. Elizabeth has made a good recovery from her surgery, and she's getting stronger every day. Shane is back from sabbatical and has re-entered the full stream of community life and spiritual direction commitments. Many, many thanks to the local folks who fed us and drove Elizabeth to physical therapy and doctor appointments: this village has really taken care of its own.

In the wake of all this we are re-evaluating priorities and commitments, deepening monastic life here. This means more prayer, more intentional conversation about what God is doing with us individually and corporately, and shifting some roles. Stay tuned.

After a long siege of illness, Annie has started praying for consistently better health, or the grace to embrace self-care and grace-fully live with whatever serial afflictions arise. After juggling three part time positions for two years, she's taking up a full time chaplaincy position.

Diane has finished writing the icon of Holy Sophia! She is now working on an icon of St. John the Baptist for Advent. She had a wonderful 2 week visit with her parents in October, which was especially important now that they've decided not to gather as a family for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Lauren has been been accepted to a women's leadership program in New York City. She's practicing yoga at home. She and her wife Farrah celebrated Thanksgiving as a pair, with big plans to play Scrabble. Their new weekend activity is to bundle up in their parkas and sit in beach chairs in Astoria Park at a safe distance from friends. Covid activities!

Ernesto has just received a call as lead pastor at First Lutheran Church in Fremont, Nebraska. He's excited to be home with his wife Susan after time commuting, but there's sadness in leaving St. John's in Beatrice, NB, filled with people he's grown to love.

October 2020

The big news in West Park is Elizabeth's hip surgery this past Tuesday. The surgery went well, but her recovery has been slow so far. We are grateful for the friends who are offering food and errand support. Shane is also facing some medical issues; nothing life threatening, but prayers are appreciated.

Shane is returning from two months' sabbatical, in which she wrote and studied the Enneagram and cleared some mental space to see new possibilities for monastic life here. Between the two of us, we have a ton of notes to share with one another!

It's been a quiet month beyond the banks of the Hudson. Shelby got some time with her partner, Diane drove to Kentucky to see her parents, Dario and Kaity prepared a video for the Diocese of Nebraska addressing justice issues in the state.

Fall is here, people; in the Celtic calendar winter begins on November 1. Our first winter in COVID land; be safe, be warm, be loving and gentle.

September 2020

This month we welcomed Joy Perkett as a Candidate for Covenant Companionship. What Joy for all of us! (I didn’t even try to resist that!) The Board of Directors of CMA met and continues formation as we incorporate four new members. All of us are participating in engaging and sometimes challenging conversations about shared leadership and building community among the different threads of the Companions. Companion life is full! And…

See some of what Dario is up to in September’s newsletter reflection:

Dear Friends,

The words of the psalmist have been in my mind and in my heart a lot recently: “You love righteousness and justice; your loving-kindness fills the whole earth.” (Psalm 33). In times where loving-kindness is often portrayed as weakness and the justice system has resulted in a caste system with disenfranchised individuals at the bottom, what are we to make of these words?

I have the privilege of serving on the “Balancing the Scales of Justice” Task Force in Nebraska, whose mission is to be a prophetic witness to criminal justice reform, including the abolition of the death penalty in the State. The Task Force is led by Kaitlin Reece, a long term Covenant Group member and a dear friend of mine. The Task Force began its work last fall with prayer, with a day long vigil in the town where death row is. Through the work of the Task Force, I’ve had the opportunity to educate myself about mass incarceration in this country and the profound racial disparities that plague our justice system.

I won’t deny that it’s been very painful to learn more about these issues. I have been grieving over the state of our democracy for quite some time, and working on this Task Force has opened my eyes to even more injustices. However, there are also reasons to be hopeful. Seeing people all over the Diocese being genuinely interested in educating themselves, raising awareness, and taking action has been truly heart warming.

The Task Force’s next steps will focus on the restoration of voting rights for Nebraskans who have completed a felony sentence, and we will begin with a training workshop on public advocacy related to this issue in November. 

As Companions of Mary the Apostle, we are called to announce the good news of new life. However, as Mary did, we often have to get to the tomb first, to become aware and to raise awareness of the loss we experience, and to give ourselves permission to grieve.

Please keep us in your prayers.

Blessings,

Dario, for the Companions

Diane continues work on an icon of Sofia, and is getting ready to celebrate Cristosal's 20th anniversary on October 8th.

Elizabeth has returned to more active ministry and community life from her “Staybatical,” has resumed spiritual direction on Zoom;  is attending to communications a bit more; and enrolling new members in our Covenant Group.

Ernesto continues his creative, lively ministry as a Lutheran pastor in Beatrice, Nebraska. 

Joy is auditing a class that Joe Davis is co-teaching with David Sherer: The Next Faithful Move for Church Leaders: Tools for Talking about Race and Faith.

Lauren reports that things are (blessedly) quiet in Queens, NY.

Shane is on sabbatical, but not visiting her brother in Chicago. It's a long COVID story. She has also joined a writing group, is writing up a storm, and beginning to share on her blog. She just completed an Enneagram Workshop on Zoom, and is enjoying reading, and taking lots of walks.

Shelby has begun seeing patients and really dived into her chaplaincy residency in St. Paul, MN.

August 2020

We were thrilled to be able to see the West Park local community to celebrate the feast of St. Mary the Virgin. We gathered in our new Mary garden and "crowned" her (well, we wreathed her), we prayed and sang and danced a little. Then we spread out on the lawn and ate our picnic dinners. It was a glorious rare moment.

Last month we announced our newest Candidate for Covenant Companionship. Well, this month changed that. Joy Perkett, who has been in the Covenant Group for two years, decided now is the time to go deeper. So we will have the delight of her presence at weekly meetings. It's good timing, as we begin our "deep dive" into the Covenant and Charism over the next year. We are making room for new Covenant Group members as well, looking to begin that in late fall or early winter.

Elizabeth has learned that she needs a hip replacement. That is scheduled for late October. In the meantime she is practicing patience and letting others help. Prayers please! Shane is beginning sabbatical for two months, and will be away for one of those with her brother and his family. We are both grateful for the many friends who are offering to help Elizabeth, and also grateful for technology that lets us pray together while we are apart.

Shelby's season of change continues. She graduated Union Theological Seminary, moved out of New York, and has now moved to St. Paul Minnesota to begin a year's residency as a hospital chaplain. More prayers!

Dario and Paul took a few wonderful RV trips to the Black Hills and Lake Superior, and the semester is now in full swing for both of them. Dario is teaching online. It's a lot of work but it is also an opportunity to try out new teaching strategies, for which he's grateful. Dario is also actively involved in the Diocese of Nebraska's The "Balancing the Scales of Justice" task force chaired by Kaity. That group is moving forward with more projects and engagement.

Annie has been sharing her home with Josh, a student from Nigeria who had to leave his dorm in March. Josh has now returned to the dorm, and she is exploring life alone again. She has applied for postulancy in the diocese of Washington (more prayers!). She is getting a much-needed retreat this weekend.

The news in the Medina home is the addition to the family of a new puppy! Her name is Sophie (named after Sophia - Wisdom). She was born on May 26th. Then Ernesto went to visit his parents in San Diego. We pray for them, and for him and his brothers. Lauren and Farrah got out of town for a vacation on Cape Cod and relaxed on the beach, with yoga and lots of walks. Lauren is continuing to practice her hand at embroidery.

Prayers for you and those you love, and thanksgivings for all you do in this hurting and beautiful world. 

July 2020

If you missed our newsletter in June, you have a hint of what the summer has been like. Like so much in our world right now, it has been vastly different than what we planned. Elizabeth was due to start a three-month sabbatical in mid-June. With all the retreat centers closed, she ended up with a "stay-batical", with no direction appointments and few meetings, but still caught up in the business of the Companions - which is a lot this time of year. She hopes for a bit more rest in August.

The business included the Companions' annual retreat and Mary Magdalene celebration. We couldn't meet in person this year, so three Companions designed a "formation semester" model that we will use for deepening our awareness of the Charism and Covenant, as well as our relationships with one another. We still had our celebration on July 22, via Zoom. Diane, Ernesto, and Lauren all moved from Candidacy to their first annual Covenant Companion commitment, and Shelby Johnson became a Candidate. They were joined by friends and family - and our Board. We have four new Board members. In August we will have an on-line retreat to begin our work together as a new group. We are grateful and excited to have these wonderful people sharing their gifts with us.

And speaking of gifts: Two of our friends have generously transformed our house and grounds this summer. Emilie Trautmann took the bare space under some trees and transformed it into a garden of native plants. With a statue of Mary and a bench, it has become the perfect place for socially distanced spiritual direction and conversation. Tim Sharpe usually works on projects on summer mission trips, but this summer his “mission” has been to upgrade the insulation and features of our sleeping porch/office/direction space/guest room. What began as a simple two-day project has grown as Tim has shared his enthusiasm and skill with us.

Elizabeth and Shane joined Dario and Kaity Reece, a Covenant Group member, to facilitate a conversation on the book and film Just Mercy for the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska. Our Zoom experience has been invaluable these past months! It was great to sit with people learning about structures and people they had never encountered, and to see them begin to move toward action.

Shane has been doing the usual, plus some extra summer/ sabbatical tasks. She’s enjoyed watering the new garden and the patio plants, and exploring for interesting wood to use in the garden. Both Shane and Elizabeth have been the painters in Tim’s project. Come mid-August, she will begin two months of sabbatical in turn. She will focus on writing, and on deepening her use of the Mastery Foundation tools. In the meantime, she’s trying to stay cool. She will attend the Kaleidoscope Institute via Zoom in early August, before heading to Mercy by the Sea for two weeks: first to direct others in individual retreats, and then to have her annual eight-day retreat.

Our newest Candidate for Covenant Companionship, Shelby Johnson, has had a mind-bending few months. She was in her last semester at Union Theological Seminary in New York when everything shut down and she had to return to her hometown of Kewanee, Wisconsin. She completed and graduated on line, then drove back to New York to empty her apartment. She is now in Kewanee until August, when she moves to St. Paul MN to begin a chaplaincy residency program. And in the meantime, she’s working for her town offices doing grant writing. Just a little change.

More change: Diane took a new job after 25 years. She continues to work in health and education policy, and to serve on the Board of Cristosal. Annie continues her priestly discernment and hopes for full-time work at her hospice chaplaincy job. Ernesto and his wife Susan got a new puppy, and are negotiating over names.

Prayers for you and those you love, and thanksgivings for all you do in this hurting and beautiful world.

May 2020

Dear Friends,

Today is the feast of Pentecost, but it's also May 31, the Feast of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. (We will celebrate that tomorrow). It's a double dose of Holy Spirit! Elizabeth was "filled with the Holy Spirit" when Mary arrived, and she prophesied about Jesus. Mary, who had been visited by the Holy Spirit, sang in praise of God, prophesying in her turn. In the first reading for Pentecost, Eldad and Medad are prophesying "in the camp," in an unauthorized location. Joshua wants to stop them, but Moses is delighted: "Would that all the LORD's people were prophets!" (Numbers 11:29). Indeed.

If ever we needed prophets, it's now. We have some, as we always do, but we may have to venture outside the meeting tent to find and hear them. They are on the edges of the camp, speaking for poor people, for prisoners, for the exploited and oppressed. They are raising the lament at injustice, and they are encouraging and inspiring us to organize and speak in turn. They are reminding us of what God has done before, and what can happen now.

Of course, we aren't all prophets. Paul reminds us that the same Spirit that leads some to prophesy equips others to discern, to heal, to work wonders, and other things needed by the body of Christ. Some of us will be the "support staff," feeding and clothing those who are on the front lines. Some of us will bind up their wounds, physical and emotional and spiritual. The deeper work of the Spirit is to know what gifts we've each been given, and to use them.

And in the end, Jesus' gift to us is peace (John 20:21-23). Peace, a mission to forgive and spread peace. Peace is a hard thing to find these days: we might hide away and call that peace, we might just go numb, but the real peace of Christ is active and engaged.

What gift have you been given by the Spirit? How are you using it in these hard times? How might you use it? Today is a good day to pray for direction and strength.

Actually, every day is good for that.

Start today.

Blessings,

Shane, for the Companions

February 2020

Let's see, where to start?

Elizabeth spent two weeks in Israel and Jordan as chaplain on a women's pilgrimage. In case you don't follow us on Facebook, here she is celebrating Eucharist at an undisclosed location. She has just arrived home and is digesting this enormous experience.

Shane led a retreat for the junior class of Berkeley Divinity School at the Trinity Retreat Center in Connecticut. The theme was "spiritual practices for sustainable ministry." She was joined by Roger Ferlo, acting dean and wonderful chaplain. It was a wonderful experience, hopefully the first of many times she will offer this retreat to various groups. Now it's time to get ready for the "Twelve Steps for Everyone" retreat.

But the big news for her was the memoir writing retreat she attended at Holy Cross Monastery. Beverly D'Onofrio led the group through the beginnings of writing practice, and by the end there was a writing group to continue on. Shane is trying to write each day, or at least sketch something out, to develop a habit. She's reading memoirs, and learning a lot.

Our other Companions are living quiet lives right now - or so they say. Teaching, pastoring, serving - it's all going on. Thank you for your prayers for all we do and are.

January 2020

This newsletter is late, a sign of how chaotic and full this month has been. The new year began at West Park with the New Year's 12-Step retreat. Then after two days to shop and prepare, Shane and Elizabeth had their annual five-day silent retreat. We listened to a retreat of Don Bisson on Jung, Intuition and Creativity (CDS for sale at his website), read, prayed, journaled, made art. We came out fired up. But then Elizabeth's mother broke her hip, and Elizabeth was down in New Jersey while Shane went to San Francisco for a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Mastery Foundation. Elizabeth's mom is rehabbing nicely, but it was touch and go for a while. Now we're off again, to workshops and conventions. In the meantime, our Coffee Table Companions have been continuing to meet, being the community we know them to be. In the meantime we've continued to offer supply to St. Andrew's New Paltz until their new priest arrives. It has been a joy to be with them.

Ernesto spent the month traveling with his wife Susan, then with clergy colleagues. Spain! Morocco! Dubai! Meals with a Berber family, time with Teresa in Avila - a very big trip. Now it's back to the Nebraska winter.

Lauren and her wife Farrah moved to a new apartment - still "the Queens Companionary," but a big step up to two bedrooms. They are very excited, and a bit tired.

Diane is part of a group offering legal aid to immigrants in the Princeton area. Their first evening was a big success, with several families served. They have many volunteers, and look forward to serving more people - and to the end of the need for their services!

Wherever we are and whatever we are doing, we are bound more and more strongly to one another as Companions. We are inspired by the variety of gifts and commitments among us, and by the love we receive and give. May you be blessed with companions on your journey as well.

June 2019

May has been full, and glorious. We were back-to-back at Trinity Retreat Center: Elizabeth led a retreat for the Missioners of the Diocese of Connecticut, and then attended Shane’s Mary Retreat. She is enjoying a more evenly paced schedule with gratitude and breathing a bit of a sigh of relief! Shane is looking forward to that ease, after a retreat she will lead this weekend. We have both been supplying at some of our favorite local churches this month as well.

Shane went to Albany in support of bills for farmworkers’ rights. Farmworkers are not covered by the same protections and rights granted to other workers in the U.S., a legacy from slavery that is due to end. The food pantry is closed for the summer, so she has a bit more time to read and garden.

Annie attended a training entitled “Understanding and Responding to Complicated Mourning” as part of her chaplaincy work. As she said, “great stuff.”

Dario has finished the semester, and will spend the summer on grants past and proposed. In the meantime he continues to play music. You can read about his passion in the UN-Omaha newsletter: Professors who Play. He’s been making videos of his guitar work, but we won’t embarrass him here.

Ernesto continues his ministry in Beatriz, NE, and his work on behalf of children in the foster home system.

Diane completed an icon of St. Mary Magdalene that will be blessed during the Companions’ summer retreat. She also became the guardian of an unaccompanied minor recently arrived from Central America who attends the local high school.

Lauren is settling into her new job in New York City, and is participating in LGBTQ diversity efforts there.

We are preparing for the July Companions’ retreat, when we all gather for five days.

May 2019

Spring has sprung! It’s time to pray outside, to be up and out early and late.

Shane and Elizabeth spent Holy Week at Trinity Retreat Center in Connecticut. They joined in liturgies and reflections led by Daniel Simons, and offered a Saturday meditation exercise. The Vigil was held at 5 a.m. on Sunday, so we had a chance to really dwell in the in-between of Saturday.

Elizabeth has been on the road, first at Yale for direction and then on her annual retreat at Eastern Point Retreat Center in Massachusetts. Shane has been busy preparing for “the Mary retreat.”

The Covenant Companions celebrated Easter in their respective ways and places. It was Ernesto’s first Holy Week in an ELCA parish, and Annie’s first at her new work at St. Mary’s. Ernesto prepared by going on a “retreat” cruise with clergy friends. Annie, we think, had another plan.

We are now seven on our regular Covenant Companion calls, and learning more about each other. With so many people, the real struggle is to find a time to meet! It’s a nice problem.

As always, please pray for us to listen for what God is up to with us and among us, and to follow with open hearts and minds. Thank you for your support!

April 2019

At the Companionary, the big news (well, to some of us) is animals returning or awakening. Herons, hawks, groundhogs, robins, turkeys – everyone is emerging. The stray goose or duck finds their way to our new (unintended) pond, where road improvements blocked drainage. Flowers, too, are starting to show themselves. Spring is here.

Among the larger animals, Shane and Elizabeth began Lent with three days of silence. Shane served a local church for Ash Wednesday when their priest suffered a family loss, but otherwise it was a quiet three days. Then they had nine people for the mini-retreat, a wonderful day of reflection and sharing.

Elizabeth got a few days away, dog sitting for friends. She returned an hour before Dario arrived for a quick, lovely visit. It was great to see him without a computer screen!

Shane led a retreat for a Narcotics Anonymous group in Connecticut. This was a new group for her, a nice chance to grow in awareness and fellowship.

Dario received a grant to build a supercomputer for his research. On the other side of his visit to us he gave a talk to colleagues at Princeton, and got some helpful feedback.

Ernesto decided to record himself reading the Charism and Covenant, to play in the car on his way to work. It is so powerful to hear it read, to hear it alive in the world. We don’t have the recording on the website, but if you haven’t read the charism you can find it here.

The covenant group completes their yearly cycle this month. On March 31 Lauren Hare and Diane Paulsell will become Candidates for Covenant Companionship, joining Annie, Dario, and Ernesto for our more intensive formation and connection program. Please pray for them in this time of new beginnings. The continuing members will welcome new people in April.

As always, please pray for us to listen for what God is up to with us and among us, and to follow with open hearts and minds. Thank you for your support!