A Posture of Hope…
Staying Connected in this Uncertain Time
With St. Joseph Spiritual Ministries

“We share the sky, all of us, the whole world.”
(Alberto Rios, “We Are of a Tribe,” published in The Poetry of Presence: An Anthology of Mindfulness Poems.)

 In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge. In every age, O Lord, you have been our hope.” 
Psalm 90

Dear Friends,

For the past 14 weeks, SJSM has been connecting via weekly reflections for you to ponder, pray with and offer some hope and nourishment in the midst of these challenging times. These reflections are available on our website page titled PRAYERS DURING PANDEMIC https://www.csjboston.org/covid-19-update/

Since we last gathered, we have all been faced with two pandemics: Covid-19 and Racism. Recently, a wise friend and I were sharing what we were noticing about what God might be doing in the midst of this global experience to invite our own and the world’s transformation. She shared that she is looking “for a posture of hope.” That resonated with me as we close out our weekly reflections and plan for another season of Mornings and Afternoons of Prayer in hope that we will be able to gather safely once again in our Motherhouse Chapel.

Our plan for all our prayer gatherings this year is to look together at each of these pandemics in light of these questions:

How do we pray/or how have we been praying in these challenging times?
Has our prayer changed?
Have we been able to pray?
How has it raised our consciousness?
Do we notice or have a glimpse of what God might be doing in our own lives and in the life of the world?
In what ways do we still need to grow, change, and take action?
How do we stand in a “posture of hope?”

When all seems overwhelming, I have often returned to the lyrical refrain from Psalm 90: “In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge. In every age, O Lord, you have been our hope.” I sing it over and over on long walks like a mantra, its truth is a balm, hopeful and calming in the midst of so much chaos and uncertainty.

In this all-too-unprecedented age, God is with us, still our hope and our refuge in this new moment experienced the world over. I wonder what is coming, knowing there are no limitations to God’s mercy and care for each one of us.

We’ve missed you and have been so grateful for your responses to our reflections and for sharing “how you are” in the midst of these two pandemics. We hope you will continue to share with us how you are and what you have been noticing about how God might be inviting you, us, the world, to deeper transformation and care for a truly global community.

Please save the date for our first planned gathering
on Sunday, October 4, 2020 from 3:00 – 5:30 pm in our Motherhouse Chapel
with S. Clare Walsh, MHSH
who will offer a prayerful afternoon reflecting on
“Covid is Emptying our Lives: The Blessings in the Shadow.”
We hope you will join us once again.

In Christ, 
Joanne A. Fantini, CSJ Agrégée
Director, St. Joseph Spiritual Ministries

 To hear Janèt Sullivan Whitaker’s “In Every Age,” click here…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR3I-McnF5c

Photo by Joanne Fantini, CSJ Agrégée, used with permission.

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St. Joseph Spiritual Ministries, founded and supported by the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston, welcomes women and men of all faith traditions and cultures who seek a deeper relationship with God, self and all creation. In collaboration with other dedicated people we are committed to offering spiritual direction and diverse spiritual opportunities in various locations for individuals and groups.