The Home Altar

I’m taking some time away this week, living in community with other members of the Order of Ecumenical Franciscans. We’ll be spending time in silence, in conversation, in prayer, and in prayerful discernment for the life of the whole community.

Each year, Chapter and Convocation includes several components, each of which is nourishing in its own way.

Communal Living- we share space, a schedule, meals, conversation, walks, silent abiding, and the sharing of news and stories from across our many lives. We make cards for those who cannot be present, and we lift both the order and the larger Franciscan family in prayer. Regional fellowships plan gatherings and retreats.

Worship- we keep the hours of the Daily Office, with rotating leadership in prayer and contemplation. We celebrate the Eucharist together as a sign of our unity in diversity, and get to hear some marvelous preaching and teaching. We celebrate rites of passage as people are welcomed at every stage of formation and discernment, as well as renewing those vows across the community. We sing, we laugh, we love, we rejoice, we lament, we console each other.

Convocation- we learn together. This year we’re having a series of panels to share the experience of joining the order in various decades as we celebrate our 40th anniversary.

Chapter- we sit together in prayerful discernment to listen carefully to each other and to the urging of the Holy Spirit. We receive news of the order and its activities and make plans for the year ahead. We make solemn decisions about admission and release.

Service– we engage in service to our host community as a way of being in solidarity with the people who call it home year round.

Play- we solve puzzles, play games, go for walks, do silly dances, compete for the ignominious prizes of the Juniper Cup (a farcical talent show). Some siblings go for a run, engage in yoga, or even go for a swim.

Wonder- we anchor ourselves in the present moment, asking where we have been, where we might be going, and what new adventures are a part of the unfolding wisdom being revealed in our midst.

I look forward to sharing the fruits of these endeavors in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, I pray that your practice will be a blessing to you and to everyone you meet. When the temptation to do or overdo arises, remember that you can simply be and in so doing you are beloved.

Practice

Take a moment today to journal some memories of a community that means a lot to you and where you feel deep safety, connection, and thriving.

• How do you know you belong?
• What are the gifts you give to the community?
• What gifts do they give you?
• How is your shared practice held by the community?

Take a moment to pray for that group, expressing your gratitude and love.

Be gentle with yourself, you are worth it.

Peace and Everything Good,

The Rev. JM Longworth, OEF
Spiritual Direction and Trauma Care

https://www.sdicompanions.org/sdi-profile/GreenMtFriarOEF/
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