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Duchesne and the novitiate
The day our sisters from Duchesne came to visit the Noviceship
On Thursday 4th October in the new noviceship, we welcomed our sisters from Duchesne, who came for tea, coffee and biscuits, followed by a liturgy of the Eucharist led by Siobhan, Karen and Katie. Afterwards we shared a wonderful lunch provided by the generosity of Duchesne community and cake, followed by more tea! The day was full of richness in every way with laughter, good conversation and a sharing in prayer. Karen and Katie led the liturgy while Siobhan gave a deep and rich breaking of the word (see below). All who were present felt spiritually fed and it was a wonderful experience to share the first liturgy with our sisters from Duchesne. Smiles communicate a lot and there were plenty going round as we walked in the sunny garden, stories were told, songs were sung and for some, the joy of catching up with old friends. It was a great day for our community at Hayes where the vibrancy of life was tangible and will be remembered. For everyone present it was a truly great day!
Siobhan's reflection on the Gospel: Luke 10: 1 -12 - Sending of the Seventy-Two Disciples
I think that it's interesting to consider: Why does Jesus send the disciples out with nothing? No purse, no haversack, not even sandals. Why? Well, one consequence is that wherever they go, whatever town they enter, they have absolutely nothing to offer people. Imagine two of the disciples asking to enter a man's house, a man who they have never met before, asking to stay with him and having nothing, materially, to offer him in exchange. By sending the disciples out with nothing, they have nothing physically to offer people BUT they have everything to share. We can see this from the instructions Jesus gives them and what he asks them to share: Firstly, peace: He says:Let your first words be, 'Peace to this house!` And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him. Their peace comes from Jesus and then goes to others. Secondly, hope: He says: Tell them The kingdom of God is very near to you. He wants them to share their hope. Their hope comes from Jesus and then goes to others. So the greatest treasure the disciples have is not something they possess but something that they have been given to share. What's really interesting though is that you can see precisely how valuable those gifts of peace and hope, that the disciples are bringing, are to people. Many of the towns put up complete strangers, housed them, fed them and welcomed them even though the disciples had nothing materially to offer. How attractive then must those gifts of the Spirit, of peace and hope, have been. How much must the people have yearned and deeply desired those things to do that. And so it is today, in the world out there. How many people still yearn and deeply desire those gifts of peace, healing and hope. So perhaps, today, we are being invited to share those gifts that we have received. I don't think that we only have to do that physically. The Holy Spirit isn't bound by physical distance! We can pray. Our treasure comes from God; let us share it through prayer.
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