“How then shall we live today?”
(CND Orientation 2016-2021)
Leader: We are gathered in the Spirit deep within us and all around us.
Opening Prayer: (All) Loving Creating Spirit, we thank you for your abundant blessings as we, sisters and associates, gather in Cameroon, Canada, El Salvador, France, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, United States to celebrate our international identity.
*Silent Contemplation [5 minutes] (Singing bowl to begin and end time of contemplation)
One Voice:
…..Perhaps it is a time to become more deeply rooted in who we really are, to become so entrenched in the love of God which allows us to do love’s work and energizes us to go out of ourselves to where the needs are, to the peripheries…
Even with the long warm fall New England has enjoyed this year, there will be a winter and it will be cold. People living on the streets or moving from shelter to shelter will become more obvious, as most of the rest of us do less outside activities and stay inside on the cold days. As we enter a coffee shop or a fast food restaurant we are liable to meet the homeless. Some will be standing looking desperate; others will beg for a handout. Sometimes the homeless knock on car windows or mutely stand there at intersections holding placards begging for work or money.
I invite those who are attracted to the third aspect of our orientation to consider the following invitation which came from The Green Faith Network. There is a new multi-faith initiative which you can join. It calls us, “to walk our talk, to align our behaviors with our values… to change our consumption habits… to join a journey towards lifestyles of compassionate simplicity, for the sake of the human family and our precious planet.” To give concrete expression to your response sign the multi-faith statement, Walk on Earth Gently.