Wednesday: Feast of Saint John

The spirit was willing but the traffic prevented my arriving on time, when it seemed that all five million residents of the Greater Toronto area converged on Bayview Avenue. Morning prayer was already in progress. Those in residence had enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and after a short break following morning prayer, we assembled in the chapel for Margaret’s address. She was introduced by Sr. Elizabeth with another reminder of the purpose of The Gathering, an introduction to the contents of our registration package which included interesting booklets on retreats in daily life and the monastic tradition. We were encouraged to read and share these. There were also a few housekeeping notes about discussion room locations.

Margaret is a relaxed and inspiring speaker. She has a gift for remembering and telling stories that make a point. Her first was an old one about the modern scientists who went up to see God and tell him he was now redundant. After all, they could now make perfect human beings just by using mud. God’s response was, “Get your own mud!” From this she moved into her first subject, More than meets the Eye. She noted that we are often very good at recognizing the gifts of others, but reticent about or unaware of our own gifts. The modesty that we show may actually be a false one. Somehow we know that God has provided the gifts, but we would secretly still like to take the credit for them. Returning to the image of the night before, she reminded us that the beauty of the agate stone can only be seen when it is sliced open and there is a parallel in our human lives. We can carry on and avoid the pain or we can let God flow through the brokenness. A different beauty emerges when we have been polished.

She told another story of the oyster (which also appears in Wayfaring). It rose to the surface attracted by the light of the full moon and dared to open its shell and capture a sliver of moonlight before returning to the ocean floor. The sliver grew to be a pearl. Stressing that this was a good imaginative concept though questionable biology, she compared the oyster to humans touched by mystery. Billions of years ago a tiny grain held the potential of all the riches of our current world and its teeming life.

She suggested that we share our own experiences of being touched by mystery. Studies have revealed that 60-70% of the population have encounters with mystery that change the way they live. These are part of our real story. She remembered seeing a very early ultrasound of her granddaughter where the baby was about 6 millimetres in length and suddenly realized that she already had a relationship of hope and dreams for her. In the same way we are all part of God’s dream that is still unfolding. Mary was asked to weave a story of humanness, but we also need to discern what might become incarnate within ourselves.

While it is easy to name the major destructive elements in our society and in our lives, terrorism and violence really represent a small percentage. It may be the millions of small acts of spitefulness and pettiness that should be our focus when we try to redeem the world. They can change with millions of equally small acts of unexpected grace.

We proceeded to coffee break and our discussion groups. Mine had an interesting mix of people from diffenent geographic locations and life experience. This was really evident when we shared some of the amazing experiences that had “sliced” our lives and sent us in new and different directions.


Soon it was time for a festal Eucharist celebrated by the Rt Rev’d Colin Johnson, Bishop of Toronto and visitor to the SSJD community, who was also the preacher. The service was preceded by another duo of Dan Norman and Sister Ann and we had another new hymn, the gift of Dan and Sr. Sue, which they urged us to share with our parishes.

Bp. Colin noted his own long association with the order and praised the uniqueness of its past, its focus on the future and the privilege of being its visitor. He praised its connection with a venerable saint like St. john and the challenge of living into the meaning of his writings. One of the strengths of John is his many lenses – his relationship to Jesus as the beloved disciple, his connection to a loving community, and his call to others to believe and have life. John connects the dots. So it is no accident that the Old Testament lesson comes from the beginning of Genesis, the Gospel starts with a beginning as the Word, and the Epistle points to the revelation of the world to come. He cited the wonderful hymn, My Song is Love Unknown, as making the same universal connections of a community reconciled for unity.

He remembered as a young associate how surprised he was to find a community of women in no way cut off from the world, but in engaged with it in love and prayer. The convent was a place to go to find out what was happening in the world and learning how God wins, redeems, loves , forgives and reconciles. It still is.

Bishop Colin left us with four lessons taught to us by St. John; that as the beloved, we too can pass on that love to others; that we can be integrators of disparate things; that we can be life affirming; and that we can live hopefully.


The Eucharistic feast ended and was followed by another one in the Refectory with a lively talking dinner. There was time for a brief walk outside on a beautiful day marred only by construction noise at the hospital where the work area also barred easy access to the pleasant hospital gardens. The tulips along the side of the guest house were celebrating spring and there was a brief chance to follow Margaret Silf’s suggestion to look closely at the small and beautiful details of life around us.




Soon it was 2:30 and we were back to hear Margaret’s second address of the day. First Sr. Elizabeth promoted the new issue of The Eagle, which some will have already received and will await the rest of us on our return home. The new issue will feature the history of the branch houses – including the black history heritage of SSJD who accepted women who were excluded in the US. It also details the recent life profession of Sr. Amy and the celebration of Sr. Constance’s 105 birthday. There was a brief difficulty with the sound system, which made Margaret remember an Anglican rector who instead of starting the service in the usual way, began “There’s something wrong with the microphone”. The congregation responded immediately, “And also with you”.

Margaret started by talking about a problem with the expression of faith – a tendency toward dualism which admits of no exceptions; sacred versus secular, eternity versus time, religious versus worldly – the list goes on. The challenge is to find God in all things and we are not terribly good at it. Celtic spirituality on the other hand talks about “thin places” and “sacred space” where one penetrates the other and there is transformation. She cited her Jesuit friend Gerry Hughes who sometimes offended his listeners by imagining a scenario where Jesus is welcomed into a modern home. Then he brings along his less reputable friends – publicans, sinners, prostitutes – and suddenly the solution is to remove him to a very nice cabinet, with a lace frontal on top and perhaps flowers. Another friend knew she was a Catholic because she genuflected when entering the cinema.

Still another friend, Anthony de Mello likens our perception of the world to that of a fish in water wondering what and where the ocean is, - without realizing that as a fish it is already in it. We are unwilling to listen to the leading of the spirit and in danger of trying to move up and out of it through occasional acts of piety. This is a particular trap for those who view Sunday with a sense of obligation. What we really need to aim for is to be at prayer all the time.How we each deal with the problem is important because one cell affects the whole body.

Margaret particularly commends the Review of the Day, sometimes called the Examen. Ir is not wise to think of this as an examination of conscience or a list of sins, but as a review of the recent 24 hours to see how God is working in us, to sense our presence of God in the created world, and to examine where there has been life giving energy and where energy has been wasteful or destructive. When we can see beauty and missing the mark in our own actions and choices, we will be better able to perceive the same qualities in other people.

Margaret also challenged us to use the “review of the day’ in dealing with broader ecumenical issues and other conflicts facing the church. Different fields are often fenced off to grow different crops well and we may need all of them. The challenge is holding opposites in balance.

We returned to our discussion groups after a tea break – with such a challenging morning, it seemed our energy was lower, but we did start to look at some of the issues of responding to seekers’ questions about “God Stuff. We are supposed to compile some vision for the whole community later and we made a start on a few suggestions here. We also started to pull some ideas together which are still germinating for a skit on Friday night.


Evensong followed with more good hymns and canticles enthusiastically sung. This time we got the silent supper right and life felt more settled. The night is basically free. Some will watch a documentary portraying various religious communities before they take the DVD home and it will give them a chance to ask questions. For most, I suspect it will be an early night, and it certainly will be for a rather tired blogger.

The Gathering Begins

The Gathering’s blog is an attempt to condense space and reach you anywhere. Now it looks as though we might have to monkey with time as well because there is so much going on, - so while there will be an attempt to keep up in real time, it may fall behind real time only if there seems to be too much to say.

I arrived at the Convent just before two o’clock to find registration operating in full force and people gradually arriving. Those of us who are leading and facilitating small group discussion received some pointers in advance, - not the least of which was to review the purpose of the gathering;
• Reflection on the something more we are seeking – both personally and as sisters, associates and oblates of the order
• To experience the rhythm of the monastic life – so that prayer, study, work and relaxation contribute to what Joan Chittister once called Wisdom Distilled from the Daily
• To deepen our understanding of the work of SSJD and other orders
• To explore new directions for SSJD itself, - I was interested to learn that the ideas of increasing the use of volunteers and the creation of the Oblates actually came out of the visioning process of the gathering in 1995

There was also some housekeeping reminders – there were guidelines for the groups, outlines of the discussion topics with a general question or two and a reminder that were going to produce our own entertainment for Friday evening and we needed to start thinking about it in the groups. Most leaders and facilitators were meeting for the first time and I had an enjoyable conversation with mine – who probably wins hands down as the traveller of the greatest distance. She has come to us from Glasgow, Scotland.


I then went out, armed with a digital camera to snap a few pictures. Some participants were already walking the labyrinth, and reading quietly in the sun. Inside people were chatting in the conference room and moving toward the guest house to unpack. Before long it was time for our first evensong.

The organist, Dan Norman and Sister Anne played a prelude on piano and violin respectively. We were given booklets for Morning and Evening prayer – and a reminder card that there was a new response to follow the readings, “Listen for the leading of the Spirit”, - much more appropriate than the customary, “The Word of the Lord” that too often follows horrible accounts of violence in the Old Testament and often neglected in following the hard direction of the New. The first hymn had the familiar tune of “The Day Thou Gavest, Lord is Ended” and I wondered at the unfamiliar words, till I noticed that they were written some time ago by Sister Rosemary Anne.

Evensong was sung and for the first time we experienced the silence of convent – though I had to realize that once again, I had sung the psalm with enthusiasm and no memory whatsoever of the words afterwards – one hopes that simply being silent is enough for now. The next hymn was new in both setting and text - “Something More” written by Dan Norman in the key of F with one tricky E flat that kept our reading skills alert – and an appropriate text that used the poetic gifts of Sister Joan.

Its third verse read appropriately

And so we come together here
Our hands outstretched, our hearts ablaze,
To seek together something more,
Something to give us life always.

Then we were off to supper – entering with a no-nonsense squirt of hand sanitizer administered by Sister Constance Joanna, which also reminded us of the times. It was to be a silent supper – but that had to be gently re-established. Potted pansies decorated the place settings. Table dwellers lined up in turn and it was fun to realize that while the refectory is often full of individuals and groups, that in this case we were all present for the same reason. We sunk into the silent meal and I observed my favourite small statue of St. Fiacre in the quadrangle. At a previous retreat we had amused ourselves at each totally silent meal by watching him totally disappear during a snowstorm.

While the participants for The Gathering gradually assembled in the Chapel, other guests started to arrive – and we learned that Something More had a much wider appeal that we planned for. The place was packed with familiar and unfamiliar faces. More and more chairs came out of storage to seat a capacity crowd and the bustle to accommodate them created a real sense of expectancy. Margaret Silf was briefly introduced – (with some of the details outlined in the second post in this blog).

Margaret started with the image of the small Oliver Twist daring to approach the formidable Mr. Bumble with “Please sir . . . . Amusingly in the planning group we had worked hard to find a logo that suggested monastic hands instead of the pleading ones of small Oliver, – but Margaret did us one better by simply uniting them right from the beginning. She promised to provide a framework for those attending the Gathering but at the same time give the single lecture attendees something to think about. She accomplished both admirably by taking us through four stages of human development: infancy, adolescence, mid life and later life.

Her examples of infancy were taken from her new status as a grandmother. Other grandmothers like me could relate perfectly to her total delight in this stage of pure enjoyment, in comparison to the anxiety we had in raising our own children. She stressed the infant’s strong state of vulnerability and the demands it makes on us. If ego is part of God’s creation, the small person also knows how to exploit it and make demands to the full. At the same time, the sense of wonder is palpable where a small person’s curiosity allows her to find God in all things. “Where does the itch go when you scratch it?” Margaret’s own small daughter asked some years ago. The same small daughter reminded her of that life stage after presenting her with a card after a quarrel. It read, “Please be patient. God hasn’t finished with me yet”.

The next stage of adolescence brings new challenges. Someone suggested to her that the best new hire is a teenager, because after all he is sure he knows everything. The earlier sense of entitlement often grows into what seems like a permanent embattlement. At the same time the early curiosity evolves into a sense of wanting to make a difference. The sense of wonder unites with a new idealism

Mid life continues the dual pattern, Margaret says. We acquire jobs, careers, possessions, spouses, kids. It’s a long stage. Some years ago she thought that old age probably began at 43. It’s a moveable feast and now middle age might start as late as 70. Amid all those expensive possessions that one just has to have emerges a divine sense of discontent and the uncomfortable question, Is this all there is? The earlier sense of idealism morphs into a greater sense of a need to serve and give back. Bigger and better no longer has quite the same charm. Happiness is often assaulted by suffering or sorry and paradoxically becomes joy

Later life – a much kinder gentler term than old age – brings a new realization, Margaret says, that we no longer have to have it all. There is now a sense that everything is a given, that all comes from God. She remembered asking a monk many years ago what poverty really meant. He replied with a smile, “We don’t have money, - we just have the use of it”. This is the stage where we finally come to grips with the fact that we just have the use of everything. It is the time to come to terms with the fragility and dislocation of the lives that we thought were so secure. We have come full circle to the vulnerability of the infant grandchild that we now look on with such delight.

The strength of this stage, Margaret says is the final giving up of so many illusions of what really matters. The challenge is to discover the treasure within, to inhabit small places. She gave an example of a man confined to a smaller place who found more and more in less and less – so that in end one could almost say that he found everything in nothing. Physical diminishment finally sends the message that we don’t call the shots and allows us to discover the depth of wonder. Other cultures may do this better than Western ones, Margaret observes. We wait a long time for God to get through the cracks and hang on relentlessly to the control that we no longer have. At our best, though, we find joy in the simplicity of the present moment and give up the desire to succeed.

This final letting go of things we thought mattered so much is a preparation for our final letting go of life itself. Nature teaches us the real wisdom. A tree in its full beauty in autumn does not try to hang on to its leaves even when they have reached their most beautiful stage. It places its waning energy in the taproot so that new leaves can be reborn in another spring. After the many leaves of our own lives fall away, what is left is the core of our being, the true self that plays its own small part in the story of creation.

Margaret wondered where we really are in the human story now. Is our current world an example of the terrible two’s, where No and I Want It are the only message? Are we the know-it-all adolescent who can do it all and have it all? Are we in midlife crisis as we watch the bank profits tank and environment go to waste? Is our current diminishment actually good news and an opportunity to finally grow up?

If the glass is half empty, it is also half full. The odd manifesto of the Beatitudes offers blessings to those who get it. We could actually be on the cutting edge of evolution and start to learn that cooperation will be the key to the future.

Margaret ended with some observations especially directed toward the entire audience. She started by showing us one of the many layers Russian dolls – and was reminded of a trip to Ireland when a customs officer made her open a suitcase and asked what she planned to with a small collection of weird gismos and toys, “It’s for a retreat” she said. “Ah a retreat” he replied understandably, good Catholic that he was. One of our tasks in life is the examination of layers. Using the Russian doll, she showed us stages of removal. One that often comes is the loss of trust of friends as well as the loss of friends themselves, - though in the latter case, the best of them lives on in us. Another is the loss of dignity that infirmity of age or accident can bring. Another is the loss of trust in systems, - institutions, the media, the law, of faith iself. She cited the example of Jesus’s own agony and that of Mother Teresa, whose diaries revealed a loss of the consolation of God for the twenty years in which she bravely continued her work. Finally there is the loss of life itself. What is indestructible is the core of our being. Nature teaches us and the gospel reminds us that the seed must fall into the ground and die so that new life can be reborn.

A final icon was a small box of Alberta rocks. The samples give one sense of the Rockies. The vista of the foothills from a Calgary window gives another. Hiking one of the trails gives still another and at the same time gives an imaginative view of all the other trails – and all the vast area where no trail can possibly penetrate. All of them are images of the Rockies that go far beyond the box and we must not try to put a tape around it. All are valid. We were reminded to explore the infinite, to try the many walks, to avoid seeing any one of the images as the only or final answer to the question. All are images of God that are more than we can ask or imagine.

At the Threshold

Last evening, our meditation group was down to two – though there were more at the preceding service. We always start with a reading, so being read to was almost like reverting to the time when I was eight or nine, but still enjoyed hearing a story in a parent’s voice. The choice of the reader was a simply marvelous and pertinent passage from a book by John O’Donohue called Bless the Space between Us, A Book of Blessings.







O’Donohue started by talking about how spring creeps up and us – and suddenly we see that leaves are out when we hadn’t even noticed their progress, and flowers are blooming everywhere. There was exactly this feeling when my daughter-in-law and the two little boys joined me for a walk in our own garden. Benjamin found a dandelion to blow on and Andre discovered pine cones while Liz and I marvelled over the number of species that were before us. Like spring itself after winters of planning and creating, The Gathering is here.





O’Donahue elaborates that spring thresholds such as this, when applied to our lives, suggest not a smooth transition but something completely different – a radical awakening, so that what emerges from it may have echoes from the past, but also contain a clear break from it. – the “Something More” not being a trivial add-on, but a real change of direction. Will it be for us?



During the day, several associates will enter the small but comfortable rooms of the Guest House that sisters have lovingly made ready. Each room is named after a saint or theological tenet – in truth, most honour the names of parishes who made contributions when the new convent was opened. A woman friend thought it would be fun to stay in the room named for her own parish and asked if this were possible. The administrator gave her a somewhat funny look and responded, “It’s in the men’s wing”. Since the room is named for St. Mary Magdalene, we still wonder if this is appropriate since there seem to be pluses and minuses in either direction. Any Guest House room though has everything that one needs, - a comfortable bed, a desk and chair providing a place to write – or even draw because there is usually a lovely watercolor or drawing above it – and a comfortable chair to sit and read. One’s first task is to make up the bed. Once this is done, it’s pleasant to sit down and almost immediately face the reality of how tired one really is.

So before I leave in the early afternoon to join the training of facilitators, I’ll need to clear the clutter of yesterday’s visit from the children, make up my own bed anew, and gather the very few things I’ll need to take, - we’ve been urged to travel light, so that overburdened with concerns and busyness, there is at least a tiny space for “Something More” to begin to penetrate.

Getting Ready

This morning some associates and oblates are already packing, - and some may even be getting on a plane in anticipation of being on time for The Gathering, starting tomorrow. As an associate I also feel some excitement and pressure to be ready. I have a meeting this morning,and a visit this afternoon from grandchildren and their parents who arrive every Monday; I run interference on the four and a half year old Benjamin and his very active twenty-two month old brother, Andre, whose current favourite phrase is, “No, I want to”. We are challenged to guess what this means in specific contexts. The busy parents will try to catch up on work related chores; and we will have a quick supper before I leave for my meditation group meeting after the six o’clock daily mass at my parish church. That, at least will allow a bit of quiet time to get me in gear for the days ahead.


What will we find at The Gathering? Its title promises “Something More”. Tomorrow, people will arrive all day and register in the lobby. Officially The Gathering will start with Combined Evening Prayer and Compline, followed by a silent supper. At 7:30 in the evening Margaret Silf will offer her first address in the Chapel, - that event which will be open to all Associates and their friends. I was pleased to learn yesterday that one of my meditation group who received an invitation from me, also received one from the Sisters of the Church, where she is an Associate. So we hope that many others in the area can make their way to the Convent to hear Margaret. (The full announcement about it appears below on this blog).


For the next three days, the retreat will fall into a pattern during the day. Breakfast for those in residence will take place at 7:45. Those of us who commute will start our day earlier and I confess to being a bit envious of those who are staying within the convent and can avoid battling the incoming morning traffic. But we will plan to arrive and settle in before Morning Prayer at 8:30 and have a few minutes of respite before Margaret’s first address at 9:30. At 10:15 we will break for coffee and move to other spaces for small group discussion. I have been assigned to be a facilitator of one of the small groups and will have received training early on Tuesday afternoon. We will reassemble in the chapel for the Eucharist at 11:45 followed by a talking dinner in the refectory.


After dinner there is a break. Residents will be able to retreat to their rooms. I’m already wondering where I will go before we reconvene at 2:30. If the weather is good, it is a chance for a walk. The nearby hospital grounds have been a lovely place to sit in the past, but I know that there is construction happening, so it may not be the pastoral and restful place I have known before. But there is also the labyrinth and the large Community library and the quiet and relaxing associates’ one.


Margaret will give her second address at 2:30 followed by a tea break – and that will also mean lots of visits to the washrooms – and the discussion groups will follow. I’m starting to be curious about my discussion group. Meeting individuals and sharing life journeys in places like this is always life changing. We will move to the Chapel for Evensong at 5:00 followed by a silent supper. Attending compline is optional at 8:10. The evening is free for rest or refreshment by meeting with friends, exploring the area, praying the labyrinth, quiet reading – and in my personal case, probably blogging.


I want to try and create a measure of silence during the retreat. It will be easier for me to do so in my own home than for some, who will return to families and other commitments. But I am mindful of a passage from Wayfaring that I read earlier this morning, where Margaret Silf tells a story of her own journey of times apart.


A mentor introduced her to three types of prayer. The first was recitation by the book. This is something that we all know, and at some point sense there is more to it than that.


The second was more elaborate, praying more deeply from the heart, trying to enter imaginatively into the scriptures and making connections. Margaret felt a warm glow, as we all do when we feel as though we are really getting it. Then the mentor added about this group, “They pray about everything except the one burning issue in their lives, - the one thing they don’t want to look at”.


That will be part of the “Something More”, I know. So I will try to shut off the rest of world, - put the Globe and Mails in a stack to be read next Sunday, avoid my computer addiction, - except perhaps to follow Suzanne Lawson and Bishop Sue Moxley prayerfully as they participate in the Anglican Consultative Council, - enter into the quiet of the week and let God be there.

Norah Bolton, Associate

Postscript:
Members are invited to post comments or ask questions. The beauty of the blogosphere is that communication is two way.

Introducing Margaret Silf, Retreat Leader

Those of us who have read Margaret’s books already know a little about her – but the biography that she is presenting to the participants was one that she terms “chatty”. One can hear her speaking in it. I was amused to realize the other day that I hear her speaking in my mind with a Canadian accent – so I probably need to start getting used to a British one.

Margaret tells us that she was born and educated in Sheffield, was an only child, and earned a BA from London University and an MA from Keele University. She served as a technical writer in the computer industry until 2000 when she left her job to devote her time to writing and leading retreats. She is a wife, mother and grandmother, - so she will probably have some of these in common with many of the participants.

Her faith journey is varied. Though her family was not religious, she was baptized as a Methodist, confirmed as a teenager in the Church of England and received into the Roman Catholic Church at the age of 20. From there she drifted for 10 years before returning to the church. She now regards herself as an ecumenical Christian, comfortable in many traditions, but at the same time a “boundary dweller” as far as the institutional church is concerned. As a life long Anglican who is heavily involved in the church at parish, diocesan and currently even national levels, I find this interesting and challenging. Even for those of us who remain within the institutional church, there are probably few who don’t also experience frustration with it – so this is an area where I am really looking forward to hearing what she has to say.

I am also interested in her views about our place in the wider scheme of things. She is keen to explore the relationship between what she terms the “Christic vision” and the unfolding story of science, that she explores so well in her book, Roots and Wings. This was one of the books recommended to participants to read in advance. The other was Wayfaring, a Gospel Journey in Everyday Life, which I am reading now. In the latter book, she does a wonderful job of encouraging us to imagine ourselves as participants in the Gospel stories – not to revert to first century Bible Land, but to try to come to terms with the issues of growing and moving forward both personally and globally.
Margaret loves travelling. Meeting people obviously enriches her. I hope meeting all of us will contribute both to her own journey and to ours.

The start of the Journey

The notion of blogging a retreat may seem like a contradiction. It grew out of the desire to share The Gathering with the whole of the Associates and Oblates of SSJD, many of whom would like to attend the event, but are prevented from doing so for a number of valid reasons. So these daily writings are meant to give you some sense of participation.

A favourite prayer that I have learned from the Sisters is the one of Thomas Merton’s that begins:

My Lord God I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me; I cannot know for certain where it will end.

This is indeed true, - both somewhat exhilarating and at the same time somewhat frightening. But of course that is true of the whole human journey, not just a five day retreat.

What is possible is to describe a bit of the past. The first meeting of the Gathering Committee took place in September of 2007. The planning committee was a group of sisters, associates and oblates including myself – probably the newest associate in the group.

The idea of a theme of “Something More” met immediate approval and we were pleased to hear that Margaret Silf had been already been confirmed as retreat leader a year ago in 2006. We immediately agreed that the Gathering should be both educational and inspirational. Margaret would provide both these aspects, but we needed to see how we could enhance them. We agreed that we should follow the regular SSJD horarium, the regular pattern of worship (morning prayer, eucharist, evening prayer and compline) as well as the balance of a Benedictine life that included prayer, work, study and relaxation. Working out this latter part would form much of our work in the next two years.

I have participated in many conference planning groups but there are few that were as spirited and effective as this one. It combined sisters, associates and oblates. No detail was too small to capture our attention, but it was easy to build consensus because of our common desire to address a multitude of needs. A schedule fell into place very early. Within the framework of the daily liturgies there would be lectures by Margaret, meals – some in silence, some with conversation, and small group discussions. Evenings on two of the days would be free. There would also be an evening of light entertainment. The pattern would allow for both individual reflection and the building of community.

Sister Elizabeth, who chaired the meetings might have wished that SSJD had chosen a different symbol. The Eagle eyes of the committee swooped down on every line of the application form, where we tried to make sure that the promotion was clear and understandable. We went public with the event at Michaelmas 2008 to announce the Gathering as a significant part of the SSJD anniversary year. Later we discussed the worship for the Gathering and were pleased to see a variety of forms of worship, celebrants and music emerge. There were also opportunities for those attending to add their own gifts.

The schedule is complete, the promotion has gone out and generated a response, the participants arrive in Toronto on Monday and Tuesday and we begin our journey. While I have been on short overnight retreats and quiet days at the convent – and have led quiet days for the last two years – a retreat of this focus and magnitude is a new experience for me. So I am looking forward to experiencing it and sharing it.

Merton’s prayer continues . . .

I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself and the fact that I think I am following your will does not always mean that I am actually following it. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.

"SOMETHING MORE"
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Matthew 6:21
Are you wondering if there is more to life
than just working, shopping, surviving?
Is there more to the spiritual quest
than Sunday services?

Margaret Silf is an ecumenical lay Christian, committed to working across and beyond the denominational divides. For most of her working life she was employed in the computer industry and recently left paid employment to devote herself to writing and accompanying others on their spiritual journey, especially through retreats and days of reflection. She is the author of a number of books on the spiritual journey for 21st century pilgrims who may or may not identify with institutional religion, and a regular columnist with "America" magazine. Some of her books include Inner Compass; Wise Choices; Close to the Heart; Gift of Prayer; Sacred Spaces; Roots and Wings: The human journey from a speck of stardust to a spark of God (2006); and Companions of Christ.

This Is Your Opportunity
To hear Margaret Silf in person


Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
7:30 p.m.
in the Chapel of St. John
St. John’s Convent
233 Cummer Avenue, Toronto, ON

All are welcome — bring your friends
— freewill offering —