“I feel like I just keep falling" - *sigh, droops shoulders*
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How would you react if you heard these words? ​When these vulnerable words recently burst forth from the teary lips of a woman, my heart connected to hers. I found myself in a liminal space, speechless, and present. Then, after some time it hit me, and I said to her: “What do you think, when we fall, this falling delivers us closer to God?”   And what do you think?

As I’ve been listening this past month, I have been reflecting on St Joseph, our congregation's patron (19th March feast day). Through listening, those seven vulnerable words have really stayed with me. I've been wondering, did Joseph feel like he fell too? How did his struggles lead him to transformation? Did he ever say to Mary "I just kept falling"?  

I began imagining Joseph today and remembered that old saying; "To be a saint is not to be perfect, but to be a saint is to progress." I get the feeling Joseph would have liked challenge, progression, finding joy and perhaps today would be drawn to non-traditional sports? In his time he was essentially a rebel, he knew fear but chose love. ​I imagine God as I do our St Joseph - ever present, gentle, patient and most importantly truly kind. And I imagine God with us when we fall, companioning us, as we slowly transform like caterpillars to butterflies. When I picture Joseph today, maybe he would be a Dad down at the skatepark companioning Jesus.  

But who do you see or hear in the image,  is Jesus the adult in this picture or is Joseph? What grabs your attention?

I hope this image connects you to our God of vulnerability, companionship and transformation. This lent I hope I may remember to let go more deeply into the unknown wilderness and to trust our God of the journey.  I hope you do too. May we fall, beginning like caterpillars, trusting with kindness and eventually transforming anew. 
St Joseph, pray with us...
​
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"God is longing for us. We are longing.
Come, let us be led by the Spirit into the wilderness.
Easter Hope awaits." ~ Sr. Maria Cimperman, RSCJ

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- View this month's News Flash: March 2020 #9
Discover bookmarks, a bushfire poem, a forgotten last supper and parish bulletin design tips
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Works in progress are shown below. When creating a new painting I normally create an extra one or two in A4 size as practice.

Laudato Si is also overflowing with revelation for us especially at this time: 
"The universe unfolds in God, who fills it completely. Hence, there is a mystical meaning to be found in a leaf, in a mountain trail, in a "The universe unfolds in God, who fills it completely. Hence, there is a mystical meaning to be found in a leaf, in a mountain trail, in a dewdrop, in a poor person’s face.[159] The ideal is not only to pass from the exterior to the interior to discover the action of God in the soul, but also to discover God in all things. Saint Bonaventure teaches us that “contemplation deepens the more we feel the working of God’s grace within our hearts, and the better we learn to encounter God in creatures outside ourselves”.[160​]  ~ Laudato Si (233)

I’ve seen many social media posts that simply say ‘pray for rain’, and have been imagining how our firefighters would delight in the sweet touch of fresh rain on their faces.  I haven't been able to shake the image of our incredible firefighters and of all the wildlife that have lost so much. With this month's image I’ve been praying for rain, but more importantly have been praying for how to be in the waiting, while trusting that our God of hope is on the journey with us. I hope this scripture and this month's illustration may connect you to our God of living water. 

Moving into February, Ash Wednesday takes place on Feb 26th and Lent begins.  I've enjoyed this relevant message from Pope Francis (2017) below, it has reminded me how to prepare for lent with hope. This website exists to listen and connect, so I'm sending out prayers of hope filled listening this Lent and beyond. ​Much love, Jane.

- View this month's News Flash: February #8
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 The first touch between a baby and its Mother, Father or loved one is an incredibly unique moment. When those teeny tiny baby fingers wrap themselves around your finger, well, I know my heart instantly liquefies. I'm sure babies could solve world peace - we are powerless!  To me, Jesus was from the beginning the ultimate first touch of joy, brought into the world through our infinitely loving God.

In this season of advent, I'm mindful to wait in joyful hope... waiting to celebrate the incarnation of God in the birth of Jesus. When I think about advent I don't think about it like waiting at a dentist's office or waiting for test results. It's more like waiting at an airport for a loved one to arrive, or waiting for a birthday party, the news is more than good! 

Following advent we celebrate Jesus' birth (Christmas). Because of his birth we can also give thanks for his life. His actions and parables now reach out to us all, showing us that we all have divinity within us, we are all family. We are true kindred, all wonderfully made, all divine gifts from our creator God. As Daniel O'Leary explains "The human love of Jesus was the divine love of God. So is ours." In many ways I think Jesus's incarnation and life teaches us that the good news can be heard as a symphony, a gift from beyond, now played by a variety of musicians (all creatures great and small). We can choose to love all as family as he did. Perhaps we too can live divine love when we recognise our kinship with other musicians, simply proclaiming 'the Christ in me sees the Christ in you' - together we are the symphony.

I have created this image as an illustrated symphony, a window into how I imagine the Nativity scene might look today. When praying/thinking about the Nativity I found my imagination being drawn towards the hands and feet of little baby Jesus. He would have grabbed onto Mary's finger, connected his little hands and feet with Mary, Joseph and others he encountered. No words can adequately explain the first touch of a baby or what that would have been like 2000+ years ago, so... I hope this illustration communicates some of that love without words.

Some artwork notes about this piece: 
- Mary's hand gently hovers on the right as Jesus grabs tight.
- Multiple skin tones symbolise that Jesus came for all nations and all people.
- Joseph's Hoodie symbolises travel-wear that might be typical of a rebel refugee today.  Perhaps he would be cold all huddled up in a refugee tent today?
- See if you can find other symbols?
- Jesus was radically inclusive, I wonder where he learned to include all 'colours'?
- Look, imagine, perhaps read the Nativity scripture and see what is revealed for you?

Thank you for journeying with me this year. I am deeply grateful to be growing with vulnerability as part of an incredible family. I'm listening, finding my feet in religious life, connecting, falling, getting up, dancing, waiting, one step at a time. I hope this advent and Christmas season is full of joy, may we all embrace our gifts of many colours. As Richard Rohr reminds us "It's all a gift".

Much love and merry Christmas family
Jane 

- View this month's News Flash: December #7. Discover Christmas cards, a wonderful animation and a rendition of Joy to the World.
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Watch below to see the 30 second illustration creation 

 The month of November is a time when we especially remember all souls and the community of saints that have gone before us.
When thinking about loved ones and our community of saints, I found myself wondering... Is there a main message that they have left us with?  Through researching the lives of the saints and much prayer, I recently had a 'light bulb' moment as I began to see a motif emerge from my contemplative brain cocoon! I began to see that all saints show us by their lives that relationship with God and experiencing true life on earth does not come through specifically what we say. God’s love grows through our ordinary actions. I'm sure we all have fond memories of our loved ones and their simple actions of love. For example; I won't always remember what my Grandfather said, but I will forever remember him especially making me a traditional Maltese dish every Friday night - an action of love that united us.

St Mary MacKillop alludes to the need for us to to act in love when she wrote to Sisters on the 25th March 1873: "I need not tell you to be dutiful and thankful to God for this, and to show by your actions more than by words that you are so."  Importantly this quote is part of a powerful letter Mary wrote before she departed for Rome. She was leaving Sisters in the care of Fr Reynolds and others she trusted as she courageously ventured off to try to get Rule approved for the Sisters of Saint Joseph (spoiler alert, she accomplished her mission!). In this letter she calls for unity, respect while she is away, asking for "a true spirit of charity and unity amongst you." She is essentially asking Sisters to act in the ordinary with charity and kindness. She goes on to say "See then how careful you must be. In our unity lies, under God our strength." We know that Mary certainly lived these actions throughout her life. 

Ironically many saints have explained this through words - even though their actions speak much much louder:
"Preach the Gospel at all times and only if necessary use words" ~ St Francis of Assisi
"The proof of love is deed." ~ Catherine McAuley
"Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak" ~ St Anthony of Padua 
"Love has to be put into action, and that action is service" ~ St Teresa of Calcutta
"Christ has no body now, but yours. No hands, no feet on earth, but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ looks compassion into the world. Yours are the feet with which Christ walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which Christ blesses the world." ~ St Teresa of Avila

As I began to think about quotes from our community of saints and the actions of loved ones I felt inspired to create some cartoons around these. About this time our librarian at school also asked me, "can you create bookmarks for us with quotes that we can give our students?" Then low and behold two others also randomly asked for bookmarks. Their requests stayed with me, inspiration struck, and before I knew it I was creating bookmarks. I am in no way a saint but these three bookmarks are just a small ordinary action to remember the actions of those on whose shoulders we stand. These are available to download for free below. I hope this small act of kindness may inspire you to "go and do likewise". May the actions of the saints and souls we love continue to unite us, growing like a mustard seed in our hearts...  and in-turn passing onto others... 
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"Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, 
​And let perpetual light shine upon them. 
May they rest in peace. Amen."

Much love, Jane 

- View this month's News Flash: November #6  +  Sign up here
- Much gratitude also to those who have helped with the bookmarks especially Roslyn Kennedy (our archivist at North Sydney) and Sr Marie Foale rsj for your help and wisdom in researching and understanding Mary's letters.
- As a side note,  You'll see on the time-lapse video (for Mary's bookmark) that I had originally drawn "We must teach more by example than by word" believing it was a quote from Mary after finding it several places online. But, as it turns out, it was adapted over time and not accurate. There is a cheeky quote that seems to fit here; "Thou shalt trust everything you see on the internet ~ Abraham Lincoln"

Recently I have found myself thinking about happiness. Now, to be clear, I'm not talking about the kind of happiness that lasts the length of a mouth watering burger, or that flutters by at the sight of a butterfly. Sure, those things are happy, but temporary. It seems to me that being happy is rather different. So, what is it, where does lasting happiness come from, how is it attained and sustained? 

Serving God, being in relationship and community (small and large) are the pieces of wood that keep the happiness fire burning in my soul.  A particular quote has been fascinating me lately: "find happiness in making others happy".  This is part of a letter Mary wrote to Sisters in South Australia in 1899. She instructed Sisters to visit the homes of their pupils and develop relationships. Essentially I think she was communicating that service and being in relationship with others / God, is an essential way to be happy. Even if sad or restricted, she was saying that it is best to not dwell in our own single worlds. We find God together, in and with others.

Our St Mary MacKillop wanted her Sisters to be happy and share happiness with others. She knew the joy of the Gospel and I'm sure would have loved Papa Francesco's Evangelii Gaudium. It makes me think of a story that a Sister once shared with me, she said Mary had laughed so much at one time that she almost fell off her chair!

In that same letter she further instructed Sisters to "...keep the Rule with regard to morning and evening Mediation, examination of conscience and other spiritual duties". I think she was saying that to be happiness in the world, means that we need to '"find" it too, it requires searching, choice, commitment and faith in God.​ The famous bloke we know as Jesus had the same message. Dare I say it, but maybe Mary stole a page or two out of his book?  In Matthew 7,  Jesus reminds us to go, be with, find - "Seek and find..."

Perhaps she was saying we can be happiness in the world by growing relationship interiorly and exteriorly, going out with acts of kindness and love. Micah 6:8 is central to the Constitution of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, and further reminds me that God is asking us to go out, giving in acts of kindness and love: "He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" 

So, I don't think i've completely cracked the code, but I guess that's the point too. We are always learning, searching, seeking, finding and being acts of loving kindness along our earthly journeys - Muchas gracias Mary and Jesus! And a further thank you to Roslyn Kennedy and Sr Marie Foale for their help researching and understanding Mary's full letter (as below). We have an incredible Josephite community. I hope you enjoy this new cartoon and the video of the sketch coming together. I hope my small act of love stokes and inspires your happiness fire. 

FYI:
- The Sisters of Saint Joseph are currently in the middle of a process called Chapter. This gathering happens every 6 years and will help to determine future leaders and future vision of the congregation. Your prayers would be deeply appreciated: Pray with the Sisters here. 
- If you are curious about what a 'day in the life' of my current ministry is like, you might enjoy this article.
- At this time we honour the anniversary of the passing of Julian Tenison Woods (130years). We give thanks for his life and are mindful that our Father Founder was a man of many things, including service and finding happiness:  "We must love others so much as to feel no happiness so great as that of serving them and advancing their interests" (Julian Tenison Woods - 1870). 
- View this month's News Flash: October #5

May the peace and happiness of Christ flow into our world...
AMDG
~ Jane