My dear Friends
When I was a child I looked forward very much to the Jewish Passover, with the first two nights of the Seder meal. This meal is full of symbols and rituals and commemorates the liberation of the Jewish people from their slavery in Egypt. It is called the Exodus.I believe it is still valuable today, both from the historical point of view and from the idea of liberating all peoples from bondage.
The evening takes place in the form of a meal,with all the ritual foods on the table as well. There are 4 cups of wine to celebrate the notion of slavery to redemption and the unleavend bread, which the Jews ate on their way out from Egypt as they were in a hurry and had no time for the bread to rise. Bitter herbs in the form of onion or parsley are also served in the course of the meal. Something called charoset signifies the bricks and mortar the Jews used when they were forced to build houses for the Pharoah.
All of this takes us back to ancient times, but because the ritual is in a way out of time and space it is very relevant for today. We enter mystically into the Seder meal until we ourselves have experienced a sort of liberation from bondage. Enhancing the liturgy are beautiful melodies which pierce the proceedings and again give a universal feel.
Are we justified in recreating these ancient times? Of course for the Jews it is a commandment, to observe the Passover until the end of time. Here in Cambridge we enact the Passover on the Monday of Holy Week,entering into the mystery of it all, and it is a wonderful way of getting Christians to understand their Jewish roots. I believe this participation is an essential way of promoting dialogue and understanding, and not only between Christians and Jews. Even in a mystical way, it is not until we experience something of slavery that we understand true freedom.
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Monday 22 February 2010
Wednesday 17 February 2010
Ash Wednesday and Lent
My dear Friends
Today, following on from Shrove Tuesday (when you are 'shriven' or make a confession), is Ash Wednesday. Today is the solemn heralding of the beginning of Lent, when we are asked to come back to the Lord 'fasting and weeping' for the Lord is full of forgiveness.(Joel)). During the liturgy we have the imposition of ashes on our forehead to signify either that we 'repent and believe the Gospel' or that 'from dust you came and to dust you go.'
Lent comes from the German word for spring and it is a time when we look to break out of the dark days of winter and go forth to spring and Easter. It is a reflective time, when we examine our lives and reflect on our human condition. Ash Wednesday is traditionally a fast day in the Church.
We can look at Lent in another way, as a journey through the desert like our ancestors on our way to the Promised Land. Often we find oases in Lent to keep us going on our spiritual journey.It is a time of reconciliation, of man with God and of man with man, a time of healing.
Let us go forth on our journey in love and joy!
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Today, following on from Shrove Tuesday (when you are 'shriven' or make a confession), is Ash Wednesday. Today is the solemn heralding of the beginning of Lent, when we are asked to come back to the Lord 'fasting and weeping' for the Lord is full of forgiveness.(Joel)). During the liturgy we have the imposition of ashes on our forehead to signify either that we 'repent and believe the Gospel' or that 'from dust you came and to dust you go.'
Lent comes from the German word for spring and it is a time when we look to break out of the dark days of winter and go forth to spring and Easter. It is a reflective time, when we examine our lives and reflect on our human condition. Ash Wednesday is traditionally a fast day in the Church.
We can look at Lent in another way, as a journey through the desert like our ancestors on our way to the Promised Land. Often we find oases in Lent to keep us going on our spiritual journey.It is a time of reconciliation, of man with God and of man with man, a time of healing.
Let us go forth on our journey in love and joy!
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Monday 15 February 2010
The lurgie
My dear Friends
I have been suffering from the 'lurgie'-bad cold and a chesty cough. This has not been enhanced by the fact I am a smoker, about 12 a day at the present count. I started smoking when I was quite young, in my wild youth when I was 16, in France on Gauloise cigarettes, which some of you may know are quite strong.
I have had long periods without smoking: for instance when I took singing lessons in 1980 I didn't have a cigarette for 12 years, then started again when I had a nervous breakdown in 1991..
The fact that I am a singer and about to do another concert doesn't seem to deter me, I shove my head in the sand and think it will all go away! But the situation is getting quite serious and I am at risk of damaging my health.
I hesitated about publicising all this on the blog, but hope you will realise I am just human and maybe make some encouraging comments.
Shalom from
Sister Gila
I have been suffering from the 'lurgie'-bad cold and a chesty cough. This has not been enhanced by the fact I am a smoker, about 12 a day at the present count. I started smoking when I was quite young, in my wild youth when I was 16, in France on Gauloise cigarettes, which some of you may know are quite strong.
I have had long periods without smoking: for instance when I took singing lessons in 1980 I didn't have a cigarette for 12 years, then started again when I had a nervous breakdown in 1991..
The fact that I am a singer and about to do another concert doesn't seem to deter me, I shove my head in the sand and think it will all go away! But the situation is getting quite serious and I am at risk of damaging my health.
I hesitated about publicising all this on the blog, but hope you will realise I am just human and maybe make some encouraging comments.
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Tuesday 9 February 2010
Snow and shine
My dear Friends
The weather can't make up its mind what it wants to do. Now snow flurries, now shine, when oh when will the winter end? (To say nothing of our friends in Canada who have it for much longer than we have.)
Ideally I would like to make three trips this year; April in Provence to see a friend I met in the autumn in Cambridge. He lives in Nimes, suppposedly an old town in Provence and very beautiful so I relish the chance of going there. Nimes is close to Tarascon, which is near St Etienne du Gres where I founded The Little Sisters of Joy in 1998, so it would be a great joy to revisit there.
Then Ireland in the summer or early autumn, to see the Sisters with whom I stayed in the hermitage last September. I long to go back there to see how they are doing, to visit the countryside and my friend Ena and to sample some more of the local guiness.
Then Toronto in September/October? It will have been quite along time since I was there, didn't make it at all last year and I long to visit again. All this depends of course on time and money, but hopefully there are some benefactors around the corner.. Canada in the Fall is stunningly beautiful and I would like to sit in my favourite library in Toronto, the Robarts, where my friend Felictiy works.
Can I ask you to pray that all this comes about? And of course I wish you happy journeys as well.
Shalom from
Sister Gila
The weather can't make up its mind what it wants to do. Now snow flurries, now shine, when oh when will the winter end? (To say nothing of our friends in Canada who have it for much longer than we have.)
Ideally I would like to make three trips this year; April in Provence to see a friend I met in the autumn in Cambridge. He lives in Nimes, suppposedly an old town in Provence and very beautiful so I relish the chance of going there. Nimes is close to Tarascon, which is near St Etienne du Gres where I founded The Little Sisters of Joy in 1998, so it would be a great joy to revisit there.
Then Ireland in the summer or early autumn, to see the Sisters with whom I stayed in the hermitage last September. I long to go back there to see how they are doing, to visit the countryside and my friend Ena and to sample some more of the local guiness.
Then Toronto in September/October? It will have been quite along time since I was there, didn't make it at all last year and I long to visit again. All this depends of course on time and money, but hopefully there are some benefactors around the corner.. Canada in the Fall is stunningly beautiful and I would like to sit in my favourite library in Toronto, the Robarts, where my friend Felictiy works.
Can I ask you to pray that all this comes about? And of course I wish you happy journeys as well.
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Friday 5 February 2010
Light to the world
My dear Friends
The 2nd February was the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the temple. This was the custom for newly born males and Mary and Joseph brought a pair of turtle doves with which to 'redeem' him.
It is a very important scene as Jesus is recognised for what he is, the Messiah, by 2 figures in the scene; Simeon, an old and faithful servant of the Lord, who takes Jesus in his arms and says
'Now let me depart in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation, the light to enlighten the Gentiles and give glory to your people Israel.'
Anna too, the old prophetess delights in Jesus and makes known his coming to the people around. But there is sadness too, as Simeon predicts that Mary will suffer on acccount of her son, and we look ahead to the crucifixion.
This Feast marks the end of the Christmas season; in many European countries it is the day to finally take down their trees and decorations, cribs and so on and we start looking forward to Lent. But most of all it is the day which heralds Christ as the Light, coming into the world, and everyone takes a candle, so that it is sometimes known as Candlemass.
I hope the Light may shine brightly and strongly for you all
Shalom from
Sister Gila
The 2nd February was the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the temple. This was the custom for newly born males and Mary and Joseph brought a pair of turtle doves with which to 'redeem' him.
It is a very important scene as Jesus is recognised for what he is, the Messiah, by 2 figures in the scene; Simeon, an old and faithful servant of the Lord, who takes Jesus in his arms and says
'Now let me depart in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation, the light to enlighten the Gentiles and give glory to your people Israel.'
Anna too, the old prophetess delights in Jesus and makes known his coming to the people around. But there is sadness too, as Simeon predicts that Mary will suffer on acccount of her son, and we look ahead to the crucifixion.
This Feast marks the end of the Christmas season; in many European countries it is the day to finally take down their trees and decorations, cribs and so on and we start looking forward to Lent. But most of all it is the day which heralds Christ as the Light, coming into the world, and everyone takes a candle, so that it is sometimes known as Candlemass.
I hope the Light may shine brightly and strongly for you all
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Tuesday 2 February 2010
A great success
My dear Friends
The party on the Jewish New Year for Trees was a great success. We were ten in number and everyone had brought food and drink to share. There was a lovely sense of a real social occasion, with Associates renewing friendships and making new ones. During the course of the evening, I gave an overview on the progress of The Little Sisters of Joy during the last 6 months and it went down well.
Kitty, our hostess, made us feel really welcome. She had a surprise up her sleeve as at the end of the evening she gave us a wonderful rendering of her translations of the Russian poet Tarkovsky, who was the son of the film director. The poems were powerful and deep and the translations quite superb.
A fitting end to a really wonderful occasion!!
Love and Shalom
Sister Gila
The party on the Jewish New Year for Trees was a great success. We were ten in number and everyone had brought food and drink to share. There was a lovely sense of a real social occasion, with Associates renewing friendships and making new ones. During the course of the evening, I gave an overview on the progress of The Little Sisters of Joy during the last 6 months and it went down well.
Kitty, our hostess, made us feel really welcome. She had a surprise up her sleeve as at the end of the evening she gave us a wonderful rendering of her translations of the Russian poet Tarkovsky, who was the son of the film director. The poems were powerful and deep and the translations quite superb.
A fitting end to a really wonderful occasion!!
Love and Shalom
Sister Gila
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