My dear Friends
Being a Catholic is always challenging. Having now been in the Church for 20 years, I can honestly say that. It informs every fibre of your being and on every level: emotional, intellectual and spiritual. You might say that you can tell I'm a Catholic by the way I think and feel.
That's why the Pope's message about contraception is a challenge too. Firstly, a little about his role-he is the spiritual leader of a vast Church, comprising billions of Catholics round the world. He has a duty primarily to serve them in his role as Vicar of Christ on earth and to spread the message of peace, love and joy that we hear in the Gospel. I emphasise that he is the head of a spiritual hierarchy, with Cardinals, Bishops, Priests and lay (ordinary) people who together make up the Body of Christ with our fellow baptised Christians from other churches.
The Church is always at pains to teach that life is of the essence, and this is what's behind the teaching on contraception. At the same time we know that our sexuality is abused and many are seeking to take what they see as sensible measures to prevent that.
God never takes away our free will, and He delights in an informed conscience. We are expected, as sophisticated human beings, to allow God's grace to work in the ground of our being and in the depths of our conscience. As members of HIs Church we must try to obey our Heavenly Father by listening to His advocates that He has placed on this earth, and to work together for a just society which protects and defends the sanctity of the human person.
One great thing about the Catholic Church is that it has never been afraid to discuss these issues, even while it is difficult to find a resolution.
May God's grace fill our hearts so that the sexuality, that is the integrity of our brothers and sisters may be given its proper loving place in His creation.
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Sunday 29 March 2009
Thursday 26 March 2009
Towards the Newletter
My dear Friends
I am delighted to tell you that the latest Newsletter, no 11, is being prepared now and sent as a mail shot round the world to Friends of The Little Sisters of Joy, who number around 600 in 22 countries. I hope to publish it on the Blog within the next 10 days. It contains, amongst other things, news of recent events and some to come, including the Summer Event I published on the Blog recently.
You will be able to see the Logo, whcih I hope eventually to publish on a modest website, details of which I am exploring now.
Watch this space!
Shalom from
Sister Gila
I am delighted to tell you that the latest Newsletter, no 11, is being prepared now and sent as a mail shot round the world to Friends of The Little Sisters of Joy, who number around 600 in 22 countries. I hope to publish it on the Blog within the next 10 days. It contains, amongst other things, news of recent events and some to come, including the Summer Event I published on the Blog recently.
You will be able to see the Logo, whcih I hope eventually to publish on a modest website, details of which I am exploring now.
Watch this space!
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Sunday 22 March 2009
Hinay ma tov uma naim
My dear Friends
Hinay ma tov uma naim shevet achim gam yachad
Behold how good and pleasant a tribe of brothers living together! These words from Psalm 133 have been put to music and I sing the song, a round, in other words in parts, with the audience joining in at the end of every concert. The psalm goes on to say that this group, living in harmony, can be compared to the oil on Aaron's beard or the dew on Mount Hermon!
I have never lost the hope of living in a religious community of women. This after all was the original inspiration and mystical experience that I was given under grace in the South of France in December 1998. The concept is still very much there, I have written a Rule of Life and Constitutions and I just wait for the time to be right, probably after The Little Sisters of Joy becomes a charitable foundation at the end of this year.
From the very original concept, way back, I will have waited over 20 years-a drop in the ocean as far as God's moed, appointed hour, is concerned. A huge test of patience, but isn't that what Lent is meant to reaffirm, your ability to wait?
In the meantime, much has happened and mush is happening and everything must evolve in its own time. But we are not meant to live alone and I wait for the joyful day in joyful expectation when my dream finally comes to fruition.
Love and Shalom
Sister Gila
Tuesday 17 March 2009
The Price of Mission
My dear Friends
When I was 37 years old, I was received into the Catholic Church. In Newmarket, at the Easter Vigil, the ceremony on the eve of Easter Sunday 1989, I was baptised, confirmed and given Holy Communion. The baptism was pure JOY, as was the communion, but the Confirmation passed me by a little, coming so close to the baptism as it did.
Years later I realised its significance: I was given my Mission. I was sealed with the Holy Spirit, which 'blows where it will' - little did I realise on the night that it would lead to Peace and Reconciliation and The Little Sisters of Joy.
'A prophet is not known in her own country' said Jesus. So sometimes the going has been tough. But we are a global family and this makes the going easier, over and above my own personal travels, because I feel a lot of support from you out there.
I comfort myself in those moments of reluctance with the thought that all the other people confronted with conveying a message from God have known fear, and poverty, and dryness of spirit and have prayed:
When I was 37 years old, I was received into the Catholic Church. In Newmarket, at the Easter Vigil, the ceremony on the eve of Easter Sunday 1989, I was baptised, confirmed and given Holy Communion. The baptism was pure JOY, as was the communion, but the Confirmation passed me by a little, coming so close to the baptism as it did.
Years later I realised its significance: I was given my Mission. I was sealed with the Holy Spirit, which 'blows where it will' - little did I realise on the night that it would lead to Peace and Reconciliation and The Little Sisters of Joy.
'A prophet is not known in her own country' said Jesus. So sometimes the going has been tough. But we are a global family and this makes the going easier, over and above my own personal travels, because I feel a lot of support from you out there.
I comfort myself in those moments of reluctance with the thought that all the other people confronted with conveying a message from God have known fear, and poverty, and dryness of spirit and have prayed:
'Hide me in the shadow of your wings
till the storms of destruction pass by.'
Onward and upward!
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Friday 13 March 2009
Summer Event
My dear Friends
I am delighted to tell you that there will be a Summer Event on Sunday 26th July 2009 in the Old Library, Darwin College, Cambridge, between 2 and 4 pm. Jonathan Gorsky, Lecturer in Judaism and Jewish-Christian Relations at Heythrop College, University of London, will give a talk on the following theme:
I am delighted to tell you that there will be a Summer Event on Sunday 26th July 2009 in the Old Library, Darwin College, Cambridge, between 2 and 4 pm. Jonathan Gorsky, Lecturer in Judaism and Jewish-Christian Relations at Heythrop College, University of London, will give a talk on the following theme:
Jewish-Christian Reconciliation in the Post War Period
Jonathan is an expert on Jewish-Christian Relations and used to work for the Council of Christians and Jews in London.
The venue is lovely, we held our first talk there and I hope you will flock along!
Shabbat Shalom
Sister Gila
Monday 9 March 2009
More about The Haven
My dear Friends
I thought I would like to tell you a little more about The Haven, where I live. And what I do there. Well, sometimes I receive people in need and hopefully they feel a warm and calm presence in the flat, not just me I assure you! And one of the things I enjoy doing most is inviting people for a Shabbat meal, the traditional Friday night supper of the Jewish people.
This goes right back into my Jewish childhhood, where I learned early on that the presence of God infuses all of our lives, including weekdays. But the Shabbat is indeed special. I usually invite Christians or people who have never experienced a Shabbat meal before and are interested in participating in this time-honoured ritual with the candles and the wine and the braided bread.Occasionally someone comes, (like my friend from the monastery I spoke about in a previous entry on the blog),who was brought up as a Jew and is familiar with the proceedings. But it is always a JOY.
As for the rest of the week, first thing in the morning I pray the Divine Office, a collection of the Psalms arranged daily by the Catholic Church. Sometimes I pray them in English and from time to times in Hebrew or French. Then, when I come home at the end of the day, I pray the Psalms from the Evening Prayer. This recitation consecrates my day, gives me a framework of prayer and 'binds' the two ends of the day.The great thing about the Divine Office is that all day, every day, the Psalms are being prayed all over the world in an unceasing rhythm of prayer and you feel united with the whole Church, unsleeping, East and West.
So-another little glimspse into my life at The Haven.
Shalom for now
Sister Gila
I thought I would like to tell you a little more about The Haven, where I live. And what I do there. Well, sometimes I receive people in need and hopefully they feel a warm and calm presence in the flat, not just me I assure you! And one of the things I enjoy doing most is inviting people for a Shabbat meal, the traditional Friday night supper of the Jewish people.
This goes right back into my Jewish childhhood, where I learned early on that the presence of God infuses all of our lives, including weekdays. But the Shabbat is indeed special. I usually invite Christians or people who have never experienced a Shabbat meal before and are interested in participating in this time-honoured ritual with the candles and the wine and the braided bread.Occasionally someone comes, (like my friend from the monastery I spoke about in a previous entry on the blog),who was brought up as a Jew and is familiar with the proceedings. But it is always a JOY.
As for the rest of the week, first thing in the morning I pray the Divine Office, a collection of the Psalms arranged daily by the Catholic Church. Sometimes I pray them in English and from time to times in Hebrew or French. Then, when I come home at the end of the day, I pray the Psalms from the Evening Prayer. This recitation consecrates my day, gives me a framework of prayer and 'binds' the two ends of the day.The great thing about the Divine Office is that all day, every day, the Psalms are being prayed all over the world in an unceasing rhythm of prayer and you feel united with the whole Church, unsleeping, East and West.
So-another little glimspse into my life at The Haven.
Shalom for now
Sister Gila
Tuesday 3 March 2009
The Haven
My dear Friends
I would like to tell you a little more about The Haven, the flat in which I live and which is the headquarters of The Little Sisters of Joy. It is a ground floor flat with a garden, in which I planted a silver birch tree, when I moved in there five and a half years ago. You can see me in my little flat in the picture on the bottom of the Blog.
I live in what I guess you would call a working class neighbourhood, althoug there is quite a lot of mixed housing; anyhow the people don't have too many luxuries. There is a good community spirit, and we have shops and a local library, which sometimes saves the need to go into town. Which I like doing though and by bus it only takes around 20 minutes to the centre of Cambridge.
The flat can be hard to find-when they built them around 30 years ago thy devised all kinds of weird and wonderful paths and you can get lost (which is why mobile phones can be so handy!) Despite occasional neighbour problems in the past, I get a lot of peace and solitude and it is a good place to rest. And it is good to struggle with everyone else in the day to day problems, financial and otherwise.
I moved in on 8th August 2003, birthday of Our Lady and the beginning of the liturgical year in the Orthodox calendar, so very auspicious! Being ground floor, I can keep nocturnal habits and pace around or quietly write and not disturb anyone. The painting you see on the wall of my flat is a famous view in Ely, which is close to Cambridge and I have icons and many other little things. It is a nice environment to do Yoga!
So this has been a little taste of where I live.
Love and Shalom
Sister Gila
I would like to tell you a little more about The Haven, the flat in which I live and which is the headquarters of The Little Sisters of Joy. It is a ground floor flat with a garden, in which I planted a silver birch tree, when I moved in there five and a half years ago. You can see me in my little flat in the picture on the bottom of the Blog.
I live in what I guess you would call a working class neighbourhood, althoug there is quite a lot of mixed housing; anyhow the people don't have too many luxuries. There is a good community spirit, and we have shops and a local library, which sometimes saves the need to go into town. Which I like doing though and by bus it only takes around 20 minutes to the centre of Cambridge.
The flat can be hard to find-when they built them around 30 years ago thy devised all kinds of weird and wonderful paths and you can get lost (which is why mobile phones can be so handy!) Despite occasional neighbour problems in the past, I get a lot of peace and solitude and it is a good place to rest. And it is good to struggle with everyone else in the day to day problems, financial and otherwise.
I moved in on 8th August 2003, birthday of Our Lady and the beginning of the liturgical year in the Orthodox calendar, so very auspicious! Being ground floor, I can keep nocturnal habits and pace around or quietly write and not disturb anyone. The painting you see on the wall of my flat is a famous view in Ely, which is close to Cambridge and I have icons and many other little things. It is a nice environment to do Yoga!
So this has been a little taste of where I live.
Love and Shalom
Sister Gila
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