Associates See This Time as a "Tipping Point"

"Preach peace, build peace, be peace" took new form as Associates from Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Ohio joined the Sisters of the Midwest Mission Group for their fall meeting, September 21-22 in Columbus, Ohio. Friday night's agenda was an invitation to "catch up" with one another before the work of the weekend began on Saturday morning. If the volume of the conversation was any indication, there was much catching up to be done!

Saturday morning began with the prayer that had been prepared for the World Day of Peace: "God has told you what is required of you… to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God." The context for our day was set by viewing and sharing one video presentation of Barbara Marx Hubbard's address to the LCWR at its August meeting. The presentation invites us to live with an evolutionary consciousness, to see this time in history as a 'tipping point' - as place where there is either a break down or a break through; an invitation to give space to the questions that arise and to be aware of the 'God who is ahead' - to see in all of this the Divine Presence unfolding. Within the context of the presentation, Barbara wove the writings of Teilhard de Chardin, Paul, Jesus, Pope Benedict, and many more futurists who point the way (a must-see video!). Another option is to read her new book Birth 2012 and Beyond, which contains much of the video content.

The Mission Group's "Peace Project(s)" unfolded following the presentation as a way to enflesh our personal commitment to "be peace with works of peace." Ten projects took shape: some are study projects, some involve integrating peace-building activities into school curriculums, some are reaching out in support of programs that already exist (Salvation Army's programming for those caught in human trafficking, the Peace Center at Corpus Christi parish in Columbus), giving a new start to a monthly interfaith prayer gathering in Columbus around concerns related to violence involving guns, using and spreading seven daily peace practices, and the list goes on. Associates need to "stay tuned," hear more, and get actively involved in the activities in our areas. This is a tipping point, a time when we can consciously make a difference in our evolutionary history.

For those interested in study, some suggested book were: Cultivating Peace by James O'Dea, Fields of Compassion by Judy Cannato, and Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis with Beth Clark.