Radiant sparks of God

By Sr. Therese MacDonald, O.L.M.
March/April 2009

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During our fall season, Our Lady’s Missionaries was blessed with a short study on Hildegard of Bingen led by Sr. Betty Lou Knox of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Two of the quotes referred to by Sr. Knox were especially meaningful to me. They were from Gloria Durka’s book, Praying with Hildegard: “Living creatures are, so to speak, sparks from the radiance of God’s brilliance and these sparks emerge from God like the rays of the Sun,” and “There is no creature without some form of radiance.”

Many years ago in our novitiate, we learned several proofs of the existence of God from the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. Now I’m aware of many more. Some of my working years both in Canada and in Brazil were spent nursing in hospital maternity departments. Thus, I often observed a mother’s radiant glow as I placed her newborn in her arms. It mattered not, if this woman was very rich or, as was more frequently the case, destitute. This must be what Hildegard says is a glimpse of the radiance of God and it was even more than a spark—it was a fire.

Life brings changes and I was called to take on other roles. Still God’s brilliance shone out to me, only now in different ways: from the view of the mountains of Ceara in Brazil; from the gift of a blender so that I could treat myself to tropical drinks; from people accepting me in spite of my weaknesses; from satisfied guests when I served an appe-tizing meal; from my many friends who cheered me up when times were hard; from those impossible school children who so much enjoyed my English classes and sometimes learned nothing; from a medical student who sought my help in diagnosing an infrequently seen illness; or, as bookkeeper for our congregation, from a now balanced page of an accounting book. These and many more instances were not just little sparks—to me they were fires.

I am now, like so many of Our Lady’s Missionaries, at that stage in life when recalling memories takes up a lot of time. However, sparks still fly out, even as I sit at a community meeting and am distracted from the topic of who will coordinate the next feast-day meal. I glance around the room and see the sparks there: from Marie’s love of beauty, Susan’s solidarity with the homeless, Pauline’s journey with illness, Frances’s words of wisdom, Rosemarie’s compassion, Christine’s youthfulness, Patricia’s shared knowledge, Myra’s joy, Joan’s caring, Noreen’s administration, Gwen’s welcome, Mary’s maturity, Rosie’s computer skills, Elaine’s embracing of God’s stillness, Cecile’s mercy, Doris’s good nursing care, and Norma’s acceptance.

Retreat day for Our Lady’s Missionaries last fall at their Motherhouse in Toronto. L-R standing: Sisters Marie Clarkson, Joan Missiaen, Elaine MacInnes, Mary Hughes, Rosemary Hughes, Patricia Kay, Susan Moran, Gwen Legault, Frances Brady. L-R seated: Sisters Christine Gebel, Cecile Turner, Rosemarie Donovan, Pauline Doherty, Noreen Kearns, Doris MacDonell, Therese MacDonald.

But there are even more sparks flying about. Casey, our pussycat, enters the room. She teaches me how I could be loved and still be very independent. She will do whatever she feels like—isn’t that a spark to contend with? That beautiful floral bouquet on the table brings life, perfection, colour, and in inanimate speech says, “I’m here to bring you joy and beauty.” The candle beside it, speaks to me, “I am the light of the world.” The paintings on the wall are themselves different messages from God and show the creativity of some not-well-known artist. The comfortable furniture constructed by someone, somewhere, is a gift from God that allows me to sit and enjoy music from some of civilization’s best known and loved musicians. From the vantage point of my chair, I look out the picture window and see the seasons in full array: new life in spring, fullness of life in summer, life’s rewards in autumn, or the soft, white beauty of winter. I see these sparks creating a great blaze.

Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Luke (7:21), “the Kingdom of God is among you.” Can Our Lady’s Missionaries experience this mystery in their golden years while mourning the closing of a dearly loved mission? To answer, I borrow from Barack Obama’s acceptance speech on election night 2008 in Chicago. “Yes we can!”

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