Twenty-five years ago, I was participating in my Cursilllo in Northern Virginia. There were roughly 30 of us candidates, supported by a team of twelve who spent the weekend with us and more than I will ever know who were behind the scenes. We were at Missionhurst Retreat Center, in the shadow of the Nations Capitol, and we agreed to be without watches, news, and outside contact until Sunday. On that Saturday afternoon, Sister Annette shared a talk called Obstacles to the Life of Grace. Breaking from her prepared talk, she was able to share with us that the Berlin Wall, the ultimate physical obstacle separating people at the time, was falling. People were removing the barrier that had isolated West Berlin and East Berlin. The guard towers were leveled, and people were free to walk between the barriers, to move from East to West, to cross the Wall of Shame that had restricted movement since 1961. The juxtaposition of that very peaceful place and the soft and prayerful face of Sister Annette with the image of the wall being demolished left an indelible impression on me. The core of the talk included prayer, direction, and fellowship. Being able to turn to God for support, thanks and answers has guided my life well. Being open to advice, direction, coaching, and correction have proved a bit of an obstacle and a great lesson for me to learn. Transforming my relationship to what you have to say to me from a problem to a contribution may be the most important lesson I have learned. And clearly, without community and the opportunity to play with you, my life ~ any life ~ would be pretty desolate, I will always remember where I was when the Berlin Wall came down. I was being supported in bringing down some of my own walls.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 21:13:28 +0000
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