by Sr. Sheila Campbell, MMM                       Ireland                                             26.07.2024

During the Covid-19 pandemic we all had a heightened awareness of the need for fresh air and ventilation. In our convent in Drogheda, it was no different. All our windows and, where possible, doors were kept open. I remember one day I sat staring at the open door of our chapel when I went in to pray in the early morning.

I love the symbol of the open door. It just offers up so much possibility. It is exciting. What is on the other side? I remember entering MMM so many years ago. The open door was a welcoming one. Come and see. Come and join our life. But the open door also has a touch of reality about it. It was kept open so that those who decided otherwise could also leave.

The open door is really just an invitation, a liminal space between two worlds. Within MMM I had the opportunity to learn more about myself, to grow in maturity and self-confidence. Yes, I was educated and given the opportunity to travel and experience other cultures. But I may have had that education and overseas experience outside of MMM. The real difference is the inner work. Here I am, more than fifty years later, still trying to learn more about the inner world and learning connections and deepening relationships – with God and everyone around me.

One of the good things that has happened since all the talk of climate change is a growing awareness of how everything and everybody is inter-connected. We may have had that in theory or in theology before now, but suddenly it is real. When China burns coal, the air we breathe is affected. Our plastic waste ends up in the oceans and destroys the ecosystem we need for food and basic survival. The open door reminds us that the outside affects the inside and the inside of us has to come forward and protect the outside.

So today I prayed that my “door” can stay open and receptive, and I invite you to do the same.