by Sr. Sheila Campbell MMM   Ireland   29.11.2021

The other day I was in the chapel around 8.30 in the morning.  As we are in winter months here in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun rises a little later each day.  On this day the sun, just above the horizon, was streaming through the windows, casting shadows on the far wall.   For some reason I was unexplainably content.

I was thrown back in my memory to Novitiate days.  Sr. Marie Stella, our Novice Directress, tried her best with her novices and sent us off every day to the chapel to pray.  I would go in, sit down (no, probably kneel down in those days!) and try to concentrate on God.  But, of course, my mind wandered and I ended up watching the shadows dance on the wall.
One thing I discovered, if I stayed still and quiet, I could actually see the shadows move across the wall, and get slightly lower, as the sun rose in the sky.  Now as I observe the same scene, I am reminded how God moves, slightly each day, to nudge me into His love and grace.  Then a cloud comes by and the light dims for a moment – haven’t we all had times when the light is dim in our lives?  But the sun is always there in the background, ready to break through again at any moment.
As we start the Advent season, preparing for Christmas, I am so grateful for this reminder that God is a constant in my life, from my first breath to my dying one. Yes, we will celebrate the birth again at Christmas, but in a real sense Christ is born for me each day as surely as the sun rises.
So today I am grateful for the memories and for Sr. Marie Stella who encouraged me at the start of my MMM journey.