Art as Justice

We make art with our bodies, a sign of creativity to share, becoming larger than ourselves. Art and poetry have always been close to the justice and peace movements as forms of resistance and as a way to give voice to the strength and freedom of the human spirit. We offer these selections of prayer, poetry and art (some from FSPA sisters and affiliates) as part of our work for peace and justice. Through the creative medium justice and peace come closer.

September 2010

Reflections on migrant workers

When it comes to setting women free from every kind of exploitation and domination, the Gospel contains an ever relevant message which goes back to the attitude of Jesus Christ himself.

Transcending the established norms of his own culture, Jesus treated women with openness, respect,
acceptance and tenderness. In this way he honored the dignity which women have always possessed according to God’s plan and in his love. As we look to Christ . . . it is natural to ask ourselves: how much of his message has been heard and acted upon?

Letter of Pope John Paul II to Women, #3
[Emigration in search of work] is an age-old phenomenon which nevertheless continues to be repeated and is still today very widespread as a result of the complexities of modern life. Emigration in search of work must in no way become an opportunity for financial or social exploitation. As regards the work relationship, the same criteria should be applied to immigrant workers as to all other workers in the society concerned. The value of work should be measured by the same standard and not according to the difference in nationality, religion or race. For even greater reason the situation of constraint in which the emigrant may find himself should not be exploited. Pope John Paul II, Laborem Exercens, #23

Source: www.educationforjustice.org

August 2010

Prayer for Migrant Women

O God, Creator of the heavens and of earth,
Help us to see one another through eyes
Enlightened by understanding and compassion.
Help us to listen to the voices of all of our sisters throughout
the world with respect and attention.
Open our ears to the cries of women who have been denied
their rights and their dignity.
Empower us to be instruments of justice for all,
For in the wholeness of Christ,
all mothers are our own mothers,
and we are one.
Amen.

Source: www.educationfor justice.org

July 2010

We pray for Immigrants

Our immigrants brothers and sisters arrive in our
country after long, arduous journeys. They come in
response to the pressures of poverty at home.

We pray for the immigrants in this land.

They come to fill an economic gap in our country;
they accept jobs that our workforce does not want.
They often experience terrible conditions on the job.
We pray for immigrants and for workplace rules
to protect their dignity.

We are sorrowful for the misconceptions held by so
many people in our nation of immigrants as lazy,
and as receiving undeserved benefits.

We pray for recognition in our society that
immigrants pay much more in taxes than they
receive in benefits.

Our policymakers are currently entrenched in a
battle about immigration legislation. Some are
tempted to ignore the human aspects of immigration,
to make undocumented immigrants felons, and
to spend millions on border security without giving
immigrants who are already here a path to citizenship.

Change the hearts of our leaders, Lord of all.

Change our own hearts and inspire us to call
for comprehensive immigration reform that
includes a path to citizenship and a bright
future for our undocumented sisters and brothers.
Amen.

Source: www.educationforjustice.org

June 2010

Prayer to Change Our Hearts, Our Policies

Undocumented persons among us are often accused of breaking the law. Instead, it is our poverty-producing policies which have broken the law of human dignity.
Change our hearts and our policies, O God.
Our leaders sometimes see these persons as a burden. Yet, if we came from a life without opportunities, wouldn’t we do the same?
Change our hearts and our policies, O God.
We long for a more just world, where families need not be separated for lack of opportunity. Inspire us to challenge the systems and structures that perpetuate poverty.
Change our hearts and our policies, O God.
Amen.
- prayer by Jill Rauh www.educationforjustice.org

 

May 2010

Prayer to Jesus, the Immigrant

Jesus, as an infant you fled to Egypt with your mother Mary and Joseph.
You were a vulnerable family in a foreign land, looking for shelter and sustenance.
Help us to welcome those like you who cross our borders today.
Give us hearts of compassion, humane response,
And laws that respect the dignity of all immigrants. Amen.
Source: www.educationforjustice.org

April 2010

A quote from Catholic social teaching:

“The simple truth is clear: We must welcome the stranger, for in his or her face we see Christ.
Sadly, the migration experience today, according to the bishops of both [the U.S. and Mexico],
is far from the Kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed. . . . The church in the United States is
very, very Hispanic and what a blessing that is. They (Hispanic immigrants) come with the
values that are so needed in the United States today. When there is a moral issue that concerns
so many of our people, we have to speak. This is a special moment in the history of the
Catholic church and the history of migration.”

Cardinal Theodore McCarrick at the Strangers No Longer: Together on a Journey of Hope conference in El Paso,
Texas, on June 24, 2005. www.educationforjustice.org

March 2010

Speak to Us, God

Speak to us, O God.
We live in a time where fear of the “other” dominates
public discourse. Help us hear your voice.
Wisen us, O God.
Help us to see national security as a not only military,
but also human, issue.
Call us, O God.
Put a calling in our hearts to challenge unjust policies
that increase poverty abroad and create the need for
immigration to the U.S.
Move us, O God.
May the words of the bishops, which call for an approach
to immigration that goes beyond “enforcementonly,”
challenge us. Amen.
by Jill Rauh, Education for Justice, www.educationforjustice.org

February 2010
Prayer for Our Nation of Immigrants

God, we are a nation of immigrants. We pray
that you would make us more compassionate
toward our sisters and brothers who come to the
U.S. looking for a decent job and to be reunited
with family members.
As people of faith, help us to call for immigration
policies that better reflect the dignity of every
person who crosses our borders. Amen.

Source: www.educationforjustice.org

January 2010
Gifts
by Kathy Roberg, FSPA

People gifts, glories untold, unwrap, untie, layers unfold.
Gifts that are small, un-noticed by those around, can hold treasures yet to be found.

Unwrap the external person you are, untie the knots and the tightness in me.
Open with care - fragile within - but once discovered - new life will begin.

Gifts that are flashy and loudly declare
something of value deep down there.
Persons such gifted seem safe and secure and only the gifter knows gifts that are pure.

Gifts can come simply brown paper and cord, these may be the person gifts close to the Lord.

A gift may be elegant in golden adorn, these may hide person gifts broken and torn.

Gifts may be wrinkled and battered from giving, person gifts worn out from a lifetime of living.

No matter the person gifts, forgotten or awed, All are inspirations, gifted by God.

DECEMBER 2009
Christmas Ball
by Lucille Kleinheinz, FSPA

What do you see when you look at a
ball on a Christmas tree:
just a colored sphere
reflecting the best of earth’s
atmosphere?

Look again:
A curve of eternity?
For you see a ball without beginning
or end on a life-giving pine always
green?

Draw closer:
The love of God alive in you and me
His Son clothed in our humanity?

May this truly Be
what you see
when you look at a ball on a
living Christmas tree.

November 2009
All Praise and All Thanksgiving
by Lucille Kleinheinz, FSPA

To the ever-giving TRINITY
Creator of the abounding Earth
Supplying and gratifying us with its diverse season:
the resting season of Winter greening;
the season of Spring with its hopeful Emergin;
the Summer season with its exuberant Flowering;
Autumn with its intensive coloring.

All Glorifying the Bounty of God.

Receiving we give
G R A T I T U D E!

October 2009
I See His Face
by Lucille Kleinheinz, FSPA

Up on the mountain top Moses spoke to God
face to face - an awesome grace!
Down on the valley road, where I strode
I know I saw God in many ways and in many places -
Abounding grace!

I saw Him in the petal lying on the ground,
rich in color, soft like velvet to the touch;
blown there a part of a larger bloom,
blossoming in the beauty of my
flower box.
I could not help but think of God.

I saw Him in the rain, again and again,
as it stirred up the soil urging the
flowers to fill up the empty space.
In a myriad of colors the flowers raised
their heads to look at God face to face.
Abundant grace!

Besides the petal, the flower, and the rain,
I have seen God in another vein -
a loving human being - a sister, a brother,
and a friend, who daily give glory to God
by living in His grace.

Johnny Cash Black
by Marci Madary, FSPA affiliate

The last thing
before I turn
from the beveled reflection
is to twist
the golden tube,
drawing up
shimmering scarlet.

With a half smile,
I glide it over
my lips,
then press them together,
spreading the pigment
edge to edge.

Like Johnny Cash in black,
I wear red -
for all women
who no longer
lift their chins
for a kiss from the sun.

September 2009
9-11 Ashes
by Marci Madary, FSPA affiliate

On this day
all was ashes.

In a gasp of blinding light,
dreams crumbled
and breath turned to dust.

Like so many flashes of fire before…
desperation dissolved as death;
righteousness burned to ruin;
certainty collapsed into casualties.

Today
Remembering the world’s witness:
zeal disintegrating into
Ground Zero.

 

August 2009
SILENTIO
by Bernice Newton, FSPA
Piece by piece
Mystery of silence revealed,
While in quiet retreat
Waiting to sense God’s call
deep inside.

Other voices clamor to be heard.
Strange images appear;
Were they aways there
Yet was I unaware?

Like the back of a colored tapestry
Life’s picture seems confusing;
Yet each delicate thread woven
from birth until now
Leaves memories which sometimes
puzzles me.

Divine Healer,
Cleanse my interior mansions;
Lift out the dross,
Leave the pure gold.
Spirit Sanctifier,
Transform my darkness into the
Risen One’s LIGHT.

July 2009
The Forest Spoke,
I Answered
by Chandra Sherin, FSPA affiliate

I belong here, I think
walking through the forest
preserved and always gorgeous
something to treasure.
It's fall
and fall is always so complicated
with all the seeds of hope laid out against chill and death.
At least no vampire-like insects can devour me
and hinder me from appreciating
fiery glowing leaves that startle
and satisfy my ravenous hunger for aesthetics.

Beyond the grandeur, beyond vision
Something felt wrong.
I listened more closely.
A definite absence was sitting upon the forest
loudly.
The forest's
language was marked with tangible emptiness,
Like after death
And the funeral.
I asked the forest with every part of me,
Who is this emptiness echoing from
As we trot comfortably along
In prized conservation?
The answer came in streams of images
clear and filling,
quieting the loud emptiness for the moment:
The predators
The balance-rs
Those who make men
uneasy
and angry.
The bears, the wolves, the wild cats…
The sick deer with "chronic wasting disease" flashed through my mind.

My light footsteps slowed to answer clearly
At soul level
to the images, to the answer
the forest gave me so readily,
You who have filled our dreams
and unconscious with
fear of the woods,
inspiring our creations, causing us discomfort.
Please know
I am one who would rather be
banned from the woods and walk along in the city
than to
have nowhere left for the wild
fearsome predators, for each of you.
I would rather conserve a balanced habitat than
one sanitary, homogenized shrinking forest.
I would choose you, your unseen dangers,
to respect and to fill
our dreams with the unknown
places harboring wildness
for balance and soul.

I cannot, I did not say to the forest in her loss,
No, I want to be comfortable.
So be empty
and barren and beautiful.

 

June 2009

THE SEA
by Marie Kyle, FSPA

Rolling waves—growing, swelling, smashing,
splashing, crashing!

Receding, rolling, slowing, flowing, dying,
becoming one, ready to ride again
with the wind.
Feeling the surge of the power deep down,
rising, rising, pushing, power, PULSATING!

Wind and sea entwined—mingle, mix, meld, fuse,
interact, expand
Ride again over the sea
to hit the white hard rocks—
wash them smooth and splash one more
lose your power as you slip into
the sandy depths to be lost in unknown places.

Will you lie dormant, or will you rise again,
with the power of destruction, or power of healing—
power of death or
power of Life?

 

May 2009

At Hermitage THEA

by Betty Shakal, FSPA

Trees, birch trees
Wide windows
Still space
God-filled space
Hills
Quiet
Alone-space
Birds
Deer-tracks in the trails in the hills
Look-out Point
Eagles soaring
Rain splashing and wetting
Renewing and strengthening
Space with God.

 

Lenten Poem

by Lucille Kleinheinz, FSPA
“Remember that you are Dust.
Yes, with joy I recall
that from His fair earth
the Creator scoops a handful of dirt,
molds it, presses it to His heart,
gives it the kiss of Life and Likeness of Himself
and the DUST GLOWS with GOD,
whereas DIVINITY for its part, SHINES through Dust with LOVE.
My whole inner being leaps at the Remembrance
That I am dust, Glorified Dust; touched by God.

April 2009

LIVING GREEN
by Bernice Newton, FSPA

Life is green in springtime.
Delicate light lime bubbles up
in buds, leaves and stems
on flower, shrub, and tree.

Tiny hair-like sprouts push up
from the dark womb of the earth,
Rows of raddish, lettuce and onion
plants appear on the scene.

Bridal wreath pregnant white
encircles the walk,
Peony bushes display luscious
pink blossoms
nestled in leafy foliage.

Spring grows old.
Gardens ripen with cucumbers,
peas and beans,
Little garter snakes slither through
thick heavy grass lawns.
Fields are filled with the rustling
of corn stalks.

March 2009

My Simile
by Marydel Bissen, FSPA

Like an orphaned fawn
needing nurturing and water,
shelter, mothering and warmth,
my soul thirsts for God and strengthening.
You know my journeys well;
past, present and future.
You hold my life in your hands.
It has been in trying times that I sensed You most.
How would I fit or live my future life,
wanting as well to walk beside
others in their pain?
God, how could my human falings,
my soul Gethsemanies
of fumbles and consternation be flushed forever?
Some bordents overwhelmed me.
And like a rescued deer,
my baffled, fearful being is changed through grace and time;
rests on Your heart and drinks of Your love.
For there is unconditional love, dear God.

February 2009

Silence
by Chandra Sherin, FSPA affiliate

Wherever Silence has entered…
may she stay.
This silence who is pregnant and heavy,
I hear her breathing
and the breath is full of golden lit compassion, and spaciousness.

This silence, as she sits among us,
stirs a memory from the soul
not from earthen stone times,
before this…in timelessness.

Her presence is loudly silent, peace filled,
and she is needed.
She serves and loves without pause,
as angels adore her; they study her.

Sacred Love has made provisions
for each one

each one
in case silence should get edged out or twisted,
with the hurry, busy, booming basses, with the push, and pushes, with more and the more and the more…

Provision for a louder silence
one that does not nag, sell, or box us in, but,

one who
is true and faithful, abiding, deepening, profoundly gentle.

One who is all good, only good, all love, only love, with spaciousness,

with a way and ways for each one…

‘Do not kid yourself’, a wise fellow once mentioned to me,

as I was heart open but mind closed,
‘Holiness is moving and has not abandoned the Soul,
not amidst frenzy or horrors.’

Silence, sweet silence, followed, and healing for me - in that moment.

This love abides,
deeply loving
respectful revolutionary Presence,
for Good.

Silence, we welcome you
into this day,
Watching over us,
with us in each breath.
between each breath

Our surprise of joy meets you,
needs you.