Earth corner

Written on: August 9, 2013

Earth Corner

Just before you head into the dining room at the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart Motherhouse, there is a corner which one might say contains a strategic pause.  Before entering a delightfully prepared and presented meal, we are greeted by the Earth Corner.  A perhaps not too subtle reminder, to be thankful for the gifts we will encounter around the next corner.

The Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart attempt to be mindful of living in a country where food and the variety of food are plentiful.  We know that not everyone enjoys such bounty.  Yet, the Earth holds forth her riches for all of us- not just the few.  By being conscious of our blessings, we honor the Earth, and the God who made her.  We are reminded of the responsibility to care for those less fortunate, to advocate for those without a voice nationally and internationally, and to find ways to redistribute the Earth’s bounty in more equitable ways.

As you sit down to your next meal, we implore you to take a moment to give thanks for the blessings you are about to receive, to remember that many hands have worked to bring this meal to your table- possibly some who risk their lives to do so.

Meal blessings

Beans, Green and Yellow

In fall it is mushrooms

gathered from dampness

under the pines;

In spring I have known

the taste of lamb

full of milk and spring grass;

Today it is beans green and yellow

and lettuce and basil from

my friends’ garden-

How calmly,

as though it were an ordinary thing,

We eat the blessed earth.

Mary Oliver

This entry was posted in With a Heart for Justice