A Walk Around the Block

sister gains new perspective from unique, simple retreat

By Sister Patricia Ann Mahoney, OSF

This summer has certainly been unique for all of us. And so has my annual summer retreat experience. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, our provincial administration granted permission for each of our Sisters to make a private retreat — in our own convent, with our own spiritual resource material, in quiet and solitude — and with each of us praying that we would not be too distracted by the everyday articles around the house, not to mention cell phones, computers and tablets.   

So I began the week armed with my Bible, a book by Henri Nouwen called With Burning Hearts, the seclusion of my prayer space in the gabled window area on the third floor of Little Flower House convent in Pittsburgh, Pa., and a resolution to walk outside at least once a day. 

God was very good to me during that week, not only during the prayer time, but also in the time I spent outside sitting on the back porch and walking around the block in the evening. The “block” for me was a path down the main driveway, turning onto Quaill Avenue, then Glenwood, onto Forest Avenue, and up the steps at the bus stop at Mt. Assisi Place. From there I would walk around on the property for as long as it took to finish praying the Rosary. 

Afterward, I sat on the back porch and just absorbed the green of the trees and grass, and was attentive to the antics of the birds, bunnies, deer, insects and sometimes, even the squirrels, with whom I often argued during their wintertime attempts to steal birdseed. They have never bothered the summer hummingbird feeder, but do share the birdbath with the birds. I took some photos of these friends, since they seemed able to stay in tune with the rhythm of creation, while many of us have had to deal with varying amounts of discord in these difficult days. 

By the end of the retreat, I realized that I had learned something from the nature I had encountered around the block and on our back porch. One thing was that, despite social distancing, we are never alone. Our God is always with us. Humans and all of creation are interconnected, since God is the life-source of us all. And because I have the privilege of access to water and food, I need to share these, not just with the creatures outside my door, but also with my neighbors near and far, especially those on the margins of our society.      

So as my retreat drew to a close, I prayed for the grace to stay awake to see the deeper realities beneath the surface of each person and all of creation — to encounter God Who dwells there. No physical distance can take that away from us.

As in Ephesians 4:3, I also asked for the strength to “Make every effort to preserve the unity which has the Spirit as its origin and peace as its binding force.”