[caption id="attachment_5274" align="alignright" width="169"] Sr. Anna and June at the top of the pyramid[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_1154" align="alignright" width="250"] Blog by Sr. June Fitzgerald, OP[/caption]
I climbed a pyramid . . .
and other adventures in the life of a Dominican Sister of Peace.
It’s all about perspective you know. Photographers and theologians alike know that one’s perspective directly influences what one sees and how it is interpreted. Yet, how often are we consciously aware of our own perspective?
For a moment, I invite you to think about your perspective. Where do you live? What cultural lens, physical condition, gender, values and religious beliefs make up your “view” of the world around you?
Ponder that for a moment, look around you. How often do you/we really look around ourselves fully conscious of our perspective on the world? I’d like to share a recent adventure where my perspective of the world required seeing from a different lens.
Last month, when visiting Mexico City for a cultural and language immersion program, I had the opportunity to climb the Pyramid of Cuicuilco which is the oldest pyramid in Mesoamerica. The pyramid was built around 6,000 BC and it was used for religious ceremonies and cultural gatherings. The legends tell that it was a place, “where they make songs and dances”. It was buried under volcanic rock and ash after the eruption of the volcano Xitli around 60 BC.
The site has been excavated and some of the pyramid has been repaired to represent its original shape and size. It is one of the few pyramids that were built in the shape of a circle or a cone. Actually, the people of this area believed that at the center of the pyramid was the place where all civilization had emerged. That point was believed to be the “belly-button” of the earth and that they were the first people. That was their perspective, as coming from and being in the center of all creation.
Fast forward to a hot day in June 2017, standing at the apex of the pyramid we were able to see for many miles in each direction. We could see the ancient volcanoes, open fields, and a dense city-scape circling out around us. From our perspective we could imagine being in the center of all creation. Yet . . . we know that we are not – we are a part of the whole of creation. God is at the center.
If I live out of that reality – that God is at the center – then, my perspective changes. My life changes focus, as do all of my choices. Today, as I stand where my feet are, I turn to my center – take God’s hand and step out in faith.
What is your perspective? Where is your center?
Discerning a call from God can sometimes feel like being called out onto a new vista – a new perspective. If you find yourself being called to this something new, this something more why not explore this call with one of our vocation ministers? Be bold in your response to God.
Sr. Anna and June at the top of the pyramid[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_1154" align="alignright" width="250"]
Blog by Sr. June Fitzgerald, OP[/caption]
I climbed a pyramid . . .
and other adventures in the life of a Dominican Sister of Peace.
It’s all about perspective you know. Photographers and theologians alike know that one’s perspective directly influences what one sees and how it is interpreted. Yet, how often are we consciously aware of our own perspective?
For a moment, I invite you to think about your perspective. Where do you live? What cultural lens, physical condition, gender, values and religious beliefs make up your “view” of the world around you?
Ponder that for a moment, look around you. How often do you/we really look around ourselves fully conscious of our perspective on the world? I’d like to share a recent adventure where my perspective of the world required seeing from a different lens.
Last month, when visiting Mexico City for a cultural and language immersion program, I had the opportunity to climb the Pyramid of Cuicuilco which is the oldest pyramid in Mesoamerica. The pyramid was built around 6,000 BC and it was used for religious ceremonies and cultural gatherings. The legends tell that it was a place, “where they make songs and dances”. It was buried under volcanic rock and ash after the eruption of the volcano Xitli around 60 BC.
The site has been excavated and some of the pyramid has been repaired to represent its original shape and size. It is one of the few pyramids that were built in the shape of a circle or a cone. Actually, the people of this area believed that at the center of the pyramid was the place where all civilization had emerged. That point was believed to be the “belly-button” of the earth and that they were the first people. That was their perspective, as coming from and being in the center of all creation.
Fast forward to a hot day in June 2017, standing at the apex of the pyramid we were able to see for many miles in each direction. We could see the ancient volcanoes, open fields, and a dense city-scape circling out around us. From our perspective we could imagine being in the center of all creation. Yet . . . we know that we are not – we are a part of the whole of creation. God is at the center.
If I live out of that reality – that God is at the center – then, my perspective changes. My life changes focus, as do all of my choices. Today, as I stand where my feet are, I turn to my center – take God’s hand and step out in faith.
What is your perspective? Where is your center?
Discerning a call from God can sometimes feel like being called out onto a new vista – a new perspective. If you find yourself being called to this something new, this something more why not explore this call with one of our vocation ministers? Be bold in your response to God.