February Issue » Inside ML
Ada Simpson
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Journey to paths unknown Being a New England girl, I've always loved the poetry of Robert Frost, especially his rural imagery of New England. A favorite has always been The Road Not Taken, a narrative of a person standing at a fork in the road, faced with the difficult choice of which path to take. Each one of us has faced such decisions many times in our lives. Which way should we go? What shall we become? Often we set off on a path and soon find ourselves doing things that we never envisioned in places that we never imagined! For many in ministry, we have chosen the road less traveled, leaving our lives open to the whispering of the Holy Spirit, who guides and directs our footsteps. Last year we at Ministry & Liturgy were dedicated to the exploration of journeys. We continue the journey theme this year, tracing the footsteps of many who have answered yes to the call to serve Christ. Some have left home, friends, and family to follow Christ's call to the ends of the earth. Others have stayed in their own backyard, courageously remaining faithful witnesses to our Lord and Savior. In this issue's exploration of the ways we are called to ministry, seminarian Thomas Quinn shares a candid narrative of his call to priesthood. Our own David Fedor challenges us to examine the depth, the beauty, and the richness of the Exsultet. Wayne Pratt offers practical advice for creating sacred outdoor space in part two of his article on prayer gardens. Jonathan Morse observes how engaging the senses of worshipers can assist them in encountering the divine. This month we also welcome three new regular column writers. Denise Morency Gannon shares reflections on liturgy and music in Liturgy Matters; Joanne Mercier will help us use new media in evangelization in Ministry & Technology; and Mary Amore offers ways to cultivate a spirit open to God's call in A Willing Spirit. Bruce Janiga melds the former colums At the Table of the Word and Liturgical Spirituality into a new column, Lectionary Spirituality, in which he shares insights and questions for reflection based on the season's Scripture readings. We say farewell and thank you to David Haas for his years of monthly contributions to ML. His Sung Prayer column has been particularly helpful in interpreting and applying the various documents on music and liturgy. We look forward to more of his feature-length articles on liturgical music. (Pastoral musicians will want to check out the "God Song" section in the new column Liturgy Matters.) We also thank Kathi Scarpace for her years of drawing the clip art for Bulletin Inserts; Marilyn Dale takes up the pen and ink starting with this issue. And so, as we in ministry continue our journeys, we choose our paths, our calls, in different ways — directly, indirectly, through people, through places, through circumstances. This year ML will take its direction from John Bell's "The Summons." As chosen people, as Christian brothers and sisters, we will hear people's stories of how they have answered the call and what they have experienced on the roads they have traveled. Come and journey! The Summons 1. Will you come and follow me 2. Will you leave yourself behind 3. Will you let the blinded see 4. Will you love the "you" you hide 5. Lord, your summons echoes true KELVINGROVE Text: 76 76 77 76; John L. Bell, © 1987, The Iona Community. All rights reserved. Used with permission of GIA Publications, Inc. |