Impermanence: The Playground of the Holy Spirit

During our recent election of a new prioress at Mount St. Scholastica, we invited the Holy Spirit to be present and guide us in our deliberations. The prayer chant we sang to open our sessions throughout the week was “O God, send Spirit; open us to the wisdom heart of Jesus” by Suzanne Toolan. For our part, each of us in the community had to create space for the Holy Spirit to work by listening to each other, being open to all possibilities, and not clinging to our own preferences. Looking back, it seems clear that the Spirit was guiding us as we elected Sr. Mary Elizabeth Schweiger, a woman of many gifts and much leadership experience, who will challenge us to be true to our Benedictine charism and to make critical decisions about our future life together.

It is human nature to resist change. Our current prioress, Sr. Esther Fangman, has shepherded our community well and led us safely through the COVID pandemic; it would be so much more comfortable if we could maintain the status quo by keeping her in office! However, in setting term limits, we open new pathways for the Holy Spirit to work. As the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn said, “Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible.”

I find that thought comforting whenever I am challenged by loss. Cutting down a dead tree creates space for a different type of tree to be planted. The loss of a job can open a path to a more fulfilling career. Even our own impending death frees us to be with God in a different way, without the limitations of an aging body and mind.

Come, Spirit. Free us from clinging to what is and open our hearts to the possibilities that accompany impermanence. Help us join your beloved daughter Emily Dickinson in saying, “I dwell in possibility.”