Today I am going deeper in the World Cafe. I have been reading two books contemplatively for the past few months. One is an Anthology of Christian Mysticism by Harvey Egan, SJ. and the other is Community: The Structure of Belonging by Peter Block. The first is nourishing my sense of God and God's way of being within and with me in love as love. Inspiration from the lives and writings of the mystics is breathing life into my ministry as Director of Information Technology and Prioress at St. Joseph's Priory. Yesterday the idea of "seasoning one another" from St. Catherine's letter to her Spiritual Companion, Raymond de Capua kept rising up in my imagination like something rising to the surface of a still pool. What a beautiful thought that is to me! When we are at our best we season one another's lives. This is what Jesus refers to in reminding us we are the salt of the earth, and warning about what we risk when that salt loses its flavor. How can we add flavor when our own flavor has been lost? We either keep our own true flavor or become something artificial that benefits no one, least of all ourselves. I am resolved to being true and sharing what I know to be true with others. This is why the World Cafe appeals to me. I've known about it for a few years and like the idea, but I am signing up for it today. We will be using it at our Gathering of Prioresses this weekend. I see great possibility for it and hope it really takes off in our community as a way of connecting more deeply with each other and with people in other communities...not just religious communities, but other kinds of communities too, across many different cultures and generations.
