Each Sunday in Advent, Sr. Elizabeth Davis and her fellow Mercy sisters light a candle on their cosmic Advent wreath adorned with shells, pinecones, rocks and colorful ribbons.
The four candles symbolize the births of, in order: the universe, the solar system, Jesus Christ and, finally, “the birth of each one of us into the whole cosmic body of the universe,” said Davis, a member of Mercy International Association.
While Christmas is a celebration of God becoming incarnate through the birth of Jesus Christ, theologians consider God’s first act of incarnation to be the birth of the cosmos, inspiring some religious communities to incorporate a cosmic dimension to their seasonal reflections and celebrations. (Davis noted that her community, Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland, got the idea of a cosmic Advent wreath from the School Sisters of Notre Dame.)
The Mercy sisters are working to democratize the theological language around Christ and the cosmos through Mercy Global Presence, a program that uses art and ordinary language to examine otherwise abstract topics. The online resource for December is themed “Incarnate God in Cosmos and in Person of Jesus.”
“What’s happening now is quite a fundamental shift for ordinary sisters, men, women and children, that we’re starting to understand [the universe] in ways we couldn’t have even 10 years ago,” said Davis, who serves on the guiding team for Mercy Global Presence and as liaison with the 12 congregational leaders of Sisters of Mercy.
“That’s a fundamental shift in our theology, in our spirituality, in how and where we do ministry,” she said.
And a shift in how to think about Christmas…
Read the rest of the article in Global Sisters Report here
The Pope was expressing his appreciation for the attorneys’ commitment to developing a legal framework aimed at protecting the environment.
El Papa estaba expresando su aprecio por el compromiso de los abogados para desarrollar un marco jurídico destinado a proteger el medio ambiente.
ecology is often hindered by limited access to the academic publications on the subject, which are not affordable for many individuals and institutions in lower-income countries.
A new cosmological narrative with “Cosmos meaning all creation, the entire universe, every dimension of time and space (spiritual and material)” is one of “a global heartbeat” in “kinship as a planetary community”. In uniqueness, we are “aligned” /”in harmony”/ “in wonder”/”delight”/”bending low…play-ful” as “one with the heartbeat of God”.
At the UN, Mercy Global Action is promoting a Mercy Water Campaign to strengthen a more unified voice in the Mercy World, in solidarity with our partners and water defenders in the water justice movement, to protect and promote the human right to water, and the rights-based implementation of SDG6 (clean water and sanitation).
Expert and diverse panelists will talk about our planetary boundaries, the latest updates from COP15 and Indigenous perspectives on biodiversity. The online gathering will conclude with a theological reflection on creation care.
It connects the science of climate change, biodiversity and sustainable resource use with the messages of Pope Francis’s Encyclical 
Conecta la ciencia del cambio climático, la biodiversidad y el uso sostenible de los recursos con los mensajes de la Encíclica Laudato Si’ del Papa Francisco.
The presentation took place at McAuley Convent, St John’s, where a number of Sisters had gathered for this event. A brief ritual which included a blessing of water was prepared and led by Sr. Mona.