Lou Ella Hickman is a member of the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament and is a former teacher and librarian. Her poems have appeared in numerous magazines such as America, First Things, Emmanuel, Third Wednesday, and new verse news, as well as in four anthologies: The Night's Magician: Poems aboutthe Moon, edited by Philip Kolin and Sue Brannan Walker; Down to the Dark River, edited by Philip Kolin; Secrets, edited by Sue Brannan Walker; and After Shocks: The Poetry of Recovery for Life-ShatteringEvents, edited by Tom Lombardo. She was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2017. Her first book of poetry, titled she: robed and wordless, was published in 2015.
Because I am a person of faith, I seek to understand who God is. However, theology can say only so much, as it is rational — and reason has its limits. We also need the intuition of poets to express what reason cannot.
Despite mixed reviews, "The Help" is even more relevant today than 10 years ago. When seen with the eyes of faith, it is a parable: a story of the Eucharist hidden in the bread and wine of friendship and hospitality.
To see as God sees is to hope. How God sees us is the cord that binds us into a humanity that struggles to hope, to see the good in ourselves and in each other. I hope. What's your superpower?
To make the surprise of gratitude a part of one's eucharistic spirituality, one needs only to become aware of opportunities that appear regularly in one's life. Here are some of my moments of "surprise as Eucharist."
Invite women of the Hebrew Scriptures to be a part of your prayer. By honoring the feminine metaphors and allegories, we can feel the presence of God and understand God's message for us.
Along with Mary, what other women of the Bible could inspire our prayer for so many needs in our world? Think of Rizpah, Queen Esther, Hannah, the mother of Peter and Andrew, the prophetess Anna, and more.
The Stations or the Way of the Cross began its historical journey as a devotion during the 400s. I hope my reflections on several of the Stations could be another way we religious sisters and nuns can encourage people during this time of great burdens.
