07 May Reflective Moments With Angela
Angela’s Love for Beauty and the Land
Ron Rolheiser, OMI, speaks of beauty as God’s language. According to Father Rolheiser,
beauty has the power to transform souls, fill them with gratitude, and allow them to see
some of God’s color.
We who live and work on the campus of the Motherhouse of the Ursuline Sisters of
Mount Saint Joseph have been blessed by so much beauty this spring – the vibrancy, the
new life, the astounding array of color.
Angela’s Franciscan spirituality must have filled her with a great love for the beauty of
the earth and inspired her to care for the environment. While she was in the fields and
among the olive trees, she experienced one of the most significant moments of her life –
the vision which eventually led to the founding of her company. Angela must have been
very happy to be a farmer’s daughter, to share the chores of farm life with her siblings,
and to learn the many lessons the land had to teach her.
What does the land have to teach us?
Reflecting on the land may connect us to the Paschal Mystery and help us see the cycle of
life and death in the seasons.
The spring is full of new life and new beginnings.
The summer brings us fullness and fruitfulness.
In autumn we are called to let go and to face our diminishments.
Then comes winter and what looks like death is really gestation. The cycle of life and
death begins again.
Reflection:
Sit with Angela at the feet of Jesus
 Speak with her about her Franciscan sense of nature and beauty.
 How important is beauty in your life and where do you find it?
 In your journal write about the season of your life and what those seasons
have taught you.
 What responsibility do you feel for caring for the earth? What actions can
you and your family take to promote care of the earth and environment?
 Invite Angela to go for a walk with you. Touch the earth gently and
massage the ground with your feet, aware of God’s presence.