Nine-Year Novena

2024-2033

by S. M. Dominica Michalke, SSND

“In speaking about prayer … I would first clarify what I understand by prayer. It seems to me that prayer is, essentially and primarily a response – a response to the word and action of God. This implies, of course, that God always takes the initiative in our relationship; it implies too that prayer demands first of all a real listening; it is only when we have truly listened and understood someone that we can truly respond to them. So, we listen to the words and acts of God and respond; this is prayer.”  This passage is taken from the retreats by Sister Mary Margaret Johanning, given in the 1980s. The reflection corresponds with the time when our Constitution was renewed and approved.

Together with community and ministry, prayer is one of the essentials of our religious life. There are many aspects of prayer: personal and communal, meditative, and active, listening and responding, basic and concrete, traditional texts, and spontaneous prayer. All contribute to our relationship with God, the Creator of life, the source of all being, the friend who goes with us every day.

Our Constitution You Are Sent speaks about prayer in the paragraphs C 27-32 and C 58-60 as well as GD 41 – 50. I invite you to reflectively read these paragraphs all together and then again one after the other and ask yourself:

Do these words express my prayer life?

What do I appreciate?

What are struggles for me or areas that ask for growth?

In this Novena reflection, I invite you to compare our prayer life with a tree:

A tree is more than we usually see. We see a trunk and branches, covered with leaves and sometimes with blossoms or fruits. It has, however, roots under the ground, which we usually do not see. Each part is necessary to keep the tree alive.

The root for our prayer life is the basic belief that God is present, our Creator, compassionate and unconditionally loving and merciful. For us, it is grounded in Holy Scripture and in our Constitution. These roots keep us sturdy, connected with those around us, and are found beneath all prayers that we express in words, songs, thoughts, silence, or dances.

Without roots, a tree cannot stand. How do I listen to God’s deeply rooted presence in my life?

The trunk of a tree provides strength and height. Inside the trunk, the water veins transport nutrients to the branches. The bark of the trunk reveals one aspect of the identity of a tree.

For our prayer life, the trunk can be compared to the prayers we learned and are using frequently, prayers that support us daily and nourish us as Christians, women religious, and School Sisters of Notre Dame. The traditional texts, deeply engraved in our minds, carry us through storms and rough times. The Creed, the Our Father, the psalms of the breviary, the rosary, and many other short prayers express our identity as Christians and SSND. We rely on the power of these ancient texts and practices as a common treasure, and we committed ourselves to common prayer in community and in the Church. We are invited to not only say the prayers but listen to what God reveals to us in these familiar texts at a particular moment of our lives.

The tree crown, made up from branches, leaves, flowers and fruits, reminds me of the individual aspects of prayer. My personal prayer grows out of the basics, the common prayer and is shaped by my relationship with God. It opens up to the heaven and is the part of the tree that produces fruit. The bare branches show the character of a tree in a beautiful way. The leaves cover the branches and provide shade and oxygen, and flowers are the first step to creating fruit. My personal time of prayer and my individual way of prayer nourish my soul daily and give energy to live in the mission of God. They also bear fruit in the way I am acting, speaking, listening to others, looking at the world around me, and in the way I am being touched by what I am experiencing.

Our Constitution states that each sister has a right to have one hour daily for personal prayer. This right is not so much about observance of time, exactly 60 minutes; it is more about the chance to meet God, to listen to the Spirit, to encounter Jesus, to be embraced by the Father or Mother with love and mercy.

This may invite others to come and rest – or to climb up to the branches and fruits – to be in contact with my tree.

In the woods, which is a community of trees, the roots as well as the crowns often touch one another. So are we invited to share with others what nourishes us in basic ways and to share the fruits of the Spirit that we received in prayer.

“Fundamentally, in prayer we acknowledge, accept, and freely surrender to the reality of who God is and who we are, creatures unconditionally loved by our Creator. We come before God, willing to be changed and to accept our mission more intensely as we are drawn into closer union with him.” (YAS, C 28)

For your personal reflection

With the reflection and the text of YAS in mind, consider these questions:

1. What are the enriching, precious experiences of prayer in my religious life? How am I listening and being nourished by prayer?
2. In what ways do I need to grow, to change, to be open to different experiences of prayer?
3. How has my intimate relationship with God grown over the years? What is God’s call today?

For sharing with the community

1. How do we as community integrate the different aspects of prayer?
2. What invitation to growth do we perceive in order to support one another spiritually?
3. In what ways does our prayer call us to acting for justice and a better home for all?

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