A Jewish “Hallelujah” During Quarantine
August 7, 2020
Be Brother and Sister to one another
September 8, 2020
by Sister Laureen Marie Painter, OSF
A few weeks ago, my classmate, Sister Paula, told me about an interesting podcast she listened to mentioning the Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku wherein we are invited to simply be in nature, connect with it using our senses, regain some calm and serenity, and take a break from the busy-ness of life. What a gold-mine idea…not new to me but one that I wanted to know more about from the eastern perspective. As I studied the goals and effects of Shinrin-Yoku, I realized it was all about creating a bridge between the busy-ness and the calm of life much like our Franciscan approach to a healthy spiritual life, the blending of active and contemplative aspects.
Shinrin-Yoku creates a partnership with nature, a sensory immersion, an internal connection that leads to a captive meditation on what God, for we Christians, has gifted to us through creation. So very Franciscan…reflect on the “Canticle of Brother Sun.” Franciscan scholar Regis Armstrong wrote: “This magnificent hymn expresses the mystical vision of the Saint of Assisi and, since it springs from the depths of his soul, provides us with many insights into the profundity of his life of faith in the Triune God, Who so deeply enters into creation.” Creation enables us to connect to the moment of the now, to open ourselves to its Maker, to be cuddled by God. As I visit the woods here in Sylvania and spend time “forest-bathing,” I am caught up with the bursting trees whose leaves provide shade from the heat and am amazed at the peace and stillness that quickly encompass me. But then I realize that in the not-too-distant future these same trees will be letting go of their leaves so as to rest from the giving and enjoy the nakedness of nothing on them. For me, a genuine example of the bridge between the active and the contemplative in our lives…so Franciscan, so Shinrin-Yoku.
Our brains are bombarded with decision-making, strategizing, and planning while our spirits cry for a break, a pregnant pause in life, a time of comfort if only for a few moments. It has been scientifically proven that when in nature our brains behave differently, blood pressure decreases, sleep improves, stress and depression lessen. If you want to try the easy ways to de-stress, a site like buoyhealth.com may have some solutions.
“The path to healing and wholeness lies within us and we carry the forest with us. “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he [she] seeks.” (John Muir)
So where do Shinrin-Yoku and Francis of Assisi encourage us to go when the noise in our heads and the hurts of our hearts need to be healed and our spirits refilled? Possibly to creation and all its glory for therein is God.
Sister Laureen Marie Painter
Sister Laureen spent the first eight years of her ministry teaching Junior High in Louisiana, Maryland, and Ohio. Other ministries included Associate Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Toledo, SOSF Co-Director of Associates, Director of Chiara Center, and teaching Franciscan Studies at Lourdes College until she moved into healthcare administration. After earning a degree in health and hospital administration in 1993, Sister served as the VP of Emergency Services and Women and Children Services at Schumpert Medical Center in Shreveport, LA until 1998 when she became the CEO of CHRISTUS Health North Central Louisiana until 2005. In 2005 she transferred to Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in South Bend, IN as the Vice President for Mission Integration, Community Outreach, Ethics, and the Center for Spiritual Care until 2019. Sister currently serves a certified End-of-life Doula and volunteer at the Commons of Providence in Sandusky, Ohio.
beautiful connection. i am starting a journey of studying the human relationship with creation and the therapeutic role it can play in our lives and I was really happy to find your post. bless up.
Thank you, Laureen, for a new look at something we’ve have experience in our lives for years. We need it now more than ever.
Thank you for giving me a new name to call what I’ve been doing for so long and for expressing my experience in your words.
Thank you for your uplifting reflection, dear Laureen. I especially appreciate your comment about the noise in our heads. I find the beauty of nature a great help, not only to praise and thank our good God, but also to calm that “noise in our heads” and disturbance that may be in our/my heart. Again, thank you!
Yes, I believe that nature can be a natural healer just as your blog suggests.
A different kind of “bathing” indeed. Love the image. Thanks!
Lovely reflection, thank you.