Author: Tarella Spirituality

This week Good Samaritan sister Bernardina Sontrap wrote a review of my book for the online magazine, The Good Oil. In it she says some nice things about A Gentle Unfolding: Circling and Spiralling into Meaning, such as:
‘Like a reflection in a mirror, Judith Scully’s story invites readers to look back and ponder their own lives and their search for God in the everyday events of their life’s unfolding.’
Follow the link to read what she had to say: https://www.goodsams.org.au/article/finding-god-in-the-stuff-of-everyday-life/

You can also view videos from the book launch  Dr Bernadette Miles, who launched the book, (https://youtu.be/JBlUK8xO6hk) and Judith Scully( https://youtu.be/oHVbXoWo61A)

A Gentle Unfolding: Circling and Spiralling into Meaning (David Lovell Publishing) is available directly from the publisher (E: publisher@davidlovellpublishing.com) or from Garratt Publishing, Amazon, Pauline Books, and Booktopia

The older I get the less religious I seem to have become and conversely, the more I am appreciating the gifts that come with being human. This awareness isn’t without its problems. My spirituality was formed in an either/or environment, with the expectation that the joys of life must take second place to the demands of religious belief. Early conditioning like that leaves a trace of guilt in its wake.

So I can’t tell you how much I was cheered when Jean Vanier, the Canadian founder of L’Arche communities, turned 90 this week and celebrated it with a YouTube presentation of his ten rules to become more human. Here was someone I respect, a layperson, whose life has revolved around the Gospel words, “Love one another”. His ten rules tap into the way I try to imbue my life with my Christianity. And it’s all very ordinary.

1. Accept the reality of your body
That’s a big ask as I get older and bits start to wear out and my memory occasionally plays tricks with time and information.

2. Talk about your emotions and difficulties
So I journal, keeping the ups and downs in perspective.

3. Don’t be afraid of not being successful
With a book just published it’s a question that’s relevant for me. I don’t yet know the answer

4. In a relationship, take the time to ask “How are you?”
Sometime I’m aware of this, at others I protect myself from information I don’t want to hear.

5. Stop looking at your phone. Be present
Right now I’m wondering if I can go away for a week and leave the emails till I come back.

6. Ask people “What is your story?”
This is something I have learnt over time –somewhere in their story I find bits of mine as well.

7. Be aware of your own story
Writing a book that is a memoir of sorts has reminded me that God was always there, even if I wasn’t always aware of that.

8. Stop prejudice: meet people
I’m an introvert and it’s easy to hide in that label and ignore others.

9. Listen to your deepest desire and listen to it
I’m listening and if I follow it through I’ll write about it.

10. Remember that you’ll die one day
As Jean Vanier said: “I’m just somebody who was born ninety years ago and will die in a few years time and then everybody will have forgotten me. This is reality”. Me too!

This is how I read Jean Vanier’s ‘10 rules for life to become more human’ in my here and now. And I remember that he also said: “We are not called by God to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things with extraordinary love.”

Judith Scully

After weeks of grey skies and night time temperatures ranging between 2 and -1, today is decidedly spring-like in my part of the world. Not quite time to break out the summer clothes, but definitely a day for sitting on the verandah with a cup of coffee and feeling the sun on my face – possibly even a day to consider a bit of planting and pruning.

There’s a scent of excitement around spring that’s not solely to do with football grand finals. Longer days and end-of-year holidays are just around the corner, while veggie gardens are marked out and summer time tomatoes planted

In my ideal Church, the Church I sometimes dream about, September would seem like a perfect month to celebrate Easter in the southern states of Australia. In the words of the Song of Songs, “Winter is past. Flowers are appearing on the earth. The season of glad songs has come.”

It would be wonderful to experience the Holy Week liturgy as more than an intellectual exercise. I want to anticipate it during the tedious days of winter and be ready to welcome the New Life it promises, let spring touch my skin with the promise and warmth of Easter resurrection.

You and I know that’s not going to happen any time soon, but it is possible to capture some Paschal hope in a world where we are daily bombarded with accounts of mass brutality, political mayhem and a general feeling of not knowing where to find truth any more. The answer starts with each one of us.

Maybe spring mindfulness – Australian style would help.

Watch a sunrise
Open your arms, literally, to embrace the new day.
Sit in the sunlight and feel the breeze
Shrug off your shoes and feel the earth beneath your feet.
Take a picnic lunch to a local park.
Listen for birds.
Plant something and watch it grow.
Try a vegetable that is new to you. .
Clean out a cupboard or shelf and get rid of the things you no longer need.
Visit a plant nursery.
Float a flower in a bowl of water.
Find a new way to drive a familiar route.
Move the dial on your radio and try a different station.
Talk to someone new, someone you don’t know.
Take a trip to the country.
Watch a sunset
Entertain a new idea. You may have to gently tip out an old one.
Pray Psalm 148

Judith Scully