"Filled with Awe" | A letter from Meaghan
On a blustery November day, we received a letter at our Home Office in St. Paul, MN. We do so much of our mission online, we’re always delighted to receive a card or note!
This particular letter was from Meaghan Boyd, a friend of ours from the Madonna House Community. For those of you who may not have heard of them yet, the Madonna House Apostolate is a Catholic ecclesial family of laymen, women, and priests, dedicated to serving Christ in the poor by being a community of love and humble service. Founded in 1947 in Combermere, Canada by Servant of God Catherine Doherty, there are several mission houses throughout the world. As one of our “older siblings” in Christ, we’ve greatly appreciated their example and prayers as Eden Invitation grows, learning what unique mission God is calling us to through our lives.
Meaghan flew in to serve on this year’s Retreat Support Team– specifically on our “Go-For” team, the backbone of any major event! Being on the deepest level of “behind-the-scenes” work opened her eyes to something at the core of our community and mission.
Well, we’ll let her share what she saw!
Dear Anna, Shannon, David, Andrew, Mary, and Bernadette,
I want to share with you the word in my heart that has been growing since the first night of the retreat. It was AWE.
My whole experience of coming on the retreat was one of deep Awe. Given that the experience of awe tends to be one that leaves you kind of speechless, I’m not sure that I can articulate it well.
I’m a people watcher, and I operate mostly through intuition. Because I didn’t really know any of you or the participants, I did a lot of observing how you all are together. Wow, it was so beautiful to see what a genuine Christian community God is building. And these folks that came on retreat, they are real disciples. I did not need convincing upon my arrival. I already hold Eden Invitation in such high regard, but still, I was struck so hard by this experience of awe.
I will also say that I felt so at home. These folks have not too much in common– there wasn’t a common thread besides their LGBTQ+ experience, and yet they are doing life together. It feels like Madonna House to me. Super random folks simply trying to live the Gospel. In Madonna House, we are poor and little, certainly nothing to write home about, as they say– but we can love. Ultimately everyone is poor, but many can run and hide from it I suppose. In the people I met, I saw this openness and ability to stand in their poverty– which of course can be many things not to do with sexuality. But it seems to me that having an LGBTQ+ experience in the Church these days does help one develop the radical dignity we can only have if we face our poverty.
In this way, all the folks in Eden Invitation have something very valuable to offer the world and the Church. To follow Christ costs everything and nothing, all at the same time, no matter who you are. You all know this deeply or you would have peaced-out a long time ago.
I see the staff and more mature folks in Eden Invitation passing this on to the younger ones. To me, it seems like you are building a family culture. People have real communion with one another. This is a rare thing. It’s the foundation on which people can really mature in a Christian life.
Really, I observed that you are doing a very basic thing: showing people how to suffer and love- together, as Christ taught us.
When I tell people about Eden Invitation, they can immediately get this idea that it’s a group to help “those people” with “those issues” and I’m quick to say, “No, I don’t think that’s really what they ‘do’– my impression is it’s more about finding community and living Christian life than fixing people’s problems.” Now after meeting so many of you, I’ll feel more confident in saying this. You guys aren’t really “doers,” I think– you are more about “being”– which I love so much.
In Madonna House, we’ve found this whole “building a community of love” thing to be very messy and painful. I realize as the staff you suffer a lot and face a lot of pain. Thank you. May He transform each of you through what you carry and may Our Lady protect you from any ounce of despair. I pray, and my holy elders at Madonna House pray for you too!
Pax,
Meaghan
We are so grateful to Meaghan and Madonna House for their prayers, and for allowing us to share this letter with all of you. This letter is just a sample, one taste of the harvest God is growing through the Eden Invitation community and mission.
Your generosity and prayers nurture this mission too! The Lord provides for us through every gift– whether you're giving for the first time or in addition to your regularly scheduled donation. Please prayerfully consider giving to our 2024 End of Year Campaign to help us reach our $50,000 goal. We are so grateful for all of you who support our mission! We look forward to being on this journey with you–growing in discipleship and walking toward Heaven together.
