By Monk Rick Sheff

Wednesday evening, July 26th, I will have the honor of participating in Celebrating Life Ministries’ one night Zoom event with Padre Paul Funfsinn and our dear Angelika Schafer. Padre’s guidance selected the title “Finding the Diamond in Unexpected Places.” As Padre, Angelika and I went inward to find what richness could be discovered through this lens, we each came to different but complimentary guidance for what to share to help those who join us, especially during the most challenging times in their lives.

Angelika recognized that Padre, she and I have in common that we have each experienced a major loss of the person most important in our lives who was not only our partner, but also an immense spiritual presence. Padre lost Ron. Angelika lost her partner she knew as her soulmate. And I lost my dear wife, Virginia, who has been a beacon of light and love not just for me but for our whole CLM community. Each of these losses went so very deep. When these losses happened, we each experienced searing, incapacitating pain. I suspect you each have had your own experience(s) of loss and overwhelming pain. All pain is relative. Mine is not bigger, or deeper, or worse than yours. All we know is that the pain brings us to our knees, if not fully prostrate upon the ground.

Padre will explore the shadow of darkness that is part of the journey into pain. It is the way the Holy Spirit catches him in her arms when he can’t see around the corner for what is coming next, for when he is taken down…down…to what? It seems there is no bottom. But then there is. And from there we begin the journey back to the light.

Angelika will take us to the healer within, to God within, an unexpected place to find a diamond when we continuously search for what we are looking for outside of ourselves, especially when we are in pain.

And I will explore the diamonds to be found not just in the great losses of our lives, but in the everyday events that life brings to us, for we are surrounded by diamonds, if we only know where and how to look for them.

We will end with healing prayers for participants, for our community, for our nation and for our world. We hope you will join us.