With so many aspects of our lives closing down, delaying, or shrinking back as those of us who can retreat into our homes for the love of our neighbors, we are thinking of those who are working out there to keep our communities running and working to limit the impact of the virus. God be with us all!
In the middle of all this, we'd like to introduce our Woman of the Week, who is no stranger to finding God in unlikely times and places. Nominated for her work as a coach, counselor, and chaplain, she is Ioana Popa. We asked her to tell you about herself.
"Born and baptized in the church during the Romanian communist era, I did not encounter or know God until my early 20's. After the communism fell in Romania, inspired by a young priest on TV, I went into my room, closed the door and prayed authentically towards an unknown God: "Our father who are in Heaven if you are in heaven. I don't believe you or heaven exist, but if you do, hollowed be thy name, thy kingdom come. If there is a Kingdom. I don't believe there is one, but if there is one, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven...". Within three days from my prayer, the living God responded to me and I became aware of the infinite, divine and loving God and Christ. Since that profound encounter, my entire life unfolded towards fleshing out this mystery.
"On my life's journey I experienced many roles, professions and trainings: from being a physician and psychiatrist, a mother and wife, church school director, middle school and high school teacher, science department chair, high school academic dean, adjunct professor and counselor at Hellenic College Holy Cross, a chanter in my church, to being a graduate student (currently doing an MTS at Holy Cross), presenter and writer, artist, program developer, Internal Family System's therapist, a life and leadership coach and community Chaplain. As the psychological world tells us, there are many prototypes for being, and if there is a Leonardo DaVinci pattern for human life, then from the outside I can see that I am following that thread. Nonetheless this does not capture the deeper meaning of the driving force in my life.
"As I look back to various seasons of my life, my foundational longing has been to flesh out union with God and move towards Theosis for myself and for all of us as human beings. I am reminded often of my baptismal saint St. John the Baptist, who's vocation is to bring awareness to people of the presence of God and to motivate them to “prepare the ways of the Lord". I love helping and inspiring people to get curious and knock at the door of the living God, a God which is everywhere and in the same time is mysterious and beyond our human and limited projections, images, ideas, stories and even rituals. All of those are wonderful and necessary, but could be limiting in the same time if they become the goal, just as a step is important on a journey, but is not the destination itself. As Antoine de Saint-Exupery brilliantly put it: “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”
"Questions for reflection: What red threads and deeper motivations are you noticing in your life? Are any of those red threads connected to your baptismal saint? If yes, which ones? During this Lenten season, what small and practical step could you take that may deepen your unique relationship with the endless living God?"
Axia!
Our Woman of the Week is Ioana Popa, nominated for her coaching, counseling, and chaplaincy. We asked her for her thoughts about reversing priorities in Christ:
"I was asked to write about my orthodox life before this global crisis. My initial thoughts were that, in this consumerist culture, one of the fruitful advices I received as a young psychiatry resident was from my chairman: "Find out the 'ceiling' of your yearly finances which you need to live, work towards that, and not more. The rest of the time, dedicate to what you are passionate about". That resonated and helped me sort out my priorities in Christ in the last 5 years, allowing me to restructure my days and not fall into a busy lifestyle. My husband and I have been living a contemplative life in Christ: we have been working part-time by design to allow time for refection, prayer and time with God. We have been both passionate about having a ministry together and we volunteer and are part of the leadership team in our Antiochian Diocese under Bishop John of New England and Worcester developing and facilitating The Witness Program - A Spiritual Journey (see link). A year and a half ago we moved into a remote area in Southern New Hampshire and we are co-founders of Along The Journey - Coaching, Consulting and Spiritual Care where we work as Chaplains and Life Coaches and help people with grief and along their life and spiritual journeys.
"In the light of the current pandemic infection the words of my former psychiatry residency chairman could not be more relevant and in the same time needs adjustment, as the ceiling of what we need to live by is lowering day by day. What do we really need to live a fulfilled life? The way we had organized our lives and all the plans for the future seem irrelevant today, as uncertainty and fear make us to stop in our tracks. The pandemic is affecting all of us either directly or indirectly, no matter where we are in this world and no matter our lifestyles. In this time of crisis around the world, we are now all forced to stay more at home, reduce all our activities and participate collectively as humanity in stopping the spread of the virus and helping everyone heal.
"As humanity right now we are pausing by necessity. In the midst of this global pause, suffering, chaos, fear and confusion, we still have a choice: the choice of our inner attitudes and beliefs. Our attitudes and beliefs are not based on feelings, but on our freedom to choose. We each have a choice to return to our ground of being, to what is essential and truly needed, not only for our physical wellbeing, but also for our spiritual wellbeing and not only for ourselves but the entire world.
"This global suffering and experience could be a great opportunity for all of us to shed not only the virus and sickness, but also all the unnecessary activities, busy mindsets and to reconsider our priorities based on our deep values and profound meanings for life. This could be a wonderful opportunities to minister to our families, to ourselves and the ones we can still encounter, spend time either alone or with a few people in order to pray, contemplate and revisit all our priorities in the present life and the one to come. "
"Questions for reflection: All of us are unique and with wonderful gifts which are so needed in our world. What beautiful gifts are you fleshing out in the world in your life and during this season? What small step could you take today to bring your gifts and long-term priorities into your life now?"
We also asked Ioana Popa, our Woman of the Week, about her morning routine:
"The first practice is a period of contemplation, of opening to God and connection with various reactions inside of me, to allow further healing, growth and trust in Christ. The second practice is some sort of movement and exercise and the third one is of prayer.
"Those three practices are not always in this order, nor always in the morning, and can vary in length, as 'each day is a new arrival' as the poet Rumi said so beautifully hundreds of years ago. In this pandemic season there are many new arrivals everyday: a new piece of information, news coming from the world about the consequences of the virus, and new realities to face. Therefore connecting daily with the remembrance of God and fostering inner harmony when the outside structures are on hold or collapsing, seems paramount in our times.
"My most consistent practice is though the one throughout the day, like the water flowing in its riverbed: some call it awareness, some watchfulness, some Jesus Prayer. It is a brief and constant connection with God, a simple commitment, which goes beyond words. No matter what happens around us, as long as we are alive, we have available our breath, will and awareness moment by moment, which we can choose to align with the immanent and loving diving who is "in all things and filling all things" to the betterment of humanity. My prayer is that we all connect with the experience of our larger Self, no matter how we call it, and hold in our awareness, kindness and love for everyone suffering at this moment, inviting global healing."
Thank you, Ioana!
