Regina Daly notes how the image of light in the darkness has given her courage.
It was a dark and frightening time in Cork in 1775. The streets were forbidding and deserted. People were dying of sickness and hunger caused by the austerities of the Penal Laws. Severe penalties prohibited any kind of freedom. This was the world of 50-year-old Nano Nagle. Undeterred by the threat and carrying a lamp giving meagre light she searched the lanes and alleys for those needing help.
I think of Nano as we face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic in our time. We, too, are confronted with the same question as Nano — What are we called to do? I think of Presentation sister Raphael Consedine’s poem: “Take down your lantern from its niche and go out / And Love shall be your lantern-flame." Our call was to stay home to keep everyone safe from the virus and to reach across the distance through technology and other means to connect us all with the lantern flame of kindness.
Nano Nagle became known as the Lady of the Lantern in Cork City during the difficult time of the Penal Laws. But the Great Spirit flowed in Nano and she drew strength from that ocean of Divine light and energy. I am inspired today by her generosity of spirit, her determination and courage. Her example fills my heart with the desire to shine a light on God’s presence with us in all the situations of our lives.
The desire to share the light of Divine love drew me to join the Presentation Sisters, the Congregation Nano founded, as a way of participating in God’s mission. The image of the lantern lighting just the next step of the journey, not the road ahead, has always given me strength and courage. My move to Aotearoa from Ireland 11 years ago was challenging and the lamp image gave me courage and hope. My sense of the light is continuing to expand as I experience the richness of Māori culture and the deep resonances between Māori and Celtic spirituality. Adjusting to living in a new country drew me more deeply into an inner journey and the call to the ministry of spiritual direction unfolded for me, here, in Aotearoa.
I’m aware of following in the footsteps of the first five Irish Presentation Sisters who arrived in Taita, Wellington, 70 years ago to begin ministry in this country. They, too, stepped into the unknown with faith and trust in the Divine light drawing them and found support among the people here.
I have felt that encouragement lighting my life in so many ways. There is a spark of Divine love and light in every heart. Helping one another to explore the light of Divine love in our own hearts and celebrating and nurturing that light, wherever we come across it, provides sustenance and encouragement for our journey.
My 90-year-old mother lights a candle in her house for her loved ones and for those in need, showing her concern for the future of the next generation. Like Nano, she found strength in her faith during difficult and challenging times. Her simple practice of lighting a candle recognises her interconnection to those experiencing good times or difficulties and binds her to them with the energy of love. I particularly value how she embodies the idea that we can all be bearers of light and that “love is our lantern-flame”.
As the poet Amanda Gorman said at President Biden’s inauguration: “There is always light / if only we’re brave enough to see it / if only we’re brave enough to be it.”
Gorman speaks of the bravery involved. Nano braved the repressive authorities to “be the light” and to ignite dignity and worth again in so many whose hearts and lives had been purposely impoverished. Today I am challenged to engage with the Mystery of light and love, and to honour each person as a bearer of light. He waka eke noa —we’re all in this together, shedding light for one another.
Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 257 March 2021: 5