Jiibay Ziibi and the Transfiguration of the Lord: a Reflection for the Second Sunday of Lent, 2025
by Thom Chartier, OblOSB
In Genesis 15: 5-6 we hear,
“He brought him out outside and said, ’Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your descendents be.’ And he believed the Lord, and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.”
The land on which we stand was first inhabited by the Anishinaabe people. When they looked up in wonder at the night sky, their name for the universe was Ishpeming. As they pondered about the Jiibay Ziibi, the River of Souls, or what we call the Milky Way, I’m sure they felt a connectedness to a higher power and their ancestors. I know I do. And when I do that, I “meditate on the meaning of the covenant in terms of the faith we receive from those who went before us, and hand it on to those who will come after us.” (The Catholic Prayer Bible – Lectio Divina Edition)
And as we gaze upward and see a Gwiingwa, a Shooting Star, let us remember Paul’s words in Philippians 3: 20-21 to 4:1.
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.”
Many seasons ago my second daughter passed from this world. My wife, who was Anishinaabe, has since joined her. At the time of my daughter’s death my wife wrote this prayer:
Great Spirit, hear me,
listen to my words.
I thank you and honor you always,
I come here tonight, as my heart is sad,
my mind is confused and sad,
I am always asking why??
I do not understand ! ! !
My late daughter, now a little spirit,
her little feet walking down the road of souls,
allow her to be blessed with a beautiful walk,
without fear.
Please help her to cross the GREAT RIVER,
to the land of the immortals.
Also, allow her to have a joyful reunion
with those relatives who have left us.
Help us to live a good straight life,
and allow our hearts to heal from our sorrow.
HEAR ME GREAT SPIRIT ! ! !
Miigwich*
This prayer reminds me that God has indeed established a covenant with us. That we are citizens of Heaven and we are to stand straight and just in the eye of the Lord.
As we pray under the River of Souls let us open our minds and listen with the ear of heart, and be reminded what we heard in Luke 9:35: “Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, My Chosen, listen to Him!’ ”
In Joan Chittister’s book The Monastic Heart she says, “In every Benedictine Monastery around the world, bells and towers are a common part of the architecture.”
In closing I ask that you close your eyes, click on this link to listen to the ringing of Benedictine bells, gaze upward, and give thanks and glory to all of God’s creation. In your mind, visit the River of Souls, and then in your heart you too will see the Transfiguration of the Lord. For the Lord has promised, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
Miigwech *
*Miigwech is an Ojibwe word that means “thank you”.
