My HOPE is in the Lord

"Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled." Luke 1:45

 

Mary is blessed because she believed that the Lord would come through with His promises to her, to His people.  I think back to the story of Zechariah, who also had an angel appear to him with a special message from God.  His response was a little more doubtful than Mary’s and thus the Angel struck him mute to teach Zechariah (and generations to come) an important lesson.  Even though Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were very devout and faithful Jews, I wonder if there was something missing in Zechariah’s heart that caused him to doubt the fulfillment of the Angels’ words?  What did Mary have that he didn’t?

Could it be true fulfillment of true hope in his heart?  Is it possible he could have lost it along the way in all those years of praying and yearning for a child with his wife Elizabeth?

 

“The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man; it takes up the hopes that inspire men's activities and purifies them so as to order them to the Kingdom of heaven; it keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude. Buoyed up by hope, he is preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that flows from charity”. (Catechism 1818)

“Hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour.

Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your

impatience makes doubtful what is certain, and turns a very short

time into a long one. Dream that the more you struggle, the more

you prove the love that you bear your God, and the more you will rejoice

one day with your Beloved, in a happiness and rapture that can never end. “(95 St. Teresa of Avila, Excl.

15:3)

Have you ever lost hope in something?  Or because of a negative attitude or fears, been “doubtful of what is certain”?  

We can therefore hope in the glory of heaven promised by God to those who love Him and do His will. In every circumstance, each one of us should hope, with the grace of God, to persevere "to the end" and to obtain the joy of heaven, as God's eternal reward for the good works accomplished with the grace of Christ. In hope, the Church prays for "all men to be saved." She longs to be united with Christ, her Bridegroom, in the glory of heaven (Catechism 1821)

As I mentioned in my previous blog, although we sometimes can’t name it – we long to obtain the joy of heaven and to be united with Christ.  For me this Advent season has felt long, but has held some good lessons on Hope.  It is my prayer that none of us ever lose hope, in God and His dreams for our salvation, but also in our own dreams.  What do you want, what do you dream of?  Do you believe God will bring it to you, that He will provide for you in the way that’s absolutely best for you?

We don’t know the hour the answer to our prayers will arrive. As we wait for Christmas and ultimately the Second Coming – we wait hopefully and we lovingly listen in faith.

 

Wait for the Lord, His day is near
Wait for the Lord, be STRONG, take HEART!! (Taize)

 

May these final days of Advent bring you an ever-deepening sense of HOPE in your heart! Peace and Blessings to all of you!

 

 

 

Come, Lord Jesus

"What do you WANT?"  These were the opening words of Jean Vanier's (Founder of L'Arche International) address to a gathering of youth, young adults and members of several L'Arche communites in Prince George, BC in 2004.  I remember being deeply impacted by this, not only because it is a surprising way to greet a crowd of people full of excitement and anticiatpion but because even before these words were said - you could feel an intense holy presense emanate from the man as he entered the gymnasium.  And when you feel a presence like that, something in you perks up and LISTENS.

Now we are in the season of Advent, a season of waiting.  Waiting for what?  Waiting for what we want. And I'm not talking about the latest iPad or new VW.  What is it in the depths our hearts, the common vision we all share, no matter where on earth we dwell or our beliefs/disbeliefs?  We wait for Christ, a deeper revelation of His Incarnation in our lives: yesterday, today and in the future.  We wait for the fulfillment of His Kingdom, for justice to be meted out, for peace, harmony and a deep sense of freedom.  We wait for belonging, and a sense of being loved and of being free to deeply love others, even strangers. Some of us may go through life with never having the words for these desires. Some may not know this possibility exists or may not choose to travel within themselves to discover the existence of these desires.  There is a myriad of beautiful ways to do this but I won't explore them in this post.  I do want to say that the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, in their formation program have provided me and many other young women an immersion in an environment where we can really be in touch with our hearts and find in ourselves the treasure within our souls - Jesus Christ.  And with this knowledge, it is only natural for any person who encounters Christ and His goodness to want to pass it on :) Goodness is diffussive of itself ;)  Praise the Lord for His goodness!

Ron Rolheiser speaks of the "Theology of Longing and Desire" in an article I read recently, and I just want to share some of the images that touched me (some are scriptural).  And may I suggest that you  read these slowly and allow them to speak to you: "luxuriate in embrace", "all-embracing union", "consummation", "the lamb lying with the lion", "the valleys being filled in", "the mountains made low".  I love when he says "In our longing we INTUIT the Kingdom and EXPERIENCE Advent"

So Jean Vanier's question to us back in 2004 was and still is completely relevant today.  I remember that he reminded us that God speaks to us in our desires, our deep desires.  Advent is not just a season of waiting, but of hope.  What do you desire?  What are you hopeful for?  He wants you to discover, talk to Him about it and lead you closer to Him in the process.

Blessings during this Advent season and may He find us ready to recieve Him, and may we look forward to that "all-embracing" union with our Loving God.

7 Quick Takes Friday: Postulant Be-Attitudes

7 Quick Takes Friday: Postulant BE-Attitudes

Being a Postulant in the community of Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity in Manitowoc, WI has much to teach a young woman.  We postulants have joined the community in discernment of Religious life.  It is the first step to becoming a Sister.  Is this the path the Lord is calling us to?  Is this the community we’re called to be a part of?  Here are 7 Quick Takes from a Postulants’ point of view, some BE-Attitudes that perhaps can benefit all of us in our daily lives. J

1.    Be Prayerful

·       Daily prayer both in common (Liturgy of the Hours and Mass) and in private are essential to keep the lines of communication open with the Lord. Prayer (however much you can fit into your day) helps our hearts, minds and spirits be one with God and His Will.  He loves us so much and will never be exhausted by all we have to say or ask for…but don’t forget to let him give his 2cents too!  It’s also good to note that silence before the Lord is fruitful prayer too!

2.  Be Prepared/Punctual

·      Be ready, be on time!  There’s lots of places to be and places to meet people – the chapel, cafeteria, road trips, class at the college etc.  We all have so much to juggle in our lives and it makes things run much smoother for everyone if we’re on time and ready to go. J

3.  Be Pliable

·      God is the potter, we are the clay.  If we let ourselves be molded by Him, then we will reflect His beautiful design for our lives.  Sometimes we need to let go of things or change our habits so that we’re more open to how Jesus wants it…and remember all of this change is for the good of not only ourselves, but for all J  We all have room to grow, to be molded into the holy children of God we were made to be.

4.  Be Persevering/Patient

·      Change is not easy, engaging in activities we normally wouldn’t (like singing, sewing or card playing) and letting go of things (like our old ways of doing things) is not always easy.  It’s important to be patient with ourselves as we walk this road of faith. Sometimes we’re called to let go of habits, addictions, negative attitudes etc and we need to give ourselves time to adjust and not give up.  He is always with us, we have excellent help. J

5.  Be a Protagonist

·      One Easter Sunday my pastor at the time said: “Jesus Christ Is Risen, PASS IT ON!”  As Baptised Christians, we are ALL called to spread the Good News, to be Protagonists for the Faith so that all may come to know our Lord Jesus Christ.  The best way to do this is through EXAMPLE, how we lead our lives and how we treat those around us.  We need to be credible witnesses to the Glory of God, we need to show that we are LOVING, GIVING and JOYFUL people.

6. Be Positive

·      Look on the bright side!  Being positive and optimistic is important and on an even deeper level we need to remember that we are people of HOPE, not despair.  We are people of JOY. We also have the gifts of Faith and of course Charity to hold us up, no matter what life may bring us. 

7.  Be Playful

·      Jesus said we have to be like little children – child-LIKE not child-ISH. ;) Sometimes we take ourselves too seriously but we postulants can tell you the value of being playful.  Laughter is the best medicine and even builds community.  We enjoy a good “punny” joke here and there and we love to laugh during dinner, during recreation time, walking to class, while at Walmart…you get the picture.  If you don’t have someone to share a joke with, look for something funny online – pets are a great source of playfulness and induce laughter.

 

 

Lest We Forget

         This weekend's gospel (Mark 12:38-44) speaks of the woman who was praised by Jesus because she gave to the treasury at the temple from her poverty (2 small coins that didn't amount to much), something of much greater value compared to others who gave only a little from their excess.  As we celebrate Remembrance Day (or Veteran's Day for my American friends)- we take a moment to acknowledge and honor all those who gave or have risked all they had, even down to their last breath for our freedom, for our protection and to give us a chance to live a happy life.  We acknowledge the sacrfices they (and their families) have made and we promise never to forget them.  Below is a musical setting of the famous poem "In Flanders Fields" that I love to do with my students in choir.

 

I have always found Remembrance Day services deeply moving.  We are so inspired when we hear stories of heros, risking their lives for the good of others.  St. Maximillan Kolbe, St. Gianna Molla, St. Isaac Jogues (and companions) and St. Edith Stein all come to my mind first but there are many many more throughout history.  Their stories are remarkable, ones of great love poured out for others, all of which should point us to the greatest model of martyrdom throughout all time - Jesus Christ.

 

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends - John 15:13

 

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep - John 10:11

 

"For by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated" - Hebrews 10:14

 

Lord Jesus, as we celebrate and honor the selfless sacrifices made by our soldiers past and present, may they always point us to you, your Passion and Resurrection. May we know your love and your promise of salvation and eternal happiness for ALL God's children. Amen!

 

 

They shall grow not old

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

 

From Laurence Binyon's poem For the Fallen, written in September 1914

Populate your soul with Beauty!

Saint Augustine expresses in his famous “Confessions” - "Too late I loved Thee, O Thou Beauty of ancient days, yet ever new! Too late I loved Thee!”  He goes on to describe how God burst his deafness, scattered his blindness and through God’s touch he was made to burn for God’s peace.  St. Clare in her first letter to Agnes of Prague expresses the effect of the touch of the Lord – “when you have touched Him, you shall become pure”.  Clearly for both of these saints the Beauty of God is more than just enjoying something that is pleasing to the senses . Encountering true beauty changes you, it connects you with God himself, as He IS all that is good.

St. Francis speaks of goodness being diffusive of itself and I invite you after reading this blog today to consider some kind of beauty that touches you – and share it here on the blog, in conversation with another person or just in your heart, between you and the Lord!  Perhaps it’s a scripture quote, a piece of music, a scene in nature, an occurrence you’ve experienced or seen in the interaction between people, etc.   When we open ourselves to it, we discover that we are surrounded in beauty, a beauty that is ancient and ever new, let’s share it!

 I’m leaving you with this YouTube video of a song that always touches my heart, all verses, especially when it speaks of Christ’s bleeding heart, forgiving eyes and his ultimate sacrifice.

If we can’t “GET” beauty, then for sure we can’t “GET” God (I heard that in a class this week).  Let us populate our minds, hearts and thus the world with beauty, with love, with God himself!  

 

When You have loved [Him], You shall be chaste; when You have touched [Him], You shall become pure; when You have accepted [Him], You shall be a virgin.

Whose power is stronger,

Whose generosity is more abundant,

Whose appearance more beautiful,

Whose love more tender,

Whose courtesy more gracious.

In Whose embrace You are already caught up;

Who has adorned Your breast with precious stones

And has placed priceless pearls in Your ears

and has surrounded You with sparkling gems

as though blossoms of springtime

and placed on Your head a golden crown

as a sign [to all] of Your holiness
                                                - St. Clare (1^st Letter to Agnes)

REAL Beauty's on the inside...true or false?

Do you truly believe that? I thought I did. I thought I taught it to my students...but judging by what I've been thinking lately every time I pass a mirror...I think that a part of me does not believe that.

Okay, so you're probably wondering "Chelsea, what on earth are you talking about?!” Well, one of the changes during this time of Postulancy is to completely dial down the use of 'make-up'. Now, no one actually came out and told me this was a rule, but you look around and see that really, it is not needed and if you don't want to stick out amongst all the sisters...you shouldn't wear it ;) And I don't know about you, but when I'm new somewhere, I tend to want to blend in and not draw TOO much attention to myself...;)

But seriously, if I find myself not happy with what I see in the mirror, and I don't mean just 'not happy', but genuinely disappointed or sad about it - what is that telling me? It's telling me that somewhere inside I hold a belief and have accepted messages that whatever I've been doing all these years in terms of getting ready to "go out" and "be presentable" in order to "be professional" or be taken seriously etc, has not only happened unconsciously but has affected my self image. It's interesting to think about what those messages are and where do they come from. And I know I'm not alone in this. It's an adjustment, it's being able to see the natural beauty God gave me without any human (especially MEDIA and peer) interference.

I’ve been thinking about all of this for a few weeks (as my friends will attest to!) but yesterday it all became clearer for me – you’ll notice in the collage a mixture of which includes pictures of me “performing”.  I had the opportunity to lead some music in a Year of Faith Gospel Reflection/Prayer service yesterday and it was the first time for me as a Postulant.  My usual ‘ritual’ before any kind of performance had to change as my appearance did not need as much attention.  It sure was something, being up there, as me  - no make up, etc and did it affect my usual performance?  No, of course not, because it is the Holy Spirit who works with me in those situations and helps bring out what is needed…any beauty that is experienced has absolutely nothing to do with how I look.   I am so thankful for that experience and I’m sure as the weeks go by, I’ll feel less and less disappointed about my ‘new look’ and more at peace with the true self within.   I’m still the same Chelsea, no matter how I look, as represented in the collage.

I've been reading about contemplation in several places and it seems to me that the idea is to place one's self before God ‘as you are’ and to allow masks, identities etc to fall away and to be naked… like when you came into this world (and as we will leave it). When we are in this state before the Lord, we are much more receptive to HIM, much more able to adore and praise Him, to contemplate Him and reflect Him.   This ties in with our Year of Faith – being more receptive to what we believe and encountering God’s love…and of course, SHARING it, and allowing that love to overflow to others.

I’d like to end this entry with a challenge – perhaps you could think about what makes you feel beautiful (yes guys, you too!), it’s something worth pondering. 

May you discover God’s deep and abounding love for you – as you are, no more and no less J

 

Beauty Happens To Us...

Have you read the essay called "The Furrows" by G.K. Chesterton? It's quite long but the idea I took from it is that beauty comes from being bent by the forces of life. It’s our job to try to grow straight and not be surprised when the force of life tries to bend us, pressure us and change us...beauty is found in this. Perhaps the Lord allows what seems like trials in our lives because He knows it, in His love, will bend us and shape us into the children of God He has created us to be. Interesting thought, that we can't strive for beauty, it happens to us by allowing Gods will to shape us. 

This brings me to Mary, our Heavenly Mother.  She had amazing faith!  From the moment of the Annunciation through Jesus’ passion and Resurrection there was never an easy road, or a road that was laid out and communicated beforehand.  She went through many trials and tribulations – facing the sneers at being an unwed mother, fleeing from Egypt with her little family, letting go of her son as He grew and began his ministry, walking with him to his death.  What kept her going?  I am convinced there must have been something deep within her, a truth or conviction that enabled her to love, to persevere, to keep travelling into the unknown, ESPECIALLY when it involved pain and suffering. 

Fr. David recently remarked that St. Francis of Assisi was the saint that loved God the most, that truly loved Jesus with all his being.  St. Francis is a good model for us and we are to remember that as much as human being can love God – God loves us and is IN LOVE with us in an indiscernible, incredibly deep way.   Perhaps it was this love that resided so perfectly in Mary, it was this knowing on a deep level that helped her persevere and know with all her heart that although the future at times looked bleak, the Lord God would never forsake her and most certainly would never forsake his only Son. 

The Lord will never forsake us, he will never forsake me.  These are words of conviction that rose within me hours after receiving the news that my US visa would not be processed for months past my expected entrance date.   Knowing this though did not preclude me from anxiety, disappointment etc…but I knew deep down it would all work out in His way, in His time.  I am happy to report that my visa has been approved and in a matter of a few weeks, I will be able to begin a more stable and normal looking Postulancy!! ;)   It will be nice to ‘get on’ with this much anticipated part of my journey but at the same time, this challenge has been good for me and those around me…causing us to bend and draw beauty from the curves.

As the trees with their beautiful leaves lose their glorious colorful coats – they are left bare for us to observe their curves, bumps and bows.  It’s a good reminder to me that we come across experiences that change us in this gifted path of life that mold us, forces us to gently change and hopefully bit by bit – help us to glorify our Creator in fulfillment, the way He meant us to.

God Bless You and May He Shine His face upon you, making you KNOW His love for you!

 

Yet I Will Praise You

It seems the past few days have really been an inspiriation and invitation to enter more deeply into our Lord's passion and resurrection as well as what He asks of us, His disciples.

Friday we celebrated the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross, yesterday we celebrated the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows and in today's gospel (Mark 8:27-35) Jesus says to His followers that following Him entails a personal knowledge of him plus a giving of one's self in order to "take up your cross and follow me".

What seems to be sticking out for me is the idea of suffering as necessary, suffering as meaningful and something that reflects God. 

"God manifests Himself in the beauty of creation and in the midst of human darkness when it is assumed.  We cannot dismiss either one.  The praise of God can burst forth as much from contemplating the admirable order of creation as from the depths of human suffering.."(Matura, p.132) 

In creating this collage I was reflecting on what may seem a crazy idea to some - that God is manifested and beautiful just as much in suffering as in the beauty of the nature around us. I must admit that is hard to completely understand as the beauty of creation is something that deeply moves me and  I haven't related that to my experience with suffering before.
Fr. Andrew pointed out in his homily this morning - Jesus asks us to answer the personal question: "Who do YOU say that I AM?" and if we believe He is the Messiah, our Lord and Savior then it behooves us to "take up our cross", accept His teachings and follow Him - even if that means it will not always be fun, pretty or easy.  This goes against the prevalent hedonism of our time.

Yesterday, Fr. Wilbert spoke about Mary's suffering, her sorrows in walking with her son through His life (have you seen the 7 seven sorrows of Mary before?).  He reminded us that we do indeed know what suffering is, even if it's not to the degree of our Mother Mary or our neighbours in war-torn countries or other grave situations that our brothers and sisters face everyday, around the world.  Despite what our sufferings are, we are invited to unite them with the sufferings of our Lord and we are encouraged to not lose HOPE, like Mary never lost hope.  We will one day walk in the land of the living with our God (Psalm 116), singing praises of joy!

This past week as I faced some of my own challenges/sufferings, there was a song that kept coming to me in the back of my mind...and I finally remembered what it's called!  I included the video for you. 

 

"I will praise you Lord my God, even in my loneliness, I will praise you Lord" 

If I changed the lyrics for myself, I would add: I will praise you Lord my God, even in this time of waiting, questioning, in moments of doubting your call or not knowing anything at all, I will praise you Lord"

For yourself - how could you finish the phrase?

I end this post with quoting the last stanza of St. Francis' Canticle of the Creatures:

Praise and bless my Lord
and give Him thanks
and serve Him with great humility

Lord Jesus, as we take up our crosses everyday, may we cling to you and look for you in our daily sufferings. May we be able to praise you in any instance.

 May we, as well as our suffering brothers and sisters be consoled by your love, your grace and the Hope you inspire in our hearts.  Amen.

All in All

I recently said to someone, "I think it's time for me to just go 'all in', put my condo on the rental market NOW and trust". Originally I wanted to play it safe and keep it for as long as I needed it, but I felt a new resolve to let go of the old and be ready for the new. It goes back to my previous blog post "Ready, Set, Jump!" where I was reflecting about jumping into this new part of my journey. But is it possible to jump in just a little?? Not in this case!

What other areas in our lives could we holding something back from God? Perhaps our openness, time, talent or treasure? Perhaps our devotion, loyalty or even our true love?

What was it that held the Pharisees back from experiencing and being moved by the true presence of our Lord, even while He was physically in their midst? How could they be so hard of heart, so stuck in their ways that as we see in today's gospel (in Canada: Luke 6.6-11) - they can't even celebrate a miracle of healing that occurred right in front of them! They couldn't feel compassion for the man with a withered hand, only contempt for Jesus because He was breaking the law of "doing work" on the sabbath. It's easy to point our fingers at the Pharisees, but sometimes I think as a society, we can be just like them.

We postulants are reading and reflecting on a book together entitled: "15 Days of Prayer with Saint Francis of Assisi" by Thaddee Matura. The past couple of days we've been invited to reflect on what it means to be pure of heart. Here's what St. Francis has to say:

Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.

The truly pure of heart are those that gaze from above at the earthly realities, seek heavenly ones, and never cease adoring and seeing the Lord God living and true with a pure heart and spirit (Adm 16) Matura p.92

 

A pure heart is able to look past what is superficial (toils and troubles of the world) and gaze on what is truly important- heavenly things, being thankful and adoring the Lord for all that is good. Perhaps the more our hearts are centered on his Son, the more we would be able to recognize, see and respond to His great love working around us. Perhaps it was a lack of a pure heart that the blinded the Pharisees from truly being open and receiving the grace manifested right in front of them.

What can we do to strive towards a pure heart? Readers, I hope some of you will give your input here :)

I wonder if St. Francis would like this song "You Are My All in All". Gazing on heavenly things, adoring Him, realizing that our true reality is that He is our everything all seem to be found in the lyrics.

"You are my strength when I am weak, you are the treasure I seek, You are my all in all

Seeking you as a precious jewel, Lord to give up I'd be a fool, you are my all in all"

 

Lord, as we journey closer to you each day, grant that we may have pure hearts, that we may see you as our All in All, now and forever more.

 

Peace and Blessings!!!

 

A "Clutter-full" Experience

As Jesus was commissioning the 12 disciples he said “... Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep.’ (Matthew 10:10)

And He also said “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62)

The week prior to entering the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity as a Postluant, I prepared myself by ‘taking care’ of my office…which held many tasks such as cleaning out a very full filing cabinet, going through a crowded book case and a stack of filing that could not be ignored or simply thrown into the recycle bin (believe me, I was tempted!).  As I took on the tasks one by one I had a lot of time to reflect and time to realize how much stuff I have kept along the way and WHY I still had some of this stuff! 

askglenda.com

I discovered that I really didn’t need my old university papers or projects I was proud of, I don’t need the textbooks I used to learn “how to teach reading” or 20 copies of a Christmas Caroling booklet.  So, if I didn’t need them, why did I still have them?  I think some of it is pride (this paper proves I’m smart, or was), some of it is fear (what if I forget what digraphs and vowels are?) and some of it is just that nagging issue of not being able to let go very easily (I don’t want to forget that moving moment connected to that time we went caroling).

As I sifted, sorted, recycled, shredded and filed I began to feel overwhelmed (especially when I thought about all the other areas of my house that still need this attention) by the burden of material things, the burden of “stuff” but most of all the surprise of a burden of invisible things, things I didn’t realize I was hanging onto.  And I know I’m not alone in this.

For me, it’s not so much the letting go of physical things that causes me to “look back”, but the attachments associated with these things. These are good things, things that seem they should be treasured.  Memories, sentiments of care, love and kindness from loved ones, friends and students, things that are encouraging and have been life giving.  It seems like a paradox to let go of positive things.  But I think that in order for us to move on, we need to empty our vessel once in awhile so our Lord can fill it up with new love, grace and abundance (and part of the emptying is giving thanks before letting go).  

Other things to let go may be longtime grudges, resentments, deep seated anger and disappointments, these things can take up space in our vessel too…in fact, it’s the negative things that erode our vessels from the inside out.  That’s not good!

Sometimes we need a good washing out for our souls.  An examination of conscience to see what areas need cleansing is always good.   I think about the cleansing power of water, of mercy, of God’s forgiveness especially present in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  I think about water washing things away that are not needed anymore, water washing away impurity, leaving us holy and I think about how the Lord said He would cast our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).  As we are emptied, I think we can find, like I did in the feelings after cleaning out my office, that in emptiness there can be fullness…

There is something about St. Francis and his vision of Lady Poverty that intrigues me and that I don’t quite understand yet…but I do like this quote: “From his sojourn in the cave, he now knew that this lady was symbolic of the poor Christ, of chastity, of valor and courage, of chivalry and virtue and everything spiritual and fine.  But most of all she was Lady Poverty.  To serve her was all his desire.  Lady Poverty! To serve her was to be rich beyond imagining.  Lady Poverty was THE symbol of the paradoxes of the Gospel: richness in poverty, life in death, strength in weakness, beauty in the sordid and shabby, peace in conflict and in temptation, fullness in emptiness and, above all, love in detachment and deprivation”. (Francis: The Journey and The Dream. Murray Bodo p.11)

Love in detachment and deprivation, richness in poverty.  This cleaning out of my office clearly paralleled for me the cleaning out of one’s soul.  Detaching, deprivation, poverty in spirit, in relationships or in things that give us a sense of security could seem negative – but in the right context, they are beautiful.  It’s necessary to let go, relinquish, surrender, detach all those things that, no matter how good, could at some point become ‘clutter’ and keep us from our true focus, our Lord Jesus Christ.  And if we are to truly ‘take up our cross and follow Him’ I suppose following his footsteps of sacrifice is also something to be embraced and not feared/avoided.

Check out this article to see a picture and read a bit about the Sisters and Postulants I am journeying with:  http://www.fscc-calledtobe.org/living/index.php?p=12289

 

 

 

 

 

Be Transformed!

All rights reserved by Stephen B Whatley

Happy Feast Day of St. Clare!

Like many people out there, I love to journal and in fact need to journal as it helps me express my heart to the Lord.  As I reflected on my entries during the past couple of weeks I’ve noticed a couple of interesting things.  The first is that even though the practical yet complicated circumstances surrounding the beginning of my Postulancy (which begins a week today!) have not changed – I can see that something surrounding me and within me has changed and that is a sense of calm, in both body and spirit. Why? 

At first I was feeling guilty for feeling anxious, as I was worried that perhaps my anxiety reflected a distrust in God.  But I knew with my mind and heart that I have and always will trust Him and that He would never ever forsake me… it’s just that my physical body didn’t seem to get it.  A wise priest friend shared with me that he wasn’t surprised, that we are both flesh and spirit. The flesh is weak and is often opposed to the Spirit.  Knowing this, I felt free and surrendered to the Lord knowing He understood I was doing my best to follow. 

I believe the reason that even my body has been calmed is two-fold.  The first is the prayers of those near and far, I know and can feel the power in this intercessory prayer (and I am deeply grateful for your prayers!). The second is even more powerful than that – it is the Eucharist.  The past two weeks I have had the privilege and time to attend daily mass as well as spend a lot more time in Adoration.  Jesus, present in the Eucharist, is the one who has been able to reach deep down within all parts of my being and calm me, mold me and help me feel at peace while worldly temptations and complications are still swirling around me.  This is the second interesting thing I found myself saying in my journal “Lord, I feel like you are changing me”.

I was glancing through a book of mine: Clare of Assisi: A Heart Full of Love by Ilia Delio, O.S.F. and found this quote: “In Clare’s view, daily gazing on the crucified Spouse ultimately leads to imitation, for when we cling to the crucified Spouse with all our heart we become like the Spouse in love, an image of the Crucified in our own lives” (p.70).   For me, spending time in Adoration has really helped me understand what St. Clare is saying as well as what she writes to her sister Agnes about “be(ing) transformed into the one you love”.  Ilia Delio continues “Be changed- not in little ways but in a big way – the way of being a person.  Let the life of God be your life. Let the face of God be your face.  Become a new incarnation of the Word.  Let Jesus Christ live in you.  You will not change the genetic makeup of who you are but when the power of God’s grace is at work in you, when love seizes your heart, you will express yourself in a new way, the way of love” (p.68).  I can see how this can happen as a result of spending more and more time with the Lord.  I can not express how deeply pleased and excited I am to be living in a community that celebrates Mass everyday and has several chapels with the Lord present in the Tabernacle!

Lord may you shower your powerful grace upon all hearts open to you – may we be your hands and feet, your smiling face and comforting, joyful presence in the lives of those we meet. Help us to crave to be with you in any way we can and thank you for making it possible.  Amen! 

St. Clare of Assisi, pray for us!