We have all heard, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Do artwork, photographs, icons, or symbols ever speak of God to your heart?Henri Nouwen wrote a book – The Return of the Prodigal Son - about his experience contemplating and praying with God about Rembrandt’s famous painting.A chance encounter with a reproduction of Rembrandt's The Return of the Prodigal Son catapulted Henri Nouwen on a long spiritual adventure. Nouwen studied all the characters in the parable: the younger son's return, the father's loving forgiveness, the elder son's vengefulness, and the father's compassion. He wrote, “Constantly falling back into an old trap, before I am even fully aware of it, I find myself wondering why someone hurt me, rejected me, or didn’t pay attention to me. Without realizing it, I find myself brooding about someone else’s success, my own loneliness, and the way the world abuses me. Despite my conscious intentions, I often catch myself daydreaming about becoming rich, powerful, and … [Read more...]
Hospitality – Welcoming Christ
Image by m.gifford via FlickrWelcoming Christ was the theme of my post on Sunday (see below) and the word hospitality continues to linger in my heart.In the comment section of Saturday’s post, Colleen reminded me that hospitality was a strength within the Benedictine order. In fact, hospitality is one of the key components of the Benedictine life-style. In his Rule, Saint Benedict says “Let all guests that come to the monastery be received as Christ.”We try to model our lives after Christ. Jesus paid attention to others. He really “saw” them. We see this happen over and over again in the Gospels.I know I get so blinded by misleading emotions, misunderstandings, and my own mistakes. I judge instead of tenderly trying to see from the other person’s perspective. I fail to really see others as Christ sees them.Then I miss Him. I don’t see Christ.Hospitality can be providing a meal, a warm welcome, or a place to rest, but I think it can mean so much more in our daily interactions with … [Read more...]
Welcoming Christ – Lectio Divina
Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Matthew 10: 40 Image via WikipediaWelcome.Lord I love the word welcome.You pour out Your gift of hospitality upon us for us to give to others.While I find it is so much easier to grumble and complain, to get frustrated or discouraged, I ask that with Your divine empowerment, I serve with enthusiasm, cheerfulness, and diligence.May I greet others joyfully with open arms.May I smile sincerely and listen empathetically with an approachable heartMay my presence be like refreshing sip of water to a friend’s parched soul.May I set others at ease and foster a sense of belonging.May I be transparent so only You shine through.May my heart and hands give without expectation.May I make room for others in my time, space, and care.May I erect bridges and form deep bonds in Christian love.May I dispel loneliness and build community.May I welcome others as I welcome You. … [Read more...]
Morning Prayer – Quote of the Week – John Baillie
Image via Wikipedia“Eternal Father of my soul, let my first thought today be of You,Let my first impulse be to worship You,Let my first speech be Your name,Let my first action be to kneel before You in prayer.For Your perfect wisdom and perfect goodness:For the love with which You love mankind;For the love with which You love me;For the great and mysterious opportunity of my life;For the indwelling of Your Spirit in my heart;For the sevenfold gifts of Your Spirit;I praise and worship You, O Lord.Yet let me not, when this morning prayer is said, Think my worship ended and spend the day in forgetfulness of You.Rather from these moments of quietness, let light go forth, and joy and power that will remain with me through all the hours of the day,Keeping me chaste in thought;Keeping me temperate and truthful in speech;Keeping me faithful and diligent in my work;Keeping me humble in my estimation of myself;Keeping me honorable and generous in my dealing with others;Keeping me loyal to every … [Read more...]
“Be Gentle with Yourself.”
Image via WikipediaI had an “off’ day yesterday. Couldn’t focus. My to –do list slept untouched all day. I fiddled with unimportant busy work to outright vegging in front of the television.To make matters worse, I am a “three” on the Enneagram, which means my personality thrives on accomplishments and concentrates on goal achievements. A day of doing nothing looks like failure.By the time evening came around my internal critic raced at full force.What is wrong with me?You are so lazy!What a waste of precious timeYou SHOULD have accomplished somethingI finally gave up the day. Take it, Lord, I certainly didn’t use it much today.Then I heard a quiet Voice within me whisper, “Be gentle with yourself.”But, Lord, I wasted today. I took Your gift of time and squandered it. I don’t deserve more days or warrant any mercy.“Be gentle with yourself,” He persisted.I could whine, feel sorry for myself, and linger longer in disgrace. Or I could turn my heart to God, listen to Him, breath in His … [Read more...]
Summer Solstice Spiritual Lessons
Image via WikipediaToday is the Summer Solstice.I am a summer person. This is MY time of year. I like the weather hot, the sun shining, and the flowers blooming.I come alive in summer.Today is the first day of MY season (ok, not MY season, I will share it. LOL)Though much of summer solstice originates from pagan, pre-Christian history, I found some fun and thought provoking tidbits about this celebration to share. These facts enriched my prayers this week:· "Solstice" is derived from two Latin words: "sol" meaning sun, and "sistere," to cause to stand still. This is because, as the summer solstice approaches, the noonday sun rises higher and higher in the sky on each successive day. On the day of the solstice, it rises an imperceptible amount, compared to the day before. In this sense, it "stands still." Lord, help me to stand still. You tell us tenderly, “Be still and know I am God.” Just as the sun obeys You in this command, I pause in Your sacred stillness. As the sun rises … [Read more...]
Wake me up, Lord – Lectio Divina
Image by stewickie via FlickrThen Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it." Genesis 28:16 (ESV)Wake me up, Lord!Rouse me like Jacob from my slumber.Once fully alert, I know I will see You and know You are with me.But I squeeze my eyes shut to avoid Your light that will expose my brokenness.My eyelids are heavy with the weight of the world.I try to arouse by myself, but my foggy mind drifts back to the grayness of only partial existence.Shake me from my sluggish complacency and carelessness.Even with eyes wide open I fail to see You present.It is only through Your gift of faith I know Your presence.Thank You for watching over me as I sleepwalk through life and blindly navigate its twists and turns.With Your strong and spiritual stirring, my soul soars to perceive Your presence.Wake me up Lord. … [Read more...]
God’s Gift Within Us – Quote of the Week – Richard Rohr
“Why do we have this gift and yet not realize it? Perhaps God does not want to force anything on us that we do not actually desire or choose for ourselves. So a lovely dance ensues between God and the soul that preserves freedom on both sides.“The gift is objectively already within, and yet has to be desired and awakened by the person. Faith is often clarified and joy-filled hindsight – after we have experienced our experiences. But the path ahead still demands walking in trust, risk, and various degrees of darkness. “We are always and forever the conduits, the instruments, the tuning fork, the receiver stations. We slowly learn the right frequencies that pick up the signal. The core task of all good spirituality is to teach us to ‘cooperate’ with what God already wants to do and had already begun to do. In fact, nothing good would even enter our mind unless in the previous moment God had not already moved within us. We are always and forever merely seconding the motion.”The Naked Now … [Read more...]