Will I let God happen? What a powerful question as we walk together toward the ending of our retreat!
May I offer a simple suggestion for this day: that each one of us find the time to sit and be still for three minutes (time yourself if you have to . . .), close our eyes, and say to God, softly and slowly: "Will I let you happen?" Pause - then go deeper - and maybe ask even more slowly: "Will I let you happen?" Then sit in silence and just hold the question. Three minutes. Fill them with quiet, with peace, with hope, with trust. Fill them with a desire and a willingness to believe.
It can change your life.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
DAY 27 of our Retreat
On Monday morning during his talk at the Interfaith Breakfast, Rabbi Brian Micheslon offered me an insight about peace that I had never heard of or thought about before. He explained that , in the Jewish tradition, followers of Judaism especially honor the understanding that PEACE/SHALOM also means "to be complete." "Thus," he explained, "we need each other in order to be complete, and that completeness can only come about through peace."
This fits so beautifully with today's readings in which we are invited to "Come to the dance." "Come to the Dance of Life," says Francis. "Come to the Party of Joy." As they say, "The party won't be complete without you."
REFLECTIONS:
This fits so beautifully with today's readings in which we are invited to "Come to the dance." "Come to the Dance of Life," says Francis. "Come to the Party of Joy." As they say, "The party won't be complete without you."
REFLECTIONS:
- In what way(s) is God inviting me to be a participant in the "Party of Life"? What would bring more joy and more peace to my life?
- What is the deepest happiness I experience? If I squint, do I think I can find God in that happiness?
Monday, October 25, 2010
DAY 25 of our Retreat
Shalom is the Hebrew word for "peace." In the Bible, God's peace—shalom—meant much more than simply the absence of war. It indicated more than a positive state in my soul or a private transaction between God and me.
The longing for God's shalom included those things, but for those radical Jewish believers, peace was much bigger and broader. Shalom meant not only inner peace or spiritual peace; it meant wholeness and completeness throughout all creation. It meant the end of injustice. It meant the rich would no longer devour the poor. It meant all brokenness would be set right and healed. It meant that people would love one another. Shalom would flow deep and broad, embracing all of creation, including plants, animals, and the earth itself.
REFLECTIONS:
- What words or phrases struck me from today's readings?
- What experience(s) offer me an inner feeling of shalom?
IMPORTANT: Please check your e-mail for information concerning our closing prayer service for our 30 Days with Francis retreat. Thank you!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
DAY 21 of our Retreat
Peace . . . (even SAYING it sounds peaceful/brings me a measure of serenity and calm . . .)
Today, John Kirvan invites us to remember that "like Francis, we are called not just to be at peace, but to be peacemakers . . . . called to be instruments of peace."
From a Daily Devotional on Peacemaking:
"About being a peacemaker…
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (NIV)
Today, John Kirvan invites us to remember that "like Francis, we are called not just to be at peace, but to be peacemakers . . . . called to be instruments of peace."
From a Daily Devotional on Peacemaking:
"About being a peacemaker…
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (NIV)
The world needs peace. The home needs peace. The office, the factory, the school, and the family needs peace. To have peace there must be those who bring the peace of God. In your life, you can bring the peace of God into the life of others. In the middle of the storms of life, you can be a person who brings the calm and peace others so badly need. Give your all to Christ and He will not only give you peace, but He will give you the gift of bringing peace to others. When you look around you, you can see anguish, worry, doubt, and fear in the life of others. In others, reflect the peace of Christ and bring a kind word of love and assurance. Give away the calm love of God. Bring the healing of His grace, love, and peace. For it is not enough to want the peace of Christ, it is mandatory we bring peace into the life of others."
REFLECTIONS:
- What comes to mind when I hear the world peace?
- What one thing could I do in my present situation to become a person of peace, a peacemaker?
- Is there anything from Kirvan's reflections for today -- or from the above devotional -- that strikes me today?
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
DAY 20 of our Retreat
Day 20 . . . our last reflections on Poverty. Though I have been blessed to be part of this retreat two times in the past, I have to say Kirvan's writings on poverty have struck me more deeply this year and, on some days, I found his thoughts extremely challenging. What we know is that Francis minced no words about being poor. His life was a full-blown, way-out-there commitment to poverty. His friars and Clare's nuns froze in the winter and sweated in the summers. On some days, neither groups had anything to eat. And yet, they were committed, devoted, JOYFUL!
People with families cannot live this way. They are not called to. We, as friars and woman religious, do not live this way. Yet: we are drawn to Francis and surely are challenged by his life and his message. Francis was a phenomenally happy man in his great poverty! People sought him out.
As we move away now from these reflections on poverty, it is good to ask:
-- what has struck me most deeply from these 10 days of readings on Franciscan poverty?
-- what thought, action, desire am I taking away with me?
-- how do I live the Franciscan challenge to be poor in spirit in the midst of our present society and my present life circumstances?
Any thoughts or sharings?
Tomorrow: PEACE.
People with families cannot live this way. They are not called to. We, as friars and woman religious, do not live this way. Yet: we are drawn to Francis and surely are challenged by his life and his message. Francis was a phenomenally happy man in his great poverty! People sought him out.
As we move away now from these reflections on poverty, it is good to ask:
-- what has struck me most deeply from these 10 days of readings on Franciscan poverty?
-- what thought, action, desire am I taking away with me?
-- how do I live the Franciscan challenge to be poor in spirit in the midst of our present society and my present life circumstances?
Any thoughts or sharings?
Tomorrow: PEACE.
Monday, October 18, 2010
DAY 18 of our Retreat
From: To Live as Francis Lived, Foley, Jovian, Weigel
"We still have not settled the 'practical' question as to whether poverty is material or spiritual, whether it is mainly positive or negative, whether it is mainly an ascetical practice or a generous sharing of this world's goods with others. It is possible for a materially wealthy person to be totally unattached to his/her possessions. And a very poor person in terms of possessions can be stingy, grasping, and hoarding. If we place the question within the mystery of Christ, perhaps we can see that there is no neat answer that can be printed in a catechism.
"How does the spirit of gospel poverty apply to buying a car, a home, entertainment? How does it enter into the raising of children? Is it possible to be "gospel poor" in our affluent society? Take some material possession -- clothing, food, a car -- and see it not as a possession but as an instrument for serving God.
PRAYER: "Lord, show me how to be poor in a culture that worships the wealth of power, possessions, and prestige."
I appreciate the authors' views about poverty and the challenge they present to us: in what ways should we consider the issue of poverty when we make choices about lifestyle, possessions, etc. Having been an educator for many years and a sister, aunt, and great-aunt for as long, I have sometimes cringed when I watched nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews open their (sometimes tons of) Christmas gifts. Dear little B (age 4 at the time) opened her third Barbie doll of the day; these she would be adding to her growing Barbie doll collection which already numbered 6. Pehaps, in speaking about poverty of possessions, the authors are asking us, this day, just how much is enough? Being able to answer this question honestly is living in the spirit of poverty, I think.
"We still have not settled the 'practical' question as to whether poverty is material or spiritual, whether it is mainly positive or negative, whether it is mainly an ascetical practice or a generous sharing of this world's goods with others. It is possible for a materially wealthy person to be totally unattached to his/her possessions. And a very poor person in terms of possessions can be stingy, grasping, and hoarding. If we place the question within the mystery of Christ, perhaps we can see that there is no neat answer that can be printed in a catechism.
"How does the spirit of gospel poverty apply to buying a car, a home, entertainment? How does it enter into the raising of children? Is it possible to be "gospel poor" in our affluent society? Take some material possession -- clothing, food, a car -- and see it not as a possession but as an instrument for serving God.
PRAYER: "Lord, show me how to be poor in a culture that worships the wealth of power, possessions, and prestige."
I appreciate the authors' views about poverty and the challenge they present to us: in what ways should we consider the issue of poverty when we make choices about lifestyle, possessions, etc. Having been an educator for many years and a sister, aunt, and great-aunt for as long, I have sometimes cringed when I watched nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews open their (sometimes tons of) Christmas gifts. Dear little B (age 4 at the time) opened her third Barbie doll of the day; these she would be adding to her growing Barbie doll collection which already numbered 6. Pehaps, in speaking about poverty of possessions, the authors are asking us, this day, just how much is enough? Being able to answer this question honestly is living in the spirit of poverty, I think.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
DAY 14 of our Retreat
I keep reading these pieces that Kirvan is writing on poverty and saying, "Ouch!"
"Either our lives are thing-driven or they are not." Ouch! I am a book-driven woman. I always wished (not really) that I liked numbers more than I liked words; it would be a lot easier to pack up several stacks of your favorite numbers into a box than have to do the same with piles and piles of favorite books (mostly non-fiction, mostly about spirituality and about writing) that I pack up when I move to a new place of ministry.
My sister (who used to be in religious life) is not thing-driven. She does not need the latest of things. Her "things" life is simple and neat. She edifies me. I once knew a Sister who owned a rather large hat box which she filled with everything she owned. That and her Sunday habit were all she needed to take with her to her next "assignment," as we once called them. (Read: saintly . . .)
My Mom was a "save it just in case" person.
Ah, things, things . . .
Blessings on this rainy day . . .
"Either our lives are thing-driven or they are not." Ouch! I am a book-driven woman. I always wished (not really) that I liked numbers more than I liked words; it would be a lot easier to pack up several stacks of your favorite numbers into a box than have to do the same with piles and piles of favorite books (mostly non-fiction, mostly about spirituality and about writing) that I pack up when I move to a new place of ministry.
My sister (who used to be in religious life) is not thing-driven. She does not need the latest of things. Her "things" life is simple and neat. She edifies me. I once knew a Sister who owned a rather large hat box which she filled with everything she owned. That and her Sunday habit were all she needed to take with her to her next "assignment," as we once called them. (Read: saintly . . .)
My Mom was a "save it just in case" person.
Ah, things, things . . .
Blessings on this rainy day . . .
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