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 . . .
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
DAY 13 of our Retreat
I loved Kirvan's phrase: "every character-forming moment." I hope that that can be a phrase I take into myself when I am faced with difficulties, choices, decisions, etc. Today Kirvan also speaks of Francis' poverty of spirit. I appreciate hearing that Francis did not see it as a taking away/being deprived of but rather as a positive choice, a way for him to define his "life with God." A good question for me today is "How do I want my 'life with God' to be?" I have choices about that. And then I need to realize that God wants this even more than I do.
REFLECTION:
REFLECTION:
- What word/words struck me from today's meditation?
- What am I learning about Francis these days? OR What am I learning from Francis that I can apply to my own life?
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
DAY 12 of our Retreat
"Francis gave himself up to prayer, fasting, manual labor, and service with the same ferocity he had devoted to the adventures of war. . . . He made himself the poorest man in the world. But instead of being miserable, he became happier. "Blessed is he who expects nothing," Francis would later say, "for he will enjoy everything." -- Saint Francis of Assisi: A Life of Joy, by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (guess what his "F" stands for . . .)
Another thought: Someone who works in the Peace and Justice ministry once made me aware of something which I now try hard to remember: He said that when we refer to people as "the poor," "the homeless," "the disabled," etc., we add insult to injury by "clumping people together" in a LABEL and robbing them of their dignity, their individuality, and their personhood. He suggested instead that we say "persons who are poor," those who are homeless," etc.
Since hearing this from a man I deeply respect, I have tried to be more aware of my own speech. Upon occasion, I come across the labeling demonstrated above when I read the Prayers of the Faithful (the petitions) at Mass, and I make a simple change that -- in my opinion -- helps to restore dignity to persons I haven't even met.
REFLECTIONS:
Another thought: Someone who works in the Peace and Justice ministry once made me aware of something which I now try hard to remember: He said that when we refer to people as "the poor," "the homeless," "the disabled," etc., we add insult to injury by "clumping people together" in a LABEL and robbing them of their dignity, their individuality, and their personhood. He suggested instead that we say "persons who are poor," those who are homeless," etc.
Since hearing this from a man I deeply respect, I have tried to be more aware of my own speech. Upon occasion, I come across the labeling demonstrated above when I read the Prayers of the Faithful (the petitions) at Mass, and I make a simple change that -- in my opinion -- helps to restore dignity to persons I haven't even met.
REFLECTIONS:
- What phrase or sentence struck you from today's reading?
- Any ideas on how we can (and do) live in a spirit of poverty in our lives?
Monday, October 11, 2010
Day 11 of our Retreat
I turned the page last night, and there it was: POVERTY. The little whiner in me said, "I'd much rather stay with prayer. . ." (I'm a better pray-er than I am a poor person.)
You will be amazed by what you will find on the Internet about Spiritual Poverty. Someone(s) worked very hard to give us the gift of some solid reflections on this topic.
From Rahel Kassahun, Ph. D., founder and editor-in-chief of the periodical Africa Unbound:
He and another gentleman were meeting with a large Christian organization and the topic of small groups in the church came up. One of the executives in the organization asked, "What difference do you see between groups for people with problems and groups for normal people?" Said Kassahun: "John and I looked at each other and I said, 'There is just one kind of group.' " Kassahun goes on to say in his article that "all believers probably realize that we all need to grow spiritually, but many of us do not understand that the major reason we need to grow is that we are in a deep and severe state of neediness and incompleteness. . . . By our very nature we are broken people with no hope except for God."
"Each one of us has weaknesses, unfulfilled needs, emotional injuries and hurts at the hands of others, and we have our own immaturities and sins. Spiritual poverty . . . . has to do with those parts of ourselves that are not what they should be and that we cannot repair in our own strength. Jesus called this a 'blessed condition' because it helps us get closer to God."
"We're all in the same boat," says Victor Lee Lewis, a longtime diversity advocate. "But we're not on the same deck. And the ride looks different, depending on where you're seated."
It is awareness of our spiritual poverty -- and the awakening to the realization that "there is just one kind of group" that helps us to give to others and serve others -- because each one of us on earth is poor.
FOR REFLECTION:
You will be amazed by what you will find on the Internet about Spiritual Poverty. Someone(s) worked very hard to give us the gift of some solid reflections on this topic.
From Rahel Kassahun, Ph. D., founder and editor-in-chief of the periodical Africa Unbound:
He and another gentleman were meeting with a large Christian organization and the topic of small groups in the church came up. One of the executives in the organization asked, "What difference do you see between groups for people with problems and groups for normal people?" Said Kassahun: "John and I looked at each other and I said, 'There is just one kind of group.' " Kassahun goes on to say in his article that "all believers probably realize that we all need to grow spiritually, but many of us do not understand that the major reason we need to grow is that we are in a deep and severe state of neediness and incompleteness. . . . By our very nature we are broken people with no hope except for God."
"Each one of us has weaknesses, unfulfilled needs, emotional injuries and hurts at the hands of others, and we have our own immaturities and sins. Spiritual poverty . . . . has to do with those parts of ourselves that are not what they should be and that we cannot repair in our own strength. Jesus called this a 'blessed condition' because it helps us get closer to God."
"We're all in the same boat," says Victor Lee Lewis, a longtime diversity advocate. "But we're not on the same deck. And the ride looks different, depending on where you're seated."
It is awareness of our spiritual poverty -- and the awakening to the realization that "there is just one kind of group" that helps us to give to others and serve others -- because each one of us on earth is poor.
FOR REFLECTION:
- What do I think of when I hear the term 'spiritual poverty"?
- What have I learned from persons I know who seem to be very in touch with their spiritual poverty?
Thursday, October 7, 2010
DAY 8 of our Retreat
I have met too many people who say they do not know how to pray. Have you ever been awed by a beautiful sunset, or deeply touched while holding a sleeping baby, or moved to tears by something someone said to you or did for you? Each of these: the awe, the being deeply touched, the being moved to tears are all moments of prayer, even if we do not say the name "God" in the midst of those experiences. God knows we are wordlessly praying, and God is grateful.
Kirvan reminds us that what happened in those moments was that we recognized "the presence of God in our lives" and we were "opened up." That is one form of prayer, and it can be a powerful one -- but it is a form of prayer that many do not recognize as such -- because it is too -- what? -- human? Our prayer lives crack open in a new way when we come to understand that we can find God in the smallest and most tender of moments, and God is waiting to be found there.
What matters, we are asked today. Think of what and who matters most to you today, and there you will find God, hidden over and over again in the everydayness of life. As our mantra reminds us today, God is wordless love.
REFLECTIONS:
Kirvan reminds us that what happened in those moments was that we recognized "the presence of God in our lives" and we were "opened up." That is one form of prayer, and it can be a powerful one -- but it is a form of prayer that many do not recognize as such -- because it is too -- what? -- human? Our prayer lives crack open in a new way when we come to understand that we can find God in the smallest and most tender of moments, and God is waiting to be found there.
What matters, we are asked today. Think of what and who matters most to you today, and there you will find God, hidden over and over again in the everydayness of life. As our mantra reminds us today, God is wordless love.
REFLECTIONS:
- What struck me from today's reading?
- What could happen within me if today I asked myself what and who matters -- and then squinted a little in order to find God in ways I never found God before?
- "I know the words I use, which I am so dependent on, may not be what is most important." (from "My Day is Ending") Am I willing to take a risk and, once in a while.pray without words?
DAY 7 of our Retreat
"Many, if not most of us, exist on the surface of our lives."
I think it is exciting that God has given us the grace to "uncover and discover the treasures that lie at the heart of our being" (and that is actually what each one of us is attempting to do during this retreat: go deeper).
Both of these quotes found in today's reading speak of "the more" that exists within each one of us. My experience as a spiritual director and a retreat leader has allowed me the privilege of being with persons who are searching for -- and finding -- "the more" within themselves. Their lives change when this happens. It is an amazing concept.
John Kirvan speaks of becoming persons who are "fully alive." (Saint Ireneaus spoke of it also.) Each one of us has met such persons in our lives. They inspire us, they challenge us, they help us to become bigger and better persons. Francis was SO alive, he simply blew people out of the water, as they say. One encounter with Francis was enough for a person to experience a total conversion and live a different and deeper life.
"We become fully alive only when we pray." That is what we are doing together: uniting with each other during this retreat, praying with and for each other, supporting each other across cyberspace during this 31-day journey toward God.
REFLECTIONS:
Think of someone in your life whom you believe is a person who is "fully alive" as a result of their faith life. How has this person influenced you/inspired you?
"Let me pray" is our mantra for today. What are some of your favorite ways of praying? (And: how do you define prayer anyway . . .?
I think it is exciting that God has given us the grace to "uncover and discover the treasures that lie at the heart of our being" (and that is actually what each one of us is attempting to do during this retreat: go deeper).
Both of these quotes found in today's reading speak of "the more" that exists within each one of us. My experience as a spiritual director and a retreat leader has allowed me the privilege of being with persons who are searching for -- and finding -- "the more" within themselves. Their lives change when this happens. It is an amazing concept.
John Kirvan speaks of becoming persons who are "fully alive." (Saint Ireneaus spoke of it also.) Each one of us has met such persons in our lives. They inspire us, they challenge us, they help us to become bigger and better persons. Francis was SO alive, he simply blew people out of the water, as they say. One encounter with Francis was enough for a person to experience a total conversion and live a different and deeper life.
"We become fully alive only when we pray." That is what we are doing together: uniting with each other during this retreat, praying with and for each other, supporting each other across cyberspace during this 31-day journey toward God.
REFLECTIONS:
Think of someone in your life whom you believe is a person who is "fully alive" as a result of their faith life. How has this person influenced you/inspired you?
"Let me pray" is our mantra for today. What are some of your favorite ways of praying? (And: how do you define prayer anyway . . .?
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
DAY 5 of our Retreat
Day 5 . . . Some of us are smiling: we have managed to “be faithful” for four full days now. Some of us are frowning: only the fifth day and already, we may be feeling we have “messed up.” ABSOLUTELY GOOD NEWS: this is where God comes in. Yesterday’s reflection reminded us that “we are a forgetful people, constantly needing to be reminded of who we are.” We forget; God remembers . . . always.
So a note to those of you who have managed to be faithful to the retreat for four whole days: Hurray! Carry on nobly! A note to those of us who have not managed the same (e.g.: I went to Bath, PA, on Friday evening to work with a friend on a workshop we are going to give. I left the Motherhouse in a rush and forgot to take my book . . . . Day 2, and I blew it! What did I do? Came home that evening, read all of Day 2, forgave myself, and looked forward to continuing the journey.
All of this fits well with both yesterday’s AND today’s mantras: ALWAYS REMEMBER and TAKE ME BY THE HAND. Bonaventure speaks today about our journey into God. We cannot do the spiritual journey alone. We have a faithful God who loves us beyond our ability to comprehend and, during this retreat, we have “companions on the journey” who strengthen us by their faithfulness and their “stumblings.” Count me among the latter, and let’s enjoy the trip . . .
Monday, October 4, 2010
DAY 4 of our Retreat Happy St. Francis Day!
“It seems to me that in certain respects, there is not a great difference between the thirteenth and twenty-first centuries. During the lifetime of Saint Francis, there was a burning hunger and desire for things of the spirit, for sound spirituality, for the experience of God. Francis was able to respond to those hungers in a way unmatched, perhaps, by anyone since, and he awakened those hungers in the hearts of others. In our time there is clear evidence of the same kind of desires in people’s hearts. They are searching for paths that open them to the realization of their spiritual yearnings.
“Perhaps what our hearts are seeking is holiness. By holiness, I mean . . . a call to a wholesome, genuine and fully committed life base on gospel values, - - -something based on love and compassion that reaches out to people everywhere. This is the source of joy and freedom and the means for promoting the reign of God in our time and rebuilding society, family life and the church.”
In the Footsteps of Francis and Clare, Roch Niemier, OFM
Reflection (these questions are for personal reflection, AND if you wish to share some of your thoughts with those of us on this blog, they would be most welcomely received . . – I made up the word welcomely.)
*What strikes me as I read the above passage?
*What is my definition of holiness?
“Perhaps what our hearts are seeking is holiness. By holiness, I mean . . . a call to a wholesome, genuine and fully committed life base on gospel values, - - -something based on love and compassion that reaches out to people everywhere. This is the source of joy and freedom and the means for promoting the reign of God in our time and rebuilding society, family life and the church.”
In the Footsteps of Francis and Clare, Roch Niemier, OFM
Reflection (these questions are for personal reflection, AND if you wish to share some of your thoughts with those of us on this blog, they would be most welcomely received . . – I made up the word welcomely.)
*What strikes me as I read the above passage?
*What is my definition of holiness?
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