Seal Weal7/31/2020 Feast of St Ignatius of Loyola
The “Seal of the Society of Jesus” that you see above hangs on one of the outside walls of the retreat house. It’s a fitting symbol for all who enter, reminding them of our founder, St Ignatius of Loyola, whose feast we celebrate today and whose motto is “AMDG” (For the Greater Glory of God) Christ Jesus and his cross is at the seal’s center with a glorious sunburst surrounding it. (Some see it as a starburst, or tongues of fire.) It’s all in the eye of the beholder! And how about the title? Can anyone who reads this, “seal the deal” and figure out why I chose “Seal Weal?” In 2008, I was asked to celebrate the liturgy for Ignatius’ feast for the community of the IREPM (Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry at Boston College. The theme of the homily was “from Gloss to Glory.” Glory! I asked the students in my dance class what that word means to them. Brilliance, praise, majesty, shining forth, essence of God. These were some of the answers I received. The dictionary concurs: exalted praise, honor, adoring praise or thanksgiving, resplendent beauty or magnificence, Radiance of light surrounding someone like a halo. Glory! But do you know what word follows Glory in the dictionary? Gloss. From Glory to Gloss. Gloss is a superficial luster, an external show, a specious appearance. Sometimes in life we get the two confused, Gloss and Glory. What we think is Glory is really Gloss. If you were to ask Ignatius of Loyola, he might say his life went from Gloss to Glory. As you well know, the first part of his life was about vainglory. He wanted recognition for himself as a great soldier, noted for his prowess on the battlefield and as a courtier who would be noted for his prowess in the court. Ignatius’ desire for power and prestige was nothing but a gloss, a superficial luster that did not reveal who he was in his essence. The distractions of this world; fame and fortune, kept him from coming to see who he was, whom God desired him to be. And when he finally had a glimpse of the Glory of God , shining forth in the fully alive Jesus Christ, and shining forth through his own human weakness, he just wanted to be more and more alive in God. He wanted to live "for the greater glory of God." Everything in life was meant to reveal the glory of God, the essential core of God who is Triune Love. That’s what we are invited to when we hear Jesus say, "Come and See." It’s not just an invitation to come and see Jesus, but also an invitation to come and see who we are in the reflected glory of God. In meeting Jesus, you meet yourself and discover the glory of God dwelling in you. On this feast of St Ignatius 2020, with all the troubles of the world in which we live, will you ask for the grace of knowing that Jesus Christ has set his seal on your heart so that God’s glory may shine forth from you? See in this glorious sunrise yourself, a reflection of God’s glory. And you will know… And Happy Birthday, Harry Potter! I had no idea when I wrote “Un-harrried Potter” yesterday that he was born on July 31st 1980! Thanks, Maria R for ‘sealing the deal.”
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Un-Harried Potter7/30/2020 Thursday of the 17th Week in Ordinary time/ St Peter Chrysologus
Today’s scripture from the prophet Jeremiah gives us the striking image of God as an “unharried or unhurried” potter who keeps molding and shaping the clay of our lives. I went down to the potter’s house and there he was, working at the wheel. Whenever the object of clay which he was making turned out badly in his hand, he tried again, making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased. Then the word of the LORD came to me: Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as this potter has done? says the LORD. Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, house of Israel. As the 30 day retreat comes to and end and retreatants leave Eastern Point after morning Mass where they will hear this reading, I imagine they can relate to the image of God as the potter, shaping their lives and reworking them when needed. I like to think of God as an “unharried and unhurried” potter when it comes to us who are God’s children. Speaking of children, I had though that my friend Scot was being playful putting a squirrel at the foot of the cross. He told me to “look again” so I could see the outline of Mary, kneeling at the foot of the Cross. When I saw the figure that he had created with sea glass and not clay, I thought “how squirrely am I?” to see what I saw? Well, life is a bit of a “see-saw” with it’s ups and downs and finding balance. Two photos today: The one below of the golden sunrise for the memorial of St Peter Chrysologus whose name means “golden-worded.” The one above is the rock formation that Scot built. What a balancing act! Scot Free7/29/2020 Memorial of St Martha
I have written before about my friend Scot Bateman whom I baptized 16 years ago. I’ve shared with you the poem that he wrote after his baptism. Scot’s been visiting here for a few days of prayer and in typical Scot fashion, he sent me a photo of a sea glass Cross that he created from the shards of sea glass on the window sill outside my office. Retreatants are often tempted to play with the sea glass and create shapes and forms. I’ve never seen one as creative as Scot’s. And given his playful nature, he had to add a “squirrel” looking on. If you’ve ever used the expression “scot free” you know that it means to be set free without having to pay any price. The word “scot” used to refer to a tax levied goes back to Britain in the 10th century. There was a church scot, Rome scot and even a Soul scot. To go “scot free” meant that you did not have to pay the tax. To go “scot free” is to receive debt forgiveness. To go “scot free” is to receive a gift, freely given with no strings attached. The folks who have finished the 30 day retreat are leaving here “scot free.” They have experienced the gift of God’s gracious, unconditional love for them in Jesus Christ. They are invited to live in the freedom of the sons and daughters of God. Yes, it’s always challenging to be “free spirits” in our worrisome world. (Martha, Martha, you are worried and anxious about many things.) And those worries are not going away but there are these moments when God invites us to “go scot free.” Not to be out done by Scot’s playfulness, adding a squirrel to his sea glass creation, I share again a poem I wrote this past Lent. So “lend an ear” to Squirrel Scramble. I saw a squirrel squatting on a stone wall holding fast for a few seconds. I wondered if he were feasting his eyes on the golden kernel of sunrise as I was or was he in search of kernels of another kind? Was he aching for acorns or fasting from feasting ? Was he searching for stores or asking for more than oaks can provide? “Squirrels do not live on acorns alone.” I saw a squirrel Scurrying away Holding fast no more. Had his hunger tempted him To break fast from this glorious feast for the eyes, this golden kernel of sunrise? Had his aching for acorns consumed him? Has his searching for sturdy oaks blurred his vision of sun’s rising over a rock of ages, symbol of steadfast love? I saw myself in a squirrel scampering away from steadfast Rock and squirrel fortifying me with wisdom’s kernels. Fast, yes, when it comes to acorns Fast, no, when it’s time for slow Hold fast to the one who Holds you Fast! And in that same spirit of “playfulness” I share with you the photo that I used on this feast last year, sent to me by Maria Hanlon. "High" Tale7/28/2020 Tuesday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time
The 30-Day retreat ends today. And though the retreatants will not “hightail” it out of here, since they have two days of processing before they return to their ordinary lives, I know that many, if not all, are “high as a kite” as they finish these days with Ignatius’ masterpiece of contemplative prayer known as the “Contemplation for Attaining Divine Love.” Through these 30 days with Ignatius as their guide, they have plumbed the depths of their own sinfulness and human vulnerability in the light of God’s unconditional love for them. They have soared to the heights, responding to Jesus’ call and Ignatius’ invitation to “know him more intimately, love him more intensely so that they might follow him more closely. Of course, there have been “nosedives” along the way. Like a kite that has caught the current and is flying high when suddenly the wind stills and it crashes to the ground, the retreatant can easily “crash” when confronting one’s past transgressions, or Jesus’ suffering on the Cross for the world with all its troubles. But the final movement of the symphony of Love that is the Spiritual Exercises draws the retreatant into the mystery of the Resurrection and like the kite that catches a current, flies high again. You will notice that the kite in the photo has no “tail.” Usually a kite tail provides stability and even more beauty as the kite flies high with the tail trailing in the wind. No, you can’t see it, but this kite has a “tale” to tell. It’s a tale of soaring spirits and flying against all odds. The final day of a 30 day retreat deserves a Hopkins poem. That Nature is a Heraclitean Fire and of the comfort of the ResurrectionBY GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS Cloud-puffball, torn tufts, tossed pillows | flaunt forth, then chevy on an air- Built thoroughfare: heaven-roysterers, in gay-gangs | they throng; they glitter in marches. Down roughcast, down dazzling whitewash, | wherever an elm arches, Shivelights and shadowtackle ín long | lashes lace, lance, and pair. Delightfully the bright wind boisterous | ropes, wrestles, beats earth bare Of yestertempest's creases; | in pool and rut peel parches Squandering ooze to squeezed | dough, crust, dust; stanches, starches Squadroned masks and manmarks | treadmire toil there Footfretted in it. Million-fuelèd, | nature's bonfire burns on. But quench her bonniest, dearest | to her, her clearest-selvèd spark Man, how fast his firedint, | his mark on mind, is gone! Both are in an unfathomable, all is in an enormous dark Drowned. O pity and indig | nation! Manshape, that shone Sheer off, disseveral, a star, | death blots black out; nor mark Is any of him at all so stark But vastness blurs and time | beats level. Enough! the Resurrection, A heart's-clarion! Away grief's gasping, | joyless days, dejection. Across my foundering deck shone A beacon, an eternal beam. | Flesh fade, and mortal trash Fall to the residuary worm; | world's wildfire, leave but ash: In a flash, at a trumpet crash, I am all at once what Christ is, | since he was what I am, and This Jack, joke, poor potsherd, | patch, matchwood, immortal diamond, Is immortal diamond. Dovetail7/27/2020 Monday of the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
You may have had the experience when you pray of disjointed thoughts and feelings coming together or “dovetailing.” I’ve learned that “dovetailing” refers to the interlocking joints in carpentry that have the shape of a dove’s tail and fit together “snugly.” (I'm wondering if you can see "dovetails" in the photo of last night's sunset. Or perhaps it's my imagination?) My prayer this morning was very disjointed, reflecting on the mustard seed, the yeast, Jeremiah’s loin cloth, the Contemplation on Love that the 30 day retreatants are engaged in, and, of course, the “scorchah” that today is going to be. (That’s “scorcher” for those of you who are not in Glosta.) But then, I realized that yesterday was the memorial of Sts Joachim and Anne, the parents of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Since it was a Sunday, we did not celebrate this memorial. What came to mind, however, was the poem I wrote about Johanah the dove, her mother and father “cooing” over their precious child. I could imagine the parents of Mary doing the same over their own “gentle dove.” The poem I shared with you yesterday focused on Mary’s experience of “overhearing” the voice of her beloved son, Jesus, risen form the dead. Although the poem focuses on the parents of a dove, I hope it will “dovetail” for you with your own thoughts and feelings about God’s love and care for you. The dove plays a central role in imagining God’s protection and care. ‘ebrah’ the word for feathers and ‘kanaph’ a flapping of wings are used to describe God as a refuge and shelter, like a mother/father dove protecting their young in the nest. Eema Yonah, mother-dove, Abba Yonah, father-dove, Divining, daring dreams For their newly borne, Hatching hopes for their dove-child Cooing, calling her by name, Yo-ha-nah, HA! Yon-ah, Yohanah, gift of God! Precious dove-let it be! Dovening, davening forward and back Praying dove-like Dove divine, all doves excelling You come from an ancient dove-line Bringing Shalom, Noah knew your great-great-great and so on And on until now. Now-Yohanah You shall be Peace for a people in fear and flight, You shall pass over them and they will see Signs and wonders A pillar of cloud by day ‘Ebrah for the Hebrew people You will be God’s Kanaph –a canopy As we, Eema and Abba Yonah Are for Yo-ha-nah As I did last year at this time, I remember Rebecca Deane, a gentle dove, a wonderful mother and wife who must be terribly missed and always cherished by her family. See Shells7/26/2020 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Yesterday was the feast of St James. That’s the reason for the sea shell, symbol of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. The scripture reading that accompanies the feast is from Paul’s 2nd Letter to the Corinthians: We hold this treasure in earthen vessels Today’s Gospel also speaks of hidden treasure and the pearl of great price. As I was praying with the scriptures and shell symbol of the past two days, I received a heart-breaking email from someone whom I had baptized two years ago at St Francis Xavier. She lost her 22 year old son who had come to the US seeking a better life and who lost his life this past year. I never learned what happened to him, but this is what she wrote. (translated from the French.) I have lost faith I am returning to my country with William’s remains. He was born August 15th, 1998 at 5:59 am He studied, played the piano, basketball, tennis. He wanted to be a film maker. He was studying in Houston, Texas. We are returning home. I am lost. We are going to leave Newark for Abidjan I am flying with my son on the same flight, He in the hold below, in the cold Me in a passenger seat. Will we reach Abidjan? Will the plane crash? Will William be cold below? Will he come to snuggle in my arms? I am bringing home, “mon petit prince.” As I write this morning, rivulets of tears are streaming down my face, feeling pain and loss of my friend, Fatima. The retreatants I am accompanying are in the “4th Week” of the Spiritual Exercises which is about asking to experience Christ’s joy in the Resurrection. How do you find joy when your heart is breaking? I wrote a poem for “mon amie,” « ma fille spirituelle. » I try to make the connection between her loss and what Mary the Mother of Jesus experienced. In the 4th week of the Exercises, the first meditation is imagining the Risen Jesus appearing to his mother, even though there is no scriptural basis for this. Thanks to the prayer and insight of one of my retreatants, I imagined the scene not as an “appearance” but as something else. Read on! Undertow A mother’s cry “J’avais perdu la foi ‘ Un cri de cœur “I have lost faith” A mother’s cry, “I have lost my son!” Priceless pearl more treasured than any faith in heaven or on earth. She, shell-shocked and no current can revive her. Her beloved son ripped from her, swept away, Death’s undertow taking him from her. Her priceless pearl, more treasured than any life. Time and tide wait for no one. She waited once, wading in baptismal water, knee deep in love’s promise, Santiago’s shell scooping, life-saving water streaming, daring dreams of new life. Christ’s undertow was pulling her beneath the water, only to revive and find the breath of new life, a new heartbeat of Love from the Risen One. But now, she who once trusted, feels faith’s betrayal. “ I have lost faith” her cry. Rivulets of tears streaming, she, a shell that longs to hold again her precious pearl, now holds only the “remains of his days” an earthen vessel in her hands that once held him new-born, on Assumption day. Her heart, her hands, her soul Empty. Vide. A mother’s cry “I have lost my son.” Her pearl of great price, promised by angel’s whispers her heart’s treasure filled with great promise, casting nets, sounding calls to come and follow. Her heart now hollowed out by Cross currents, sweeping him away, Death’s undertow taking him from her. Time and tide wait for no one. She waited once, wading into faith’s deep waters. Would the One who engendered life within her womb, now let her barren be? Would tomb be Love’s womb, birthing Risen Life? Her heart ruled in Yes’ favor. She, an empty shell, waiting to be filled again, knowing, the tide would shift and change. No undertow would be aa match for the Maker. Where once an angel’s voice was heard in greeting, hailing her now another’s overheard and under tow to Love’s yoke, “Mary,” she hears,” Rabbouni,” “Peace!” resounds in her ears “Give me something to eat!” “I’ve heard him say that how many times? Something to tide him over until the next supper! Come and have breakfast! Where did he learn how to cook?” She smiles a knowing smile, Reaching through time to now embrace Fatima, Maria and all who have lost their pearl of great price, knowing faith will find them. On Empty7/24/2020 Friday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time Yesterday’s weather was a perfect complement to the 30 day retreatants' prayer on the death and burial of Jesus. The heat and humidity was oppressive until the sky opened with torrential rains, claps of thunder and streaks of lighting. After an hour or so, the storms passed and there was stillness again. I invited the retreatants to pray with the feelings of emptiness that must have been theirs when they witnessed or heard about the crucifixion, death and burial of their friend and leader, Jesus of Nazareth. Their hopes and dreams for the future, their enthusiasm for the preaching, teaching , healing and coming of God’s reign that Jesus inspired in them turned to disappointment and disillusionment. Did they wonder what was the point of it all? They had invested themselves in Jesus, trusting that he would always be there for them and they came up empty. These days we know what it’s like to come up empty. I think we can relate to the early disciples’ feelings of emptiness, wondering what the future will be. And we also know the feeling of “going on empty.” You wonder if you can go much further when all the indicators say “EMPTY.” The irony, however, is that the disciples go from feelings of emptiness to encounter a tomb that is empty. Suddenly and without warning, “empty” becomes “full.” The tomb that is empty because the body of Jesus is not there, offers the promise of a life and love filled to the brim and overflowing. One verse of today’s response from the prophet Jeremiah captures the joy that Mary Magdalene, Peter, John and the other disciples must have felt when there emptiness changed to fullness and their mourning into dancing. Then the young women shall make merry and dance, and young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will console and gladden them after their sorrows. I was hoping after yesterday’s storm and the meditation on the death and burial, that there would be a visible sunrise as they contemplated the women going to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus and finding the empty tomb. Thanks be to God, the weather complemented the prayer once again! These days when it’s so easy to feel that you’re “going on empty,” I hope and pray that the Risen Lord will appear to you and fill you with Easter Joy, even though we are in Ordinary Time! Highs and Lows7/23/2020 Thursday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time It’s not easy these days to stay on an “even keel.” The news we hear does not lend itself to many “highs.” Euphoria, the feeling of intense joy and excitement may come and surprise us but then some news comes that makes you “keel over” with disappointment and disillusionment. You may ask yourself are those moments of “euphoria” just an illusion? How do you trust the grace of these moments of assurance when it feels like God is listening to you and “all shall be well?” Today’s scriptures is filled with lows and highs. The first reading from Jeremiah is definitely a “downer.” His role in life seems to be the “bearer of bad news.” And the news for the people of Israel is not good. Be amazed at this, O heavens, and shudder with sheer horror, says the LORD. Two evils have my people done: they have forsaken me, the source of living waters; They have dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water. Although they may think that Jeremiah’s words “hold no water” and end up throwing him in a cistern, it is the people’s blindness and deafness that impedes their understanding and need to rediscover who God is for them, as the source of life-giving waters. From the low point of the Jeremiad, we rise to the high point of the psalm where God affirms mercy and kindness and eternal fidelity. R. (10a) With you is the fountain of life, O Lord. O LORD, your mercy reaches to heaven; your faithfulness, to the clouds. Your justice is like the mountains of God; your judgments, like the mighty deep. R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord. How precious is your mercy, O God! The children of men take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They have their fill of the prime gifts of your house; from your delightful stream you give them to drink. R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord. For with you is the fountain of life, and in your light we see light. Keep up your mercy toward your friends, your just defense of the upright of heart. R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord. But then, the Gospel brings us back down again as hear Jesus’ criticism of those “who have eyes but do not see” and “ears that do not hear” due to their hardness of heart. And, we may ask ourselves, “Are our eyes and ears open to God’s presence and Spirit moving in us? Are we attentive to God’s desires that we know turn again and be healed? Will God’s healing help us find the “even keel” that we need to negotiate the troubled waters of these days? A prayer for the day? Lord Jesus, in these troubled times We look to you to be the “keel” That keeps us in balance, That helps us stay the course. You knew the “highs and lows” of life Your death on the Cross And your Rising Remind us that whatever the waves are That crash over us And whenever we feel the “undertow” Of despair You are there to rescue us And lift us up to new life Hope and you’re a “euphoria” That helps us “bear all things well.” Although I was tempted to use a photo of a friend's sailboat today, given the the "even keel" references,I’ve been waiting for a day when the theme of “highs” and “lows” would work since I wanted to show you our beautiful “HY-DRANGEAS.” For “low” I chose the photo of the Scottish Cow whose sound is “lowing.” The colors/shades/hues of the Hydrangeas have given me a bit of "Euphoria" which, btw, means in its origins, "to bear well." A Magdalene Morning7/22/2020 Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene
“And very early” Three little words, that when I hear them, bring to mind Mary Magdalene and the other women going to the tomb at dawn with spices to anoint the body of Jesus. What “dawns” on them through angels, signs and wonders, and even the presence of the Risen Jesus, is that the empty tomb with the stone rolled away means so much more than they could have ever imagined. Jesus’ “It is finished” on the Cross is transformed into “It has just begun.” “And very early” this morning, the feast of Mary Magdalene, I woke to see the skies ablaze with color before the rising of the sun. (I prepare coffee for retreatants so my morning rising is 4:45.) Can you see in the sky the color of “passionate love” that Mary of Magdala had for Jesus of Nazareth? Do the blended hues of red, purple, with a hint of yellow reveal to us this woman of faith who brought the Good News of the Risen One to the Apostles? Mary’s title is “Apostle to the Apostles.” Like the glimmer of sun that will soon be blazing, Mary is the chosen one who lights up the sky with her love, her passion, her belief and trust in Jesus, her beloved, God’s beloved and ours. The 30-day retreatants that I’m directing will be praying with the crucifixion of Jesus today. Tomorrow they will be going to the empty tomb. You know what comes after. What wonderful bridge Mary of Magdala will be for them as she accompanies them from Cross, to Tomb, To Skies the Limit…. Perches7/21/2020 Tuesday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time A retreatant sent me the photo above of a young eagle, perched on the chimney of the retreat house. With all the folks praying in the house and on the grounds, finding their “perches” for prayer, it’s fitting that this young eagle could be scanning the surroundings for its “prey.” The arrival of the photo was timely, since I have been wanting to share again the Exodus poem about the fledgling eagle whom I named Elohim. If you remember, Elohim reminded me of Jairam, Maria and Ram’s son who flew from this world into the next last July. I think of him as my poetic muse. The mother eagle broods Warming the about to be With her brood patch, Hatching, soon and very soon son Or daughter, God knows, this nest Branch-built with love and care mother’s-kind, father’s kind. Both breed and brood, turn-taking. The mother/father eagle brood Worrying about the about to be Eaglet Will he free-fall, way down, Weighed down with gravity’s pull? Or will she fledge and fly, way up Wings fluttering, weighing in on ways Up and down, down-covered wings Stretching, spanning, soaring finally. All the while, warm The eaglet’s eyes open, just a crack Open to the darkness, seeing nothing but Feeling warmth and walls Then, pushing, pipping, piping Sound breaking out Light breaking in Wow! Where, how, who, why am I? I am. Free as a bird Will you fly? Freed from the depths Will you soar to the heights? Free as a bird Will you sing? Freed from your fears Will you ring out and sing out Your praise to the One who set you Free as a bird? I think that Jairam must be with me today with a mischievous smile on his face as I think of “perches” and “purchase” When we think of the word, purchase, we think of a monetary transaction. There is another meaning, however. If something or someone has “purchase” over us, it means they have a hold on us. It is that sense of purchase, that came to me as, I prayed with the reading from Micah. Our God has “purchase” over us through compassionate love and mercy.
Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance; Who does not persist in anger forever, but delights rather in clemency, And will again have compassion on us, treading underfoot our guilt? You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins; You will show faithfulness to Jacob, and grace to Abraham, As you have sworn to our ancestors from days of old. And Jesus, as he stretches out his hands in the Gospel to embrace all around him, reminds me of Elohim Eagle and his “wing span.” AuthorAs an ordained Catholic priest for 45 years and a member of the Jesuits for 57 years, I've had a great deal of "spiritual" experience! This is a place where I can continue to share my thoughts about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and what it means to live the "mystery of God." Categories |
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