Divine Light-Holders (needed!)

Posted on April 15, 2018 by Virginia

Virginia has been off the blogging grid after having surgery last week & tending to her flu-bug infested brother this week. Unfortunately, some of his germy symptoms matriculated & now sis has it, too. So for today, here’s something previously posted given news of continued conflict on the border of the Gaza Strip.

One of my most treasured memories of the Middle East was carrying the special Easter ‘Sabt al Noor’ light from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to the Orthodox Christian community in Gaza. This involved receiving candlelight from the priests in Jerusalem and (very carefully) making sure it stayed lit during the 2-hour car ride, plus the journey on foot through the Israeli/Gaza border where the whole Christian community turned out for a paraded caravan in buses and cars (with special Orthodox crosiers poking out windows) to accompany the light all the winding way to the heart of old Gaza City.

For some (geopolitical) reason Abuna George, the Orthodox Palestinian priest, could not get out of Gaza, but as an American I could get in to help facilitate one of the most important rituals of the church year. Middle Eastern Orthodox Christians seriously fast (no meat or dairy) the whole of Lent, but when they receive the Sabt a Noor light on Easter Saturday, fasting ends & rejoicing begins.

When I first met Abuna George in Gaza he almost had a fit because I was about to step into a part of the 4th century Byzantine church (just following my male colleagues) where no women were allowed. But then, 5 years later, he called & asked ME (not my new male boss) to bring the Sabt al Noor light to Gaza.

Five years of countless visits in and out of the Gaza Strip as a relief & development worker based in Bethlehem and many precious times shared with Abuna George & his family, friends, children in refugee camps, and communities all over Gaza.

That was awhile ago, but unfortunately, some things never change.

Extremism. Bombings. Conflict. Injustice. Suffering.

Children & civilians paying the terrible price: death and loss amidst piles of rubble.

I don’t care about your politics, or theology, or religion, this is about PEOPLE: mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons & daughters – children.  ALL beloved of God.

“We are all people with souls, sparks of the divine.” Henri Nouwen

Both sides of this current conflict need soldiers of peace and love. Maybe the Middle East seems far away to friends in America and around the far corners of the globe – but we all can be soldiers of peace and light as we get down on our knees and pray, pray, pray.

Not hellfire and brimstone prayers we might like to see fall on our enemies, but heartfelt cries for peace and reconciliation, for love and light to shine in the darkness, for the construction of new bridges of understanding – a miracle amidst the current rubble of oppressive conflict.

“Never was font so clear, undimmed and bright; from it alone, I know proceeds all Light although ’tis night.”    (Saint John of the Cross)

Please pray that the Light of the Love of God will enter Gaza somehow today, that sparks of the divine within the peoples on both sides of the border will burst into flames of compassion for all (on both sides of the border.) That the desire for peace will grow somehow in the rubble of the battered hearts and imbroglios on all sides.

May we also let the Light of God into our hearts today – for ALL people. No matter how deeply buried sparks of the divine reside, we all need God’s Light to lift whatever darkness may cloud our vision to see clearly the sparks of humanity around us: Israelis for Palestinians, Palestinians for Israelis, Russians for Ukrainians & Ukrainians for Russians, for HIV/AIDS victims, for all those of the fringe of society (& even the beanheads running things.)

Letting the Light of God in, may it gush out of our hearts with compassionate concern & love for all – like holders of the Sabt al Noor light across conflicted borders.

grace, peace & divine Light-holders

    Virginia

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons (& daughters) of God.”  (Matthew 5:9)

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Snapshot & Whatnot: Broken World Beauty

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Virginia

Here’s a quickie pic taken last year while visiting the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Snapshot:

U.S. Botanical Garden Conservatory

& Whatnot:

“Finding beauty in a broken world is creating beauty in the world we find.”

Terry Tempest Williams (author & environmentalist)

Here’s to finding beauty in broken places – God’s heavenly paintbrushes busy around us and within us – and letting that beauty bubble forth as a fountain of hope for others.

Like a rose in the rubble!

grace, peace & broken-world beauty

Virginia : )

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Easter Joy, Joy, Joy & Glorias!

Posted on April 1, 2018 by Virginia

From here @ Roses in the Rubble, Virginia wishes all a blessed Easter. May the resurrected Love & Joy of Jesus strengthen our hearts with extra doses of grace & peace today – and every day.

Putting on Easter-ish music this morning (a bit bleary-eyed after the 3 hour+ Easter Vigil last nite) Virginia started with Gospel grooves, then moved on to her Choral playlist. Too many glorious favorites to share (at one time) but will share an ear-taste of one of the most uplifting choral pieces of all time, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, op.123.

Visiting Bonn years ago, I made a day trip into Cologne to see the magnificent Cathedral. As a remembrance, and as a Beethoven groupie (I took a full semester class at uni on his symphonies) I asked a clerk at a nearby CD shop for his favorite Beethoven choral composition. He directed me to Sir Georg Solti’s rendition of the Missa Solemnis.

Back in Bethlehem (where I lived at the time) this CD transported my boombox & flat into a place of worship. And, to think, Beethoven was completely deaf when he wrote this piece.

Here’s a YouTube snapshot of the Gloria: Quoniam tu solus Sanctus

“For Thou alone are holy.

Thou alone art Lord.

Thou alone art most high, O Jesus Christ.

Together with the Holy Spirit

in the glory of God the Father.

Amen.

Glory to God in the highest. “

grace, peace & Resurrection Easter Joy!

Virginia : )

p.s. This concludes the Lenten challenge (Lent+ Holy Week + Easter Triduum) post-a-day gig here @ Roses in the Rubble. Thank you for joining Virginia on this journey –  and for the special encouragement to keep going that seemed to come in bursts on days she didn’t want to post anything! Virginia will now return to her intermittent blogging schedule (one, or if she’s feeling really prolific, two posts a week.) 🙂

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Betwixt & Between: Resurrection Hope

Posted on March 31, 2018 by Virginia

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

At the end of Good Friday’s crucifixion Jesus is laid to rest in a tomb. Imagine what it must have been like for Mary and His followers who stood at the cross, and those, like Peter, who failed Jesus and fled.

Although Jesus told them about the Resurrection, they didn’t get it. All they saw was the suffering death of their Savior – an executed exhibition of rejection.

It’s hard to stand in that place betwixt and between our hopes and dreams when we don’t understand what’s going on around us. We may ask, ‘where are you, God?’ when crosses of suffering in our lives are too much for us to bear. We may lose hope.

We might stumble and fail as we follow Jesus along the Via Dolorosa. For Peter, imagine the anguish he must have felt denying Christ, not just once but THREE TIMES.

Not just dashed hopes, but deep doldrums of despairing failure.

Yet in those places betwixt and between, of questioning, between a rock and a hard place when we don’t see a way out and all is dark — there is hope. Jesus didn’t stay in that grave, He arose.

That’s what Easter is about: Resurrected Love, Resurrection Joy, Resurrection Hope.

Hope that is a gift of God. Hope packaged with grace to keep us standing like Mary at the foot of the cross. Hope wrapped with mercy and forgiveness, since on the cross Jesus atoned for our transgressions, our failures, stumbles and falls. Hope with second (& third) chances that lifted Peter, who failed Jesus miserably, yet forgiven, became the rock upon which Jesus built His church – still standing (even if a bit tottering) 2,000 years later.

“There is no cross, big or small, in our life which the Lord does not share with us.” Pope Francis

Whenever & wherever we are betwixt and between, Christ is with us. If we believe & accept the gift of hope God has given us, we can hope in Christ and be His hope to the despairing bits of ourselves – and to others.

Touched by His love, betwixt & between.

grace, peace & resurrection Hope

Virginia : )

“Let your groanings be not for what once was but for what will soon be!” Joni Eareckson Tada

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Mending Broken Hearts @ The Cross

Posted on March 30, 2018 by Virginia

It’s Good Friday (for a few more hours.) Here’s a reflection written & shared previously (but still good) along with a song from one of my favorite singers.

Good Friday: Jesus is rejected, beaten, mocked, whipped, and scourged. After carrying a heavy cross, nails pierce His hands and His feet.

There He hangs on the cross, suffering for you and me; suffering for us and all humanity.

“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”  (Luke 23:34)

Easter is coming, but the Suffering Christ is here for us, with us, in our suffering. Can we draw closer to the cross?

To stand, like Mary.

“Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother…” (John 19:25)

At the foot of the cross, Mary must have wondered amidst flashbacks of angels, shepherds, wise men, kingly gifts, and miracles of water into wine. How came her son, the Messiah, to hang like a common criminal on a cross?

Yet, in sorrow Mary stood. With the faith of her ‘yes’ to Angel Gabriel and to God, 33 years later she stands at the foot of the cross. Confused and bewildered? Most likely, yet Mary still stands with Jesus.

Maybe our suffering is so great it’s hard to move forward; maybe it’s crushing our spirits and our will to do. Perhaps we’ve stumbled, taken a tumble, and it’s hard to stand after a fall.

But, look at Christ on the cross, suffering. He’s here for me, and for you. Do we have faith, like Mary, to stand even if our hearts are breaking? Even if we don’t fully understand?

Here’s one of Sarah Hart’s songs from her Above Earth’s Lamentation compilation (about which I have previously blogged) – Praying with a Broken Heart, sung with Matt Maher. Be blessed to give it a listen via this YouTube video.

grace, peace & praying hearts

Virginia

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Holy Thursday: L.O.V.E. Muscles in Training

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Virginia

Holy Thursday takes us to the Upper Room where the first thing Jesus did was wash the feet of the disciples, humbly like a servant. Across the world this evening thousands of lay people will have their feet washed by the clergy. If my feet were to be in-public-washees, I’d make sure they were clean, really clean.

At the time of Jesus, however, most folks wore sandals. It gets decidedly dusty walking around the Middle East, which would make the disciples’ feet dirty and smelly. But Jesus takes those smelly feet gently in His hands and washes the grime away.

Jesus, their Teacher. Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus, the Son of God.

Jesus, on His knees with a towel and basin, washing their feet. Teaching them (& us) how to develop L.O.V.E. muscles:

Live Others-centered Valuing Everyone.

L – We must choose to live love, because love is a choice. Choosing to live with a towel of love wrapped around our attitudes vs. being dead to the needs of those around us and within us. Living in love is to be alive with the love of Christ in the deepest part of our hearts, letting His love empassion and empower every part of our being.

O – Washing feet puts the focus on what we can do for others. Small things, big things, sometimes smelly things – our actions speak louder than words. Being others-centered means not seeking ‘what’s in it for me’ but what’s in me for others. (“Love always protects, always hopes, always trusts, always perseveres…” I Corinthians 13)

V –To tenderly wash someone’s feet intimates value. Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves, but first we must ‘get’ our beloved status as daughters and sons of the King of Heaven. We are beloved. As we act out of our beloved-ness, we recognize that same status in others and lift them up as fully beloved of God with our words and deeds.

E – Tax collectors (sell-outs to Rome), zealots (freedom fighters/terrorists depending on which side you were on), & Judas (the betrayer): Jesus washed the feet of everyone in that Upper Room. That means our annoying colleagues, neighbors, pushy Republican/ Democrat in-laws, liberal or conservative (sometimes) friends. Ever thought about washing the feet of those with whom you have very little in common? (Or maybe even dislike?) Love is not so much about ‘like’ as it is about choice & commitment. Everyone also includes HIV/AIDS victims & people of every color, ethnicity, orientation & ability around this world. EVERYONE.

If we exercised L.O.V.E. muscles more often (vs. ‘judge-others’ muscles) maybe (just maybe) we might fulfill what Jesus Christ asked us to do.

“Do you know what I have done to you? If I, your Lord & Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet… As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you; abide in My love… This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”   (John 13:12, 14; John 15: 9,12)

It’s time to put on our aprons of faith, roll up our sleeves and start washing. Let’s give our L.O.V.E. muscles a good workout.

grace, peace & busy basins (& towels)

Virginia : )

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Snapshots & Whatnot: Paths of Prayer

Posted on March 28, 2018 by Virginia

Yes, there is a theme connecting these disparate snapshots, if you read the whatnot!

Snapshots:

Glorious paths through country meadows

Windy, rocky paths to summits

Busy city streets

A drainy sea..

& Whatnot:

Searching for a quote today I found something in an old journal from Carlo Carretto (1910-1988), a member of the Little Brothers of Jesus who served in the Algerian Sahara as a desert contemplative in the spirit of Charles de Foucauld and Saint Francis of Assisi. Carlo Carretto’s spiritual writings have impacted my life for many years. May his prayerful insights help prepare our hearts for the Easter Triduum.

“The path of prayer… is now a glorious path through the meadows, now a peaceful country road with no obstacles where we can abandon ourselves to quiet thought, now a rough mule-track winding up the mountains, now a way over the bare rocks on the summit. Sometimes it’s like a city street full of noise and distractions, at others it follows the water off the streets into underground drains and so to the river or sea, carrying with it the rubbish and filth of life.

But it is always prayer.”       Carlo Carretto, from God’s Name is Love

grace, peace & prayerful paths

Virginia : )

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A Prayer for Strength

Posted on March 27, 2018 by Virginia

On this Tuesday of Holy Week here’s a prayer from a favorite saint, especially relevant when dark clouds loom large in our lives and we need the Light of Christ to lead us (and calm our trembling hearts.)

“O Christ Jesus

When all is darkness

And we feel our weakness and helplessness,

Give us the sense of Your presence,

Your love and Your strength.

Help us to have perfect trust

In Your protecting love

And strengthening power,

So that nothing may frighten or worry us,

For, living close to You,

We shall see Your hand,

Your purpose, Your will through all things.”

Saint Ignatius of Loyola

grace, peace & prayer(s)

Virginia : )

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Costly Worship: Mary & Martha

Posted on March 26, 2018 by Virginia

On this Monday of Holy Week, we remember Mary’s act of worship anointing the feet of Jesus with costly perfume. I’d like to imagine Martha, her sister, sitting next to her with a towel (so nothing stained the carpet.)

Sometimes I resonate more with Martha – getting things done, cooking in the kitchen, a make-it-happen person. Other times, I aspire to be like Mary – sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to His words, basking in His presence.

Navigating our lives of faith, it’s really both and, not either or. Mary made a gesture of costly worship, but consider Martha’s intrinsic role in the household. If Mary blew a whole year’s worth of wages, wouldn’t Martha have a say in it? In a sense, this sacrificial act of worship came from both of them, but in different ways.

Just like at times our acts of costly worship can take different forms – changing diapers, care-giving, teaching, leading a team, studying, reaching out to colleagues (even irascible ones), giving of ourselves (our presence & presents), spending time in prayer & adoration (even when we’re slammed), laying down our lives for others…

All we do can be acts of worship, costly perfume, if we offer them up to Jesus (& do them with His love.)

grace, peace & costly perfume

Virginia : )

“It is not how much we are doing but how much love, how much honesty, how much faith, is put into doing it.” Mother Teresa (St. Teresa of Calcutta)

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Passion Sunday: The Cross & Unforgiving Ire

Posted on March 25, 2018 by Virginia

Sometimes I wonder how God puts up with us broken clay pots. We get so worked up over niddly, piddly things (‘he said, she said’ and ‘he did this, she did that’) when Jesus asks us to forgive others and be His hands and feet of love.

(Note the nails in His crucified hands & feet.)

Today is Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday, when we recount palm waving Hosannas, the Last Supper, the agony in Gethsemane, the betrayal, trial, scourging, crucifixion, and the body of Jesus getting put into a grave. We’ll revisit these events throughout Holy Week, but next Sunday is Easter so today there’s lots to contemplate.

After listening to all the Scriptures this morning, how can we stay entrenched in unforgiving ire when we consider the Cross & Passion of Jesus Christ?

Like Peter in the garden (sleeping) & later warming himself by the fire in denial mode, I’m just a clay pot. I have and probably will continue to make mistakes: to sin by what I have done and what I have failed to do. As I ask forgiveness of our Heavenly Father, I ask that He wash my heart, mind & spirit with the soap of His mercy – the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross.

Our frustrations, failures & hurts can be laid at the foot of the Cross. As we suffer the ill will of others, however, we should look up at Jesus. See Him hanging on the cross, bloody, beaten, and humiliated – a crown of thorns adorning His head.

Look, then listen to His voice: “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

As He forgives us our shortcomings, tempers, our being clay pots with clay feet, He asks us to forgive others, for often they don’t know what they are doing. How they hurt us, and others, and themselves.

The thing is, we need Holy-Spirit-Help to forgive with the love of Christ. Look at Jesus on the cross. Imagine His agony when you think about the difficult people in your life. He suffered to forgive me and to forgive you. Through His Love nailed on the cross we are therefore meant to forgive and love others.

If you still can’t forgive Mr. or Ms. Difficult in your life, look at the cross again.

And again. And again. And again.

Until His love for you pierces your heart. When that happens, it becomes easier to really love others in a I Corinthians 13 sort of way. (Love keeps no record of wrongs. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things…)

Don’t let pride or what ‘he said, she said’ get in the way. Don’t let the past cloud the future.

Hear, again, the voice of Jesus saying:

“As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”  (John 13:14)

Forgiveness is part & parcel of the sacrificial love of Jesus on the Cross.

Let go of the past. Cling to Jesus. Trust Him. Trust Him. Trust Him.

Do not be afraid to embrace a new future – a future with His love renewed in you. Let Jesus filter the hard bits of your unforgiving ire through the prism of His mercy and grace.

See His forgiving Hands, scarred by nails, reaching out to hold you. Feel the warmth of His mercy gently wash your heart’s grime away, then turn & BE His mercy.

Forgive, as He has forgiven you.

grace, peace & merciful Love

Virginia  : )

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