…the desert… & Thomas Merton

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Virginia

West Bank st george monastery cross and mtAs we continue through Passion Week, here are a few thoughts for our minds & hearts to munch on from the amazingly prolific (& one of my absolutely favorite spiritual writers) – the Trappist monk Thomas Merton…

“The desert is the home of despair.  And despair, now, is everywhere.  Let us not think that our interior solitude consists in the acceptance of defeat.  We cannot escape anything by consenting tacitly to be defeated.  Despair is an abyss without bottom.  Do not think to close it by consenting to it and trying to forget you have consented.

This, then, is our desert: to live facing despair, but not to consent.  To trample it down under hope in the Cross.  To wage  war against despair unceasingly.  That war is our wilderness.  If we wage it courageously, we will find Christ at our side.  If we cannot face it, we will never find Him.”    Thomas Merton (Thoughts in Solitude)

WB St Georges overview

Here’s to waging war against despair with COURAGE & HOPE from the Presence of Jesus next to us, above us, below us, around us…& within our hearts, filling us with Love (the Heavenly Kind) that makes flowers grow – even in a desert!

WB St Georges flowers

grace, peace & Flowers in the Desert

Virginia : )

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…a prayer… (on loving God)

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Virginia

On this Monday of Holy Week, here’s a poignant prayer from Saint Francis Xavier:

O God, I love Thee, I love Thee –
Not out of hope of heaven for me
Not fearing not to love and  be
In the everlasting burning.

 Thou, Thou, my Jesus, after me
 Didst reach Thine arms out dying,
 For my sake sufferedst nails, and lance,
 Mocked and marred countenance,
 Sorrows passing number,
 Sweat and care and cumber,
 Yea and death, and this for me,
 And Thou couldst see me sinning:
 Then I, why should not I love Thee,
 Jesu, so much in love with me?
 Not for heaven’s sake;
 Not to be out of hell by loving Thee;
 Not for any gains I see;
 But just the way that Thou didst me
 I do love and I will love Thee:
 What must I love Thee, Lord, for then?
 For being my King and God. Amen.

***Saint Francis Xavier ***

Jerusalem viadelorosa station 3 label

grace, peace & LOVE

   Virginia

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Passion Sunday: SACRIFICE, an ideal? (for real!)

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Virginia

Today we spent quite a long time listening to the Scriptures – from the triumphant palm waving entry of Jesus into Jerusalem at the beginning of the service to the whole Passion account (Luke’s version) :  the Last Supper, the Garden of Gethsemane, the trial, the Crucifixion, the burial.  Fr. Sean unpacked it a bit for us by focusing on how we avoid doing what we don’t want to do, or fear doing – or live in fear of what’s coming (like, eventually, death…)

Even Jesus agonized in the Garden…so, too, we do.

Facing death may be a tough challenge, but what gets me most about the Passion is how Jesus sacrificed Himself – for us.  And, you know what? Sacrifice might kinda be a scarier concept than death, because it involves little deaths to self each time we choose to lay our lives down for others…

Onto munching lunch & reading a recent Time Magazine when a quote from G.K. Chesterton popped out:

“the Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.”

This made me pause… & reflect… on SACRIFICE as an ideal… & so grabbled a few bits of paper & there these ruminations scribbled:

SACRIFICE
..is not necessarily easy or nice…
it’s HARD and TOUGH  to do.

SACRIFICE
…lay down our lives?
…pick up our crosses?
(Jesus’ yoke making burdens Light –
they’re still there, however much we fight…)

SACRIFICE = a journey
a process, one day at a time
letting go of ourselves
doing the ‘next thing’ –
small steps of faith, small ‘tries’
amidst difficulties, despair, frustrated sighs.

Letting go of what we can’t do…
so God CAN do.  It. Through. Us.
Our sacrifices made aNew.

JESUS –

The Glue
Keeping disparate pieces of our lives
(minds, hearts, spirits)
Together
(no matter the weather…)

SACRIFICE –
‘tis hard, that’s true
laying our lives down…
But, as we try it…
God DOES make us New!

SACRIFICE
Tis’ a difficult ideal
(for real!!!)

…but a Person to follow
God in man (& woman!)
each day our hearts to fill
Flames of Fire
…Love incarnate on a Cross bleeding
…may our minds & spirits be heeding

JESUS CHRIST…

To know Him still
each day, in every way

Mercy in forgiving
Grace abounding
Joy in living
Love surrounding…
plus Peace & Understanding
& the Wisdom to do –

acts of kindness, courage & selflessness
without much trumpeted ado.

 All for Him…
Ideals in living – who counts the cost?
Far richer the sacrifice
in Him Who makes ALL things New.

Broken hearts, dashed dreams
…& our stumbles along the way
HE takes us in as we are
from the rough & tumble fray

The Cross, HIS Sacrifice
…Leads us…
Every Day

…….

So, sacrifice? an ideal? … yes, ’tis  possible – in Christ! – for real.

San Giorgio Maggiore crucifix

grace, peace & SACRIFICE

   Virginia :  )

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Life, faith & love: Oscar Romero (24 March 1980)

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Virginia

Sometimes our faith comes with a price – an expensive exchange if we’re serious about it.  Really serious like Archbishop Oscar Romero, who in faith raised his voice against the injustices pervading El Salvador around him & paid with his life,  murdered on 24 March 1980 while celebrating Mass at the Divina Providencia Chapel in San Salvador.

As we remember Archbishop Oscar Romero’s  faith, the love of Christ he shared (especially with the poor), the sacrifice of his life – his voice continues to challenge the world toward justice (click here to read this U.N. page honoring his contribution to human rights.) 

After receiving death threats a few weeks before he was killed, he said:  “let it be known that it is no longer possible to kill the voice of justice.”  May his words continue to stir our hearts & the hearts of all toward stronger faith, deeper love & lasting justice…

Here are a few favorite quotes from Through the Year with Oscar Romero (St. Anthony Messenger Press) to stir our minds, too…

“Christianity is not a collection of truths that one has to believe, of laws one has to keep, a list of prohibitions… Christianity is a Person that loved me so much that He demands my love.  Christianity is Christ.”   (November 6, 1977)

“This is the mission of the church: to awaken…the spiritual meaning of life, the divine worth of human action.”  (August 20, 1978)

“It is not enough to attend Mass on Sunday; it is not enough to call yourself a Catholic… Appearances are not enough.  God is not satisfied with appearance. God wants the garment of justice.  God wants Christians dressed in love.”  (October 15, 1978)

“Faith doesn’t only mean believing with the head but also committing your heart & your life.”  (January 7, 1979)

“A civilization of love is not sentimentality; it is justice & truth…True love consists in demanding of the relationships with those we love what is just… There can’t be love where there are lies.”  (April 12, 1979)

“Social justice is not so much a law that orders distribution.  Seen from a Christian perspective, it is an internal attitude like that of Christ, who being wealthy, became poor to share His love with the poor…Share what you are & what you have…”  (February 24, 1980)

“If only we realized that the person in need is Christ, the one who has been tortured, the one who has been imprisoned, the one who has been murdered, and if, in the body of each person thrown in so undignified a fashion by the side of the road, we were to see the Christ who was left there, I would wager a golden medal that we would pick him up tenderly and we would kiss him and we would not be ashamed of him.”  (March 16, 1980)

“That this immolated Body and this Blood sacrificed for humankind, may nourish our bodies and our blood in suffering & in pain, like Christ, not for its own sake, but rather to give the concepts of justice and peace to our people.  Let us join together then, intimately in faith and hope in this moment of prayer…”  (March 24, 1980)

Oscar Romero Mural Uni San Salvador

Mural of Archbishop Oscar Romero, University of El Salvador

grace, peace & voices of justice

Virginia

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Posted on March 22, 2013 by Virginia

Virginia's avatarRoses in the Rubble

Since this week we commemorate World Water Day, today’s photographs are all about WATER, a resource many of us (myself included) often take for granted. After living places where every drop had to count (managing a ‘shower’ & washing my hair with a 1 litre bottle of water) & then coordinating a safe-water initiative for 14 countries (during a globetrotting job) I so appreciate that water is a lifeline for people & communities.

After visiting Uganda & seeing this water source that served a village (not safe water by a long shot), I took this picture & then put it up on my office wall as a daily reminder when the going got tough (writing proposals to raise $18 million for every kind of water project you can imagine.) How would you like to drink from this source?

Then there’s the issue of accessing water sources, the time and labor…

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Posted on March 22, 2013 by Virginia

It’s World Water Day!, so here’s my take on it (again…)

Virginia's avatarRoses in the Rubble

As we commemorate World Water Day there is certainly lots to celebrate. Since this day began 19 years ago many more people (2 billion) have access to safe water globally.  Yaaay! However, 11% of the world’s population (mostly in the poorest countries) still do not have access.

11% of 7 billion people. Do the math. That is still too many people.

There are many reasons for this: drought, arid regions made more arid by desertification, polluted natural water resources, expensive price tags (where people live on less than $1/day the costs of wells & water systems are prohibitive), conflict & water apartheid (in some places one group fills up swimming pools while the other group has barely enough to drink!)

Do you think about the scarcity of water as you fill your tub, wash your car, or flood your swimming pool?

Or hey, how ’bout that glass of cold icewater…

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Very Quickie Quote (…laughter??? medicine??)

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Virginia

crutchesAlas, this week has been Quite Busy for Virginia the Blogger… busy as in a ‘not very good’ way… busy as in SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK.  No, Virginia is not sick of stuff, but she has been SICK in her poor tummy, head & tushi with the 2 day stomach flu.

This, after passing kidney stones on the weekend.

humph.

..and writing that nice blog about ‘duties of delight’ –

yeah, right(!) (’tis not easy whilst losing everything in one’s tummy all night … & day … & night :  (

But despite the BLAHS of stomach flu, there is still some wisdom to be found in this Irish proverb:

“A GOOD LAUGH AND A LONG SLEEP ARE THE TWO BEST CURES.”

Gotta go work on those cures!

grace, peace & laughing sleep meds

Virginia : )

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quickie quote: … Duty of Delight….

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Virginia

Virginia the Blogger has a relatively Good Reason for being M.I.A. the last 2 days of her Lenten Challenge:  KIDNEY STONES.   After partying a Wee Bit Too Much as Rolling Stones (blaring pain, not guitars) the misbehaving stones finally rolled their way out yesterday evening after their 24+ hour romp.  Instead of writing a lovely post as plotted about my parents’ 57th wedding anniversary (’twas yesterday), here’s another pic+ quote..

Children chores Kagera Rushwa (2)

“How necessary it is to cultivate a spirit of joy.  To act lovingly is to begin to feel loving, and certainly to act joyfully brings joy to others, which in turn makes one feel joyful.  I believe we are called to the duty of delight.” 

Dorothy Day

The young son pictured is helping his mother gather sticks for their cooking fire in Kagera, Tanzania.  He’s so full of joy & happy to serve.  Gotta ask, am i this happy to serve others?  to do it with a smile (that lasts awhile?) Do i sow seeds of joy or seeds of rushed brusqueness as i go about my daily duties?

  Can i view the mundane with DELIGHT?  Have i ever considered Delight a Duty??

Dorothy Day (one of my heroes) thankfully spells  it out for us: we are to CULTIVATE a spirit of joy.  Cultivating something requires effort & energy & careful tending.  As we cultivate joy (carefully, tenderly) we must also root out weeds of frustration & anger & fear that choke our growth as doers of delight for the Heavenly Kingdom.

Let our minds munch on that this night…

grace, peace & Cultivation Strategies

    Virginia : )

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Saint Patrick (a prayer of…)

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Virginia

Saint Patrick’s Day is coming (Sunday!!) So, late on this Lenten Friday here’s one of his powerful prayers to reflect upon  (’tis also a good one to consider taking along into our daily prayer closets to get those morning prayers rolling! or to jump start our prayers any time of the day…or night, like now : )

Saint Patrick“Permit us not, O Lord, to hear Your Word in vain.  Convince us of its truth, cause us to feel its power and bind us to Yourself with cords of faith and hope and love that never shall be broken.  We bind to ourselves today, You our God:

Your power to hold us,
Your hand to guide us,
Your eye to watch us,
Your ear to hear us,
Your wisdom to teach us,
Your word to give us speech,
Your presence to defend us,

This day and every day;

In the Name of the blessed Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
To whom be the Kingdom, and the Power and the Glory, forever and forever.

Amen.”

Saint Patrick (of… IRELAND!)

grace, peace & Irish Prayers

    Virginia : )

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Quickie Quote: falling in love …(with God!)

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Virginia

Here’s a quickie quote on this Lenten Thursday for mind munching & heart scrunching…

“Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, in falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything.  It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you will do with your evenings, how you will spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. 

Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.”  

attributed to Fr. Pedro Arrupe, S.J.

Grand Canyon sunsetThis is a favorite quote… & so appropriate to contemplate not just during Lent but the whole year through. Kinda challenging, but hey, isn’t that what love does?  challenge us? Especially Love with a capital “L” – the kind God has for us. The kind God IS… & the kind God can BE is us & through us…

grace, peace & LOVE*

   Virginia : )

*(the Inspiring Heavenly kind)

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