Advent Ponderings

It's so nice to just sit and watch the flames of the Advent candles flicker, while the wax drips down slowly. It gives a very soothing and peaceful feeling.  Together with it is also a quiet joy that lingers in my heart when I think about how, yes! God really and truly loved man so much - why esle would He go all the way in taking on our human nature with all its challenges and idiosyncracies.

I've come to know for years, that He is never outdone in generosity and love. So even if we think we love Him and try to do so to the best of our ability, His own love is still a million times more than ours! We may have a flame burning in our heart for Him, like these flickering Advent candles, but His own flame is really THE great big ball of fire.  The fire of His love.  The light that He promised He will never extinguish. One that He assures us we can always count on, even in times when we might feel impoverished and diminished like a smoldering wick.

When we started out listening to the gospels during this Advent season, at first it was just like the usual. But as the days have been passing, the gospel scenes resonating within leave me with a growing desire to cut down on the hustle and bustle of  the usual activities, in order to get into the silent night of His heart, to watch and wait with the shepherds, Mama Mary and St. Joseph, till I can better recognize and truly welcome His  presence in people and events all around with the same joy like in the nativity story. 

May we all be able to experience this quiet joy during the remaining few days till Christmas, and also for all the days for the rest of our life.

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Advent Possibilities

The point when Mary realizes that "nothing is impossible with God" and when this certainty fills her heart inspite of the uncertainty of how all that lie ahead will unfold, is for me, one of the most poignant moments within the Advent story.

"Nothing is impossible with God." Nothing that is good is impossible with Him, who is the source of ALL that is good.

This line is especially comforting and strengthening when we are in the process of shedding off long-time and hard-to-be-rid-of attachments and ways, when we are tempted to think that our desire for change cannot be fulfilled, when we doubt whether our collaboration and partnership with Him can be sustained for the long term and bear significant fruit.

"Nothing is impossible with God." -  a most beautiful mantra of trust. An act of love that flowed through Mary's heart, and one that we can let flow within our own heart and mind and will too  :-)    

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Christmas Rose

I like to think of the poinsettia as the 'Christmas rose'.

The red of the rose is very attractive, especially against the backdrop of green leaves. During Valentines and other many special occassions, roses are given and received as a symbol of love.  During the feast of St. Therese,  her image is adorned with roses, in honor of her special way of loving Christ: great love through 'the little way'.

Similarly, poinsettias usually have very attractive red petals, and these are additionally highlighted by the green leaves underneath.  The reds and greens of Christmas. The moment poinsettias are in sight, you know that Advent, as well Christmas, is really here.  And when you no longer see poinsettias around, you have to concede that the season is over. How synchronized its timing is with this special occassion.

More than color though, what the poinsettia has in common with the rose is its connection with love. Like the rose, the poinsettia in its association with Christmas, can also be seen as a symbol of love:  Love that reached out to us in the form of a fragile, vulnerable baby born in a poor manger. Love that chose to take on flesh and blood like our own, because He is truly in love with us, His special creation. "Love that's freely given, and that wants to freely be received... Love that longs to share His life with us, in hopes that it will grow... and until He finally calls us home..."

The Christmas rose...  reaching out, indwelling, waiting to be loved back...  our dear God, WHO IS Love!  

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Identity

                                                       Photo by R. Gross

"And yet, Yahweh, you are our Father;

we are the clay and you are our potter;

we are the work of your hand." 

- Isaiah 64:7

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Faith and Courage

There is a cute, old song by Frank Sinatra entitled, "Love and Marriage" where the lyrics go, "Love and marriage, love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage." Using the same tune, my mind however has been playing the lyrics, "Faith and courage, faith and courage, go together like a horse and carriage"...

I find that the more I desire to move towards greater courage in my choices and actions, the more it is my faith that becomes strengthened.  Faith in Him. Faith that it is He who plants this desire for greater courage. Faith that it is us together who will move forth in pursuit of His Will. And the more my faith grows, the more I am able to gather the courage and confidence to let go of security blankets and venture outside of comfort zones. Faith and courage.  One can't do without the other. They are so interlinked.

Lately, I have also been reflecting on courage as experienced during yoga classes. For one not really physically inclined, working on the seemingly unreachable and difficult yoga poses (e.g. shoulder stand!?!, back bends using the chair, all kinds of literally challenging stretch poses, etc.) has taught me that as long as our spirit desires to have courage, and if the mind wills it, the body can eventually achieve the goal, albeit little by little.  Stretch.. stretch...stretch... until one day, the happy discovery that "Oh my gosh, I can do it!" arrives.  

The amazing interaction between the body, mind and spirit can really give birth to faith and courage - not only in yoga, but in all else that matters with our life   :-)


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Little Flower

Today we honor St. Therese of Lisieux. Through her writings, she showed us how great love for Him can be so real in even the littlest flower that she considered herself to be. She reminds me of this short but meaningful poem:

Flower in the crannied wall,

I pluck you out of the crannies, 

I hold you here, root and all, in my hand,

Little flower -- but if I could understand

What you are, root and all, all in all,

I should know what God and man is.

- Alfred, Lord Tennyson

 

October 1 every year is also what I consider the start of a new spiritual year... a special day of renewal of offering and commitment...

Dearest Lord,

Grant me the grace to respond to your invitation
To assist those You hold most dear in Your Heart:
The least, the lost, the vulnerable,

To know and experience
The faithfulness and tenderness of Your love.

May this be done with complete trust
And nothing less than love for You.
Amen.

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Stillness...in His Hands

It is hard to describe with words what the experience of inner stillness is... it's something that is just felt. The moments when you just know that you are exactly where He wants to you be at this time... with the people He wants you to be with... doing exactly what He wants you to do for now... and, just being able to be totally yourself, because you know that that is also exactly how He really wants you to be for Him.. for always.  

It is in these moments of stillness within you that you just know without a doubt, from the deepest part of you, how truly loved you are by Him, and that He will never cease carrying you in the palm of His Hands... 

Perhaps these moments of inner stillness and certitude of His abiding love, are what St. Augustine was referring to when he said that our hearts stay restless until they finally find rest in Him. 

Thank you, dearest Lord, for this precious gift of stillness... in Your hands!

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