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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All Good Gifts

The weather has been alternating - sunny for days, then rainy for a week, then the sun comes out again, then it rains again... and the cycle continues. Every morning , my favorite moment is scanning the  grass in the garden and noticing how the mostly brown land gradually becomes green from the inching upward of the grass and after having drunk up a lot of rainwater.  Even the portions that were mostly brown soil start to acquire their green color as the roots of the grass from the area beside make their way there and fill out the spaces.

The flowers too, continue their cycle of budding, blooming and dying, budding anew, blooming anew, withering anew.  When one dies, it simply means that new life can now succeed it..

Our life is like the fields - whether these be garden grass and flowers, or farmlands. We  go through definite cycles of birthing, growing, maturing and dying, birthing anew, growing anew, struggling anew, deepening understanding anew, then letting go of things anew to give way for the new seeds of what matter most, to emerge... 

The beauty of being in midlife is that we gain the eyesight to see what we may not have seen before... to recognize the Hand that tills us, to know the Heart that swells the grains within us, and to realize that there is the Compassionate Love that has always showered us with  "all good gifts".

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We plow the fields and scatter the good seed on the land..
But it is fed and watered by God's almighty hand..

He sends us snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain...

The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain...

All good gifts around us

Are sent from Heaven above

So thank the Lord, oh thank the Lord for all his love...

We thank thee then, O Father, for all things bright and good,

The seedtime and the harvest, our life our health our food,

No gifts have we to offer for all thy love imparts

But that which thou desirest, our humble thankful hearts!

All good gifts around us

Are sent from Heaven above..

So thank the Lord, oh thank the Lord for all his love..

I really wanna thank you Lord!

- music by Stephen Schwartz, "Godspell"