St. John Bosco

 John Bosco was born in 1815.He had a vocation to take care of homeless boys and founded the Salsians. He died on January 31, 1888. He was canonized in 1934. He is one of the first Saints I remember praying to as a Seventh grader; I went to camp Don Bosco for two weeks that summer, the first time I was away from home for so long. It was a fun camp and I guess I got my love for John Bosco there. I think I wanted to have a home for boys as "Little Men" was my favorite book from 4th grade and I almost knew it by heart. 

Tomorrow I will be sharing my 3rd Guided Imagery.

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

I am looking at the Collect for today's Mass. It begins, "Grant us, Lord our God, that we may honor you with all our mind, and love everyone in truth of heart." 

I wonder who wrote these Collects, Sometimes I am not sure what they really are saying. 

The first reading is from the Prophet Jeremiah: "The word of the Lord came to me, saying: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you....."

The second reading is from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, 12:31-13:13

This is such a well-known passage about love - no matter what other gifts I may have, if I do not have love, I am nothing.

Then we have the Gospel from Luke 4: 21-30 

Jesus is speaking in the synagogue and, at first, the people speak highly of Him. But then they begin to ask "Isn't this the son of Joseph?" Jesus tells them that no prophet is accepted in his own native place. 

Jesus gives examples and the crowd is filled with fury. They drove Jesus out of town and would have tried to kill Him," but Jesus passed through the midst of them and went away."

Take time today to contemplate the picture

 "May the angels of light glisten for us this day.

May the sparks of God's beauty dance in the eyes of those we love.

May the universe be on fire with Presence for us this day.

May the new sun's rising grace us with gratitude.

Let the earth's greenness shine and its waters breathe with the Spirit.

Let the heaven's winds stir the soil of our soul and fresh awakenings rise within us.

May the mighty angels of light glisten in all things this day. 

May they summon us to reverence, may they call us to life."

John Phillip Newell

Take time to contemplate

 My Spirituality Group has been reading "The Impact of God" and so I am also rereading it. I did copy a quote from it to share with you today.

"Contemplation is nothing but a hidden, peaceful, loving inflow of God. If it is given room, it will inflame the spirit with love."

I think it is really important to take time just to sit in silence with God. He is always with us, but we are so distracted sometimes or so busy that we are just not present to be inflamed with love. Think what a difference we make in the world when we are inflamed with God's love!

How do we find peace within ourselves?

 Here is A quote I like from Sister Joan Chittister:

There are some things in life that need to be nourished simply for their own sake. Art is one, music is another, good reading is a third, but the power of the contemplative vision is the greatest of them all.  Only those who come to see the world as God sees the world, only those who see through the eyes of God, ever really see the glory of the world, ever really approach the peaceable kingdom, ever find peace in themselves.

Compassion for Creation

 

The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don’t wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.

THICH NHAT HANH Waking Up Waking up THEi morning, I smile.  tWENTY-FOUR BRAND NEW HOURS ARE BEFORE ME. i VOW TO LIVE FULLY IN EACH MOMENT aNE TO LOOK AT ALL BEING/ALL CREATION WITH THE EYES OF COMPASSION. tHICH nHAT hANH

Wisdom Figures

 Before I continued with my second Guided Imagery from the retreat, I want to say that I have had real, living Wisdom Figures in my life and some of the saints are also Wisdom Figures for me, but I never had one appear to me. I do think we are all given people of wisdom to help us and I am grateful that one appeared in my Guided Imagery.

I am skipping a bit where I found myself in a snow scene watching some ice-skaters on a pond. Then I found myself in a cabin with a fire in the fireplace and I went to sit on the couch in front of the fire.   This is what I wrote: "I sit on the couch in front of the fire and feel God's love - the Heart of Jesus is on fire with love and now some of that love is burning in me. As I sit contemplating the fire and feeling God's love, a Wisdom figure appears and comes and sits next to me on the couch. She is dressed in a robe and hood. We sit quietly; I am feeling God's love and do not want the music. I try to ignore the music as I do not want to leave the cabin. I want to stay here, and the music says I can't. But my Wisdom figure says, "Just sit here and enjoy the fire.".... The Wisdom figure puts her arm around me and says, "Let God love you!"

I sort of condensed a bit, but it was a real experience of God loving me! I still have a third Guided Imagery to share with you next wee,.

 Today I will begin to share my 2nd Guided Imagery from the retreat, but first, a thought for the day"

The Earth is everywhere. You may be used to thinking of the Earth as only the ground beneath your feet. But the water, the sea, the sky, and everything around us comes from the Earth. Everything outside us and everything inside us comes from the Earth.
—Thich Nhat Hanh

Second Guided Imagery on January 6, 2122:

I am climbing a hill, feeling joy (the scenery is very much like the opening of "The Sound of Music")

as it is a beautiful day with gorgeous scenery, the sun is shining, blue sky - all peaceful and joyful. I do not feel tired. Now I am in the sky, floating on a cloud.

Then I find myself in my Chapel chair in the front of Oakwood's Chapel. The statue of the Infant Jesus is sitting up with arms outstreached. I go and ask if I can hold Him. The Infant nods and becomes a real baby and I am sitting in my chair and holding Him and feeling His Love pouring into me. Every particle of my being is filled with love. His Love fills me and wants to pour out to others, 

Now Jesus is sleeping, and Mary comes and takes the baby and sits next to me. I am still feeling His love pouring into me and want to give it to others. 

That is enough for today. Tomorrow I will write about the cabin and the Wisdom Figure, both still significant images for me.

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

 I cannot believe that this is the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. I am still in quarantine for at least another ten days, I think. I hope it is not longer. It seems that a couple of my sisters also have the virus and so the whole house is confined to rooms. Since I cannot be in my room in Westwood because we do not have private bathrooms, I was moved to our large guest room in Rosewood. Now I can have my laptop and write this blog. I also will be on the Sunday 90- minute Province zoom I am happy about that and will also be able to set up zooms for next week.

Now, to look at today's liturgy. We ask in the Collect that we may abound in good works.

The first reading is from the Book of Nehemiah where Ezra read the law to all the people from daybreak till midday. It seems that they listened attentively. At the end, Ezra said to all the people: "Today is holy to the Lord your God. Do not be sad, and do not weep". He also told them to "Go eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared; for today is holy to our Lord. Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength."

I love that line about rejoicing in the Lord must be our strength. 

The Responsorial Psalm: "Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life."

The second reading is from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, 12:12-30 

Paul talks about the body having many parts but are one body.

The Gospel is Luke 1: 1-4, 4:14-21

Here we have Jesus going to the synagogue in Nazareth and reading the passage: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor...

Vacation is necessary as I am in isolation

 I need to take a few days off from the blog as I am in isolation in a tiny guest room and I am just wiped out. I will be back as soon as possible. 

Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others.

PEMA CHODRON

Have you read "The Impact of God" by Iain Matthews lately?

 

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.The Impact

Because I lent a copy of The Impact of God: Soundings from St. John of the Cross by Iain Matthew to one of my spirituality group, all of these wonderful women now have bought the book and are reading it. It is a powerful book and I am happy to be discussing it again with them. We are also talking about how we can participate in the synod through our parishes and how to get others involved.

Martin Luther King Day

Since I am quarantined with COVID, I may not be able to write this week. I hope I can, but may not be able to return to my room and there is no way I can use electronics and charge them in my tiny guest room. I will be on the blog when I can. Enjoy the day.

 

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

 I love the Gospel for today. Jesus goes to the wedding feast in Cana, taking some of his friends. His Mother is there and notices that the wine supply is rapidly diminishing and so she turns to Jesus and asks Him to do something. She realizes that it would be very embarressing for the wedding couple if they were to run out of wine for their guests.

Jesus does not want to do anything yet and tells her so, but Mary knows here Son and she tells the servants to "Do whatsoever he tells you." She tells me that all the time!

Jesus then tells the servants to fill the jars with water. They do so and then draw out wine that is better than what has been served.

I would write more, but have COVID so I am in isolation.

The Charter for Compassion

 At the beginning of our Guided Imagery Retreat, each of us found "The Charter Of Compassion" rolled up in a scroll fashion. I think it is worth sharing and so will copy the first paragraph today. I also have this to share first: (prayer from our Associates Newsletter)

Loving God,

teach us to walk this journey
so that we may hear the call
to be life-giving streams
and a medium for your blessing.
Help us to be
alive to the ordinary moment.
Awaken in us a deep joy
so that fully alive
we may come to know
the heartbeat of the world
and the heartbeat within.

Chaarter of Compassion

"The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Copassion impels us to work tirelessl to alliviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the center of our world and put another there, and to honor the inviolavle sanctity of every single human being, treating every body, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect."

Ordinary Time

 I am now reading Mark's Gospel as it is being read every week-day during Ordinary Time. Here is a quote from Father Tom Reese, S.J. explaining Ordinary Time:

"Ordinary Time is that part of the year that is not Advent, Lent or the Christmas and Easter seasons. The term “ordinary” comes from the same Latin root as the term of ordinal numbers; the weeks in Ordinary Time, unlike those of the seasons, are simply numbered. This week is the first week of Ordinary Time, which continues till Lent and then picks up again after Pentecost.

Because Mark’s Gospel was the first one written, probably about 70 A.D., it is essential for understanding the other Gospels. Scripture scholars believe that Matthew and Luke had a copy of Mark’s Gospel on their desks as they were writing their own Gospels. They used parts of Mark’s story, editing and rearranging them, then added new material. This is why these three Gospels are referred to as the synoptic Gospels, because they include many of the same stories."

Boundless Compassion

 The theme for each day was some aspect of boundless compassion.

Day 1 Compassion as a Way of Life

Day 2 Compassion for Self

Day 3 Compassion for Creation

Day 4 Compassion and Suffering

Day 5 Compassion in Relationships - from Hostility to Hospitality

Day 6 Compassion as a Carrier of Hope

Day 7 Compassionate Presence

Day 8 Living in Boundless Compassion

Later I think I will be sharing some of the quotes from these daily papers on Compassion. The same theme of the day was part of the evening prayer.

The cleft in the rock

 I do not have a picture to express what happened toward the end of my first Guided Imagery. I was, I thought, back in the real world when the angels fly back with me to the beach. I found myself on a rocky beach and discover a cleft in a large rock which leads me into a cave of smooth rock washed clean by the ocean waves at high tide. It is dry at this moment and I sit on the ledge and think about meeting God here. I feel His Presence. I can hear the ocean but not see it so I go back out on the beach.

Then, rather suddenly, I find myself in a large, comfortable bed. I am feeling contented, relaxed. Then I see some RSCJs in habits around my bed. There are our two canonized saints, Madeleine Sophie and Philippine Duchesne, and Reverend Mother Stuart is also there and one who knew me as a child, then as my superior when I was 22 and then later was one who directed some of my retreats. I need to dialogue with each of these holy people, but the music stopped almost the moment I saw who were around my bed.

I am sharing all of this so you can see that God speaks to us through our imaginations and gives us images that have meaning if we take the time to pray with them and ponder with the Holy Spirit the message given.

Sharing a bit of my retreat

 Sometimes in a Guided Imagery I fnd myself floating on a cloud. Last Tuesday, in my first Guided Imagery, I was up in the sky, found a rainbow which Jesus helped me to climb and then, suddenly, the world is below me but I am in the universe and it is immense. I see all the stars and begin to move around them. Each is different but all are so bright and sparkling. Although it is dark between stars, thelight from each star is so glowing that I am amazed and continue zooming around in this immense universe. I wonder what the stars are made of and then wonder if each of us has a star, just as each of us has a Guardian Angel.

You can see that I was full of awe and realize that I know so little about the stars, the planets, the moon and the sun. I did come out of my flight through the stars into glorious sunlight. I think that was when I floated up on a cloud until I could see angels and hear them singing and there was also a great many people so I was sure that was heaven, but Jesus came and told me that I could not go to heaven yet. I know I still have work to do.

There was a good deal more to that first session, but I can still see all those glowing stars in my imagination.

Returning from the retreat

 I hope to share my guided images with you this week. The week was wonderful and the weather was good. We were eight participants with three guides. The guided imagery retreat always has the same schedule: three mornings you see your guide for the guided imagery for about an hour and a half; you also have spiritual direction with you guide for a half hour every single day. In between, you are writing down your experience when the music revealed many things to you; you note your feelings, the dominant images, and stay with the experience. The day you do not have the Guided Imagery, you are still going over the previous day but now you might dialog with the dominant images and try to give your guided imagery experience a name. You might connect it with some scripture passages, etc. so you see this kind of retreat is work. 

I am in quarantine now at Oakwood as they want to be very careful. We get tested every Tuesday. I do not mind as this is a busy week for zooms and it will give me more time to prepare for them.

 I am off after Mass for the Guided Imagery Retreat and think I will be having some images with the Infant Jesus as I love this time of the year. I will be back next Monday on the blog, but do pray for the retreat.

No amount of regret changes the past. No amount of anxiety changes the future. Any amount of gratitude changes the present.

ANN VOSKAMP

Feast of the Epiphany

 I had the three kings on camels but seem to have lost it and I am having trouble saving some images. This is a tree I decorated and then had in the living room on the Advent calendar that someone gives me for Christmas and it is such fun. You can decorate the living room, change the color of the furniture, light the fire and candles, and then play games with some of the things on the tables. I love it but it ends with Christmas, although one can still play games, review the different scenes of each day and just enjoy watching London scenery as this year was about London.

To go back to the Feast of the Epiphany, I love those wisemen who came from afar to follow the star. They were rich but humble. After they found Jesus with Mary and Joseph, they were warned to return by a different way. I think the Feast of the Epiphany may show each of us a special star to follow in this New Year.

I leave for the Guided Imagery Retreat today so will not be writing a blog again before January 10. 

First Day of the New Year

 I hope this New Year will be one full of faith, hope, and love. I am praying much for the Bishops all over the world, but especially for the American Bishops that they will really listen to the people and enter into the process of synodality and be ready to change what needs to be changed.

I am continuing with the Christmas Prayer of Illia Delio:

Help us to see that, like You, we are undergoing the pangs of new birth,
–like You, we are not finished,
Our work together, You and I, O God, is to become whole and complete,
You in me and I in You. 

Christmas is the feast of the whole person,
–the whole creation,
–the whole cosmos
-celebrating the wonder of new birth.
The universe is Theotokos,
–God-bearing.
Everything alive is seeking You,
–longing for You

 Christmas is the celebration of love:
In love with love and through love, You and me and all fragile creatures-are being born into a new future together, a new reality.
This new reality is the Christ; the humanity of Jesus is our humanity.

Awaken in me the truth of Christmas: You and I are bound together in love.
Together, You and I and all creation, we are the Christ;
And only through us can your dream for the earth be realized.
Joy to the future fullness of love!

–Ilia Delio, OSF