Desire for a Transparent Soul

Written after my dream: Transparent be, my lowly soul

O my soul be transparent!
The door is now open wide,
Clear as crystal my soul unfolds
To reveal the treasure it holds.
All the desires that still abide
Laid bare in my transparency.

My soul is filled with quiet peace;
There is no corner for deceit
All is open, clean and clear
For God desires to reside in me
What joy to receive the Trinity!
To give, receive, and share their love.

Transparent be my lowly soul!
Nothing hidden, all revealed.
Gratitude doth overflow,
His love for me is not concealed.
Transparent be my lowly soul,
Open to God, myself, and others.

Pray that this may be true!

Jesus was transparent

A crystal reflects the light. Peter van Breemen. S.J. says in The God Who Won't Let Go that "Whoever accepts a mission needs to be transparent. The master should shine through him. This requires a great clarity so that the master is seen through the emissary." The author says that the older he gets the more important transparency has become for him. "Transparency is unambiguous. The light shines through."
He also says that Jesus was a "completely transparent person. "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father."(Jn 14:9)
Do I allow Jesus to shine through me?

I am thinking much about transparency because I had a dream on December 20 (I seldom remember a dream and when I do it is significant and usually a real grace for me). This dream had me in a place (schoolroom?) with many children around me; there was a little old nun in full habit and piercing black eyes who told me that I needed to be transparent; I think I was trying to prepare for spiritual direction. I did not write down immediately what I could remember, but I did keep coming back to the word transparent and did record something in my journal. Later, as I kept reflecting on it, I wrote a poem and will try to be open enough to share it with all of you tomorrow, on New Year's Eve, as I suspect it will be a year of transparency for me or maybe I should say that I want to have the humility to be transparent!!
I really think it was St. Madeleine Sophie who came to me in the dream. She appeared to me in a dream shortly after I had been sent to Chile in 1960 and I shall never forget the great peace and joy she left me; I felt that I had no concerns (this was when I was struggling because I did not know the language and was trying to manage a huge study hall of 157 Middle School children!). Now she has returned and I think her gift is also peace and joy but there is definitely a call to be humbly transparent.

St. Thomas Becket

Thomas was born in London and ordained a deacon in 1154; the next year he was made Lord Chancellor and seven years later was made Bishop of Canterbury by King Henry II. He did not agree with the King and went into exile for a time; he returned and again had a disagreement with the King who expressed a wish to be rid of him and so four of the King's men murdered Thomas in the Cathedral in Canterbury. He was quickly declared a saint and Canterbury became a site for pilgrimages.

The first readings this week are from the First Letter of John. Today's Gospel is again from Luke telling us how the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to God in the temple. There they meet Simeon, a devout man awaiting the consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit was upon him. "It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord." When he took Jesus into his arms he blessed God saying:
Lord, now let your servant go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled;
my own eyes have seen the salvation which you prepared
in the sight of every people,
a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel."

Mary and Joseph are amazed; Simeon then tells Mary, "Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted...so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

The whole mystery of the Incarnation is before us during this Christmas season; it is one of joy and gratitude because God sent his only Son to save us; Jesus reveals God to us! We can have a personal relationship with the one who made us and all things. It is easy to let God love us when we are able to believe in his infinite love.

Feast of the Holy Family

Today we celebrate the Holy Innocents usually, but it is the Sunday after Christmas and so it is the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It is also a day to celebrate all families. Children bring such joy to a family but they also bring trials and anxieties. Even the Holy Family suffered when Jesus stayed behind and said nothing to his parents. Imagine what it means to think you have lost your child. I think this story in the Gospel is there for families today who struggle to raise a child in this world of ours.
The opening prayer for today's liturgy is "Father, keep us to live as the holy family united in respect and love. Bring us the joy and peace of your eternal home.

I looked at the Alternate Opening Prayer and it has us asking to be taught the sanctity of human love and says "show us the value of family life, and help us to live in peace with all men that we may share in your life for ever."

I have been reading a book that I just realized that I have not shared in the list of good spiritual books on the right of this blog. I love Peter van Breemen, S.J.'s books and this one is called The God Who Won't Let Go (Ave Maria Press, 2001); perhaps I did not share it because I mostly share books published in just the last year or so, but this one is worth reading and praying over. The book is the result of a retreat he gave to the Benedictines of St. Hildegard Abbey in Bingen, Germany. Peter says in the Preface that whoever knows his previous books will recognize the central theme of God's unconditional love for each of us as we are (and not as we should be). God loves us into existence and longs for us to have life and joy in abundance. It is God's abiding desire that our lives be eminently meaningful and bear rich fruit, fruit that lasts. Put simply, what counts is love.

I find the book full of pithy sentences that I want to copy in the section of my Journal that I keep for quotes. "God will go to any length to seek us out" - I believe this and think you will find this book helpful.

Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist

Today is the Feast of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist. John is also known as the Beloved Disciple who was present with Jesus from the beginning until the end; with Peter and his brother, James, John was present with Jesus at the Transfiguration, at the raising of the daughter of Jairus, and the agony in the garden. Tradition has identified John as the author of not only the fourth Gospel but also of the Book of Revelation and the three letters that bear his name. The Prologue of John's Gospel is a continual source of prayer for me.
In the beginning was the Word,
And the Word was with God
And the Word was God;
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness hass not overcome it....
He was in the world,
and the world came to be through him,
but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,
but his own people did not accept him....

Have a good day and take time to enjoy the season!

The day after Christmas

Today is the day after with all that means to so many of us - left over food; presents to thank for, people to call, or maybe we just take some time to be and think of what a difference it is for all of us that Jesus became fully human, like us in all things except sin.
I spent Christmas morning recalling the many graces of the year. I usually do this on New Year's Eve, but the house was quiet on Christmas morning and I just began by thinking of all that had passed during the year and started listing graces to thank for and found this to be very helpful so I pass it on to you.
On Christmas eve we had a lovely prayer service on the O Antiphons; I found the ones I wrote last year and wonder if I am brave enough to share them. Maybe I will one day this week or put on one a day. We will see if I have enough humility to share them.

I wish everyone a joyous Christmas season. The Lord told us that "As the Father loves me, so do I love you" and then Jesus tells us, "Remain in my love" and then he will also tell us that he told us this so that we can have his joy.

I should also mention that this is the feast of St. Stephan, the first martyr. We know from the Acts of the Apostles that Stephen is the first-named among the deacons chosen by the Apostles to minister to the Greek-speaking Christians in Jerusalem. He was stoned by a crowd who accused him of blasphemy for he was filled with the Holy Spirit and said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." Stephen is the patron saint of Deacons.

Christmas Day

Lord, we thank you for coming as an Infant; you are totally accessible to all in your dependence as any infant is; the stable was open for others to come to see and to believe. When we look at the Nativity scenes today, we can feel so close to you.
Here is something to reflect on today, one of my favorites:

In the Bleak Midwinter
Christina G. Rossetti, 1830-1894
In the bleak midwinter, frost wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter, long ago.
Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain;
heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
the Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.
What can I give him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
yet what I can, I give him: give my heart.

I feel for all those who have been stranded by snow storms in the East and those who have been without power.

Christmas Eve

Opening prayer: "Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay! Give new courage to your people who trust in your love. By your coming, raise us to the joy of your kingdom, where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

Isaiah said: A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him; a spirit of wisdom and of understanding; a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord,... The time has come; tomorrow our Savior, Christ the Lord is born! Let us rejoice as we prepare our hearts today to receive the Infant Jesus who longs to be with us, to love us and to be loved by us!

O Emmanuel...come and do not delay!

The O Antiphon is "O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come and set us free." Emmanuel, God-with-us, is our joy.
I came across something today that made me think. There was a big party on Christmas; lots of food and drink; lots of presents, toasts, and much conversation. But, the one who wrote this said that no one remembered that it was his birthday; he was not even thought of and no one had brought him a present. It is a sad Christmas when the Lord Jesus is forgotten; we have made Christmas a great day for eating and drinking and opening presents but what about praying, remembering the one who we celebrate the birth of so many years ago but who is still giving us presents, countless gifts daily, and we do not remember to thank, do not remember to give him the gift he really wants on Christmas, our love, our hearts. Let us plan time to really celebrate with Jesus this Christmas and prepare our gifts with care.I think that stopping to thank for a gift is also a gift.

Here is a tidbit from the Little Blue Book that I did not know about a Christmas custom in Oaxaca, Mexico. It is called "Radish Night" or Noche de Rabanos and all the decorations are carved from radishes, the local specialty. Some of the radishes weigh up to 10 pounds. The festival includes pinatas and fireworks, as well as deep-fried doughnuts, covered in syrup. After a person has eaten the doughnuts, they are to toss the plate over their shoulder. The more shattered pieces of the plate, the better that person's luck in the New Year.
I would not like to have to clean up after that Christmas festival. I like the other custom of the different Posadas or "Inn" that receive the Christchild on the nine days before Christmas. We used to go in procession singing from the different houses that were to host the Infant Jesus with the host carrying the Infant. No radishes but wonderful songs. This was when I was in Chile and I find myself often going back to the torchlight procession on Christmas eve that assembled at our convent school and walked on Christmas eve all the way down to the little Chruch on the beach for Midnight Mass. There was always a live enactment of the Nativity scene as part of the Liturgy. The procession back was still an experience to remember for the joy of all.

Three days to Christmas

Advent has flown by and this fourth week is short since Christmas is Thursday! The O Antiphon for today is: "O King of all nations and keystone of the Church: come and save us, whom you formed from the dust!" The office translation has the wonderful phrase, "O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart;"
Do you not find this more personal to think of the Son of God as the joy of our hearts?

The Gospel is the Magnificat of Mary beginning, "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my savior, for he has looked upon his lowly servant..."
May our souls proclaim the greatness of the Lord, the King of nations, who desired to come as an infant and experience life as we do to enable us to share in his divinity, he who shared in our humanity.

Since we have been reading about Samuel, I thought I would share these thoughts from the Little Blue Book for the Advent and Christmas Seasons 2008-2009. These are six minute reflections on the First Reading for daily Mass during the Advent/Christmas season. On December 19 the left side of the page tells us that the Old Testament has numerous stories of women who were unable to bear children at first:
Sarah, wife of Abraham, who gave birth to Isaac at an older age; Rebekah, wife of Jacob; Samson's mother (who is not named); Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel. The main purpose of these stories of barren women who later gave birth to a child was to underline the specialness of that child.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Today's Gospel is that of the Annunciation; the "O Antiphon for December 21 is "O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death."

It is interesting to see Mary's confusion when the angel came to her. She was "greatly troubled" and wondered what this could mean. She did not say "yes" until she had asked how it would be possible. Then she gave herself totally to whatever God wanted, but she could not have understood at that moment all the joys and sorrows that would be part of her life because of her Fiat. Mary understands us and helps us to say "yes" to whatever her Son asks of us. Jesus is the center of her life now and wants to be the center of ours and the only joy of our hearts!
I think that as we begin this last week of Advent that is not even a week, we need to just let the mystery of the Incarnation fill our thoughts and our hearts. This God who is the Radiant Dawn and splendor of eternal light is coming again, is here now, and we are no longer in darkness; he is the Light of the World!!

O Key of David...

Today's antiphon has inspired many a reflection. It is: "O Key of David, opening the gates of God's eternal Kingdom: come and free the prisoners of darkness!" I am using the O Antiphons found in the Alleluia verse before the Gospel in each day's liturgy. I have used other translations in the past and that gives one a richness. This antiphon really inspired Joyce Rupp's latest book, The Open Door Some doors need to be opened with a key. Sometimes the key is in the lock; other times the key is hidden; our hearts need to be open to receive Jesus. What might have locked my heart?
I am going to copy the translation in my office book so you will see that the Liturgy has shortened and probably tried to simplify the O Antiphons;
"O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel controlling at your will the gate of heaven: come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death; and lead your captive people into freedom."
I guess I am fascinated by the different symbols that are "names" for Jesus who comes to break down the walls and free us.