Contemplative Haven

I have absolutely no interest in pop psychology, nor the latest “gurus” being touted by the media.  I could probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen even a segment of Oprah’s show, for instance.

What I am interested in, and desire to share, is anything that can bring the truth and the teachings of Catholicism into better focus for people.  The media can label Eckhart Tolle any way they please, but there is no question in my mind that he is a mystic.  One of my pet peeves (well, deep frustrations, actually) is that, because the secular media and also many “spiritual practitioners” themselves have no knowledge of our Catholic contemplative/mystical tradition, they have no foundation, no basis, no frame of reference in which so-called “new” knowledge and practices can be properly placed.  Ultimately, everything and everyone gets slotted into ”New Age”.  It would be laughable if it weren’t so very sad.

Quite frankly, and I am not ashamed to admit it, I had never heard of Eckhart Tolle before I accidently came across some sound clips, which prompted me to check for YouTubes.  I had no idea he was even popular let alone famous, and I had no idea he was being touted by the celebrities as the “new” spiritual guru, because I don’t watch television and rarely frequent anything other than Catholic bookstores.  I simply recognized him as a mystic; I recognized the Catholic contemplative/mystical teachings within his message, and realized he was someone I could “use”.  I have no qualms about using a teacher from any religious tradition or even no religious tradition if I can do so to elucidate our Catholic faith.  If celebrities are embracing Tolle, so be it; perhaps it is an indication that their spirits are crying out for a deeper relationship with the Divine.  Perhaps, through Tolle, they may experience a conversion of heart, experience metanoia; perhaps even find their way to Christ our Lord.  I cannot even say that I would embrace Tolle’s message in its entirety, because I do not know it in its entirety.  What I have used on my blog I have used for a specific purpose.

I did a bit of googling late last night, afraid that perhaps I had gone offtrack, been deceived, and was perhaps leading others to be deceived.   Many places I looked, Tolle popped up with the label “New Age”.  But not everywhere.  For instance, we can find Eckhart Tolle’s, “The Power of Now”, listed on the Basilian Fathers’ website as Recommended Reading.  They write:

“This book is quite similar in concept to “Practicing the Presence of God” ; however, it does approach our ability to live in the “now” using a more intellectual and scientific method.  It could best be summed up like this:  Start with Brother Lawrence for the spiritual understanding, then turn to Tolle for the “how”.”

The Redemptorists also list Eckhart Tolle’s, “A New Earth”, on their website under Recommended Reading.

I opened my previous post with quotations from The Cloud of Unknowing and from Abandonment to Divine Providence.  I did not use these Catholic writings in order to validate Eckhart Tolle.  I used Eckhart Tolle, because he is here and now and available on YouTube, to help explain our own Catholic contemplative/mystical teachings.

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“Therefore, be attentive to time and the way you spend it. Nothing is more precious…God, the master of time, never gives the future. He gives only the present, moment by moment, for this is the law of the created order, and God will not contradict himself in his creation.”  (The Cloud of Unknowing, Anonymous)

“For at each moment our hearts are at peace in God and completely abandoned to all creation.  Therefore each of these moments contains all things.”  (Abandonment to Divine Providence, Jean-Pierre de Caussade)

The Momentum of “No”  (Eckhart Tolle)

The direct link to YouTube for this video is Here .

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Quelque chose pour un ami qui n’a pas dix minutes.  En tout cas…

A sound clip from Eckhart Tolle’s, “Through the Open Door to the Vastness of Your True Being.”

This, and my prayers.

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In, “Our Lady of Perpetual Help.  The Icon, Favors and Shrines”, the Redemptorist Fathers write:

“An icon is much more than a simple representation of events or persons of the past.  An icon makes present that which it remembers.  It is a meeting point between the mystery of God and the reality of Man.” 

But what of the icon-writers, those co-creators who are inspired by God to bring to fruition this “meeting point between the mystery of God and the reality of Man”?  The Redemptorists tell us that an icon is the “fruit of prayer”, that the artists compose their icons “in an atmosphere of penance and prayer”, and while doing so, “they would think of those who one day would pray before the icon…” 

In our own little online world, I am aware of three iconographers:  dear Laura, who so recently went home to be with the Lord; Terry Nelson, of Abbey-Roads2, and Renée, of Crazyacres. 

Also, I have just recently come upon a sweet French contemplative nun by the name of Sister Magnificat Macé, and have the most wonderful things to share with you, one of which is a Youtube trailer for an upcoming documentary about her iconography (release date was to be Spring 2007, but I do not know if it is actually finished yet or not).

We also have an interview with Sr. Magnificat on the website of Corpus Christi Watershed, and last but not least, the website of Catholic Solitudes, the hermitage in Hebbronville, Texas where Sr. Magnificat lives and works.

Enjoy!
 
The Icons of Sr. Magnificat

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If you are a lover of all things Merton, but are not familiar with Beth’s blog, louie, louie, I encourage you to scoot over and spend a week (or two or three) reading her archives.

But first, sit back and enjoy one of Beth’s recent posts, in which she explains how it came to be that Merton acquired a beautiful icon of the Virgin and Child, and the powerful effect it had on him.

On my “Inter-Religious Dialogue Page”, I have linked to another recent post of Beth’s, in which she gives us a quote from Merton that captures both the core of my own beliefs on the subject of inter-religious dialogue as well as the reasons why I created the “Page” in the first place.  As time permits, I will continue to add to this Page (primarily in video format).

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I’m sorry I didn’t see this before or I would have directed you to it, but you can take in a performance of Ave Maris Stella (by Kverno) at the IHM Hermitage Video Blog, posted just two days ago. Wonderful!

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In my research on the Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, I happened upon Golgotha Monastery, home of the Transalpine Redemptorists.  It is located in Papa Stronsay, an island in Orkney, north of Scotland.

On their website, they speak at length of the history of the Mother of God being referred to as Stella Maris, Star of the Sea, from St. Jerome in 400 A.D. to St. Bonaventure (d. 1274), who wrote:  “This name is most fitting for Mary, who is to us as a star above the sea….She guides to the landfall in Heaven those who navigate the sea of this world in the ship of innocence or penance. Well do we compare Mary to a star of the sea, because of her shining purity, her brightness, all that she does for us.”

They also speak of the beautiful hymn, Ave Maris Stella! (Hail, Star of the Sea!), as having been composed between 800 and 900 A.D., and tell us that the first monks on Papa Stronsay sung it in 900 A.D.  They go on to say:  “Papa Stronsay resounds with this hymn again every night as the Fathers and Brothers make their way to the chapel for Night Prayers.”

So here is the beautiful hymn, Ave Maris Stella, as performed by Ambrose Karels, on the CD entitled, “Star of the Sea” .  For the lyrics in Latin and English, you may go to the bottom of this page on the website of the Transalpine Redemptorists. 

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Living icons.  We know it is possible.  We’ve witnessed it.  We must search our hearts to discover what is hindering us.  What is holding us back?

Prayer to Jesus 

by Mother Teresa, read by Bill Simpson on the CD entitled, “Quotations and Affirmations that Sustain, Inspire and Empower”. 

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Recently, a commentor said that she knew someone who, “wanted with all his soul to become a holy icon.”

Does this sound strange?  It shouldn’t, really.  In, “Our Lady of Perpetual Help.  The Icon, Favors and Shrines”, the Redemptorist Fathers write:

“The Greek word ‘eikon’, from which comes the word ‘icon’, means ‘image’.  Christians first used the word to describe Jesus Christ:  He is the image (icon) of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3).  The baptized, as well, since they are identified with Christ, are formed into the image (icon) of God and temples of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14).”

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I’ve put up our Icon again so that we can refer to it easily as we go through the points of meditation outlined a few days ago. 

This Icon contains four holy figures - the Blessed Virgin, the Christ Child and two of the archangels, Michael and Gabriel. The uppermost letters on either side (MP - OY) mean, “Mother - of God”.  The letters to the right of Christ’s head (IC - XC) mean, “Jesus - Christ”.  As you look at the left side of the Icon, you will see letters directly above the angel wearing green; they indicate the Archangel Michael.  As you look at the right side of the Icon, you will see letters directly above the angel wearing red; they indicate the Archangel Gabriel.

Now, let’s take a brief look at the points for meditation, as outlined by the Redemptorists:

• Contemplating the Archangel Gabriel:  It was Gabriel who came to the Blessed Virgin at the Annunciation, and so he reminds us of this Joyful Mystery.  Yet in this Icon, he carries a cross and nails.  The Redemptorist Fathers write that the fallen sandal of Jesus, as well as the position of His feet and neck, indicate a movement of fear of something sensed, perhaps a vision of the Archangel Gabriel with the cross and nails in his hands, a vision of the Passion. 
• Contemplating the Archangel Michael:  We know that Michael is the, “leader of the celestial armies and zealous defender of the Lord’s glory” , yet here he appears carrying the instruments of the Passion:  the lance, the pole with a sponge, and a vessel containing vinegar.  But rather than defeat on the cross, they are “the symbols of Jesus’ victory over sin and death.  What were signs of disgrace are now symbols of triumph.” 
• Contemplating the Letters on the Icon:  Here we reflect on the letters which name the Blessed Virgin as “Mother of God”, and on the letters which name “Jesus Christ”.  As we do so, we can experience these titles coming into relationship with each other, resulting in a deeper awareness of why we can call Mary our Mother of Perpetual Help:  because she is the, “Mother of God, the Mother of the Son of God made man, Jesus Christ.” 
• Contemplating the Left Hand of Mary:  With her left hand, Mary is holding the Child Jesus against her heart.  She wants to protect Him, but she cannot shield Him from the vision of the Passion, nor from His interior sufferings.  Mary shared His infancy and childhood, yet, just as both Nazareth and Calvary are present in the Icon, so too they were both always with Mary, from the day she presented the baby Jesus in the temple, and Simeon told her that a sword would pierce her heart.
• Contemplating “Hand in Hand“:  With her right hand, Mary takes both of Jesus’ hands.  Her fingers point upwards, towards His face.  She is directing our attention to Him, exactly, the Redemptorist Fathers tell us, as she did at the wedding feast at Cana, when she said, “Do what He tells you.”  Mary always points the way to Jesus.  
• Contemplating the Child in Your Arms:  Jesus in Mary’s arms is no longer an infant, but a child.  We reflect on their homelife in Nazareth, the simple, domestic chores, the friends, the life of the village, the humble home and daily life with Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph.  We can reflect then on Our Heavenly Father caring for us, helping us in our daily struggles and difficulties, and pray to Him as Jesus taught us. 
• Contemplating the Star:  In the Icon, Mary is wearing a cobalt-blue head dress.  In the centre of the hood is a star of eight golden, linear rays (and next to it is a gold cross in the form of a star).  The star reminds us of the Star of Bethlehem, which guided the Three Wise Men to the baby Jesus.  Mary is like the Star of Bethlehem, say the Redemptorists, always pointing to Jesus,  “in His Word, in the Eucharist, in the silence of prayer, and in our brothers and sisters, and especially, in the poor and abandoned.”  Because Mary was with the Apostles at Pentecost and accompanied this first group of people who preached the Good News, we can also call her, Holy Mary, Star of Evangelization.
• Contemplating the Colours of the Icon:  The Redemptorists give us a few things to reflect on, having to do with contrasts.  The Blessed Virgin’s tunic is red (created person?) with a blue covering cloak (the Holy Spirit’s Presence and grace?)  The Christ Child wears a green tunic (Divine Life?) with a red cloak and sash (because He has taken on our humanity?)  Reflecting on the contrasts in the colours can help us deepen our meditation on the other contrasts present in the Icon, and therefore in the life of Christ - the falling of the sandal versus the tightly clutched hands; also, the instruments of the Passion being carried, but wrapped in a cloak, as if after the Resurrection.  Levels of depth are also pointed out by the Redemptorists, there being five levels of depth in this Icon:  first level, the hand that points to the Savior; second level, the Christ Child; third level, the Blessed Virgin; fourth level, the archangels; fifth level, the general background of golden light.  So we see the levels of contrast in Jesus’ life:  Nazareth, the Passion, His glory - and we can pray to the Lord for aid in understanding and living out the contrasts in our own lives.
• Contemplating the Eyes of Mary:  “With a sad tenderness, she looks not to her Son but appears to be in dialogue with whomever looks to her (universal perspective).  Her almond-shaped, honey colored eyes and emphasized eyebrows give her face a sense of beauty and solemnity.”  “We end this wonderful novena of discovering in your image the reason for your name.  It is all present in your eyes.  You are our Perpetual Help because of your eyes, those eyes that follow us from left to right, that see us from any point from which we seek you.  They watch us as eyes filled with love and a desire to protect us.  They follow us perpetually, whatever our situation be, our detours, our absences, our returns.”    

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