Contemplative Haven

Effortlessly (by Mechtild of Magdeburg)

Effortlessly,
Love flows from God into man,
Like a bird
Who rivers the air
Without moving her wings.
Thus we move in His world
One in body and soul,
Though outwardly separate in form.
As the Source strikes the note,
Humanity sings –
The Holy Spirit is our harpist,
And all strings
Which are touched in Love
Must sound.

Found on the Poetry Chaikhana site.

Si Bheag, Si Mhor, with Mark Harmer

Here is something that I think you will find helpful in terms of our understanding of degrees or stages along the path of holiness.  Father Thomas Dubay is the guest on a half-hour program called, “The Choices We Face” (a production of Renewal Ministries), with an excellent interviewer, Peter Herbeck.  The video is on Tangle (formerly Godtube).  Here is the link:  Father Thomas Dubay on “Deep Conversion”.  As always, Father Dubay is very down-to-earth and straightforward about all of us growing in holiness.

Some highlights:

• conversion in this sense is referring to moral conversion, from bad to good, from good to better, from better to best
• degrees or stages of conversion:  1) coming out of alienation from God  (i.e., coming out of mortal sin into a state of grace); 2) giving up venial sin; 3) heroic virtue (i.e., perfection as far as it is possible on earth – no limit to one’s love)
• everyone is called to heroic virtue
• growing in holiness means becoming perfected in Christ, with a discussion of how this is not a legalistic perfectionism
• our intention should be to “go all the way with God”, i.e., to desire to become a saint
• refers to a locution from God to Angela of Foligno, concerning her desire to be holy:  “Make yourself a capacity, and I will make Myself a torrent”.

Enjoy!

“Someone complained to Meister Eckhart that no one could understand his sermons.  He said, To understand my sermons a man requires three things:

• He must have conquered strife and be in contemplation of his highest good and be satisfied to do God’s bidding, and
• be a beginner with beginners and naught himself, and
• be so master of himself as to be incapable of anger.”

I’ve been mulling these points over – taking stock, so to speak.  I do believe that I am in contemplation of my highest good (and others’ highest good), and strive to bring that contemplation into action in my day-to-day life.  My life’s purpose now is to do God’s bidding, and I pray for and accept the graces He gives me every day to hear what He is telling me and to follow through on it to the best of my ability. 

Regarding being a “beginner with beginners” but not a beginner oneself, I’m not sure if I’m correctly understanding the point Meister Eckhart is making, but this is the way I’m interpreting it:  I pray that the Holy Spirit always fills me and guides me when someone who is a beginner in the spiritual life approaches me for help.  I hope I can imitate Jesus in this, in that Jesus always meets us exactly where we are.  I desire to always have the positive aspects of a beginner in anything – openmindedness, enthusiasm, and a willingness to be taught. 

Now, if I say that I am not a beginner in the spiritual life myself, is this a sign of pride?  I don’t think so.  I think if I were to say I was a beginner, it would be like denying everything the Lord has given me, and all the years He’s worked with me and everything He’s taught me:  directly, through the Church, and through my brothers and sisters in Christ.  We are supposed to be growing steadily in holiness.  If I were at the same level of holiness as I was ten years ago, or even last year, that would mean there was something dreadfully wrong with my relationship with God – something drastically wrong in the love department. 

I have certainly not “conquered strife”.  I do my best to create a tranquil environment at home and at the office, but I am thwarted at every turn.    Seriously though, it is my own reaction to strife that is the real problem - fear/anxiety, rebelliousness, impatience – any reactions like these need to

be transformed into peaceful ones.  A scented candle just won’t do the trick. 

But I do see some progress along these lines; I either realize immediately afterwards that I have failed, or sometimes even as I am in the midst of a reaction, instead of much later as it used to be.  Conversely, when I do succeed in meeting a stressful situation with a sense of peace and calm, and am also sometimes able to transmit that peace and calm to others, I am immediately aware that this is what Jesus is aiming at for me.  So I’m praying that it won’t be much longer before this becomes natural (supernatural?) and consistent.  But I am definitely not “incapable of anger”, much to my chagrin.  I take this one to confession with me all the time.  But I’m trying, and as I pray for seven virtues everyday (faith, hope, charity, humility, patience, perseverence and obedience), I always remind the Holy Spirit that I need extra for charity and patience.  I am confident He will not let me down, if I do my part.

Quote taken from the beginning of:  The Sermons and Collations of Meister Eckhart.

Politics, shmolitics. We all knew he had a hidden agenda.  

 Ottawa’s beavertails.  Everybody wants one.

The Gentle Healer, on YouTube.

Snow (by Louis MacNeice)

The room was suddenly rich and the great bay-
   window was
Spawning snow and pink roses against it
Soundlessly collateral and incompatible:
World is suddener than we fancy it.

World is crazier and more of it than we think,
Incorrigibly plural. I peel and portion
A tangerine and spit the pips and feel
The drunkenness of things being various.

And the fire flames with a bubbling sound for world
Is more spiteful and gay than one supposes -
On the tongue on the eyes on the ears in the palms
   of one’s hands -
There is more than glass between the snow and the
   huge roses.