Contemplative Haven

Struggle ensues from this union of his love with us. For him alone, without us, there would be no struggle, for he loves the Father and human beings; he is Love. We, however, are not-love, with which his love burdens itself in order to overcome it. This overcoming does not take place in eternity; the battle is fought on earth, unto the death on the Cross, within the measurable time of the Son’s life that is depicted for us in Scripture, that we see as a limited period within our time, but that belongs so much to eternity that his years on earth cannot be subtracted from the eternity of the Son. Suffering in our time unto death, the Son makes known to us that the time of suffering is transitory, that his triumph in the Resurrection is a victory of heaven over earth, a proof of the Father’s power in the Son of Man, and that we share in this victory and our present time will be conquered by imperishable time.

[The Gates of Eternal Life, Adrienne von Speyr, pgs. 24-25]

“His mercies are new every morning.”

Martha Williamson: The People We Were

[From: The Circle of Life. The Heart's Journey Through the Seasons, by Joyce Rupp & Macrina Wiederkehr, pg. 29]

Learn to be attentive in this new season of your life, and I will continue to teach you.  I want to share my beauty with you now that you are growing older.  Beauty is the heart’s balm.  Each day I anoint you with the beauty and energy of my spring soul.

Each day I drink in the joy of being such a lovely season.  I know I have the power to lift people’s spirits.  You, too, have this power.  Honor the miracle of your life.  Sink your roots deeper into your inner garden and grow strong with healing power.  Discover the good medicine of your being.  Cherish your potential to be a healing presence in people’s lives.

Perhaps our new name will not be  immediately understood nor last forever.  Perhaps it will be ours for a season of our lives, and change again.  We undergo many renewals during one lifetime, don’t we; with the graces we receive from God, He makes us capable of growing and thriving.  He gives us a new name which our heart may only recognize as a different sort of energy, a new goal, a different vision (whether clear or sketchy), an impetus towards a particular way of being or a definitive mission.

By what name is God calling you now?  Who is He urging you to be at this point in your life, for His greater glory, for the growth of your own holiness and in service to your brothers and sisters?  Are the lines of communication full of static or fuzzy right now?  This too shall pass.  If we are determined to stay in His Light, Jesus has got us covered.  We are part of His flock, and His sheep recognize His voice.

“What Flowers Indicate”, by Father F. Lasance [taken from "My Prayer Book"]

“I  have always noticed that wherever you find flowers, no matter whether in a garret or in a palace, it is a pretty sure sign that there is an inner refinement of which the world is not cognizant.  I have seen flowers cultivated and cherished by some of the lowest and poorest of our people.  Where these emblems of purity are found, you may rest assured that they represent a hope, and speak of a goodness of heart not to be found where they are absent.”

“Making the Desert Bloom”, by Catherine Doherty [adapted from her book, "The People of the Towel and the Water", reproduced in the Madonna House Restoration Newsletter, July-August 2008]

“God so loved us that he sent his only Son to redeem us, and in his immense tenderness he keeps on expressing himself to us in a thousand ways. Flowers are just one example of his pouring out his beauty to us.

Flowers give hope, returning each spring as they do. Flowers give courage. Flowers heal. Flowers are harbingers of joy.

Long before the gentle Christ came to earth, flowers were part of every religion, used as symbols to express faith. And when he came, he referred to them to teach us about poverty, love, and trust in Divine Providence.

Flowers speak the silent language of lovers.”

[For Catherine Doherty's beautiful article in its entirety, please visit here, at the Madonna House website, and perhaps also consider subscribing to the Restoration Newsletter for yourself or a friend; it's only $10.00 a year, and is one way of helping the Apostolate.]

[Excerpt from: The Essential Advent and Christmas Handbook. A Daily Companion. A Redemptorist Pastoral Publication.]

“The child prophesied by Isaiah was to be born in circumstances that were not at all promising.  The child prophesied by Isaiah was to be born of poor and illiterate parents, in a country oppressed by an occupying army, into a race that was discriminated against and unjustly persecuted.  Yet, despite this reality, Isaiah prophesied that in the birth of Emmanuel, the people would find hope.  He prophesied that, despite the appearance of things, something else was possible, indeed probable, in the divine plan for God’s people.  Here is a message that has meaning for us today.“ 

* * * * * * * * * * * * 

Something else is possible, indeed probable, despite the none-too-promising realities into which we may have been born, or in which we may find ourselves at the moment.  Waiting.  Journeying.  Advent-ing.  Possibilities.  Probabilities.  Certainties?  And so we begin.  May your season be a blessed one.