tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31485302271215317162023-11-16T06:40:08.643-05:00Life at the Franciscan Spiritual CenterFranciscan Spiritual Center, Aston, PAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12033664168605201994noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-10346153949367101312014-07-09T15:35:00.003-04:002014-07-09T15:36:50.084-04:00Self Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPBk7U-cZhqhKBd0VGAo1njPh3CrrVHHeHZDQT9SvHy1RpYQA2MFL21JMfOKpN2rVy0Z9iXvPPDhYwziBJ4nCWHe3vn5-TWVOYguNzRIQ3U6-gjZ0s-nRi8Tnjcs4saae9Yg3RGigMiEb/s1600/self+love+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPBk7U-cZhqhKBd0VGAo1njPh3CrrVHHeHZDQT9SvHy1RpYQA2MFL21JMfOKpN2rVy0Z9iXvPPDhYwziBJ4nCWHe3vn5-TWVOYguNzRIQ3U6-gjZ0s-nRi8Tnjcs4saae9Yg3RGigMiEb/s1600/self+love+2.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once again I find myself so aware of the importance of
self-love or self-compassion. We all have our good, bad, and messy parts
and yet it is so easy to be tolerant of others who are less than we would hope
and yet we remain intolerant of our own humanity. I like the
above quote from St. Augustine because it reminds me that in the sequence
of the great commandment loving others comes with the phrase “AS
YOURSELF”. Scripture invites us to love others as we love ourselves and
yet perhaps that is where the challenge in life really lies. When we love
ourselves we’re truly freed of the burden of “needing” love so desperately from
everyone else. Loving ourselves is what frees us to be in healthy
relationships with everyone else. And yet we need to find that place in
our heart that has not just a tolerance for our own humanity but a willingness
to love ourselves with every fiber of our humanity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Clearly I say more negative things to myself than
positive. My spiritual director has been inviting me to a bit
more self-compassion. I have been observing my self-talk for a month or
so and, sure enough, it’s filled with a litany that can go on and on,
filling me with all sorts of cruel words: too ashamed, too fat, too
wordy, too boring, too slow, too judgmental, and so on. Self-love
obviously moves on a continuum but the cruelty with which we treat ourselves
might call us to a change of heart. I am beginning to look at
self-compassion as prayer. If God has made me, and my desire is to praise
and love God, then there is no better place to begin than in loving the self
that God has created. If I am to be compassionate and loving toward
others as God calls me to be than I first have to learn how to be loving and
compassionate to myself. So, I have a new prayer practice. I want
to affirm within myself something good each day so that I can identify the
beauty that God sees within me. I want to surround myself with people who
can see goodness and love within me so that I can receive their love and
recognize my own worth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I know that self-love is important because I believe that
since God is love, love is a creative power that surrounds me and the more I
can receive it, the more I will be able to give it and the more I can
spread it. And, if I maintain this mentality, I will be able to unite
with others to fill the world with deep love and compassion. The
more self-love I can provide myself the more open I will be. And so, as I
pray, I invite the inner child and the painful memory into the stillness
of my prayer. I sit and let them soak slowly in the healing love of
the God who is love. I invite my cruel litany to be transformed into
a litany of affirmation and praise. And I ask the God of love to remind
me over and over about what she could possibly see as good and beauty within me
and, guess what? I think I’m beginning to see it myself (at least every
now and again). My hope is that my strategy for making self-love a prayer
might work for you as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To see more blogs go to <a href="http://fscaston.org/category/blog/">http://fscaston.org/category/blog/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-19640646340934318272014-03-05T15:00:00.001-05:002014-03-05T15:21:21.966-05:00You are dust and unto dust you shall return -- Stardust that is!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOkfMjSaMny2RQeuMF6_jKl9EyOirZYavdowga4MG4S2WV0t89LSuAn64oSeyogL9G9C3L2fkal5wOVrS_bZ2r1aBeqkIpYkRiMwGIt07ox9fpcGBMvEalVB9Grb9fgoZVkSuvMCwc-BT/s1600/ash+wednesday.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOkfMjSaMny2RQeuMF6_jKl9EyOirZYavdowga4MG4S2WV0t89LSuAn64oSeyogL9G9C3L2fkal5wOVrS_bZ2r1aBeqkIpYkRiMwGIt07ox9fpcGBMvEalVB9Grb9fgoZVkSuvMCwc-BT/s1600/ash+wednesday.png" /></span></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 18pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: purple;">As we are signed today with the ashes that call us to repentance
and hear the words "you are dust and unto dust you shall return", let
us remember our connectedness to all of creation. The New Science
tells us that our bodies are made of the same stuff as the stars. The
atoms of which we are made are the same as those in the stars. They were
actually created within the stars more than 13 billion years ago and those same
particles/energy waves have been recycled over and over for 13 billion
years. Our bodies may contain some of the same energy
particles as our ancestors, Jesus, Francis of Assisi, flowers, birds, and
much more. These ponderings bring us to a truth that is hard for us to
take in. We are all one --all of creation, all that now lives, all that
have ever lived-- created by a loving God who calls us into the future inviting
us to co-create in love. You and I are an integral part of it all.
We are connected. We often become so complacent that we forget the
reality of our connectedness and focus only on our little world. Pope
Francis reminds us:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"Whenever our
interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no
longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard;
the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good
fades." (<em><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Eangeli Gaudium,
p. 4) </span></em> Perhaps we need Lent to reconnect our awareness of
our interconnectedness. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
invitation is to recognize our unity and recognize the responsibility that this
unity calls us to.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Pope Francis reminds us often of the poor and the material poverty
that persists in our world and the </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: purple;">responsibility it should call forth in our
lives. In his encyclical <em><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Evangelii
Gaudium" (The Joy of the Gospel) Pope Francis tells us "Jesus wants
us to touch human misery, to touch the suffering, flesh of others (p. 133),"
</span></em>and he challenges us to avoid the ever present modern temptation<em><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"> "to be that kind of Christian who
keeps the Lord's wounds at arm’s length (p. 133)."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pope Francis tells us whenever we take a step
toward Jesus we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with
open arms. And so he invites us to pray: <o:p></o:p></span></em></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 18pt; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;">
<em><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">“Lord, I
have let myself be deceived; in a thousand ways I have shunned your love, yet
here I am once more, to renew my covenant with you. I need you. Save me once
again, Lord, take me once more into your redeeming embrace.” (Evangeli Gaudium
, p.4).</span></em><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 18pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="color: purple;">So, welcome to Lent, You are dust, stardust, and to stardust you
will return. The energy that connects us flows from an all loving God in
whose image we are made, a <em><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">God who never tires of forgiving
us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This very same</span></em><em><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"> </span></em>God prepared for 13 Billion
Years for this one moment when you and I choose Life for our world and our
Universe. Jesus is our model, "God in flesh”; Jesus invites us into
His dying and rising. Teresa of Avila tells us "Christ has no body
now but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes
through which he looks with compassion on this world. This Lent will we
be willing to enflesh the mystery of the Incarnation in the concrete reality of
our daily lives? Our observance of the Lent can support us in this
effort. May we do the inner work of Lent so that we can make a difference
for all.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-87931720427268357762014-01-20T16:33:00.006-05:002014-01-20T16:33:42.282-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvXRz7X2BYz68j4LirP_xzfcTFsOrgDJQuv8sibpOEx7ju1xCAvBV6bfJV4I3RqVh3dJesRByPPxsoYrVA5EKsWGYtgsOKHsd9AyaaOOeq8cVuhX040W-82u-Ql7DlNLRM123MFBby716/s1600/journey+begins+with+one+step.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvXRz7X2BYz68j4LirP_xzfcTFsOrgDJQuv8sibpOEx7ju1xCAvBV6bfJV4I3RqVh3dJesRByPPxsoYrVA5EKsWGYtgsOKHsd9AyaaOOeq8cVuhX040W-82u-Ql7DlNLRM123MFBby716/s1600/journey+begins+with+one+step.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is an amazing thing that on the holiday of Martin Luther
King people choose to serve one another. It is a great tribute to a man
who modeled so clearly our interrelatedness and taught us that none of us can
be who we called to be until all of us have the same right. He was
committed to non-violence even in the face of violence. He knew how to
take that first step and it pushed him on to climbing the whole staircase in
faith — one step at a time. Faith is what drove his every action and HOPE
for all peoples was the outcome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Martin Luther King, Jr. worked for the protection of
human dignity of all, and had the courage to speak the truth to
power. His commitment influenced many to join with each other in working
toward a more compassionate world. And today that legacy continues as we
work side by side. As Americans he reminded us what our country is all
about and called us to something better. We aren’t there yet but we have
taken the first steps and as we work side by side on this holiday of service we
will come to know one another and, in that knowing, we will be a fuller and
stronger nation. In faith, we are taking those first steps but we have a
long way to go to enable his dream to become the dream of our nation and
the dream of our people — WE THE PEOPLE! We the people can do this
together — one step at a time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">At the Spiritual Center in the past week we had a Tai Chi
Chih retreat where people came together desiring peace within the world and
peace within their own hearts. We had a group of men from St. Thomas on
retreat trying to fill their lives with the Gospel Message and desiring to live
it out day by day. We had a group of women who came together to proclaim
love within their own lives and desired to share it with one another.
These men and women know how important it is to live a principled life, and a
life of committed engagement to social and spiritual transformation. They
are walking a stairway to hope by taking that first step in faith. Join
them and all those this day who are doing service to make a better world.
Take the first step. You don’t have to know the outcome or where the
stairs will lead you; you simply have to believe in your own goodness and
desire to have a compassionate heart that will touch someone else and make
their day just a little bit better. It all begins with the faith to take
that one little step and move in the right direction. There is a world
waiting for you to act. There is a Gospel calling you to do just a little
bit more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As we deepen our understanding of the Gospels it is clear
that the model we have in Dr. King calls us into action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This past Sunday the first reading from
Isaiah reminded us that we are called to be light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sister Marie Angela showed me a reflection that
said:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"We live in the light to the
extent that we live in the truth about ourselves. Befriend a
truth-teller, and be one yourself." Martin Luther Kind lived in the
light because he lived in the truth and had the courage to speak truth to
power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also called each of us to do
the same thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taking that first step
to move into action on behalf of the Gospel is difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His actions moved many of us to join with
each other in working toward a more compassionate and just country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has been a model for many encouraging us
to live a principled life, and a life of committed engagement to social and
spiritual transformation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-52651552593897465912014-01-08T15:10:00.001-05:002014-01-08T15:10:11.592-05:00Listening and Wabi Sabi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Rxy33W5s194PUVcF3HYS5BdWYx0pYCl4lE4eDJyOLXu4wDAmLjNZ7LO2fXNFp66sqmhdacUNjhwQ4ihdJeWmfijrI_Toh6S8J5WTCMIHhoyJVwE8X9iiwEUJ4VRp84gU03fRj3k8nW95/s1600/Listening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Rxy33W5s194PUVcF3HYS5BdWYx0pYCl4lE4eDJyOLXu4wDAmLjNZ7LO2fXNFp66sqmhdacUNjhwQ4ihdJeWmfijrI_Toh6S8J5WTCMIHhoyJVwE8X9iiwEUJ4VRp84gU03fRj3k8nW95/s1600/Listening.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I
am blessed with a spiritual director who is an extraordinarily good
listener. As I pondered my gratitude for this gift I also recognized that
her listening enabled me to be more at home with myself and gentler with
myself. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone likes to be heard and
understood but it is far more important to be at home with ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t quite recognize the connection
between listening and feeling at home until I read this quote from Rachel Naomi
Remen’s <u>Kitchen Wisdom</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Our
Listening creates a sanctuary for the homeless parts within another person.</i></b>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As
we begin this New Year what a great challenge for us!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most important gift we give one another
is the gift of listening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A sanctuary is
a safe haven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our listening can create
this safe haven for others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what are
“the homeless parts” within us that seek this safe haven?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I pondered that question I got lost in my
varied cracks, flaws and imperfections and the shame that so easily creeps
within me when I see myself as less than worthy or less than perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are the homeless parts within me – the parts
that I deny within myself over and over because I am convinced that everyone else
has it more together or more contained than I.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A good listener enables me to let go of the need to prove myself and not
worry about what people will think if we fail or give up or seem less than
perfect in any other fashion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps it
is a good listener who enables us to be at home with the broken, homeless parts
of who we are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Thinking
about my “homeless parts”, I have decided to embrace the Japanese world view of
wabi sabi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this world view t</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">he aesthetic is described as one that is "imperfect, impermanent, and
incomplete".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wabi Sabi is t</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">he art of
appreciating the beauty in the naturally imperfect world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This Japanese philosophy celebrates beauty in
what’s natural, flaws and all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Wabi Sabi nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple
realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect."<sup>
</sup></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">(</span><span class="citation"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Powell, Rich)rd R. (2004). <i>Wabi Sabi Simple</i>. Adams
Media)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What
if we learned to cherish the flaws and the cracks in our messy lives, the
homeless parts within us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, it
is the cracks in our life that let in the light – a good thing by any standard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can do this each day by listening to one
another and creating a sanctuary for the homeless parts within another
person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The challenge is on!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-58458669025387711992014-01-02T13:37:00.000-05:002014-01-02T13:54:55.018-05:00<br />
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<em><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"></span></b></em>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I hope that in this year to come,
you make mistakes.<br />
Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new<br />
things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your<br />
world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly,<br />
you're Doing Something.<br />
So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New<br />
Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made<br />
before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it<br />
isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.<br />
Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.<br />
Make your mistakes, next year and forever.”<br />
Neil Gaiman<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman is an English author of short
fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films.
When I read this quote I initially thought it a bit strange but then the more I
let it marinate in my heart the more I liked it. God is so tolerant of
our humanity and we, on the other hand, tend so often to demand perfection from
ourselves. If incarnation does anything for us, it is to help us accept
our humanity. God chose to be human in Jesus and, in that act, God shows
us our precious our humanity is. One look at the saints and we learn that
making mistakes is normal even for those we set apart as models of the
Christian life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I tend to have some techy expertise and, often people ask me
if I took classes and I say no but I should say YES I learned all I know
through the school of mistakes. It was through my mistakes that I learned
all that I know. For me now, every mistake I make on the computer is a
challenge to learn something new and, in the process, to be able to help
someone else who has made the same mistake. I am also very willing to try
new things because I know that I will always learn something new if I'm willing
to make a few mistakes on the initial try.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One would think that I could transfer that same method of
learning into my everyday life but I haven’t. And yet, when I really
think about it, I have learned my most profound lessons in life by my mistakes
and I've made and continue to make quite a few. I also have had a sense
of adventure which gave me a willingness to try new things even if I'm clumsy
in the beginning. But probably my best example would be in
relationships. Each individual is a unique gift and, with time and
mistakes, we learn the best way to love one another. Often the people we
love the most are the ones we make the most mistakes with in our relationships
and yet, through those mistakes, we learn unique aspects of one another that
often help us love them even more, especially the realization that they keep
loving us even in our “humanness”. Yes mistakes are a part of humanity
and, in the end, they often help us as we grow in comfort with ourselves and
others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is a fair amount of research that teaches us that we
learn more about things for which we initially make incorrect predictions than
for things for which our initial predictions are correct. The element of
surprise in discovering we are wrong is conducive to learning. The research
of Professor Andy Wills of the University of Exeter takes this research a step
further and established just how quickly the brain works to help us avoid
repeating errors. By monitoring activity in the brain as it occurs, he and
his colleagues were able to identify the moment at which this mechanism
kicks in. Monitoring individuals with electrophysiological recording
by 58 electrodes placed on their scalp in computer simulations, the
researchers identified activity in the lower temporal region of the brain,
the area closest to the temples. This activity occurred almost immediately
after the person was presented with the visual object that had previously made
them make an error, and before there was time for conscious consideration.
How amazing is that? So, with Neil Gaiman I hope that, in this year to
come, you make mistakes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">(Source: </span><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070702084247.htm"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070702084247.htm</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">If you like this blog please visit the blog
area on our Franciscan Spiritual Center website. I make many more entries
at that site. May your New Year be filled with peace and joy!</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
</div>
<div align="center" style="line-height: 18pt; text-align: center;">
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-24216124309433992342013-10-03T14:27:00.004-04:002013-10-03T14:29:24.315-04:00Pope Francis in Assisi for the Feast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxo0tO8O4O0sRfnh5a_dh9YbwGcrTyJ_rGH_4arD6MhSepGGyP_MLjVpA8y4eAe804Isbko87qRIj-sNa4Eq151RDeKSlriUB8LdcUwPVk9dZqllwdBPMBM2iRXm-M25mpYLvzEGnbA3x3/s1600/Pope+Francis+and+St+Francis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxo0tO8O4O0sRfnh5a_dh9YbwGcrTyJ_rGH_4arD6MhSepGGyP_MLjVpA8y4eAe804Isbko87qRIj-sNa4Eq151RDeKSlriUB8LdcUwPVk9dZqllwdBPMBM2iRXm-M25mpYLvzEGnbA3x3/s320/Pope+Francis+and+St+Francis.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Tomorrow on the feast of St. Francis of <st1:city>Assisi</st1:city>,
Pope Francis will be in <st1:city>Assisi</st1:city> for
the day. I’m rather excited about that prospect. His day is filled
with visits to the poor, the ill, and the marginalized. I imagine that
even the walls in <st1:city>Assisi</st1:city> will be
speaking to our Pope about Francis of Assisi.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Bishop of Assisi sent Pope Francis a letter shortly
after he was elected reminding him that he lives where Francis undressed
before his speechless father, in order to free himself entirely for God
and for his brothers. As the day got closer, the Bishop took the liberty
to say to Pope Francis: “So Father, it would be great if among your many other
commitments …, you came here [to the room in the Bishop’s residence where
Francis undressed] at least to say the Our Father, as Francis did 800 years
ago.” The Pope’s response was: “The Our Father? But I want to talk about
how the Church should undress and somehow repeat that gesture Francis made and
the values inherent in this gesture.” (Source: <st1:place>Vatican</st1:place>
Insider, <st1:date day="2" month="10" year="2013">October 2, 2013</st1:date>)</div>
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<br /></div>
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My heart is filled with expectation. I think our
beloved Pope will absorb much of Francis’ spirit in this small little
town. St. Francis will be overjoyed at his namesake. St. Francis
revered Popes even in his day when they weren’t exactly the compassionate
witness that our Pope is, so imagine his excitement at having Pope Francis in
his home town. Francis would invite him to follow the same voice that he
received before the San Damiano Cross inviting him to “rebuild my Church.”
Indeed Pope Francis’ desire to have a Church for the poor, the marginalized,
and those who have no voice will be exactly what Francis had in mind.
Indeed Pope Francis' own words indicate that he and Francis have a common
heart: ”I see clearly that the thing the church needs most today is the
ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs
nearness, proximity,” he said. Like Francis of Assisi, our Pope
realizes that the Church is not the buildings or the Roman curia or its hierarchical
structure but it is the “people of God” alive and struggling each day. We
have a Pope who, like Francis, chooses to be “brother” to us all because he is
a Pope in tune with the extravagant love of God! May God bless him and
bring him deep peace and joy so that he can be an instrument of peace in this
troubled world.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-88246644696744020422013-10-01T10:29:00.000-04:002013-10-01T10:29:12.455-04:00The Simple Way of the Little Flower<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOyWbNkeX2bLX99vy7Tl-F6j7QTlEkS2zh-zpe9aJZ_Y1s_9aLZoUxgygJdfqeykSPK78vCAcZh2aT7LBZ_9m-V4bhp8Mdz7XOLjqnPLVyqP4LQcsIe2Y_0OHRw-M2dezKoVN59XfVev1/s1600/st_therese_of_lisieux.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOyWbNkeX2bLX99vy7Tl-F6j7QTlEkS2zh-zpe9aJZ_Y1s_9aLZoUxgygJdfqeykSPK78vCAcZh2aT7LBZ_9m-V4bhp8Mdz7XOLjqnPLVyqP4LQcsIe2Y_0OHRw-M2dezKoVN59XfVev1/s320/st_therese_of_lisieux.jpg" width="264" /></a></div>
<h2>
St. Therese of Lisieux</h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> </o:p>I’ve always been fascinated
by St. Therese of Lisieux. I think the
fascination comes from the fact that she did very little and yet ended up being
canonized. When I was a young religious
I thought she was a bit too flowery and pious for me but as I age I have become
awed by her simplicity and her determination.
She entered religious life at the age of 14 over the protest of everyone
and died at the age of 24. She never
founded a religious congregation, never became a great missionary, never did
any great work and the only book she had published was her own personal journal
which was published after her death with intense editing by her sister as <u>The
Story of a Soul.</u> </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Therese lost her mother when she was only 4 years old and
her older sister filled in but then entered the Carmelites five years later
leaving Therese alone again. She felt
abandoned as many motherless children do.
Therese was, by her own admission and the recollection of everyone else,
a spoiled child who was overly sensitive, desperately in need of affection and affirmation
of every sort, and unable to contain her emotions. She never denied these weaknesses but used
them as a way to understand herself and the depths God’s love despite these weaknesses. She had a great affection for St. Mary
Magdalene who she perceived as also having difficulty holding and expressing
her emotions. But what she knew was that
Jesus loved Mary Magdalene and that Mary was transformed by that love and so
she was determined to be equally as transformed by God’s love. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Therese recognized God’s infinite love and compassion for
each of us and identified this as her “simple way” of becoming a saint. Brother Joseph Schmidt tells us, in his book
(2012) <u>Walking the Little Way of Therese of Lisieux: Discovering the Path of Love</u>, that Therese believed that “mercy and
compassion, not perfectionism, was the Gospel call to holiness and that, for
her, to love God was to receive God’s love into her heart.” Despite her self doubts, she knew beyond any
question that she was loved by God and knew also that her calling was to love
others and help them to recognize the love of God. In the ordinary everyday tasks and annoyances of life she could remember that love and share it with others.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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And so, on this feast day of a young woman who recognized
God’s love despite her weaknesses, I choose, with all of you, to live this “simple
way” of love and compassion. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-13391907502685235042013-08-05T16:11:00.001-04:002013-08-05T16:11:32.338-04:00Feeling One as I sit among the trees<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAIfNlu7hQyFYjbnk5rE25NPI0iWFQamRqEUK8P2_BHvWeGTW6ifBrfsGLYKm6SzIexVBakuzjEsaGYQAOSt9l9foscujIjbh42f2R62YvBQdn7INoYzkPvcLrNfc8LQjwJFvJi62OScjB/s1600/muir+quote+on+connectiveness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAIfNlu7hQyFYjbnk5rE25NPI0iWFQamRqEUK8P2_BHvWeGTW6ifBrfsGLYKm6SzIexVBakuzjEsaGYQAOSt9l9foscujIjbh42f2R62YvBQdn7INoYzkPvcLrNfc8LQjwJFvJi62OScjB/s400/muir+quote+on+connectiveness.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
A gorgeous day</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
to sit with the trees</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
bathe ourselves in
the beauty of </div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
fresh air, warm sun, crisp
bright colors,</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
and deep inner peace.</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Letting ourselves
feel the oneness</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
of all we are and all
we hope to be.</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
All around me is
beauty,</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
the frightful tension
of </div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
my “shoulds” and “oughts”</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
disappeared </div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
and in its place
nothing but</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
here and now</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
alive, warm, and
holding me in stillness.</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
The blueness of the
sky,</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
the sound of flowing
water</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
flowers showing me
their face</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
in the most surprising
space.</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
I look up and
remember the night sky</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
knowing there is a
vastness of otherness above,</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
before and within me is
one</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
I sit, feeling whole
and healed and wonder:</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
“why don’t I do this
more often?”</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
and the answer within</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
is frightful and hard
for me to even acknowledge.</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
“I’m just too busy”, I say</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
and another voice
deeper within says:</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
“or are you just too
afraid you’ll lose control</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
as a simple thread in
this web of life?”</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
As I walk inside,</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
I feel the trees look,
but they say nothing,</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
The stale air of my
office welcomes me</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
and a silent whimper
in my heart </div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
makes me feel cold
and cracked like ice.</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
I look out the window
and promise my heart:</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
“tomorrow we’ll go
and sit with them again.”</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">(Julia Keegan, OSF)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-268139864622858782013-08-02T15:36:00.001-04:002013-08-02T15:36:28.871-04:00Portiuncula: Francis' first response to "Rebuild My Church"<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2CKNX-hvPGJGl3-SYpxTuIuzjSuNDfzfv5R2B4rpxPWf6VXPmivlePKXk8mukDSGzX8FPVl_R78Ezm5xFnCosaXJ_xjjj2ccNKjGNllfM7PJ-XsPr5z7AUI-beF0NDYn2BNbtb27bFIvI/s1600/st-francis-of-assisi-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2CKNX-hvPGJGl3-SYpxTuIuzjSuNDfzfv5R2B4rpxPWf6VXPmivlePKXk8mukDSGzX8FPVl_R78Ezm5xFnCosaXJ_xjjj2ccNKjGNllfM7PJ-XsPr5z7AUI-beF0NDYn2BNbtb27bFIvI/s1600/st-francis-of-assisi-1.jpg" /></a></div>
Today is the feast of the Portiuncula. It is a special day for Franciscans
throughout the world as we celebrate the presence of a very small Church in <st1:city>Assisi</st1:city>
which St. Francis made famous. St.
Francis had an experience where he believed the icon of the crucified Christ in
San Damiano spoke to him telling him to “Rebuild my Church”. Francis had often prayed in a very small,
abandoned and broken down Church in a wood of oak trees. Francis took the message quite literally and,
carrying stones from <st1:place><st1:placetype>Mount</st1:placetype> <st1:placename>Sabasio</st1:placename></st1:place>,
began to rebuild by hand this little Church named St. Mary of Angels. Francis referred to this portion of land as
the Portiuncula. Eventually he came to
understand that the Church Christ was calling him to rebuild was really the
“people of God”.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Even with his growing awareness of what the message from the
cruicified Christ really meant, Francis <st1:street>Sacred Place</st1:street>. After Francis’s death as the masses came to
visit <st1:city>Assisi</st1:city> this little Church was
sacred and fragile and too small to accommodate tourists and so the Friars
built a basilica to house the portiuncula<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifeJgqLx4D_TkIpbC2kWs5TMvHC7MsS1dXQdz8N2kHuuI2pmQht6Oc0Sh9aUPe7Bkb9FxZ8qRq0_ciPV7_P_v6kUnGR5ilHLaOqLq6aY8LSOjKjkc89RQ9FMrxzmIXW6bW0UK2GTsOwP2o/s1600/Portiuncula+within+OLA+basilica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifeJgqLx4D_TkIpbC2kWs5TMvHC7MsS1dXQdz8N2kHuuI2pmQht6Oc0Sh9aUPe7Bkb9FxZ8qRq0_ciPV7_P_v6kUnGR5ilHLaOqLq6aY8LSOjKjkc89RQ9FMrxzmIXW6bW0UK2GTsOwP2o/s200/Portiuncula+within+OLA+basilica.jpg" width="149" /></a></div>
continued to love this little Church
and made it a physical and central focus for the Franciscan order. He slept only feet from the Church and when
the Friars had their Chapters it was always at the Portiuncula that they would
gather. When he was dying he asked to be
carried to this </div>
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<br /></div>
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Some biographers of Francis repeat a legend that as
Francis prayed in this chapel for the
people of Assisi, Jesus and Mary asked
him what he wanted for them and he asked the Lord to grant a full pardon of
sins to all who came to visit the church of Portiuncula (from vespers on August
1 to sundown on August 2) and Jesus nodded to him. The outside fresco on the front of the Portiuncula
by Johann Friedrich Overbeck depicts this event of Jesus and Mary granting to
Francis the "Pardon of Asssi".
At the base of this fresco there is a small rectangular fresco with the
Latin words <i>Haec est porta vitae aeternae</i>
("This is the gate to eternal life").
That was Francis desire for all who entered that little Church and his
desire for all "the people of God" who were the Church he was called
to rebuild. It is said Francis
immediately went to the Pope with the same request; he recognized the
significance of hierarchical approval.
Plenary Indulgences were very rare in
those days and certainly not for just visiting a little chapel but the
Pope said YES. Since the Portiuncula is
far to travel, for most of God's people,
over the years, various Popes have extended the indulgence to any <st1:place><st1:placename>Franciscan</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>Church</st1:placetype></st1:place> or Chapel. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUnbw2IL23Fb9u7d_sEczBICAqN_vgWE8tT87dPxNZBNvPTeUOdkEnROTFBgK5VW6_NPcXTjvgSbix1mR61sSKdsx7HesXkwmR8wsmOx8aleegMzmwx3Nt6LFVCFC_w4fYnNP_OOFXPOcU/s1600/Portituncula+insides.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUnbw2IL23Fb9u7d_sEczBICAqN_vgWE8tT87dPxNZBNvPTeUOdkEnROTFBgK5VW6_NPcXTjvgSbix1mR61sSKdsx7HesXkwmR8wsmOx8aleegMzmwx3Nt6LFVCFC_w4fYnNP_OOFXPOcU/s320/Portituncula+insides.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
When you go to <st1:city>Assisi</st1:city>
and enter this little portion of sacred land and sit within the old chapel walls
even the dirt speaks to you, you can truly feel the presence of Francis. As you recognize that these stones are the
very same ones that Francis placed to firm up the structure you have an
experience of the sacredness of place.
Joseph Campbell tells us "your sacred space is where you can find
yourself time and again." Trust me
I don't get there "time and again" but my heart goes there frequently
because it somehow felt like "home" to me. We have to sit still and let Sacred Places
tell us their secrets. The walls of the
Portiuncula have a lot to say. I clearly
have a Franciscan bias but it is truly holy ground. <st1:city>Assisi</st1:city>
on October 4th; I wonder what the walls of the Portiuncula will say to
him! <o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvGhQ91mygdYMJt4XbfFaOTqzG-PLX9xGXAWCT3vXGutR-whQJCdyF42YUnSyzYDw3L-UXYIsaBelTiHQMMsPkLLVy3Mg3Dz4y4AWzDMTt8JGRhyTZHLqIFa45hASiqIlPVRG3IgQ8TZE/s1600/Pope-Francis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvGhQ91mygdYMJt4XbfFaOTqzG-PLX9xGXAWCT3vXGutR-whQJCdyF42YUnSyzYDw3L-UXYIsaBelTiHQMMsPkLLVy3Mg3Dz4y4AWzDMTt8JGRhyTZHLqIFa45hASiqIlPVRG3IgQ8TZE/s200/Pope-Francis.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
And as I ponder my experience of sitting in
that little chapel years ago I can’t help but believe that our new Pope, the
Francis of our day, has surely received the same message of our brother,
Francis of Assisi, to “rebuild my Church”.
There is no question that he has internalized the awareness of Francis
of Assisi and desires to rebuild “the people of God.” Pope Francis plans to visit </div>
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Pope Francis is a Pope of the People who has an
unquestionable bias to those who are most weak and vulnerable. He calls each of us to examine our lives so
that we can live as authentically as Francis of Assisi and this present man who
has taken Francis as his patron. May he
continue the ardent journey of rebuilding our Church and may we as loyal
Franciscans and as the People of God join him daily in that venture.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-6313032331967453132013-07-31T15:46:00.001-04:002013-07-31T15:46:22.681-04:00Tempest Fugit -- Where did July go?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxq7XmZhSFugW7yUeb8SmV_q9S2nsjYKvmOidHircNmC31t8Dc9P2tcrEFp9W7O5XR6GKGsF6fe52BewZpFjyKYyACNytQpbcjybb75kzd_ClPgcM0OwjCCH0NnKesRSl5o12bI8gKjY3A/s1600/Time+flies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxq7XmZhSFugW7yUeb8SmV_q9S2nsjYKvmOidHircNmC31t8Dc9P2tcrEFp9W7O5XR6GKGsF6fe52BewZpFjyKYyACNytQpbcjybb75kzd_ClPgcM0OwjCCH0NnKesRSl5o12bI8gKjY3A/s200/Time+flies.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Tempest Fugit! July
has come and gone and here we are ready to move to August – where does the time
go? And apologies are in order since I
haven’t written a blog for the whole month.</div>
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At the <st1:place><st1:placename>Franciscan</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Spiritual</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>Center</st1:placetype></st1:place> July is our Mini-Sabbath
Program. It is always an absolute
delight. Brother Michael Laratonda
directs it using music, poetry, films, story telling, workshops, reflection,
and Spiritual Guides; all touch deeply the hearts of our participated and allow
them to enter more fully into a living the Incarnation, allowing both one’s humanity
and divinity to unfold. </div>
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Don’t take our word for it though, here are some of the
comments from our participants:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QOXgZHF5BWqjfvNC8oM8BczALhZRyMtzyXfRjiYdRYkwCNO8kww-yh3UDi_Ny_bMUIwmjJOr-rIhK9lGRTyApYoU4ZTwWnCeUWZcwWTpydGZ7kP24I2KJFUVDXDTvfc393MgqCu-d9Uq/s1600/P1050600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QOXgZHF5BWqjfvNC8oM8BczALhZRyMtzyXfRjiYdRYkwCNO8kww-yh3UDi_Ny_bMUIwmjJOr-rIhK9lGRTyApYoU4ZTwWnCeUWZcwWTpydGZ7kP24I2KJFUVDXDTvfc393MgqCu-d9Uq/s400/P1050600.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">What
was most helpful was the permission and strong encouragement to address
the “shadow” side of my life and to go deeper into one’s life to become “truly”
whole.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Everyone
here, Sisters, presenters, gardeners, housekeeping were welcoming and
seemed glad we were there!</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Gentle,
tender and sensitive presentations and prayer services enhanced my
journey.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Sr.
Angela mirrored Franciscan hospitality in her selfless service during our
mini-sabbath spiritual journey.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">A
beautiful spirit of community developed among those of us who participated
in the mini-sabbath program and we truly enjoyed our time together.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">As an
artist you can imagine my delight at being given full unrestricted access
to their fully stocked, organized art room. Talk about a kid in a candy store.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Closing
was very impressive, writing our letter that we will receive 3 or 4 months
from now – And God’s letter to me.</li>
</ul>
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If this appeals to you consider registering for the our
Mini-Sabbath next Summer – the dates are <st1:date day="6" month="7" year="2014">July
6 to 27, 2014</st1:date> and here is a link for description and registration: <a href="http://fscaston.org/events/minisabbath-living-the-incarnation-the-call-to-humanity-and-divinity/" target="_blank">Mini-Sabbath 2014</a></div>
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And what about me, how do I account for my whereabouts in
the month of July? – Well I had the privilege of being in <st1:place><st1:city>Colorado
Springs</st1:city>, <st1:state>CO</st1:state></st1:place> at the <st1:place><st1:placename>Mercy</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>Center</st1:placetype></st1:place> learning how to be a
Spiritual Director. It was a nourishing
experience for me despite the fact that they worked us to the bones. I learned a great deal about movement and
countermovement, consolation and desolation, boundaries and ethics, about the
Myers Briggs and the Enneagram and how they can be great tools for growing and
helping others grow in their spirituality and prayer life. I learned about dreams and mandalas,
communication skills and lots more but what touched me the most was what I
thought would touch me the least, i.e. Teresa of Avila. I was amazed at her <st1:place><st1:placename>Inner</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>Mansion</st1:placetype></st1:place> and the journey we take to
come to know ourselves, to heal our brokenness, and to allow ourselves to move
with God’s grace into a unity that transforms our hearts. In the presentation her spirituality was
framed in a Jungian Perspective that made all the difference in the world to
me. Now I keep finding material to read
to enrich that experience even more. </div>
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Well at any rate I promise to be more faithful in August and
the coming months. I have no trips
planned in the future so the website has my full attention. Peace and all good things to you. Our prayer is that your July was our joyful
and peaceful as ours. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-90045214994715966932013-06-21T14:07:00.003-04:002013-06-24T09:22:20.059-04:00How the Compost Pile of our Humanity Transforms US<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNPieABvLL7ndP6J5TSqzOXFUjfKN5C5aKE0MsYewCLB_N996bBG6De1-6dGlmNEmQ5rP_Ae0IvnE_JIxx8uEeNIfKzlBVdrFQNASnlMyYsQvXTKbXhAb87sw09LrCPUalWTvGI9gAsBp/s1600/compost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNPieABvLL7ndP6J5TSqzOXFUjfKN5C5aKE0MsYewCLB_N996bBG6De1-6dGlmNEmQ5rP_Ae0IvnE_JIxx8uEeNIfKzlBVdrFQNASnlMyYsQvXTKbXhAb87sw09LrCPUalWTvGI9gAsBp/s320/compost.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I had a good retreat this year but the end of it was filled
with my humanness in all of its glory – jealousy, clinging, not staying in the
present moment because of the grief of having to leave my favorite place on
earth yet another time. When I returned
home I sent my retreat director an email telling her I had learned a lot about
myself in those last few days and apologizing for my bad behavior. Her reply touched me deeply, she said: <b><i>“Isn’t it wonderful that the compost of your
self was turned, allowing the breaking-down-into-nutrients process to carry on.”</i></b>
I have been pondering that statement
ever since. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGPtmftC6vSCp7u6QSbztdtvv5q8sjVOYQzal7WICbUo1Ql_km9IrZ4ftljYSfAqOO_aoFXRzpMPWxFotfTLc702isL_ffycYZEgi7bFh12EBxorZlPow4SCpry6OQZQX1CDpxaTxDhml/s1600/compost12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGPtmftC6vSCp7u6QSbztdtvv5q8sjVOYQzal7WICbUo1Ql_km9IrZ4ftljYSfAqOO_aoFXRzpMPWxFotfTLc702isL_ffycYZEgi7bFh12EBxorZlPow4SCpry6OQZQX1CDpxaTxDhml/s200/compost12.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Believe me I’m not all that familiar with compost piles but
I surely caught the idea clearly. Composting is a process of regeneration, renewal, and resurrection. We take the organic scraps from our table
like apple cores, banana peels, coffee grounds, egg shells, etc. and we add to
them the organic scraps of the earth like grass trimmings, dead flowers, and leaves
that fall from the trees and then we just let them sit. With time microorganisms break things down and
worms transform what remains. The
seasons turn, alternately warming and cooling, wetting and drying and then miraculously
we have a pile of moist, nutrient rich soil to spread on our newly planted
vegetables which will grow with the aid of the sun and water, minerals from the
earth, the pollination of bees and the soil loosening of earthworms and <i>Voila --</i> the cycle begins all over again -- Life begets life! How amazing this regenerating life that God has given us! </div>
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What happens with the earth can also happen within me. In composting, it’s the scraps we throw away,
the stuff that has rotted, the stuff with bad spots, we give it air and time
and end up with amazing soil. Within us
there are also those areas that we are ashamed of, those areas where our anger
flares or our bruised ego cries in unbecoming ways. If I’m willing to look at the scraps within me
of jealousy or insecurity or impatience or downright meanness in a
compassionate way then, with time, something amazing can also happen – a regeneration,
a renewal, a resurrection. </div>
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All of those mysterious times when we seem stuck or lost
(pain, remorse, regret, guilt), we’re meant to just gently turn the pile over. Into this smelly pile of our brokenness, we
work in a bit of self-compassion and forgiveness and lots of God’s grace. Next, with a little loving attention, we carefully
pick out the stones and debris of our life that no longer serve us well and say
goodbye to them. And then we simply wait
each day in the stillness of our prayer for the miracle of God’s grace. </div>
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When we are emotionally,
creatively, or spiritually stuck, we need not ask more of ourselves then nature
asks herself. Often we expect way too
much of ourselves. Sometime we see only
the negative within us. We spend all of
our time looking at the compost pile rather than the fragrant flower or
luscious fruit that is waiting to grow within us. But nothing grows when our days are spent
guarding the compost pile, defending it, covering it up to make our lives look
larger than life itself. I learned once
that our greatest weakness is also our greatest strength. Maybe this is the paradox that we live. Without the nutrients of our humanity, the
soil of our lives, of our personalities, will remain arid. Gardening is full of grunting, sweat, dirt
and sometimes holding your nose.
Composting demonstrates to us the powers of birth, death and
regeneration at an earthly level. We have
to choose to believe that it can do the same with the weakest elements of our
personality. It’s a slow process this finding the garbage of our lives and
seeing the value in “composting” it.—breaking-down-into nutrients” but alas it
is what births new life within us.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-53059988357826153692013-06-11T10:57:00.004-04:002013-06-11T11:04:02.408-04:00Can we become the music? Is it mysticism? Ask our Jubilarians?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4lJpc0lSJJKT-Zjm3ztSajruuyUQ31CxHZz6NOU2Jb_LLXzgjObFAdFtxfKvQe2TkLbu47QtkHbO9Cw11nfWHIt8enXDhPg53eDh-XiH09FQM-FWp-GfKItV-bMhReuBD3hmSwp7OFoh/s1600/become+the+music.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4lJpc0lSJJKT-Zjm3ztSajruuyUQ31CxHZz6NOU2Jb_LLXzgjObFAdFtxfKvQe2TkLbu47QtkHbO9Cw11nfWHIt8enXDhPg53eDh-XiH09FQM-FWp-GfKItV-bMhReuBD3hmSwp7OFoh/s320/become+the+music.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Thomas Merton defines mysticism as an experience with
God beyond words. Many have been
touched deeply by God when we listen to some piece of classical music or
perhaps had a spiritual experience when listening to the melody of a good
song. Perhaps
there are times when each of us experience music without ever hearing a sound
and we are touched deeply. It often
comes from another’s life or some profound moment in our own, a moment when God
reveals Godself. It is when we are
deeply immersed in the music of life that we become the music. God and I make music all the time. How about you?</div>
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Merton tells us “…the deepest level of communication is not
communication, but communion. It is
wordless! It is beyond words, and it is
beyond speech, and it is beyond concept.” (“Thomas Merton’s View of
Monasticism,” a talk delivered at <st1:city>Calcutta</st1:city>,
October 1978,) Many have had such an
experience when we spend a quiet afternoon with a friend saying virtually
nothing but being so at peace and at one
with one another that we know “communion. ” The same often happens on a quiet day alone
with God perhaps enjoying nature together.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When I was on sabbatical (at Cedars of Peace in <st1:place><st1:city>Nerinx</st1:city>,
<st1:state>KY</st1:state></st1:place>) my hermitage was called “Namaste” and there
was a sign in my hermitage explaining the term Namaste. It read:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>I honor that place in you, where the entire universe resides. I honor
that place in you, of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honor that place
with you where, when you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in
me, there is only one of us.<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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The word Namaste is often
used as a greeting in the Hindu or Buddhist tradition. When spoken to another person, it is commonly
accompanied by a slight bow made with hands folded in prayer. This gesture is
often made wordlessly and carries the same meaning. Namaste is a form of music living within us, music in which a reverent dance honoring another
flows freely. When we use it, we are
recognizing in the sacredness of one another, that place where the divine
dwells within each of us. The gesture
alone is like sweet centering music without any sound. In it we become the music. I had a Namaste experience this weekend.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The music of Namaste was everywhere this weekend. Our congregation’s Jubilarians spent the
weekend in the <st1:place><st1:placename>Spiritual</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Center</st1:placetype></st1:place>
amid a great deal of celebrating and sharing. It was a time of pure joy in every possible
way, celebrating those among us who for seventy-five, seventy or fifty years of
professed religious life have lived the music of their lives and sung it
beautifully to each of us and to all who they have served and all who have
touched their lives. They offered many surprises to us as
well. On Saturday they spent a
significant amount of time with our retired sisters at Assisi House thanking
them for being their role models and mentors and friends who brought them to
this day. At a magnificent liturgy on
Sunday morning amid the most joyful music imaginable the jubilarians entered
with dance and celebrated with praise to our God who is always loving us
extravagantly. They thanked the
congregation for all that they have been for them and asked pardon for any way
in which they were not fully present to anyone of us. </div>
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It was a powerful way to begin their renewal of vows. And in a tradition that is still alive in our
congregation they sang the Benedicam Domine thanking our all good God for such extravagant
love. Throughout the liturgy the joy was
in no way restrained. It was contagious
and on the way out of chapel they surprised us as each one pulled out a silver
streamer and began their movement down the aisle or one might say their dance down
the aisle. Trust me THEY WERE THE MUSIC – if no
instruments were playing or no voices singing – their lives and their joy would
have been enough.</div>
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Those of you who have been around the <st1:place><st1:placename>Spiritual</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>Center</st1:placetype></st1:place> for some time may know one
of our Jubilarians quite well. Sr. Marie Angela Presenza, our program coordinator,
celebrated 50 years as a professed
Sister of St. Francis. Here is a picture to just give you an inkling of
the joy in her heart. Sr. Bernadette McKinniry, RSM, a former Board
Member of the <st1:place><st1:placename>Franciscan</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Spiritual</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>Center</st1:placetype></st1:place> joined her for the
celebration as did many of her cherished friends in community:<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn72dy3saAyUx6771iYMt7kS9aRnzjZuYve6u5slUgKM11UOMoyFWzBrO4TZt7o94QgSkWSgvPx9Eh0UKab1pSe0ZgARovFwuMSV5uGqLMWdpO7PUw3L5NCwznNFU1hpE-NfECwQ1JbaYD/s1600/Angela+and+Bern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn72dy3saAyUx6771iYMt7kS9aRnzjZuYve6u5slUgKM11UOMoyFWzBrO4TZt7o94QgSkWSgvPx9Eh0UKab1pSe0ZgARovFwuMSV5uGqLMWdpO7PUw3L5NCwznNFU1hpE-NfECwQ1JbaYD/s320/Angela+and+Bern.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The weekend was filled with song, dance, and a deep level of
sharing God's love. It was clear that here in the joy of the moment we
were each the music we heard in the sound of one another's joy and in the
memory of each jubilarian's journey.
Namaste!<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-89684942214517503702013-06-04T13:26:00.001-04:002013-06-04T13:30:53.955-04:00Learning to be at home....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-UlWRlE8M2natfprf1yiCR07HWqYatae-BhfKJbN8R2fe5YMLVnJyGjclIHme4U59QIuaHbcV6baF9ZQ_u_Hi7Oy8AvNxYtnZgy9JQZq6IoCIL2brBZiQjgHd7ROEYAeVRVe4ZeTsHq8/s1600/wendell+berry+journey+within.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-UlWRlE8M2natfprf1yiCR07HWqYatae-BhfKJbN8R2fe5YMLVnJyGjclIHme4U59QIuaHbcV6baF9ZQ_u_Hi7Oy8AvNxYtnZgy9JQZq6IoCIL2brBZiQjgHd7ROEYAeVRVe4ZeTsHq8/s320/wendell+berry+journey+within.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Wendell Berry, in <u>The Unforeseen Wilderness</u>, tells us
<i>the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but
only by a spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling
and joyful by which we arrive at the ground of our feet, and learn to be at home</i>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I stumble through the spiritual journey of life inch by
inch I have begun to ask myself if home is a place or a feeling. As a
feeling, home could include being safe, comfortable, joyful, peaceful and accepted as we are. These feelings are not something you
find outside of yourself, they are something
you bring with you wherever you go, so perhaps home is an attitude we have
within ourselves. Home is wherever we are, or as <st1:state>Berry</st1:state>
says "at the ground of our feet", the place where we learn to be comfortable
with ourselves. It takes a long time for
us to get there and notice that we are at home.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Home is a place inside of ourselves where we’re brave enough
to bring our insecurities, our quirks, our
fears, and our strengths and feel comfortable with them. Sometime we walk past home because we’re
going too fast and don’t take the time to notice where we are. Other times, we take the time to notice that
we are home and that alone transforms our day.
I was on retreat last week and I noticed
that I was AT HOME but as the time came to an end there was a deep sadness
about having to leave home. Although I believe home is in my heart there
are the people who help us feel most accepting of ourselves. They enhance our awareness of being AT HOME,
leaving them sometime feels like leaving home.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We often think of home as where we come from, or the place
we know best, or the people we love most, where we stay each night or perhaps where
we long to be. Home may be all of this or none of this. But we all know home is important and we
recognize it when we feel it. There is a
longing in our hearts to be AT HOME. Home
can be a mixed bag for many of us and for some , where there is domestic
violence, home is a dangerous and unsettling place. Yet, even in those situations, the human
spirit finds a way to create a safe haven within our hearts, a place that
becomes like home. Our dreams and fantasies
of home may give us direction and calm our anxieties as we continually look for
ways of satisfying our longing for home.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If we are blessed enough, home is also a place where those
we love and those who love us wait for us and, as we come home to them, we are
nourished and our life becomes fuller and warmer and more tender then we could
ask or imagine. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our greatest gift and our greatest challenge is to be at
home within ourselves but also to make for others a dwelling place where they
are comfortable and “at home”. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Welcome yourself home!
But also let your spirit look at others and whisper in their ear –
Welcome home my friend, welcome home!<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<i>Visit our website: www.fscaston.org and checking out our blog and our online spirituality sections.</i></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-33740329066630551312013-05-31T18:22:00.001-04:002013-05-31T18:22:49.294-04:00In Eucharist We Meet A God Who Wants To Touch Us<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgicT2FixdLIDqewAfXAO1G2fFyNEiflCxBYULfpZnHuvX1XNAdG7-oL4zUFVYNQY4EhVmuVaL83UAyKJNKEAfG3VQHZA3ckmGwwVo8zsWIbXus8nWYxiJewnNy2CEcthcANI2iV_Dln2F4/s1600/Eucharist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgicT2FixdLIDqewAfXAO1G2fFyNEiflCxBYULfpZnHuvX1XNAdG7-oL4zUFVYNQY4EhVmuVaL83UAyKJNKEAfG3VQHZA3ckmGwwVo8zsWIbXus8nWYxiJewnNy2CEcthcANI2iV_Dln2F4/s1600/Eucharist.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although Christ is present in in Scripture, in prayer,
symbols, and rituals, Ron Rolheiser tells us Christ is most present in
the Eucharist -- a presence we can touch and feel, a presence that lives within
our body. In an article in the <a href="http://archive.catholicherald.co.uk/article/9th-july-1993/10/ronald-rolheiser-the-eucharist-as-physical-touch" title="Catholic Herald">Catholic Herald</a>, Rolheiser reminds us that
"in the Eucharist, Christ touches us, intimately, physically, sensually,
carnally. Euchharist is physical, not spiritual: its embrace real,
as physical as the incarnation itself. "</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Similarly in a <a href="http://liturgy.slu.edu/19OrdB081212/reflections_rolheiser.html">reflection
on the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time</a> at <st1:place><st1:placename>St.
Louis</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>University</st1:placetype></st1:place>,
Rolheiser tells a beautiful story about Brenda Person who wrote a book of
essays entitled, Nature and Other Mothers. Her first essay in the
book is entitled "In Praise of Skin", she tells about a skin
condition which was not being cured by multiple visits to numerous physicians.
One day her grandmother saw the rash and told her immediately that her
"Skin needs to be touched" and began to give her regular skin
massages and, of course, Brenda was healed of her condition." Rolheiser
says "God knows that better than anyone. It's why Jesus gave us the
Eucharist. In the Eucharist skin gets touched. The Eucharist
isn't abstract, a theological instruction, a creed a moral precept,
a philosophy, or even just an intimate word. It's bodily, an embrace, a
kiss, something shockingly physical, the real presence in a deeper
way than even the old metaphysics imagined. ..Skin heals when touched--that's
why there's a Eucharist. " <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Is that perhaps why it is so much more fulfilling for us to
receive Eucharist in our hand rather than our tongue. The sensual
experience of holding the body and blood of our God makes God's presence real
in our lives. It calls us to a tenderness that knows deep within our God
desires to be one with us in every way possible.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a book published after Nouwen's death
entitled Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the
Spirit (2010, Kindle Locations 1692-1697, HarperCollins. Kindle
Edition) Nouwen is even more forceful about God's desire to be fully present to
us in Eucharist. Henri Nouwen says "Jesus never
said: "Munch and sip" the bread and wine. He said,
"Eat me up, drink me empty, take it all in. Don't hold back. I
want you to become part of me. I don't want to be separate anymore.
I want to live within you, so that when you eat and drink, I disappear
because I am within you. I want to make my home in you, and invite you to
make your home in me."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Reading John 6:53-68 in the Message Translation (Copyright ©
1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/?action=getVersionInfo&vid=65">Eugene
H. Peterson</a>) the phrasing is rather explicit in Jesus' response to
those who questioned the concept of "Eating his Body and His Blood.
:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But Jesus didn’t give an inch. “Only insofar as you eat and
drink flesh and blood, the flesh and blood of the Son of Man, do you have life
within you. The one who brings a hearty appetite to this eating and
drinking has eternal life and will be fit and ready for the Final Day. My
flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. By eating my flesh and
drinking my blood you enter into me and I into you. In the same way that
the fully alive Father sent me here and I live because of him, so the one
who makes a meal of me lives because of me. This is the Bread from heaven. Your
ancestors ate bread and later died. Whoever eats this Bread will live always.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
How sad that we often grew up so focused on doctrine that we
failed to let our hearts and our bodies know deeply the GOOD NEWS of Eucharist.
May your heart be nourished by this beautiful sensual gift of God and May
you remember we have a God who wants to be present to us
"Skin-to-Skin". God certainly touches us through one another
but no time more closely than in this beautiful gift of Eucharist.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-21562834056326765942013-05-30T15:13:00.002-04:002013-05-30T15:25:38.728-04:00Be yourself, everyone else is already taken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5XQYEszzRervOgmvvuTUapoiBzBDOZHYQmkE1dvT8uE3Q525qsaMFhPQp5WafYHeT4ZuK_BbGI7-Wa2XcXP2htn7mrGjM7HqygVHjBWhJQsbm4XSZvGDa7IXS6qaIwP22eogtEukju2r/s1600/Be+yourself,+everyone+else+is+already+taken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5XQYEszzRervOgmvvuTUapoiBzBDOZHYQmkE1dvT8uE3Q525qsaMFhPQp5WafYHeT4ZuK_BbGI7-Wa2XcXP2htn7mrGjM7HqygVHjBWhJQsbm4XSZvGDa7IXS6qaIwP22eogtEukju2r/s320/Be+yourself,+everyone+else+is+already+taken.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div>
<div style="line-height: 14.25pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
I saw this Oscar Wilde quote and it made me realize how
often we try to be someone other than ourselves. We think everyone else
looks good in a bathing suit or everyone is funnier than we are, or perhaps
that people only love us because we have talents that they need. Many are
afraid to be themselves because they are afraid they wouldn't be
liked. Some, in their past, found love was conditional, given only
if we were good or didn’t cause any trouble. Some never felt good
enough because those they loved never affirmed them. And so we build a
wall around ourselves in order to protect ourselves. But the call for us
is to take the journey deep into ourselves and recognize the beauty that is
there. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here is a poem by Mary Oliver that helps me remember the
really journey of my life....Happy journeying!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Journey by
Mary Oliver<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One day you finally knew<br />
what you had to do, and began,<br />
though the voices around you<br />
kept shouting<br />
their bad advice-<br />
though the whole house<br />
began to tremble<br />
and you felt the old tug<br />
at your ankles.<br />
"Mend my life!"<br />
each voice cried.<br />
But you didn't stop.<br />
You knew what you had to do,<br />
though the wind pried<br />
with its stiff fingers<br />
at the very foundations, though their melancholy<br />
was terrible.<br />
It was already late<br />
enough, and a wild night,<br />
and the road full of fallen branches and stones.<br />
but little by little,<br />
as you left their voices behind,<br />
the stars began to burn<br />
through the sheets of clouds,<br />
and there was a new voice<br />
which you slowly<br />
recognized as your own,<br />
that kept you company<br />
as you strode deeper and deeper<br />
into the world,<br />
determined to do<br />
the only thing you could do-<br />
determined to save<br />
the only life you could save.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mary Oliver, Dream Work, Grove Atlantic Inc., 1986 & New
and Selected Poems, Beacon Press, 1992.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 14.25pt;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">You can also view this blog on our website: <a href="http://fscaston.org/category/blog/">http://fscaston.org/category/blog/</a></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Or look at some inspirational videos at <a href="http://fscaston.org/inspiration-powerpoint/" target="_blank">http://fscaston.org/inspiration-powerpoint/ </a>or perhaps preview some of our programs at <a href="http://fscaston.org/events/">http://fscaston.org/events/</a>.</span></i></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-11144961363154171112013-05-16T15:54:00.000-04:002013-05-16T15:54:50.168-04:00Gratitude<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8bSD3GAbuN4iS32dQuW02z_AfMyb53DBt-PnIVW0OXfcndHHIkcRkoH6x5I0jOYC6b58q33fZ9dUFeP3YVu2YlcFmqAKcDxY2KRuAEF8m6TemYxBjWENje5fVvtSGQcNn0Exc6c7Tbmqd/s1600/grateful+dog+remembesr+rescuer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8bSD3GAbuN4iS32dQuW02z_AfMyb53DBt-PnIVW0OXfcndHHIkcRkoH6x5I0jOYC6b58q33fZ9dUFeP3YVu2YlcFmqAKcDxY2KRuAEF8m6TemYxBjWENje5fVvtSGQcNn0Exc6c7Tbmqd/s1600/grateful+dog+remembesr+rescuer.jpg" /></a></div>
Today on YouTube I saw this picture and it speaks to me about gratitude. It was an adopted dog and his rescuer. The story really focused on the expression on the dog's face that clearly says it all but I also thought the expression on the woman's face also spoke about gratitude. <br />
<br />
It is always amazing to me how transforming gratitude is in my life and how very often it changes my perspective almost immediately. So today, I am praying that each of you have hearts filled with gratitude and friends who remind you often how grateful they are that you are in their lives. This dog perhaps reminds us to say thanks to our friends. <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” </span></span></i></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">― </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/233619.Marcel_Proust" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Marcel Proust</a></i></b></div>
</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-42403001572626061462013-05-10T10:14:00.001-04:002013-05-10T10:14:04.721-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLhel0rRywrpnJP4EDU-QcNdnkvmGRK23GpQoqP1qM7Fpv3UOh0xETMT7pL8i8lekYM-h6xOx1rDyNQq8DkbUxYsqqCKaO1nnJvfPubDod8o6oDkT5tPcj5Kz6zjuS_CyVsC9jhsgx2R7/s1600/Earth+Laughs+In+Flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLhel0rRywrpnJP4EDU-QcNdnkvmGRK23GpQoqP1qM7Fpv3UOh0xETMT7pL8i8lekYM-h6xOx1rDyNQq8DkbUxYsqqCKaO1nnJvfPubDod8o6oDkT5tPcj5Kz6zjuS_CyVsC9jhsgx2R7/s320/Earth+Laughs+In+Flowers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although Emerson's original poem (Hamatreya) mocks our
possessiveness of the earth this line tickles my heart to no end. Today
is a beautiful Spring Day with sunshine and flowers everywhere so it was easy
to reflect on the beauty all around. The flowers on the picture
were planted by our groundsmen in front of our motherhouse and whenever I walk
in and out of the door I smile and think "Earth laughs in flowers".
In Spring there are flowers everywhere so there are many laughs occurring
everywhere I look today. Yes, there is pain and loneliness but today in
this moment life gives me good things and I accept them with joy. May
good things be with you today and may your heart be able to laugh with the
earth as you look at the flowers which gift our Springtime.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Spring comes
without and within us<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Our eyes feast on
the beauty around</i><br />
<i>and smiles delight our hearts</i><br />
<i>with all the goodness we see.</i><br />
<i>It's hard to be sad in the spring time</i><br />
<i>because God hides in every seed</i><br />
<i>and peeks out when we least expect</i><br />
<i>to surprise us with color and beauty and love.</i><br />
<i>Take time to delight in beauty</i><br />
<i>because all that is without</i><br />
<i>is also within.</i><br />
<i>God hides in every seed</i><br />
<i>and that means even in you and me.</i><br />
<i>Let yourself blossom.</i><br />
<i>Take time to delight</i><br />
<i>and feast on the beauty</i><br />
<i>within and without.</i><br />
<i>Take time to laugh with the earth</i><br />
<i>but since you are of the earth</i><br />
<i>know also that</i><br />
<i>your heart laughs flowers too.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-10356406294990402302013-04-28T13:08:00.004-04:002013-04-28T13:08:45.249-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuXc-dpIwKNIgEOuqeTJzJKJk2qnfTdqP89n9NuiNsD8v_90QSHjlR1vdC9wNULw9t_5-jlamU2KV_c65fTqf-qsFSO5Iomfz-r6RHZzXh8O6Wnu7ewToi7Oecqxb0Z4BgtgKMthNhQSY/s1600/Mt+St+Joseph+resized+to+40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuXc-dpIwKNIgEOuqeTJzJKJk2qnfTdqP89n9NuiNsD8v_90QSHjlR1vdC9wNULw9t_5-jlamU2KV_c65fTqf-qsFSO5Iomfz-r6RHZzXh8O6Wnu7ewToi7Oecqxb0Z4BgtgKMthNhQSY/s320/Mt+St+Joseph+resized+to+40.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
As April ends I’m looking back at the month in awe of all
who have blessed us with their presence. We've had 8<sup>th</sup> grade
graduating retreats, high school graduation retreats, and and Faculty
retreats. We had a senior retreat (as in seasoned adults) which focused
on novelist E. M. Forster ‘s book Hope For The Flowers. In it
Foster says “ <i>We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting for me.” </i>Using the
paradigm of the metamorphosis of a butterfly, Sr. Clare D’Auria invited all,
during this Easter season, to reflect on our own aging process as the kind of
real diminishment that is also the necessary prelude to transformation into
Christ and the only way through which we can journey toward the true freedom
that is resurrected life. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had a Secular Franciscan Weekend Retreat on the
Franciscan Theological Tradition focusing fully on God’s Extravagant Love as
the fountain-fullness that overshadows all we do and all we are. While
this retreat was going on we also hosted a diocesan sponsored program for the
deaf community. The liturgy for that Sunday was prepared and executed by
the deaf community of the diocese of <st1:city>Philadelphia</st1:city>.
At that liturgy all of us understood in a very real way what it means to not
understand the nuances of what is occurring. We were the outsiders and
the 100 members of the deaf community were the insiders. And although we
had a narrator for those of us who could hear it laws an off-stage sort of
hearing that left us feeling like “outsiders” for whom an adjust was being
made. All the readings and the homily were signed. The celebrant
was himself deaf and so the entire Eucharistic Prayer was signed. At the
homily Father (in sign of course) told a story about his family experiencing a
joyous gathering where there were funny lines that
he couldn't get. He asked them to tell him what was happening
but in their excitement they told him they’d tell him later but when later came
they couldn't remember the lines and so he felt like he missed an
important sharing. As he explained I couldn't help to feel the
loneliness and the ache such an experience must bring and then I looked at my
own sense of feeling “outside” at a liturgy in my own motherhouse. It was
good for me to be there; it taught us a lot about the need to reach out to all
and make them feel a part of all whenever it is possible.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We also had a day focused on the Spiritual Energy of Teilhard
de Chardin, a day where God’s divine milieu was visible as we focused on the
energy of love tangible in our universe and a day where we were invited to
co-create the future with the Cosmic Christ who is the Omega point calling us
into the future filled with extravagant love.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This week we had two well published speakers: Margaret
Silf and Edwina Gately. Margaret Silf gave a professional day for
Spiritual Directors and an evening presentation focused on Simple Faith:
Faith in the Future. Although her faith journey has been shaped by
Jesuit Spirituality, like Pope Francis and Teilhard de Chardin, you could see a
Franciscan heart deep within. In times of unprecedented flux and
transition, in which many of our old certainties are breaking down, by using
vignettes, she showed where God is being experienced and how we can trust that
breakdown (like the cross) can become a breakthrough (a resurrection
experience). In the evening program she told us the word “faith” implies
certainty and security. But the Christian vision, as lived by Jesus of
Nazareth, is never about certainty, but mystery; not about security but about
risk. Are we looking for certainty or are we ready to embrace mystery and
risk?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Edwina Gately joined us for a weekend entitled Mothers, Sisters,
Daughters: Standing on the Shoulders. During this weekend retreat,
Edwina shared stories and poetry about women from different walks of life
around the globe who have made a difference in the world. We entered the
lives of some amazing women–both living and dead–environmentalists, poets,
politicians, mystics, social activists, women in Scripture, martyrs and even
some unknown women whose witness, courage and faithfulness will inspire and
guide us on our own journeys. At the end, as the participants celebrated
their own stories and possibilities they realized they stand on the shoulders
of these modern prophets and valiant women.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally on the last weekend we hosted two groups: The
Elam Mthodist Community Women's Day Retreat and the <st1:place><st1:placename>Visitation</st1:placename>
<st1:placename>Marianist</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>State</st1:placetype></st1:place>
community weekend retreat. Both groups blessed us by their presence.
Their energy, their spirit, their charism, support, and their joy
filled the air. Although their programs were fully packed they found time
to enjoy a perfect spring weekend on our grounds. Everything was in full
bloom when they came so I think nature was celebrating their time with us as
well<o:p></o:p></div>
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And of course this month included our regular Yoga, Tai Chi,
and Focusing series and our Women’s Salon group. This month they focused
on Gratitude and left with hands full of gratitude seeds, gratitude rocks, and
most importantly, a grateful heart.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The really cool part is that we get to have even more
surprises as we begin the month of May. Life is not dull in the <st1:place><st1:placename>Franciscan</st1:placename>
<st1:placename>Spiritual</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Center</st1:placetype></st1:place>.
Come and visit us and, if you don’t have the time, then we hope that you will
be nourished by some of the “online spirituality” on <a href="http://www.fscaston.org/" target="_blank">our website</a> (www.fscaston.org)<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-43379164595214282642013-04-10T10:20:00.003-04:002013-04-10T10:22:21.384-04:00Practice Resurrection<br />
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<br /></div>
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In an Easter Reflection a Loretto Sister introduced me to
Wendell Berry’s Poem, <a href="http://www.goodnaturepublishing.com/poem.htm" target="_blank">Manifesto:
The Mad Farmer Liberation Front</a>. The last line of the poem says
“Practice Resurrection”. Her reflection was powerful but it created
all sorts of energy in my heart about what it means to “Practice
Resurrection”. So here are my musings:</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Practice Resurrection<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Walking forth from
the death within us<br />
we know life in a new way<br />
a joyous, grateful, more powerful way<br />
but the getting there isn’t all that easy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There is the choosing
life<br />
that happens each morning<br />
with each foot touching the floor with the words Thank You.<br />
There is the staying in the present moment<br />
when we’re yearning inside to cling to a more comfortable<br />
“the way it’s always been”.<br />
There is the claiming victory<br />
taught to us by Jesus, the Christ,<br />
on one amazing Sunday morning<br />
but also each day we allow this Jesus<br />
to live and rise within our heart.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Each time we
truly allow ourselves<br />
to encounter a brother or sister we practice resurrection,<br />
each time we affirm another,<br />
put another’s interest above our own<br />
or even walk gently along side someone<br />
for whom there is much pain,<br />
in each of these moments we<br />
practice resurrection.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Walking in the rain
was glamorized in <st1:place>Hollywood</st1:place> movies<br />
but often the rain is hard and<br />
we feel wet and cold<br />
wanting the warmth of our own home.<br />
But, if we’re willing to look another in the eye and say<br />
“I have no umbrella<br />
but may I walk with you,”<br />
we practice resurrection.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The daily rising to
our better self<br />
to a more compassionate and loving heart<br />
is, for me, what it really means<br />
to practice resurrection<br />
but I’d still like to know<br />
what was in Wendell Berry’s heart<br />
as he wrote those words..<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-45451708347969703102013-03-30T17:15:00.002-04:002013-03-30T17:15:34.272-04:00Reflections on the Triduum<br />
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Our Jewish brothers and sisters have been celebrating
Passover remembering the events leading to their release from slavery in Egypt
and we gather these three days from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday to celebrate
our Passover from death to life in Christ. It is a time of
remembering the triumph of God's love over darkness and death. It can
change our hearts deeply if we allow it.</div>
<h4>
<b>Holy Thursday</b></h4>
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Holy Thursday we experience the washing of feet and see Pope
Francis wash the feet of the young men and women in the juvenile detention
center. It is a ritual of service that sends the message that Eucharist
is how we treat one another and our call is to treat others with respect and
open service. The Eucharist of Holy Thursday unites us not only in ritual but
in the desire and the commitment to be one with each other, to recognize and
support one another and to serve one another. As we watch Pope Francis
during these Holy days we become more aware that great change is occurring in
small gestures. He could have just washed the feet of these young men and
women, that's the ritual, but he also kissed their feet. He also told
them "washing your feet means I am at your service." Holy
Thursday should move us to the tenderness our Pope expressed in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OOkBIrW60w" target="_blank">this short clip of the Holy Thursday experience</a>. It should invite us to be at the
service of one another.</div>
<h4>
Good Friday</h4>
<br />
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On Good Friday we gather to remember the Lord's passion
and death. I have always been inspired by Teilhard de Chardin's
reflections on the cross in <u>The Divine Milieu</u>. He
acknowledges the redemptive aspect of God's suffering for our sins but he
focuses on Jesus' effort at reconciliation. Jesus by his life, his
passion and death teaches us how hard it is to work toward reconciliation and
unification. In the <u>Divine Milieu</u> Teilhard tells us that
by his death, Jesus reconciled the world with God, but, because he was
human (matter), he also reconciled the various elements of the world
with itself in a way that is being worked out in history even in our day. It is
this side of the redemptive act of the cross that is uppermost in Teilhard's
thought: that <b>Jesus by his death unified the world with God and
within itself</b>. Teilhard sees the cross of Jesus above all as a work
of unification. Jesus Christ bears the sins of the world, he overcomes the
resistance to unification offered by the many, the resistance to the rise of
spirit inherent in humans and in all matter. The complete meaning of
redemption is no longer to expiate sins, it is to surmount and conquer the
resistance that divides us, that separates us from love. Christ's suffering
reveals to us that its hard work to overcome resistance, he shows us what it is
like, and he helps us to carry the weight. And so, in Teilhard de
Chardin <b>the cross is brought into human becoming</b>, our potential of
being more, of evolving in compassion. The cross is the symbol of work
more than of penance. <b>Jesus' suffering</b>, without ceasing to be he
who bears the the sins of the world, indeed precisely as such, <b>is also
the one who bears and supports the weight of the world as it evolves.</b>
The cross preaches and symbolizes the hard work of renunciation.
The cross is both the condition and the way of progress. Because of the
very nature of reality we are on a cross. <b>It is in Jesus crucified
that every person can recognize his own true image</b>. <b>The cross is
the symbol of progress and victory won through mistakes, disappointments and
hard work.</b> The cross synthesizes the transcendent, the
"above" (the "upward' impulse of a person toward the worship of
God) and the ultra-human, the "up-ahead", the "forward"
impulse of a person towards building a better future. The cosmic Christ
calls us forward to that future. Teilhard tells us true compassion is
participating in the action of the cross. We carry our cross 1) in
compassion with Christ and 2) in compassion with all human suffering in our
history.</div>
<h4>
Holy Saturday</h4>
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Saturday is a day of quiet reflection on the Entombment of
Christ as we wait, like the disciples, for news of the resurrection. I
always want to go fishing on Holy Saturday because I think that's what
the disciples did. They were deflated, crushed perhaps, and they would
have wanted to just go away and be by themselves. James Martin in an
article in <a href="http://americamagazine.org/content/all-things/we-live-holy-saturday" target="_blank">America Magazine Online</a> tells us most of our lives are
spent in Holy Saturday. In other words most of our lives are not filled
with the unbearable pain of a Good Friday. Nor are they suffused with
the unbelievable joy of an Easter. But most are...in between.
Most are, in fact, times of waiting, as the disciples waited during Holy
Saturday. May your waiting be holy.</div>
<h4>
<b>Holy Saturday: The Easter Vigil</b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">And finally, on Saturday night we gather in
vigil and hear the amazing news that Jesus Christ, our companion and brother,
is not dead, but is risen from the grave. We no longer have to fear
the empty tomb. We move from darkness into light. Having read the stories of our journey, we know all is well and all will be well as Julian of
Norwich tells us. Let us open our hearts to see the resurrection of Jesus
all around us. In this video clip of a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbJcQYVtZMo" target="_blank">flashmob </a> we see a building
Alleluia as one by one humanity unites and surprises us all with the beauty of
an Alleluia. We, together, in joyous heart praise the risen Savior among
us. Perhaps we see this Savior in the eyes of all those around us.
As you watch this video be patient -- wait with the people, marvel at the
gentle talents and be one with the crowd as it joins in the praise.
Ordinary people like you and I lift their voice in praise. Can you
resist singing?</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-56064381184724819402013-03-30T16:59:00.000-04:002013-03-30T17:05:32.739-04:00Forgive You Judas<br />
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<b>Forgive Your Judas<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<i>Maybe he wasn't
the nicest man</i><br />
<i>but Jesus saw something good there</i><br />
<i>he tried to set him right</i><br />
<i>gave him all the love and compassion</i><br />
<i>he had to give</i><br />
<i>but Judas just couldn't let him in,</i><br />
<i>his heart was empty</i><br />
<i>and Judas couldn't believe he was worth even a little love</i><br />
<i>Judas had a hole in his heart</i><br />
<i>so he couldn't see or feel</i><br />
<i>the love that was coming his way.</i></div>
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<i>I'm
wondering if the Judas within me</i><br />
<i>is any more willing to allow God's forgiving love</i><br />
<i>to seep into my broken heart and heal it.</i><br />
<i>Peter messed up too but he was healed</i><br />
<i>because he allowed love inside<br />
But Judas just couldn't do it</i><br />
<i>he even used the friendship sign of a kiss</i><br />
<i>as his final refusal to let Jesus transform him.</i><br />
<i>It was the kiss that hurt Jesus the most</i><br />
<i> even more than the thorns or nails</i><br />
<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>i'm
wondering if the Judas within me<br />
has learned anything from that broken man<br />
who earned 30 pieces of silver but hung himself on a tree.</i></div>
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<i>I'm wondering if I
believe enough in love and forgiveness<br />
to open up my wounds and let in a little love<br />
what if Judas had done that<br />
what if I do it now.</i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-91710405457316939462013-03-25T15:58:00.000-04:002013-03-25T15:58:12.312-04:00What Pope Francis can teach us about immigration reform...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi698Zx9IeyHSme6BxXljLEAdeEU3u9irM3pz6Dfb-aqAJKv7wflY9t4tI-k3lXjUtPSndqx4btqjbBMfUzxiHoEUs4NhaOVPAOQpDjsLct7NJvXoK6yOvx-Gz9VrAweXHuC9E94J1_-m2P/s1600/pope+among+the+people.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi698Zx9IeyHSme6BxXljLEAdeEU3u9irM3pz6Dfb-aqAJKv7wflY9t4tI-k3lXjUtPSndqx4btqjbBMfUzxiHoEUs4NhaOVPAOQpDjsLct7NJvXoK6yOvx-Gz9VrAweXHuC9E94J1_-m2P/s320/pope+among+the+people.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I find myself entering this Holy Week with unquenchable
joy. I keep feeling I should have a more sober tone but in my
heart I still believe Pentecost has already come to the Church in the person of
Pope Francis. Simplicity, compassion, and social justice are front
and center. We can all enumerate our favorite stories about him:
his simple greeting and wave, the request for prayers as he bends to receive
them, the simple wish “ good night and sleep well”, getting out of the pope
mobile to greet the disabled man, gathering his own things from his hotel and
paying his own bill, calling personally to cancel his home newspaper, spending
Holy Thursday at a juvenile detention center, inviting guests to his early
morning Mass (including Vatican gardeners, street sweepers, kitchen staff and
maids working at the hotel where he is currently staying.) This is a
welcoming and warm man. He is rebuilding our Church as Francis of Assisi
was also called to do. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But yesterday as we remembered the 33rd anniversary of Oscar
Romero’s death I couldn't help but look at the similarities between
Romero and Pope Francis. Oscar Romero tells us: "Peace is not the
product of terror or fear. Peace is not the silence of cemeteries. Peace is not
the silent result of violent repression. <b><i>Peace is the generous,
tranquil contribution of all to the good of all.</i></b><i> </i>Peace
is dynamism. Peace is generosity. It is right and it is duty." On
his anniversary it is fitting that we say a prayer of hope for his people in <st1:country-region>El
Salvador</st1:country-region> and here in the <st1:country-region>United
States</st1:country-region> but also for immigrants
everywhere. Both Oscar Romero and Pope Francis are known to be
conservatives, both deeply spiritual, and both committed to peace
and unflinchingly focused on the poor. I believe that our Pope will
be very vocal about the poor and the marginalized in our society, about
the immigrants seeking a better life for themselves and
their families, for peace throughout the world, and for the
nurturing of all creation. His stance on Social Justice will be
clear and straightforward – not just in words but in all of his actions just
like they were for Oscar Romero.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In an <a href="http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/papabile-day-men-who-could-be-pope-13" target="_blank">NCR article </a>John Allen cites two older quotes from our
new pope that touched my heart deeply: 1) <b><i>"Only someone
who has encountered mercy, who has been caressed by the tenderness of mercy, is
happy and comfortable with the Lord”</i></b><i> </i>( 2001 address) and
2) <b><i>“We live in the most unequal part of the world, which has
grown the most yet reduced misery the least.</i></b> The unjust
distribution of goods persists, creating a situation of social sin
that cries out to Heaven and limits the possibilities of a fuller
life for so many of our brothers (his 2007 address at a conference for
Latin American Bishops)."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As the son of Italian immigrants to the South American
nation, Pope Francis knows what it is like to live in an immigrant family
and what it must have been like for his parents as they migrated from <st1:country-region>Italy</st1:country-region>
to <st1:place><st1:city>Buenos Aires</st1:city>, <st1:country-region>Argentina</st1:country-region></st1:place>.
When our Congress returns from their Easter recess on April 8<sup>th</sup>,
immigration will be introduced and our voice and actions need to speak the
tenderness of mercy to which our Pope refers. There are still some
Senators who hold out for legal status rather than citizenship. Both the
USCCB and the Interfaith immigration Coalition insist that <b><i>a common
sense, achievable path to citizenship is essential and that family
reunification must be a priority</i></b>. Addressing root causes of
illegal immigration and inclusion of funding for integration of new <st1:country-region>US</st1:country-region>
citizens are also very important.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Members of Congress need to know that their constituents
care deeply about compassionate immigration that includes these elements.
Our Advocacy Committee and the Franciscan Action Network as well as our Bishops
ask us to call or email our local congressional offices and, if at all
possible, schedule appointments to talk with them while they are in our
neighborhoods between March 25 to April 5 for their Easter Break. I
believe Pope Francis can and will influence people of good will within our
nation and others to welcome the immigrant as they come to find a new and
healthier life among us. Like Francis of Assisi, Oscar Romero, and Pope
Francis we need to do what is ours to do. We need to speak peace
and tenderness with our actions. Please call or email congress.
God's poor and marginalized need our voice.<br />
<br />
(You can also see this blog at our <a href="http://fscaston.org/what-pope-francis-could-teach-us-about-immigration-reform/" target="_blank">Franciscan Spiritual Center Website</a>)<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-71695760571612085372013-03-11T15:09:00.002-04:002013-03-11T15:18:03.070-04:00Seeing Our Greatness in Another's Eyes<br />
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Dr. Molli Marti, a a wife, mom, researcher, educator,
psychologist, lawyer, author, and motivational speaker suggests we should <i>let others see their own greatness when
looking in our eyes</i>. I was struck by that quote because I think I
saw it in action this week in our center.<br />
<br />
It was a busy week even by our standards. We had a group of young men and women from <st1:city>Georgetown</st1:city>
who were here for a directed retreat. In
all corners of the center we saw director/directee conferences going on, people sitting quietly with bible and journal
in hand, and, although on silence, they communicated a real joy at being given
this opportunity of stillness and quiet.
Something was opening in their hearts and I think their staff conveyed
the depth of compassion that brought that joy out in each of them. What a blessing to have shared the week with
them. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We also had two series begin this week –Yoga, a physical,
mental and spiritual discipline from the Hindu tradition, and Focusing a western practice which allows you to discover
the voice of your body and the felt sense of inner wisdom that we discover
within it. Both practices open our hearts
to a core “at-home-ness” which manifests
both peace and joy in their expressions.
When we are comfortable within ourselves we enable others who enter our
world to be fully themselves. When we
see our own greatness and our own peace emerge, there is a transparency within
us that allows, in our encounters, the greatness of others to be reflected back
to them. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Thursday our Women’s Salon had their monthly meeting and
there was a deep sharing by Alana Coppola, body work practitioner, who utilizes
the energy of the angels in her healing.
Her deep faith and energy were evident as well as the presence of Angels
Ariel, Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Celestina, and others. It was a healing time and again we could see
our own greatest in the eyes of Alana as her healing prayer touched each person
present.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8HM0XdgD54sQtbilIX8HnAN0jrTlaGyKQQ7tZEWSAjNCqs8c9BuE371CBHU31RjI6hnJemkb_CKe01suzOgqdoAfGwyWXET71x-KjNPPTDCW3D22lxrxhz-Fu3RQ90C8uufJzbqPZoxf/s1600/megan+mckenna+Mar+9+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8HM0XdgD54sQtbilIX8HnAN0jrTlaGyKQQ7tZEWSAjNCqs8c9BuE371CBHU31RjI6hnJemkb_CKe01suzOgqdoAfGwyWXET71x-KjNPPTDCW3D22lxrxhz-Fu3RQ90C8uufJzbqPZoxf/s320/megan+mckenna+Mar+9+2013.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And finally yesterday, our charism day, we were blessed with
Megan McKenna who has written more than 50 books. She challenged us to
see the parable of the Prodigal Son in a whole new way. She said parables should shock us, they should
be like a sink hole that takes the ground right from under us, they should seep
into our hearts not by a sense of “happy ever after” but by a momentary glimpse
into ourselves that transforms and shocks us into seeing the “potential of
ourselves” and the “reality of ourselves”.
When she left, of course, we
knew we were both the prodigal son and the elder brother but our hope of
reconciliation depended entirely on our willingness to honestly confront our
greed, our selfishness, and our unwillingness to truly KNOW the love of our Father
and what that calls forth in us. We
could see our own greatness in Megan’s eyes but not until she kicked us around
a bit and shocked us into realizing we were not what we thought we were. She told us we can never get to heaven on our
own. We need each other – community,
relationship, togetherness – we will make it into heaven together or not at
all. Our life depends on our ability to
live the relationship we find in the Trinity.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Visit our website at the <a href="http://www.fscaston.org/" target="_blank">Franciscan Spiritual Center</a>!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-77653790206114823372013-03-06T18:22:00.002-05:002013-03-11T14:52:32.649-04:00Play and the Present Moment<br />
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Before I go any further, let me apologize for my lack of blogging for the past month. I have been furiously trying to get our new website up and running. With much help I finally succeeded -- please visit it at <a href="http://www.fscaston.org/">http://www.fscaston.org</a>. I also have my blog on the <a href="http://fscaston.org/category/blog/" target="_blank">Franciscan Spiritual Center Blog</a> as well. Come visit us there. When you go to the site be sure to visit multiple tabs. There is much to see and some are really fun.</div>
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Now for today's blog ---</div>
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A friend of mine gave me an old issue of the magazine <u>Spirituality
and Health</u> (May-June, 2011) and in it there was an article entitled “Your
Soul Needs Playtime” by Emma Seppala, PhD (p. 52-53). Dr.
Seppala says that the root of the word “enthusiasm” is Greek and means to be
inspired or possessed by divinity, it literally means “inside God”. Playing makes us like children who are fully
present – a state which is often equated with being one with divinity. She suggests that when our mind stays in the
past, it usually dwells on negative emotions, such as anger or regret. When it is in the future, anxiety and fear
arise. One of the reasons children are
filled with extraordinary amounts of energy and enthusiasm may be that they are
in the present moment. Play, more than
any activity, allows us to inhabit the present or another word she uses for describing
play is the “state of flow”. Flow occurs
when we are completely immersed in an activity—the state of being 100 percent
in the present moment.—and it is a state of great pleasure. </div>
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I have a friend who has had a long time battle with
Cancer. At one point she was very sick to
the point of appearing terminal and she relayed this story to me and I never
forgot it. In talking about her state of mind during a stage when she certainly
was appearing terminal she said: “Whenever I would think about not growing old
with my husband or not seeing my grand-children I would become extremely
anxious and afraid.” But she would tell
herself, “I have today; I can enjoy today.”
She reported that she felt great peace at that point. As she pondered this she said the lesson she
learned was that God only gives us the grace for today. When she moved into worries about the future
she didn’t have that grace yet. . </div>
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I think that’s a bit of what Dr. Seppala is also saying Flow or play, whether in work or relaxation,
is only found in the present moment. It
si a state we all find when we are fully engaged in what we are doing without
drifting to the past or the future. The
present becomes play. Play, like
meditation, brings the mind back to the present moment. Dr. Seppala uses a quote from <i>Darshan Diaries</i> in which an Indian
spiritual teacher Osho writes, “Playfulness is as sacred as any prayer or maybe
more sacred than any prayer, because playfulness, laughter, singing, dancing,
will relax you. And the truth is
possible only in a relaxed state of being.
When you are totally relaxed, in a state of let-go, the impossible
starts happening, the miracle starts happening.
Let-go is the secret of meditation….in play, the mind dissolves and
relaxes.”</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">So, let’s play more.
Play, the ability to laugh and let go, to inhabit the present, and to be
immersed in mirth and lightness of being – can be the ultimate act of love and
belongingness. When we can laugh and
joke, we are remembering our joint humanity, our mutual desire for happiness
and love, and our fundamental interconnectedness. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148530227121531716.post-31146950878944906162013-01-23T09:46:00.003-05:002013-01-23T13:47:04.023-05:00One TodayThe Franciscan Spiritual Center has had a lot of activity this past month. At the beginning of the month our Women's Awareness group focused on ZENTANGLE which is an art form that allows you to freely create beautiful patterns in a quiet meditative manner. The tag line they use is <b><i>anything is possible one stroke at a time</i></b>. Visit the <a href="http://www.zentangle.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=99">Zentangle website</a> to learn more about this meditative form of art. Mary Whalen is shown below teaching us this simple process and there is also a composite showing the end result of the participants As you can see from the picture we had energetic participants but our youngest participant chose to simply enjoy the peace and quiet that flowed from our hearts. <br />
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In addition to this art form there was a Tai Chi Chih weekend led by Sr. Antonia Cooper, OSF. The graceful movement of our participants filled the world with deep peace. I hope you were able to feel some of it. We also hosted a retreat week for Georgetown University, a Tai Chi Chih teacher's intensive, and a men's retreat for a local parish. <br />
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The prayer that flowed from our little center in these first weeks of the year were magnified by the prayers of our nation at the inauguration of Barack Obama. It was an important week, a time of re-commitment and a time of reawakening the dream of "We The People". The part that touched my heart the most was the poem by Richard Blanco entitled <i>One Today</i>. If you haven't heard it or want a copy visit this website.<br />
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<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-207_162-57565123/one-today-text-of-richard-blancos-inaugural-poem/">Audio and Text of the Richard Blanco Inaugural Poem</a></div>
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It was a poem that touched every aspect of our American Life and reflected the diversity and the hopes of "We The People". It reminded us that we are all in this together, one community moving together through each day, one community of hope. May that hope and that desire for unity be evident in our Congress as we try to work for the common good of all peoples and, if it is not, may we let our voices be heard.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07364644983111132038noreply@blogger.com1