The sun has long ago set
Yet the Vesper Lights still flicker and glow
As we approach Matins, hear this prayer, Lord
Thank you for the opportunity to continue to make our house our home
Thank you for your Spirit’s guidance
Continue to light the way you call us to travel
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
On this Fourth Sunday of Advent, we are a mere four days from Christmas Eve. While nothing has been “typical” or “traditional” this Advent season or will be for Christmas, the Spirit has been guiding us through this journey.
I was reading recently an article or blog on Advent/Christmas 2020. It acknowledged that this season will be so much different from other seasons we have experienced. We need to acknowledge the fact that it is different. Instead of ignoring those feelings it is good to recognize and name them. It is also good to be open to the Spirit’s guidance as we explore new territory. The writer also said that the first Advent/Christmas was far from perfect. Mary and Joseph didn’t have prior experiences to compare their situation in life at the time Jesus was born. They had to improvise as they lived into the experience. A few years ago, I preached a series of sermons on the women in Jesus’ genealogy plus a few extra women from the Bible. As I walked with these women, the Spirit and the women taught me a lot. Now, on the Fourth Sunday of Advent the focus is on Mary and her calling from God. It may seem unusual to have two Gospel readings for this Sunday. However, as I explored the lectionary passages, these were the passages that shimmered for me.
Mary was far from the placid and quiet woman that so many believe her to be. She was both brave and prophetic in her own right. When Gabriel came to Mary she was perplexed by his greeting. Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you. (Luke 1:28) Following Gabriel’s comment to not be afraid because she had found favor with God, the Angel dropped the news on Mary. As I try and put myself in Mary’s shoes, I can’t even imagine the shock she felt at the news. Wait, I’m what? I’m pregnant? How can this possibly be! Mary was able to stay with the conversation and asked how this could be. Well Mary, it’s not going to be a typical impregnation. Nothing is going to be typical about this whole process up to and including the birth! If you think that is wild, your relative Elizabeth who is much older than you is six months pregnant. After all, nothing is impossible with God.
Words of comfort? Words calling for trust and faith? What was going through Mary’s heart? Again, I can’t begin to imagine what she was thinking or feeling. As I read the last verse in this passage, I wonder what her tone of voice or her body language was saying as she replied: Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word. (Luke1:38) The answer to that question I believe is found in her response following her visit to Elizabeth. This beautiful hymn of praise is a powerful statement of faith on the part of Mary. In the midst of it all, she is magnifying the Lord and rejoicing in her spirit. She knows that God will indeed be with her throughout her pregnancy and far beyond. Just as God brought down the powerful, God will lift up the lowly.
During the ongoing pandemic, so many have struggled to see God’s presence in the midst of it all. As this Advent season concludes, we are called as Mary was to trust in God’s presence, the Spirit’s wisdom and comfort, and our Lord (the Good Shepherd) who continues to lead us through the darkness and into the light. This Advent, we have lit the candles of hope, peace, joy, and love. On Christmas Eve we will light the Christ Candle. May we, like Mary, find the hope, peace, joy, and love of God alive in our hearts and in our lives.
Actually, it is nearly time for Matins
Evening prayer and Compline have long passed by
It has been a full day of unpacking and organizing
There has also been time for reading and reflection
It has also been a day for good news and healing for Gracie
As we continue to pray
As we continue to hold this nation and world in our hearts
As we pray for politicians to care for and serve the people
In the midst of it all, Lord hear our prayer
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
“The Winter Solstice is another profound moment of pause and turning in the great cycle of the year…One of the great gifts [of the season] is watching the sun make her pilgrimage across the horizon from summer solstice to winter solstice. It is quite a long journey, and on December 21st she will rest at her point furthest south, appearing to stand still for three days before making the return journey again in the long walk toward summer. It is a rhythm of journey, pause, and return, again and again.”
— Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, Sacred Seasons: A Yearlong Journey through the Celtic Wheel of the Year – A Self-Study Online Retreat
Could recognizing that spring and summer always lead to autumn and winter help you to embrace the times of releasing and resting that come to us at this, the dark time of the year? Like walking a labyrinth can you follow the path inward, pause and receive the gifts at the center, and then begin to move more fully out into the world carrying the light that is growing?
An excellent reflection!
The angel Gabriel told Mary that she was conceiving a child even though she was a virgin. Understandably, Mary’s virginity is the headline-grabbing bit of this story for lots of readers. After all, that’s not how human reproduction works…
— Read on jakeowensby.com/2020/12/18/marys-challenge-to-you-and-me/
For the last 12 days I have been participating in a retreat with Abbey of the Arts Abbey of the Arts. Our Abbess, Christine Valters Paintner has been walking along side of us and shepherding us through the process. My word/phrase for 2019 and 2020 was “Be Still.” Spirit spoke to me and revealed a new word as we leave 2020 behind and walk hopefully into 2021z
I wrote this poem when I was in my Clinical Pastoral Education residency for a year with the US Air Force. I was contemplating my word for 2021–Hope– when this poem (the first I had ever written as an adult) popped into my head. It was untitled in 1997 but now it appears 23 years later it now has a title!
Hope
I stand in the midst of a sea of suffering,
On a boat in stormy seas.
Looking for an island of tranquility,
A place of healing for you and me.
Like John imprisoned, we ask, “Where is the light which this Child supposedly brought?”
— Read on paxchristiusa.org/2020/12/17/like-john-imprisoned-we-ask-where-is-the-light-which-this-child-supposedly-brought/
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
It has been a long and exhausting day
Yet it has also been a day filled with moments of wonder and awe
Tomorrow we record my portions of worship for the 27th and the 3rd
While it is a bit surreal, the Spirit guides us
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
Time is both fleeting and dragging slowly
What is time?
Is it Chronos or Kairos time?
Is it linear (Chronos) or divine (Kairos)?
Time passes
But we don’t embrace the present moment
When we slow down and simply Be Still
Time takes on a sacred and holy meaning
As my dear friend and Abbess Christine Valters Paintner writes in her soon to be released book, Sacred Time: Embracing an Intentional Way of Life:
In sacred time, we step out of the madness of our lives and choose to reflect, linger, savor, and slow down. We gain new perspective here. (p. xi)
In the midst of this season of waiting and warchong
In the midst of the insanity of rampant consumerism
In the midst of it all
Lord, help us to step out of the madness
Help us to simply seek you in the silence
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer…
A wonderful and life-giving article from Christine Valters Paintner
Each of us contains a multiplicity of selves. This becomes most obvious to us when we experience an inner conflict of desires. Perhaps our desire for a more creative life feels like it is in conflict with our desire for financial security. Or our desire for a more contemplative life conflicts with the part of ourselves that feels driven to get everything done… Read more at https://uscatholic.org/articles/202011/nourish-your-inner-monk-through-contemplative-creativity/
