God in all things

The Advent readings are often rich in imagery. Today is no exception. We hear in Isaiah God calling out for comfort for his people. A voice cries out to prepare the way of the Lord, to make straight the way. Every low thing shall be lifted up and every high made low. The Lord’s arrival means a turning upside down of all that we know. It is not something to be feared though. God provides comfort in this second week of Advent, as we light the second candle, often associated with peace. God will gather the people to his bosom and gently lead them to the One who nourishes.

In the second reading of 2 Peter 3. 8-14, the last line says that while we wait, we should strive to be found by God in peace. Amidst all the scary images of this particular reading, the recommendation is to wait with peaceful hearts. The Gospel has John preaching a baptism of repentance. This wild one knew what was to come and that we needed to change our hearts and lives. We needed to prepare in profound ways.

How are you preparing the way this Advent? Are you carving out any quiet moments to receive the One who is Coming?

Peace,

Suzanne

Still in Week 1 of Advent, Hope prevails. I am slowly getting my bearings–literally as the dizziness subsides. Sometimes I even feel perfectly normal for short periods. I hang on to Hope. I have a few friends going through some crazy stuff right now health-wise so it makes my issues seem minimal.

Hope entails believing in Something that seems beyond belief and trusting in Someone who has the details of the mass confusion that we sometimes get caught in. I remain a believer in Hope. As I head to bed, I find solace in words from Ann Voskamp’s meditation yesterday–that we are formed by a huddle of holy hearts. An Ignatian contemplation comes to mind with these words. I envision the Trinity discussing what to do with the world which seems like it is spinning out of control. They have this absolutely crazy idea as they huddle together, looking down at the earth spinning below. All this holiness has a heart so full of Love….for us. All this holiness is crazy in love with us. The Trinity comes up with the wild idea to send one of the holy beings to earth to become human. How can I not have Hope if that is the plan that is concocted? In that huddle of holy hearts, Love pours out in extravagant abundance for me, for you, for us, for all Creation.

Whatever happens in the weeks ahead for me and for my friends, my vote is to Hope. The plan may be outrageous but it has worked before.

Peace,

Suzanne

One year ends and another begins. Advent has arrived, marking the beginning of a new church year. It can be a hurry up and wait scenario if we let it turn into that. Advent’s arrival brought Christmas music on the radio this morning and of course, on the heels of Black Friday’s mad shopping sprees, the march towards Christmas can be almost frantic.

What if we did something differently though? What if we instead lived into the waiting that comes with the journey to Bethlehem? There was no quick arrival for Mary and Joseph as they plodded along and no fanfare when they reached their destination. Instead there was one person who found room for the Babe. Will you be that one this year? For these four weeks, will you be the person who chooses to wait and to seek the One who is coming?

Advent is about preparing for Christ, not Christmas so to speak. Christ has come and will come again. In fact, Christ comes now if we pay attention. It is our hearts and spirits that need cleaning. A slow unwrapping of the Love that is buried there brings us steps closer to the Holy Child, born in a stable. We can use this time to truly search for God in all things. That homeless person on the street corner with the sign that says God bless you reminds us that Christ came in poverty and many did not stop to help Mary and Joseph in their predicament. That donation you are wondering if you should make this year resembles the Magi’s generosity. That joy you share when you visit a shut-in sort of compares to the angels announcing the Good News to the shepherds. How will you prepare for Christ’s coming this Advent? How will you wait?

What do you feel as you wait? This year has held its share of sorrows–the world still needs a Saviour. Can you ponder the many gifts you have been given and find some hope there? Can you keep awake to Hope instead of despair for the next few weeks? Can you make it a habit to hope?

Peace,

Suzanne

I am a do-er. I like to rest but I find it hard sometimes. The past few days I have slept very soundly and have enjoyed that. I cannot say that the “rest” of my day has been restful. I have chipped away at unopened emails, watched TV shows that I have recorded on the PVR, played a few computer games, and read books. Today I finally ventured out to get groceries on foot. I have mostly kept a low profile but that does not mean I have rested. I have taken some time to pray and think, musing about this medical anomaly that has taken up residence in my body. The dizziness has greatly subsided but is not totally gone. I do not feel enough energy to get caught up on things like cleaning or any major task that requires great exertion.

It is frustrating to me but these past few days have shown me that I do not rest well during my every day life. I do make moments for things like massage, prayer, and reflection but I rest best when I get away to a beach. That won’t happen any time soon sadly. I also find rest behind a camera lens where I can breathe and watch a butterfly settle onto a flower. That won’t happen any time soon either. Therefore I will have to create a different type of rest in my home.

What do you do to rest? Do you do it well or do you have to be reminded to do so?

Peace,

Suzanne

The season of giving is about to begin with the season of buying this Friday. I have no doubt that shopping malls will be a mad house. While our neighbours to the south are being grateful for all that they have received, they are also realizing they do not yet have enough so off they go shopping for more stuff. Truly, this season can be a drain on sanity and finances if we let it.

Long ago I stopped buying gifts for many people and those that I do buy, I choose carefully and usually shop locally. I know that not everyone is on board with this train of thought and that is ok. Today though as I read the gospel about the poor widow who put into the treasury everything she had, I wondered when the last time was I gave my all. I did have a couple of memories of giving greatly….of giving and not counting the cost as St. Ignatius says. His famous prayer for a generous heart is well known. What if we were to serve God as God deserves? We cannot out give the Great Giver. He gave us life, breath, redemption, hope, joy, and so much more. What can we possibly give in return? This poor widow gave her all. Can you?

Peace,

Suzanne

The church year is wrapping up with one last feast day before Advent begins–Christ the King. The Gospel reading is one of my favourites–Matthew 25. As we enter Advent the words echo in my heart, “Lord when did we see you…?” Are we attentive to the Incarnate One here and now?

The King in the reading is a harsh judge in some aspects. He recognizes the faithful servant and invites them into the Kingdom, prepared from the world’s beginnings. That King is on the cross and depends on our hands, our feet, and our hearts. What was done to others was done to the King. His measuring stick does not change for those he banishes to the eternal fire. What was done to others was done to him, though this time the focus was on what was not done. If time was not used to visit the prisoner, feed the hungry, clothe the poor, comfort the mourning, then these actions–or lack thereof–reap a different outcome.

We enter this Holy Season with many distractions. We can find time to support the hamper that the workplace is pulling together, drop a few coins in the basket at the ringing of the bell, pass a gift certificate to the kid on the street corner with the “Hungry and cold” sign, lessen a sick person’s dreariness, or ensure a burden is lifted. Rather than get caught up in consumerism, what Christmas miracle can you do instead this year? I have a friend who annually since her father’s passing plays angel by coordinating an effort to raise money for a family who has a sick loved one that can use some financial assistance. One Christmas, a school I was involved with took a collection for a family across the street who had all their gifts stolen. Today I spoke to a good friend whose step-daughter is incarcerated right now and I plan to visit on her behalf since she lives out of province. This is the time of year when the Kingdom sprinkles opportunities to bring joy and peace. When people talk about the magic of Christmas, this is what they mean. Be a sheep, not a goat. Look for the King in the broken, the lost, the weary. Reach out and be a Kingdom person….be an angel, singing of good news.

Peace,

Suzanne

“It’s just a story,” the priest assured us, smiling widely as he finished the Gospel about throwing the worthless slave into the darkness where weeping and gnashing of teeth are heard. He made me smile tonight. This man has a talent of invoking a passion for the Word of God. He is a visiting Jesuit and the second visiting Jesuit that made me smile this day. The other other Jesuit has a great gift of joy and peace that radiates from deep within. Both men call listeners to be more, to be faithful to their calling. I was left with deep admiration for how they live out their vocations. Truly these men have been given many talents and like those first servants in tonight’s Gospel they share them generously and without fear.

Each of us has a great gift that we are given by the Creator to share with a world in need. Each of us has a decision to hoard it, to bury it, or to use it. Today was also the 25th anniversary of the Jesuit martyrs in El Salvador. I joined the Spanish Community at our parish for a meal tonight and remembered the deaths of these fine men and the women who served them. Each of them had not buried their talents. They had lived their gifts until they spilled out of them from their assassin’s bullets. Not all of us are called to live our gifts in this fashion–only a talented few. Each of us though must make a decision to have hearts that burn to serve. St. Ignatius asks us in the Spiritual Exercises what we will do for Christ who has given us so much with such abundant love. How will you spend the talent given to you? The choice is yours. Will you be generous and trusting with what you have been blessed with?

Peace,

Suzanne

This Feast Day of St. John Lateran is an odd one, in the sense that it is not a person we are honouring here but a building. The dedication of the cathedral of Rome is being remembered this day. This is the church of the bishop of Rome–not St. Peter’s as many would believe. I did not find time to visit it this summer which is yet another reason to return to Rome.

The readings today are about buildings–Ezekiel speaks of the temple, Paul writes about the temple of our bodies, and the Gospel has John writing about the destruction of the temple. The Psalmist sings of streams that make glad the city of God–cities are made up of buildings. Even though the readings may speak of holy buildings it is really the fact that Jesus is the temple and we in his likeness are also holy temples that is noteworthy here. Jesus is angry today when he enters the sacred space to worship and finds it desecrated. He must also get frustrated with us as he watches us put all sorts of unhealthy items in our bodies. Paul states that God’s temple is holy and we are that temple. Do we treat our bodies as holy? How many unhealthy things have you stuffed into your body and mind today? Have you filled your spirit with whatever is noble, kind and beautiful or have you zoned out and feed it garbage today?

We build structures in this world, such as the Berlin Wall, that are not meant to last. This is the 25th anniversary of the day that wall came tumbling down. What is it in your life that is not meant to last? What is it that divides you from something it should not? Where will you take a stand and say no longer is this structure serving a healthy purpose in my life? What needs to change?

I think we can cram many toxic things into ourselves, destroying the life within in subtle ways. It could be the numerous chocolates that I have devoured today (darn Lindt sale!) or it might be sitting in front of the television when I could have been reading about the lives of the saints. How much time did you spend on social media this day instead of connecting with someone in person who might have needed your presence? On the other hand perhaps you have starved yourself today, controlled by media that tells you that you are not thin enough, pretty enough, sexy enough. Whatever it is that dishonours your temple, can you stop doing it? I am as guilty as the next but this day reminds me that we are asked to choose life, here and now. To treat our bodies and minds as a sacred space is a duty. We are given this shell for a higher purpose–to serve and to love others, to honour and to praise our Creator.

What will you choose this day for the building that houses your soul?

Peace,

Suzanne