God in all things

The Advent journey is not a solo venture. Prayer lifts you out of the silence and reaches to the other prayers that are united with yours. Wherever two or more are gathered praying, there is great power. This week we pray for joy and that joy is doubled when shared.

Today I heard on the radio that my province gives more than any other province in the country. I live with the most generous people in Canada. In a seemingly unrelated news story in a different newscast, a study showed that giving is better than receiving. Giving reduces stress and increases joy.  I would add that joy is doubled when shared because of gratitude. We receive so many blessings in our lives and often we do not see God’s hand moving gently.  We watch and wait during Advent. Keep your eyes on Joy. Share the blessing. Double the fun. Have you participated in any Christmas miracles yet? There is still time to buy socks for the homeless, visit a lonely soul, or volunteer to serve a turkey meal. Seek the Christ child in someone this season.

Peace,

Suzanne

Gaudete Sunday has arrived; time to rejoice!  More beautiful words from Isaiah greet us in the first reading, reminding us that the dry land will be glad.  We are promised that even the desert will rejoice and blossom abundantly. I have visions of  Christmas cacti with orange and fuchsia blooms scattered throughout the desert, brightening the hardest of hearts.  The eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf will be opened. The lame shall leap and those without a voice will sing. Those who belong to the Lord will return with song and joy. Sorrow and sadness will fade away. What joy these images invoke! How can we not celebrate and rejoice?

Psalm 146 extols a God who has an eye on the oppressed and lifts up those who are bowed down. God protects the orphan and the widow for all generations. With the scandal of the “interpreter” at Madiba’s funeral, I smiled to myself, thinking even in death, Madiba worked for equality and freedom. God had this, bringing the plight of Deaf people around the world to the fore as the top news story for a few days. God never forgets those who struggle and suffer.  As we hear in the second reading, the Judge is standing at the door. Strengthen your hearts; God has it.

John the Baptist is unsure in the Gospel if Jesus is the one and the Christ suggests that John listen to the stories that are spreading like wildfire. The blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear…the world is turned upside down as blessings pour forth. What do we expect to see when Christ is at work? Are we surprised by the miracles that unfold? Do we see God in the mysteries of daily life? Do we recognize that we are like the Baptist, having a part to play in preparing the way?

I have so much to rejoice in this Holy Season. I light this candle with great joy and know that hope and peace have paved the way to this place. Love is coming and I cannot wait! Come, Lord Jesus!

Light the Advent candles! Let them shine brightly. This peace week is ending with joy on the horizon. I love tomorrow’s pink candle. This week though has been about peace and joy appears next. There is a call to shine in these four weeks. Perfectly enough, today’s Gospel was the transfiguration.  I want to shine like Jesus did…in a way that takes people’s breath away and invites them to worship the Creator.

The glow of a candle has a calming effect, I find. I sit and watch the wreath with the candles burning, breathe deeply, slowing the frantic pace of the season to discover peace in the quiet nature of flickering flames and dancing shadows. The twinkle lights add to the serenity. I love the beauty of this time where I can just focus on God and the great gift of the Son that is given to all of us. I can think of that Christmas star that guided the shepherds, the wise men, and all who dared to believe in its message of Light.

First there was Hope, followed by Peace which is joined by Joy. Shine Candles, shine for all the world to see. Shine in this heart. Shine through me for a world so in need of Divine Light. Let me have room for You this Christmas, in the busy pace and the distractions. Let me keep my eyes on the Light that is shone on my path.

Peace,

Suzanne

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Advent is filled with all sorts of amazing feasts. This one is especially precious as it honours the lowly and humble and shows how the mighty are tossed from their thrones. Juan Diego, a humble aboriginal man, is chosen to reveal the powerful hand of God when Mary visits him and bestows her blessings upon him. He is a stunning vehicle to grace.

The Gospel from Luke speaks of the blessings that we receive when we believe in the promises of our God. We are given so much and our response can only be that our souls magnify the Lord and that our spirits rejoice in the Saviour born again to us this Holy season. The candle of peace shines brightly upon this special day. We are given so many great gifts as we wait as reminders of the great cloud of witnesses that have gone before us, celebrating the same Child we will soon celebrate. How awesome!

Peace,

Suzanne

We read more from Isaiah today about a God who does not weary or faint. God does not hang on to that power alone but willing shares it. Those who wait upon the Lord are promised that they shall mount up like eagles, run but not be tired out. God gives power to those without it.

Eagles are magnificent creatures that take my breath away. I love to watch them fly and dance in the sky, so powerful, so awe-inspiring. I remember one summer watching the eagles circle above me on the beach, interacting with each other in an amazing ritual that left me wondering what had just happened. God is like that too.

Our God does not promise without delivering. Our job is to recognize the package when it arrives though because it may not be what we expected.  In Psalm 103 we ready that we should not forget all the benefits the Lord bestows on us, God is slow to anger and abounding in love and does not deal with us as we envision. Thank goodness for that!

We are mid-way through peace week. I watched the candles burn a bit today and was calmed by the fact that around the world people are lighting the same candles as I am and praying for peace. The Gospel of Matthew assures us that if we come to Jesus that our heavy burdens will become light and we will find rest. I long for that at the moment. Come, Lord Jesus, Come.

Peace,

Suzanne

I am not sure why yesterday’s post was not published so you get today and yesterday tonight. Here is today’s.

Another reading from Isaiah today–comfort my people! A voice cries out in the wilderness to make our paths straight for God. Valleys shall be lifted up and mountains brought low. Uneven ground shall be level and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed.God will gather the lambs tenderly.

When we offer a word of comfort, it is balm to a weary soul. I am listening to people’s stories lately.  Several friends have lost a parent in this past month or two. Another friend awaits test results and a possible surgery. Mom starts treatment for skin cancer. Dad remains sick. I hurt my arm badly the other night to the point of wondering if I broke it. We are all in need of comfort at some point in our lives. We all need to pay attention to the hurting ones who need our comfort, a word of hope, and a presence of peace.

The path to peace is not level and it is easy to trip on it. This incessant call to peace this week is tied to the death and memorial service of Nelson Mandela. I watched snippets of the service on the evening news. This man seems to be walking beside me still on the long road to freedom. I pray that I may be a person of peace, a person who sows hope, who generates joy. These are Advent messages for me this week. What does the peace candle whisper to you this week?

Peace,

Suzanne

This peace concept is fragile.  Some days I sense that peace is enclosed in a glass jar and that if the one holding it is careless that it will be dropped and shattered into a thousand sharp shards.  Other days I can see that the transparency of peace is key to its survival.  Peace sparkles and beckons us to pay attention. The road to peace is paved with hope and mercy, with compassion and empathy.

Tonight I had dinner with a friend who asked me what Mandela’s death meant to me. I could feel myself tear up. I had watched the news last night and I saw the people dancing and singing on the street outside of his home and knew I had stood there this summer, wondering if he was going to die that week or not. I am thrilled that he died peacefully and quietly instead of amidst this summer’s squabbling.  This man is a symbol of peace to me and as I struggle to move towards reconciliation with someone, I am trying to learn the lessons that Madiba tried to teach our world. Tonight after a talk, a few of us were discussing the topic matter when the conversation shifted: “How can two people who had been so close end up not talking to each other?” The question cut like a knife. The person continued: “It is so sad really that nothing can be salvaged.”

Peace is a gift, gently laid out before you. The choice is yours to pick it up with delight or slam it down with disdain. Think about peace this week. How does it manifest itself in your life? Surrender to God whatever prevents you from choosing a life of peace  and ask for a transformation of your heart. May the fears that hold you back be plucked out. Let peace rise in you from your deepest core. Believe that all is possible with God.

Peace,

Suzanne

Shalom! Peace be with you. Today is the Second Sunday of Advent and we light the candle of Peace.

Once again we have the inspiring readings from the Old Testament. Isaiah’s words about the stump of Jesse promise hope and new life. Out of the stump of Jesse a shoot shall spring forth. The unbelievable will happen–believe anyway. Wolves and lambs shall live together. Leopards, kids, calves and lions shall all be led by a child. Those unlike the other shall peacefully dine together.. The dangers of relationships that are not harmonious shall pass. No one will hurt or destroy on God’s holy mountain. How amazing will that day be!

The psalmist sings out: May righteousness flourish and peace abound!” The Lord saves the one in need. How many times has it been you that the Lord is longing to save?

In the second reading we are encouraged to live in harmony with one another, welcoming everyone as Christ himself welcomes, in the name of God. What if this day, we began to realize that all are our equal, all our family, and all are treated with respect? What would we change about what we do and how we do it?

In the Gospel we meet John the Baptist,  not the type of person people rush to welcome, with his harsh message and wild appearance. How do we prepare the way of the Lord? How do we make straight the crookedness of our lives? We are unworthy indeed, and yet this Advent, each of us is invited to prepare the hay in the lowly stable upon which the Christ Child will rest.  Each of us is given the task of being Light to the world, of bearing hope and peace to those who sit in darkness. Shine brightly this week.

Peace,

Suzanne

The first week of Advent draws to a close. Hope will joined by peace tomorrow. Today, I spent quiet time throughout the day, catching up on a number of things I needed to do. I attended mass and stayed afterwards to be prayed over. I completed the first half of a 54-day novena today. The women praying over me confirmed much of what I needed to hear. God was praying over me, too.

I came home after an afternoon outing and had a leisurely evening. I watched a video session with Ann Voskamp and Liz Curtis Higgs on Advent and their two new books about Christmas. After that I watched Fr. Gregory Boyle’s TED Talk on Compassion and Kinship. This was a wonderful way to end the first week of Advent. My heart feels full of hope and brimming with peace. Many people sit in darkness but a great cloud of witnesses are hungry to serve and lead the way to the Light. Will you join them in brightening our world?

Peace,

Suzanne

What does hanging on to hope mean to you? This first week of Advent is about hope. I have been struggling with forgiving someone in my life. I do not get to that place often. I keep thinking about Madiba and how he did not let hate rule his heart. I think I have forgiven this person and yet sometimes I realize I have no desire for that person to be back in my life. I know logically that forgiveness and reconciliation are two different things and yet I cannot seem to make sense of what I am feeling. All I can do is offer my confusion to God and try to let it go. I have to trust that God will take care of my heart and will plant the seeds that are needed to start anew or to walk away.

I always hope to have a heart big enough to maintain relationships. I hope that I can be the kind of person that I want others to be towards me. I believe in hope and I believe that the Light wins each time. Sometimes though waiting in the ugliness of the moment can be a struggle. Advent reminds me that God outwaits us all and quietly longs for us to come along on the path of peace.

Peace,

Suzanne