The recording and handouts for the “Hope in the Midst of the Storms of Life” talk are now uploaded. Go to the “Talks” tab above and click on “Witnesses to Hope talks.”
It all depends on how you see
A short, but thought-provoking, reflection from Ann Voskamp: “How to Find God in the Messes”
All it takes is a picture (6)
Outside my office window . . .
All it takes is a picture (5)
Dirty shoes
Ann Voskamp shares about her boys wearing dirty shoes to church on Easter: “What You Really Need to Know the Day After Easter.”
Where is Christ today?
[A repost from the past]
This is the day when everything is silent. We can go about the day not giving much of a thought to it–just seeing it as the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Yet monumental things were happening in the spiritual realm. Christ descended to hell to set captives free.
This still has meaning for us. So often we think nothing is happening in our own spiritual lives, yet God is about monumental things. Have hope in the Unseen.
Christ descended into “Hell” and is therefore close to those cast into it, transforming their darkness into light. Suffering and torment is still terrible and well-nigh unbearable. Yet the star of hope has risen–the anchor of the heart reaches the very throne of God. Instead of evil becoming unleashed within man, the light shines victorious: suffering–without ceasing to be suffering–becomes, despite everything, a hymn of praise. (Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi)
And for those of you who feel that you are living “in darkness and in the shadow of death”, take heart, for you are exactly who he desires to visit. From an ancient homily on Holy Saturday:
Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives . . .
How can we ever comfort Him?
Today we remember the depths of Christ’s love for us. But how can we ever love Him in return, how can we comfort Him in His suffering? His suffering is too huge and our love is so small. As I was pondering that question last night, the Holy Spirit called to mind something I read a year or too ago about this. The author advised that we be like little children who try to comfort a suffering parent. About all we can do as a child is hold our parent’s hand or kiss him or her. Yet that provides great comfort for the parent. All Christ asks of us is to be with Him today in His suffering, to hold His hand or kiss His feet, each in our own way.
This all reminds me of a painting by Giotto of Christ’s descent from the cross. In it we see the women caressing Christ’s body: Mary, His dear Mother, and the women who followed Him. Giotto places a figure square in the middle of the painting with its back to us. He does that to prompt us to think about where we would be in the picture. Take his prompting and let yourself enter into this mystery and hold Him and kiss Him today.
“Return to the most sorrowful woman the body, even if only lifeless, so that, although so diminished the crucified man may grow with kisses, with embraces.”
But if we find grace
Judas, Peter
because we are all
betrayers, taking
silver and eating
body and blood and asking
(guilty) is it I and hearing
him say yes
it would be simple for us all
to rush out
and hang ourselves
but if we find grace
to weep and wait
after the voice of morning
has crowed in our ears
clearly enough
to break our hearts
he will be there
to ask us each again
do you love me
Luci Shaw
Loving with Mary
This morning as I woke up, I began thinking again about contemplating our Lord’s Passion with Mary. I was immediately struck by the thought of how much of her time and love was spent through these difficult days in loving those that Christ loved. Peter would surely have flown to her after his denial. How lost John must have felt after his flight in the garden. Mary Magdalen and Mary and Martha (and Lazarus) of Bethany would have faced their own devastation. There was the bitter anger at Judas that pervaded them all. And so on with all of them. But just as Jesus gave her to us through John at the Cross, so He would have been urging her in the same way (by His Spirit) to go out to those He loved so much.
Perhaps your Triduum will be filled with the demands of others and you would rather be focusing more “directly” upon our Lord. Perhaps it is His Spirit urging you to go where His Mother is going. In following her and loving whomever she is loving, you will in fact be loving our Lord who loves them more than you do.
Contemplating with Mary
There were two options for the Opening Prayer for Mass last Thursday–something I hadn’t seen yet in the new missal. Our priest chose the second option, and I will be forever grateful. The prayer reads:
O God, who in this season give your Church the grace to imitate devoutly the Blessed Virgin Mary in contemplating the passion of Christ, grant, we pray, through her intercession, that we may cling more firmly each day to your Only Begotten Son and come at last to the fullness of his grace. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.
I was caught by the beginning: “to imitate devoutly the Blessed Virgin Mary in contemplating the passion of Christ.” My whole prayer became one of asking Mary to help me walk through this Holy Week close to her, perceiving her Son with her eyes and loving Him with her heart. This, of course, can totally change one’s experience of the Passion. Wouldn’t Mary have walked in great faith though in great darkness? Wouldn’t she have strengthened her Son as much as she could? Would she not have stood at the Cross in adoration, willing that He would draw from her everything that could encourage Him in doing His Father’s will completely?
May we each learn greatly from her this week.
Witnesses to Hope 