“But Not Without Wine”

Sr. Dorcee, beloved1 Comment

A Sunday-poem from Jessica Powers about our God who is a God of prodigality:

But Not Without Wine

“You are drunk, but not with wine.”  (Isaiah 51.21)

O God of too much giving, whence is this
inebriation that possesses me,
that the staid road now wanders all amiss
and that the wind walks much too giddily,
clutching a bush for balance or a tree?
How then can dignity and pride endure
with such inordinate mirth upon the land,
when steps and speech are somewhat insecure
and the light heart is wholly out of hand?

If there be indecorum in my songs,
fasten the blame where rightly it belongs:
on Him who offered me too many cups
of His most potent goodness–not on me,
a peasant who, because a king was host,
drank out of courtesy.

It is not Death to Die

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As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I am reading a new biography of Hudson Taylor, one of my two all-time favorite protestant missionaries.  Hudson was a missionary to China in the late 19th century.  It isn’t my favorite biography of him, but I’ve been thinking a lot about the title: It is not Death to Die.  That line is a quote from Pilgrim’s Progress.  When, at the end of Valiant’s life, he crosses over to the Father’s House, “all the trumpets sounded for him on the other side.  IT IS NOT DEATH TO DIE.” We’ve had a lot of deaths affect us in our house in the last six months: residents at our Emmanuel Houses, the death of a very good friend, a sister of one of our Sisters, the mother of another one.  We have been staring death in the face constantly these days.  The title of the Taylor biography is a good reminder of the truth, that in Christ, death is really only apparent.  It is not death to die.

And that reminded me of the title of a biography of my other favorite protestant missionary, Amy Carmichael.  Elisabeth Elliot write a life of her named A Chance to Die. In the preface to her book, Elisabeth writes about the debt she owes to Amy Carmichael–I feel a similar debt–how she “met” her at age fourteen by reading her books. From her preface:

The first of her books that I read was, I think, If, which became her best-seller.  It was not written for teenagers, but for seasoned Christians with the solemn charge of caring for the souls of others.  It was from the pages of this thin blue book that I, a teenager, began to understand the great message of the Cross, of what the author called “Calvary love.”  I saw the chance to die, to be crucified with Christ was not a morbid thing, but the very gateway to Life.  I was drawn–slowly, fitfully (my response was fitful, but inexorably.  (emphasis added)

I pray to be drawn even more inexorably into this frame of mind, looking for those chances to die to self, confidently knowing that it is not death to die.

Faith, Hope, and Love

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If you haven’t had a chance yet to listen to Fr. Ken McKenna’s homily on faith, hope, and love, I’d encourage you to take a few minutes to do so.  You can either find it (and other homilies by him) under “Other Talks” at the “Talks” tab above or just click here.  Then let me know what you think of it.

God knows

Sr. Dorcee, beloved2 Comments

Have you ever been called by God to do something, and then as you began to respond to that calling, thought: “What am I doing?  I don’t have what’s needed.  etc. ”  I can do that a lot. This morning, as I was reading the biography of Hudson Taylor (see yesterday’s post), I was convicted by this story from his younger days.  (One piece of biographical information: Hudson had a strong and clear call from God to be a missionary to China.)

Hudson met Mr. Lobscheid [a missionary to China], who after spending time with him concluded: “Why, you would never do for China,” he exclaimed, drawing attention to Hudson’s fair hair and blue-grey eyes.  They call me ‘Red-haired Devil,’ but would run from you in terror!  You could never get them to listen at all.”

“And yet,” replied Hudson Taylor quietly, “it is God who has called me, and He knows all about the color of my hair and eyes.”

(It is Not Death to Die, pp. 56-57)

He knows all about us before He calls us.

Where the pressure lies

Sr. Dorcee, beloved1 Comment

I am reading a new biography of J. Hudson Taylor, It is not Death to Die.  Taylor was a missionary to China in the early 20th century.  In my estimation, he was one of the greatest Protestant missionaries to have ever lived, and, along with Amy Carmichael, has had a profound effect on my life.  I always recommend reading his life.  Yesterday as some of our Sisters were sharing about the stresses they’re encountering in life, I could not help but remember this quote from Taylor and would like to pass it along to the rest of you as well:

It does not matter, really, how great the pressure is.  It only matters where the pressure lies.  See that it never comes between you and the Lord–then, the greater the pressure, the more it presses you to His breast.

May whatever is pressing in on you this day only serve to press you closer to His breast.

A smile this morning

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If you need a smile this Monday morning, pop over to another blog I manage: Catholic Kids Say the Dearest Things. A number of our Sisters are teachers, and they bring home a lot of material for me to post.

You can subscribe to that blog–as well as this one–if you would like upcoming posts to be automatically sent to your e-mail address. Just click on “E-mail Subscription” in the sidebar and fill out the information.

Have a blessed day!

Omnipresence

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Today’s Sunday-poem by Luci Shaw is a reminder that we can be drawn to God through everything–even unlikely places.  The poem ends with something very though provoking.

Omnipresence

Reminders flicker at us from
odd angles, nor will He be ignored
We sight Him in unlikely places
oaths and dates and empty tombs
God.  His print is everywhere
stamped on the macro and the microcosm
feathers, shells, berries, birds’ bright eyes
Stars, cells speak his diversity
The multiplicity of leaf and light
says God.  Wind sensed
but unseen breathes the old
metaphor again.  Seasons are his
signature.  The double helix
spells his spiral name
Faith summons Him, and doubt
blows only the sheerest skein
of mist across His face.

~Luci Shaw

I trust

Sr. Dorcee, beloved1 Comment

A thought from Amy Carmichael on trusting that God loves us:

1 John 4.16 (Rotherham) We have come to understand and to trust the love which God hath in us.

I have been thinking much of this translation.  We can never fully understand that love, but we can begin to understand it even here and now, and as we understand, we trust.  This means that we trust all that the love of God does; all He gives, and all He does not give; all He says, and all He does not say.  To it all we say, by His loving enabling, I trust.  Let us be content with the Lord’s will, and tell Him so, and not disappoint Him by wishing for anything He does not give.  The more we understand His love, the more we trust.  (Edges of His Ways, p. 145)

God’s need

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A few years ago I read something to this effect: if God had a need–which He doesn’t because He is God–but if He did have a need, it would be to love.  That statement made me stop to consider how much–or how little–I let Him actually love me.  How often did I consider myself unworthy of His love and consequently not open myself to His love?  How often did I put limits on how much He could possibly love me?  How often did I turn away from Him because I was dissatisfied/distressed/upset with the events He was allowing in my life?  How often did I just want to give up on my relationship with Him?  Sounds like an examination of conscience, doesn’t it?  In fact, it is, and it’s worth doing.

The Catechism, when describing the effects of original sin, lists “lack of trust in his goodness” as one of the primary effects (cf. CCC 396).  God went after Adam and Eve when they sinned.  The first thing God says to them after they sinned was “Where are you?”, the words of a God who desires to love, who wants relationship with us, who doesn’t want us hiding from Him.  The Father thirsts and hungers to love us, to love you.  He “needs” to love you.

The excessive love of God

Sr. Dorcee, beloved1 Comment

I haven’t posted in the past two days because life has been full of more important things.  As many of you know, we run two Emmanuel Houses: homes for older adults who are no longer capable of living alone and have limited support and no resources.  This week three of the residents have been in the hospital and one at home passed on to be with the Lord.  Two of our Sisters who work there are on vacation.  It’s times like these when life can feel like it’s a bit too much.  Yet we know that all is in God’s Providence.  I meditate often on these words from Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity: “Everything that happens is for me a message of the excessive love of God for my soul.”  And as Amy Carmichael would say: “Everything means everything.”