. Contemplative Haven: January 2007

Friday, January 26, 2007

Silent Friend of Many Distances

Silent friend of many distances, feel
how your breath enlarges all of space.
Let your presence ring out like a bell
into the night. What feeds upon your face

grows mighty from the nourishment thus offered.
Move through transformation, out and in.
What is the deepest loss that you have suffered?
If drinking is bitter, change yourself to wine.


"Lonely Road", Melanie Rocan

In this immeasurable darkness, be the power
that rounds your senses in their magic ring,
the sense of their mysterious encounter.

And if the earthly no longer knows your name,
whisper to the silent earth: I'm flowing.
To the flashing water say: I am.

Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926)


posted by Gabrielle at 12:36 PM |

Song of the Sea

Timeless sea breezes,
sea-wind of the night:
you come for no one;
if someone should wake,
he must be prepared
how to survive you.
Timeless sea breezes,
that for aeons have
blown ancient rocks,
you are purest space
coming from afar...
Oh, how a fruit-bearing
fig tree feels your coming
high up in the moonlight.

(Rainer Maria Rilke, 1875-1926)

posted by Gabrielle at 12:20 PM |

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Feastday of St. Francis de Sales

I inherited a copy of, "The Life of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Prince of Geneva", by Robert Ornsby, M.A., published in 1859. I think it may be a 1st edition, having come into my possession through my maternal great-grandparents, via a box of books I was given when my grandmother died.

This 1st edition (if it is indeed a 1st edition) would likely not catch any great sum though, if one were in the business of collecting 1st editions for that purpose. Someone has scribbled on a few of the opening and ending blank pages, and another has, quite unbelievably, pasted newspaper obituary notices on the insides of the front and back covers.

I was sadly noting this peculiar state of affairs for the umpteenth time this evening, thinking, is that any way to treat a book, any book, let alone, "The Life of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Prince of Geneva"? Suddenly it occurred to me that there must be a reason why these particular obituary clippings were glued to this particular book; it could not be a random act of obit-pasting, could it? They are yellowed with age, the obits (two different ones of the same person) being from the 1800s. And so I read them, perhaps not for the first time, but for the first time with undivided attention.

They tell a sad story of a young priest, ordained only the previous year, who suddenly dies after a mysterious three-day illness. He was up-and-coming, of "very great intellectual ability", and "much beloved by the Catholics" of his city, appointed Secretary to his Bishop almost immediately upon ordination. (May I just say that the reason why I'm posting this so late on the Feastday is because I have been googling these two people all evening). Now, I cannot give away all the details, but suffice to say the plot thickens, leading (take a deep breath) to the 1st Vatican Council. Ah, could it not be the makings of a novel, thought I, a Catholic historical thriller? And what, pray tell, has it all got to do with my family? Why did one of my ancestors lovingly keep this young priest's obits, and paste them tenderly into, "The Life of St. Francis de Sales"? Whose book was this, and what is the relationship between the book and the young priest's death? Oh, St. Francis de Sales, you've got my heart and imagination all fired up, which is only fitting, isn't it, since you are the Patron Saint of Writers!

"Dear St. Francis de Sales, please continue to guide all of our wonderful and dedicated Catholic writers over the course of this coming year, and most especially, please bless and encourage the gifted one who emailed me tonight. Amen."

posted by Gabrielle at 10:50 PM |

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Charity


"The contemplative, in his investigation of Divine things, is actuated by love for those things, and to increase this love is his ultimate purpose, as well as the firstfruits of his contemplation; in other words the theological virtue of charity is the mainspring as well as the outcome of the act of contemplation. "

"The principal means contemplatives have of proving their love for others are prayer and penance. By prayer they draw down from Heaven on struggling and suffering humanity manifold graces, light, strength, courage and comfort, blessings for time and for eternity. By penance they strive to atone for the offenses of sinful humanity, to appease wrath and ward off its direful effects, by giving vicarious satisfaction to the demands of His justice. Their lives of perpetual abnegation and privation, of hardship cheerfully endured, of self-inflicted suffering, joined to the sufferings of their Divine Master and Model help to repair the evil men do and obtain God's mercy for the evildoers. They plead and make reparation for all men."
(From: New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, “Contemplative Life”)

posted by Gabrielle at 2:52 PM |

Sunday, January 21, 2007

John Henry Cardinal Newman

“There is an inward world into which they enter who come near to Christ, though to men in general they seem the same as before….if they have drunk of Christ’s cup, and tasted the bread of His Table in sincerity, it is not with them as in time past. A change has come over them, unknown indeed to themselves, except in its effects, but they have a portion in destinies to which other men are strangers, and, as having destinies, they have conflicts also. They drank what looked like a draught of this world, but it associated them in hopes and fears, trials and purposes, above this world. They came as for a blessing, and they have found a work.”


John Henry Cardinal Newman was declared Venerable on January 22, 1991 by Pope John Paul II.

posted by Gabrielle at 11:19 PM |

Hope

"One of the reasons why contemplatives have always been in the minority in this world is because contemplation involves a surrender of one's whole self, not just a period of time set aside each day for some form of prayer or meditation. It is a commitment of immense proportions and requires an eminent trust that God will bring us where we hope to go if we submit to this inner conviction or urging that we have to start. It does not matter how many difficulties there are, we have to go. There is no turning back once we have started because the sky is a big place, and we had better stay with the flock... In our case, however, taking to the air is not based on instinct, but rather on the theological virtue of hope. The movement, call, or attraction that God has given us is a promise that is just as reliable as the instinct of the birds as they surrender to their migratory instinct. Instead of surrendering to a migratory instinct, we surrender to God's transforming process....

The theological virtue of hope is the anticipation of the end, here and now. According to Jesus, we already have eternal life if we believe in him. We just have not realized it yet because we have not completed the flight."

From: "Intimacy with God. A Contemplative Vision for Our Times" (Father Thomas Keating)

posted by Gabrielle at 2:15 PM |

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Faith

Eleven stayed in the boat, although it was an uncertain safety.

Eleven stayed in the boat, intuiting that there might be more for them outside its carefully-crafted sides, yet unable to risk those first moments of feeling nothing underneath them. Eleven stayed in the boat, reaching out their hands, leaning over the edge, as if to say, we are with you, we are with you, almost.

One climbed over, throwing himself into an abyss of darkness, fearful that what was below would not support his weight. But the Master had called, and he could do nothing else. The Master had called, and he would rather sink, he would rather drown, he would rather plunge through the depths of the desperate waters than hold back anymore, for he had held back all his life - had held back his very life.

Oh, the joy of those first few steps; Master, see me! Lord, I will be with you any moment! Then the crashing waves of confusion and doubt. Lord, I am nothing like You. Lord, You are too far away. Sea salt in the eyes, burning and blurring; water in the lungs, helpless, helpless.

But an arm's breadth away He is standing, Sovereign; Sovereign Lord over the wind, the waves, and the brine of treacherous seas at night. His hand will grasp, His strength will lift, His knowing will lead to shore. The eleven will follow, and there will be the warmth of fires.

They sleep, knowing that the boat will go out again. Perhaps tomorrow.

posted by Gabrielle at 11:05 PM |

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Gems of the Months

Now, don't go getting your heads all in a spin; this isn't "New Age". It's something I came across in a little book entitled, "My Prayer-Book. Happiness in Goodness. Reflections, Counsels, Prayers, and Devotions", by Father R. Lasance, published in 1908, and it has the Nihil Obstat. This book is a little gem in itself, filled with things from Catholic days gone by, some of which I would like to share from time to time. Now, on to the monthly gems:

January.........Garnet.........Perseverance; Constancy.

February........Pearl...........Faith and Innocence.

March...........Hyacinth......Moral Beauty - Moral Goodness.

April.............Diamond......Purity and Fortitude.

May..............Emerald.......Faith in God and Faithfulness in Friendship.

June.............Amethyst......Peace of Mind; also Sincerity.

July..............Ruby...........Success; Devotedness to Duty.

August..........Sardonyx.......Felicity; Conformity to the Will of God.

September......Sapphire.......Divine Love and Mercy. Love and Repentance in Man.

October.........Opal............Happiness of a Pure Life; also Hope.

November......Topaz...........Divine Providence; Resignation; Fidelity.

December.......Turquoise.....Piety; Fervor in God's Service; Prosperity.

Since we are starting a new year, I thought it might be a good time to share this, so that we could reflect on the description and significance of the particular gem in our own lives. Perhaps it might speak to us this year of something which requires attention, or of something with which the Lord has already blessed us, preparing us to move forward to grow and blossom in other areas.

Mine is August. Felicity. Happiness. I am to try to be happy? Is not that rather lacking in depth? Conformity to the Will of God. This I desire and strive for, despite ongoing struggles with discernment.

Yet, if I put the two together, it becomes clearer. Felicity, happiness, in conforming to the will of God. Now that is something I can sink my teeth into, and my whole heart and soul. That is not the happiness of the world; that is a happiness for which I can pray, for which I can strive, with His grace. That is a felicity which does not preclude sharing in His suffering, or the suffering of my neighbour, but rather, demands it. That is a felicity I can live with, a felicity many saints and martyrs have died for. Oh, to be happy, to be truly happy, with true Christian joy.

Just look at that list. Imagine being adorned with all of those jewels as we stand before the Lord.

From Isaiah (61:10)
"I rejoice heartily in the Lord,
in my God is the joy of my soul;
For he has clothed me with a robe of salvation,
and wrapped me in a mantle of justice,
Like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem,
like a bride bedecked with her jewels."

(Just as an aside, I have never heard of "hyacinth" as a gem, but only as a flower. Have any of you ever heard of it as a gem? Also, upon looking it up in the dictionary, I see that gemstones can only be used in jewelry after they have been cut and polished. Well, we know all about that, don't we?)

posted by Gabrielle at 10:45 AM |

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Prince of Peace, We Need You

In the desert, where the stars are bright / And constellations rule your life / Long ago, three kings set out / To follow a peculiar light / What did they see up in the sky? / That made them take leave of their land / And carry gifts on camelback / Over hills of endless sand / Through cloudless days and cloudless nights / The bells upon the camel ring / And the wind play'n on ribs of sand / Must be the voices of angels singing /
Gold to crown his loftiness / Myrrh for the man upon his death / Frankincense for godliness

"Wisemen" (by Kate & Anna McGarrigle)

Black smoke hides the stars tonight / And mines explode in golden sand /
Underground black gold does flow / In Afghan fields the poppies grow /
Gold to crown his loftiness / Myrrh for the man upon his death / Frankincense for godliness.


From Psalm 71 (72):
In his days justice shall flourish
and peace till the moon fails.
He shall rule from sea to sea,
from the Great River to earth's bounds.

posted by Gabrielle at 11:50 PM |

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Questions for a New Year




“If you want to identify me, ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I think I am living for, in detail, and ask me what I think is keeping me from living fully the thing I want to live for."

Thomas Merton
(My Argument with the Gestapo)


These two questions will be points of personal reflection for me in 2007. No more foolin' around.

Woman on a Chair (1955)
Michael Kmit (1910-1981)

posted by Gabrielle at 4:55 PM |