Memorial Day - Let us do as much as we can!!

 

Story:
“Prisoner at the bar,” said the judge, “I find you guilty on twenty-three counts.  I therefore sentence you to a total of one hundred and seventy-five years.” The prisoner was an old man.  He burst into tears.  The judge’s facial expression softened.  “I did not mean to be harsh,” he said. “I know the sentence I have imposed is a very severe one. You don’t really have to serve the whole of it.”  The prisoner’s eyes brightened with hope.  “That’s right,” said the judge. “Just do as much as you can!” (Source Unknown)

No doubt, we are all called to “do as much as we can” in our little corner of the world to be peacemakers.  I recall a phone call I received some years ago from a woman who went daily to church for liturgy with her neighbors, friends, and others from the surrounding towns.  She told me that she was calling because she was very concerned about the way the people at liturgy were treating her. She went on to tell me that at the “sign of peace” when everyone reaches out with the gesture of a handshake or even a hug, she has decided not to reach out and she does not want to receive the handshake of peace.

She continued her story with the details of how people approach her in her bench and extend their hand and she turns away from them. She explained that after liturgy, people even had the audacity to follow her to her car in the parking lot and offer her a handshake of peace.  Again, she spoke of how she hurried to enter her car, roll up the windows, and lock the doors – not wanting to share this sign of peace with anyone. Her question to me was, “ Aren't they wrong?  How can I get them to leave me alone?”

As I listened I prayed for insight as to how to proceed.  After she was finished describing her concern, I then spoke. I told her that the liturgy is not a private experience. We gather as a people of God – praying together in song – listening to the Word, breaking the bread and sharing the cup.  It is a ritual of communion and union!  Then I said that the handshake of peace is meant to be a sign of our willingness to live in harmony and right-relationship with each other and to let it be a prayer sent across the world for peace throughout the universe!  She hung up on me!! I just did as much as I could to have her consider a conversion to being a peacemaker or “peace-hand-shaker.”

This weekend, we observe Memorial Day. Three years after the Civil War ended on May 5, 1868, it was established as Decoration Day – a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the ward dead with flowers.  The proclamation by Gen. John Logan’s orders reads thus:  “We are organized for the purpose, among other things, of preserving and strengthening those kind and fraternal feelings which have bound together the soldiers, sailors, and marines who united to suppress the late rebellion.  What can aid more to assure this result than by cherishing tenderly the memory of our heroic dead, who made their breasts a barricade between our country and its foe?”

Let us observe this Memorial Day by doing as much as we can - remembering our power and capacity to gather as peacemakers; to strengthen our spirits and vision; to decorate our hearts with the flowers of nonviolence.  It is a day of gathering with those who mourn at monuments, graves, and memorials. A day of gathering with those who stand in confusion, anger, shame, guilt, and vulnerability.  A day of gathering to remember sacrifices and great losses. A day of gathering to remember ones still held captive throughout the world, or suffering mental anguish from the trauma of terrorism and the ravages of war. It is a day of gathering with those who stand with pride for courage demonstrated and for freedoms won.  Finally, let us do as much as we can to pray, assist, give comfort, express understanding and support to all those who have chosen to reach out in peace, and to those willing to  make sacrifices through service to their country – and may we cherish tenderly the memory of our heroic deceased women and men.

“Suffering arises from the simple circumstances of life itself.  Sometimes human suffering is dramatic and horrifying.  More often it is ordinary, humble, and quiet.  But neither way is it ‘God’s Will.’ The divine presence doesn't intend us to suffer, but is instead WITH us in all the experiences of life, in both suffering and joy.  And that presence is always inviting us toward greater freedom and love.” (Gerald G. May, M.D.)

The time is NOW . . .

 

 May the God of Now, the Divine "I AM," invite you into each moment, into each circumstance and experience of your life. May you enter the NOW of your life and stand with the God who is already there. May you become aware that you are never alone and may you share this Now God with all those who are searching. May the God of Now, the God of Presence, bless you.

--Maxine Shonk, OP

Again! How long? Enough!

 

Dominican Sisters ~ 

Grand Rapids Response to Texas Killings

 

May 25, 2022 — GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan

Our hearts are broken – again.
We are enraged at the needless loss of life – again.
We cry out – AGAIN!
How long, O Lord?! How long?!
How long will children have to train for an active shooter in their schools?
How long must children and teachers die at the hands of a gunman?!
How many more times must parents anxiously wait
to see if their child survived another school shooting?!
How many more times must parents buckle to their knees
at the news their child did not survive?!
How long will moments of silence not be enough of a response?!
How long must we wait for our elected leaders to do something – anything –
that will end this nightmare that has become reality far too often?!
How long will they willingly choose to hold on to the status quo
instead of acting to ban assault weapons?
How long will the gun lobby hold our nation hostage to real change?
Will the Robb Elementary School shooting in Texas finally be the last straw?
Will we, the people, finally demand change
and not stop crying out until it happens?

You, Lord, are the Source of All Life.
Your heart breaks as ours does
for these children are your children too.
Help us to hold fast to your Spirit
that cries out within us for justice.
Help us to work for an end to gun violence.
Help us to be the change you desire for our nation.

AMEN.

 

Litany of Remembrance . . .

Litany in the Wake of a Mass Shooting

Following the murder of thirteen precious children of God in Thousand Oaks, California in November 2018, Bishops United Against Gun Violence offered a “Litany in the Wake of a Mass Shooting” to commemorate the dead, to comfort their loved ones, and to honor survivors and first responders. Today, the litany has been updated to include yet another mass shooting that took the lives of twenty-two precious children of God in Uvalde, Texas.

We offer this litany, once again, with the reminder that one does not pray in lieu of summoning political courage, but in preparation for doing so. Bishops United Against Gun Violence invite you to join in this litany and our commitment to take action so that our country can be freed from the epidemic of gun violence.

Litany in the Wake of a Mass Shooting

God of peace, we remember all those who have died in incidents of mass gun violence in this nation’s public and private spaces.

Six dead at the Wisconsin Sikh Temple.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Twelve dead at an Aurora, Colorado movie theater.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Twenty-eight dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Six dead at Santa Monica College, California.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Seven dead at a Hialeah, Florida apartment complex.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Thirteen dead at the Washington Navy Yard.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead at Fort Hood, Texas.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Seven dead in Isla Vista, near UC Santa Barbara.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Five dead at Marysville Pilchuck High School in Washington.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Six dead in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Nine dead at Emanuel AME in Charleston, South Carolina.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Sixteen dead at a San Bernardino, California office.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Ten dead at Umpqua Community College, Oregon.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Six dead in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead at a Hesston, Kansas office.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Five dead at a Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania backyard party.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Fifty dead at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Five dead at Cascade Mall in Burlington, Washington.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Five dead at Fort Lauderdale Airport.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead in Fresno, California.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Eight dead in Lincoln County, Mississippi.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead at an Eaton Township, Pennsylvania supermarket.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Nine dead at a Plano, Texas football-watching party.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Fifty-nine dead at a Las Vegas, Nevada concert.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Twenty-seven dead at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Seventeen dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Five dead at the Veterans Home in Yountville, California.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead at a Nashville, Tennessee Waffle House.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Ten dead at Santa Fe High School, Texas.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Five dead at the Capital Gazette Newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead at the Fifth Third Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead at a Rite Aid distribution center in Aberdeen, Maryland.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Eleven dead at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Thirteen dead at a bar in Thousand Oaks, California.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Five dead at a bank in Sebring, Florida.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Five dead at their homes in Ascension and Livingston parishes, Louisiana.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Six dead at an industrial park in Aurora, Illinois.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead at a home in Clinton, Mississippi.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead in Solon Township, Michigan.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Thirteen dead at a municipal building in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Twenty-two dead at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Ten dead at the Oregon District of downtown Dayton, Ohio.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Eight dead on the road between the cities of Odessa and Midland, Texas.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Five dead in their home in Elkmont, Alabama.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead at a bar in Kansas City, Kansas.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead at a backyard football watch party in Fresno, California
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Six dead at a cemetery and kosher market in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Six dead at the Molson Coors complex in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Five dead at a convenience store in Springfield, Missouri.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Five dead in the northeast side of Indianapolis, Indiana.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Eight dead at three spas in Atlanta, Georgia.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Ten dead at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead at an office complex in Orange, California.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Six dead at a home in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Nine dead at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Seven dead at a birthday party in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Ten dead at a rail yard in San Jose, California.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead at Oxford High School in Oxford Township, Michigan.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Five dead in Lakewood and Denver, Colorado.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Five dead at The Church in Sacramento, California.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Six dead in downtown Sacramento, California.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Ten dead at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Twenty-two dead at Robb Elementary School.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

All those who have died in any incident of gun violence.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

For survivors of gun violence.
Grant them comfort and healing.
Hear us, Lord.

For those who have lost loved ones to gun violence.
Grant them peace.
Hear us, Lord.

For those first responders who care for victims of gun violence.
Protect and strengthen them.
Hear us, Lord.

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

https://bishopsagainstgunviolence.org/

God, hear our prayer . . .

 

No Taking Sides Prayer 

God of our side, and God of our enemies’ side,
hear our prayer:
we need your help here on planet earth.
With heavy hearts we confess
the brokenness on our beautiful blue planet.
Hear the sound of gunfire,
see the bomb craters,
taste the bitterness of people hating people,
smell the fear that permeates our lives,
touch the hearts of the wounded.
Hear the sound of children being hurt,
see people running away from their homes,
taste the hopelessness of shattered communities,
smell the despair of refugee camps,
touch the inconsolable on both sides.
Feel our pain as we spin through space.
God of our side, and God of our enemies’ side,
you are the God of no sides at all.
You call us to a new place,
to step with faith outside this world of taking sides.
You lead us to an inside out world,
where our enemy is our sibling,
where our foe can be our fondest friend.
You call us from the sidelines to centre stage,
to be a community of global resurrection,
firm believers in love that cannot die,
love that cannot be corrupted,
love that never lets us go.
We sense you in the beauty of all creation,
where there are no sides,
for you are everywhere.
You created the earth for us all to enjoy,
each day the sun beams warmth upon us,
the rain falls on every one,
the moon and the stars shine universally.
You call us to be firm believers
in the one who crossed heaven and earth
to show us that even between God and human beings
there are no sides.
It is in the name of Jesus Christ,
whose arms embrace us all,
that we pray for peace today.  [add community prayers here]
Amen.

 Posted on: April 28, 2022

 “Copyright Carol Penner www.leadinginworship.com”

Stephanie Boccuzzi Preaches for the Solemnity of the Ascension (05/29/2022)

Ascension . . .more beyond!

 

The story is told that in Valladolid, Spain, where Christopher Columbus died in 1506, stands a monument commemorating the great discoverer. Perhaps the most interesting feature of the memorial is a statue of a lion destroying one of the Latin words that had been part of Spain’s motto for centuries. 

Before Columbus made his voyages, the Spaniards thought  they had reached the outer limits of earth.  Thus their motto was ‘Ne Plus Ultra,’ which means, ‘No More Beyond.’  The word being torn away by the lion is ‘Ne’ or ‘No’ thus it reads ‘Plus Ultra.’  Columbus had proven that there was indeed ‘more beyond.’ 

 In the same way, in our readings today, Jesus also proclaims that there is ‘more beyond.’  The Ascension is part of what we call the Pascal Mystery.  There are 4 interrelated parts: suffering and death, Resurrection, Ascension, and the sending of the Spirit. 

These sacred events are closely interlocked as one reality.  As the Resurrection proclaims that Jesus is alive, the Ascension asserts that Jesus has entered into glory.  In this celebration of the Ascension, we are invited to let go of our linear thinking and stand in the space of accepting and embracing Mystery. 

Jesus did not ride up into the sky in Shepherd 1.  For we know that heaven is not a place but a relationship with God – Jesus is totally and forever reunited with God.  Jesus’ death, Resurrection, Ascension and the coming of the Spirit form a ‘seamless garment’ so to speak, one single movement - the passing of Jesus through death to life and to the more beyond!  

On the feast of the Ascension, we remember, we celebrate, and we believe - the more beyond.  The more beyond pain and suffering; the more beyond doubt and death; the more beyond grieving and loss. 

We are invited into embracing the mystery of the “more beyond” which Jesus reveals as an intimate forever, eternal, everlasting, never ending, timeless, priceless, unconditional love relationship with our God in which Jesus will be with us until the end of the age . . . and into the more beyond.

Jesus promised that we would never be left alone.  The Ascension of Jesus was not the end of his presence with us, but a new way of being intimately present.  As St. Augustine writes, “You ascended before our eyes, and we turned back grieving, only to find you in our hearts.”

The four Gospels do not end with Jesus’ absence, but with his continuing presence.  Mark writes that Jesus was taken up into heaven and then adds “the disciples went forth and preached everywhere while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message with signs.”  Luke ends with Jesus ascending into heaven in order to send the promise of the Spirit.  In the Gospel of Matthew, he does not mention the Ascension.  His gospel ends with Jesus saying, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” In John, Jesus is saying to Peter and to us, “Follow me.”

Jesus continues his presence with us in Eucharist, in the Scriptures, in our assembly at Liturgy, and in our hearts.  Through us and in all believers of this Mystery, Jesus continues to heal and to comfort, to forgive and to include.  It is in all hearts of believers of this Mystery, that beyond this space of bread and wine, word and ritual that his love and compassion continue to be found.

We are not to stand and stare up at the clouds but to risk entering into the uncertainties of life, and to truly see God’s presence in each other, in the eyes of the poor, the marginalized, and in the needs and hearts of the “last, the least and the lost.”

Ascension tells us that if we are looking for Jesus, we need a new way of seeing, a new way of following.  It is walking in faith and to trust that there is more beyond.

 

Illness of Greed . . . no matter what season . . .

 

Once there was a very young girl, the only child of her widowed mother. On a chilly morning in December, as she gathered sticks for firewood, she happened upon a leather pouch full of gold coins. Running home, jumping with joy, twirling around, she gave her mother the treasure she found. Together they counted the coins, fifteen of them. The girl couldn't stand still. She danced, she smiled, she laughed, she waved her arms in the air.  But her mother, being an honest woman, sighed deeply and said, "My child, this money does not belong to us. Go back and try to find the rightful owner. Perhaps you will receive a reward."  The girl, in shock, returned with heavy steps along the path where she found the pouch.

Villagers were coming and going, wishing each other a Merry Christmas here and a Merry Christmas there. About noon a rich man came down the path, turning his head this way and that, searching for something. The girl stepped forward and asked very timidly, "Sir, what are you looking for?" "A purse," he replied, "I've lost my purse." The young girl held out the pouch of gold coins and asked, "Is this your purse?" "It certainly is," he replied, and snatched it from her hand. She looked at him expectantly, but the man was a miser.  He didn't want to give a reward. After counting the coins he turned a mean eye toward the girl, and said loud enough for those passing by to hear, "I had twenty gold coins. Where are the other five?" "But sir," the girl replied trembling, "there were only fifteen." Grabbing her by the shoulders, the ungrateful miser shouted, "Give back the five gold coins you have stolen!"

People gathered when they heard the child crying and proclaiming her innocence as the man shook her vigorously. Just then the local magistrate came forth from the midst of the crowd and stepped between the girl and the man. "Did you count the coins yourself?" he asked her. "Yes," she sobbed, "and my mother, too."  The judge called for the mother and when she came, he asked her how many coins were in the purse. "Fifteen," she said. The rich merchant bellowed out, "They're lying! I had twenty gold coins."

The wise magistrate looked up and down at the well-dressed man in his fine clothes, and then at the poor widow with her ragtag daughter. He pondered for a moment. A serious look crossed his face as he asked the angry puffy-jowled merchant, "Are you absolutely certain there were twenty gold coins in your purse?"  He replied, "Yes, of course I am."  Turning to the mother and child, the judge smiled and said, "The merchant assures me he lost a purse containing twenty gold coins. This one has only fifteen. Clearly, it cannot be the same one. Since no one has come forward to claim a lost purse with fifteen coins you may keep this one. The case is closed." At this judgment the crowd broke into cheers and the miser went away shamed and undone by his own greed.  

Source and author unknown

The Covenant . . .

The Father

knocks at my door

seeking a home for his son:

Rent is cheap, I say.

I don’t want to rent. I want to buy, says God.

I’m not sure I want to sell,

but you might come in to look around.

I think I will, says God.

I might let you have a room or two.

I like it, says God.  I’ll take the two. You might

decide to give me more someday. I can wait, says God.

I’d like to give you more

but it’s a bit difficult.  I need some space for me.

I know, says God, but I’ll wait. I like what I see.

Hmm, maybe I can let you have another room.  I really don’t need that much.

Thanks, says God.  I’ll take it.  I like what I see.

I’d like to give you the whole house but I’m not sure . . .

Think on it, says God.  I wouldn’t put you out.  Your home would be mine and my son would live in it. You’d have more space than you’d ever had before.

I don’t understand at all.

I know says God, but I can’t tell you about that.  You have to discover it for yourself. That can only happen if you let him have the whole house.

A bit risky, I say.

Yes, says God, but try me.

I’m not sure . . .  I’ll let you know.

I can wait, says God. I like what I see.

Margaret Halaska, osf

 

M. Patricia Ball, M.S.R.N., Preaches for the Sixth Sunday of Easter

Images and Illusions . . . and the Real!!

 

Once upon a time, I made a retreat in a wooded area of western Wisconsin. I retired early my first night there since I was weary from travel and all the activities of the month. I was looking forward to a long sleep. My little cabin was enwrapped by the covering of abundant trees which quieted the hum of the traffic on the distant roads. However, before sunrise, I heard something bumping against the side window. Thud, scratch-scratch, flap-flap. This went on for a few more minutes before I got up enough nerve with a moan and made an effort to open the blinds at the window. What was making this early morning wake-up call here in the middle of the woods? My imagination was getting the best of me. I was thinking that maybe I would be facing a deer, or a woodchuck, or a squirrel, or even a skunk. Yikes, then what?  So I slowly opened the blinds, and there on the edge of the terrace was a very chubby robin that looked very determined. She seemed to wonder why I was looking back at her through the woods!

I soon discovered that the window of the cabin was reflecting the surrounding woods, and she was attempting to “enter” this glass portal, no matter what. She tried again to break through this reflection with another effort. Resolute, she flew directly at the window only to meet the barrier head-on – then falling, she scratched her way down the window and then with flapping efforts, she tried to make her way up the window, eventually falling to the small rocks below that were surrounding the cabin. She tried a number of times – thud- scratch-flap, thud-scratch-flap.  After several more unsuccessful attempts, she flew off probably to think of how to approach this problem upon her return the next day.

 I thought I’d spare her from injuring herself, so I piled a few large branches against the window to keep her from another airborne mishap. However, later in the afternoon, a squirrel climbed up the branches that were leaning against the window, and he threw himself at his reflection mirrored in the window. I laughed and thought- this must be part of the boot camp wilderness tactics for deep woods survival!

I wrote the following - reflecting on this experience.
Robin Gone Wild!  A pre-dawn predator at my window?  Ready-fire-aim! She efforts to enter through the widow reflection that teases her songbird senses. Ready-fire-aim. She undertakes a second flight seeking contact with the glassed companion in the window who mimics her exact movements. 
No luck – thud-scratch-flap. Then she attempts a third thrust. Thud-scratch-flap. She falls dazed to the rocks below. She flies off – perhaps to strategize her approach for another day’s dawn. Isn’t this what Albert Einstein defined as insanity?  Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Then I wondered . . . am I like this persistent harbinger of Spring when encountering or confronted with or challenged by illusions that bump up against my ego – alluring my senses, my false self with distorted truths or deceptive stories?  . . . What stories do I tell myself when I have certain feelings, perceptions, assumptions, and expectations?  This has to be insanity! It is essential that I find the time and space where my true self is quieted in silent readiness, with aimed awareness, and with the faith-filled fire of hope in God’s abundant grace and unconditional love surrounding me as I journey through this wilderness training called life.

Photo by Doris Klein, CSA

A Discernment Story: The Cave and the Sun!

There was once a dark cave, deep down in the ground, underneath the earth and hidden away from view.  Because it was so deep in the earth, the light had never been there.  The cave had never seen light.  The word ‘light’ meant nothing to the cave, who couldn’t imagine what ‘light’ might be.   

Then one day, the sun sent an invitation to the cave, inviting it to come up and visit. When the cave came up to visit the sun it was amazed and delighted, because the cave had never seen light before, and it was dazzled by the wonder of the experience.

Feeling so grateful to the sun for inviting it to visit, the cave wanted to return the kindness, and so it invited the sun to come down to visit it sometime, because the sun had never seen darkness. 

So the day came, and the sun entered the cave, it looked around with great interest, wondering what ‘darkness’ would be like.  Then it became puzzled, and asked the cave, ‘Where is the darkness?’  (Source Unknown)

What’s this got to do with discernment? Everything!

·         Sun and Cave entered into a relationship of generosity and hospitality.  The cave was willing to respond to the light, and in so doing, it was dazzled. Have you ever been invited by a person of light, an experience or event of light, or a place of light that offered comfort, new insights, opportunities, options, choices, or dreams that dazzled you with wonder and gratitude?
           Have you ever thought of discernment as a willingness to move out of the darkness and to open yourself to discovering your true Self in the Light?

·         Have you ever thought of God’s grace illuminating those places of resistance or fear within yourself?

·         Have you ever thought of offering hospitality to God – making space for God to enter into the depths of your inner Self – honoring your wisdom, your talents, your gifts, - and inviting you to share them and to make a difference in the world?

·         At the end of the day, practice the EXAMEN prayer – asking yourself, “Where did I experience light today?”  “Where did I experience darkness?”  “Where was God in both the light and the darkness?”

A Graduation Story ~ "Paid in Full". . .

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer’s showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box.

Curious, and somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound book, with the young man’s name embossed in gold.
Angry, he rose his voice to his father and said “with all your money, you give me a used book?” and stormed out of the house.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day.
Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

When he arrived at his father’s house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father’s important papers and saw the still gift-wrapped book, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the book and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined.

As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the book. It had a tag with the dealer’s name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words PAID IN FULL. 
Author Unknown, Source Unknown