Fall Triduum

Every year, our “Fall Triduum” of All Hallow’s, All Saints, and All Souls

becomes more precious to me as each one focuses my attention on how connected we are

to not only those who are alive, but to all those who have gone before us –

relatives, friends, enemies, muses,(i.e. the communion of saints.)

Yesterday we celebrated All Saints Sunday

with one of the most “thin place” services of the year –

the one in which we commemorate all the saints

by posting their names on the walls of the sanctuary.

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Whether they are from long ago....

(Saint Leontia)

Or more recently...

(Jill Cooper, a friend)



Or a close relative like my father,

(Kenneth)

Or even the name of a woman

who has the same name of my

own mother who is still alive!

(Ok, I have to admit,

it was pretty weird to see

my mother on the wall)...



What wasn’t weird or strange was the feeling of their presence in the room with us.

What the Celts call a “thin place”

All of us together. In one place.

One very “thin” place.

These 3 days are as intertwined as a Celtic Knot.

With themes of death and resurrection,

we are reminded that there is no beginning or ending to our souls.

We move and have our being in a continuous flow of God’s love,

knowing that we are always in the presence of God.

 

“Beannacht De le hanama na marbh

(The blessing of God on the souls of the dead.)

Ta siad imithe ar shli na firinne

(They are gone on the way of truth.”)

Irish Blessing



So until it is our time to join all those saints who have gone before us on the way of truth,

may we continue to enjoy their presence, and

walk in love, seeking and serving Christ in all we meet today.



(last photo is of Fall colors outside the Columbarium at St. Paul’s)

Jesus fell off his Cross!

My daughter texted me yesterday from her car with this picture and message:

“Jesus fell off his cross! I need a new one!”

And what would the proper response be to such a statement?

“So sorry to hear the news” or “Well done Jesus!”

but instead I said,

“So where did he land?”

“In the console” she replied.

“Is he ok?” I asked.

“Not really. He broke his arm in the fall.”

This was accompanied by another photo:

 

“So can you re-attach his arm?”

I said.

“I’ve tried that before Mom. He just doesn’t seem to want to stay put. 

Once when I was driving along, I looked down and saw him looking up at me on my leg.

So I glued him back on. But now that his arm is broken, I don’t think that’s going to work.”

As my head filled with the theological implications of Jesus not remaining on the cross,

or of replacing a broken Jesus who was broken for us on said cross,

or of Jesus not desiring to ‘stay put’, even with glue applied,

I considered the worthiness of turning this into yet another one

of my spiritual analogies about God’s desire to draw closer to my daughter.

I thought back over all the years of my telling Jesus stories to my kids and their less than enthusiastic response,

and decided not to read too much into it.

“So what do you think Mom?” she asked.

“I think Jesus wants you to SLOW DOWN. You can’t be sure that he didn’t just try to JUMP to safety.”

Celebrate St. Francis Day

 

 

During group this morning we looked at the following prayer

from the book, "Prayers for Healing"  edited by Maggie Oman

 and since this is the Feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi let us

remember all the creatures, both past and present,

that God has so lovingly created. 

Let us also remember and be thankful for all who devote

their lives to caring for our friends, the animals.

 

"Hear our humble prayer, O God,

for our friends the animals,

thy creatures.

We pray especially for all that are suffering in any way;

for the overworked and underfed,

the hunted, lost or hungry;

for all in captivity or ill-treated,

and for those who must be put to death.

 

We entreat for them Thy mercy and pity;

and for those who deal with them we ask

a heart of compassion,

gentle hands and kindly words.

 

Make us all to be true friends to animals."

 

- Christian, date unknown

 

Here is the link for the Humane Society website in the

picture above.

 

Moving On...

I have internet!  Finally!  I love my ipad and iphone but I'm most comfortable with my desktop computer. I enjoy the feel of the keys (instead of a screen) under my fingers. 

 

 









The past month has been all about moving out of our home.  As you can see from the photos all traces of our life have been removed. Such a long process deciding what to keep, what to toss, what to sell and what to give away.   But as I took that final walkthrough, I could almost feel the house aching from the change.  After all, it was built to contain our belongings, to protect our family, and to be a shelter for our stories.  As we move on our house is waiting for its second inhabitants....and it will be comforted by living into its purpose - to be a home.....As for us?  We too look forward to stepping over the next threshold....May we remain open to the possibilities before us....

"We look with uncertainty

Beyond the old choices for

Clear-cut answers

To a softer, more permeable aliveness

Which is every moment

At the brink of death;

For something new is being born in us

If we but let it.

 

We stand at a new doorway,

Awaiting that which comes...

Daring to be human creatures,

Vulnerable to the beauty of existence.

Learning to love."

 

- Anne Hillman

keep it moving!

I'm sure by now you've seen this heart-wrenching video of a mother duck and her babies crossing a major highway in Canada.  The joy is in the knowledge that they actually make it across, even when it looks hopeless. 

I've been spending some time lately with the Breastplate of St. Patrick, that ancient prayer that lists all the places that Christ is to be found, (i.e. above me, behind me, beside me, within me etc.) but the one that I see played out in this short video is "Christ before me." 

Even when it appears that we can't possibly make it across whatever the next lane of life brings, there Christ is, our very own Mother Duck, telling us to keep our eyes on him.  AND TO KEEP WALKING FORWARD. 

Even when we can feel the blowback from the cars and are sure we have been injured beyond repair, Christ runs back to check our feathers and tells us to KEEP GOING FORWARD.

Even when we are absolutely positive that there is no way to make it to the other side of whatever we are facing today, Christ never gives up leading us safely to the other side. 

So here's to the faith of those baby ducklings.  May we all keep our eyes on the one who calls us to keep moving forward in hope and love....

heart armor

“The armor we erect around our soft hearts causes a lot of misery. But don’t be deceived, it’s very transparent.

The more vivid it gets, the more clearly you see it, the more you realize that this shield—this cocoon—

is just made up of thoughts that we churn out and regard as solid. The shield is not made out of iron.

The armor is not made out of metal. In fact, it’s made out of passing memory.” --Pema Chodron

photo of “chain maille heart keepsake” is from this unique artist on Etsy

 

“Every time there are losses there are choices to be made.

You choose to live your losses as passages to anger, blame, hatred, depression and resentment,

or you choose to let these losses be passages to something new, something wider, and deeper.”

- Henri Nouwen

photo of Knowth Tumulus in Ireland