Simple Pleasures

Simple pleasures really are becoming a big part of this journey and for that I am very thankful. Things that I maybe took for granted or my former schedule did not allow me to enjoy to the fullest have become great gifts. In no particular order, let me explain…

1.       Grocery Shopping! I love grocery shopping! Call it a product of my environment for the past 36 years. Blame it on the fact that for the first year of my life I lived above a grocery store or that I loved to play store as a child. You could say that because I have seen the under workings and the behind scenes of how a grocery store runs that it has influenced me. No matter what angle you look at it from, even when I’m frustrated with the fact that my parents owning a grocery store is sometimes very exhausting, I still love to grocery shop. Before I began this journey grocery shopping was at times my way to unwind, in this journey it is a way to build community. Weekly a small group of us go out to buy for the week. It is a mix of grocery store, farmers market and possible other stops. I am the weekly patron of the event! We have shared laughs, have helped determine which products are best for us and met the challenge of shopping for 10+ people. Then we come home and a joyful chaos unfolds as we unpack bags and find places for everything! I love it! Every minute of it! Fraternity at its best!

 

 

2.       Decorating! Anyone who knows me knows I love to decorate. Decorate a room, decorate a church, decorate a table, or decorate a shelf! I love to decorate! I love seasonal changes, I love room design, I love new spaces and I love new items to utilize. Since I have moved into our new home I have had the joy of rearranging my room, reconfiguring our front room, decorating the chapel, decorating for a birthday party and decorating my little shelf in my bedroom for a new season. (Look out Christmas time! J) This was one of my gifts I was most worried about not being able to utilize and share but our God is so awesome, God knew I would need to share my creativity. These moments allow me time to think, to ponder my studies, to explore and challenge my brain in a new ways! I love every minute of it! Creativity called forth!

 

3.       Organizing! Oh the challenges, the planning, the excitement and the joy of final details in place. I love to organize and plan. This gift has come in very handy over the past few weeks and will continue to do so. Organizing my stuff was the start, then came my schedule, then came my class (still trying to best organize my writing in this area), then came the candle cupboard and my last project has been the china cabinets. I got permission first, don’t worry! (I’m working on the vow of obedience!) Organizing allows me the opportunity to think outside the box, challenges me in ways similar to décor, but also allows me to be practical and detail driven. I love it! Functionality in full swing!

 

4.       Praying! The gift of prayer has been a part of my journey, well, since as far back as I can remember. Familiar prayers, personal prayers, intentions, Divine Office, shared prayer, quiet prayer, journaling, end of day prayer, it doesn’t matter. I can get caught up in it and in doing so I draw myself closer to Christ. It also helps me to see how I must make all I do flow from my prayer and become prayer. A challenge indeed but one so worth taking. Here we gather on a regular basis for prayer…Morning Prayer at 7:00 a.m., Mass at 7:30 a.m., Evening Prayer at 5:15 p.m., Meal Prayers, and in the day some quiet time on my own. In this alone time I pray for family and friends (I do so at the other times as well), I journal, I sit in quiet, I listen to a song, or I read scripture. Finally each night before I go to sleep I journal about my day with 3 questions… What am I thankful for? What brought me joy? Where did I see Christ? I then end with daily night time prayer and drift off to sleep. All blessings enriching my journey. I love the gift of prayer! It is the gift of poverty before my friend, brother and Savior. I can only offer who I am.

5.       Scripture Reading! Each day scripture fills more and more of it. Scripture has fascinated me for a long time but in this setting I seem to hear it more clearly. Words jump out, reflections take me deeper, rereading it brings more clarity and desire to know more. This gift is just starting to take root and I pray it strengthens. Scripture really does offer it all from big drama, to great advice, to gentle reminders, to strength and comfort, to joy, to intimate moments, to romance and to life-giving words. As scripture becomes a greater part of my day, our community is also watching a Bible Series right now. I must admit this is a great way to come to embrace and understand it more and more! I have loved scripture and will continue to love it more.

September 30 happens to be the Feast Day of Saint Jerome, who had a living and tender love for Sacred Scripture (as the Collect prayed). I will close with a few lines from scripture that I had the privilege to proclaim today on his feast day, they caught my attention, sparked my interested and called out my imagination.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets. I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.” – Zechariah 8.1-8

Is that not a beautiful image of community? Of hope? Of God’s love?

I hope your simple pleasures bring you closer to our awesome God!

Fall Realities

Welcome Autumn! This most wonderful time of the year with the riches of the bounty of earth being harvested, the pace of days in routine taking shape, and the colors of our world changing seem to be helping me embrace the journey I am on.

Today as we begin the season of fall I was able to enter into the season in 3 ways.

1.      Our day begins with prayer at 7:00 am, before prayer today I was in the kitchen preparing for our noon meal. Onions were simmering with a hint of garlic and then the bounty of the earth was added. Eight different vegetables were added to create a vegetarian chili and it was all in the pot before prayer! One of my classmates then made Venezuelan bread, it was a delicious first day of fall lunch. Vibrant colors, taste and conversation surrounded the table.

One of the greatest gifts about my new schedule is the flexibility to be in the kitchen! Once the chilli was simmering and after prayer and breakfast I spent the morning in the kitchen baking cookies (Grandma’s recipe), recipe cake and muffins! Talk about a perfect thing to do on a fall day! And let me tell you my community loves the cookie jar being full!

   

2.       Doesn’t fall just seem to say, sit down and have a great conversation with good people?

The second way I was able to enter into the season was with conversation. As part of my journey I had to find a new spiritual director for time here. Today was our first meeting. After eight years with one of the best spiritual directors ever (thank CS) it is tough to begin a journey with a new director. I am so thankful for the past eight years with my former director, she helped prepare me for the journey. My conversations and prayers with her continue to influence my journey. I am so grateful for her guidance and continued prayers.

God’s goodness is definitely guiding good people into my life, as my first meeting with my new spiritual director was life giving and helped me to discover some of the gifts so far on the journey.

I also had the opportunity for my one on one monthly check in with our director. This was a lively and spirited conversation. Our director is full of life, joy and honesty. It was so good to sit with him and share about the journey so far, so much so that supper was late tonight because we got so wrapped up in the conversation!

 

 

3.      A walk was the third way. I love walking in the fall. You know how in movies, people go for a walk in the fall and the trees that arch over the street are changing colors, the leaves drift slowly down and homeowners are making the most of end of season plants in the cooler temperatures? Well that was my walk this afternoon! It was so beautiful and then it hit me, this is not a movie, this is real life. I and smiled and thought how great is our God!

 

 

Let us lift up our hearts to the Lord for the blessings of a journey and a new season.

With God there is no accidents. Every incident is intended to bring us closer to Him. – Max Lucado

30 Days = 30 Steps Onward

Today marks 1 month since I entered into retreat to begin my Postulant year with the Franciscans. The month has sailed by very quickly, with adjusting to a new home, living in community, beginning new ministry, meeting new people and relying on technology to stay in touch with dear friend and family.

Earlier this week one of the lines of our prayers said… ‘I have been grasped by Christ Jesus. Christ will be exalted through me, for to me life means Christ.’ That seems to best describe how I feel in this journey and what I am experiencing. Through joys and challenges, letting go and embracing, newness and roots Christ continues to be my life. I am more and more connected to St. Francis. I am in awe again of the journey and our awesome God.

I am so very thankful and grateful for the prayers, support and love I have received from family and friends. It is because of these gifts that my journey is full of blessings. Know of my prayers and gratitude and love, please continue to pray for me.

My first month in this journey has been full of lots of firsts as previous blogs have outlined, to add to that I received my first Franciscan haircut yesterday! No I didn’t get a tonsure, my hair was simply cut by a Franciscan! J It was an adventure for sure!

Below is my reflection I shared at Lectio Divina last night. It seems to celebrate 1 month well and describe being grasped by God.

Holy Temple and Dwelling Place for God: Building It Each Day

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, ²⁰built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.^{* 21}In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; ²²in whom you also are built together spiritually^* into a dwelling-place for God. – Ephesians 2.19-22.

When I was a child, my Grandfather would lift me up by my ears and hold me above his head and ask me if I could see Grandma. He would not put me down until I saw her but there was a trick to this Grandma was always behind me. In the moment it was funny and a bit scary, but I would still feel safe and secure because I knew Grandpa was my foundation.

Another occasion when I didn’t feel as secure was when I was turning 7 or 8, we were visiting our other Grandparents and it was on or near my birthday. My aunts and uncles decided to give me the bumps. All I remember is my belly hitting the ceiling and my bum hitting the floor. My foundation was a little shaken.

Today marks 1 month since I officially began the journey with the Franciscans. The process began long before that, but this part of the journey is still in its infancy. Just like when a baby is born, there is lots of support, nurturing and care surrounding us as Postulants. I came from one caring and supportive community and family and have entered another.

In the letter to the Ephesians we hear… ‘So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God.’ That seems to describe my journey as of late, over the course of the last month I have been a stranger, but then warmly welcomed, I have been an alien but then have discovered a new land.

When I stop and ponder my life journey I am in awe of the path and realize that since my baptism I have been a citizen with the saints, a member of the household of God. What a gift that is. Each of us have been given the gift of this citizenship and challenged to continue to build upon the foundation that apostles and prophets laid down. That foundation being rooted in Christ Jesus.

Knowing that Jesus is our cornerstone calls us to life and to love. It calls us to give of ourselves and share our gifts. For with Christ as our cornerstone we know that we are on solid ground in the household of God. Even when our earthly dwelling is weak or broken; even when our earthly dwelling is jealous or frustrated, even when our earthly dwelling is selfish and rude, our cornerstone is secure. Jesus never changes, his love is consistent and it is because of that, that no matter what state our earthly dwelling is in we are being built in to a dwelling place for God, a holy temple. Each of us are being built into this dwelling place for God.

As this journey continues on, as my classmates and I journey deeper into the Franciscan life, I am reminded to be a builder, and to ensure that when I am helping others to build that my focus must be on the cornerstone, Jesus, so I can help others be holy temples.

Before I joined the Franciscans I discussed several times with my spiritual director what it means to be a holy temple. I have shared with her how I desired to be a living icon, a living tabernacle for Jesus. This desire is at the heart of the scripture above. It calls me and each of us to work each day at radiating light from the windows of our lives, to remain connected to our foundation and to better our earthly dwelling each day by keeping our eyes on the cornerstone, our brother, our friend, our savior…Jesus. We have to ask ourselves... How do we do this each day on your journey? How do we build? How do we shine light? How do we keep connected to our foundation? How do we remain intact with our cornerstone?

May it be in our actions, words and in remembering we are always holy and living, tried and true sanctuaries!

Cut Down Trees, Jail And My Heart

My parents would confirm that as a child I had a very sensitive heart. Maybe better described as a thoughtful or compassionate heart. I had a heart that was concerned for others both human and creation. I was their child who wanted to have a funeral for the trees we cut down in the yard. I was the child who made sure that my sister’s dolls had their clothes on before they went into the cupboard. I was the child who would sit in front our fish tank and try and make the fish smile because they looked sad. I was the child who made sure even the smallest piece of paper was recycled. Little did I know that my compassionate heart then would help shape me into who I am now and that it was the start of my Franciscan journey.

I thought of that last night as I journeyed home from my first experience of prison ministry. I really didn’t think that I was going to enjoy or want to be there, but by the end of the night, my heart had been opened up again and I do want to go back. This heart of mine seems to connect with the heart of others and that became obvious again last night.

I think I was worried about going because I thought I would want to make everything okay or better for the inmates. That never became the case at all, my heart opened up and I simply listened and shared. I was welcomed into a sacred space and it was simply having ‘coffee’ and then praying with the community gathered.

The scripture for the day was the prodigal son and as is the tradition there, the scripture was proclaimed by each person reading a line. 30 voices proclaimed the Word of God. The shared reflection that followed was amazing. Insights from both inmates and volunteers deepened my experience of the prodigal son and God’s love and mercy. Sitting around this circle with my brothers and sisters my heart was filled up and I saw a whole new side of our awesome God. 

I also realized that over the past few years my compassionate heart had being playing it safe, maybe even guarded. Not that I wasn’t still using it but maybe just not to its fullest (like when I was a child). As this Franciscan journey continues I am excited about the possibilities that this new openness in my heart will lead me to discover about God, my neighbours and myself. As the sayings go ‘Love Serves’ and ‘I Am Third’. May my God always be first, my neighbor second and myself third as I seek to journey deeper in faith. Francis definitely is influencing this path. I think I am beginning to understand his compassionate heart more and more.

I pray in thanksgiving for the gift of my compassionate heart and for the God experience to continue to shape it and open me up. It really is amazing what cut down trees and visiting a jail can do to someone!

The Rubber Hits the Road...The Gospel Brought to Life

Saint Francis always said that we were to bring the Gospel to life. In the last week I have seen it brought to life, have been challenged to live it more and have been encouraged in my journey. Let me explain…
 

I live in a house with 8 other men, 6 of them are Friars and 3 of us are the journey to hopefully join them as solemnly professed Brothers. Two of our Brothers are in their 90’s, they both offer so much to our community – it is inspiring. The older of the two joins us for meals and prayers. He has great stories and insights to share. His laughter is infectious and his quick wit keeps us on our toes. The other Brother does not join us, as one of our other Brother says he is ‘living as a hermit in a fraternity’. Yet he contributes in other ways… he does slowly make his way to join us for Mass each day, and then he disappears for the day. He spends most of his day by himself in prayer and contemplation, but also walking the streets of our city. He is well known as being the Franciscan of the Street.

After living here for nearly two weeks, the two of us finally met up in the kitchen one night. At the fridge door for about 30 minutes I was immersed in the Gospel. He spoke of the foundation I need, the humility that is needed to be a Brother, the need to rely on the Spirit and how we must desire to become more like Christ. Our short conversation which was me mostly listening left me intrigued, enthused and I had grown as a human, a Christian and a Franciscan. He reminded me to pray to my guardian angel each day (thank you Mom for teaching me that prayer as a child and for telling me about awesome Saint Michael). He also reminded me that the Franciscans don’t make me, I come to them as I am; they are a shell, a means for me to develop, grow and mature in my relationship with Jesus. I wish I could have recorded the conversation, it was one of those ones you want to take notes on and playback when you are looking for inspiration.

The Gospel was brought to life, I am thankful for God moments.

 

Last week also saw me begin in two of my ministry opportunities. I had the chance to begin my weekly ministry with the Soup Kitchen. It really was my first time in such a situation. I have toured a soup kitchen, I have prayed in one, I have even chopped vegetables in the back of one, but I have never been on the front line. I was thrown into the mix quite quickly and was serving soup, clearing tables and talking to the guests. It was an interesting morning to say the least. The one thing that kept running through my mind was ‘these are my brothers and sisters who are guests at my table’. I tried to share lots of smiles and kindness.

That same day I also walked into a Care Home for an interview and began my ministry there within the interview. The Volunteer Coordinator was so Christ-centered. She was driven out of love and compassion and hospitality. After my interview and as the tour of the facility was ending, she introduced me to a group that was enjoying coffee. They happened to be a group of Sisters (nuns), well before you know it I had a chair pulled up at the table and we are sharing stories and discovering a shared journey. After that visit I was then sent to visit an elderly priest. We visited briefly and I left in gratitude for the gift of life.

The challenge of living the Gospel, I am thankful for God moments.

 

Also during the week I had the great privilege of meeting another community of the Poor Clares (so much joy there), had supper with some of our Brothers from a nearby community, Skyped with a dear friend, chatted with my Grandparents, parents and family, and received a few e-mails that made the flame burn brighter. I have had the chance to do some faith sharing with my fellow Postulants, have laughed and cooked and prayed and pondered and celebrated life in community. I was reminded to be a modern saint and to continue to share the love. That message came at the right time and I picked up my cross again joyfully and hope-filled.

The encouragement of the Gospel, I am thankful for God moments.

 

The journey continues, the rubber has hit the road… and the Gospel is engulfing my life more and more… this is not a race, it truly is a journey... I need to remember that.

 

'Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible and suddenly you are doing the impossible.' - St. Francis

Gathered at the Table of Goodness and Joy

God’s goodness and joy definitely follows us, maybe better said; leads us from place to place on our journey. We need to be sure to know and remember that and discover it wherever we end up or go.

That thought has been running through my mind for the last week as I settle into my Postulancy year and my new home. The message of God’s goodness and joy being here was made evident again to me over the weekend as we gathered for Eucharist.

We are very privileged to live in a Friary that has a chapel that serves the community around us and they gather with us for Sunday Mass. We have to weekend Masses and each group is its own little community. Both groups warmly welcomed us, made us to feel at home and shared with us their joy and excitement about us being here. No matter where we go as Catholics we are home, for we gather around the Table of the Lord to break bread, and that breaking bread with this new community, that will be my community for the year, opened me up to God’s goodness and joy again.

After we had gathered at the Table of the Lord, we gathered around the table of a community member. A Sunday tradition that dates back to her Mom doing this for the Friars. We were invited to her home and sat at table with new faces, but were made to feel like we had been there for years. Laughter and stories were shared over coffee and baking. I smiled as I thought of my family gathering for Sunday Brunch or my friends and those from the parish I left gathering to do the same. Again I was reminded of God’s goodness and joy. For where we are, there it is and again we discover God and all that awesome love. I truly have been lead from my family to community to a new community. I am connected to all because of God’s goodness, joy and love. The gift of being at table both the Lord’s and a neighbor’s is such a blessing!

Highlights from my first week:

-          Beautiful summer weather

-          New walking paths and beautiful sights

-          New stories to hear and share

-          Having my own sink in my room

-          My space being all set up and functional

-          No mosquitos! (sorry folks back home)

-          Time to read

-          Gathering with my community of Brothers (and neighbors) for prayer, Eucharist and meals.

 

-      Prayers of my family and friends.

 

God is so full of goodness and joy and love, what a blessing to be immersed in it!

 

On this Labour Day… I give thanks for all the hard working people who help build communities and homes and those who support their neighbors. I pray for those struggling to find work and for students and staff returning to school this week.