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, built
upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as
the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a
holy temple in the Lord; in 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!
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