Comfort & Hope in the Lord

Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.

                                                                -      Psalm 31

Yes Lord, comfort us for you are our hope,

comfort us as we hear of more sensless killings,
comfort us as we deal with fear and indifference,
comfort us as we struggle to be welcoming communities.

Yes Lord, comfort us for you are our hope,

you are hope when the world seems dark,
you are hope when the shouts of anger seem too much,
you are hope when peace seems so far away.

Yes Lord, comfort us for you are our hope,

comfort our loved ones and friends who are ill and hurting,
comfort our communities who are devasted and fragile,
comfort our families who are broken and in pain.

Yes Lord, comfort us for you are our hope,

your are hope today, tomorrow and always,
you are hope that is stength and courage,
you are hope which lights our journey.


Yes Lord, our hearts take comfort in you,
for you are the way, the truth and life,
we place all our worries, fears and anxieties in you,
for we hope in you and find life,
for your love is a shelter which is steadfast and merciful.

Take a Breath: Blessings

This past week has been one of those weeks, busy, curve balls, new experiences, more learning, and so on.

Our world continues to face new challenges, deal with old hurts, seek peace, strive for unity and find good and healthy ways to support each other especially the poor, hurting and broken.

There has been a lot of loud voices this past week and when that consumes our time, I often feel it is important to step back, take breath, turn off the noise of our lives and count our blessings.

As we begin a new week and face new challenges may we count our blessings and remember that Jesus said, "I am with you always until the end of time."

Peace in the journey.

Peace in the living.

Peace in the life given.

Hope in the discoveries.

Hope in the experiences.

Hope in the gift of life.

Love in the relationships.

Love in the sharing.

Love in the beautiful life.

Joy in the path trodden.

Joy in the growth and building.

Joy in the awe of life.

Christ in the all of each day.

Christ in the challenges and blessings.

Christ in the life that is ours.

May peace fill our hearts, may the hope that is ours always light the way, may we know the love of both friend and stranger, may joy - simple and pure touch our lives and may we never forget that Christ our brother and savior is deeply in love with each one of us.

New Year Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Come Holy Spirit,

as this New Year begins to take shape,

come and dwell in me

so that like Mary and Joseph

I may welcome Christ

and allow him to dwell in me more fully.

Come Holy Spirit,

guide me as I open the vessel of my life

to your very breath and life

that brings Christ into me

and works through me.

Come Holy Spirit,

be at work in my

gifts, talents, skills, opportunities,

abilities, learning and living,

so I may truly radiate Christ

and by my blessings be a blessing for others.

Come Holy Spirit,

fill me - the vessel of my life

with much joy, peace and the hope

that is always at my core.

Come Holy Spirit,

direct me in ways of life and openness,

so I may remain rooted in hope,

rooted in Christ,

rooted in my learning, growing, interacting,

sharing of the journey, being, doing…

in tasks great and tasks small.

Come Holy Spirit,

come and be present

so I may keep my eyes on Christ

and humbly and graciously

be a vessel and a servant

open to encountering Christ always.

Come Holy Spirit,

come and continue to do something new in me,

come and be in my openness,

come and fill my heart,

come and help me to let go

so as to open the vessel of my life more

to the power of the Triune love

alive and awake in me.

Amen.

Epiphany Joy, Transformation, Roads

 

Overwhelmed with Joy

Transformed

By Another Road

Epiphany is the great celebration that reminds us that Christ was born for everyone. The journey of the magi is our story, it is about encounter, it is about discovery, and it is about new life.

The above three phrases stand out for me this Epiphany. The first and third one are taken from the gospel of Matthew (2.1-12) and the second one came from reflection, hearing one of my brothers preach and the realization that the magi had to be transformed after encounter Christ. They simply did not just come to drop off presents because they were late for a birthday party, no they encountered a gift far greater than the ones they brought.

Overwhelmed with Joy.

Just these three words alone sound wonderful. They are full of life, they summarize the birth of Christ beautifully for those who first encountered him that night. Just think of the shepherds, the curious town folk, the wise men – how the drudge of their lives was transformed because of the baby in a manger.  

Overwhelmed by joy should also be how Christmas still touches our lives today. As we are in the early days of this New Year and as we look back on our Christmas celebrations, we must ask ourselves what overwhelmed us with joy this Christmas and this past year?

We are so often overwhelmed with burdens, worries, struggles, problems and pains we forget to look at what overwhelms us with joy. For me as a ponder these last few weeks alone, I am overwhelmed with joy that I had time with my family, I enjoyed moments with my nephews and nieces, my Grandparents, Godparents, Godchildren and relatives and at the same time I am overwhelmed with joy in the quiet moments I spent by the Christmas tree and crèche. Joy is so powerful, it is a sister to hope and love and is infused in our days. May the year ahead be one that overwhelms us with joy!

Transformed.

I know how my own life has been transformed time and time again. I know how each Christmas transforms me as I encounter the birth of Christ in a new way, as I hear a part of the story as if for the first time and as I look ahead to the journey of a new year. Being transformed can be a scary thing, it can be challenging, it should always be life-giving.

I think of the three wise men, how they simply were looking for a king to honor and how upon encountering a baby in the manger their lives must have be filled with new meaning, a fullness that had been missing, an answer to questions they didn’t know how to ask.

I don’t always like praying with being transformed, yet I know it is part of the Christian journey and part of seeking the Christ Child in my life. When I stop and ponder transformation it leads me to greater discoveries and deeper encounters with Christ. Christ only desires to transform me and each one of us into the fullness of the person God  has created us to be.

By Another Road.

I think this is the most beautiful part of the story of the Magi. That because of their encounter with a baby; with the Christ Child overwhelming them with joy and transforming them they knew that they must go about telling their story by another way. And in case that wasn’t enough God used a dream to confirm what they had encountered.

We are each called to go by another road, especially after an encounter with Christ. The start of a new year is a great time to ponder the paths we have travelled and what new ones we are being called to take. Which roads have led to dead ends and which are just beginning to emerge? Which are going to be challenging and life-giving and which are going to consume our energies and steal our life? Like the wise men the choice is ours on which road we will take.

By another road does not mean easy or simple, but by another road because of Christ does mean a path that leads to the everlasting kingdom.

As Epiphany leads us deeper into 2017, may the light of the Christmas star shine brightly on our new paths, may joy continue to overwhelm more of our days than not and may we be open to transformation when we encounter Christ in our daily living.

Praise the Lord, all you nations!

Christ manifested in the flesh,

Christ justified in the Spirit.

Christ contemplated by the angels,

Christ proclaimed by the peoples.

Christ who is believed in the world,

Christ exalted in glory.

Praise the Lord, all you nations.

- based 1 Timothy 3.16 (from Evening Prayer 1 for Epiphany)

Blessings of hope, peace, joy and love

as we walk into 2017 guided by the light of the world:

Christ Jesus - Emmanuel!

 

 

Yes, Christ Child Come Into Our Hearts!

At the beginning of Advent our community went on a Day of Recollection (a mini retreat day). It was a quiet day for reflection and rest and prayer. It was near the end of the semester so I tried to put school work aside and enter into the gift of a retreat day.

On these days I often grab something to read to help me step away from the regular routine. I had nothing with me that day but once we were at the retreat center I found a magazine. I picked up the Catholic Missions in Canada Winter 2016 Magazine (Praise God for the good people who minister in the North) and leafed through it, the first page caught my attention as I found this beautiful reflection. I love when I read someone else’s reflection and it speaks to my heart and speaks to my journey. Sr. Fay’s reflection below did that for me. I have been holding on to it for these Advent weeks to share it with you at Christmas time.

We stand in a long line of disciples.

Each of us has heard the words to
teach the Good News of a Saviour,
of hope, of the joy of the Gospel.
But how did all this happen? 

Long before there were twelve apostles,

God’s Spirit stirred in the heart of a young woman called Mary.
The broad strokes are simple, clear and heartening.
“God sent an angel… He had a message for a young woman…
Mary said: ‘I am the Lord’s servant.
May it happen to me as you have said.’”
Thus begins the story of Emmanuel, God With Us.

It only remains for me to say:

“May it happen as You will.”
God does not spell out the details
of what this will entail in our daily living.
This is why we read that Mary pondered
these things in her heart, listening, learning, and responding.
We do these things, too. And fear not, for the Lord is with us.

- Sr. Fay Trombley, S.C.I.C.

(Pastoral Administrator of Our Lady of Grace Mission in Tuktoyaktuk, NWT.)

Catholic Missions in Canada Winter 2016 Magazine

The words/lines I have italicized just jump of the page for me and reminded me that the gift of Christmas truly is a gift and the perfect something for each of us.

We stand in a long line of disciples… each of us, we are part of the story, we have a part to play, we have a role in announcing the message of Christmas. This is such good news indeed and so amazing that our God sees us and needs us part of the story. How awesome is that?!

 

Of hope, of the joy of Gospel… these two gifts seem to surface continually in my own journey and for that I am grateful. Hope is the beautiful gift that Emmanuel has planted in my heart and has been fostered by some key people in my life. Joy I continue to discover in new and profound ways. May these two gifts continue to touch all our lives in deep ways.

God’s Spirit stirred… Yes!... it stirred in creation, in stirred in Mary, it stirs in each of us. This stirring has been a beautiful gift I have discovered more fully this autumn and I’m actually excited (maybe for the first time) for where it will lead me and what it is stirring in me to do, to embrace, to be open to. Come Holy Spirit and dwell in me, I am your vessel.

 

Emmanuel – God with Us… Nothing brings greater peace to my heart than the word Emmanuel. In my worries, in my anxiety, in my fears, in my troubles, in my hurts, in my let downs – Emmanuel. God with me, God with us always. If we receive nothing else at Christmas but the gift of recognizing that God is with us that would be more than enough, I continue to see that is truth for me and hear Emmanuel spoken in so many different voices through the journey.

Pondered, listening, learning, responding… So much to ponder… Mary’s yes, Joseph’s trust, hope, joy, God present, deep love, new life, newness, journeys and so on. In all of this we must make time to listen, to learn and to respond. Like Mary our response is key, we must respond to God with us, we must respond to the hope and joy we discover; this is us in the long line of witnesses and this is us awakened to the gift of the Spirit stirring in us.

 

Yes, Christ Child come into my heart,

open me up to see you in the manger

and see that simplicity,

and your gift of trust,

your gift of abandonment,

your gift of hope and joy.

 

Yes, Christ Child come into my heart,

again this Christmas,

so that with Mary & Joseph

I may prepare you room no matter the size,

and ponder all you fill my life with

and embrace you.

 

Yes, Christ Child come into my heart,

so I may be filled with wonder and awe

like the shepherds and magi,

so I may give praise to you for all your goodness,

so I may be strengthened to build the kingdom,

and proclaim: God is With Us Always until the End of Time!

 

Yes, Christ Child come into my heart,

Oh Christ Child you have come again… Thank You!

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Christmas Blessings of hope, peace, joy and love

as we gather in the light of the crib,

the light of the world:

Christ Jesus - Emmanuel!

Many Blessings to fill your Christmas Season and all of 2017!

 

 

Please continue to offer your prayers for our world as you gaze upon your Christmas Tree this Christmas Season. Each twinkling light for those mentioned in my last post and let us also pray for the people of Bethlehem, those abandoned, children in broken homes, those held in captivity, places where violence has erupted, those caught in human trafficking, hurting families, the children of the world, and so on...

Advent Ending

 

Our Advent shoes are by now well worn,

Our Advent backpack has hopefully not been filled with unnecessary things, and

Our Advent road is leading us very close to Christmas.

Have you ever noticed that the fourth week of Advent, even if we get a full fourth week always seems to slip by so quickly? I was struck by that as we all try to do the right thing to have the perfect Christmas and then I was struck by What is the perfect Christmas? Each of us would claim a perfect Christmas in different ways: a trimmed tree, all the cookies made, lots of snow, time with family, a getaway, the right carols sung, the outside lights blinking to welcome neighbors, another Christmas party to attend, someone to spend Christmas with, lots of gifts, and on and on the list could go.

Our Advent road must lead us beyond this and to the perfect Christmas which is Christ. Think of that first Christmas. What was perfect about it? Mary and Joseph were travellers away from family, the busy streets did not need to see one more person, there was no welcome at any door, animals and a barn offered warmth and complete strangers came to see what was going on. Does that sound perfect to you?

There was however, something that was perfect. It was true gifts – love, strength, courage and hope. When we ponder the imperfections of God coming among us we see that love wins out, strength comes from trusting in God, courage allows for simple ordinary people to be open and do God’s will and hope allows for the imperfections to slip away and for Christ to enter our lives. It really is perfect.

As we shift from preparation to celebrations, as the year comes to and end and we ponder our many blessings let us give thanks that God enters into imperfections and does great things for and with us. Emmanuel – God with us in the perfection we seek, in the brokenness we encounter, in the journey of life and faith.

 

 

As we gather around our Christmas trees and celebrate with family and friends, happy to be together and feeling safe, I would like to place a Christmas challenge before us. As you look at each ornament or each twinkling light offer a prayer for someone who is not experiencing true light this season… we think of those who lost loved ones this year (whether from natural deaths or tragedy); for families broken; for those who are trapped in additions or depression: for those that lost everything this year because of fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, greed, or unemployment; for those who are sick in hospital or care homes; for those who call the streets their home; for parents longing to have a child and they cannot; for the lonely; for refugees; for immigrants seeking a better home; for the people of the Middle East including Syria and Aleppo; for communities that live in terror because of extremists; for communities dealing with the aftermath of terror; for those who do not have access to water; for the hungry; for those who are bullied; for those who can’t go home; for those hurting for reasons we will never know and for so many others. Let us, those who believe that God is Emmanuel – God with us, let us unite ourselves with our brothers and sisters in prayer and offer love, strength, courage and hope.

If God chose to enter into our imperfections by the birth of his Son in a manger stall, then even in our imperfections God will enter. No matter what our Christmas celebrations will look like, God is with us for love wins out, strength and courage are ours and hope never dies.

Continued Blessings of hope, peace, joy and love

as we journey to the light of the crib,

the light of the world:

Christ Jesus - Emmanuel!

 

Advent Road

The right shoes and the properly packed backpack have had me thinking about the actual Advent road/path/journey. I have been thinking about the many paths we are on and the people we encounter. We do not walk this path alone, no, we walk it with people from all walks of life who “await the feast of the Lord’s Nativity.”

The prophet Isaiah (35.1-6a, 10) gives us some idea of who we might encounter on this Advent trip. He suggests that we are among the weak, feeble, fearful, blind, lame, deaf and mute. Yes, you and I are counted among this group! That is not always easy to embrace but it is so true.

How often are we:

the weak because we are tired of the obstacles of the journey?

the fearful because we feel inadequate or that we lack skills?

the feeble because we stumble along uncertain of where we are going?

the blind because we close ourselves off from the light of Christ?

the lame because we choose to limit ourselves and others around us?

the deaf because we do not hear the words of God spoken in our daily life?

the mute because we close ourselves off to life-giving gifts that our poured daily into our lives?

I look at my own Advent path and know that I can easily let obstacles weigh me down from entering in. I know that I can be afraid that I won’t get it all done or I’m not doing it correctly or I am not skilled enough to be on the path (which is a total lie – we are all called to the path no matter what and can each offer who we are). I ponder if I put up my own blinders up so that I do not see those around me who need some light shed on their path. I wonder how often I limit myself because it is safer than embracing how the Spirit is at work in me. My own Advent path has called me to be attentive to others, to listen to them and how God is speaking through them (like God always has through those around us), yet I seem to stuff my ears full so I can’t hear what I need to hear. And finally I wonder if I let myself be mute instead of sharing a kind word, forgiving a hurt or being supportive.

 

Sometimes we get stuck in a rut in our path. Sometimes we let the pressures of society guide our Advent journey. Sometimes we have a blowout and are left stranded on the side of the road wondering what to do next. Sometimes we forget that we are journeying to the One who strengthens the weak, makes firm the feeble, gives courage to the fearful, opens the eyes of the blind, makes the lame leap, makes the deaf to hear and the mute to sing (see the above Isaiah quote).

Yes it is he, Emmanuel who comes to us and does not leave us on the path but rather draws us to himself and invites to embrace the good news of our salvation.

 

Where are we on our Advent path?

Who is traveling with us?

How are we traveling?

What do we need to let go of so we can make the rest of the journey (approximately 12 days)?

Who do we see around us on the path?

Who needs us to bring hope to them so they can make it to the crib? Who is weak, afraid, blind, lame or deaf this season and needs us to walk with them (remember we are not alone)?

Like John the Baptist, we must hear that Jesus is indeed the One who gives sight, makes the lame walk, cleanses the leper, makes the deaf hear and proclaims good news to the poor (Matthew 11.2-11). We must let Christ enter into the journey with us so we indeed may find him at the crib and in our hearts.

Think of Mary and Joseph, that is exactly what they did. They let Christ enter their journey and hearts well before they held him as their son, and they let his light guide their saying ‘yes’ and to journeying with them to the Bethlehem stall. They choose not to remain in darkness, we are offered the same on this Advent journey.

What step do we need to make next?

What is holding us back?

Where is the light being shed on our path?

We have nothing to fear, for God is with us and says, “Be strong and do not fear.”

We are called to walk in the light and the light grows brighter by the week (3 candles now aglow on the Advent wreath).

Let us continue to tread the Advent path together, for we all desire to make it the crib. Some of us may need a bit more support (let us be aware of those around us), but together is the best way to journey to Christmas.

Continued Blessings of hope, peace, joy and love

as we journey to the light of the crib,

the light of the world:

Christ Jesus - Emmanuel!