We wait for you...with you

"The kingdom (of God) is always here and not here. It is always now and not yet."
"Preparing for Christmas with Richard Rohr"

I'm convinced we see glimpses of the kingdom of God, showing us that it is happening right now. We wait for Jesus during Advent, certainly, but the fabulous part is that Jesus waits with us.  That is one of those puzzling truths, like the kingdom is always here and not here.  Jesus waits with us and yet, Jesus is who we are waiting for.  Advent quiet gives us the time to ponder these truths, but it is all too easy to miss them in the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations.  Let's try not to miss it this year! Let's carve out some time to sit in the quiet, light a candle, hum a hymn, and just sit and wait with Jesus, for Jesus.  Love, heidi

Free the soul...

"On this path the soul is free and lives without inner suffering, for she wants nothing but what her Lord wants, who arranges everything for the best."
Mechtild of Magdeburg, "The Flowing Light of the Godhead" (as quoted in Give Us This Day)

I first "met" Mechtild of Magdeburg while on retreat for the first time at Marymount. I'd found a book in the library there on women mystics and, as I read it, Mechtild's words resonated with me.  These, today, in Give Us This Day do too! As I wax and wane about the future I need to remember only one thing--God holds the future.  If I can just get on board with what God's plans are, my soul will want nothing but what God wants for me.  I will be able to live and thrive wherever I am, whatever I am doing.  This is very freeing to hear!  Hopefully, it is for you, too...Love, heidi

Let God do what God wants...

"But God does things through me that I myself cannot do, or even measure...That's the secret. Let God do what God wants to do through me."
The Little Blue Book for Advent

It doesn't matter where I live, what my job is or who surrounds me. It only really matters that I give God free reign to work through me. I need to get my ego out of the way, though, which is a hard thing for me to do! It's not about me, it's about God and what God can do if I just step out of the way.  I learned a while back that I don't need to have a lofty vocation for God to work, but God will work anywhere I find myself, whether at work or play. What can God do through me today? Wow! The possibilities are vast...here we go, God! Love, heidi

Let go! Make room for God...

"What attachment in your life can you let go of to make more room for God?"

Fr. Richard Rohr, "Preparing for Christmas with Richard Rohr"

This Advent I'm letting go of something I enjoy, but it doesn't always leave me "in joy." Facebook. I realize I spend so much time and energy on Facebook and sometimes, it drives me crazy! Letting go of something that gobbles up our time gives us time to spend on something else, according to a priest we had long ago. I'm hoping to spend some very quality time this Advent pondering, praying, and preparing. Here's hoping I don't just find another time-sucking, mind-numbing, blood-pressure-raising activity! Advent is one day old already! How are we spending it? Is there anything we can let go in order to spend more time prayerfully? Maybe it's TV watching? Maybe it's computer time? Whatever we can do to give ourselves a few more minutes each day to spend with God will be well worth our effort. I'm convinced of that...Love, heidi

Thank God for the inside gifts...

"I will give thanks to your name,
Because of your kindness and your truth.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me."
Psalm 138

As we near our feast of thanksgiving, there are a couple of things that strike me.  First, it seems ironic that we pause (so briefly) to give thanks for all we have before we tear out the door in the middle of the night to buy more stuff (!)  And second, we give thanks for the goods we have, but do we stop to think about the more important gifts God gives, such as strength?  I believe that God's interaction with us happens within us.  To me, God doesn't manipulate the events of our lives as much as God builds us up from the inside so we can cope with the events of our lives. Many ask where God is during tragedies we experience and I believe God weeps with us through the tragedies and gifts us with the strength to endure. God's gift to us of our own free will can wreak havoc in the world and that is when God works within us, gives us strength and spreads kindness and truth through us.  So, as we think about and thank God for our many gifts, let's especially think of the inside gifts God generously gives to us. God gives us the strength we need to cope with the results of our own free will and that may be the best gift of all!  Blessings to all as you gather this week!  See you Monday!  Love, heidi

The end of mercy? Never!

“God has no memory of sin, but only of us, of each of us, we who are his beloved children. And he believes that it is always possible to start anew, to raise ourselves up.”
Pope Francis, closing out the Year of Mercy

So the Year of Mercy is over. It sure went fast, didn't it? We had a ceremonial final walking through our Mercy Gate at Christ the King over the weekend and it couldn't have come at a better time.  I'd gone to mass early to read and pray.  Trouble was, it was hard to concentrate, there was a lot going on there just then. I found myself getting irritated and short-tempered...just in time to walk through the Mercy Gate one final time.  Later, as I snuggled down into bed and started my prayers, I was still irritated and wrestling with people in my mind. "Now, now," Jesus whispered to me. "Remember the mercy you asked for and received walking through the Mercy Gate earlier? Pass that mercy along to others." Whoa! Right as always, Jesus, thanks. Mercy never ends from God's side.  We need it now in our world, more than ever and it's up to us to pass it on.  Love, heidi