Pray all ways...

"Rising very early before dawn, Jesus left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed."
Mark 1:35

One other version I have of this scripture says Jesus "was absorbed in prayer." I love that! Years ago, if someone would have suggested to me to rise early, before dawn, to pray I would have thought them crazy! At that point, rising early would have seemed more taxing than restorative to me. I wasn't in the frame of mind that praying and spending time with God in silence and solitude was helpful in getting through the rest of my busy day. I assumed sleep was what I needed to fuel me for the day ahead. But the more time I spend in silence and prayer, I more I see its restorative qualities.  I can get through the busy week much better after a Silent Sunday.  I need to touch base with the Source of all I need to do what I do.  Our ways of praying may be different though. One person may find it prayerful to be out in nature, another may feel rejuvenated sitting in Adoration for a spell. I was surprised to find shoveling somewhat contemplative and prayerful last weekend. It was quiet outside and the rhythm of shoveling seemed to sort of carry my mind away in prayer and contemplation. Spending time with God is prayer, no matter what the exact activity may be. Jesus shows us how doing just that can give us what we need to live our lives more peacefully. We are to pray always and pray all ways, as Fr. Ed Hays used to say.  Let's think about that today! Love, heidi 

Practice what we preach?

"The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes."
Mark 1:27

Just as the people in Jesus' time, we are fascinated by Jesus' authority too! Pray-as-You-Go offered this morning what that authority may have looked like to the people in the synagogue that day. Jesus spoke and then healed the man possessed by the unclean spirit.  In other words, Jesus backed up his words with actions. We can only imagine what that was like to witness! Words can be very powerful, but in themselves they are still merely words...words in a bubble over the speaker's head, like in a cartoon.  But words accompanied by actions--healing, loving, embracing actions--now that really IS something to make you sit up and take notice. Today, as we go about our Tuesday, let's pay close attention to how our actions accompany our words. Do we practice what we preach? Or are our good words just sitting there, over our heads in a bubble?  Love, heidi

Love people...

"Do you wish to have love? If you wish to have love, then you must leave love."
Mechtild of Magdeburg, as quoted in "Christian Mystics" by Matthew Fox

The paradox of this sentence is startling. Leave love to find love? Leave home to find home, like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz? Matthew Fox reflects on this quote by likening it to letting go...the art of letting go.  I have had some very powerful lessons in letting go, both from my mom and later from my Helen. We must let go of this life to embrace the other, the next. The more we accumulate in this life, the harder that may be. The more attached we are to this life, the harder letting go of Here will be and we may struggle mightily to stay. What does it mean to let go of love, though, to gain love? Maybe it means to let go of false and fake love to find Real Love? Maybe it is letting go of superficial love to find genuine love? We throw the word love around so often--I love my car, I love spinach, I love watching documentaries on Netflix.  But that isn't love, really. We cannot really love an inanimate object.  Our God-given gift of Love is for people, for life-living creatures. I think it was The Minimalists who said, "Love people, use things, not the other way around." Today, as we embark on a winter Monday, let's think about our relationship with things...and our relationships with people.  We are called to love the latter, even if that means letting go of the former. Love, heidi

Humble and loving service...

"We could, for example, keep ourselves from examining our neighbor's conscience..."
St. Andre Bessette, as quoted in "Living With Christ"

I love this guy.  Brother Andre Bessette was a humble doorman at a college in Montreal. From very humble beginnings, he served God faithfully in simple and concrete ways, visiting the sick and opening the door for visitors. He shows us that any job or ministry is holy if done for the glory of God and with great love. No matter what our job, the way we do what we do makes it holy, not how far up the ladder we climb or how big our name is on the marquee. My favorite story about St. Andre is this: Whenever there was a knock on the door he would hurry to open it, saying, "I'm coming Lord!" It seemed, to him, each visitor was Jesus, himself. Let's think about that this wintery Friday.  Each person we encounter is Jesus and how hospitable are we? Are we hurrying to answer the door? Are we doing our most mundane tasks with love and for the glory of God? And, as St. Andre suggests, the only conscience we need to examine is our own, right? St. Andre, pray for us! Love, heidi

What are we looking for?

"Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, "What are you looking for?"
John 1:38

That one sentence could be the title of a whole retreat right there! The two men had heard about Jesus and they were intrigued about what they'd heard. They followed him. Jesus had an aura that attracted people to him. And, most importantly, people have a need for a leader--like a shepherd for sheep. We see this all the time throughout history. People have an innate need to follow someone and Jesus was (and still is!) a wonderful Someone to follow.  Jesus asks us each day "What are you looking for?" And it is a wonderful question to pray with and jot down honest answers.  Are we looking for security, success, control? Jesus may not be the answer for us there.  Are we looking for comfort, sunshine and only gentle breezes? That may be closer, but Jesus doesn't promise us that kind of life.  Jesus shows us the fullness of life, death and resurrection. There it is.  The trinity of our human experience in three words.  And, as Fr. Richard Rohr frequently points out, nature has been showing us this continuously for millions of years.  Jesus showed us in his human form what nature has always shown us. We live, we die and we live again.  So, what ARE we looking for? Well, at this point, since I am alive, I am looking to Jesus to show me how to live that life in a more loving, compassionate way; loving others, thus loving God.  What are YOU looking for? Let's pray with that question. Love, heidi

Let it go...

"Beloved, we are God's children now, whatever we shall be has not yet been revealed."
1 John 3:2

Happy New Year! I've discerned my little "theme" for 2017 is "Let it go," (please don't sing the song from "Frozen")! I see it as a call to let go of a lot of things...stuff, certainly, as that is a recurring theme for me every year, but this year I feel called to let go of more. I feel called to let go of plans for the future--only God holds my future. Me, making plans, just distracts me from what God may have in mind for me. So, no more counting Mondays until retirement! And, as wise daughter Jeni pointed out one time, my clients deserve someone working for them who isn't counting Mondays!  I feel I need to let go of fear and hold on to hope, especially as our government changes. I feel I need to let go of what may hold me back in loving others fully and compassionately. Some of that may be an odd fear of rejection, but also, just plain laziness.  So, while I don't like to do New Year's resolutions, per say, I do like to narrow down my focus for doing better through the new year.  And this year, it is to Let it go...(oh no, there's that song again!)  Love, heidi