Thoughts on conversion

 

The Gift of Transformation

Transformation (conversion) brings with it an extraordinary gift. I was raised in a religious tradition that mandated conversion, which punched my ticket for the afterlife. I was frequently asked what I would do if I died today. I was never once asked what I would do if I lived. But what if conversion is about living this life, today, with my whole heart? “We are healed of a suffering only by experiencing it to the full,” Marcel Proust wrote. So we wake up to this fragile and exquisitely beautiful life and embrace the sacred present. When I’m not preoccupied (held captive by angst), I notice, I pay attention, I see. And in taking ownership of my life—this life—I am available. Not frightened by scarcity, I’m not enticed to ask, “What do I need today?” Rather, I can ask, “What do others need today?” You see, I have both resources and assets to give: a listening ear, empathy, a calm demeanor, a shout-out to a friend, words of consolation.

—from the book Stand Still: Finding Balance When the World Turns Upside Down,
by Terry Hershey, page 3

Thoughts on solitude

 

Solitude Creates Space for God

To live a Christian life means to live in the world without being of it. It is in solitude that this inner freedom can grow. Jesus went to a lonely place to pray, that is, to grow in the awareness that all the power he had was given to him; that all the words he spoke came from his Father; and that all the works he did were not really his but the works of the One who had sent him. In the lonely place Jesus was made free to fail. A life without a lonely place, that is, a life without a quiet center, easily becomes destructive. When we cling to the results of our actions as our only way of self-identification, then we become possessive and defensive and tend to look at our fellow human beings more as enemies to be kept at a distance than as friends with whom we share the gifts of life. In solitude we can slowly unmask the illusion of our possessiveness and discover in the center of our own self that we are not what we can conquer, but what is given to us. In solitude we can listen to the voice of him who spoke to us before we could speak a word, who healed us before we could make any gesture to help, who set us free long before we could free others, and who loved us long before we could give love to anyone. It is in this solitude that we discover that being is more important than having, and that we are worth more than the results of our efforts. In solitude we discover that our life is not a possession to be defended, but a gift to be shared. It’s there we recognize that the healing words we speak are not just our own, but are given to us; that the love we can express is part of a greater love; and the new life we bring forth is not a property to cling to, but a gift to be received. Henri Nouwen

Thoughts on the Risen Jesus

 

Walking with the Risen Jesus

Let us try to imagine the scene of the disciples who are walking with Jesus at their side for about seven miles. We can almost picture them in our minds: Initially focused on themselves with downcast faces, little by little they regain their strength, lift up their heads, return to an upright position, and breathe deeply again. Having reached the village of Emmaus, Jesus concretely checks to see if these two have understood and accepted all that he wanted to reveal to them during their journey. The disciples’ invitation shows that they accepted the extraordinary nature of their mysterious journey companion. Their invitation reveals the new feeling that is now in the hearts of these two. “It would be very good if you stayed with us. We have not yet understood who you are, but your presence is a source of consolation. Stay here with us.”

They enter the place, and during the meal Jesus performs actions and repeats the very words of consecration for the Eucharist. He takes the bread and breaks it. The disciples—watching this take place and trained in listening to the word of God now being interpreted—are able to recognize him in the breaking of the bread. The Gospel reports that at the disciples’ invitation, Jesus “went in to stay with them.” As soon as they recognized him, however, “he vanished from their sight.” But why? Shouldn’t he have stayed with them? Because now he was still with them, because he had taught them to recognize him in the sacrament of his presence that he had left them: the body broken for them and the blood poured out for them.

— from the book Encountering Jesus: A Holy Land Experience
by Vincenzo Peroni

More thoughts on Easter

 

Risen and Alive!

We are not content to say merely that Jesus is risen. We want to affirm that Jesus is risen and alive! He did not simply come back to life so that he could die again. He was not brought back to life like Lazarus, whom Jesus rescued from the tomb and would then have to die again. Jesus is risen and alive: He will no longer ever die. If Jesus is alive it means that he is our contemporary; we can dialogue with him and perceive his attentive and loving gaze on our lives; we can look at him and recognize in him the reality of our own lives. To know that Jesus is risen and alive means that he has truly defeated the power of death.

He has rescued us from the mortal anguish that comes from the mystery of death that manifests itself as a kind of declaration of bankruptcy about life. The big problem with death is not only that it puts an end to life, but it also echoes that our existence is a kind of failure: All that we do or suffer or work at and all we have loved, experienced, or endured has been useless and seems to affirm death. The resurrection, life that is no longer subject to death, gives a fullness of meaning and beauty to the day-to-day nature of our existence; every effort, hope, suffering, and desire finds its true significance.

— from the book Encountering Jesus: A Holy Land Experience
by Vincenzo Peroni

Thoughts on Easter

 Rays of Hope

Dear Lord, risen Lord, light of the world, to you be all praise and glory! This day, so full of your presence, your joy, your peace, is indeed your day.

I just returned from a walk through the dark woods. It was cool and windy, but everything spoke of you. Everything: the clouds, the trees, the wet grass, the valley with its distant lights, the sound of the wind. They all spoke of your resurrection; they all made me aware that everything is indeed good. In you all is created good, and by you all creation is renewed and brought to an even greater glory than it possessed at its beginning.

As I walked through the dark woods at the end of this day, full of intimate joy, I heard you call Mary Magdalene by her name and heard how you called from the shore of the lake to your friends to throw out their nets. I also saw you entering the closed room where your disciples were gathered in fear. I saw you appearing on the mountain and at the outskirts of the village. How intimate these events really are. They are like special favors to dear friends. They were not done to impress or overwhelm anyone, but simply to show that your love is stronger than death.

O Lord, I know now that it is in silence, in a quiet moment, in a forgotten corner that you will meet me, call me by name and speak to me a word of peace. It is in my stillest hour that you become the risen Lord to me.

Dear Lord, I am so grateful for all you have given me this past week. Stay with me in the days to come. Bless all who suffer in this world and bring peace to your people, whom you loved so much that you gave your life for them. Amen.

Henri Nouwen

Thoughts on Holy Saturday

 It’s Holy Saturday and Jesus is now in the tomb. As you look forward to Easter and His Resurrection, take a moment to reflect on what you need God to resurrect in your own life. Perhaps it’s a relationship, or your health, or career—whatever it is, ask God to raise up that aspect of your life this Easter. 

Matthew Kelly

From Silence to Celebration

Today, there is silence in heaven, for the Son of God has been put to death. Reflecting the silence of the tomb, the Church’s only liturgy today is the Easter Vigil. In this vigil Mass, the silence is broken as the Church celebrates Christ’s glorious Resurrection!

Thoughts on Good Friday

               

                      

                                            Priestly Intercession

On Good Friday, Jesus, the true High Priest, offers himself to the Father on the Cross for the salvation of sinners. Today, the Church’s liturgy uniquely emphasizes intercessory prayer, interceding as Christ did. Following Christ’s and the Church's example, spend time praying for others and their needs.

Thoughts on Palm Sunday

 The Path of Waiting

Passion is a kind of waiting - waiting for what other people are going to do. Jesus went to Jerusalem to announce the good news to the people of that city. And Jesus knew that he was going to put a choice before them: Will you be my disciple, or will you be my executioner? There is no middle ground here. Jesus went to Jerusalem to put people in a situation where they had to say "Yes" or "No". That is the great drama of Jesus' passion: he had to wait for their response. What would they do? Betray him or follow him?

 

In a way, his agony is not simply the agony of approaching death. It is also the agony of being out of control and of having to wait. It is the agony of a God who depends on us to decide how to live out the divine presence among us. It is the agony of the God who, in a very mysterious way, allows us to decide how God will be God. Here we glimpse the mystery of God's incarnation. God became human not only to act among us but also to be the recipient of our responses.

 

. . . And that is the mystery of Jesus' love. Jesus in his passion is the one who waits for our response. Precisely in that waiting the intensity of his love and God's is revealed to us.

Henri Nouwen

Thoughts on unconditional love

 Unconditional Love

When we freely allow fear to dominate and change us, we live in misery far from our home of unconditional love.

 

Meanwhile Jesus, our example, says to the disciples and to us, "Don't be afraid. Perfect love casts out fear." He walked freely, lived freely, and carried on an intimate relationship with the One who sent him into the world. 

  

Throughout the nights or early mornings Jesus spent time communing with the One who loved him. Among his last words he tells us, "As the Father has loved me, so I also love you. . . If you keep my word, the Father and I will come to you and we will make our home in you. . . I will send you my Spirit, who will dwell with you forever, and will remind you of all I have said to you."

Jesus came to convince us that Our Maker's love is pure gift, unearned and free. We are free to relate with the Source of all life or not. A great love embraces all the love that you and I have ever known, from father, mother, spouses, brothers, sisters, children, teachers, friends, partners, or counselors.

 

Welcoming unconditional love automatically makes us more like the Unconditional Lover. Divine love lasts forever.

Henri Nouwen