I got home to my local convent a few days ago after a very long summer. I had a lot of great experiences and some challenging ones too! But the best part of summer by far is retreat - a week of vacationing with the Lord. It was wonderful. The priest who gave our retreat was so wonderful and we were in a beautiful place. Our chapel has these enormous windows that look out over beautiful fields and stained glass pieces designed by our sisters hang in the windows. It is simple and small but a very intimate place to be with the Lord. It's also private, located in the same area as our bedrooms so it is open to us all night as well as during the day.
One of the things Father asked us to do on retreat was too look over the past year with the Lord - looking through His eyes. That night I tried to think about where God was during my year and I came up with a lot of wonderful places - in my daily prayer, in the Eucharist, in my work, in my community - but I was left feeling anxious and upset. I kept thinking of all the places where I failed to see or follow Him. The next day after Mass I made a cup of coffee and went to sit in the community room by myself. I turned the chair next to me to face me and I closed my eyes and imagined that Jesus was sitting across from me. Instead of reflecting myself on the year I asked him, "What do you remember about our year together?" The answer caused me to laugh out loud, to cry, and to smile. The answer was that He remembered me dancing around my classroom on the weekends changing decorations and grading papers while I listened to music, cleaning out the convent, eating breakfast on the porch with the nuns, being heartbroken about a child's circumstances, hitting the snooze on my alarm, breaking my flashdrive, crying after a bad day in school, shoveling the cars out of the snow with the neighborhood boys, attending basketball and soccer games...
They were the places where I didn't recognize Him immediately but He was with me and in me through them. It amazed me that it was these moments when I was just being myself, just offering myself unconsciously for others, that God was most interested in - not in the times when I was trying very hard.
We have more good in us than we recognize or think sometimes. I was so touched by His presence in my everyday living that I felt even more compelled to try to give of myself completely but I was motivated by love. I will try to keep that spirit alive this year.
Hello!
ReplyDeleteI found your blog today.
I would like to comment on this statement: ‘and I closed my eyes and imagined that Jesus was sitting across from me.’
I write this only to be helpful!
[To differentiate, ] The historical Rabbi called Y’hoshua was the Jewish Messiah. He grew up in Galilee and lived in the first century. His name was later changed by Christians to “Jesus”. Did you know that many words that are attributed to him was not said by him - including much of the content in the “gospels”, but was redacted by Hellenists. Documentation: http://www.netzarim.co.il/Shared/Glossary/Glos_N-Q.htm#Df-NT ? I write you this since you rely on NT, which was never endorsed by the followers of Rabbi Y’hoshua. On the contrary they didn’t accept it, since it contradicts Torah [the books of Moses]. [Documentation on the above link.]
In fact he wasn’t divine as you imply in the above quote. It is very clear from the Messianic prophecies of the Hebrew Bible [which Christians call the “OT”] that he was a human and not divine [Documentation: Link]
Following the human Jewish Messiah called Y’hoshua leads oneself into non-selectively observance of the commandments of Moses to ones utmost, including an immensely meaningful relationship with the Creator.
Anders Branderud
Dear Friend... I am a Roman Catholic religious... this is what I believe. First, I am not running a theological blog here - just one about my everyday life as a religious woman. You have your beliefs and I have mine. I'm not trying to be difficult; however, you have no authority to teach anything about the Catholic faith. What you offer is your opinion and it is in direct opposition to the teaching of the Church that Jesus is fully God and fully man. Thank you for your attempt at respectful comment, however, I request that you tread a little more carefully when you accost someone else's belief system.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you.