Reflections
12/28/08
Diana
What do we do now that Christmas is over???
But, the wonder has just begun…
The day of the Epiphany, January 6, in the Western Christian Church, commemorates the arrival of the wise men led by a star to worship and honor the “King of Kings” (Matthew 2). On January 11, we celebrate Christ’s presentation in the Temple -- his dedication to God and his circumcision -- in “the Baptism of our Lord” (Luke 2).
Things may seem quiet between now and when Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (February 25) as we enter into the “Season after Epiphany,” a period of “Ordinary Time” in the church calendar. The lectionary is designed to help us live Jesus’ life in “real time” and allow us to accompany Him on the journey from His dedication, through His childhood and teen years, through His baptism in the River Jordan, until the wedding in Cana when He enters public ministry (John 2).
But as always, the movement of the calendar calls each of US to deepen our relationship with God. As winter sets in, our pace slows. In this time of fewer demands (holiday company gone, Christmas decorations packed for another year, and work or school back to normal), we have time to enter into a deeper relationship with Christ. Our movement toward God can deepen during this period just as the child, Jesus, grew in wisdom and truth toward a more adult, more mature relationship with His Holy Father.
In essence, this period of Ordinary Time is an elaboration on the capacity of Christ to manifest the Divine Light, and to draw each of us into increasing levels of relationship with Him. It is time to seek God’s Presence in our lives through prayer and contemplation, to open ourselves to a deeper relationship with Jesus as Savior and Teacher, and to manifest God’s Love to the world around us.
12/12/08
Diana
Advent arrives again. God is with us or, rather, with me.
Today, it seems the worm hole in the Universe opened and God slipped in again…but out just as quickly. I catch a glimpse of Spirit again and again. Only because I am awake, waiting and watching, like the wise bridesmaids about whom Jesus speaks.
This morning at church, while the children’s choir sings “Silent Night”, I tear up and realize how absolutely precious a child’s faith is. Later today, after helping my dear friend, Lois (who at 88 still manages on her own) hang mirrors in the dining nook of her small apartment so it will look larger (her smile beams as she feels better about where she lives, at least for the moment), I was reminded how small gifts can matter is such monumental ways. Later today, I smile at the lickey-face love my 11-year old spaniel-border collie mix, Joy, unselfishly bestows on her favorite two-legged friends. In this day alone I was reminded again and again, that God is everywhere...small miracles all around...miracles I so often rush past...because I am too hurried, too busy, and too self-centered to see.
Over 2000 years ago, a baby boy was born, nestled in a bed of hay....just another “small” miracle. I wonder, had I been a shepherd, or a weary traveler, would I have passed “God with us” by? Probably....but the miracle is... God is still with us!
9/28/08
Diana
A Song of Praise
God is the Omnipotent…the Divine…the Other.
God, the One, who exists in and through all things; is an integral part of our deepest selves, simultaneously reflected throughout the Cosmos.
For the Holy is both
… near and far
… here and there
… tangible and intangible.
Praise be to God!
Seeking God
"Come then, Lord my God, teach my heart where and how to seek you, where and how to find you.
Lord, if you are not present here, where, since you are absent, shall I look for you? On the other hand, if you are everywhere why then, since you are present, do I not see you? But surely you dwell in light inaccessible. And where is this inaccessible light, or how can I approach the inaccessible light? …
Teach me to seek you, and reveal yourself to me as I seek, because I can neither seek you if you do not teach me how, nor find you unless you reveal yourself. Let me seek you in desiring you; let me desire you in seeking you; let me find you in loving you; let me love you in finding you." St. Anselm, Bishop of Canterbury, 1033-1109, Proslogion, 1.