LOVE - PRAY - HOPE

Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe: Android | RSS Mark 1:40-45 There are many words in Scripture that, as it were, set my teeth on edge. True, some words or concepts in the pages of scripture are supposed to make us uncomfortable, meant to make us squirm in our seat, posed to turn us from…

“Without some empty space, there will be no room for God to abide. In order to fully live out our callings, to make wise and inspired choices directed by God’s will, to become conduits of God’s healing, or to offer words that reflect Christ’s good news, we must come to know the withdrawal of Christ to the desert, if only from time to time. Otherwise, we are in danger of a bloated, blinding, loud, and supremely self-directed journey with God.”

Br. Keith Nelson delves into the true meaning of withdrawal, inviting us to discover the restorative balance modeled by Christ.

“In a world that is unpredictable, unsafe, and seems filled with evil looking to exploit and harm the most vulnerable, we could wonder where in the world is Jesus in all this? We know there is suffering, malice, hate, greed, fear, and evil lurking about. Many of us are following the proverbial star of Bethlehem, searching for Jesus frantically.”

Br. Jim Woodrum steps into the story and suggests two rich ways to pray with the scriptural lesson of Mary and Joesph finding Jesus’ teaching in the Temple.

“I love these oddities of the church calendar because of their signature “fuzziness,” as if we were removing one pair of spiritual glasses for another. Like thick plumes of fragrant incense that obscure our vision and sting our eyes, these hinge periods remind us that so much of God’s work in us and God’s promises for us are outside our control and beyond our wildest imaginings.”

Br. Sean Glenn celebrates the meaningful possibility of the “hinges” in the liturgical calendar – and our own lives.

“Perhaps, by practicing silence and stillness, and fostering our awareness of Christ’s Light, we can welcome the grace of Christmas to each moment. And the Peace and Joy we find as both our source and our salvation will truly be the greatest gift of Love we can offer those around us.”

Br. Nicholas Bartoli invites us to find inspiration in the example of Saint Seraphim of Sarov