By Christine Valters Paintner
Let mystery have its place in you; do not be always turning up your whole soil with the plowshare of self-examination, but leave a little fallow corner in your heart ready for any seed the winds may bring, and reserve a nook of shadow for the passing bird; keep a place in your heart for the unexpected guests, an altar for an unknown God.
-Henri-Frederic Amiel
Who doesn’t love the promise of new beginnings that a discernment process offers? St. Benedict described his Rule as a Rule for beginners, reminding us to always begin again. In Buddhism, an essential practice is beginner’s mind. When we think we have become an expert at things, especially the spiritual life, we are in trouble.
Living into the mystery of things helps us to release our hold on needing to know the answers. One of the things the monk and artist have in common is a love of mystery, a willingness to sit in the place of tension and paradox until it ripens forth.
For example, New Year’s resolutions often come from a place of lack, or of thinking we know how to “fix” ourselves. Unfortunately, they are often fueled by a consumer culture that is eager to have us buy more and more things to improve ourselves. Embracing mystery, on the other hand, honors our profound giftedness and depth and acknowledges that coming to know ourselves and God is a lifetime exploration.
So my invitation to you is to shift your thinking around discernment. Welcome in ambiguity. Learn to love the holy darkness of mystery. Dance on the fertile edges of life. Let what you love ripen forth.
- Breathe deeply – our breath is our most immediate and vital connection to the life force which sustains us moment by moment. Let yourself be filled with awe and wonder at the marvels of this intimate gift. Sit for three minutes savoring that you are breathed into.
- Embrace night wisdom – one of the great gifts of dreams is that they upend our desire for logic and immerse us in a narrative which reveals the shadows we must wrestle with and the joys which call to us, whether or not they make sense to the waking world.
- Dance freely– we live so disconnected from our bodies. Dance has been part of human culture for thousands of years as a way to experience union with ourselves, one another, and the divine. Each day put on one piece of music that you love, close the door, and dance. Pay attention to what rises up in the process. If you resist, even better – dance with your resistance!
- Follow the thread– each of us has a unique unfolding story and call in this world. We don’t “figure this out” but rather we allow the story to emerge in its own time, tending the symbols and synchronicities which guide us along.
- Trust in what you love– following the thread is essentially about cultivating a deep trust in what you love. What are the things that make your heart beat loudly, no matter how at odds they feel with your current life? Make some room in the coming weeks to honor what brings you alive.
- Let the rhythms of nature guide you– we live our lives in a constant state of stimulation and productivity. We are often exhausted and overwhelmed. When we turn to the natural world we find with each day, each moon cycle, and each season a rhythm of rise and fall, fullness and emptiness. Trying to live all the time in rising or fullness is exhausting. Make some time to embrace the falling and emptiness of life which immerses us in an experience of mystery.
- Release what is no longer necessary– we accumulate so many things in our days which require energy to maintain or worry about. Reflect on what is most essential. Then ask yourself, what are the thoughts, attitudes, or expectations about life which keep you from freedom? How do you try to control the direction of your life rather the yielding to grace?
- Remember that you will die– St. Benedict writes in his Rule to “keep death daily before your eyes.” This is never an act of morbid obsession, but a reminder of life’s incredible gift. Any of us who have brushed near death, or had loved ones pass away, know this wisdom in profound ways. This is another paradox of the spiritual life: a vibrant relationship to our mortality is essential to a vibrant relationship to life.
- Ask for the wisdom of your ancestors– each of us is the inheritor of generations of stories which beat through our blood. Each of us has mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, who wrestled mightily with living a meaningful life. We can call upon this great “cloud of witnesses” to support us in our own wrestling. We can listen across the veil between worlds.
- Open yourself to receiving a word for the year ahead– in quiet moments what are the desires you hear being whispered from your heart? Is there a word or phrase that shimmers forth, inviting you to dwell with it in the months ahead? Something you can grow into and don’t fully understand?
Imagine if discernment wasn’t about fixing or improving, but about deepening and transforming, about embracing the holy mystery at the heart of the world.
What if the season ahead wasn’t about growing more certain about things, but about releasing the hold of your thinking mind so something deeper and more fertile could rise up?
What might bloom from such rich soil of your imagination? How might you create an altar for an unknown God and for the unknown depths of your own beautiful being waiting to be freed?
NOTE: Today’s post is by one of my favourite authors, Christine Valters Paintner. It is adapted from New Year Blessings – A Love Note from Your Online Abbess which she kindly reshaped for today. Her book The Soul’s Slow Ripening: 12 Celtic Practices for Seeking The Sacred. was one of my best reads for 2018.
Christine Valters Paintner, PhD is an American poet and writer living in Galway, Ireland. She is the online Abbess at AbbeyoftheArts.com, a virtual monastery integrating contemplative practice and creative expression. Christine Together with her husband John they offer online retreats and live pilgrimage experiences in Ireland, Germany, and Austria. Christine is the author of 10 books including her most recent The Soul’s Slow Ripening: 12 Celtic Practices for Seeking The Sacred.
by Christine Sine
Looking back is a rich and empowering process for me, at least it has been this year. As I read back through my journal from 2018 the thought that came to me was: This has been a year for thinking differently.
The writing of A Gift of Wonder has changed me and my spiritual perceptions in ways I never anticipated. It all started with the awe and wonder walks that Tom and I instituted after reading about the impact of awe and wonder depletion on our lives. Take notice, take notice, take notice was the core of what I read – take notice of the small things, the big things, the different things , the things that break our hearts and the things that give us goosebumps. That was what I picked up as I researched awe and wonder, and then I applied it to my life.
Noticing Begets Noticing
Wow – what a year. Noticing begat noticing begat noticing. Once I opened my eyes, awe and wonder became a new way to see the world and new spiritual lens through which to view everything. It doesn’t mean I naively saw only good things around me, but it meant that I could look with awe and wonder at those who suffer as well as those who rejoice. There is so much resilience in suffering people. There is kindness and compassion, there is generosity that overwhelms me. When I look with the eyes of awe and wonder I am inspired to respond.
Here on Godspace I began the year with the blog series “for love of the world God did foolish things’ – so many foolish things that God has done – from creating humankind from soil, and giving us free will knowing that one day we would mess it all up to putting into actin a plan for our redemption that depended on a baby born to an unwed mother and ending up being crucified by the religious and political leaders of the day. How foolish can you get?
If that wasn’t enough to rattle my cage and encourage me to see differently, I started to take more notice of the political landscape and the stories that broke my heart. Gun violence, political chaos, hurricanes, fires and migrant caravans all pulled my heart apart. Yet they also inspired me as I gazed with awe and wonder at first responders risking their lives for people they never knew, and watched the resilience in the midst of desperation of people who have lost everything.
The event that most impacted me this last year was Ford vs Kavanaugh. It compelled me to look at the story of Mary and Joseph with fresh eyes, revealing new layers of the gospel story and new depths of awe and wonder for this incredible couple and the incredible journey they embarked on, literally changing the world as a result.
Seeing Differently As A Way of Life.
I suspect that my year of seeing differently will become a lifetime of seeing differently. All I need to do is resolve to keep noticing. That of course means I need to slow down long enough to do so.
Noticing is not just a form of observation either. It means noticing emotions and our responses to them. It means not turning our backs because we feel overwhelmed but allowing the spirit of God to work through us in response to what we have noticed be it by the simple act of picking up a rock that caught our attention or by getting involved with the homeless or the victims of fire.
Awe and wonder has the capacity to change us and to change the world. I know it has done that for me, will you allow it to do it for you too?
by Christine Sine
Either on Twelfth Night (January 5), the twelfth day of Christmastide and eve of the feast of the Epiphany, or on Epiphany Day (January 6) itself, many Christians in Europe chalk their doors with a pattern such as this, “20 † C † M † B † 19”. The numbers refer to the calendar year (20 and 19, for this year); the crosses stand for Christ; and the letters have a two-fold significance: C, M and B are the initials for the traditional names of the Magi (Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar), as well as an abbreviation of the Latin blessing Christus mansionem benedicat, which means, May Christ bless this house. Taken together, this inscription is performed as a request for Christ to bless our homes and stay with those who dwell in them throughout the entire year. I first saw this practice on our recent trip to Germany and I thought this was a cool thing to do each year. We were there in July but the chalk marks were still above the doors.
The chalking of the doors is a centuries-old practice throughout the world, though less well-known in the United Sates. It is, however, an easy tradition to adopt, and a great practice for dedicating our year to God and asking for our Creator’s blessing on our homes and on all who live, work, or visit them. The prayer above is adapted from a house blessing I was invited to several years ago. It in turn was adapted from a longer prayer in Celtic Daily Prayer which you might want to use for your own house blessing. You can find another great blessing practice here or might like to use the house blessing in The
We did a house blessing after we remodeled our house a couple of years ago and had people write words of blessing on some of the left over remnants of tiles that we put in our kitchen. I still have them in a bowl and occasionally look through them to remind myself of the blessings that friends bestowed on us. However I love the idea of doing this on a yearly basis.
I also love the way Jan Richardson talks about this and her suggestion to think of your house as a new year in her poem: The Year As A House: A Blessing.
Think of the year
as a house:
door flung wide
in welcome,
threshold swept
and waiting,
a graced spaciousness
opening and offering itself
to you.
She also does wonderful art which is perfect for reflection as you can see on this free downloadable Women’s Christmas Retreat Day. I know it is already after Christmas but this is something worth downloading and setting aside time to use.
Image: Wise Women Also Came © Jan Richardson
by Christine Sine
Today, the Eve of Epiphany, marks the last official day of Christmas. It celebrates the coming of the wise men and ushers in the season of Epiphany Three events are usually associated with the season:
- The coming of the Magi and the revelation of Christ as Son of God to all the peoples of the world
- The baptism of Christ and his revelation as Son of God to the disciples and the crowds that came to John the Baptist at the river Jordan for repentance.
- The wedding at Cana where through the transformation of water into wine we catch the first glimpse of God’s new world of celebration, joy and abundance.
This is a season in which we are encouraged to come and see, come and follow, go and tell others. As followers of Christ we are invited to reveal him to others so that they too might recognize him as Son of God and experience the hope and freedom that his message brings. I think that this is also a season to broaden our vision to remind ourselves of the many ways in which Christ is at work in our world – we need to look and listen for God’s voice and come and see the things that God is doing not jsut in our own churches and communities but also amongst the poor, amongst the oppressed, amongst the marginalized and ignored.
God is actively at work in our world if we will take the time to come and see, come and follow and go and tell others. Later today I plan to upload liturgies for morning and evening prayer during the season of epiphany I find that using prayers like this helps me to focus on Christ and the responsibilities that go with being a follower of Christ.
How are you responding to God’s call at this season and how do you plan to remind yourself of this call?
The prayer above is part of this longer litany that you might like to use in this upcoming season:
Arise, shine inheritors of God’s light,
Bearers of Christ’s light to our darkened world,
The light of God has come into our world,
And nations will come to its brightness,
Arise, shine, privileged ones who live in the light of Christ,
Bow before God not in shame but in awe,
All is visible in Christ’s eternal light,
In us God’s light never goes out.
Arise shine, in Christ, God’s light has been revealed to us,
It reaches across time and space,
We have come to see,
We have come to follow,
Arise shine, in Christ God’s light has been revealed to all people,
God’s glory has been unveiled in all the earth,
May we go and tell,
May we go and share God’s light with our needy world.
(Pause to remind yourself of the ways that Christ has been revealed as Son of God in your own life. How has God used your life to bring Christ’s light into the life of others?)
Come and see
The light of God has come into our world
To proclaim God’s justice and love
It has overcome the darkness and brought new life
Come and follow
Christ our king has redeemed our world
He draws us into a loving family
From every tribe and family and culture
Go and tell
The Spirit has equipped us for service
To love our neighbours as we do ourselves
To bring God’s salvation to the ends of the earth
Come and see, come and follow, go and tell
In God’s Son the nations of the earth will put their hope
Read Scriptures of the day from Daily Lectionary
God we have come to see and we will follow and show others,
In times of scarcity may we see your generosity,
In places of oppression may we see your freedom,
In a world at war may we see your peace.
God we have come to see and we will follow and show others,
In times of despair may we follow your hope,
In places of hate may we follow your love,
In a world of deception may we follow your truth.
God we have come to see and we will follow and show others,
In times of uncertainty may we show your faithfulness,
In places of corruption may we show your righteousness,
In a world of bondage may we show your salvation.
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever, Amen
(Pause to offer up your own intercessions.)
God who revealed yourself to wise men following a star,
Guide all who search and journey towards your light today,
God whose light shines like a bright guiding star have mercy on us.
God who unveiled yourself in the gift of a son,
Show yourself to all who seek after justice and righteousness today,
God whose light shines like a bright guiding star have mercy on us.
God who was baptized with those who declared their repentance in the Jordan river,
Manifest yourself to all who come with repentant hearts today,
God whose light shines like a bright guiding star have mercy on us.
God who fed the five thousand with a handful of fish and loaves,
Satisfy our hunger with your word of truth and love,
God whose light shines like a bright guiding star have mercy on us.
God who changed water into wine at a wedding,
Fill all who thirst with the free gift of the water of life,
God whose light shines like a bright guiding star have mercy on us.
Lord God Almighty, thank you that Jesus’ epiphany as Son of God reaches across time and space. As we go into this day may we embrace your call to come and see, come and follow, go and tell others. May we remember that we are bearers of Christ’s light sent out to touch others so that they may know him as Son of God and experience the hope his message brings.
Go into the world knowing you are led by the light of Christ,
May the love of the Creator go before you,
May the life of the Redeemer be within you,
May the joy of the Spirit shine through you,
Amen.
by Lilly Lewin
In Churchland and in the lectionary, we grow Jesus up too quickly, and we demand action from him.
We race away from Baby Jesus as quickly as we pack up the decorations and take down the tree. In the reality of having babies, the “fun” of having a newborn is just beginning…it’s the hard work of learning to bathe, change, feed the infant, the reality of not getting any sleep, the new normal of having baby puke your clothes all the time. It’s living with the messiness of a newborn. The messiness of a savior.
Are you already at the temple? With Jesus choosing to be there, in his father’s house, rather than with his parents? Are you already planning for Lent and Easter -ready to kill off Jesus so we can get on to the resurrection?
But what about this baby?
My babies are in their 20s, but I have lots of friends who entered the joys of parenthood this past year, some for the first time, some for the third time, and some through adoption. All are learning & relearning the ropes of being a mom & dad responsible for this wee one in their midst. They are posting cute pictures and celebrating milestones of their child on social media. Being aware that each day is a gift and filled with wonder at this newly arrived person!
What about us? Can we push pause and remember that Jesus was a baby for more than a day? What would this mean for our relationship with him?
Let’s take time to picture this and sit with Mary and Joseph and their newborn.
What does it mean for me that Jesus can be held in Mary’s arms?
What does it mean that the God of the universe chose to be born here in our midst as a vulnerable child who needs his every need taken care of by his parents?
Can you and I choose to hold Baby Jesus today, wrapped in a blanket?
Can we watch him sleep?
And notice his hands and the cute perfection of his toes?
I think the image of God as a baby is hard for us to grasp.
But if we are willing to imagine,
To actually take the time to be still with the Baby Jesus, what can we learn?
What do we notice?
The first thing I notice is Love….
Love for this small human who breathes in our arms.
Love and thankfulness for the miracle that is life.
Love for the Creator who becomes one of his creations in all the beauty and ugliness of this world!
We can choose to wait for and watch for this baby’s first smiles and watch his eyes twinkling with recognition.
Today let’s sit with two week old Baby Jesus and ponder in our hearts as Mary did… the Wonder that is the Baby!
Going deeper:
READ. Take some time to read the Christmas story in Luke 2 and consider what happens next for Baby Jesus. He is taken to the Temple and named and his parents receive a prophecy. What can we learn from Anna and Simeon? What new things do you notice as you focus on the Baby Jesus and his mom and dad?
Journal. It’s Epiphany this Sunday, January 6th. The day we celebrate the Magi visiting Jesus in Matthew 2. Jesus is no longer in the manger, but still a baby, under two. Imagine the surprise of Mary and Joseph when these important people show up with gifts! What gifts do you need to receive from Baby Jesus this season? What gifts do you want to give to the Baby? Take some time to journal about this.
Take time to grieve. There is loss in this story and loss in many of our lives. Maybe the thought of Baby Jesus brings sadness rather than joy to you due to loss or lack of children. Take time, talk to God about this! God holds your tears. Infants and toddlers are violently murdered in Bethlehem after Herod discovers that a rival king has been born. There are babies and children dying daily from hunger, war, poverty, etc around our globe. This is a horrific reality. Take time to mourn the loss. Take time to pour out your heart to Jesus about this. How can you help bring healing or light in an area of loss in your life or in our world?
Choose a symbol. Do you have a blanket or baby item that you can use in the coming days as a reminder of Jesus as a baby? Perhaps a baby bottle or a sippy cup or a toy. If you don’t have anything at home, you might pick up something at the dollar store or grocery to use a prayer tool in the coming days to help you focus on Jesus as a baby. You can also use this item remind you to pray for children at risk.
Pray with the art. Use the images in this post, or find one on line that speaks to you, and ask Jesus to show you more about himself and how he wants to hold you this season, just like Mary held him so many years ago.
By Ana Lisa de Jong —
CHRISTMAS BEEN
Christmas is for a moment
the veil lifted,
the light of Christ appearing
through the mist.
The bright glow
of a candle briefly lit,
that for a time
illuminates the room.
As a lover’s knock upon the door
causes the heart to lift,
so Christmas is the long awaited visit
to which we open our arms.
Christmas is the birth
of the promised child,
whose innocent dependence
draws from us our love.
So that Christmas is
the veil lifted,
the light of Christ appearing
in a crib.
But we must be careful
to not too soon forget,
the one to whose feet we bring
our treasures.
The bright glow
of a candle briefly lit,
might start and stutter,
until it goes out with the wind.
Or the lover’s embrace which warms,
depart,
to leave us waiting
and desirous again.
But Christmas that for a moment
lifts the veil,
shows us what lies always
behind the scenes of things.
Christ, in love
found a way to remain,
and has given us back our treasures,
surrendered at his feet.
So that the treasure that is Christ,
can be threaded through our days,
strung from one Christmas to the next,
as glowing lights across the heavens.
Check out Ana Lisa De Jong’s most recent book of poetry Heart Psalms: Song of the Heart
(As an Amazon Affiliate I do get a small amount for each purchase you make through this link – it helps keep Godspace alive)
by Christine Sine
This is the time of year when everyone shares lists of what they have read in 2018 and what they plan to read in 2019. I have read so many lists in the last year days that my reading list for 2019 is already threatening to break my book budget and put all other budgeted items at risk too. Yet I have some concerns about these lists and not just because they might break the budget. So I thought I would put together a rather different list and give you some guidelines to think about as you plan your reading for 2019.
One of the most valuable lessons I have learnt from writing my book The Gift of Wonder is that head knowledge without heart knowledge is not good for any of us. I have been encouraged to read children’s books, dabble in contemplation and poetry, explore my creativity and to reflect on images, all of which have opened up whole new areas of reading for me. A good balanced reading diet is as important as a balanced reading diet. So here are my lists:
My Best Reads of 2018
Unless You Become Like This Child – Hans Urs von Balthasar. This little gem was recommended to me when I was first grappling with my question What are the childlike characteristics that make us fit for the kingdom? Von Balthasar convinced me that the central mystery of Christianity is our transformation from worldly-wise, self sufficient “adults” into children of God – not figuratively but literally. It was this book that laid the foundation out of which I gave myself permission to play again
On The Brink of Everything – Parker Palmer. I have been a Palmer fan for many years and this book is, I think one of his best ever. Written as he approaches his 80th year it’s wisdom is not just for the aging but for all ages. I read it slowly and contemplatively and relished every chapter.
Brain Rules for Aging Well – John Medina. This book looks at the behaviors that all of us need to incorporate in our lives to age well. – everything from dancing to nostalgia. Again I think that this is a book for all ages.
To Bless The Space Between Us – John O’Donohue. This beautiful book of poems and blessings is one that I return too regularly. It refreshes my soul in many ways and as you probably know I love to quote from it.
Celebrating Abundance – Walter Brueggemann This Advent devotional has provided a great focus for me each morning over the last couple of months. It is a great combination of substantial and thought provoking reflection with scripture and prayers.
The Art of Stone Painting – F. Sehnaz Bac No need for whiplash here, I did say that we needed an invitation to a little creative expression in our reading and this was it for me. If you like to paint rocks but are looking for more creative ideas on how to approach the art then this is a great book to get into. It will provide many satisfying hours of reading and experimenting.
A Savior Is Born – Rocks Tell the Story of Christmas – Patti Rokus I have loved looking through the images in this book over the Christmas season. It has inspired some of my favourite poems over the season.
Cultivating Sacred Space: Gardening for the Soul – Elizabeth Murray. No book list is complete for me without at least on garden book on it. This book, which has probably given me dreams beyond my ability to fulfill in the garden, encourages us to transform our own private gardens into places that satisfy our need for the sacred, for play, and for meditation as well as for connecting with the earth. A delightful book for anyone exploring creative ways to incorporate sacred spaces into their gardens.
What Am I looking Forward to Reading in 2019
Obviously it is too early to tell which will be my best reads of 2019 though I am already on the lookout for possibilities and have a stack of books that are likely to sink my desk waiting for me to open.
For poetry Ana Lisa de Jong’s new book Heart Psalms Songs of the Heart is at the top of my list. Her poems are illustrated with stunning scenic photography of New Zealand scenery which make it a little more expensive but highlight its potential as a book for personal reflection and retreats.
For a children’s book I am already casting beady eyes at Brian McLaren & Gareth Hewitt’s new book Cory and the Seventh Story.
For theology Al Tizon’s Whole and Reconciled which I am just about to start reading is at the top of my list.
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