It seems to be the season for moving. In the last month four of our close neighbours have moved and three other houses are up for sale. Friends are moving across the country and around the world. People are settling into new jobs and new locations.
House blessing – praying at the front door
Recently I participated in my first house blessing for one of these friends. We started at the front door,
House blessing – sprinkling with water
then went room to room praying for each part of the house and sprinkling water over it and its occupants. We even blessed the bathroom – crowding into the small space with much fun and laughter.
Blessing the living room
It was a wonderful experience and one that I wanted to imitate when our new community members Forrest and Kayra moved in upstairs. However we simplified the process and stood in the living room while reciting the prayer above. It is adapted from a much longer house blessing in Celtic Daily Prayer.
Blessing the bathroom
I heartily recommend the experience of house blessing to you – whether you are moving into a new home, or welcoming new housemates. If possible have a priest participate and sprinkle water as a symbol of that blessing throughout your new abode. And if you do use this prayer please share your experiences with us.
And last but not least enjoy this house blessing which I found on Youtube this morning.
Our 24th Celtic retreat Shalom and the Reconciliation of God is over. It was, I think one of the best we have held, with almost perfect sunny weather in which to enjoy the serenity and beauty of this land. We gathered in our beautiful outdoor chapel to worship, pray and sing together with our awesome musicians Sean and Julie Hall and their daughter Lynna, accompanied by Melody George on the drums.
The ringing of the singing bowl, interspersed our liturgies and reflection times with a sweet melody that resonated through the forest enriching our souls.
For those that would like to enjoy our liturgies and prayers from the day, they are available here:
We began our program by decorating the altar with items gathered from the land that spoke to us of reconciliation and shalom.
At the same time we created a candle for altar made from the broken glass gathered from our vandalized building.
It glowed brightly throughout our services and well into the night
There was lots of time for quiet reflection, for fellowship and for creativity.
We finished the day with a beautiful Eucharistic service presided over by Andy Wade and Rebecca Joy Sumner, even blessing the many animals that joined us for this year’s retreat. Then shared wonderful BBQ together
And at night we sat round a “campfire” (propane run because of the fire ban) and enjoyed food and fun together.
Those of us that stayed overnight enjoyed morning and evening prayers together, a welcome additional time of reflection.
I am deeply appreciative of our wonderful MSA team and other much helpful volunteers who arrived Friday morning breakfasted at the Cookie Mill and then helped clear the land and get our space ready.
Hope you can join us next year for a very special celebration – our 25th Celtic retreat and my husband Tom’s 80th birthday.
Tom and I are about to go away for a few days of much needed rest. We are heading to Mayne Island in Canada and in preparation I have been gathering prayers, and preparing reflective exercises that will help me focus as I seek to refresh and renew myself. Rest is meant to be an important part of the rhythm of our lives. We all need times when we pause for refreshment and renewal. Just as the night calls us to rest after a busy day and the winter calls us to rest after busy seasons of planting growth and harvest, so to does God beckon us to rest after seasons of busy work.
What is Your Response?
Read through the prayer above and sit quietly in the presence of God. Take a few deep breaths in and out. Allow the wonder of God’s presence to fill you. Enter into the invitation of the prayer to look, listen and savour the moment. Rest in God.
Sunset on Mayne Island
At times like this I am always drawn towards Psalm 23, that wonderful prayer of David’s that calls us to rest in the presence of all life’s fears and challenges. Reading it this morning in The Voice, I have been struck again by its message. I invite you to read it together with me.
The Eternal is my shepherd, He cares for me always.
He provides me rest in rich, green fields
beside streams of refreshing water.
He soothes my fears;
He makes me whole again,
steering me off worn, hard paths
to roads where truth and righteousness echo His name.Even in the unending shadows of death’s darkness,
I am not overcome by fear.
Because You are with me in those dark moments,
near with Your protection and guidance,
I am comforted.You spread out a table before me,
provisions in the midst of attack from my enemies;
You care for all my needs, anointing my head with soothing, fragrant oil,
filling my cup again and again with Your grace.
Certainly Your faithful protection and loving provision will pursue me
where I go, always, everywhere.
I will always be with the Eternal,
in Your house forever.
What is Your Response?
As you read slowly through this psalm, listen carefully to the words. Read them aloud and invite them to lodge in your spirit. Is there a word or phrase that catches your attention? Recite it several times. Sit quietly in the presence of God and allow God’s spirit to speak to you. Respond to the Spirit’s nudging y writing down what you sense. Say a prayer of gratitude for God’s guidance.
Now watch this video – is there anything more that God is saying to you or nudging you to do?
A couple of days ago I posted about our abundance of tomatoes. I mentioned that such abundance makes me creative and it obviously makes others creative too. I have had several requests for recipes, have received some wonderful new recipes from others, and am still looking for more. Not only are our tomatoes overflowing, but the apples too are ripening and overwhelming in their abundance. We are getting ready to preserve and share.
So I thought I would share a few of my favourite recipes and ask you to add to the list. What would you do with an abundance of tomatoes, or apples, or whatever is ripening in your garden or overflowing from the supermarket shelves, or being discarded by your local farms.
We don’t want any of this wonderful produce to go to waste. Huffington post tells us that 6 billion pounds of produce is discarded every year because it is ugly. Wasted food says that Americans waste 40% of food that is produced. What other suggestions do you have for how we could use it?
Here are recipes that have helped us – what would you add to the list? What else should we do with the abundance?
We are also living on tomato sandwiches:
Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwiches a la Tom Sine
Take 2 slices of good, crusty Italian bread and spread it with mayonnaise, mustard, or butter. Fry pieces of lean bacon and drain off the fat on paper. Place the bacon on one slice of bread and top it with tasty cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese is melted. Top with slices of sweet onion, avocado, lettuce, and large slices of Brandywine tomatoes. Pepper and salt to taste and place the remaining slice of bread on top. Enjoy!
Portabello Mushroom, Squash and Tomato Sandwiches a la Christine Sine
Take 2 slices of a good crusty bread and toast lightly under the griller on one side. Sprinkle 2 portabello mushrooms with soy sauce and grill until soft. Cut summer squash into slices about 1/4 ” thick lengthwise. Coat both sides with olive oil, sprinkle with Italian herb seasoning and grill until soft. Cut a large red bell pepper in half lengthwise and grill until skin is black. Leave in a paper bag for 1/2 hour and then peel skin. Layer mushrooms, squash and pepper slices on untoasted side of bread, cover with slices of cheddar cheese ( we love Irish Dubliner) and grill until cheese is melted. Top with slices of sweet onion, avocado and large slices heirloom tomatoes. Pepper and salt to taste and place remaining slice of bread on top. Enjoy!
My favourite tomato salad (Quinoa tabbouleh)
2 cups quinoa – I like a combination of red & white
2 lb tomatoes – if you use cherries halve them, larger tomatoes cut in small pieces
1 lb summer squash – my favourite is patty pan but any small squash works, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 medium sized cucumber cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 cup green beans – cooked & cup into 1/2″ pieces.
1/2 cup sweet onion
1 lb feta cheese – crumbled
1/2 cup olive oil & 1/2 cup lemon juice for dressing.
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1 cup parsley – finely chopped
1 cup mint – finely chopped
Cook the quinoa in 3 cups of water for 10 minutes and allow to cool. Add tomatoes, squash, cucumber, beans, onion, feta cheese, olives, parsley and mint. Stir in the dressing and enjoy. (serves 6-8)
One thing I like about this salad is that it is just as good the second day.
You may also like to look at other tomato and apple recipes I have posted:
And I heartily recommend the Australian Women’s Weekly Tomato cookbook which has given me much inspiration in the past.
So get out and savour those tomatoes – or if you live in the Southern hemisphere think about what you could do when the produce overflows next year. Enjoy!
In the Lord’s prayer “your kingdom come” Jesus encourages us to pray daily for the coming of God’s kingdom, but it easy in the busyness of life and the distractions of family and friends to forget. I need constant reminders and find that prayers like this area tremendous help in refocusing my life on God’s priorities. I hope that you will use it to refocus your life too,
Tom and I returned from our Celtic retreat on Sunday to a garden bursting with abundance. I immediately went out and picked over 40lb tomatoes and several squash. At least the same quantity will ripen in the next couple of days. It is a little overwhelming in some ways, but in others I am more than ready – it is time to start processing: drying, making some of my favourite recipes – olive/dried tomato tapenade and roasted tomato marinara sauce and of course eating fresh salads and tomato sandwiches.
What I wonder is the harvest in God’s garden that is overwhelming us because it is ready to be picked but we have not thought to ask for harvesters to help us?
It seems that there are many harvests in God’s garden that can overwhelm us too. The fruit in God’s garden is incredibly diverse, and all of it needs a multitude of harvesters. Some of us would immediately think of the need for evangelists to go out and share the good news of the gospel. Others would think of the need to find harvesters to feed the poor, care for the sick and set the oppressed free.
It is one thing to bring fruit to maturity, it is another to bring in the full harvest whether it be in the garden or in God’s world without letting it go to seed or rot. So the question is how and where do we find the harvesters we need? To be honest I am not sure of all the answers and many of us feel that we never have enough help. But I am convinced that though I don’t have all the answers, I do know that unless we ask we will never get any help at all. So here are some suggestions:
1. Identify where you need harvesters – I became very aware of this over the summer when I felt I was drowning under a workload too that I could not cope with. We asked ourselves the question what do we want to accomplish in the next year and who do we need to help us accomplish it? Jesus rarely worked alone. He was constantly together with his disciples – his harvesters in a field of plenty.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 9:37,38 that “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” We often interpret this to mean that people are unwilling to get out and help – as I processed my mountain of tomatoes today with the help of family and friends, I wondered if it should instead be interpreted as a prayer for community, a reminder that harvesting is meant to be done together.
2. Be specific when you ask for help. Sometimes when I ask for help I can be rather vague. I am learning more and more however that once we ask ourselves who we need we should develop job descriptions for internship positions and even established a new volunteer position for a garden manager.
3. Get the word out – I am not always good in this area, and part of my feeling overwhelmed this summer has been because we did not have an MSA intern. Getting the word out about our needs is always challenging but I suggest starting with friends, community members and neighbours. Those that are closest to us will usually respond the fastest and the most enthusiastically.
4. Share the harvesters and the harvest. A couple of years ago I went raspberry picking with some friends. At the end of the day we talked about what we had learned. One person mentioned that she found it very hard to leave ripe fruit on the vines and felt she had not done an adequate job unless she had harvested every berry. Then she remembered that she was not the only harvester in the raspberry field that day and it suddenly occurred to her that she needed to leave some of the harvest for those who would come behind her.
Part of what I love about an abundant garden harvest is that it must be shared or it goes bad. God intends us to be generous towards others. An abundant harvest is a wonderful reminder to me that God intends us to be generous with the resources that we are provided with. How often do we feel overwhelmed by the abundance around us because we think it is just for us? Remember you are not the only one called to preach or heal or set people free. Pick only what you can carry, only what you can reasonably consume, only what will not go bad because you have tried to gather too much.
In Luke 12:16-20, Jesus tells the story of the rich farmer who responds to his abundant harvest by building bigger barns for himself. Jesus calls him a fool and I think that one of the reasons he was a fool was because he was not willing to share.
5. Pray – As Jesus reminds us we will never see harvesters without prayer. And that again has been my experience this week. Almost before we asked God had prepared an answer and I already have a new assistant to help me in the office.
6. Get creative. Abundance always forces us to be creative. It encourages us to think of new ways to use the harvest that has so lavishly been provided and that I think draws us closer to our creative God who is constantly imagining new things to create and new ways to do things.
Creativity keeps us flexible. It stops us from stagnating and encourages us to grow.
Community, creativity, and generosity are intertwined where abundance is concerned. It is wonderful to watch how when people come together to bring in an abundant harvest, new ideas and recipes are created, food, fun, and fellowship are shared and generosity seems to grow and overflow.
Imagine what you could do with the abundant harvests God is lavishing upon your life – they may not be tomatoes, perhaps they are friends or finances. And share your creative ideas with us and with others. What are your favourite recipes, ideas, endeavours that have come out of abundance in your life?
“Crescent Earth from Apollo 4″ by Jason Major. Used with permission.
How is God calling me to respond to our beautiful, broken world? The same way I am asked to do everything else: contemplatively.
“Contemplatively” simply means living out of the reality that we are always in union with God. The apostle Paul said, “In Christ we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28) So, we are not alone in any venture, including this one.
With this in mind, SoulStream (the contemplative Christian community I belong to) expanded our value of justice to include the following:
God being our helper, we will endeavour to:
1. approach our divine call to care for the world positively and lightly, knowing that our response will be a natural outflow of our life in God.
2. become more aware of our own complicity and our own inner landscape in terms of attraction and aversion around responding to the world’s beauty and brokenness.
3. support one another in our community, as we continue to converse about our anguish and helplessness around what we see and allow God to move us into hope.
4. join God in healing the world in ways that are true to our own gifts and limitations.
Night Prayer by Michael Cook. Used with permission.
A few of us had been working on this initiative for months. When we finally got these four statements down on paper and shared them with our community at our annual gathering in June, it helped us all move forward.
Inspired by Michael Cook’s Night Prayer (above) and the Hafiz poem Seed Cracked Open, we have been praying, “God, what love-mischief can ‘We’ do for the world today?”
This is what God, Fred and I have been up to while on vacation in Banff National Park.
Petted a dog and looked into her eyes
Listened to the sounds of creatures stirring in the morning
Instead of disposing of our paper, plastic, metal and glass in the campground garbage bins, we held onto them until we found recycling bins in town
Were saddened by the exhaust of a 4 kilometer long train of vehicles inching down from Lake Louise to the highway and have composed a letter about it to Parks Canada (along with suggesting they include recycling info in their Mountain Guide)
Spoke up for the earth when people were going off-trail and damaging the fragile plants
Encouraged someone who wants to start composting
Applauded my nieces who are doing a month-long simplifying challenge. Each day they will get rid one more thing (i.e. first day one, second day two, etc)
Tried to eat more slowly and bless those who grew the food
Prayed outside with my eyes open
Gave thanks for life around me (although it wasn’t easy when it was perpetually cold and we had even more rain and hail!)
What love mischief have you and God been doing for the world? Let me know. I’d love to include what you’ve been up to in my upcoming posts. Don’t worry if doesn’t seem like much. Wendell Berry says,
“The real work of planet saving will be small, humble, and humbling, and (insofar as it involves love) pleasing and rewarding. Its jobs will be too many to count, too many to report, too many to be publicly noticed or rewarded, too small to make anyone rich or famous.”
© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2015.
This is the last of four posts by Esther Hizsa.
Esther Hizsa is a spiritual director, retreat speaker and writer. She is a member of SoulStream contemplative community and helps facilitate their Living from the Heart course. She and her husband, Fred, live in Burnaby, B.C.They have two married children and two grandchildren. She blogs at An Everyday Pilgrim where this was originally published.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without permission from Esther Hizsa is strictly prohibited.
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