Category: Every day Catholic

Trusting in new life

On By dpavinatoIn Daily Prayer, Every day Catholic, sacred seeing, sacred waiting, Spiritual Journey, spirituality, Teachers and Guides on the journeyLeave a comment

We have been teased the past week or so with a taste of Spring. Then all of a sudden it was winter again. Today the sun is shining with a forecast of high 60 degrees tomorrow and possibly 70’s on Tuesday, before it drops to 30’s again Weds. January was brutal and February, well, was just February in Illinois. It can be exhausting. I watch my bulbs, and early Spring plants, like my Lenten Rose, starting to grow. I am ready for Spring! Later this week we will cross the threshold into March. I hope it will be a month filled with warm days of sunshine and continued growth.

We are also only entering the Second Week of Lent. Perhaps like me, you began Lent full of enthusiasm and a desire to be renewed in the desert and leave it a transformed person. The early days are easy when desire is strong. Yet, they can be challenging too because the new practices have not yet been firmly established.

Last week, for three nights, I attended a Lenten Rosary Mission at a neighboring parish, hosted by Fr. Gary Blake, with the retreat given by Fr. Lawrence Lew, from England and the Promoter General of the Rosary for the Dominicans. It was wonderful to hear the Fr. Lawrence’s message of Jesus’ sacrificial love for us, how we can learn from and model that love in our desire to serve him and to see our prayers, especially in the Rosary, contributing to all the prayers being prayed for each other and the world, as we trust in God’s providence. To pray in community was uplifting but it also took me out of my newly established Lenten routine of special daily prayers and participating in my online retreat. This weekend I reflected that I didn’t completely return to it after the retreat ended. As a matter of fact, I felt a bit disheartened about doing so.

Mark’s gospel of the Transfiguration reminds us that Jesus wanted to give Peter, James and John a glimpse of heaven, and hope to hold on to in the days ahead, days of his arrest, trial, torture and eventual death on the cross. He had just told them he was going to die, so this was his invitation to see beyond the cross. We know that aside from John and the women of the cross, they all ran and hid in fear, the vision of the Transfiguration a distant memory.

Last Spring, and the Springs before that, likely seem a distant memory to us too. But Spring will come, we are seeing signs of it in nature. So, let’s not be discouraged or tempted to give up our desired fasts or initiatives to enter more deeply in prayer. If one day isn’t so great, do not despair. Start again in the morning with an intention to do better. Today I plan to catch up on the days of my retreat I missed this week and do some journaling.

Let us hold on to that vision of new life that we will encounter at Easter. Lent isn’t about winning a trophy in an Ironman competition of accomplished feats. It’s about growing closer to God, creating more time and space to look closely at our relationship with God. It’s a time to look at the things we spend time on and value in life, considering them from a perspective of our spiritual lives. The Transfiguration gives us hope to hold on during difficult days, with the glimpse of what lies ahead. May we move through these remaining days of Lent with a steadfast spirit of faith!

Wishing you continued strength for your Lenten pilgrimage, Deena

Image: tulips in my flower bed last year

Into the desert

On By dpavinatoIn Benedictine Oblate, Every day Catholic, Life in the Spirit, sacred listening, sacred seeing, spiritual freedom, Spiritual JourneyLeave a comment

Here we are in the first week of Lent. We hear in Mark’s brief gospel account of the time that Jesus went into the desert for forty days. It’s an account that sets us up for our forty day pilgrimage and journey into the desert of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

“The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among the wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.”

During his Angelus address today, Pope Francis asked us if we retreat into the desert or try to spend some time reflecting on the disordered passions, the “wild beasts” that stir in our hearts. He said that “the angels bring us good thoughts and feelings, suggested by the Holy Spirit, while the temptations tear us apart. “

We must enter into this season of silence and prayer, during Lent, to ask these important questions. The “Ash Wednesday” days, the short week before the First Week of Lent, of my retreat with Abbey of the Arts, A Different Kind of Fast, has been a thought-provoking entry into the desert. This retreat is also the title of the latest book by Christine Valters Painter, our online abbess and retreat facilitator. We have looked at the things we consume, not just food, that don’t really nourish or satisfy us. We look, during this entire journey, at those “disordered passions”, as Pope Francis labeled them today, in order to make space to grow closer to the Beloved. We look at those activities and habits that keep us from being present and aware, keep us from experiencing greater freedom, as I discussed in last week’s blog.

During the retreat we will journey into the desert, in guided meditations, to learn from the Desert Fathers and Mothers. This week we “spent time” with Abba Arsenius, to glean wisdom on true hunger and what is enough in life. At the end of the meditation Abba Arsenius presents us with a bowl, a bowl that we can fill up with things that no longer serve us and “empty the contents into the hands of the divine.”

I have added a picture of my bowl at the bottom of this post. I actually used it two years ago, the first time I took this retreat. When Lent was over, I put the bowl, wrapped, and safely back in a box in the basement. As soon as Abba Arsenius handed me a bowl, this purple bowl came to my mind. After discussing the contents that I could fill the bowl with each week, I thanked Abba and went downstairs to retrieve it. I thought, while unwrapping it, how many items do I have wrapped or stored in cabinets to be used for a special occasion instead of enjoying them? Then thinking of my other consumption, how many craft supplies do I buy and never use? Do I feel more creative just by having them? Or am I afraid to put myself out there? How many books do I have that have not been read? Do I feel more wise as a result of them sitting on my bookshelves throughout the house (and basement!)? Or is the purchase itself filling some kind of void? Why do I allow time to be filled with less nourishing activities instead of those that bring me peace? Similarly, what foods do I eat in order to stuff down a feeling I prefer not to deal with? What is the food in life that will truly nourish?

Yesterday we took part in a creative ritual to create an altar space, a space with symbols to remind us of this season of pondering the deep questions and to help us enter into our prayer practice. Mine came together easily with items that will remind me of my quest this Lent. I have a stone cross surrounded by stones, that built a cairn during my first Abbey of the Arts retreat, Earth; Our Original Monastery. I have a purple cloth bag to represent the things I have been carrying but desire to be free of. I have beautiful prayer cards that symbolize the journey: St Catherine of Siena, a lovely card I bought in Siena this past Fall, known for her rigorous fasting on vegetables, water and the Holy Eucharist; a card with St Teresa of Avila’s prayer, Let nothing disturb you; a prayer card I picked up in Rome, of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well, “Sir, give me this water so that I might not be thirsty…”; and a prayer cards of angels. My hope is that these cards will remind me of those holy saints and angels that accompany me on this journey through Lent.

The questions of Lent are hard ones to ask and replacing them with more life-giving practices takes time. It’s a journey of a lifetime, but a good one to begin during this holy season of Lent. We can ponder the questions of Pope Francis today. What disordered passions or wild beasts consume my life and keep me from more life-giving practices? What might I be invited to let go of? Am I spending time in silence and prayer?

Are there some symbols or objects that you can place in your prayer space to invite you to this time of deeper union with God? I would love to hear what items will assist you during this Lenten pilgrimage.

I wish you great peace, freedom, and inner calm this week, Deena

Images:

The purple bowl that I was invited to bring out during my meditation with Abba Arsenius.

Desert image, as a featured image for this blog, from my PicMonkey account

A desire for freedom

On By dpavinatoIn Catholic faith, Daily Prayer, Every day Catholic, Life in the Spirit, mindfulness, spiritual freedom, Spiritual Journey, Teachers and Guides on the journeyLeave a comment

When I began the year I decided my “word of the year” was Fortitude. One of the practices I have incorporated in each new year, inspired by many authors and retreat leaders, has been to spend time asking questions and reflecting on the predominant quality or theme I want to grow in during the new year. I feel I lack discipline in many ways, so Fortitude came to mind. However, February has been a month of transitions and new learning, so it doesn’t feel right any longer. So, what word will it be? This week Freedom keeps coming to mind.

Last week I wrote about reflecting on the grace we seek before times of prayer, reflection or meditation. I am excited to begin Lent this week. I see Lent as a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving that allows us to search our hearts. I have several practices that I hope to incorporate and new teachings to reflect upon. I have found that each of them touch on freedom (physical, emotional and spiritual) in some way, shape or form.

Yesterday was my monthly Creative, Visual Journaling class. Lisa invited us, as she gave us prompts to journal about, to be free of what we think is possible, from what has been part of our past experience and imagine the life we wish to live. We have to start with our mindset, Lisa challenged us. We have to change our minds to think about what is possible. Lisa believes that journaling helps us navigate change and transition, it “gives our subconscious mind the problem to solve”. So I embraced the freedom to imagine the life I want – the who, what, how of a life of using my authentic gifts, boldly and with joy.

Another teaching that has been weaving its way into my daily life and practice has been the desire to live more mindfully. The practice of mindfulness helps us be in the present moment, aware of what we are feeling, setting aside the scattered and distracting thoughts of “later”, “what if”, “how will I be able to?”, “why can’t I”, “should I?”, “how could they”… I am sure you have had similar lists. These thoughts do not serve us. A better way is to be in the moment, aware of the only thing we can be sure of, the present moment. I have read and studied many authors and teachers of mindfulness, Christian and Zen, but a review of mindfulness impacted me in a new way this month.

I shared in a Facebook post this month, that some of you may have seen, that I just began the third year of a Wisdom/Mystics program. The first year was Women Mystics and last year, Celtic Wisdom and Mystics. This year we are studying Modern Mystics. On the first Saturday of February we were blessed with the teaching of Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Master and Buddhist teacher, by his student Kaira Jewel Lingo. Kaira Jewel is a teacher in her own right, given authorization to teach by Thich Nhat Hanh, after spending 15 years at Plum Village living and studying with him. Kaira Jewel is an author and teaches many programs, which you can find online or on apps, like Insight Timer.

A simple practice, one of many Kaira Jewel shared with us during our class, is to set the intention (i.e. in the language of my blog last month, name the grace) to be present for yourself. During our slow breath work as part of meditation, or you could do as part of Christian Centering Prayer, is to inhale “I have arrived” and exhale “I am home”. Kaira Jewel shared that we have to first come home to ourselves, to get to the root of our own suffering and to find unity and inter-being with all other persons and species. If “suffering” seems foreign to you, simply think of it as areas we have opportunities to be more aware of, to grow and let go of.

There have been a multitude of ways that the simple practice of returning to the breath, to the home of my body and spirit, has helped me this month. Has it been perfect? No! But I am learning. I tried to be more present listening to others. Instead of thinking of something outside the moment like a “to do” list, I tried to be attentive to what a person was saying to me. I have tried to be present to my physical pain, instead of reacting in anger or fear of it. Physical therapy seemed to go better this week! I have tried to think about why I am eating what I am eating, especially when it is an attempt to stuff down some other feeling or issue I would prefer to avoid. In a moment when I found myself reacting to someone, I came home to my anger and judgement and wondered why I was reacting to their words, then tried to have compassion and understanding for the person speaking, why they might be saying what they were saying.

Again, was it perfect? No, but perfection isn’t the goal, freedom is. Freedom from worry, anxiety, anger, judgment, etc is. All of those feelings do not change the situation so why do I view them as helpful? It was as if I learned that I had left my home unattended for years, just kept the heat on but the dust accumulated.

The leper in today’s Gospel for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time desired to be made clean, had the faith that Jesus could do it by his act of will. At that time the man’s leprosy was viewed as an outcome of his sin. So Jesus’ act of healing brought him back into his community, it freed him. Doesn’t our sin, judgment and separation from others do the same for us? We are saying, what I want is more important than what God wants for me or how I might be here for others. Our own need and desire trumps everyone else, including God. Desiring to be made whole, desiring freedom from sin and the accumulation of dust, moves us back into community, with God and others.

Author and dear friend, Judith Valente’s Sunday blog (found on Medium and on Facebook), reflecting on Lent and looking at it in a new way, asks us to examine similar questions, “can I take a hard look at the habits I’ve acquired over the past year that don’t serve me or others well? Can I make a conscious effort to let go of them, to make a fresh start?” Again, freedom, freedom to move beyond the habits of my past with a desire to live with more awareness of and for love for self and others. These questions will be part of my daily examen during Lent!

In her weekly email, and in preparation for our Lenten Retreat, “A Different Kind of Fast”, author Christine Valters Painter discusses the Three Renunciations of theologian of the early Christian Church, John Cassian. Christine says the third renunciation was one she found most powerful, and I would agree, as I read her description of them. The third calls us to “renounce even our images of God so that we can meet God in the fullness of that divine reality beyond the boxes and limitations we create.”

This renunciation challenges me to be free to sit with, be gazed upon by the God who desires to be with me. I can be home with God exactly as I am, knowing that I am loved. I can look at the areas that I hope to grow in greater love and compassion for others. I can desire a purging of old ways with the desire to make more room for God and love of others.

So this Lent, where do you desire greater freedom? What grace do you seek for these 40 days of “retreat”, a time to free yourself of habits that prevent you from listening to and responding to God’s call in your life? May it be a time of growth and greater freedom to love and serve with our lives.

May it bring you greater peace, Deena

Photo: One of the unfinished marble pieces, never freed from the stone, of Michelangelo in Florence.

Seeds that will sprout

On By dpavinatoIn Daily Prayer, Every day Catholic, Life in the Spirit, sacred listening, sacred seeing, sacred waiting, Uncategorized2 Comments

I’ve been thinking about the spiritual practice a lot this week. When I think of my own practice, I notice the places that need some change and some nurturing. It’s normal to adjust and change as individuals as our spiritual lives deepen and grow. It’s healthy to notice where we need to tend to them a bit more.

The spiritual practice and what it leads to, a richer inner life and ever growing closeness to God, isn’t just a certain set of actions or habits. It is how it changes and transforms us interiorly. I think it is easy to focus on the external behaviors like going to church, saying a rosary or other prayers given to us by others, to sit in prayerful meditation, kneel in reverence or take a walk in nature. But if a quiet and receptive mind and heart aren’t there, then I would guess that the interior life is stagnant or perhaps even chaotic. We might not think that it is “getting us anywhere”.

Perhaps we can imagine the spiritual practice like planting seeds. We get the seeds or tiny plant, find the right environment for it to grow with the proper sunlight and we water it. We care for it. But the growth of the plant is outside of our control, we have to wait, continue to care for it and protect it. Ultimately it is a gift. Or even better, a grace that comes from the result of all the actions we have taken.

When we bake, we gather all of our ingredients, we mix them in the appropriate proportions and place those ingredients in the proper environment, an oven at the right temperature, and hope the result is the cake, muffins or cookies we desire. For those of us that bake, we know that sometimes outside factors can influence the end result, too much humidity, old flour, etc. But, the more we use that recipe, and make sure the ingredients are the best we have to use, the more often we are successful.

It isn’t just the ingredients of the cake, or the seeds and soil, that produce the desired outcome. Oh sure, sometimes you can toss a seed and get lucky. But gardening and baking both take practice, a repetition of the right process, over and over again, of doing the work and patient waiting.

The more I use Ignatian Contemplation, or imaginative prayer, the more I see the positive impact it has on my spiritual practice. Ignatian Contemplation, very simply, is placing ourselves in the scripture or story, listening and watching what is unfolding and then imagining our role in the story, what the scripture is saying to us personally. But just like baking and planting, it takes a bit of practice, as well as an open and receptive heart, to allow the scripture to speak to us personally. We listen to what Jesus might be saying to us, in our life, right now, in response to the needs, or graces, we have presented in prayer. Sometimes it is watching and learning from what we are seeing.

This week I imagined myself in the boat with Jesus and the apostles (Mark 4: 35-41) as the storm came upon the boat suddenly, I heard Jesus say “Quiet, Be Still!” to the storm, which caused the wind to cease and the waves to calm down. I knew instantly that my practice was lacking some calm, Jesus was inviting me to quiet my mind more, less talking, more being, in silence, present to the calming presence of Jesus.

If your inner life is feeling a dull or stagnant, maybe a bit unsettled, or in need of a little shift, a simple answer is to spend more time in prayer and reflection. This week sit with the scripture from Mark’s gospel of the blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10: 46-52). Jesus responds to his calls for help, those around Bartimaeus say “Take courage, get up, he is calling you.” He goes to Jesus and Jesus says to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” Bartimaeus replies, “Master, I want to see.”

As you quiet yourself and hear Jesus say, “What do you want me to do for you?”, listen to the words that well up within you regarding your spiritual practice and relationship to Jesus. What do you say to Jesus? What does Jesus say in reply? That just might be the beginning of your next steps, the guidance you are seeking to a more fulfilling spiritual life, which will result in an inner peace that comes from growing closer to God.

Two thoughts that might help come from a great teacher of the interior life, St. Frances de Sales:

One rarely does well what one rarely does.

There is no soil so barren wherein diligent tenderness cannot produce fruit.

I wish you great peace and inner calm this week.

Deena

Image from my PicMonkey account

Advent & Christmas 2023 – O night divine

On By dpavinatoIn Catholic faith, Every day Catholic, praying for peace, sacred seeing, sacred waiting, Spiritual JourneyLeave a comment

It’s a dreary Christmas Eve morning, cloudy but the fog of yesterday and last evening has lifted. I have my Advent candles lit for the last time, all the Christmas trees and other decorations lit. The lights bring a welcome and comforting light to the drab day.

We began Advent with one candle and now the four brightly glowing candles remind us of the Light that has come into our world. We can rejoice that on this evening, over 2000 years ago, a Savior was born. The fulfillment of all the Old Testament promises, a promise of hope, came into the world and we too can live in hope. It seems quite poignant to me this year that the Holy Land is not able to celebrate Christmas and cities are filled with refugees seeking a promise of a better life. It accentuates our need for hope and peace. Let the final Advent candle, and the white Christ candle, remind us that there is a promise of Peace that we can cling to.

As we move from Advent later today, considering my time of prayer and reflection, I am always relieved that Christmas is an Octave, an eight day celebration of the birth of Jesus. If the last couple of days leading up to Christmas have been hectic and not enough quiet reflection time, you still have time after tomorrow. Spend time considering whether Advent and Christmas were all that you hoped for. If not, what can you do to change that? What grace can you pray for during the Octave of Christmas?

This year I wrote the Christmas letter for our Ignatian Ministries blog, Into The Deep. I scheduled it to post late this evening and our subscribers will receive the email and link to the blog tomorrow morning. If you have time late this evening (after 10 p.m.) or tomorrow after all the activities with family or friends settles down, I invite you to read it. We are so grateful for all that was birthed with Ignatian Ministries this year, it had lots of unexpected surprises but oh so many graces! Just like Advent is for each of us, we started with our prayers and desires, listened and discerned along the way, and said “yes” to those moments that felt like invitations from God. As in our individual lives, those “yeses” bring us to celebrate Jesus, and our relationship with him, each and every day.

I pray that the Light of the Christ Child illumines and fills your heart and home as we celebrate Christmas.

Peace, Deena

Photo: My Advent candles

Advent 2023 – Comfort not comparison

On By dpavinatoIn Catholic faith, Daily Prayer, Every day Catholic, sacred waiting, Spiritual Journey, Uncategorized1 Comment

The first reading from Isaiah for the Second Sunday of Advent begins with the word “Comfort”. I was not feeling comfort yesterday. I having been feeling well this week, and lost my voice. Well, not entirely but I didn’t have as much voice as I needed to proclaim the readings this week as lector for Vigil Mass. I spent Saturday resting and picking up some items to soothe my throat and buy some groceries. I wasn’t shopping or preparing for the holidays as I felt I should have been.

Last night I listened to the Saturday reflection for the Hallow app’s Advent series. The presenter for the series indicated that on Saturdays they would play music to contemplate and rest in. This week’s song was “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” by the Benedictine of Mary, Advent at Ephesus. I instantly felt myself calming down. Advent at Ephesus has been my favorite Advent reflection music since Fr. Gary Blake introduced it to us before Mass or during Holy Hours years ago.

As I calmed down I asked myself whether it was just my disappointment in my voice or something else stirring within. I realized quickly how comparison was weighing me down. Others have shopping done, I haven’t started except for the ideas in my mind. I am receiving Christmas cards and mine aren’t written yet. How did I have time to make cards while working full time and now, working part-time, I have to resort to buying them. Speaking of working, I compare my previous income to my current and I can go in a tailspin of worry. I look at my beautiful decorations and then see posts of bigger trees, prettier lights, cheery mantles and festive table settings. I read Advent reflections, online and in books, and think other writers are more intelligent and profound in their Advent pondering.

St. Peter asks the most important question in the second reading for this week, “Since everything is to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be, conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion….” I don’t think the reading suggests that we give up our holiday celebrations and gift-giving but it does ask us to put things in perspective.

If we aren’t careful we can get lost in the rush during this season, meant to be one of waiting and contemplating. Find time to slow down this week and reflect on the true reason for our joy and celebration. Prioritize your quiet reflection time amidst the other activities. Ignatian Solidarity Network has a lovely online Advent calendar and asked yesterday, “What opportunities exist for you to practice simplicity this week?”

Be grateful for the things you have and the talents you have been given. We are each created as unique and special beings, find comfort in that instead of comparing yourself to someone else. I will try to do the same.

Peace, Deena

Photos:

Cover Image – my reminder “ornament” to find find calm in the midst of chaos

Our Advent wreath at Holy Family Church

Praise and exalt him above all forever

On By dpavinatoIn Benedictine Oblate, Catholic faith, Every day Catholic, Spiritual JourneyLeave a comment

One of my favorite prayers in scripture and the Liturgy of the Hours is the Canticle of Daniel which is prayed on Sunday, as part of Morning Prayer, for Week I and III. Each year, the Canticle is used as the Responsorial Psalm and verses from the book of Daniel are proclaimed as the First Reading at Mass for this final week of the liturgical year (the new year begins with Advent, next Sunday). I am always disappointed because following Thanksgiving and before Advent, it seems our priests take a (well-deserved) break or we don’t have a regular schedule of daily Masses. Fortunately in my area there are several different churches that will have a morning Mass so there is always a church to attend or a Mass to watch live-streamed. The beautiful scripture passages used are of Daniel’s interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, his own vision of the glory of God, and the recitation of the Canticle by the three young men thrown in the fiery furnace because they would not worship the golden image created by the king. Daniel helps us to deeply consider our lives and the choices we make as we bring our year to a close and consider what we might like to focus on or how we want to grow closer to God during Advent.

The scriptures offer us an opportunity to pause and reflect on what is most important in our lives, what “golden images” we place our attention on, and how we serve God in our lives. The Sunday gospel (Matthew 25: 31-46) for Solemnity of Christ the King, asks us to consider whether we will be seen as the sheep or the goats, based on how we cared for other people. (GOAT – not Greatest Of All Times! Thanks to Mary DeTurris Poust, writer and retreat leader, for this reminder in her Give Us This Day reflection.) Did we see and welcome Christ in the other? (The Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 53) Do we pause to appreciate the gifts we have been given, in our talents, or in the world around us?

Here are a few verses of the Canticle:

Sun and moon, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.

Stars of heaven, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.

Every shower and dew, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.

All you winds, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.

Fire and heat, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.

Cold and chill, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.

Take time this week and open your Bible (or Google it!) to the Canticle of Daniel, Daniel 3:57-88. It’s a beautiful song of praise to God, creator and King of all. I can’t think of a better way to begin each day, then by taking a moment to praise God for all the gifts we have been blessed with, despite the challenges in our lives.

As we prepare to bring this liturgical year to a close, consider whether the things you give attention to each day reflect your priorities and values. How do they reflect your faith?

Wishing you abundant love and peace, Deena

Image from my PicMonkey account

Finding light in the darkness

On By dpavinatoIn Catholic faith, Every day Catholic, praying for peace, sacred seeing, Spiritual JourneyLeave a comment

Sunny days like yesterday and today give me hope. I know it will stay light a little longer, perhaps until 5 or so, instead of 4:30 on dark and cloudy days. I treasure whatever moments of daylight we can get before the evening settles in.

I canceled my cable subscription a couple of months ago. I don’t miss the mindless TV and have other opportunities to catch up on news each day. I have a streaming app for $6/mo and can watch local Chicago news if I am free or something is happening that I want a quick update on. With YouTube and phone news apps, as well as ability to search for anything online, there are ways to stay informed. It is important to stay informed, but not let the news of the world consume or overwhelm us.

After reading a link to The Washington Post from Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper, I was left confused reading the disagreements between United States, the United Nations, Israel and Hamas over the differences between a humanitarian pause and temporary cease-fire regarding the war in the Middle East. Neither side can agree or is willing to budge for the sake of the lives of innocent civilians. Both were viewed as “tactical pauses” that would result in the continuation of the war and continue to delay the work of those trying to get aid to those impacted by the war as well as continue to negotiate the release of hostages. It can be overwhelming to think about the pain and suffering of all the lives being ravaged by this war.

In a world that feels more and more divisive, with the wars in our world, as well as political and religious dissension looming large in the news, I found comfort in the words I saw in a post yesterday of the first African-American Nobel prize winning author Toni Morrison (1931-2019), written in 2015:

“This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.

I know the world is bruised and bleeding, and though it is important not to ignore its pain, it is also critical to refuse to succumb to its malevolence. Like failure, chaos contains information that can lead to knowledge – even wisdom.

Like art.”

In his Angelus message today from Rome, Pope Francis also offers us words to reflect on, looking to the Gospel for today, from St. Matthew, and the parable of the 10 virgins, 5 prepared and 5 unprepared with their lantern oil, for the arrival of the bridegroom and the wedding feast. The Pope asks us to consider the many ways we are more concerned with the things of the world, our appearance and our image to others, instead of “taking care of the things that cannot be seen…caring for the heart.” He suggests we should not ignore the “oil of inner life” and take time to look at our inner lives, of God’s gaze upon us.

Let us let the chaos in our world, lead us to that time of inner reflection, listening deeply to how God might be calling us to reach out to others in our broken world.

Like Bela in my photo today, look for the light wherever you can find it. Find stories of hope and inspiration. Stay informed but pray for peace and watch for the uplifting stories of those helping others, whether in war ravaged parts of our world, like the Middle East and Ukraine, aid being given to refuges being bused to cities with no homes or job, or those seeking to help those less fortunate in our country – veterans, mentally unstable and the homeless. Keep our inner lanterns replenished with nourishing oil by dedicating time to the matters of the heart and soul, being service to others as much as we are able, and to the things that matter to our spiritual lives.

Abundant blessings, Deena

When it is revealed

On By dpavinatoIn Catholic faith, Doing what we love, Every day Catholic, Life in the Spirit, sacred listening, sacred waiting, Spiritual Journey, Uncategorized2 Comments

On three different occasions this week I was involved in a conversation with someone who said “I could never…” or basically, “I don’t see myself having the talent to”…. I have to admit that in one of those conversations, I was the one saying it.

I picked up my copy of The Word Among Us this morning and saw the November title and theme of “Already and Not Yet.” The editor and president quoted the letter of St. John saying “We are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). I understand that Jeff Smith is talking about the heavenly kingdom, the promises of Baptism and our citizenship in heaven, but it made me pause a moment and think about those conversations this week.

In meetings this week, for Ignatian Ministries, and our continued discernment about the ways we accompany others in their lives of faith, we reflected on where we were at this time last year and how things have been unfolding in a very exciting way. There are days that we are surprised and in awe. There are days we question what lies ahead. The discernment process we engaged in, and our openness to the promptings of the Spirit, allowed us to move forward in faith and trust in what God was revealing to us. I believe we can do that as individuals as well. But we have to be willing to state the grace we are seeking, listen in prayer for the voice of God to respond to us, or fill us with a sense of joy and consolation so that we know we are on the right track, then begin to take action as the opportunities unfold before us.

I think back to last year, as I prepared to begin this blog in Advent, for the beginning of the liturgical year in the Church. I would never have imagined being at the point of publishing 50 posts! I am quite confident I said something to the effect – “what could I possibly have to write about?” Yet each week, an idea or nudging from the Spirit has guided me to a topic to reflect on.

Where might you be limiting yourself by saying words like “I could never…” “I don’t have the talent to…” or “I would love to but…”?

The first step might be as simple as exploring what it might be that you would love to do. I find journaling a helpful way to explore those thoughts and ideas. But I have to make myself actually sit down, consistently, so that the ideas get to the paper! One of the journals I use is a 5 year memory book. I have noticed lately it is filled with statements, for the previous year, regarding the weather that day, appointments I had or friends I visited with. Those are great memories to look back on, but I am going to challenge myself to make more soul statements – what’s on my mind, what would I like more of in my life, what are the important decisions I am faced with? Then as I reflect back next year I will be able to look back at the things that were “already and not yet” moments to see if they have become more tangible in my life experiences.

Join me, in whatever way feels comfortable for you, and let’s see how the year unfolds!

Prayerful and abundant blessings, Deena

Image: A picture from my Italy trip of a mosaic at the Vatican of Jesus calling Peter and Andrew to follow Him.

Life as a pilgrimage

On By dpavinatoIn Catholic faith, Every day Catholic, Saints as Models & Guides, Spiritual Journey1 Comment

I must admit that I am still a bit tired from my two week pilgrimage to Italy so I have been doing a lot of resting. Butters, one of my cats, seems to enjoy the companionship for little cat naps. He snuggles in close so he can be right next to me, or on an arm or a hand! Perhaps to be sure I don’t leave him again. With that said, I have had a lot of time to think back on our journey and all the sites and cities we visited. It occurred to me at 4 a.m. this morning that our pilgrimage was a perfect analogy for life.

At a time that I was Chair for the Bishop’s Commission on Women for our Diocese we had a similar thought discerning our purpose for the Commission. We wanted to create a resource that would support Catholic women and provide opportunities to journey to places that would inspire and nurture our Catholic faith. We visited shrines in Chicago, Wisconsin, and took an amazing pilgrimage to Spain and Portugal. That theme, of journeying, has never left me, as you have noticed in my selection of the title of this blog series on my website.

Highlights of the Italy trip were always the morning gatherings for coffee before leaving the hotel for the day, our daily Masses in the most beautiful chapels of churches and Basilicas, and our evening dinners together as a group. Stories were shared from adventures that might have been taken apart from the group.

Our trip didn’t lack mishap either; a broken wrist due to a fall in Assisi for one of our pilgrims and another finding a priest, from another tour group from Ireland, that had fallen or died suddenly in a stairwell in Rome.

There were times that we rushed through sites moving on to the next one. Crowds of people, especially in Rome, seemed to arriving, snapping pictures then quickly moving on to the next place. I regret that, at certain sites, we didn’t linger a bit longer to reflect and savor the experience.

My favorite memories were always the quiet pauses for cappuccino, or wine, to savor the aromas and sounds. Last Sunday I sat in a piazza in Assisi listening and watching families gathering after Mass at the Basilica of Santa Chiara (St. Clare). My heart was full observing all that was happening around me.

At the weekly audience we attended on Wednesday, at the Vatican, Pope Francis continued his catechesis on apostolic zeal. Pope Francis spoke of St. Charles de Foucauld as someone that attempted to imitate Christ with his life. He spoke about the importance of lay people in the Church, to be open to the Spirit and to live with compassion, meekness and tenderness. He reminded us that we can evangelize in simple ways, with kindness and a smile for those around us. He speaks with such sincerity and love for the gospel and how we can grow closer to God. I follow Vatican News but read a bit more carefully these two weeks because of the Synod of Bishops, which has been going on in October, and being in Rome. I was captivated seeing so many priests, bishops, and cardinals walking around Vatican City. I pondered the immense weight that the Pope must feel guiding the Church during these turbulent times. I hope you saw the amazing photo I took that day as Pope Francis drove right by us on his way to his chair to speak to us. It was an incredible experience to see him that close and in person. He radiates joy and had an amazing energy and attention for those he drove by.

So it is with life, we rush through too many moments in order to get on to the next one. We have ups and downs, losses and sadness along the way. There are also interludes of pause and rest to savor the moment at hand, family or friends. But I am reminded to build more of them into my day. We have teachers and leaders we can turn to for guidance and inspiration when needed. The saints and mystics are there to show us, by the example of their lives, to keep going despite the hardships and challenges. Even short lives like Blessed Carlos Acutis who died in 2006 at the age of 15, who helped those in need around him around his home and on the way to school and built a website to document Eucharistic miracles, inspire me to use social media to share positive messages.

Lastly a pilgrimage, or life, is only a spiritual experience if I make it so. It can be a collage of moments that I rush through and visit or it can be moments I tune in and listen to the voice of God and what I might need to hear. My prayer is to be transformed by this experience I was so fortunate to have taken, to listen more carefully and move a bit more intentionally, always moving in the direction of greater peace and joy in God.

Photo is a walkway in Assisi. I shared many photos and descriptions of the places we visited but I have hundreds more! I look forward to going through them and sharing them over time. Thank you for commenting that you enjoyed seeing the pictures and reading about them.