Category: Holy Trinity

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A seed is just a seed

On By dpavinatoIn #sacredwork, a life of joy, A life worth living, Benedictine Oblate, Catholic faith, discernment, Every day Catholic, Fruit of the Spirit, Gifts of the Spirit, Holy Trinity, Life in the Spirit, lush life in the spirit, Our unique call, sacred listening, sacred seeing, sacred waiting, Saints as Models & Guides, toolkit for the spiritLeave a comment

This is my favorite time of year in the Illinois Valley. We had late cold and rain this Spring, so it may appear to be a bit behind the last couple of years, but the baby corn, like the field in today’s blog image, are starting to sprout. I just love these little green leaves emerging from the ground. They make my heart happy!

Inside each tiny seed, the embryo of the plant has everything it needs to grow and transform into a mature plant. But each seed remains dormant until it has the right conditions of sun, oxygen, the right temperature and warmth, and moisture to activate and cause the seed to germinate. The seeds have a life force within them, that is dormant, until the right conditions appear to cause growth. (Farmers and scientists, please forgive my overly simplistic explanation.)

Seeing these plants beginning to grow this past week, I reflected again on the spirit, or life force, within all things. This life force is “viriditas”, or “greening power”, coined by St. Hildegard of Bingen, that I mentioned in last week’s blog. My reflection and study led me to review several articles again, especially one by Nameeta Renu, theology scholar and author of numerous articles on consecrated life, “Why St. Hildegards’s spirituality of ‘viriditas’ is so extraordinary”, on a site I follow, Global Sisters Report (see note below on GSR).

Hildegard, Benedictine abbess, mystic, healer, artist and scholar, saw the living power of light, from God, in all of creation. Her art and writings reflected this “greenness” in all things. But Hildegard’s concept of greening power wasn’t a study of ecology. She wrote that the soul within each person is the green life-force of the flesh. If we, as human beings, neglect our “inner greening”, if we lose the “sap of life”, carelessness about the things that are important in life, or if we experience the “drought of our indolence,” our soul power begins to “fade and dry up”.

Today is Holy Trinity Sunday. We reflect on the dynamic Love between Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We attempt to grasp how that Love is then shared with us. Hildegard would talk about the Holy Spirit as this green “sap” within us. Like trees, the Holy Spirit is the juicy green, moist, creative life within us. Is it alive or dried up?

So a seed is just a seed, or is it? It is pure potential. It is potential waiting for the right conditions to nurture it so that it can develop in a way that it becomes what it was made to be, in the image and likeness of the plant that created the seed in the first place. Or as Hildegard wrote, “Every creature is a glittering, glistening mirror of Divinity”. We were created in the Divine image of God. We are beloved sons and daughters.

So I pause to ask myself this week if I am nurturing and watering that seed within? Am I living to my potential, daring to declare who I am (also a thought from Hildegard)? What else does my spirit need to become fully alive, lush and green? I hope my thoughts prompt you to consider the same.

Wishing you a week, and a new month, that is thriving, vibrant and full of growth! Deena

Note: Global Sisters Report is an independent, nonprofit source of news and information about Catholic sisters and the critical issues facing the people they serve. They send daily email updates or you can visit their site, Global Sisters Report. You can also find a direct link on National Catholic Reporter.

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Spiritus Sanctus

On By dpavinatoIn #sacredwork, a life of joy, Benedictine Oblate, care for creation, Catholic faith, Every day Catholic, Fruit of the Spirit, Gifts of the Spirit, Holy Trinity, Laudato Si, Life in the Spirit, sacred listening, sacred seeing, sacred waiting, Spiritual Journey, spirituality2 Comments

Most of us have an image of God the Father that we grew up with, for some, a kindly grandfather, and for others, a stern judge. Jesus is even easier to imagine because of countless gospel stories, movies or even series, like The Chosen. But as soon as we think we understand either one of them, we are wrong. Our mental depictions are limited and cannot possibly grasp the entirety of who God is and the Love poured out for us. So we cling to ideas that are helpful or move us in some way. Describing the Holy Spirit is even more difficult. I once heard a priest admit that preaching on Holy Trinity Sunday is one of the more challenging theological concepts to preach on.

The Church teaches us that we only come to know and believe in Jesus because of the Holy Spirit. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that the Holy Spirit is the soul of the Mystical Body of Christ (i.e., the Church, each of us as believers). The Catechism says that the Holy Spirit is “the principle of every vital and truly saving action in each part of the Body” (CCC 798)

But if you are like me, that is too lofty. I need images, analogies, music and poetry to help me grasp more difficult constructs. Each year on Pentecost Sunday, which we celebrate today, I find myself in a familiar place, with a deep desire to know and understand the Holy Spirit better, asking the Spirit to help me grow in knowledge and wisdom.

I would like to share some of the thoughts, shared in prayer or written word, that I have found helpful for this Solemnity in the Church. I can’t promise that they will guide you to a better understanding of the Holy Spirit. I believe we have to ask and pray for the gifts of wisdom, understanding, knowledge and counsel. But maybe, just as Jesus entered the locked upper room in which the apostles, and the women close to him waited and prayed, the door will be unlocked and we will emerge with a bit more peace, faith and courage to see where and how we are being guided in life.

St Augustine’s Holy Spirit Prayer: Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy…

Pentecost Prayer from Days of the Lord for the Easter Season: “Open your hearts to the breath of God, his life is grafted to the souls that he touches; May a new people rise from the waters over which hovers the Spirit of your baptism! Let us open our hearts to the breath of God, for he breathes in our mouths, more than we do ourselves!

St. Hildegard’s writing on the Holy Spirit and viriditas, or “greening power.” For Hildegard, the Holy Spirit is the divine life-force that breathes into the universe. It is the ultimate source of energy which brings spiritual and physical health, creativity, and helps us as spiritual beings grow and flourish. Looking at her art, or listening to her chants, help me as I try to connect with this life-force. You can listen to her beautiful Spiritus Sanctus chant as sung by the Benedictine Nuns of the Abbey of St. Hildegard by clicking here.

St. Teresa of Avila (another of my favorite women wisdom guides) said that the Holy Spirit is the “living water” that helps satisfy our thirst and longing for God, the “interior master” that teaches us, guiding our prayer and helping to transform our will to align with God’s.

Litany of the Holy Spirit: “ray of heavenly light, author of all good, source of heavenly water, consuming fire…Holy Spirit, inflame us with the flame of your love…teach us to pray well.”

Pope Leo XIV, Angelus Address today, May 24, said that the Holy Spirit acts like a “mighty wind” to open doors that send us out into the world. He described three doors that the Spirit helps us open. First, faith in God himself, who grants faith and understanding in holy Scripture, which allows us to have a personal encounter with Jesus. I reflect on my experience with Lectio Divina and Imaginative Prayer, which help me hear and respond to Jesus. Second, Pope Leo said that the Church helps us with our fears and anxieties in the face of today’s challenges in the world. It invites us to be open, hospitable and loving to others in the world. Finally, the third door that the Holy Spirit open is the “the door of our heart, helping us to overcome resistance, selfishness, mistrust and prejudice, while enabling us to live as children of God and brothers and sisters to one another. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, fraternity is born among individuals, groups and peoples of the Earth, and all speak the same language of love, which unites and brings harmony despite our differences.”

This week I pray that the Spirit descend upon all of us, like dew in the early morning, refreshing our spirits and souls, helping us to grow in wisdom and understanding. I pray that the doors of fear and worry to be thrown open and replaced with a spirit of trust in God’s abundant love for each of us. I pray that the Spirit, in each of us, help us to be a people of love and care, each with a spirit that cares for the common good and well-being of our neighbors and our planet.

Come Holy Spirit, Come!

Wishing you abundant peace, Deena

Today’s Image: a photo taken in the Vatican of a dove with an olive branch.

Spirit that reveals

On By dpavinatoIn a season of hope, Benedictine Oblate, Catholic faith, Coming home to myself, contemplation, Daily Prayer, discernment, Every day Catholic, Gifts of the Spirit, Holy Trinity, Jubilee Year of Hope, Life in the Spirit, Our Lady of the Way, sacred listening, sacred seeing, sacred waiting, Seeing things in a new way, spiritual freedom, Spiritual Journey, spirituality, Teachers and Guides on the journeyLeave a comment

On June 11 of this month, Sojourners Magazine reflected on the life and teachings of American Christian scholar and theologian, Walter Brueggemann. Brueggemann, who passed away on June 5, was a great teacher, and an influential interpreter, of the Bible and especially, the Old Testament and biblical prophets. His most influential work, The Prophetic Imagination, challenged us to see the world as God sees it and overcome the limitations of our present reality. In 1985, he wrote, for Sojourner, “The Spirit works through us, among us, and even against us. The Spirit in these days would indeed work against our hopelessness to let us hope.” A poignant message for us given the state of the world.

This Sunday, June 15, is the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. We often try to give images and roles to the Trinity in an attempt to understand the inexplicable relationship of God in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Brueggemann once wrote that the purpose of doxology, an expression of praise or liturgical praise, is to defy reasoning that tries to explain what God in the Trinity is. We can’t, so perhaps it’s better to just sing!

This week I have been praying with an 8-Day Retreat on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, presented by Our Lady of the Way Retreat Ministry. Day 6 focused on the Gift of Understanding. The prelude to the prayer states: “Understanding is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit that enables believers to comprehend the truths of faith through both reason and divine revelation….With the gift of understanding, we can grasp divine mysteries of faith that surpass human reasoning.” That was a helpful reminder as I approached Trinity Sunday.

I can’t possibly grasp the concept of Trinity with my feeble human intellect. I can read, pray and contemplate the relationship between the “persons” of the Trinity but at some point I have to accept it on faith. I can also, reflecting on Bruegggemann’s statement above, hope to grow in understanding and allow the impact of the Trinity to reveal, guide and be at work in my life.

Give Us This Day published a reflection entitled “Sustained Attentiveness” by Brueggemann on Friday of this week, certainly planned far in advance of his passing. In it he wrote, talking about Jesus’ “radical interpretation” of the Torah, “finally he will say at the end of the chapter, “Be Perfect” – be whole – have integrity – be about one thing in your life. Be in sync with God. But such being in sync requires, as serious Jews have always known, swimming upstream against ordinary social practices.” Brueggemann went on to suggest we see the church as a body of coworkers who walk a different path in the world and that we live together “for the sake of the world that God loves!” He said we cannot “be the church by accident, but only with obedient intentionality.” In that Sojourner article, mentioned above, they quoted Brueggemann saying “the practice of prophetic imagination … requires energy, courage, and freedom, and the sense of being otherwise. And I have no doubt that we are now arriving at a moment when there is no more middle ground.”

As I pray for peace in our fractioned and turbulent world, and integrity within our policies and caring for the good of all those in society, I ask for the gift of understanding. I pray, also, to be transformed by the gifts of knowledge, fortitude, counsel and wisdom so that I may live in sync with God, radical in justice and mercy. Then, as St. Ignatius teaches, I will desire and choose only that which helps me attain the end for which I have been created.

Wishing you abundant gifts of the Spirit this week, Deena

Image: my favorite icon of the Trinity, created in the 15th century by Russian iconographer, Andrei Rublev.