Tag: Ordinary Days in Ordinary Time

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

Delighting in the simple things

On By dpavinatoIn Daily Prayer, Life in the Spirit, sacred listening, sacred seeing, sacred waiting, Spiritual Journey1 Comment

We’re beginning the Third Week in Ordinary Time this week. Merriam-Webster defines ordinary as a common quality, rank or ability; of a kind to be expected in the normal order of events. So, ordinary is not anything that we get excited about. Ordinary implies nothing monumental or note-worthy. But I began to view “ordinary” differently this weekend. I reflected that we can miss out on the wonder of the ordinary moments and I contemplated delighting in the simple things of life, simple moments that transform a day.

We’re studying the topic of Peace and Justice this year as our study for the Oblate program of St. Mary Monastery. We are reading several articles and the book, The Beatitudes of Peace by John Dear.

This week was a hectic week at Ignatian Ministries. I’m not sure it was entirely due to the Martin Luther King holiday on Monday, but rather the amount of work we wanted to accomplish in the week, regardless of the number of days. There were the normal daily tasks of email communication and preparations for a new class that Becky Eldredge, our founder, begins on Wednesday. Becky had preparations for other meetings and a retreat this weekend. I prepared the weekly blog post that emails tomorrow morning. Our team worked to provide data for a quarterly review, that I prepared the PowerPoint for and presented on Friday, as well as launching our Lent Path of Prayer Series for individuals and small group leaders by end of day on Friday. The quarterly review and Lent series were essentially my tasks as part of my role as Director of Programming, a part-time position, while still coordinating some of Operations reporting, so I was feeling the weight of getting those tasks accomplished by the end of the week. On Thursday and Friday, I found myself sitting at my desk, shoulders hunched, not giving myself the periodic breaks that a body needs, stretching or exercising, or drinking the water I committed to drink as part of the 14 Day Reset program I am doing. I know better, I told myself, but choose to ignore the thought.

So by 7 p.m. on Friday I was ready to settle in and read my assignment for Saturday’s Oblate Meeting. The author, in the chapter, Blessed are the meek, wrote of simple ways that we can become more nonviolent individuals, and in doing so, protect the earth and her creatures. First, we need to examine and adopt more gentle, kind and steadfast nonviolent behavior as part of our daily practice, to become more conscious in our daily living. He also, as a second point, invited us to spend more time in daily meditation with God so that we can become aware of the times our thoughts are not so gentle, peaceful or meek. We can “disarm” our hearts and begin to live more at peace with ourselves and each other. There were certainly moments during the week I could have benefited from that quiet meditation!

Then his third point was the one that brought me to the greatest self-awareness and desire to resume a more quiet and gentle perspective to my daily routine. John Dear stated that “in this ever-deepening spirit of gentleness and nonviolence, we delight in the simple things of life – the morning sunrise, the gentle breeze, the ocean waves, the night stars, the moon, the meow of a cat, the beauty of a caterpillar, the flight of a hummingbird, the howl of the coyote, the rain, the snow, and everyone we meet – the whole web of life.” Inside I cried “Yes! Yes! Yes!” I paused as I read and thought of the brief moment I pause each morning to look at the brightening pink and purple sky of winter, the birds that perch on the back fence waiting for the seed I have been giving them in the backyard instead of trudging through the deep snow on the side of the house to the bird feeders, the stretch of Butters and Bela, my cats, when I peek in at them and gently disturb their napping. Lately, the beauty of the falling snow. Those noticings take but a brief pause in the day. I certainly can afford a brief pause every hour of the day and wonder how they might, as John suggests, disarm the less peaceful thoughts that swirl around when I become restless and agitated over activities I allow to take priority over a calm spirit.

Just as I was writing this, Butters waited patiently by the sliding door for me to open it so that he could stick his nose outside or even take a few brave steps onto the patio. He doesn’t last long with the below zero temps we have had but he loves to venture out for a few minutes. I leave the door open so he can come right back in and then enjoy the air from the warmth of the little rug in the sunshine, when it is shining. As I let him out, preparing him for the chilly air, I paused to enjoy the long icicles hanging from the building next door and the patches of bright blue sky behind the cloud-covered sky. Yes, I thought, do more of this!

As you go through this new week, I invite you to pause a second longer when something of beauty grabs your attention, savor it, breathe it in. Rest a moment there. Be more attentive to the wonders of nature, even if it’s only in your backyard. Become aware of those creatures that play a “necessary role in God’s great design” and as we slow down, we will become more peaceful individuals, and in doing so, we will also be individuals more aware of our planet and our role protecting it.

Peace, Deena

Picture: from my photo album of an amaryllis that was blooming in December.

Alert and listening

On By dpavinatoIn Benedictine Oblate, Doing what we love, Life in the Spirit, sacred listening, sacred seeing, sacred waiting, Spiritual Journey, Teachers and Guides on the journey2 Comments

I have to admit there have been times that I was listening to someone and not hearing what they said. Have you ever listened to a speech, a lecture, a homily, or even a conversation with a friend, and realized you missed what was being communicated? We may be tired, distracted or preoccupied but we can’t really hear what the other person is saying unless we are awake, attentive and active in our listening. I would add that we have to be open to what is being said as well. If I have already decided that there is nothing to be gained from the person speaking, I certainly won’t hear anything.

Yesterday I attended the first session, for me and for the year, of a monthly creative expression workshop offered by visual artist, Lisa Sonora. I have been feeling that I haven’t been expressing my creativity enough lately, so I was instantly attracted to an email Lisa sent earlier this month. Yes, I write this blog and create written content for work, but visual art expression with photos, stamps, ink, paint and my journals has been on a sabbatical for months. I love the tag line on Lisa’s site for her workshops – “Make Art. Feel Better.” I know when I am creating with color and different medium, something comes alive in me. Of course I have to put judgement and comparison aside, that isn’t the point of creative expression. It is letting that inner voice that desires to speak do so. I saw a post this week that I shared to my crafting page on Facebook and loved the sentiment by a crafts and yarn supplier, Mary Maxim, “Crafting may not solve all my problems, but it solves enough of them.” I could not agree more!

In the workshop session we didn’t actually create anything, we listened and then journaled. Lisa asked us questions and we began the “dreaming and scheming” of those voices and desires we keep quiet. I can’t say I was shocked or surprised by my answers to the questions Lisa asked. But I definitely heard from the creative voice within that is longing to express herself. So, I am going to make a point this year to listen to that voice and provide the nurturing and support to let that voice have a place in my life.

The first reading for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time is one of my favorites, from the first Book of Samuel (1 Samuel 3:3b-10,19). The young Samuel is sleeping in the temple and hears a voice call him. He assumes it is his mentor and teacher, Eli and goes to him and asks what he needs. This happens a couple of times before Eli realizes that Samuel is not attentive to the voice of the Lord and guides him to respond to the Lord the next time he hears the voice. Eli tells Samuel to respond “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” There are a couple of key points in the scripture that relate to what I am trying to say in this blog this week. Samuel is not alert or aware of the Voice speaking to him. His teacher, Eli, helps him understand. Then Samuel has to respond to the call he is hearing.

We need to be awake and alert to hear those inner desires of our heart. St. Ignatius of Loyola would say that those desires help us to hear the call to live the unique purpose for which we were created. Often times we, like Samuel, need a guide, a spiritual director, a mentor or teacher to help us discern the call. Lastly we need to respond, take a step in the direction of that purpose. If we remain sleeping and unaware, then we will continue to run to the wrong places and potentially miss an opportunity to respond and live out that call.

Pick up a journal and some colorful markers and draw this weekend. If you don’t feel you can draw freehand just yet, or wouldn’t know where to start, pick up coloring book and crayons. If you don’t have a coloring book, there are plenty of free coloring pages online such as mondaymandala.com to download, print and color. While coloring, ask yourself, “What part of my life, work or relationships feels stagnant or asleep? What would I be willing to invite in to change that?” Then listen, really listen to the inner part of you that knows the answer and is longing to tell you. Listen with the ear of your heart (Prologue of the Rule of St. Benedict). Take some notes, journal, write it down. You don’t even have to do anything with that information yet. Just listen and watch to see what shows up in your life. I’ll check back again during the year on this. Feel free to send me a message if you want to share some of thoughts before then.

Create joy, Deena

Images: Blog cover; a page in one of my art journals from 2020, created as part of a class but then also written about in my photo journal soon below.

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

Anniversary of thankfulness

On By dpavinatoIn Life in the Spirit, sacred seeing, Spiritual Journey, spirituality1 Comment

We were looking forward to something special, this Thanksgiving, as a family. Life had other plans and as a result we experienced a roller coaster of emotions dealing with the change in plans. It is easy to get disappointed after realizing something we desired so much can’t take place. This morning I found myself thinking of many wonderful Thanksgivings in the past. It helped me to take a fresh look at this Thanksgiving and look forward, God willing, to the many Thanksgivings in our future.

My Mom and Dad were married on Thanksgiving Day. It was November 24th, which this year is Friday, but my Dad always recalled their anniversary and celebrated on Thanksgiving Day. Well, I actually think it gave him a reason to celebrate twice, if the 24th didn’t fall on Thanksgiving Day!

My uncle Tony and aunt Marilyn were married on November 24th as well, but not on Thanksgiving Day. Gene and Stacie, my brother and sister-in-law, were married on November 28th and my niece, Maureen, and her husband, Ben, were married on November 30th. My nephew, Eugene, and his wife, Jennifer, celebrate their anniversary in December so still within the special bookends of Thanksgiving and Christmas, seasons of thanksgiving, joy and love. The holidays have always been a time to come together to celebrate as a family but then also a time to give thanks for the gift of family that continues to love and grow as a result of the commitment that is made in marriage.

So whether Thanksgiving will be a raucous family celebration or a quiet day at home, take some time to appreciate special memories and family members of Thanksgivings past. Say a prayer of blessing over those you are gathered with and especially over those you cannot gather with. Be at peace with the day, no matter how it turns out.

Wishing you abundant love and peace this Thanksgiving! Deena

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.

Guide our feet into the way of peace

On By dpavinatoIn Catholic faith, praying for peace, sacred waiting, Saints as Models & Guides, Spiritual Journey2 Comments

In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace. (Benedictus, Canticle of Zechariah – Morning Prayer)

As I continue to recover after my trip, today is shaping up as another day to stay in and rest. I guess if the results were different I might be tempted to get ambitious and do more than my body is ready for. As my friend, and healing arts practitioner, Kate Brown cautioned me yesterday “You need rest. Active rest. Sleep… be patient and allow yourself to heal.” Patience…I am not very good at it!

This time of waiting, and resting, has allowed me the opportunity to tune in to the services and bulletins from the Vatican by Pope Francis praying for a ceasefire and an end to the violence in the Holy Land, especially in Gaza. At Ignatian Ministries, we joined the world in prayer, on October 27, with a rosary at 11. LaSalle Catholic Parishes held a beautiful rosary, in English and Spanish, for peace on Friday evening (you can still find it on their Facebook page. I think our need for prayer continues so you might enjoy praying with it.). Then Friday night, I watched the Rosary and Prayer Service, with Adoration and Benediction, held earlier in the day in St. Peter’s Basilica on Vatican News. Fr. Carlson coached us, during our pilgrimage, to learn the Hail Mary in Italian, so I tried my best to pray in Italian but soon found responding in English easier. Again, patience….

Having just been to the Basilica the previous week, I felt I was attending along with the other clergy and pilgrims who were participating on Friday. I looked at the sanctuary and the statues that I gazed upon not so long ago. I looked at the marble floor that demarkates the size of other Basilicas in the world and where they would fit inside St. Peter’s. St. Peter’s is the largest Catholic Church in the world. In the floor of the central nave, as you move forward toward the sculpted bronze pillars and canopy that cover the baldachin, or high altar, there are circular markings and the names of the basilicas. I have attached a picture at the bottom of this post of the marking for our National Basilica of Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. I recall thinking that we have our individual buildings and structures, the circles were symbolic for me, we are one holy and apostolic church.

I also pondered the weight of the concerns that Pope Francis must carry; prayers for peace in the world, prayers for those impacted by the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, prayers for all those impacted by the hurricane in Acapulco, Mexico, prayers for answers for climate change and prayers for the Church and the closing of the Synod. Yet, despite all the worries and criticisms he faces, when we saw him in the Papal Audience, you feel the joy in his spirit, the love of God being shared with each of us.

Is it prayer and faith that brings that level of peace and patience? This feels like something for me to reflect on in my life. I reflect on St. Catherine of Siena’s devotion to the Eucharist and think more time in prayer and adoration might be a worthy goal for more peace and faith in my life.

While not related, I can’t close this blog this week without talking about three very special days this week. As we bring October come to a close, I have to mention three of my favorite days; Halloween (All Hallow’s Eve), All Saints and All Souls Days. It’s true I love to share all the pumpkins, black cats and spooky images of Halloween but really for me it is a threshold space, a holy time to think about and ask for the help and guidance of the Saints and the ancestors as we prepare to bring the year to an end (liturgically and then soon after the calendar year). In past years I have participated in retreats or days of reflection, calling upon the wisdom of those gone before. This year I plan on time alone, quiet reflection with a candle and sacred images, reading and prayer. Another Old Country tradition is to place a candle on the tombstone of loved ones on the evening of All Saints Day. I have found myself using electronic candles so the flames don’t go out but my intention is there. The light helps wandering souls or is viewed as an offering to help guide a soul on its way to Heaven. The Day of the Dead, Dia De Los Muertos, celebrated on November 1 and 2, is another beautiful tradition of visiting gravestones with candles, flowers and celebration to honor those who have passed on.

Perhaps you might create a ritual for yourself as we cross from October to November. What saints (big or small S) do you turn to for guidance? Who might have a message that you need right now?

All you holy men and women of God, pray for us!

Deena

The post image is from Assisi with the word Pax (peace) sculpted in shrubs.

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.

A picture paints a thousand words

On By dpavinatoIn Benedictine Oblate, sacred listening, sacred seeing, Spiritual JourneyLeave a comment

Last week I talked about the power of sacred reading, or Lectio Divina. This week I am going to share a few thoughts on Visio Divina, or sacred seeing. When we view a painting, sculpture, landscape, photo, or gaze at nature we can, if open to the invitation, allow our hearts and minds to view life in a new way, shift our focus from the mundane, enter a sacred silence, and allow that image to speak to us of greater realities.

As I mentioned last week, I was doing some audio recording, guided Lectio Divina and Visio Divina reflections, for an Advent retreat and I thought about my upcoming pilgrimage to Italy. I recall from my last trip to Italy, and more recently to Spain and Portugal, seeing beautiful and moving artwork. Artwork that touched me on a spiritual level. Artwork that helped me speculate about my spiritual beliefs on a deeper level. For this trip, I am especially looking forward to seeing the Fra Angelico frescos in Florence at the San Marco Museum, which was formerly a Dominican convent. Far Angelico was a monk there, then later the Prior, who painted the walls so that monks could reflect on the images of scripture as they prayed in their cells (rooms). Some of his paintings are my favorite but I have only seen most in images online. I wait in eager anticipation of seeing these frescos in person.

In a recent article written by the team at Center for Action and Contemplation, thoughts by Barbara Holmes regarding sacred art were shared in the daily email update. They quoted Barbara as saying: “Art can amplify the sacred and challenge the status quo. The arts help us to hear above the cacophony in the midst of our multitasking. The arts engage a sacred frequency that is perforated with pauses. Artists learned … there were things too full for human tongues, too alive for articulation. You can dance and rhyme and sing it, you almost reach it in the high notes, but joy unspeakable is experience and sojourn, it is the ineffable within our reach.” “This shift of focus bends us toward the universe, a cosmos of soul and spirit, bone and flesh, which constantly reaches toward divinity.”

Visio Divina can unfold in the same four steps as Lectio – read a scripture and/or gaze at the image asking what captures your attention, reflect again asking what the image might have to say to you, view it again and state a prayer that comes to mind or a grace you seek in life, then lastly sit in silence and just be in the presence of God.

While Lectio is listening with “the ear of the heart”, we can say that Visio Divina is praying with the “eyes of the heart”. During my pilgrimage I am going to share some photos of art or images along the journey. I might add a scripture or reflection based on the art we encounter. I invite you to spend some time with the images and see what it inspires for you.

This week’s image is a favorite. It is a watercolor by Corby Eisbacher entitled Jump for Joy, depicting the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. You can visit Art by Corby on Etsy here. Spend some time with the image. What speaks to you as you view it? What does the image have to say to you?

Create Joy, Deena