Solitude and Contemplation

By: Sr. Mary Jo Chaves

We have often heard the phrase that “silence is golden.” That was probably true for our elementary school teachers who treasured those moments when her students were intent upon some project that required a quiet thoughtful process. What about our lives as adults? What place does solitude and silence have in our spiritual journey? Does the TV, radio or IPod, immediately get turned on when we walk into our homes or get into our cars? When are we comfortable with silence or do we fill up the “air waves” when silence is pending?

Here at the Center Marilyn Kirvin and I are coordinating a silent directed retreat from July 13 – 19. Each day each retreatant meets with her spiritual director to walk the retreatant’s spiritual journey together and to discern God’s spirit at work in the retreatant’s life. There are optional contemplative prayer opportunities throughout the day. Except for spiritual direction and prayer together the retreatants keep silence from the evening of July 13th until the morning of July 19th. Though it may take a day or two to settle into the retreat it soon becomes quite a “luxury” to have ample time to rest, pray and contemplate without interruption the mystery of God at work in their lives through spiritual reading, personal reflection, art work, or other creative activities. The silence and solitude deepen as the week progresses. A community of prayer and reflection is formed around the sense of solitude.

St. Francis of Assisi encouraged his followers to make silent retreats periodically in order to get a new lens on one’s life and then to carry the retreat in one’s heart as one went about daily life. How might we respond to such an invitation? Maybe the radio or TV can wait when we have an opportunity for a “mini-retreat” for a few minutes. Our God doesn’t necessarily need much of our time; our God needs our presence and full attention to God’s work in our lives. Solitude, silence and contemplation can empty our minds and hearts so we can hear the still small voice of our God within our inner being.

In these “lazy days of summer” take time to smell the roses, to sit and be silent. Psalm 46 encourages us to “Be still and know that I am God.” May silence and contemplation bring you to a deeper knowing of our abundant God!

Summer, Summer, Where for Art Thou Summer?

By: Sr. Guadalupe Medina

Here we are in the month of June and today it is summer, at least according to the calendar. Yet, the spring showers or better yet the heavy spring down pours continue to bless us with plenty of water. It appears that spring has spring hasn't really arrived, so how can summer be upon us?

If one looks beyond the unpredictable climate, one realizes spring did arrive in it's full glory. Now, the harvest fields and gardens are thriving with plenty of beauty and bountiful harvest. Despite the grey gloomy rainy days, the mystery of the Creator of all continues to reveal His unsurpassable power. We have seen some small glimpses of sunshine, the magnificence of nature quietly continues to give of itself. Trees have new abundant leaves, flowers have sprung and blossomed, and crops are beginning to flourish and ripen.

What it speaks to me is "The Great Mystery" of the unseen ray of life; to which NO ONE can keep from penetrating this bountiful world we call Mother Earth.

Peaceful Reflections

By: Michelle Kroll

Below are some reflections from a gathering I did this weekend and co-facilitated. I thought this might be a nice platform to share. The delphinium flower was drawn by me :) Enjoy!

You Are There
I see you,
before that...
I felt you.
I know that you
are always there
watching over me,
to help me
right the wrong.
You are there
to calm my storm.
I am cautious
and carfeul
to be only my best
for you!
If I fall,
you are there
helping me to rise.
I try to see only good,
for you.
For you always
see the good in me.
You are there,
I see you,
helping me, be me.

I had several people in mind when I was writing that. So, I think it goes out to all my family, moral and creative support.

Passion Engaging All Calm on Earth

_______________________________________


And a special haiku for someone near and dear.

Abundant is she,
So good and strong and love filled,
Inspires you and me!

Welcoming the Season of Spring and Easter

by: Sr. Mary Jo Chaves

The Season of Spring blossoms all around us as we smell its fragrance and enjoy the April showers! Tulips open to the sun; rhododendron buds are ready to burst in myriads of colors and lilacs lure us into their many blossomed stems. I find myself pondering these flowers and their connection to the Easter mysteries.


TULIPS
I like to think of the tulip as a reminder of all the nurturing that it takes beforehand for that flower to bloom – plantings in the fall, resting in the winter, breaking through the soil, growing in the sun and finally blooming! It might be compared to all the nurturing that Jesus did with Mary Magdalene. He healed her and she accompanied him all the way to the cross. Mary Magdalene is the first person to whom the resurrected Christ appears and she recognizes him when he says her name, “Mary.” I ask myself how am I nurtured and how do I nurture others.


RHODODENDRONS
The rhododendrons dance in the sunlight and when in full bloom they burst with beauty and awe. The only appropriate response is WOW! Mary, the Mother of Jesus, stood beneath the cross as well. Though we have no scripture passage about the Risen Christ appearing to Mary, it seems to me that she would be the first one to whom he would appear. She would have been filled at the moment with wonder and awe and she would have had the strength to keep living in the light of the Resurrection. I ask myself how willing I am to dance the dance of my life, letting others see God’s goodness and beauty through me.


LILAC
As I ponder the lilac I am amazed at the mass of blossoms, each one perfect in form, each one bigger than imaginable when with the other blossoms. The disciples must have felt like that when faced with the challenge of establishing the church once Jesus had ascended to the Father. They would have to be bigger than they possibly imagined their lives could be before encountering Jesus. I, too, have the same call to follow in the footprints of Jesus. Will I say yes daily with all my brothers and sisters to living the Gospel message, being bigger than I could possibly imagine?

This season of spring and Easter will soon give way to summer and ordinary time. Don’t miss its message! Celebrate each blossom! Celebrate the Risen Christ!

Letting Go

by Marilyn Kirvin

Yesterday the Catholic Church celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation. The Gospel for that day, “and the Angel said to Mary, do not be afraid….” is one of my favorite readings in Scripture. Over my desk I have a print that I love of the painting “The Annunciation,” by African-American painter Henry Osawa Tanner - unlike in some portrayals of this moment, Mary here looks like a woman in her early teens… and her expression is not one of fear, but of curiosity, wonder… “How can this be?” (to see it, go to http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/104384.html )

Often we think of this story as being associated with Christmas, but listening to the reading yesterday, so close to Holy Week, I thought instead of how , when she said “yes” to the angel’s invitation to bear a son, Mary could not have known that her yes would one day lead to watching her son as he was executed as a political prisoner. Mary, like all of us, could not see into the future… she only had that moment in which to respond, and so she said that yes – trusting somehow in the God who called her, and letting go of knowing and controlling, all the rest.

Perhaps I am thinking about Mary a bit more this week because last Saturday my oldest son moved to Corvallis to start school. He is excited, as am I for him, for he has worked hard to make this happen, and I think he’s as prepared as can be at this point. But I can remember holding him when he was a baby, and not being able to imagine that he wouldn’t be with me forever (fortunately, of course, living with a teenager tempers this desire for them never to leave home). And yet, when the time came, I did it, just like every parent does it, as every person does it when it’s time. It’s not that we don’t worry, of course. But we have to let go, and trust in God’s grace and mercy.

As a spiritual director, I suspect that the challenge of letting go and trusting God is a theme that comes up in almost every conversation that I have with the people who see me. It is there for women in their 60’s caring for parents with dementia, and in men whose marriages are ending. It is the challenge for people who are losing employment in this economy, those who are struggling with addiction, and those who grieve the passing of a loved one. It is even what underlies every time we are called – to parenthood, to marriage, to a new ministry or a new town, to retirement - we are also being called to letting go. It is what we hear from Jesus on the cross: Into Your hands I commend my Spirit….

As we enter in Holy Week, then, we will walk with Jesus on his journey of letting go… of his mission, his friends, his sense of closeness to God, and his very life. As we hear these stories, may we find inspiration there for our own journeys of trust, and may we know that we are not alone - that Jesus, his mother, his disciples, all those who have gone before us, and those who pray with us are on the same journey, accompanied by our loving God.

The Experience of Pilgrimage

During the past two weeks, three of us from the Franciscan Spiritual Center had the opportunity to accompany eleven other people on a pilgrimage trip to Assisi and Rome, Italy. This was the second pilgrimage trip sponsored by our center and appears to have been a successful endeavor to those who participated.
The experience of traveling to holy and historic sites in Europe is a marvelous way to meet others and share meaningful dialogue. Places where St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare routinely lived and wandered were simultaneously very spiritual and impressive. We had the benefit of learning a great deal about both saints through the lens of Sr. Mary Jo Chaves who has spent a lifetime in study and contemplation of Franciscan theology. Through her descriptions we could feel the holy presence of both Francis and Clare which allowed us to more fully understand their continuing impact on people throughout the world. The pilgrimage sites in Assisi continue to draw large crowds of the faithful in spite of the fact that they lived in the twelfth century.
Having been on three pilgrimage trips I know that such a trip changes one’s perspective. It is impossible to go and not feel the challenges that saint’s encounter as they make their spiritual journeys. To see the adverse conditions that Francis willingly chose to endure in his devotion to the Gospel message was indeed remarkable. Through the stories of Francis and Clare I learned about their love of God, love for their fellow religious and loyalty to their church. The strongest message that I returned with is that the tough choices they made were made willingly and with love for their fellow human beings. Francis of Assisi is known for his rather peculiar behavior during his lifetime but there can be no doubting of his devotion to God and the Gospel message. The willingness on both his and St. Clare’s part to challenge authority when necessary to remain faithful to their vocations is a fine lesson to all.
Most of us probably don’t know of any future saints in our midst but we can learn more about remaining faithful to our values and what we believe from those who have gone before us. To me, being a saint is less about performing miracles but is all about following one’s convictions to lead a life of kindness filled with hope and gratitude. Francis and Clare embodied those characteristics and continue to influence thousands of people yearly in the beauty of the Italian countryside. How lucky were we to experience the sanctity of their homeland and to gain a better understanding of why we call them saints.

Write Now

It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.

-Mary Oliver


… a silence in which another voice may speak. To whom does that other voice belong? To what? I know that for me, that other voice is my inner voice. Writing and journaling offers one an opportunity to share, learn, and remember. It is a sort of stirring of the soul, but more than that it is a chance to feel. Journaling, recollection, gives you an opportunity to savor events past and present. Writing gives you that chance to describe to the reader every minute detail. You could either write about how you went for a walk and stopped to smell the roses OR you could say:

I went for a walk this morning, an opportunity that has been lacking all winter. I stepped outside into a freshness that reminds me spring is on the way. There were just enough clouds and enough sun that I left the sweater at home. I so look forward to when these walks can happen more frequently. You can see evidence of spring already. Crocuses and their delicate green leaves are forcing their way through the soil. You can see the starts of the daffodils and tulips too, a sort of floral calendar that unfolds its way to summer. Summer seems so distant when you afternoons are currently occupied with splashing in puddles. But summer offers the chance to take said walk at the Rose Garden. How glorious is it that we have this in our city. What a wondrous gathering of roses with their velvety soft petals and over protective thorns. They always lure us in with that sweet, decadent smell.

Doesn’t that sound much more worthy of reading again than some sort of hand written log of days. Embrace writing! I have recently started to embrace it again. I took a 10 year hiatus. One writing exercise offered me a chance to write about coffee for 10 minutes, or rain, or a memory I have about being on a bicycle. There are so many memories inside, wouldn’t it be nice to get them all out? The good, the bad and the ugly. I know that I am finding it therapeutic. Natalie Goldberg tells us, “You have the right to write it down. Throw it out, rip it up, swallow it down. Build up a capacity to bear up- don’t let fear run your writing life. Hide your notebook in a good place.” The key is to keep writing and get it all out, I am.

Books to try out:
Old Friend From Far Away By: Natalie Goldberg
With Pen in Hand By: Henriette Anne Klauser
Journaling as a Spiritual Practice By: Helen Cepero