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Reflections from a Garden
(As we begin Lent, may this poem reflection help prepare you for one of the most beautiful seasons of our liturgical year - a time for pruning, letting go, cultivating in the dark tombs of our hearts, and ultimately RISING!)
Ruthless in love,
the gardener has stripped me —
ripped away all the parched,
cracked, and brittle remnants
of last year’s fruit…
The 7 Laws of Love - A Valentine from Fulton Sheen
Butterflies. Warm emotions. Feelings of security. Long hugs. Sweet terms of endearment. Small deeds, done in kindness. These may all be things we as humans tend to think about when we hear the word: “love.” But it’s so much more than that!
As a married woman who is currently in the midst of navigating the craziness that is the early months of first-time-motherhood, I contemplate the meaning of the word almost on a daily basis. In this “month of love,” it only seems appropriate to broach this topic with the help of a dear friend: Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.
To Be Vulnerable
All spiritual, emotional, and even physical healing has it beginnings in this one word: vulnerability. That sounds like an oversimplification, but hear me out. There is a C. S. Lewis quote from his book, The Four Loves, that has always been dear to me. Lately though, it has taken on a whole new meaning and touched greater, more sensitive depths inside me. The premise is simple but profound: it isn’t until we are vulnerable that we experience true healing from God.
An Advent Candle Reflection
I am blessed enough to live just down the street from a vibrant contemplative religious community called the Community of Saint John in Princeville. Composed of brothers and both contemplative and apostolic sisters, this community has been a light to me, and I love nothing more than frequenting their daily Masses and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. This Advent season in particular, their humble facilities in the country have been the perfect place or me to rest and listen to the still voice of the Beloved, Jesus Christ., and His Mother.
During adoration the other night, I watched as one of the brothers approached the altar to “trim,” as it appeared to me, the candles on either side of the monstrance. This puzzled me, as I could not fathom what profit their could be from cutting off parts of the wick on a candle.
The Secret to Rebuilding Society
I know. That’s a big claim, but bear with me. We live in a society that values a lot of things, but time and money are big ones. We are constantly trying to move faster, save time, buy the cheapest item, etc. These two concepts are important to a lot of people. I think almost every modern person would agree that they are always trying to find some new way to save time and money.
Or, at least, we think we are. Here’s what I mean.
Many of us live lives devoid of intentionality.
What makes a House into a Home?
Everyone wants to know – not just superficially, but somewhere deep in the center of their being – that they are home. Whether you are old or young, sick or healthy, of eastern or western culture, every soul on this earth is born with a deep conviction to feel a sense of home. I would argue, it is one of the most fundamental desires of the human heart – to know on a primal level that you are safe, protected, and “home.”