Responding to your vocation "to shine"
FEBRUARY 28TH, 2010 — SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
GENESIS15: 5-12, 17-18, PHILIPPIANS 3:17-4:1, LUKE 9 :28-36
Dear Friends,
This week's Gospel recounts the Transfiguration of Jesus. Mary Oliver reminds us that we, too, are called to shine!
Adirondack
When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, "Stay awhile."
The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, "It's simple," they say,
"and you too have come
into the world to do this,
to go easy,
to be filled with light,
and to shine.
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, "Stay awhile."
The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, "It's simple," they say,
"and you too have come
into the world to do this,
to go easy,
to be filled with light,
and to shine.
Mary Oliver
What would help you "shine?" Lent is about building our prayer-muscles, our forgiveness-muscles, our speaking up-muscles, our patience-muscles, our non-judging muscles. What can you grow with this Lent so that the deep-down God-given goodness in you shines through better?
We invite you to come and journey with us as we walk through Lent together. Join us for our Sunday Eucharist every Sunday at 5 p.m. Join us for 3 Friday night "movie" reflections on the power of Forgiveness. Join us for our Community Retreat on Saturday March 27 on The Merciful God. Join us in daily reflections during your own quiet time at home using the book, A Season for the Spirit: Readings for the Days of Lent by Martin L. Smith (or another prayer practice of your own choosing knowing that our community is praying, too, in a unison of hearts.) Just knowing that we are praying together is a source of strength and a joy for us!
If you are looking for reading for Lent, we'd like to suggest An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor. It looks really good and we plan to read this in solidarity with our 'host community's' choice of this "geography of faith" for their Lenten reading.
As always, The Spirit of Life Community invites you to come and share in the experience of an inclusive Catholic community where every voice is heard, and women and men are unafraid to acknowledge the equality of women and men; and to embrace feminine as well as masculine... and beyond... images of God. As a community, we try wholeheartedly to "be Christ" to one another, to tend to the needs of one another, and to those in need in our world. Together, we celebrate our belief that we are being transformed by God's grace as we gather together in prayer. We warmly invite you to come and gather with us at our Table, and join in our experience of the "kin-dom" of God. We are an inclusive, open, affirming and interactive community, deeply committed to being a people of "justice and joy."
With prayers that you will respond to your vocation "to shine!"
Find more about past weekly reflections and podcasts in our ARCHIVE PAGE.
