ELISHEBA BLOGLaura, Ivonne, and Rick
write about their lives in the Eucharist. |
ELISHEBA BLOGLaura, Ivonne, and Rick
write about their lives in the Eucharist. |
I looked out the airplane window and saw the most beautiful landscape below. Close to the Grand Canyon, shades of orange and brown edged the earth below. A sigh escaped my lips as the desert beckoned me from below. There is something very appealing about the desert… the vastness, the stillness, the quiet. My heart was quickly moved to praise God. A few minutes later, still looking down from the clouds, I could see a clear demarcation line between the wilderness and civilization. Suddenly there were houses upon houses, neighborhood after neighborhood. Why were they so packed together when there is so much land available? A muffled announcement came over the PA system; we were going to start our descent into Las Vegas. I removed my headphones so I could hear the flight attendant’s instructions, and immediately the noise in the cabin overwhelmed me. My noise-cancelling headphones had done their job. If there is one word I can use to describe my experience of Las Vegas, it is noise. From the moment we landed, my brain has been bombarded with sensory overload. Men found the most secluded place in the desert to create an oasis of noise. There is a difference between going to the desert and going to a deserted place. Las Vegas is in the desert, yet it is most definitely not deserted.
The disciples had just returned from their mission and were depleted. Jesus knew they needed to regain their strength. Mark’s comment on the fact that they had not had an opportunity to eat reminds me of the story of the prophet Elijah, when he was fleeing for his life, afraid of Jezebel:
Lent is coming soon, and it is coming right into the circumstances of our lives. It’s coming into the noise and the chaos of family life, of parish life, of work life. We will be invited to enter into the desert, into the wilderness, the place with vipers and dangers. It is the place where Jesus faced the tempter, and it is there He will face him, in us, again. But before we go to the desert, we are invited to rest in a deserted place, by ourselves. He is calling us to sit under our “solitary broom tree”. It is there where we come face to face with our weakness, our limits and our fears. It is there where we lay it all out and say, “Enough Lord!” The place where we finally come to accept that we can not do this on our own. In humility, in truth, we surrender all and rest. We leave the rest to God. And what does God do? He knows we need nourishment, so He gives Himself to us. In the Eucharist He feeds us, He strengthens us. He then sends us to the desert… not to rest, but to face the temptations in the wilderness. To walk forty days and forty nights with God. Emmanuel, God is with us. When He calls, we know we can trust and go. But, how can we hear Him calling, if our senses are overwhelmed with noise?
Noise-cancelling headphones work by creating opposite sound waves, by creating anti-noise. We can do this in our spiritual lives by constantly singing praise to God. This will cancel the noise of the anti-Christ and allow us to listen to the still small voice of God. We will be able to hear the “cry of the poor”, in the midst of all the noise. We will hear Jesus say to us, “Give them some food yourselves.” (Mark 6:37). So, let us make time each day to pray, to sing the psalms, to cancel all the noise. A very practical way to do this is to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. These prayers mark the day, pausing our activity to sing together in praise as Church, as the family of God. You can find the prayers of the day on this website: https://divineoffice.org
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There is something lovely about new beginnings. In fact, many childhood tales end with the words: “And they lived happily ever after…” Like a newlywed couple driving out into the sunset with a string of cans tied to the tailpipe of their car, new beginnings bring us hope. There is still time to change; there is still time to grow. Perhaps the best is yet to come. The beginning of a new year is a natural transition that invites us to take stock of where we are and where we want to go. We can do this as individuals, families, communities, and as a family of God.
A symphony of prayer denotes that there are different movements and different parts. Each of our instruments, coming together as one, expressing the desire of God’s own heart.
Many voices are trying to get our attention, but God speaks in the silence of our hearts. This is why prayer begins with listening. It is God who begins. It is God who speaks. We must learn to recognize His voice.
His asking arises from God’s desire for us…
Wherever we find ourselves this new year, whether in the midst of suffering or great joy, let us remember to raise our hearts and minds to God. Let us ask for the grace to become better listeners, to listen to each other, as we sing a hymn of praise to God.
The Catechism continues with a quote from the Kontakion of Romanos the Melodist:
"Oh, how we like to romanticize! We turn a dirty, smelly stable into a picture-perfect Christmas card. We then run ourselves ragged, trying to reach for a mirage. Yet the mystery of this night lies in the reality of our lives. Just like Jesus came and few saw Him, He comes to us hidden within human hearts. Halfway through the Advent Season, I found myself with an unquiet heart. I had a hard time living in the contrast of what I wanted the season to be like, to feel like, and what it was. I wanted time to pray and ponder, seeking purple vestments among the Christmas lights. The sounds of Christmas everywhere I went felt like a cacophony to my seeking Advent heart. The liturgical and the popular clashing once again brought unrest to my mind. Why can’t the world follow the correct times? That question was the entrance into my prayer time. And, before I even finished speaking, I felt the answer in my heart. A reminder that Jesus comes into the reality of our lives. Whenever I resist what is, I get an unquiet feeling in my heart. I find peace when I look for Jesus in the circumstances around me. This does not mean that there are not things that I might need to do differently, but it means that He is always here to guide me. I can’t hear His voice when I am busy focusing on criticizing the world around me. That first Christmas, when God led Joseph and Mary to a stable, it was amid the chaos. I can imagine me saying, "Lord, why don’t they know you are coming? Can’t they see the signs?" Yet it was precisely those circumstances that led them to the cave. “In this poverty, heaven’s glory was made manifest.”
The poverty of a Babe in a manger… “Give us this day our daily bread.”
God shows up amid the chaos and invites us to welcome Him within. He shows up in our lives as they really are, not as we wish they would be. He is coming to transform us, to bring light to the darkness. In our poverty, let us trust and let Him in.
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AuthorsWe are Ivonne J. Hernandez, Rick Hernandez and Laura Worhacz, Lay Associates of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, and brothers and sisters in Christ. |