"Christ Jesus ... though He was in the form of God, did not deem equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, He emptied Himself..."--Philippians 2:5-7 (NAB)
Merry Christmas! This passage, which is used in Evening Prayer I for Christmas, so perfectly expresses the reality at the heart of this mystery.
John Paul the Great, borrowing and elaborating on a term in Gaudium et Spes para. 24, wrote, "Love causes man to find fulfillment through the sincere gift of self. To love means to give and to receive something which can be neither bought nor sold, but only given freely and mutually." (Familiaris Consortio [Letter to Families], para. 11).
God, who is love (I John 4:8), demonstrates this principle for us in the Three Divine Persons continually and eternally giving themselves wholly and completely to each other. The Second Person, in turn, out of the Triune God's love for all humanity, made a "sincere gift of self" to us, emptying Himself for our sake of His glory and becoming a man, a baby, Jesus. What an utterly mind-boggling reality! That the Creator of the Universe should love us so much as to make a sincere gift of His Divine Self to us.
But John Paul wrote that "To love means to give and to receive..." Are we going to receive the incredible gift and make a sincere gift of ourselves back to Him in return? Are we going to respond to such love with love? The answer that each one of us makes to that question is the difference between Christmas being just a "winter holiday" and Christmas being a celebration of an indescribable exchange of love between you and God.
These days this passage on emptying has another meaning for me as I'm continuing the slow process of weeding and purging mentioned in my previous post. Even though I'm weeding in a physical way, I sense that God wants this to also involve an internal emptying, a clearing out of space inside my soul, so that there might be more room to receive Him. I don't want my heart and soul to be like the inn that had no room for His coming as a baby. I want it to be open wide to receive His gift of love.
Fr. Thomas Dubay cites a quote from Blessed Angela of Foligno in his book Deep Conversion/Deep Prayer that expresses this principle of giving and receiving so well. It's actually a statement that the Lord made to Angela: "Make yourself a capacity and I will make myself a torrent." (p. 74)
I don't know how to accomplish this internal emptying, this making of myself a capacity, other than to say to the Lord, "Yes, I want what You want. Please help me to cooperate with Your action in my heart, my soul, my life."
Dear Blessed Mother, you who were so completely given over to the Lord that you were able to receive Him in a way far more profound than any human being ever has, please pray for me, that I, too, may empty myself completely into Him and receive Him in whatever way He chooses to give Himself to me.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
The Need to Weed (a.k.a. The Urge to Purge :-) )
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."--Mt. 6:19-21
For a few years now, I’ve been sensing a gentle whisper from God that I need to weed excess “stuff” from my life. I think it’s fair to say that I’m not terribly materialistic: I don’t own a flashy new car, lots of clothes, or a big-screen TV. (I don’t own a TV at all!) But I do tend to hold onto two categories of stuff: things with sentimental value and things that might in any way, now or in the future, be useful. I’ve realized recently that, as far as the second category is concerned, I have a real Depression-era mentality--I don’t hold onto used string, but just about anything else is a candidate for "hoarding"!
Although I’ve been willing to weed, it takes time to weed, and time is one of the things that’s always been in short supply in my life, so I’ve never really acted on the whisper. This fall, though, the Lord seems to be turning up the volume through a variety of circumstances:
In 2009, may our gracious and merciful God also make clear to you what He wants you to do, and give you every grace you need to accomplish it. God bless you!
Theresa
For a few years now, I’ve been sensing a gentle whisper from God that I need to weed excess “stuff” from my life. I think it’s fair to say that I’m not terribly materialistic: I don’t own a flashy new car, lots of clothes, or a big-screen TV. (I don’t own a TV at all!) But I do tend to hold onto two categories of stuff: things with sentimental value and things that might in any way, now or in the future, be useful. I’ve realized recently that, as far as the second category is concerned, I have a real Depression-era mentality--I don’t hold onto used string, but just about anything else is a candidate for "hoarding"!
Although I’ve been willing to weed, it takes time to weed, and time is one of the things that’s always been in short supply in my life, so I’ve never really acted on the whisper. This fall, though, the Lord seems to be turning up the volume through a variety of circumstances:
- The remnants of Hurricane Ike soaked southeastern Michigan in early September, resulting in water seeping into my apartment for the first time in the 15 years I’ve lived here. Fortunately, nothing was damaged, but moving lots of stuff from my bedroom so that the carpet could dry out made me aware in a new way of just how much stuff I really had. As I moved things back in, I started weeding. I’m not sure, though, if that experience alone would have sufficed to really get my attention.
- In mid-October, a friend in my apartment complex unexpectedly moved to California on short notice. When faced with the cost of shipping cross country, she chose instead to purge. The night that I helped her, I could see that she was really being brutal, appropriately so, in throwing things out or giving them away. It made an impact, and I was starting to connect the dots for my own life.
- The day before my neighbor left town, a close friend of mine, Jean, died unexpectedly during a heart catheterization procedure following a heart attack. As you might expect, losing a dear friend who was relatively close to my own age brought to life in a renewed way Jesus’ words, “You do not know the day or the hour.” In addition, another of Jean’s friends and I spent some time helping her sister sort through her library. Jean was not a "keeper" in the same way that I am, plus she was very organized. Nonetheless, there was still a lot of stuff for her siblings to deal with as they closed out her apartment. All three of us were left thinking, "If this is what someone like Jean left behind, then I really need to purge!"
- Finally, just in case I hadn’t gotten the message--I can be pretty dense, so I always ask God to be blatant with me--on St. Nicholas Day, December 6, Mom and I attended a party to which each guest was asked to bring a wrapped gift of less than five dollars. They were then all mixed up and redistributed to the 40 or so guests attending. When I opened mine, I found a small book entitled 101 Ways to Clean Out the Clutter. Does God have a sense of humor or what??? :-D
In 2009, may our gracious and merciful God also make clear to you what He wants you to do, and give you every grace you need to accomplish it. God bless you!
Theresa
Monday, December 8, 2008
Welcome! & answers to a few questions
"I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging bread." --Psalm 37:25 (RSV)
Welcome to "I have not seen the righteous forsaken." I am not currently planning to make a point of advertising this blog. I much prefer the approach of scattering the seed and letting it fall where it may. So if you have managed to find this blog, the Holy Spirit may have had something to do with you getting here. May His purposes for having you read this be fulfilled.
As I begin, I thought it would be good to answer a few questions that would certainly be on my mind and may also be on yours:
Who are you anyway?
I am...
For many years from college up to my early 40s, I did quite a bit of volunteer work with the elderly. It wasn't anything I was looking for, especially at first. God just kept bringing these elderly ladies into my life. I would be with each one anywhere from a year and a half to seven years. Then she would die, except for the first one (I'm sure she died eventually, but our relationship ended when I graduated from college and moved out of the state); I would get about a year off, and then the next elderly lady would show up. I came to think of this as the "tugboat ministry." God seemed to bring me alongside these ladies, like a tugboat, to help steady them and guide them into their final port.
After the third elderly lady showed up, I started wondering if maybe God wanted me to pursue something professionally in the field of caring for the elderly, so I obtained a certificate in gerontology at a local university. It was very good, helpful information, but I've never ended up working professionally in the field. That's ok. When it became clear that I wasn't going to change careers, I just said to the Lord, "Any time You want to tell me why I got that degree, just let me know." :-)
What I was doing professionally at the time, and did for 15 years, was working as a technical writer and editor. As a communications major and a writer, it was natural for me to start jotting down some of my thoughts and reflections as I served these ladies. I used to think that I might want to write a book some day, possibly a book of reflections on Scripture as they related to the topic of aging. I wasn't sure why anyone would want to pay money to read what I had to say, but that was a detail to be worked out later.
Both time and technology marched on. After my fourth elderly lady died, no one new showed up. Instead, a new career came along, working as business manager for my parish, a career that has soaked up all my spare time, and then some, for over ten years.
Meanwhile, the Internet explosion spawned a new form of communication: the "Web log" or "blog" for short. It struck me that a blog might someday be a good vehicle for the kind of reflections I was thinking about writing--and I wouldn't have to feel guilty about people spending money to read what I have to say! :-)
That idea simmered on the back burner for several years until just a day or two ago when I stumbled upon my notebook of reflections, which I had misplaced. Today as I was praying after Mass in our parish's Adoration Chapel, the thought came to me that now may be the time to start the blog. When I got home, I found in the mail a friend's Christmas newsletter, with a note to me that I felt confirmed that now was the time to "go public."
So will your blog be about aging?
I'll certainly be offering some reflections on aging, but I doubt if I'll stick to just that topic. We'll see as it goes along.
How did you come up with the title?
The Scripture passage at the top of the page was the favorite quote of one of my elderly ladies. (I think it's fair to say that I myself am not old. Rather I would say that I'm smack in the middle of middle age. :-) ) From back in the days when I was thinking of writing a book, it struck me as a great title for a series of meditations on aging.
As I was considering this afternoon starting this blog, though, another reason came for using this title right now. This is a time of a great deal of uncertainty, especially in Michigan where I live, as the economy continues to spiral downward. It's at times like these that we need to encourage each other to look at life through the eyes of God, especially as He has revealed the truth about Himself and life in Scripture. In the words of St. Paul, "...we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us." (Romans 5:3-5)
Anything else we should know?
I don't anticipate updating this blog more often than once a week. This is for me a very busy season in the midst of a normally busy life, so I want to keep things balanced, and not have this blog become an obsession. Plus I feel like the Lord has made it clear that He has placed a high priority on what will be for me a major project, namely, cleaning out the clutter from my life! I'll tell you about that in my next post. (Something to look forward to. :-) ) Since cleaning is something that I try not to do on Sundays and Holy Days, though, I will probably limit my blogging to those days.
So, just to manage your expectations, don't expect to see frequent updates, and especially don't expect to see prompt responses to any comments. I'll do my best to reply when I can as seems appropriate.
Thanks for reading and for your interest in this blog. May our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, on whose feast this blog is being launched, support you with her prayers, and may our gracious Lord fill you with His peace throughout this Advent/Christmas season and the coming year. God bless you!
Theresa
Welcome to "I have not seen the righteous forsaken." I am not currently planning to make a point of advertising this blog. I much prefer the approach of scattering the seed and letting it fall where it may. So if you have managed to find this blog, the Holy Spirit may have had something to do with you getting here. May His purposes for having you read this be fulfilled.
As I begin, I thought it would be good to answer a few questions that would certainly be on my mind and may also be on yours:
Who are you anyway?
I am...
- A beloved daughter of God the Father
- A sister and bride-to-be of God the Son, my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ
- A friend of the Friend of the Bridegroom, God the Holy Spirit
- A daughter of the Church and of St. Teresa of Jesus
- A daughter, sister, aunt, niece, cousin, spiritual mother (I've been told), and friend to many
- The business manager for my parish, president for my Secular Discalced Carmelite community, a volunteer for our local Catholic radio station, and serving God in various and sundry other ways.
For many years from college up to my early 40s, I did quite a bit of volunteer work with the elderly. It wasn't anything I was looking for, especially at first. God just kept bringing these elderly ladies into my life. I would be with each one anywhere from a year and a half to seven years. Then she would die, except for the first one (I'm sure she died eventually, but our relationship ended when I graduated from college and moved out of the state); I would get about a year off, and then the next elderly lady would show up. I came to think of this as the "tugboat ministry." God seemed to bring me alongside these ladies, like a tugboat, to help steady them and guide them into their final port.
After the third elderly lady showed up, I started wondering if maybe God wanted me to pursue something professionally in the field of caring for the elderly, so I obtained a certificate in gerontology at a local university. It was very good, helpful information, but I've never ended up working professionally in the field. That's ok. When it became clear that I wasn't going to change careers, I just said to the Lord, "Any time You want to tell me why I got that degree, just let me know." :-)
What I was doing professionally at the time, and did for 15 years, was working as a technical writer and editor. As a communications major and a writer, it was natural for me to start jotting down some of my thoughts and reflections as I served these ladies. I used to think that I might want to write a book some day, possibly a book of reflections on Scripture as they related to the topic of aging. I wasn't sure why anyone would want to pay money to read what I had to say, but that was a detail to be worked out later.
Both time and technology marched on. After my fourth elderly lady died, no one new showed up. Instead, a new career came along, working as business manager for my parish, a career that has soaked up all my spare time, and then some, for over ten years.
Meanwhile, the Internet explosion spawned a new form of communication: the "Web log" or "blog" for short. It struck me that a blog might someday be a good vehicle for the kind of reflections I was thinking about writing--and I wouldn't have to feel guilty about people spending money to read what I have to say! :-)
That idea simmered on the back burner for several years until just a day or two ago when I stumbled upon my notebook of reflections, which I had misplaced. Today as I was praying after Mass in our parish's Adoration Chapel, the thought came to me that now may be the time to start the blog. When I got home, I found in the mail a friend's Christmas newsletter, with a note to me that I felt confirmed that now was the time to "go public."
So will your blog be about aging?
I'll certainly be offering some reflections on aging, but I doubt if I'll stick to just that topic. We'll see as it goes along.
How did you come up with the title?
The Scripture passage at the top of the page was the favorite quote of one of my elderly ladies. (I think it's fair to say that I myself am not old. Rather I would say that I'm smack in the middle of middle age. :-) ) From back in the days when I was thinking of writing a book, it struck me as a great title for a series of meditations on aging.
As I was considering this afternoon starting this blog, though, another reason came for using this title right now. This is a time of a great deal of uncertainty, especially in Michigan where I live, as the economy continues to spiral downward. It's at times like these that we need to encourage each other to look at life through the eyes of God, especially as He has revealed the truth about Himself and life in Scripture. In the words of St. Paul, "...we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us." (Romans 5:3-5)
Anything else we should know?
I don't anticipate updating this blog more often than once a week. This is for me a very busy season in the midst of a normally busy life, so I want to keep things balanced, and not have this blog become an obsession. Plus I feel like the Lord has made it clear that He has placed a high priority on what will be for me a major project, namely, cleaning out the clutter from my life! I'll tell you about that in my next post. (Something to look forward to. :-) ) Since cleaning is something that I try not to do on Sundays and Holy Days, though, I will probably limit my blogging to those days.
So, just to manage your expectations, don't expect to see frequent updates, and especially don't expect to see prompt responses to any comments. I'll do my best to reply when I can as seems appropriate.
Thanks for reading and for your interest in this blog. May our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, on whose feast this blog is being launched, support you with her prayers, and may our gracious Lord fill you with His peace throughout this Advent/Christmas season and the coming year. God bless you!
Theresa
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