O Holy Night

I used Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas by Ace Collins as an Advent Devotional one year and I was not disappointed. My most favorite Christmas song, O Holy Night, was included and I learned the fascinating story behind this carol.

O Holy Night

O Holy night, the stars are brightly shining ;
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Chorus:
Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by his cradle we stand.
So led by the light of a star sweetly gleaming.
Here came the wise men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our friend!

Chorus

Truly he taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name!
Chorus

 
The following is my summary of the history of O Holy Night.

It began in a small town in France in the year of 1847 in which Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure was a wine commissionaire.  Since he was "known more for his poetry than his church attendance, it probably shocked Placide when his parish priest asked him to pen a poem for Christmas mass. Nevertheless, the poet was honored to share his talents with the church." Using the story in Luke, he imagined what it would have been  like to have witnessed the birth of Christ and the poem "Cantique of Noel" was composed.   Pacide was so moved himself by the poem that he felt it was a song in need of musician so he requested assistance from his friend Adophe Charles Adams, who wrote works for orchestras and ballets all around the world.  Adophe was of Jewish ancestry and did not celebrate Christmas but he was moved by the poem and quickly wrote an original score for the beautiful words which was pleasing to both priest and poet. Three weeks later it was performed at a midnight mass on Christmas Eve; it was accepted by the church of France and became a beloved Christmas song.  When Placide left the church and joined the socialist movement and church leaders discovered Adophe was Jewish, the song was "suddenly and uniformly denounced by the church."  In 1813 an American editor, John Sullivan Dwight, while looking for new material discovered "Cantique of Noel." He translated the lyrics into English text "O Holy Night"and quickly became an American favorite. Back in France, the commoners still sang "Cantique of Noel" in their homes, as it had been banned from the church for almost two decades.

 "Legend has it, that on Christmas Eve 1871, in the midst of fierce fighting between the armies of Germany and France during the Franco-Prussian War, a French soldier suddenly jumped out of his muddy trench. Both sides stared at the seemingly crazed man. Boldly standing with no weapons in his hands or at his side, he lifted his eyes to the heavens and sang the beginning of "Cantique of Noel."  After completing all three verses, a German infantryman climbed out of his hiding place and answered with the beginning of Martin Luther's robust "From Heaven Above to Earth I Come." The story goes that the fighting stopped for the next twenty four hours while the men on both sides observed a temporary peace in honor of Christmas day. Perhaps the story had a part in the French church once again embracing "Cantique of Noel" as being worthy of inclusion in holiday services."  

And this still does not end the story behind "O Holy Night."  On Christmas Eve of 1906 Reginald Fessenden, university professor and former chief chemist for Thomas Edison, spoke into a microphone (using a new type of generator) and for the first time in history, a man's voice was broadcast over the airwaves reading from the gospel of Luke.  After reading the scriptures of the birth of Christ, Fessenden picked up his violin and played "O Holy Night," the first song ever sent through air via radio waves.  This carol has become one of the most recorded and played spiritual songs. "This incredible work -- requested by a forgotten parish priest, written by a poet who would later split from the church, given soaring music by a Jewish composer and brought to America -- has grown to become one of the most beautiful, inspired pieces of music ever created."

Advent Hymns

Two hymnals belong to my devotional library, not because I sing or play the piano (cannot do either), but they give life to my spirit.  For me, hymns are great for praying (and singing when I'm alone). When the words and music speak to your soul, you can be lifted up in praise and become aware and sense the presence of the Body of Christ and angels. I was able to have this experience many times during these weeks of  Advent as Church Street UMC Parish Adult and Youth Choirs, choir director and organist, along with various musicians, offered the congregation and community worship services adding breath-taking beauty to our celebrations.

I was introduced to two new hymns this month and they are being added to my unforgettable list. Here are the words for both of them. 

Gifts for the Child of Winter

Gifts for the child, for the child of winter

I give to you a plough-blade, a plough-blade made of snow

to run a furrow down the field and make the winter grow.

Its flowers will be white as frost, bright as stars in heaven

O bring us winter softly, and let our hearts be open.

I give to you a blackbird's song, a song of sweetest breath

to hang in every branch and tree and purify the earth.

It floats in clouds of wonder, it comes to do no harm:

O bring us winter gently, and let our hearts be warm.

I give to you a raindrop, frozen like a tear

to quench your thirst forever and taste the winter air

It flows to bring the blossom, to water the field

O bring us winter quietly and let our hearts be healed.

The plough-blade is for cutting, which comes before the seed.

The black-bird sings at eventide and then she falls asleep.

The raindrop falls just once and then is swallowed by the ground.

O come to be our summer, our summer without end.

Gifts for the child, for the child of winter.

                          text by Charles Bennett

There is No Rose of Such Virtue

There is no rose of such virtue as is the rose that bare Jesu. Alleluia.

for in this rose contained was heaven and earth in little space,

Res Miranda [marvelous thing].

Leave we all this worldly mirth, and follow we this joyful birth.

Transeasmu [Let us go].

There is no rose of such virtue as is the rose that bare Jesu.

Gaudeamus [Let us rejoice].

                text, ca. 1420, anonymous

This hymn  has been with me for a long time; it has been my "background song" for this season.  When ever I stopped my activities to be "mindful of the present moment" and listened, I could hear the singing of this song in my heart and I'd join with my lips.  Yes, I would put emphasis on the snow on snow phrases.
  

In the Bleak Midwinter

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan

earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;

snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,

in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain;

heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign

in the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed

the Lord God almighty, Jesus Christ. 

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,

cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;

but his mother only, in her maiden bliss,

worshiped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;

yet what I can I give him: give my heart.

 Christina G. Rossetti  (1872)

Quote by G. K. Chesterton, from an early notebook (mid-1890's)

"You say grace before meals.

All right.

But I say grace before the play and the opera,

And grace before the concert and pantomime,

And grace before sketching, painting,

Swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing;

And grace before I dip the pen in the ink."

What a wonderful way to acknowledge God's participation in the enjoyments of our living.  Another simple way for praying.

Answering God by Eugene Peterson

Answering God by Eugene Peterson:  I have read this book several times because it has been so meaningful for my journey. It is not a long book; it is only 128 pages, but the content provides the distance in understanding. I agree with the review given this book by Ted W. Engstrom, president emeritus, World Vision:  "Peterson again proves his consummate skill as a wordsmith, drawing the reader into his mind and heart...This book is a gem. Don't fail to explore its beauty." 

If we wish to develop in the life of faith, to mature in our humanity and glorify God with our entire heart, mind, soul and strength, the Psalms are necessary.  We cannot bypass the Psalms. They are God's gift to train us in prayer that is comprehensive (not patched together from emotional fragments) and honest. The Psalms are our prayer masters and we apprentice ourselves to them. Prayers articulate our seeking after the best. Te Psalms train us in the conversation  with God that is prayer.  Apprentice ourselves to a master (Psalms) we are forced to leave the ruts of mediocrity, and climb. The practice of millions of Christians through the centuries of use is adequate proof that we don't have to acquire expertise in the Psalms before we use them; they themselves - prayers that train us in prayer -- are the means to proficiency.  The practice of Christians in praying the Psalms is straightforward: simply pray through the Psalms, psalm by psalm, regularly.

Words woven into a fabric of meaning, have a characteristic feel to them.  When our eyes go over the words of a text and our tongues and lips reproduce the sound of the words, we get a feel for how they are being used and how to take them. Getting the feel of the text is prerequisite to getting its meaning, for if we don;t know how to take the words, we will probably take them incorrectly.  When we hear words spoken, we pick this up easily through tone and rhythm.  We we read words that are written we compensate for the loss of voice by observing how the words are arranged in the loom of the text.  As we discern the texture we know how to take the text.  Psalms are poetry and prayers: this is the texture of the text.  Poetry brings into recognition what is latent, forgotten over looked or suppressed.  Know this: the psalms text is almost entirely this kind of language.

Psalms are not prayed by people trying to understand themselves, but by people who understand that God has everything to do with them, God, not their feelings was the center. God, not their souls, was the issue.  God, not the the meaning of life, was critical.  The psalmists are passionate about God: the obedience-shaping, will-transforming, sin-revoking, praise-releasing God. The Psalms come from a people who hear God speak to them and realize it is the most important word they will ever hear spoken.  They decide to respond. They answer. These people made their mark in history not by understanding themselves or studying what they found around them in earth and sky, but in  praying to the God who revealed himself to them in Word. 

Languages II and III are the ascendant languages of our cultures.  Language that describes (II) and language that motivates (III) dominate.We are well schooled in language that describes the world in which we live.  We are well trained in the language that moves people to buy and join and vote.  Meanwhile Language I, the language of intimacy, the language that develops relationships of trust, hope, and understanding, languishes. When we enter into courtship and marriage we use this language yet again, finding that it is the only language adequate to the reality of our passions and commitments.  Romantic love extends and deepens it for as long as we have the will to pursue it.  But our will commonly falters, and in the traffic of the everyday and press of making a living, we content ourselves with the required and easier languages of information and motivation. In the early months of parenting, the basic language is relearned and used for awhile.  At death, if we know we are dying, we will us nothing else.A few people never quit using it -- a few lovers, some poets, the saints -- but most let it drift into disuse; Walter Wangerin, Jr. calls this a "vast massacre of neglect." Language I is the language of the Psalms and the language of prayer.  Not exclusively, of course, for all the languages blend together in actual use, but mostly.  But because it is the language that requires the most of us and hardly anyone (often no one) requires it of us, it is the language in which we are least proficient. It is necessary to acquire Language II if we are to pass from one school grade to the next, and it is gratifying to use Language III to get our own way, but, except for our children, our parents, our lovers, and our God (altogether they do not add up to very many, and we can easily avoid them if we wish), no once cares overmuch whether we use Language I and yet this is the language most necessary to our humanity, to finding out who we are and who we are with, for love and for care. And for God. Because we are more at home in the languages that describe where we are and get us what we want, and because these languages are more honored in our culture, our habit is to pray in these more easily handled languages.  This is fatal to prayer. Informational language is not prayer language. Motivational language is not prayer language. To pray in these languages is, in effect, not to pray. We must let the Psalms train us in prayer language -- the language of intimacy, or relationship, of "I and Thou," of personal love.

God works with words. He uses them to make a story of salvation. He pulls us into the story. When we believe, we become willing participant in this plot. We can do this reluctantly and minimally, going through the motions; or we can do it recklessly and robustly, throwing ourselves into the relationships and actions. When we do this, we pray. We practice the words and phrases that make us fluent in the conversation that is at the center of the story.We develop the free responses that answer to the creating word of God in and around us that is making a salvation story.

We both live and speak rhythmically. Rhythm is embedded in our bodies and in our world. The rhythms are contrapuntal, pulse counterpointed to seasons, breathing to moon phases. We live and speak in a fugue. Poetry takes the natural rhythms of language and deepens them, fitting sounds and meanings into the interior rhythms of our breathing and pulse, and then extends them to the environmental rhythms of days, months, and years. "Rhythm," John Ciardi once said, "shakes language down into the nervous system." All the psalms are given to us in the form of poetry. Prayer is rhythmic, using language to integrate our blessings to our breathing, adjusting the internal rhythms of our lives to the external rhythms of creation and covenant. Our core being is expressed in language that follows the rhythms of our life, inhalation and exhalation We cannot breathe out what we have not first breathed in. The breath that God breathes into us in daily pentecosts, is breathed out in our prayers, "telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God" (Acts 2:11). We can, of course, pray in a frenzy, thrashing about. Much prayer necessarily begins that way, but we pray better, and best, when we let the rhythms of the creating word of God work themselves into the rhythms of our living, and then find expression in the psalmic rhythms of prayer. Poetry requires equal time be given to sounds and silences. In all language silence is as important as sound. But more often than not we are merely impatient with the silence. Mobs of words run out of our moths, nonstop, trampling the grassy and sacred silence.  We stop only when breathless. Why do we talk so much? Why do we talk so fast? hurry is a from of violence practiced on times. But time is sacred. The purpose of language is not to murder the silence but to enter it, cautiously and reverently. The poet carefully arranges words in settings of silence. letting the sounds resonate, the meanings vibrate. Silence is not what is left over when there is nothing more to say but the aspect of time that gives meaning to sound. The poem restores silence to language so that words, organized and living, once again are given time to pulse and breathe.

What rhythms of language are to time, the metaphors of language are to place. God speaks to us in time and place. We must, therefore, answer, that is, pray, in time and in place. The rhythms of language are used by the psalmists to develop the cadences of the Genesis day in us; the metaphors of language are used by the psalmists to ground our prayers in the Genesis earth. Dissociated from creation, prayer drifts into silly sentimentalism, or snobbish mysticism, or pious elitism. 

These psalms that teach us to pray are, all of them, prayers of people gathered as a community before God in worship.  Some of them most certainly originated in solitude, and all of them have been continued in solitude. But in the form in which they come to us, the only form in which they come to us, and therefore in the way they serve as our school of prayer, they are the prayers of the community before God in worship. Prayer is fundamentally liturgical. Selah, untranslated and untranslatable, strewn through the Psalms, will not let us forget it. If its meaning is an enigma, its use is clear: Selah directed people who were together in prayer to do something or other together. Individuals don't "make up" the community, they are produced by it. The Psalms return us to this beginning, this original matrix of humanity and spirituality.

And these are just a few of the gems you'll find in this book. 

Here and Now by Henri J.M. Nouwen

Here and Now is another book we have used in our Contemplative Prayer Group. I have been reading Nouwen for a long time, and as with Thomas Merton, I have yet to read all of their books.  And of course, more books are being compiled from their writings. How wonderful it would be to immerse oneself into the writings of either in order to birth a book from a certain topic.


In the Preface of the book, Nouwen explains the purpose for writing this book:

Much of what I have written has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, much too, has come to my spiritual awareness during the last few years, and much appeared as new and surprising as I wrote these meditations.  I didn't try to be original, but to be authentic.  I didn't try to say things I had never said before, but things that really matter to me. I didn't try to write a new book, but to meditate on life as I am trying to live it.  Some of the reflections in this book can also be found in earlier books; others are new.  But all are an expression of my present state of mind and heart.

 And in the Afterword, Nouwen offers this suggestion for the reader:

To you who have read some or all of these meditations I want to say:  Do not stop here. Continue on your own. My words were only to encourage you to find your own words, and my thoughts were only to help you discover your own thoughts. What I have written in this book is an expression of my own personal spiritual journey, bound by my own personality, time, place and circumstances. Your spiritual journey is as unique as mine; it has its own unique beauty and unique boundaries. My hope is that the description of God's love in my life will give you the freedom and the courage to discover -- and maybe also describe -- God's love in yours.

Here is the list of the chapters:  Living In The Present, Joy, Suffering, Conversion, Disciplined Living, The Spiritual Life, Prayer, Compassion, Family, Relationships and Who We Are. A lot of ground is covered in these short chapters and shared with the reader in the typical Nouwen style of being open and transparent.

Christian Year

Advent is almost here: Sunday, November 30th.  As this is the start of the Christian year, it is the perfect time for beginning a devotional book, especially if it is one that is helping you live the Christian year.  And I want to recommend one of the best:  Living the Christian Year: Time to Inhabit the Story of God by Bobby Gross.

Not sure how I selected this book, but since I ordered via Amazon, it was an intentional choice. My usual way of turning to new-to-me authors is from quotes or chapter notes or additional resources suggested in a book that is assisting me in this phase of my walk. I have used this book all of this past Christian year and my understanding of the historical and current inhabiting has become more solidified. Pacing my spiritual journey with the rhythms of the Christian year has not been part of my devotional life until the past seven years, but now the rhythms, which include the liturgy, have enveloped me like a cloud. 

Here is a section in the Foreword by Lauren Winner where she is explaining why observing the Christian year is important to her.

One of my goals in life is to inhabit the Christian story so fully that Advent will e the instinctive beginning of my year. Why is this so important to me, this living into the church's calendar?  Well, for many reason. Fist, I want the Christian story to shape everything I do, even how I reckon time. I want the rhythms of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost to be more basic to my life than the days on which my quarterly estimated taxes are due.  Second, I have found that inhabiting the church calendar is powerfully evangelistic ....you will be doing something so counter cultural that it will not escape the notice of your friends and neighbors -- and they will ask you why you are doing the things you are doing -- and you will have a chance to tell them something about Jesus.  And third, most important: almost more than anything else I've done since becoming a Christian, trying to live inside church time has formed me in the Christian story. Which is to say, almost more than anything else, living inside church time has formed me in Jesus' story. Jesus drew my attention to himself, and the church calendar has kept it fixed there -- on him.  Church time has offered me the chance to reprise and reiterate Jesus' life every year.   

The part I'm selecting to share came from the Thanksgiving chapter which was yesterday's reading in Living the Christian Year by Bobby Gross. Each chapter includes topic based prayers and reading from the A, B, or C year of the lectionary.   

Our texts this week call us to thanksgiving. We give thanks for the bounty of the earth: common grace.  We give thanks for the blessings of Christ: spiritual grace.  We give thanks for the promises of God: eschatological grace. We remind ourselves that all we have comes from God, not our own hands (Deut 8:7). We express our gratitude by giving a portion back to God and sharing generously with others.We also celebrate God's generosity by feasting with gratitude in anticipation of the great feast in the age to come.

Study on Prayer

After moving from Weaverville, NC to Erwin, TN in 2007,  I put together a study on prayer for a few of my scattered friends via internet.  You can find this study at   http://selahretreat.blogspot.com  You will need to go back to the first post for the starting point. The format is my usual style of using the books I am or have read along with the Bible (Amplified Version). The blog is still open for comments; you will need  a google account (already existing or set up one).    

Inviting Silence by Gunilla Norris

I stumbled upon Gunilla Norris in a used book store and brought home a copy of Being Home, A Book of Meditations. Then with the help of Amazon.com I obtained other books like Inviting Silence and A Mystic Garden. Finding just one or two passages to share was challenging but I finally settled on these from Inviting Silence.

Here in each day is a wealth of time
we can take advantage of. They are breath breaks.
If we learn to rest and renew in them
our lives will go from disconnection and haste
to breathtaking presence.

To be on time we need to experience ourselves in time.
Our inner lives are timeless,
and yet our days are numbered.
To work with time we need a sense of leisure,
a sense of the natural unfolding of a day,
of a season, a year, a life.
We need also to be present to our experiences,
moment to moment. This makes for timeliness.
Then we can feel the rhythm of our lives.
Our timing becomes finer and finer.
We do not miss a beat. Leisurely and precise,
we can flow with time. 

W. Phillip Keller

W. Phillip Keller is the son of missionary parents and grew up East Africa.  He has written over thirty-five Christian books; one of the most popular of his books is A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23.  Here is an excerpt from Outdoor Moments with God from the chapter entitled, Mountain Vespers.

I had decided to spend the night there, curled up in a couple of old, well-worn blankets. As the sun settled beyond the sawtooth skyline to the west, the high mountain robins began their evening serenade. It blended into the melody of a small stream that murmured softly through the glade. Then, just then, several vesper sparrows added their pure, plaintive vesper calls to the soft evening song. If ever there was in truth a vesper service of primitive purity, this was it, played out in absolute innocence for all eternity.

For a mountain man, well into the late twilight of his own earth sojourn, this interlude stands out with glowing delight and sheer ecstasy which no pen can possibly portray on paper. I had entered a celestial cathedral of divine design.  In truth this had been for me hallowed ground. And in that place of supreme peace, I had again encountered the person of Christ Himself who as He assured us, "Goes ahead to prepare places of supreme serenity for us." Not just in the next world, but in this one as well.

 I have gained so much from many of his books, especially the ones in which he presents spiritual lessons from whatever the environment may be around him: Mountain Splendor, Still Waters, Sea Edge.

Poem of Friendship

I first saw this poem, Friendship by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik, on a card in a gift store on the campus of WNCU (Gypsi was in junior high school and was participating in a school event). I had to buy the card in order to have a copy of the poem and I am so glad I did. I have passed it onto many friends and it still speaks to me today. Years ago, I was delighted to find that Greg Ogden, author of Discipleship Essentials, used this same poem in the chapter on Prayer. I'm including the before and after paragraphs so you can see how he tied the poem into prayer.

Prayer is transparent dialog.  It is the way we have an intimate conversation with the Creator of the universe and the Redeemer of our lives, who is wild about spending time with us.  Prayer represents the place of greatest safety where we can pour out our hearts in an unedited fashion, much like we would to a dear friend who accepts us as we are, warts and all.  Though the following poem is about friendship, it expresses our experience of prayer as well.

Oh the comfort--the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person,
Having neither to weigh thoughts,
Nor measure words--but pouring them
All right out--just as they are--
Chaff and grain together--
Certain that a faithful hand will
Take and sift them--
Keep what is worth keeping--
And with the breath of kindness
Blow the rest away.

Prayer is a come-as-you-are affair. It is God's welcome into his heart.     

Hesychia, The Practice of Stillness

Weavings,  A Journal of the Christian Spiritual Life,  weavings.org is a wonderful bimonthly publication by Upper Room Ministries.  The January/February 2007 issue was entitled "Be Still."  I want to share some excerpts from the contribution of Douglas Burton-Christie entitled Hesychia, The Practice of Stillness.

The ancient monks of the Egyptian desert had a name for this elusive but crucial aspect of the spirtual life: hesychia. The Greek word can be translated in different ways, depending on the context: stillness, quiet, tranquility, deep peace. In the monastic literature, hesychia is often synonymous with a certain quality of depth of prayer, or awareness of "God's presence.  John Climacus described hesychia as "worshiping God unceasingly...an inviolable activity of the heart." The simplicity of hesychia was, for the early Christian monks, part of its power, its meaning. In this place of stillness, everything other than God faded from consciousness.  God's touch, God's presence became palpable. One became conscious of living in God.

Late in his life, Thomas Merton traveled to California to spend time at Redwoods Monastery and to explore the Lost Coast in the hopes of finding a place where he could descend into greater stillness and authentic prayer.  He had arrived at a moment in his own life in which he felt the need to go deeper, to find a more honest way of living out his monastic vocation.  From his perch along the wild, craggy Northern California, he wrote:

    In our monasticism, we have been content to find our way to a kind of peace, a simple, undisturbed thoughtful life. And this is certainly good.  But is it good enough?

   I, for one realize that now I need more.Not simply to be quiet, somewhat productive, to pray, to read, to cultivate leisure...There is a need of effort, deepening, change and transformation. Not that I must undertake a special project of self-transformation or that I must "work on myself." In that regard, it would be better to forget it. Just go for walks, live in peace, let change come quietly and invisibly on the inside.

   But I have a past to break with, an accumulation of inertia, waste, wrong, foolishness, rot, junk, a great need of clarification of mindfulness, or rather of no min ---a return to genuine peace, right effort, need to push on to the great doubt. Need for the Spirit.

 This is an utterly personal statement, articulated by a man standing at a crossroads in his life, looking for a more authentic way of living. Yet it also speaks, I think, to a larger and more widely shared hunger - for honesty, open-heartedness, integrity, peace. Not any peace - certainly not a peace born of easy acceptance of conventions or evasion of the hard questions. Rather it is something closer to what the early Christian monks meant by hesychia ---a deep, abiding peace, born of struggle and relinquishment, issuing from the costly work of facing up to the truth of one's life. Few of us can deny the need for this kind of clarification and purification in our life, or the sense of relief that comes from finally giving ourselves to this work.Yet arriving at a place where this deep, cleansing work can begin to happen is itself a mysterious thing.  Something in us has to shift. We must become vulnerable. A space needs to open up within us, even a small space. It was here in this space of hesychia, the monks believed, that the need for "deepening, change and transformation" could take root within and begin to blossom.  Here in this stillness, one could begin to dream of entering into "the very center of the mysteries," into a simple awareness of God at the heart of one's life.  One could be reborn.    

Made for Goodness by Desmond Tutu & Mpho Tutu

As mentioned in an earlier post, we are reading and discussing this book in our Contemplative Prayer Group.  It is a book in which every chapter gives the reader a gift and reveals the heart of this exceptional spiritual leader.  When I read in the acknowledgements of the book, that Mpho had spent time in Hot Springs, NC while preparing this book, I felt an invisible connection and was so pleased that my area had provided rest for her as she was writing. I'm going to share two selections of the many gifts this book gave to me.

 At the end of each chapter there is a poem in which the reader is directed to "turn into the stillness and listen to God speak with the voice of the heart" .....

Failure and shame shut your eyes
So you can't see me.
Anguish and pain shriek with your voice
And you can't hear me.
Guilt makes you turn aside
And you think I have walked away.
But through it all I am right here,
Right here where you weep lonely tears for me,
Right here where you thought you didn't want me to be.
I AM.

"Why have you forsaken me?"
I hear the cry through all eternity.
Child, I am here.
I know what you are doing.
I weep for you when you slide away from all that is right,
When you turn your back on all that is good.
I weep for you.
I see the harm that you do.
In my hand I hold your hand.
In my hand I hold the hurting hand of the one you are harming.
Right now,
In this moment,
I stand between the two of you and neither of you see me.
In one hand I hold the hand of my beloved child
My dear one who is blinded by suffering.
In my other hand I hold the hand of my beloved child
My dear one whose savagery and shame hide me from sight.
But I am here
Beside you both,
Between, within, and all around you both.
I AM.  

Here is a section from the chapter of Hearing God's Voice and I have already found it to be very helpful in quieting myself for prayer.

There are many ways to still oneself.  Mpho teaches the use of breath and of the line of the Psalter "Be still and know" as a path into stillness.  "Be still and know" is mouthed on a slow inhalation; "that I am God" is mouthed on the exhalation. The words are not spoken aloud. But mouthing the words helps to hold the attention.  Although the words fall away, the inhalation and exhalation do not become shorter.  Rather, breath fills the wordless space.

Be still and know that I am God
Be still and know that I am
Be still and know that I
Be still and know that
Be still and know
Be still and
Be still
Be

When Mpho uses this form of prayer, she will reconstruct the line word by word and then allow each word to fall away again in turn.  Sometimes that construction and deconstruction will fill the whole period she has set aside for meditation.  Sometimes the words fall away as she sinks into silence.  On occasion the words fall away and then return as some distraction threatens to intrude on the stillness. The words and breath are like a banister in an uneven stairwell: sometimes one must lean on the banister heavily; other times a light touch is all that is necessary to steady one's step; still other times the railing is not needed at all.  It is so with the words of the psalm and the attention to the breath: sometimes they are needed to push the chatter aside; sometimes they are a barely perceptible presence; sometimes they fall away completely. This kind of rhythmic repetition of a words, verse, or mantra is a prayer practice that anyone can use. When the repetition is paired with attention to the breath, it offers a path into deep silence. As we find and inhabit that silence, we will become more attuned to the voice of God.

  

Trees

Memorized this poem in the 8th grade for an English assignment and I am so glad I did.  I have carried it with me for many years.   

TREES

I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast.
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray.
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair.
Upon whose bosom snow has lain
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me
But only God can make a tree.

               Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)

Trees have always been important to me and a form a large part of my life's background: mountains, hiking/walking trails, identifying (Daddy taught me to identify trees ... he worked with The Davey Tree Company while I was growing up), picnics on Ogle Meadows, reading under trees, trees limbs hanging with snow, autumn leaves of many colors falling, raking leaves into piles, Blue Ridge Parkway, tree swings, smell of pines and leaves, wind singing through the pines and talking through the beech leaves in winter, campfires, walking a fallen tree for foot log across a creek, counting the growth rings of a cut tree etc.  So thankful for organizations such as Arbor Day Foundation  arborday.org .  Here is a collage I put together from Arbor Day Cards and WNC magazine.

Kindle and George MacDonald

Forgot to mention the book I am currently reading on Kindle (shows how my mind doesn't always include the Kindle when I'm thinking or saying "books.")  I do love the Kindle that my son-in-law gave to me and the daughter has been assisting me for almost two years in helping me get adjusted to this wonderful gadget. It is amazing to hold all your library selections in one hand and have immediate access to many more books.  And there are so many classics to download and many do not cost a penny!  So I have downloaded all of the free George MacDonald books which I think is around 36.  The one I am reading at this time is The Portent.  If you are not familiar with George MacDonald, he is a 19th century Scottish storyteller and  I recommend beginning with At the Back of the North Wind; although it is considered a book for children, it is for all ages. Here is the link: amazon.com/George-MacDonald/e/  In my library collection, I have several hand-bound editions of George MacDonald which are prepared by the Johannesen Publishing: johannesen.com and they are beautiful hardback copies. Many of the novels of George MacDonald have been edited from the Scots dialect to modern English by Michael Phillips.  amazon.com/Baronets-Song-George-MacDonald/    

Currently Reading

Currently reading: these two books, Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell and The Excellency of the Rosary by Math Josef Frings were birthday gifts from my daughter;  this is the second reading of The Cloud of Unknowing; just finished reading Keeping the Sabbath Wholly by Marva J Dawn and will do a blog summary later; reading Made for Goodness by Desmond Tutu & Mpho Tutu, with my Contemplative Prayer Group which meets twice a month for book discussion and prayer.

My reading activity would be incomplete if I failed to mention my devotional reading:  Bible via the Revised Common Lectionary (read the past three years in the B, C, A order); Psalms, using the Common Book of Prayer psalter for the guide to read the entire Psalms each month; Living the Christian Year by Bobby Gross.  During the next few weeks, I will be selecting the books and making devotional plans for the up coming Christian Year.  During Advent and Lent, additional readings are added that are compiled for these seasons and currently, I am trying to finalize a selection for this Advent season. 

Yearning for Reading Time

When I was on the 9-5 weekday schedule, my deepest yearning was always for more reading time. Since retiring, most of my days are intentionally paced slower and reading is scheduled daily.  Realizing that many of my friends are not at a place in their lives where there is adequate reading time, sharing my reads in summary form on a blog could be of a benefit to them in a couple of ways: 1) allow them a review to determine if it is a book they think would be worth their time to obtain and read; 2) give them informational highlights of the book with a quick blog read.  And of course, it gives me another "gleaning" from a book that was beneficial to my journey of life.  So that is why this is a blog about books and the tracks I will be known by, will be the books I share.

Music of Silence by David Stendl-Rast

Music of Silence A Sacred Journey Through the Hours of the Day by David Stendl-Rast (check out this link www.gratefulness.org for more of his work).  I originally read this book in 2004 and it was the beginning of my awareness of the rhythms of life.

Hours of the Day: Vigils, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, Compline

Vigils - the Night Watch
... before the day's noises begin, when it is still perfectly quiet
...in the stillness open your heart to the gift of the hour; gratefully listen to the silence
...time for learning to trust the dark
...it is the hour that call us to set aside time outside the practical demands of the day
...invited to connect with the dark, grace-filled mystery in which we are immersed in the sacred, timeless   dimension of our lives
...challenges us to carry the good news through the rest of the day: light shines in the midst of darkness
 ...night wind is the natural voice of vigils
...calls us to a loving listening; we have so much restlessness and noise in us, we find it had to nurture and       cultivate a listening attitude
...carry through the day the mystery of darkness that gives light; carry the melody of wonder and joy

Lauds - the Coming of the Light
...as this hour opens the door to a new day, give thanks for new opportunities
...takes us out of the darkness into the light
 ...begin with the attitude that each day is a gift, that everything in our life is a gift; appropriate response to this given world is gratefulness even in the midst of suffering and pain
...invites us to ask "what attitude should I bring to this day?"
...take time to rejoice and delight in the gift of the moment; don't sleepwalk through life
...world is reborn each morning
...awakening of the child within, combines fresh enthusiasm of the child's innocence with the wisdom that comes with experience
...our senses are so overloaded that they are dull; we can't really hear well or savor a taste
...light exposes darkness

Prime - a Deliberate Beginning
...accept tasks for today; tackle them with courage and bring blessings to all whom you serve through mindful, careful, cheerful work
...focus on a proper beginning; start the day's activities wholeheartedly and deliberately
...men work together whether they work side-by-side or apart and never see one another
...if you make a right start, aligning your actions with your best intentions, everything you do is prayer; savor work, don't hurry just to get it over
...disobedience is not so much not doing what you know you should do, as not even listening to what the situation demands and calls you to do
...starting the day off right requires stop, look, then go


Terce - the Joy of Living
...mid-morning prayer break
...grateful for the gift of life, take a breath and pray "May all beings everywhere live in peace"
...focus on the Holy Spirit that is life-breath, that joy living within us
...delight in being blessed with life
...pass a blessing onto others by a good word or smile, a kind action that goes completely unobserved or simply a good wish in silence
...as we lovingly take care of details, we grow into that attitude of caring and tenderness
...to be vital, awake, aware in all areas of our lives, is the task that is never accomplished but remains the goal: to be ablaze with the Holy Spirit
...the spirit is our strength that expresses itself in strong action and tenderness
...spread the fiery enthusiasm of the divine life within us
...remember God's presence

Sext - Commitment & Fervor
...at this hour of high noon, lift up heart and mind in a moment of grateful silence
...tend to get sleepy and our good intentions can begin to flag
...courageous resolution: "I will stay true and uphold for the rest of the day"
...high noon is the time of great silence in nature; turning point of day
...noon day bell is invitation to pray for peace and commit oneself to treat others with love
...trustful waiting is a truly fervent way of praying
...time of transition, passing into the second part of the day

None - the Shadows Lengthen
...needed boost for last hours of the work day
 ...as day declines towards evening be renewed in spirit and not grow tired of giving your best
...time to turn inward again, after the outward movements of the day
...look to those things which endures
...listen intently to the music that never stops, the inner music of silence
 ...acknowledge that each day comes to a close, each life comes to a close
...the more fully life is lived, the easier it is to let go
...we all need a place apart to face reality
...time to be forgiven for our shortcomings and be encouraged to forgive ourselves and others
...late afternoon of our lives is often a time when we are called to forgive and let go of our grievances

Vespers - Lighting the Lamps
...an evening celebration
...pause to review the harvest of today and to give thanks for what you have learned for tomorrow
 ...find peace of heart by reconciling contradictions within and around us
...place disappointments and regrets of the day behind us and become festive in a new way
...light the lamps of caring attention for our neighbors in this dark world
...daylight fades and the distinct silence of night descends
...become festive and receive God as a guest, stretch beyond time and embrace the now
...luxuriate in the quiet beauty of evening
...what candle can we light for others to to acknowledge and show appreciation
...we move closer together when it gets dark

Compline - Completing the Circle
...give thanks for another day
...review the day and resolve to do better tomorrow
...approach the night with trust and joyful anticipation
...trust opens our hearts to the blessing of rest
...examine conscience and ask forgiveness; making a clean transition into night and sleep
...connects the end of day with the end of life itself; reinforces the theme that the rhythm of our days parallels the rhythm of our life; the way we live each hour, each day, determine the character of our life; the paced hours teach us how to pace our life
...remind ourselves of the firm foundation on which our faith rests
...trust in the uniqueness of each person; we thrive in an atmosphere of feeling at home and safe in the world

The introduction to this book is written by Kathleen Norris, the author of many books that has been most helpful in my journey; I will be forever grateful to the pastor who introduced me to Kathleen Norris via The Cloister Walk.  Here are a few of her comments from the introduction:
---The human perception of time has long been subject to technological revisions, and increased speed has often subtly reduced our capacity to appreciate the world around us
--- Addiction to speed, to the artificial rhythms generated by electronic media, can change our consciousness
---This book is steeped in the wisdom of disciplined prayer done according to the rhythms of day and night.  As a monk, Steindl-Rast has learned that "prayer is not sending an order and expecting it to be fulfilled.  Prayer is attuning yourself to the life of the world, to love, the force that moves the sun and the moon and the stars."  It is the sort of thing that monks, mystics, and poets come to know very well by paying close attention to the flow of hours around them.

Ready to Continue this Blog

Guess what?   I'm ready to continue this blog.  It was started several years ago and was disrupted by a relocation and now that I'm settled, I have the desire and time, of the two, desire is the stronger.  So hoping my friends (old and new) will check out this blog and see the direction my journey of life is taking, mainly through the books that are speak to me.  And please, add your thoughts in the section for comments.

Grace is given us for the precise purpose of enabling us to discover and actualize our deepest and truest self. Unless we discover this deep self, which is hidden with Christ in God, we will never really know ourselves as persons.

The New Man, Thomas Merton