I've been away from St. Timothy's and my faith community for both of the holiest celebrations of the church year...Christmas and Easter. Being on my own, though, has made me dig even deeper to find ways to connect with my faith. I've used online resources to keep me in touch spiritually....retreats, devotionals, study groups. Yesterday I shared praying the Stations of the Cross with Mary. Today, I prayed the Stations with another web-based Jesuit community called Pray As You Go. Each of the 10 Stations are illustrated with a piece of Renaissance art and beautiful sacred music along with a Jesuit contemplation and prayer. It's interesting to me that I was touched differently by these two different websites. Each, though, was deeply meaningful. This Station called "The Good Thief" was my favorite on this site.
This year my Lenten discipline has been to "Pray Lent" every day with the Creighton University Online Ministries site. Although not Episcopalian (Creighton is a Jesuit Catholic university), the liturgy and lessons are similiar, and I've been comforted, challenged, and inspired by these daily devotions. Lent is over. It is now the Holy Days of the Paschal mystery. Today being Good Friday seems the right time to pray the Stations of the Cross.This year I've chosen to pray them with Mary, Mother of Jesus. As a mother, to see the crucifixion of Jesus through Mary's eyes has been a powerful and moving experience for me. What mother can't relate to the feelings and emotions she must have had as she watched her beloved son mocked and scorned, beaten and finally crucified unto death? I invite you to pray the Stations with Mary. Click here to access the Creighton site.
My favorite 12th century Christian mystic, philosopher, and abbess, Hildegard of Bingen, coined the word 'viriditas' to describe her belief that God's Living Water, the Word, greens the soul making it moist, fecund, and saturated with His love. This greening of the soul connects it deeply with its sacred source. Greening the earth with His holy rain, God brings us to awareness of His presence in all things. "Opus Verbi viriditas" the work of the Word is greenness.
The beautiful song "Water, River, Spirit, Grace" sung by Trish Bruxvoort Colligan and used by gracious permission from River's Voice. Please check out their website...Richard and Trish are talented songwriters and musicians.
I'm in the midst of an online class entitled "Praying with the Elements: Water,Wind, Earth & Fire." The first element we've explored is Wind. Wind is the physical manifestation of the Breath of God which created us all, which surrounds us and sustains our lives. Without Breath/Air/Wind, we cease to exist. How much I take for granted this life-sustaining gift from God! The Divine Presence in the Wind is life giving and inspiring, or it can be the whirlwind of life's storms and sorrows. In all forms, though, it is God-With-Us. Occasionally, the Breath takes a visual form like these puffy, wind-inflated clouds over Cadrieu. Sometimes it can be seen in swirling leaves, billowing sails, or soaring birds. Let yourself be reminded each time you see such images that this, indeed, is the Breath of God cradling you and making your life possible.
As I read Christine's book that accompanies this class, there are many Biblical and scholarly references to wind and the Breath of God. My favorite (for today anyway!) is from Theophilus of Antioch:
"God has given to the earth the breath which feeds it. It is his breath that gives life to all things. And if he were to withhold his breath, everything would be annihilated. His breath vibrates in yours, in your voice. It is the breath of God that you breathe--and you are unaware of it."
