Let mystery have its place in you; do not be always turning up your whole soil with the plowshare of self-examination, but leave a little fallow corner in your heart ready for any seed the winds may bring, and reserve a nook of shadow for the passing bird; keep a place in your heart for the unexpected guests, an altar for an unknown God. -from Amiel’s Journal, translated by Mrs. Humphrey Ward The Novena of Grace is coming to an end today.  This was my first year coordinating this event and so I was unsure of what to expect.  I am

Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. -Mark 9:2-3 Today’s gospel reading is of the Transfiguration of Jesus.  A few years ago I wrote an article on beauty which explored certain movements in a spirituality that takes seriously the aesthetic dimension: longing, awakening, seeing, cultivating, and creating.  Those movements are all verbs, because our response to beauty prompts a dynamic process within us. (you can read the whole article here: “Responding

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. -Mark 1:12-13 I was at the monthly gathering of Seattle-area Oblates yesterday afternoon and, as always, it was a rich and nourishing time.  We engaged in lectio divina together, as is our practice, and the scripture came from today’s Gospel reading.  (See above for the first half.) In my prayer, the phrase that struck me was “the angels ministered to him.”  As often happens in lectio, I will read a

When my yoga teacher invites us into a balance pose, she reminds us to “embrace the wavering.”  She says that it is in the subtle movement that happens while trying to balance that actually strengthens our muscles and our pose. So rather than trying to remain absolutely still, balance is about embracing the small (and sometimes large) movements.  Balance is a dynamic, rather than static place.  It is in this wavering that we become stronger, in becoming fully present to the internal micro-movements of our lives. I find great comfort in this invitation, both in yoga practice and life practice.  I

My sweet Abbess Petunia needs to have another surgery today.  Back in November she had a tumor removed that was cancerous but tested as low-grade and they thought it had all been removed.  We discovered another small lump near the same spot last week and so they are going back in to remove it.  I have been relishing the wisdom found in this week’s Poetry Party.  Be sure to go take a peek and share your own poem about the Lenten journey, where an awareness of our mortality and death bring us closer to the beauty of life.

Lent What will you give up for the season, To help life along In its curious reversals? As if we had a choice. As if the world were not Constantly shedding us Like feathers off a duck’s back – The ground is always littered with our longings. You can’t help but wonder About all the heroes, The lives sacrificed In the compulsion toward the good. All those who dropped themselves Upon the earth’s hard surface – Weren’t they caught in pure astonishment In the breath before they shattered? Forget sacrifice. Nothing is tied so firmly that the wind Won’t tear