May all fragmentation cease.
Discover God in the little things
you do extraordinarily well.
Open the portals of your heart.
See within, this mystery—
God is everywhere.
O shaper of the future,
may your imagination thrive.
The future is yours to create.
Remember the joy of tomorrow,
plan memories now past.
Today we ponder what’s next,
give thanks as chapters unfold.
Every day bought unexpected heartaches,
sometimes unexpected peace.
I ponder this day, then wonder
what this turning point means.
Today you dream of tomorrow,
wonder what’s up ahead.
Look within, then yonder,
on this almost persuaded new day.
TV turned off,
door almost locked,
no one at dinner
to bid me goodbye.
I look down the side road,
try not to cry,
say hello to emptiness
as nobody waves goodbye.
I gather my memories
of good times and sad,
embrace that emptiness
as I go without goodbye.
It’s morning,
dawn in the forest,
silent here among the trees.
Discover how to listen
to the breeze.
Here I walk and wonder.
Here I make my plea.
May tomorrow
bring us wisdom,
reveal the lyrics of a song.
We the people
must drastically change.
On this anniversary
of Earth Day,
we are immersed in virus,
hovering at the edge,
calling for the courage
of the heart.
I mourn the death
of so many souls,
now silent.
May there be a rising
not yet known,
a sacred time
when beauty
will restore the world.
Thoughts of the day
Across the mountains,
beyond the seas,
the Cosmic Christ appears
on this Easter day.
We remember the great story
in our hearts,
a story of wisdom,
of depth and amazement.
We give thanks for this day
for sunshine and flowers and friends.
We ponder the meaning of Easter
on this trembling pandemic day.
We are grateful for each other,
surrounded by so much illness and death.
The presence of the Cosmic One
wraps us in memories of another time.
My mind goes back
to Good Fridays as a child.
In our Canadian village, it always rained
as my father planted potatoes.
My parents brought us inside
to pray the rosary.
I imagined how Earth shook
the moment Jesus died.
Today at Springbank
we hear the Passion journey,
the way of the cross
now nourished by the Eucharist.
We sink into the solitude of the forest,
dispel the darkness,
celebrate the presence of the Cosmic Christ,
the one who is both glorious and wounded.
As the sun sets
on this palmetto place,
we go outside into darkness
and light the Paschal candle.
We share the fire,
dispel the dark of the world.
Then we join the procession, enter the chapel and
proclaim the church’s greatest hymn, the Exsultet.
We say yes to the cosmos,
feel empowered to face the challenges of tomorrow,
to once again encounter
what is dying and what is being born
Through this sacred celebration,
the Great Story is told,
a story of beauty,
brokenness and Easter love.
Today the Cosmic Christ
transcends the confines of space and time.
The whole universe is filled with divine creative energy,
every place is a place to find God.
This morning, we don’t go to church to find God;
Rather, we celebrate God in all things and all things in God.
We proclaim a joyful chorus
and remember the wounds of virus and death.
We offer gratitude to those who toil to save lives,
who risk their own future to tend to the afflicted.
This Easter Sunday, we member our journey
of seder, Stations of the Cross, the Exsultet and vigil.
We realize God is not just here,
God is everywhere,
as this sacred moment,
we burst into song!
Glory and praise!
We recall, remember and proclaim
the transfigured Christ,
shining forth
with an incandescent glow.
Alive, vital and transformed,
a beacon for this time,
shine brilliantly
into an ever-awakening dawn.
Every image is a scriptural verse.
thoughts for the day…
We go outside,
bless the palms,
join the procession,
enter the chapel.
Once again I ask,
“What is this day?
Is it about misery
and pain?”
Now I awaken and say,
“It is about love,
love for you
and all of God’s people.”
As together we pray,
love is our passion,
love on this day.
Hospitality expressed,
discernment revisited,
the quest continues:
What’s next for us all?
Illness surrounds us,
Tomorrow is unclear.
What is the message
we all want hear?
I pray with my feet,
give thanks for this day.
I hear wisdom say,
“Tomorrow is a mystery.”
Listen, pay attention today,
embrace every question.
Don’t worry, be present.
Just pray.
In this clay jar,
the dust from which I came,
fragile, ancient and new.
I pray with anxiety in my soul,
may this virus-ridden world
carry forth the wisdom of the earth.
May we build sandcastles
on the shore of life,
as we shape, polish, and pray.
May we bring to this mysterious moment
the call of the Great Spirit,
who promises an adventurous plunge
into what this clay can be.
On this silent joyful day,
I feel divine presence
permeate my soul.
May I be soaked in wonder,
as with great joy,
the universe sings,
“All is holy now.”
All is holy—even the smallest being
and the cosmos herself.
Together we pray,
for today is Laetare Day
Experience the updraft.
Even as the virus
infuses planet home,
a new power erupts,
thoughts of Jesus burst into focus.
Shackles of abstraction fade away.
Brother, friend, companion,
come alive.
“Now is the time,”
I hear the great mystery say.
It’s time to catch up with Jesus,
welcome rivulets of wonder.
It’s time to celebrate
unbidden bursts of love
washing upon creation.
I believe we are here for a reason,
to bring a message to the world,
to heal the turmoil of these days
with the silence of our hearts.
We are compelled to say to the world,
to all who dare to listen,
bring healing to this abandoned place,
say yes to all who listen.
Heal what is broken,
bind up the wounds,
say your prayers
allow peace to wash upon creation.
thoughts for the day
Dear Joey, friend of Earth and Springbank,
you taught us many things.
How to wake each morning.
How to live among the trees,
enjoy breakfast with your friends,
snuggle with Trina in the night.
Thomas Merton told us about you,
And he was correct:
“Every four-legged creature is a saint.”
Goodbye, dear friend,
as you dance among the trees,
and be at peace, be at peace
Welcome the dark,
let your light shine.
See clearly now,
even dark shadows
brighten your day.
Sink into paradox.
May each day of darkness
enlighten your way.
See each new shadow
bring forth new light.
Turn thorns into love,
darkness into light.
In the calendar of our tradition, we celebrate the beginning of Lent as Ash Wednesday.
Another word for Lent is spring.
The poet Rilke writes, “It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.”
At the time of Lent, we engage in spring cleaning, making our homes sparkle with radiance and newness.
When I was a child, I gave up putting brown sugar on my porridge for Lent.
Today, as this country is in the throes of an election, we can consider that the deeper meaning of Lent is not so much giving something up as it is making a new engagement.
I recall the words of the prophet of the United Farm Workers: “Sí se puede.” “Yes we can.” This slogan carried Obama to the presidency as it echoed around America.
We see Lent through the lens of a great cosmic event. As we give and receive ashes, we give thanks when we say and hear the words “repent and believe in the gospel.”
This spiritual practice offers a sacred opportunity for a springtime in my soul.