Advent – 2020

-




As we gaze upon and admire the jade in our Chapel today (in the same pot for about 40 years now, originally a gift many years ago from then live-in volunteers and still very much part of the heart of the house of prayer, Emily and John Cherneski), we easily recall Isaiah 35:

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
   the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly,
   and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it …..

Just one notable change of wording:  the crocus becomes the jade. 

Although spoken a few years ago by Pope Francis, lately we have recalled and been touched by his words:

photo by Chantelle

Rivers do not drink their own water; trees do not eat their own fruit; the sun does not shine on itself and flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves.  Living for others is a rule for nature. We are all born to help each other.  No matter how difficult it is …. Life is good when you are happy;  but much better when others are happy because of you.

  Pope Francis, March 25, 2017




This is the heart of our Advent message this year.  Always we need this season of promise, hope and sense of God-With-Us when others are happy because of us, but perhaps never before as we do this year.  Given our times, more than other times we likely need to “keep awake”:  to be attentive to what really matters the most in our lives, how we would live this day if it were our last, and we knew it.

Come, Emmanuel, Come



Comments

  1. JudithDecember 4, 2020 at 7:25 AM

    Your reflection on Advent is filled with such deep meaning. So much food for thought.

    I love the season of Advent. A time to really prepare our hearts and our lives to celebrate the coming of God in flesh among us. A time to reflect deeply on the many subtle, and sometimes not so subtle ways that God has come into our lives this past year. Were our hearts and minds open to receive, or were they closed?

    And a time to ponder the times when we were the vessel that God used to come into the lives of others. How very humbling and how gratefully blessed!

    Advent - a season of "God having come" and a season of "God coming anew".

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God is full of Surprises!

-
Image
Today marks two years since I arrived at the House of Prayer. My journey to this place has been filled with unexpected and surprising grace. In the winter of 2017, I was in the process of planning a time of sabbatical and renewal, following a most painful and difficult moment of my faith/life journey. I had this empty two weeks in my schedule that I needed to fill, and I was searching for a place to go for an interim time of prayer and rest before beginning a 40-day Silent Retreat.   As I was trying to decide what to do for this time a thought flitted through my head… “What about that House of Prayer in Fort Qu’Appelle?” It came out of nowhere as I had no connection with this place. I now am convinced that whisper was the Holy Spirit herself! I had no idea how coming here would impact my life! As I began my time of sabbatical in the U.S. my father fell very ill, and I had to return to give my attention to him. This, of course, meant cancelling, rearranging and rethinking my entire ti
Read more

Qu’Appelle House of Prayer – September 3, 1995 - 2020

-
Image
  “These I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer ……   For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”    [Isaiah 56:7] Photo taken by Nancy Trapp This vision of Isaiah has been lived here in the Qu’Appelle Valley, as many places elsewhere, for 25 years today.   What follows are some of the times being gratefully remembered today.   Although the account is lengthy, many more significant dates have been left out.   It is a day to be thankful for so very many hundreds and thousands of people, beginning with the Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary.   We are most thankful for the many who have come here, for the untold number of generous benefactors, for so many volunteers and for the people of this part of the Qu’Appelle Valley and elsewhere who have consistently, faithfully supported the life and ministry of this place. Glenn Zimmer, OMI and Chantelle Bonk, PM Co-directors along with Marg
Read more