Advent Watching

Watch!

Thoughts
                     go by.

Wait!

There is                  
                                  openness.

There is
                  something
                                    and
                                           nothing

beneath
my
thoughts.

There is more to me.

There is a
                   deeper
                                me.

Watch!

God comes.

Wait!

Anglican Monks and Nuns?

As many of us know, the Anglican Church is wide and diverse. It has been known as the Via Media (or middle way) of the Christian Church, and is inclusive of liberal and conservative, protestant and catholic. The Anglican Church is also inclusive of monks and nuns! Monastic communities are a fact of Anglicanism that not all are aware of. 

Oratory of the former Elmore Abbey, Newbury, England

My introduction to Anglican monasticism was on my very first retreat in 1993 while a student at Queen’s College. Through a faculty members affiliation with the Anglican Sisters of St.John the Divine, located in Toronto, Sister Anitra was invited to lead our retreat. Among other things, she spoke about a little book by Ester DeWaal titled “Seeking God” (worth finding and reading!). This book is an introduction to Benedictine Spirituality and Religious Orders within the Anglican Church. One of the things that interested me about Benedictine spirituality was the daily rhythm of prayer and work designed to carry the pilgrim through to the end of the life journey. Benedictine spirituality is also about commitment to the community, and to a life long process of conversion. “Lectio Divina” (holy reading) is a form of Christian meditation and is another important part of Benedictine life.

Oratory of Mucknell Abby, Worcester, England

From both lay and ordained perspectives (St.Benedict was a lay person), there is value in this spirituality and in the spiritual support of Religious communities. After a year in my first parish in Port Rexton, I went on retreat to an Anglican Benedictine community at Elmore Abbey in Newbury, England, and became a member of the community. Over the years it has become a spiritual home for me where I can go for rest and re-creation.

Valerie and some of the monks of Elmore. These monks are now housed at Salisbury

I have come to know and love these monks, and they continue to inspire me in their lives of prayer and hospitality. There are a number of Anglican religious communities in the UK, US, Canada and beyond. The Anglican Church in Newfoundland and Labrador is probably most familiar with the Sisters of St.John the Divine in Toronto.

Sister Sue from the SSJD, Toronto

Benedictine spirituality is something worth exploring no matter where we live or how young or old we are, whether lay or ordained. Personally, Benedictine spirituality has been foundational not only to my life of prayer, but it has also provided a rule or guide that has permeated all aspects of my life. There are those who have gone much further and have vocations to Religious life, and those monastic communities that they belong to have a very important role in the spiritual care of the wider church. Let us learn from and be inspired by their commitment to life long prayer and hospitality to all.

Solitude in Cupids

Those Eyes

Those eyes
filled with life
filled with love.

Those eyes
look upon me
with warmth
and acceptance.

Those eyes
see through me
to my darkest secrets
and smile upon me
with compassion.

Those eyes
embrace me
with the Divine.

Those eyes
move me
to look upon
the one next to me

with the same
smile
of Divine Compassion.

OTTAWA OCTOBER 22nd (A poem)

OTTAWA OCTOBER 22nd

Hatred
can
define
life.

Hatred
can feel
deeply
rooted.

Hatred
can determine
how another
is seen.

Hatred
only functions
on the surface of
consciousness.

There is a
deeper
larger
consciousness.

Common
to all
and divine
in nature.

It is a
consciousness
of
Love

This
Love
overcomes
hatred.

This
Love
defines
life.

Rest Awhile

I have often heard people say that they feel nearest to God when they are in the woods, or on the water. There is a lot of truth in that experience. 

I try to keep the monthly practice of what some call a “desert day,” a day to be alone with God. In my most recent desert day, I had the privilege of access to a hermitage nestled away in a lonely place overlooking the ocean. The only sound was that of the sea, the wind and the sea birds. All I could see was the wide open and spacious expanse of the ocean and horizon. These simple and natural sights and sounds helped enable me to forget about me. A door opened from which I was simply aware of the hugeness of Life, a Life that I was a small part of.

Sitting with this vision and awareness, I was at rest. No agenda, figuring nothing out, making no plans, rehearsing no conversations, harbouring no grudges. Simply present to everything nature was offering in that moment. This is a form of contemplation, of being at one with God.

This kind of contemplative experience is something that I think came more naturally to past generations like my grand parents who lived in the tiny community of Daniel’s Cove. They and their parents before them lived off the land and the sea. Having to eke a living with their hands out of God’s creation, made them more naturally aware of a bigger Life. Today, with concrete cities and over stimulation through the various forms of media, we need to be more intentional with our alone time with God and our connecting with nature. It would be physically and spiritually good for us to unplug our devices, get outside, breath the fresh air, and be aware of God’s Presence in the creation all around us and within us. You don’t have to take a whole day for this practice. Ten minutes on the back deck would be a good start!

Learning a contemplative practice that will open up a pathway through the noise and clutter on the surface of our consciousness, is a practice that offers the gift of rest and peace from union with God within. It is what we all most desire.

For those of us living in Newfoundland and Labrador we have been given the gift of beautiful landscape and seashore. We don’t have to go far from our doors to have beautiful God-given sights and sounds around us. Lets get out in nature, forgetful of self, alone with God, and rest awhile.

The Same (a poem)

what generosity
outrageous generosity

all are treated
the same

all are seen
as equal

no matter
when
you come

early
or late

as long as
you
respond

as long as
you
come

you
will be welcomed
the same

given
the same

you
are
the same

[based on Matthew 20:1-16]