A doorway to the infinite

Pope Benedict XVI,  in his Wednesday audience today, spoke about experiencing God through works of Art.  The full text is not available yet but Catholic New Service posted excerpts of his remarks. The Pope said, "Art is like an open doorway to the infinite, toward a beauty and truth that go beyond everyday reality." I have always felt this way about art. Back in July, I commented on the Pope's address to artists.  The Church has always been a patron of the arts, and as an artist I am encouraged in my craft by the Pope's words.  After reading the Pope's address in July, I mentioned that I was going to pick up my brushes again. After a ten year hiatius, I found that my former way of painting was too stiff and that I was a bit too realistic for my current liking.  Urged on by my son, himself an artist and craftsman, I decided to get a bit more creative with my old unfinished dogwoods.  I was also encouraged by a book recommended by Elizabeth Scalia over at The Anchoress. The book, The Artist's Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom by Christine Valters Paintner, caught my interest because she blends Benedictine spirituality with the practice of one's craft, perfect for an artist who is also an oblate.  I have only just begun reading it, but already I feel it will inspire me to keep on with my painting, and I will have plenty of time to do that while recovering from my upcoming surgery.

The Pope, when refering to art, includes not only the graphic arts but music, writing and dance as well.  I humbly admit that I am involved in the first two of those artistic endeavors, and while I was in the modern dance club in college, my dancing now is limited to the occasional wedding or dinner dance. Music is one of my favorite but lately neglected passions. Next to the study of theology, I love music. I have a favorite quote of Martin Luther who said,

"I am strongly persuaded that after theology, there is no art that can be place on a level with music, for besides theology, music is the only art capable of affording peace and joy to the heart."

Luther had a lot to do with introducing vernacular hymns into the liturgy for he knew the spiritual power of song, and many time honored and beautiful hymns were composed by Lutherans.  Perhaps music can become one of the vehicles for reconciliation and hopefully someday unity. 

Song of Songs III by Marc Chagall

The beauty and the "theology" of art extends beyond creedal differences. This was made clear in the Pope's reflections when he praised the work of Marc Chagall and Bach.  These artists, through graphic art and music respectively, were able to lift the mind and heart to God. Many other non-Cathoic artists have done the same. Even those artists that whose subjects or themes are not religious, can through the beauty of their work, draw their viewers into meditating on the beauty of the Almighty. The Orthodox refer to icons and theology in color.  Good art, especially religious art, can also be theology in color, in notes, in words, in movement and in drama. It can tell a story, but can also can "open the mind's eye and one's heart, pushing us upward."

I look forward to reading the complete text as soon as it is available, and to continue to produce art for the glory of God.

Another Dark Night

As much of an inconvenience the power outage brought about by Irene is causing, in one way it is not as bad as most people make it out to be. Yes the food in my freezer is thawing out, but I figure that we can have a big Labor Day weekend BBQ and invite a lot of people to come enjoy the burgers, sausage and ribs.  We might have to take a few cold showers but so far in the three days without electricity, there is still warm water in the water tank.  I have been making morning coffee, breakfast and dinner on the grill.  I can charge my phone and computer at work (and check my e-mail and blogs), and it remains light enough to work outside the house cleaning up what Irene left behind, which is nothing more than lots of leaves and twigs. 

My husband and I have been campers since we were married, so we are considering this a campout, with a few more luxuries, like a toilet, sink and running water.  Last night we took all the twigs we collected and some wood left over from a tree we cut down last year and made a fire in the yard.  Then we did something that we usually don't do after dinner.  We sat and talked, and talked, and talked.  Perhaps in this age of Facebook, the internet, blogs, HDTV and cell phones, we needed something like this storm to get us back to basics.  Real conversation I believe is becoming a rarity these days.  It is so much easier to become a couch potato and sit in front of the TV or computer after dinner than to sit with family and talk about what is going on in our lives, our hopes, our dreams, our fears and even our faith. After my husband went in for the night, I remained outside watching the fire burn down and watched the stars come out. Without lights in our surburban neighborhood, the stars were more visible that they usually would be.  I started to pray these lines from Psalm 8.

When I see your heavens, the work of your hands,

the moon and the stars which you arranged,

What is man that you should keep him in mind,

mortal man that you care for him.

Speaking of faith, I find the silence (except for the noisy generator from the neighbor across the street), is a boon to my prayer life.  Many times when I try to pray at home I have to compete with the TV, music, and phone.  Now there is a stillness and a quiet that is so conducive to prayer.  I will miss that when the lights come back on.  Then there are the candles...lots of them. There is something about candlelight that is calm and serene.  I love praying by candlelight.  I am reminded of my reteat last summer where Compline was always prayed by the light of candle, or the Easter Vigil when the Paschal Candle is processed in and slowly the whole church is bathed in candlelight.  The fact that Christ is our Light, the One who lights our way in the darkness, comes across so beautifully when all you have is candlelight.

Lest I sound hopelessly romantic about the lack of electricity, I do hope the power comes back soon. Last time we lost it for five days and the cold showers got a bit too cold, I longed for real milk in my coffee, a good football game on TV, and I started going through internet withdrawal.  But for now it is an adventure, a time to rediscover some of the things we've lost, a time to set priorities, and a time to realize that living a complicated, noise filled, technology dominated life isn't all its cut out to be and that what's really important are relationships, relationships with God, with family and with friends.  So the blackout  is really a blessing.  Who knows, maybe I'll choose one night a week to have a "blackout" night. 

Irene Update

The eye is directly upon us. The wind has died and a quick survey shows no damage other than lots of leaves.  So far we haven't lost electricity. No flooding and the radar shows little to no rain after the eye passes.  I know the winds pick up again but I pretty much think it is over. 

I slept through most of it except when the wind woke me at 2AM.  It reminds me of another of my favorite Gospel stories of Jesus asleep in the boat during a storm.  If one has faith and trust in Christ why worry.  Yes it could have been worse but thanks be to God, we were spared the worst.

Even though it is morning I have to share this. Sing it Willie!



UPDATE: We lost power about a half hour after posting this. Oh well.

Late have I love you.

Today is the memorial of St. Augustine and although the Sunday takes precedence, I feel Augustine is important enough to merit a post.  Augustine is an interesting character and his lifestyle before his conversion can easily be compared to that of any young person.  Augustine was searching for truth and meaning, much like our young today.  He found it in all the things that really don't satisfy.  If you think about today, many look for meaning to their lives in work, drugs, money, sex and even in false religions.  But none of those things satisfy There is an innate need for God, but so many just don't to realize that it is only with God that true happiness can be found.

It took Augustine 30 years to find out that what he sought was with him all the time. It's like the characters in the Wizard of Oz.  They had to go through all kinds of trials in their search for what they wanted most in life, a brian, a heart, courage and a home, only to find that they possessed them all along.  The Scarecrow, Tin Man, the Lion and Dorothy needed the Wizard to help them realize this.  Augustine had the prayers of his mother Monica, whose memorial was yesterday.  Monica's prayers reached God and Augustine finally recognized that what he was seeking all along was Christ. In his Confessions he wrote of this realization:

Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would have not been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.

These words have so much depth, so much meaning, and express a long for Christ that is an innate part of who we are as human beings created in the image and likeness of God.  There is a lot here to meditate upon as each sentence is a gem in itself.

I would write more but Irene has arrived with a fury and the people across the street have already lost electricity.  It is exciting to see the power of nature, but always aware of the devastation  it can cause.  Oh Lord keep us safe and protect us from all forces that may cause us harm.  With each gust of wind, breath you fragrance over us and let us know that we belong to You and without You we are nothing.

Waiting

Like everyone else on the East Coast, I am preparing for Irene.  As I write she is hovering over the Outer Banks and we should start feeling the effects of the outer bands in a few hours.  Right now we are experiencing the "calm before the storm"with occasional light showers and a lot of humidity and an erie feeling that something is coming.

Waiting for Irene

Everything battened down

The yard cleared

This has been quite a week. Tuesday an earthquake, Thursday the news that I have to have surgery and now Irene.  The earthquake was unexpected but with regard to the latter two there has been sufficient warning to get ready.  As far as Irene goes, the boat is out of the water and "safe" in the driveway, the lawn furniture is tucked away as is anything outside that can blow around. We have water, propane for the grill  and lots of ice in the freezer along with food that can be cooked as it defrosts if and when we loose electricity. The cars gas tanks are filled along with two five gallon portable tanks.  We live on the cusp of the voluntary evacuation zone but our home is high enough in elevation (23 feet above sea level) that I don't think we will have a problem staying. It is calm right now and aside from getting out to the anticipated Mass at 5:00 there is nothing much we can do. So now we just wait it out.

The surgery is something that I have been anticipating ever since a sonogram revealed something last month.  I needed to wait for an appointment with the doctor to talk about what needs to be done.  In the meantime I looked up on the internet everything I could about the condition and spoke to quite a number of people. When I went to see the doctor I was a wealth of information and well prepared to speak to him. The surgery is a must and now I have three weeks time to get things organized at work and home in preparation for the surgery and my two week recovery, with a possibility of 6 weeks if it is found laparoscopic surgery can't be done. So, I wait this out as well.

Surprisingly I am quite calm, and I think that being well prepared has much to do with it.  Also it has to do with being spiritually prepared.  I believe those who have faith know that God will be with them though any storm.  Waiting can be a spiritual exercise.  It is a time for prayer, for reflection, for setting one's priorities and getting things right with God.  We wait, prepared and ready to greet the Bridegroom. As I have said many times, it is a matter of trust.  Also, what comes with all this is the knowledge that you can weather anything that comes your way and that you'll never walk alone. (YouTube wouldn't allow imbedding for this one so you'll have to click the link).

Did you feel it?

The earth moved today, literally.  I was sitting in my office a little before 2:00 this afternoon when it felt as if someone was pushing my chair.  For a moment I thought someone sneaked into my office unnoticed and was trying to scare me.  That would have been of difficult since my desk faces the office door.  But, I actually did turn around to see if someone was there.  I thought that I was having some sort of paranormal experience.  Then I saw my office door swinging and felt the floor rocking.  The pastor's assistant, who sits right outside my office, said she was feeling woozy. Then it hit me, she wasn't having vertigo and I didn't need to call Ghost Busters - it was an earthquake! Being a lifetime New Yorker I only experience an earthquake one other time 29 years ago when one hit in the early morning hours while I was up nursing my son.  That shook the house and sounded like a freight train was roaring down the block.  This one was quiet and more like a rolling sensation.  The parochial vicar in the next office yelled out to stand in the doorway. I guess he figured that if the church building fell down we would be safe there.  The receptionist suggested running into the parking lot.  Well the four of us stayed put and the movement stopped and the phone calls began.  When we realized the earthquake was in Virginia, about 6 hours away, we figured we were safe and went back to work. I actually enjoyed the experience and was hoping for some aftershocks.

Later on I was reflecting on the experience and thought that while we here on Long Island were able to make light of the whole thing, we all have seen how devastating an earthquake can be. No one is really safe from natural disasters.  Hurricane Irene may escalate into a category 4 and smack in to the US in a few days time and hurricane season is still not over.  The word that came to me was to be prepared. At least with a hurricane there is some warning, but that doesn't mean much when winds hit at 100+ MPH. Without question, people will be running to stores to buy plywood, duct tape, batteries, and of course food and water. But that is not the kind of preparation I am talking about.  If some sudden cataclysmic disaster struck, would I be spiritually prepared?

The Gospel reading for this coming Thursday seems to sum it all up quite succinctly.

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

True Humility

Detail of Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck

On Saturday I heard an interesting quote during the homily at Mass. "Humility is a strange virtue. You lose it the moment you think you have it." The priest was preaching on the last line of Saturday's Gospel which states, " Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Mt. 23:12). It is a bit of a paradox, for how do you humble yourself without being aware that you are being humble?

I have been reflecting upon the virtue of humility for quite awhile now. It is something that we as Christians should strive for, and certainly as a Benedictine, humility is a virtue that I should be assimilating into my life.  In the Holy Rule, Father Benedict writes:

"Accordingly, if we want to reach the highest summit of humility, if we desire to attain speedily that exaltation in heaven to which we climb by the humility of this present life, then by our ascending actions we must set up that ladder on which Jacob in a dream saw "angels descending and ascending" (Gen 28:12). Without a doubt, this descent and ascent can signify only that we descend by exaltation and ascend by humility. Now the ladder erected is our life on earth, and if we humble our heart God will raise it to heaven."

True humility comes with knowing who we are before God and in our complete dependence upon Him, being always aware of His presence.  True humility also comes with  obedience to the will of God.  Both require trust and turning over our will to our Creator.  This doesn't come easy. I know it is difficult to not desire recognition or not feel pride in a job well done. Then there is the distinction between real humility and false humility.  Being humble does not mean that we let people walk all over us, or that we constantly put ourselves down. That is false humility.  True humility I think is attained when we be who God wants us to be.

Today we celebrate the memorial of the Queenship of Mary.  Mary is the perfect example of true humility.  We hear her humility reflected in her Magnificat:

 My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
 My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
 For he has looked upon His handmaid’s lowliness;
 Behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
 The Mighty One has done great things for me,
 And Holy is His name.

Mary unconditionally accepted the will of God and by virtue of her humility and by virtue of her Love and obedience to God, she was crowned as Queen of Heaven and of earth.  We are called to imitate Mary in all her virtues but especially in her humility. To be humble is to "prefer nothing to the Love of Christ", to put all my trust in God and to proclaim His praises in all that I am and all that I do.

Pope Benedict XVI beautifully expressed following Mary's way of humilty in a homily addressed to the youth of Loreto in September of 2007.

        …the way of humility is not the way of renunciation but that of courage. It is not the result of a defeat but the result of a victory of love over selfishness and of grace over sin. In following Christ and imitating Mary, we must have the courage of humility; we must entrust ourselves humbly to the Lord, because only in this way will we be able to become docile instruments in his hands and allow him to do great things in us.