Joy lasts...

You might have heard that I have recently finished my bachelor's degree in Theology. Being in the academic world for the past several years has been a real joy for me. Reading, reflecting, researching, discussing, and listening have been skills that have been honed through repeated use in the pursuit of a greater understanding of God. It seems that the more I learn, the more I realize how little I know.

My other realization is that God has created us to use the gifts he has given us, no matter what our stage in life. The intellect, our questioning, can either be nurtured and grow or can be neglected and wither. The same is true of our spiritual lives.

And so...now that my formal classes are over, my plan is to read some books that have been calling out to me. The one I started today is by Sister Wendy Beckett and is titled Joy Lasts: on the Spiritual in Art. This rather small book contains Sr. Wendy's thoughts on the nature of art and how it relates to our spirit. As I prepare for a trip to Italy this October, I thought it would be a good idea to grow in my understanding of art and how to “look” at it. Sometimes with my eyes and intellect...sometimes with my heart and spirit.

Have you ever just sat and looked at a piece of visual art? Where did you see it? What made you look? The color, the texture, the form? Did it invoke any feelings?

Our church has the most beautiful stained glass windows. They have been in place for almost ninety years and even have a certain patina about them. I have to admit to just looking at them recently. From the vantage point of the choir loft, I enjoy looking at the tops of them which are made of shapes, fleur de lis and rich, jewel tone colors that glow in the sunlight. Words rather fail in describing their beauty, as do these photos, and perhaps that is where the spiritual meets the art. Hmmm...

I will share more from Sr. Wendy's book as I delve into it...Where have you experienced art this day? If you haven't yet, where might you find it?

Pax et bonum, cjt

Mary McPray

I've learned that people will forget what you said,
People will forget what you did,
But people will never forget how you made them feel.
                                                                     Maya Angelou

     David and I had the opportunity to make an Oklahoma run in the past 48 hours.  We hugged our son and daughter-in-law, cuddled our grandson, and listened to stories about how to be a wonderful grandparent.  Our purpose for driving ten out of thirty hours was to say good-bye to a dear friend who passed away last week.  Let me share with you about Mary McPray.
     Twenty two years ago, at seventy years old, Mary was retired and widowed.  She had problems with her feet and no one would have blamed her if she sat home and let others take care of her.  But that just wasn't her.  Instead she would walk the two miles to church, not because she didn't have a car or ability to drive, she just wanted to stay active.  Mary decided she wanted to meet some young people of our church community so she signed up for a dinner that we were having at our home.  I am so thankful she did. 
     After that she became an "adopted" grandmother to our young sons while we were living far from their own. She babysat both boys, played games with them, read to them, listened to them.  She kept a room in her home full of toys which always impressed Andrew and Mark.  Mary became a steadfast member of a Sunday evening prayer group in our home, letting Mark, at two years old, crawl all over her and sit in her lap.  Andrew remembers taking turns with his brother sitting next to her at daily mass.  It was during this time in their lives that Mark first started calling Mary McCray - Mary McPray.
     When Andrew was twelve, we moved back to Texarkana but he didn't forget Mary.  At twenty two, he showed up on her door step to let her know he had moved back to Norman to go to graduate school.  After the surprise of the moment, she opened her arms and welcomed her into her home and her life again.  For the past three years they have been sharing meals, rides, conversations and laughter.   She has encouraged him, prayed for him, loved him.  She welcomed his new wife and just recently, welcomed his new son, all as part of her family of loved ones.
     At Mary's wake, her own grandchildren shared over and over how she made them feel like the most important person in the world, spent time with them, played games with them, traveled with them and bought lots of popcorn when treating them to the movies.  At eighty something, she learned about the internet and email just so she could be in contact with them.
     Even with the loss of her beloved son and great grandson, Mary always seemed more concerned about others pain.  There are so many stories of Mary and I haven't even shared the difference she made in so many lives as a teacher for over twenty five years. 
    Though in years, Mary was old enough to be my grandmother, truly the best way to describe her was as a sister in Christ.  I give thanks for this model of how to be a woman of Proverbs 31:  ...the woman who loves the Lord is to be praised.  Give her a reward for her labors, and let her works praise her at the city gates. 
     Lord, thank you for Mary.  May she rest in peace. 
    

Sts. Anne and Joachim - Models for grandparents

     Today we remember the grandparents of Jesus, Mary's parents.  A book written around 145 a.d. names them as Anne and Joachim.  We can't be sure these were their names, but tradition has always referred to them as such.  This depiction is from a mosaic by Marko Rupnik, S.J. and can be found in a chapel at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.
     I invite you to spend some time just looking...What is the first thing you notice?
                  What do you notice about their hands...their eyes...What surprises you, perhaps confuses you?

      I have to admit, I haven't spent a lot of time considering the grandparents of Jesus.  We have so little information about his infancy and childhood.  Given that he spent at least his first couple of years in Egypt, it might be unlikely that he was around them until later when they moved back to Nazareth.  I like to imagine that they were loving grandparents giving as much support as they could.  It is suggested that Mary was probably around 15 when Jesus was born (around our daughter's age!).  That would make these saints in their late thirties, early forties when they became grandparents.  It is not hard to imagine that they loved, watched over, ate and laughed with the child Jesus.
     In Rupnik's depiction, I see a loving married couple.  Their embrace reflects affection but also strength and protection.  Their eyes are almost melted together to form one vision.  I like the fact that their halos are intertwined and though they are two, their sanctity is formed by their being together.
     Sometimes we all need a reminder of how our marriages affect the next generation and beyond.  What are you doing today to be aware of the strength, vision, and yes, even holiness, of marriage?  What examples of married love have you been blessed to witness?
   Thanks to Fr. James Martin, who shared this image on his facebook page.