March 20, 2016 – March 23, 2016

Week Six•Palm Sunday

This visio divina reflection was done at Saint William’s Catholic Church in Naples, FL this Lenten season. I spent prayerful time at their newly established Courtyard of Mercy with this sculptured art crafted by artist Scott Lampitt of Pine Island, FL. I was deeply moved by the sculpture and provided a reflection for the parish. I am offering it as a reflection into Holy Week for the Seeing the Word community.  

Sculpture by artist Scott Lampitt

This sculpture in the Courtyard of Mercy invites me to rest and fix my sacred gaze on the crucifix, the tablets, and the garden of stone and bubbling fountain of water at the foot of the cross. Not to be missed are the pilgrim people, Sunday after Sunday who pass through this courtyard to open the church doors and join the pilgrimage to the Eucharistic table for a community celebration.

This Courtyard of Mercy contains the same ritual movement used for blessing the Opening of the Door of Mercy that began this Jubilee Year of Mercy designated by Pope Francis: the solemn procession, gathering of the assembly, blessing of the door, the recognition of Christ as the gate through which we enter salvation, baptismal renewal, sharing in the Eucharistic feast, and a renewed sense of responsibility to be a living sign of the Father’s love in the world.

I pause before the cross, standing in the rock garden.  I remember those times when I had hit rock bottom and whispered, “Jesus, I have sinned, forgive me” and then I reach out to Jesus as he asked me to put my wounds into his side, into his hands and feet.  I enter the wounds of Christ, seeking refuge in the wounds of his love. He bears my afflictions. For now, I no longer have to avert my eyes.

I return my sacred gaze to the three tablets:  one holding the corpus, and the other two—one to the left and the other to the right standing tall and blank. They reveal the very mystery of the Holy Trinity and the response is a fountain of joy, serenity, and peace bubbling up. The tablets are pounded, rippled and dented while a shimmering patina of red color is shedding through the surface.

Mercy comes to meet me in the middle tablet where Jesus is nailed to the cross. The tablets inspire images of the old law, and the new law which is mercy. The tablets, shaped architecturally as doors, invite me once again into the life of God. Before I can enter these doors I need to lay down my stones, my judgmental words, and stop using the law as a weapon.

I lift my eyes to the crucified Christ and notice the bold and funky hands that gesture an invitation to repentance and gratitude. Jesus, with arms outstretched, extends an invitation to me to proceed through the doorway of mercy where I am commanded not to sin again.  I pass through the fountain of bubbling holy water, reach out my hand and make the sign of the cross from the waters of Baptism—the first sacrament of the new law—through which I was joined with Christ in his death and resurrection and became part of his Body.

From the bench, I see the shimmer of water on the rocks, washing over and reshaping the nature of them, making rough edges smooth. The water twinkles in my eye and I am joined to the heart of God. This Courtyard of Mercy holds a rock garden—an image of paradise, drawing me towards eternal life with Christ—where all the rocks have been released, cleansed and laid down.

I pray Merciful God as I cross from this rock garden to the threshold of the sanctuary that I may be filled with a sense of forgiveness and drawn to see and respond to the suffering of people that surrounds me. Move my heart to respond with the same mercy that I have received from you. Amen.

WEEK SIX•Day Two

Sculpture by artist Scott Lampitt.

“We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It is a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace. Our salvation depends on it. Mercy: the word reveals the very mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Mercy: the ultimate and supreme act by which God comes to meet us. Mercy: the fundamental law that dwells in the heart of every person who looks sincerely into the eyes of his brothers and sisters on the path of life. Mercy: the bridge that connects God and people, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness.” 

-Pope Francis, The Face of Mercy, 2

WEEK SIX•DAY Three

Crucifixion, Donald Jackson, Copyright 2002, The Saint John’s Bible, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

“At times we are called to gaze even more attentively on mercy so that we may become a more effective sign of the Father’s action in our lives.”

– Pope Francis, The Face of Mercy, 3

WEEK SIX•DAY FOUR

Road to Emmaus, Sally Mae Joseph, Copyright 2002, The Saint John’s Bible, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

“The practice of pilgrimage has a special place in the Holy Year, because it represents the journey each of us makes in this life. Life itself is a pilgrimage, and the human being is a viator, a pilgrim travelling along the road, making his way to the desired destination. Similarly, to reach the Holy Door in Rome or in any other place in the world, everyone, each according to his or her ability, will have to make a pilgrimage. This will be a sign that mercy is also a goal to reach and requires dedication and sacrifice. May pilgrimage be an impetus to conversion: by crossing the threshold of the Holy Door, we will find the strength to embrace God’s mercy and dedicate ourselves to being merciful with others as the Father has been with us.”

– Pope Francis, The Face of Mercy, 14

Barbara Sutton, D.Min. is the Director of Field Education and Ministerial Formation and Adjunct Faculty at Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary.

March 13, 2016 – March 19, 2016

WEEK FIVE•DAY ONE

Reading
John 8:1-11

What word stands out to you?

WEEK FIVE•DAY TWO

Listening

I hear a narrative in which Jesus moves from the Mount of Olives to the temple in order to teach. A crowd immediately gathers to listen to what he has to say. Not just some people, the text says that all the people came. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman in front of him to test him. They cite Moses and the law and ask Jesus to make a judgment regarding her. He takes a moment before he responds, but when they press him, he neither condemns her nor undercuts the law. This is a story of mercy. This is a story that points to our role in carrying out judgment on earth. There is no doubt this event made a big impact on the woman. She rightly expected to be stoned that day. She was not, and that makes all the difference. Expecting to die, Jesus gave her new life.

WEEK FIVE•DAY THREE

Meditating

Jesus says, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way and from now on do not sin again” (John 8:11). The Gospel recounts that he said it, as in it is written in the past tense, but I cannot stop myself from reading it in the present tense: “Jesus says…” During this season of Lent, we are more aware of our sins. We are called to repent and believe in the Gospel. We are especially aware of our weaknesses. When we come to this passage in John’s Gospel, we hear Jesus encountering our sin. Jesus does not brush it aside. At the same time, he does not seek the punishment we or others might put on ourselves. He shows mercy. This unexpected act commands our attention, and the solidarity it shows can move us. The only one without sin was the one left alone with the woman, Jesus. We all sin, and there are times when we find motivation to fulfill the punishment we see fit, be it on ourselves or on others. But instead of punishing the woman, Jesus puts her on the same plane as the scribes and Pharisees and reveals God’s mercy.

WEEK FIVE•DAY FOUR

Seeing

When I look at this illumination, I immediately notice that it has two frames. The first one is a bit darker, and the second one points me back to the first frame when I see the stones on the ground. As I look back and forth, I see Jesus in a humble position in the first frame and I see the curtain open to the woman in the second one. When I see Jesus bent down in the first frame, it communicates the difficulty of the situation. How will he respond? I’m drawn to the second frame because it seems that there is peace and confidence in Jesus’ decision. I see the open curtain in two ways. The first signifies that Jesus is pointing the way out of the temple, instructing the woman to go back to her life with the mission to sin no more. The second shows Jesus pointing her into the temple where she can be closer to God. She may want to offer a sacrifice to God after such an event. Whereas before she was separated from God, this act of mercy gives her the chance to be in deeper relationship with God.

WEEK FIVE•DAY FIVE

Prayer

God of all mercy,
My sins are exposed before you.
You see them plainly,
And I know pure justice would leave me dead.
Even before you speak, I heap shame upon myself.
I even seek my own punishment and carry it out.
But you, O God, you show me mercy.
You touch me in my inmost being.
You speak truth in my heart.
You remind me that you are there with me.
You refute my desire to punish myself
And inspire within me self compassion.
Despite my resistance, even to this, you persist.
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
Teach me the wisdom of self compassion.
Inspire me to reach out to my neighbor,
With the same compassion and mercy
you showed this woman.
Let this be my song of praise and thanksgiving
for your everlasting mercy.
This is the music I make to you while I live!
Continue to dwell with me
all the days of my life.

Amen.

WEEK FIVE•DAY SIX

Contemplating

As I contemplate this story, I feel a certain solidarity with all people. When the scribes and Pharisees dropped their stones and walked away, they told me that they had also sinned. It reminds me that we are all struggling. Each one of us has a challenge to bear, and I feel support remembering that. Imagining the many ways in which I might observe the sins of others, this story gives me a real sense that everyone from the highest scholars, gurus and religious leaders all the way down to the people labeled as the biggest sinners need the mercy of God. All are one in our need for relationship with God and in our need for God’s mercy. It moves me to be more merciful daily because opportunities to give mercy abound. What observations remind you of the opportunities to give and receive mercy?

WEEK FIVE•DAY SEVEN

Becoming Christ-like

When I hear that the accusers went away, one by one, beginning with the elders, I encounter the wisdom of mercy. I see the accusers deferring to the wisdom of Jesus. When I ask God to teach me wisdom, it is dangerous because it may require me to refrain from my typical pattern of punishing others or myself. It is dangerous because I am praying for an experience to gain wisdom, which will surely challenge me to grow and change. This work of transformation is painful. Christ’s way that we follow, being extensions of Christ’s mercy, is not just a feel-good story of positive self talk. The implications are huge.

How do we respond to people we think have broken the law—to people who have divorced and remarried, to people who have abused children, to people with addictions? Like this woman in the story, these people might expect to be “stoned” for their actions. It is no simple decision, but Jesus, as he does on several accounts in the Gospels, imagines a creative and inspiring third way forward. What is the third way you need to find? When all you see is either letting yourself and others “off the hook” or punishment according to the law, how will this story stimulate your imagination? The structures that upheld the law then still exist to uphold the law now. The structures are reinforced within us and within the wider Christian community. This passage calls us to pause for a moment, to listen to God’s voice of mercy, and to act from God’s wisdom in our inmost being.

Chris Morgan is in his second year of studies for the Master of Divinity degree at Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary. He grew up in Denver, Colorado, and graduated from Saint John’s University in 2011. His ministry interests include hospital chaplaincy, ministry in the outdoors and work with people with disabilities.

March 6, 2016 – March 12, 2016

WEEK Four•DAY ONE

Reading
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

What word stands out to you?

WEEK FOUR•DAY TWO

Listening

We can easily relate to the two brothers in this story. We understand the impatience of the younger brother who asks for his father’s inheritance upfront, his giving into temptation, his inability to be a good steward of his resources, and the shortsightedness that ultimately leads to his demise. The life he has chosen for himself, which may have seemed a dream come true to him at first, leaves him quite literally hungry and unsatisfied.

Then there is the older brother, who is responsible, practices an exceptional work ethic, follows the rules, and respects his father. Yet, because of this, he develops a complex that causes him to think he is better than others, at least better than his younger brother. He finds it unfathomable that his father would celebrate the return of his younger brother, who squandered his inheritance, when he has been so diligent and responsible all along.

Indeed, there are moments when we can see and hear ourselves in the very human and real laments and frustrations that both these brothers give a voice to in this parable. How do you find yourself reacting to and identifying with each brother?

WEEK FOUR•DAY THREE

Meditating

It is no mistake that this parable is read during Lent. Like many of the stories we see depicted in this illumination, this is a story about resurrection and renewal, about death and coming back to life. The younger brother thinks he has it all, but when he loses all that he has, he is humbled. What is more humbling than being willing to eat the food that pigs eat and yet not being offered any? To be sure, he is also embarrassed and ashamed at the thought of having to share the news with his father that he lost his inheritance and is now incapable of supporting himself as an adult. But he goes back to his father anyway, because that is all he knows to do. He begs for his father’s mercy. He pleads for compassion. And what awaits him is an unexpected, surprising celebration.

Like the father, God is always waiting for us, ready and willing to accept us with open arms. No matter how badly or how often we fall, no matter how much of our talents we waste, no matter the extent to which the life we seek leaves us hungry and unsatisfied, God is always ready to rejoice with us when we return. Like the father, who tells the servants to quickly bring out the best robe for the youngest son, God promises to clothe us with God’s grace.

WEEK FOUR•DAY FOUR

Seeing

In the same diagonal panel in which we see the image of the father reaching out to embrace the son, we also see two gold bars—the Twin Towers. Suddenly, we realize that we cannot divorce our modern reality from this Gospel message. In this illumination, we are confronted with the truth that following Christ does not only mean we are daughters and sons of the abundantly merciful Father. It also means that we are called to do the difficult work of forgiveness. We are called to interpersonal, intergenerational, interracial, and intercommunal forgiveness.

It is not easy to be like the father in the parable. And certainly not every situation calls us to express our regard for others with a physical welcome and embrace. Some relationships cannot be reconciled because they are too abusive and exploitative. But forgiveness is still essential and it is work we can do with God’s grace. These difficult scenarios call for a different kind of openness—one of our hearts rather than our arms. With open hearts we let the offenses of these relationships go, loosening their control in our lives. Rather than keeping our bitterness, resentments, and anger locked away in hearts, we implore that the Holy Spirit guide us to release them appropriately. In doing so, we experience more freedom. By the grace of God, we are then able to live more fully the life to which God calls us in a healthy, safe, and meaningful way.

WEEK FOUR•DAY FIVE

Prayer

O God, our world needs more love, mercy, and compassion. Soften our hearts, renew our minds, open our eyes, and allow us to be transformed by the workings of your grace. Free us from the compulsion of jealousy, help us to value the goodness in others, teach us the way of prudence, and lead us along the path of humility. Thank you for always being there for us. Your unearned, unconditional love is always there ready and waiting to be received. Lasting joy is union with you. Amen.

WEEK FOUR•DAY SIX

Contemplating

It is often hard to accept another person’s generosity toward us. It is also often hard for us to see someone, besides ourselves, be the recipient of another person’s generosity, when we ourselves did not benefit from that act of kindness. Jealousy and pride go hand in hand. Engrained in our American spirit of rugged individualism is this idea that fierce independence is a measure of strength. But when we value not needing anyone’s help, we also resist when others are helped. This is a vicious cycle that Jesus beckons us out of by offering us the parable of the prodigal son. It is not about taking advantage of generosity by plundering everything we have been given like the younger brother because we know a bail out is on the horizon. Nor is it about striving for perfection in everything we do such that we become haughty like the older brother. Instead, this is a story about the magnificence of God’s love, which lies at the heart of the miracle of our personal, daily resurrections and social transformations. This story calls us, like the two brothers, to contemplate continuous conversion in the face of God’s magnanimous love.

WEEK FOUR•DAY SEVEN

Becoming Christ-like

Jesus summons us to be open: open-minded, open to ourselves, open to daily renewal, open to others, open to transformation, and open to love. In Luke 15:1-3, we see that Jesus tells the parable of the lost son as a way to expand the minds of the Pharisees and scribes, who started to grumble about Jesus’ association with sinners. In doing so, Christ reveals the tender nature of God, who extends a generous welcome to all. Like Jesus, we are called to proclaim this message of good news with joy to the entire world: God’s love is free and available to all! The hope-filled promise of eternal life, which overcame suffering and death on the cross through Jesus Christ, becomes real and transformative in our lives when we love without conditions.

Chet Jechura holds a Master’s of Theological Studies degree from Boston College and works in faith-based political consulting. He lives in Washington, DC.

February 28, 2016 – March 5, 2016

WEEK THREE•DAY ONE

Reading

Exodus 3:1-8A, 13-15

What word stands out to you?

WEEK THREE•DAY TWO

Listening

Theophany is a “big word” for the manifestation of God to man. In Exodus 3, God first manifests to Moses as a burning bush ablaze without consumption. God also reveals himself to Moses in voice. He speaks, calling to Moses. Moses listens. God tells Moses that he will free the Israelites in Egypt, and reaffirms that he is their God. Moses, like many of us, is unsure. What is he to do? Does God have a name?

God responds to Moses’ questions by answering him, “I am who am” (Exodus 3:14). How can he go to his people and say, “I am who am sent me to free you”? How can Moses explain who God is? God simply is. Moses is in the presence of presence. In this passage, God is a verb. God is.

God’s “is-ness” is as impossible to grasp as his name.  In our human experience, we can scarcely comprehend the supernatural, metaphysical, transcendental nature of God, of YHWH. The Tetragrammaton, which means four letters, or YHWH resides at the bottom of our illumination. Resting on top of the letters, we see the words: the bread, the gate, the way, the light, the truth. Jesus, the Word made flesh, often spoke these words with the phrase “I am.”

I am (who am) the bread.
I am (who am) the gate.
I am (who am) the way.
I am (who am) the light.
I am (who am) the truth.

Like Moses before us, we have both a visual and linguistic theophany, telling us who God is. Trusting in the words Jesus proclaims, we know that he is. He is all of these and more for us.

WEEK THREE•DAY THREE

Meditating

In Exodus 3:14 God reveals himself as “I am who am.” God knows who God is. Do we know ourselves? How do we come to know ourselves? During his ministry, Jesus revealed to us that he is the bread, the way, the gate, the light, and the truth. How does God being these for us help us figure out who we are? Looking at the illumination, ponder the way in which Jesus acts in your life through one or more of these five manifestations.

The bread nourishes us, the way leads us, the gate opens to us, the light illuminates us, and the truth comforts us. How does Jesus nourish you? How does he lead you, and where? What gates have been opened for you by Christ? In which way does the brightness and glory of God illuminate your world? How does truth comfort and ground your essential self? Jesus helps us to know ourselves through being all of this and more for us.

WEEK THREE•DAY FOUR

Seeing

This illumination showcases abstract fractals of color, blossoming discs of light, and cubist expressions of words. The frenetic interaction of words, colors, and shapes help illuminate the words God said to Moses: “I am who am.” At the base of the page, the Tetragrammaton, or YHWH grounds the composition. Word made flesh, Jesus is the bread, the gate, the way, the light, and the truth. Intertextuality of word and form reveal connections between word, spirit and flesh. The energetic juxtaposition of the shards and curves summon us to reimagine both the divine and human natures of Christ.

How does one understand being? What does God mean by “I am who am?” Looking at this illumination, how can we find what it means to be bread, way, gate, light, and truth? In what way does the interplay of light and form on the page reveal the meaning of the Word made flesh? How does that meaning inform the words we use in daily life? Life itself is an energy that transcends the material world. By grounding our life in YHWH, in Christ, we can find and understand our own being.

WEEK THREE•DAY FIVE

Prayer

For some people, prayer is as easy and unconscious as a beating heart. It happens naturally and organically. For others, it is more like breathing; it still happens automatically, but it can also be consciously controlled. And for many, prayer comes hard. This is a prayer for all.

O God, my God, you are
You are in heaven
You are on earth
Be with me, be with us as we come to know you through the words you share
Help us to understand who we are by walking nearby
Be with us, be with us, be with us
You who are the bread, nourish our journey
You who are the gate, be ever open to us
You who are the way, guide us on the path
You who are the light, shine forth brightly upon your creation
You who are the truth, comfort us in our sorrow, draw near in our brokenness
Be with us always

Amen

WEEK THREE•DAY SIX

Contemplating

Moses first encounters the burning bush while tending his sheep. He sees it and continues apace.  Soon, however, his thoughts turn to contemplation: What is that bush, which burns without being consumed? The bush is outside the realm of the natural, the possible! It stops Moses in his tracks. When the voice reveals to Moses that the bush is God, Moses turns away in fear. But the bush burns on, without being consumed. In this encounter with God, Moses begins his relationship with I am who am.

Contemplation draws us into relationship with YHWH. When we look at the page and ponder the words and images, how do we move our perception of such into an intimate conversation with ourselves and God? Jesus wants to be in relationship with us. Using the words and the images, be in relationship with Christ. Then letting go of these things, encounter I am who am.

WEEK THREE•DAY SEVEN

Becoming Christ-like

In his work “On Free Will,” Saint Augustine wrote about the desire for being: “If you begin by wishing to exist and add a desire for fuller and fuller existence, you rise in the scale and are furnished for life that supremely is…If you wish more and more to exist, you will draw near to him who exists supremely.” Listen to I am who am, meditate on the words I am who am, see in the illumination and in others I am who am, pray often (if you are able) to I am who am, contemplate the nature of I am who am. Doing so on our Lenten journey draws us closer to Christ.

Being more Christ-like involves much as is revealed in this illumination. Be the bread that nourishes your friends, family, and community. Keep the gates of your heart always open – embrace the strange, the poor, the needy, the sad, and the lonely. Blaze forth a (path) way for others to follow in your imitation of Christ. Be the beacon of light in an often confusing and shadowed world. Enjoy the truth of true being in order to be “furnished a life that supremely is.” Through our encounters with the Word and our being in the world, we reflect Christ by our very being. Our being is grace given by God. Praise him.

Pamela Larson Sherlock is a M.A. candidate studying systematics at Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary. She is a wife and mother. A former trainer of thoroughbred race horses, librarian, and herder of sheep chickens, cats, dogs, and goats, she lives in New Prague, MN with her family and Wonder Dog Melvin.