I read an article by Daniel O'Leary today while I was praying and I had to share.
It really helped me to continue to reflect on what Fr Brendan shared with us yesterday.
Enjoy :)
"As Henri Nouwen wrote, we must live through our wounds instead of thinking them through. 'It is better to feel your wounds deeply than to understand them, to let them into your silence. You need to let your wounds go down into your heart. Then you can live them though and discover that they will not destroy you. Your heart is greater than your wounds'.
Instead we cover the hurts of our hearts with the bandages of the mind. We bury our painful emotions and think that they are dead. We forget that out presence and personalities are profoundly influenced and shaped by these underground and often violent realities. We live and act out of the invisible shadowworld that turns, silently, within us. Pain needs light. Nothing heals in the dark. Michael Leunig writes:
When the heart is cut or cracked or broken
Do not clutch it, let the wound lie open
Let the wind from the good old sea blow in
To bathe the wound with salt and let it sting.
The scars of Jesus, inside and out, were always there for all to see. He let Mary wash them, Thomas touch them, his mother hold them. he openly wept, openly cursed, openly blessed. He mourned losses with others, he was angry in a crowded temple, he carried his cross in public places. His was a transparent life. And it cost. He was always dying so as to achieve that state. Nothing less will do for us.
In Lent we grow by dying. There is no other way. In this dying we recognise the false face we've grown used to, the daily lies we tell, the thoughts of deception that cross our minds, the infidelities we do not commit only because we might get caught, the lovelessness of our lives parading as shallow compassion, our collusion with conformity, our fear of beauty and big dreams Nowhere else but in this awareness of our sins, can we ever be reached and saved. We die to self when we sweat blood to stay faithful, when we sacrifice the ego of our vanity for the essence of our truest being.
This is the dying that daily scrapes the self-renewing fat of pride from the ribs of our soul bringing a fearless, inner lightness and clarity. When the eye is unblocked, the Buddhists tell us, the vision is sure. This is the liberating dying that puts the truth in our eyes, the resonance in our voice, the power in our presence, the depth in our listening. Since we are now connected up inside, our heart is no longer divided. Rinsed and cauterised, all that is unauthentic is zapped from our infected being. When the small gods go, God arrives. Heaven, in the end, is where we belong."
Just something to think about.
A Bientot,
Krissie
Tuesday 16 March 2010
Lenten Talks 2010 - Hurts
Posted by krissie at 5:48 pm 2 comments
Sunday 24 January 2010
The Icing On My Life
I'm supposed to be studying, and that can only mean one thing: I have a tray of baked goods in the oven and a baby cousin on my lap.
Posted by krissie at 12:13 pm 8 comments
Thursday 26 November 2009
A nervous smile. A new beginning.
I had pretty much given up on the whole blogging thing, simply because too much has happened. When I read my last post and think about all that I have to say, the prospect of trying to pick up where I left off proves too daunting.
I'm not the same person I was when I started this blog. A lot has changed. A lot has stayed the same. Some things I didn't expect. Others that I took for granted never really happened.
There have been ups and downs. Some people have faded out of my life as quickly as they stormed into it. Others have set up camp and don't seem to have any intention of leaving any time soon. I'm feeding them Cinnabons as an incentive to stay. I like these new co-stars in my life.
My relationship with God has been a rollercoaster ride. Soul Survivor changed my outlook on life, but the high's wearing off and I need to recharge, to reconnect. But I know that He's always going to be there, waiting for me to remember that He's the only source of power I'll ever need.
Christmas is almost upon us. I can almost hear those disgustingly cheesy Christmas songs screeching at me from every angle. Matt: I know you love that stuff. I can see the glee on your face as you read this. Don't get me wrong: I love Christmas. I love LOVE love Christmas. The mere thought of all the baking I intend to bang out is enough to send me into a sugar-induced coma. I love everything about Christmas. The mass at uni. Giving presents. Being with the people I love most. Remembering the awesome love that was born into this world some 2000 years ago. But Christmas this year brings with it the end of all that I've taken for granted these past 5 years.
I graduate next year. Me. A graduate. Meaning I need to start thinking about the rest of my life. Scary stuff. Fracking exciting scary stuff. I can't wait. When I think of everything I went through this past year, and the person I've become because of it, there's only one thing left to say:
Bring.
It.
On.
Posted by krissie at 8:05 pm 3 comments
Sunday 28 June 2009
Poltergeist
*cracks fingers*
Posted by krissie at 1:21 pm 5 comments
Friday 26 June 2009
If I close my eyes, I'm there.
There's the most amazing smell; a mixture of roast coffee, fresh muffins, oil paints and well-worn paperbacks. I can see the art on the walls, the beanbags and squashy sofas, the giant coffee cups...practically bowls with handles...you know the ones. The sounds of pages turning, people laughing and the gentle strumming of a guitar being tuned in preparation of a live set.
I can't wait to make it a reality. As of right now, that's my dream for the future. I know my Professor's already planning my Doctorate degree. Right. I'm going to have to break the news to him at some point. Maybe when I tell him about my year out...that's going to be a fun conversation. Ah well. It'll be worth it. The place I go when I close my eyes: I'm going to make it a reality. Just try and stop me.
Posted by krissie at 6:13 pm 9 comments
Monday 1 June 2009
Positive Procrastination.
It's inevitable. The moment I sit down to work, my mind jumps from one possible for of distraction to another. Food. Email check. Facebook. Tea. More Facebook. Even cleaning up my room (yes, it has come to that.) Anything that will keep me from facing the massive pile of notes awaiting my highlighter. Yes, I highlight now. Anyway, I'll get to the point. The point being my new Hillsong United CD. The one that has sent me into sporadic spasms of excitement and glee over the past couple of months. Finally, it has arrived. So I have decided to give in to a more positive form of procrastination. I am going to share my CD with all of you :) I have uploaded all the songs onto www.yousendit.com. Just click on the links below and they'll lead you to the files, all ready to be downloaded. My procrastination present to all of you hardcore study fiends out there. |
1. Freedom Is Here https://download.yousendit. |
2. No Reason to Hide (I assumed you all have that one already so I didn't bother uploading it ^^) |
3. More Than Anything http://download.yousendit.com/ |
4. King of All Days http://download.yousendit.com/ |
5. Desert Song https://download.yousendit. |
6. Oh You Bring https://download.yousendit. |
7. Tear Down the Walls https://download.yousendit. |
8. Soon |
https://download.yousendit. 9. You Hold Me Now https://download.yousendit. |
10. Arms Open Wide https://download.yousendit. |
11. Your Name High https://download.yousendit. 12. Yours Forever https://download.yousendit. They'll be up for 7 days before the website disables the files so hurry hurry hurry! Enjoy :) One more thing. For some reason I was thinking about last year's CLC Seminar today. One of the things that had impressed me most was a short film in Spanish that Josie showed us. I won't tell you what it's about, because I'll ruin the whole point of the film. It's really short. 6 minutes, that's all. While you're waiting for the songs to download, take six minutes to watch this video. It's one of those things that makes you think. And keeps you thinking. I know the aversion that most people have to blog videos, but this is worth it, I promise. OK...so I was going to actually upload the video. But my internet is fighting me on this. So I will leave you yet ANOTHER link...but please follow it ^^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyGEEamz7ZM So there you go. Positive procrastination. The way of the future :) A Bientot! |
Posted by krissie at 9:08 pm 8 comments
Labels: film, procrastination, united
Thursday 28 May 2009
Just a thought...
Posted by krissie at 10:02 am 10 comments
Labels: epic, ho-humming, thoughts