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| Image by Stephen Ros |
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Celtic Practice of Solitude
A GREETING
In God alone my soul finds rest,
for my deliverance comes from God.
(Psalm 62:1)
A READING
I have put down roots among an honored people,
selected to be God’s portion.
There I flourished like a cedar of Lebanon,
as a cypress on Mount Hermon;
there I grew like the date palm of Engedi
and the roses of Jericho,
like an olive tree in the orchards,
a plane tree growing tall.
I exuded aromas like cinnamon and acacia,
like sweet balm, precious myrrh,
galbanum, and gum resin,
like burning incense in the tabernacle.
I spread my branches Like a terebinth,
branches heavy with grace and beauty.
I put out graceful shoots like a vine;
my blossoms bear fruit of honor and wealth.
(Sirach 24:12-17)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
I searched for a place to rest among all these places,
where would I dwell among all of creation?
(Sirach 24:7)
A REFLECTION
The simplest spiritual discipline is some degree of solitude and silence. But it’s the hardest, because none of us want to be with someone we don’t love. Besides that, we invariably feel bored with ourselves, and all of our loneliness comes to the surface. Silence is the ability to trust that God is acting, teaching, and using me — even before I perform, or after my seeming failures. Silence is the necessary space around things that allows them to develop and flourish without my pushing. God takes it from there.
- adapted from Radical Grace: Daily Meditations
by Richard Rohr
PRAYER FOR THE DAY
For the might of your wind on the waters
For the swelling of the open sea
and the rushing of crested waves
thanks be to you oh God.
For the strength of desire in my body
for the sap of life that flows
and the yearnings for birth and abundance
thanks be to you.
Restore me in the image of your love this day
that the longings of my heart may be true.
Restore me in the image of your love this day
that my passions for life may be full.
- from Celtic Benediction: Morning and Night Prayer
by J. Philip Newell
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| "Stormy Weather, Georgian Bay" (1921) by Frederick Varley |
"When the dark wood fell before me, and all the paths were overgrown. When the priests of pride say there is no other way, I tilled the sorrows of stone.”
These are the lyrics of Loreena McKennitt’s song called Dante’s Prayer, inspired by a journey she made by train across Siberia while reading the Italian poet Dante’s poem Inferno. McKennitt’s strong affinity with Celtic spirituality and music has led her to write and record many songs in the Celtic tradition. “When the dawn seemed forever lost,” is another lyric, and later, "please remember me." How many times have we laid awake at night, wondering if God remembers us?
As we move toward the solstice in a few days, the shortest days are a good invitation to sit with our inner selves in the long nights. The emotional anguish and mental health challenges that we experience are born out of lived experience in our bodies. We carry our histories around in our bodies like turtles. We carry our ancestors and their wisdom, and we also carry the body memory of the pain and challenges they bore. We may feel sometimes like we don't even understand why we have the feelings or responses we do. We just have them. All of this can feel especially true at this time of year.
The meditative verse above from Sirach 24:7 carries over from yesterday's text, but in a different translation/version. The Inclusive Bible emphasizes how much 'Wisdom' is looking for a place to rest and find peace and stillness. The verse emphasizes the understanding that true rest comes from dwelling in Creation.
Peace and repose are part of the Celtic way of being with God, and of overcoming our own inner darkness. Many of us have already understood in our own lives that being in Creation is indeed being with God. But how much do we stop to think about ourselves as part of that Creation? When the tide of a lake gently rolls to our feet over sand and rocks, do we think of the water as meeting another part of nature in us? Or do we see ourselves as separate, just enjoying the watery light?
Noted Franciscan priest and spiritual writer Richard Rohr teaches us that our hardest confrontation in silence might be with ourselves: our loneliness, boredom and fears about worthiness. We can be assured that God meets us there. Some of us choose solitary lives. Others enjoy brief moments of respite and peace in otherwise busy days. While still others may feel lonely most of the time - with too much of the disquieting 'peace' that Rohr speaks of. All of these belong to God. The solitary tree in a vast open space may have nothing to protect it from rain or wind, and no one to see its beauty. But God dwells there.
Who in your world might be feeling like that tree? How can you reach out in Advent hope to make this day just a bit easier? If you are that tree, how can you feel remembered by God, held in God's embrace and cherished always?
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| Image by Paul |
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Scripture passages are taken from The Inclusive Bible.
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LC† Vigil in Hope is a devotional series of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!
