Month: December 2010

Merry Christmas, everyone!

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(Check this video out first!)
BE SURE TO ENTER FULL SCREEN.

Lo, how a rose e’er blooming,
From Jesse’s lineage coming,
As men of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright,
Amid the cold of winter
When half spent was the night

Isaiah ’twas foretold it,
The Rose I have in mind
With Mary we behold it,
The Virgin mother kind

To show God’s love aright,
She bore to us a Savior
When half spent was the night

The shepherds heard the story
Proclaimed by angels bright,
How Christ, the Lord of Glory
Was born on earth this night.

This Flower, whose fragrance tender
With sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor
The darkness everywhere.


Here’s a very unusual spontaneous video of this lovely carol

by six young men in perfect pitch on a cold winter’s night.


Dear Friends,

I have the peaceful easy feelin’ that I’ve poured  some of my love into these writings and images.

And my own heart is ready to receive the special gift Jesus wants to give me this Christmas.

And I pray so very earnestly that you receive the special gift God wishes to give you as well.

Cleanse your heart of bitterness,  of selfishness and resentments.

Put aside unnecessary things.

Ask yourself what really is the meaning of your life?

For me the answer is to love as very best I can.

I am a flawed human being.  We all are.

Sometimes I miss the mark.

(That’s what sin is ~ “Hamartia in Greek: to miss the mark.”

But we also have gifts to share.

I have a lot of love in my heart to share with whomever would like to receive.

And I have some wisdom to share arising years of suffering from the heavy cross of manic depressive disorder.

But it’s also a gift and it keeps of giving.

So, I hope you have received something nourishing and sweet in the 24 posts I have been able to create this Advent.

They are my gift to you.

Have a wonderful Christmas with your family or with a friend or two.

And if your Christmas is lonely with no one really special to share it with,

or if you are depressed or without a friend or if you are down on your luck

or don’t know where your next buck is gonna come from

or have lost a loved one at this time of year,

please know that you have someone here who understands and who reaches out to you from my heart to yours.

Be sure to open yourself to the holiness / the wholeness / the Peace of Christmas.

It is there beneath all the craziness and hype.  It is yours if you seek it and ask for it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!!!

And now to close let’s let Handel have the last word:

Click here: GLORY TO GOD~PEACE ON EARTH~GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN!

BE SURE TO TURN UP YOUR SPEAKERS AND ENTER FOR SCREEN.  Right next to where you are in You Tube you can end your celebration with the awesome coda of the Messiah WORTHY IS THE LAMB!

HAVE A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS WITH YOUR FAMILY!

We will be will be right back after Christmas.  As you might know we Catholics extend the celebration until the feast of the Epiphany ~ January 6th.

BEFORE YOU GO, IF YOU HAVE ENJOYED THESE POSTS WOULD YOU  LEAVE A COMMENT OR A THANK OR SOMETHIN’ IN THE COMMENT BOX BELOW OR BOUNCE BACK AN EMAIL?

I WOULD GREATLY ‘PRECIATE IT FROM THE BOTTOM OF ME AROMATIC SOCKS!


With love,

Bob Traupman

Contemplative writer

Advent Day 23 — Our vulnerable God

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Our Lady breast feeding Jesus — Shrine of our Lady of La Leche — St. Augustine, Florida

Wednesday of the fourth week of Advent

Luke tells us the charming story that God became incarnate — enfleshed — as a little vulnerable baby boy.

It’s amazing to really think about that.

Even if you’re not ready to accept the story as true, the meaning of that story can really grab you if you let it.

But, sadly, so many of us celebrate Christmas all our lives without really reflecting on the implications of the story for our lives.

Jesus was not only vulnerable in his birth, but also in his death.

He chose to stand before Pilate, bound, scourged and silent.

He chose to say nothing or do anything in his defense.

Vulnerable indeed.

What’s the message here?

St. Paul gives us a clue:

“When I am powerless then I am strong” ~ (2 Cor 12:9-10.)

How can that be?

I think about that a lot because I am powerless a lot when I have to deal with depression

There were days I could not get out of my chair.  I spent over a year institutionalized because of my bipolar illness over the years.

Yes.  I learned the meaning of Paul’s words, “When I am powerless, then I am strong.”  I had to.  For my survival’s sake.

And as a result, I began to thrive.  How?   Because I found the secret.  I found the Source  of  power  in Centering Prayer in the core of my being ~ Emmanuel: God~within~us!

Jesus is showing us his own vulnerability as a baby and in his death: “He emptied himself “ (Phil 2:1-11)

And in our weaknesses,

in our poverty of spirit,

in the brokenness of our lives

we will find God.

Jesus,

You came into this world as a little child

as needy as any other baby.

You suckled at Mary’s breast and

received your nourishment as God from a human mother.

You became one of us and with us.

You accepted our fleshiness,

~ our misery, our joys and sorrows.

You came down to our level to raise us up to the dignity of God

Thank you, Jesus!

Come into our world this day.

Teach us to accept our own vulnerability as something positive.

Teach us to recognize Your face in the most vulnerable among us

for they can be our most radical spiritual teachers.

They Know. They Understand.

Help us understand too, Lord.  Help us to truly understand

~ that vulnerability and powerlessness are very good teachers.

I thank you, Lord.

Come, Lord Jesus!  Come into our hearts this day.

 

Now that message is quite clear in charming children’s story Here it is in a YouTube rendition of  The Little Drummer Boy.

You will need to get rid of the annoying pop up ad that appears on it by click on the X on the right corner.  Be sure to enter full screen and enjoy.

We will have one more post tomorrow before Christmas.

With love,

Bob Traupman

contemplative writer

Advent Day 21– What wondrous love is this?

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Tuesday of the fourth week of Advent

O Come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here,

Until the Son of God appear,

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel!

Emmanuel, they tell us you are “God-with-us.”

Where are you, Emmanuel?

Are you here?

Are you here in the messiness of our lives?

Can you really ransom us from our captivities,

our slaveries to addictions, our hatreds and grudges and jealousies

that eat us up and spit us out?

Our guilts, our “coulda, shoulda, wouldas — our druthers and regrets?

Our lethargy, our hopelessness, our slumber, our rage?


O Israel!  O America!

Do you want Emmanuel to come?

Do We want you to?  (Do I?)


Many languish in mourning, Emmanuel

in exiles made by Wall Street and homelessness and sickness

and loneliness and selfishness.

Many a young heart mourns / aches for direction and meaning and love.

Prisoners waste away.  Such a waste of young lives!

Will you ransom their hearts, and souls Emmanuel?

– our hearts and souls?

Will you change our justice system to be truly just?

Will you truly rain down justice as the psalmist says?

Yes, O come, Emmanuel!

Be God-with-us!

Even though we can sometimes hardly be with ourselves, Lord.

Captivate us, inhale us with Your love.

Dazzle us with hope and new life and possibility.

Yes, Emmanuel!  We believe you will come.

Maybe not today or tomorrow.

You will transform the secret mournings of our souls.

We will dance and sing and embrace You and each other

because you came among us, Emmanuel.

You ARE with us, Emmanuel.

You are LOVE ITSELF!

If only we could — would — see You, right in front of us — with us.

Then, would we — could we — embrace You / open our hearts to you!

Because of  You our being becomes “being-in-love!”

We rejoice! We give thanks! We believe!

Come, Lord Jesus!  Yes, Lord Jesus, come.


Brothers and sisters, this Christmas let each one of us give thanks

– and receive again in a new way

such a precious, wondrous love,

such a wonderful gift.

Here is a YouTube presentation of the powerful hymn sung by Steve Green  “What wondrous love is this?

Enjoy and have a wonderful day!


With love,

Bob Traupman

contemplative writer



Advent Day 20 ~ The Burning Bush of the World

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O Adonai and Ruler of the House of Israel,

you appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush

and on Mount Sinai gave him your law.

Come, and with outstretched arm redeem us.

Monday of the fourth week of Advent

Advent themes are all about waiting for light to shine in our darkness.
For we who are Christians we await, Jesus, Yeshua, who is for us the Light of the World.
We prepare a place for him to shine in our own hearts this day.
We invite you to search out your own inner meaning whatever that might be.

And my prayer . . .

O Adonai*, we need you in our world more than ever!

You appeared in the burning bush long ago.

I remember this awesome sunrise three years ago over the ocean at  St. Augustine Beach.

I’m reminded of the old sailor’s maxim:  “Red at night, a sailor’s delight; red in the morning, sailor’s take warning.”

Come with your refiner’s fire and burn your way into our hearts.

so that we can prepare the way for the Messiah to come into our lives,

into our homes,

our workplace and marketplace,

our neighborhoods

our beloved  country,

our waiting world!

Come Lord Jesus!

______

What are  the “O Antiphons?” One of the most cherished collections of our ancient liturgical chants are the seven “O Antiphons” which are sung each of the seven nights before Christmas at Vespers. They have beautiful chant melodies.  I am using some of them this week before Christmas.

Here is an audio slide show of O come,  O come Emmanuel for your reflection. When you get to You Tube there are several other different presentations of the melody available including one from Enya.

* Adonai is one of the names the Jewish people use for God.

With love,

Bob Traupman

contemplative writer

Advent Day 19: Depressed or lonely at Christmas?

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O come, thou dayspring, come and cheer

Our spirits by thine advent here;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

~ O Antiphons

Fourth Sunday of Advent

There sometimes can be a lot of depression swirling around at Christmas.

People can feel lonelier because we’re expected to be cheerier and we just don’t feel it.

This blog is meant for us to pray and reach out and notice these folks.

In the gospel today Mt 1:18-24  Joseph has a dream that confirms the conception of the child Mary is carrying, but

it didn’t take away their problems of what to say to the neighbors and all the hardship they would have to face.

Let’s be with folks who have lost a loved one and still miss them.

With kids who are shuffled back from one parent to another to “celebrate” the holidays.

With soldiers far away from home and their families at home without them.

And so, may we pray:

There are sometimes dark clouds in our lives, Lord.
Pierce the gloominess of our lives with Your very own Light.
May we allow You to dawn on us and in us this day.
May we be ready for Your dawning in a new way in our lives this Christmas.
May this celebration of Jesus’ birth bring meaning and joy in the midst of our worries and concerns.
And may we BE the dawning of  your light and love and justice
in our homes, our neighborhoods, our jobs, our world.

And there are dark and ominous clouds over our world right now, Lord.
Pierce our greed and hate and fear and complacency and violence with hope, Lord.
May we pray earnestly for a new dawn for our beloved country and our world.
May we BE the dawning of  your light and love and justice in our land.

Lord Jesus, come!
May the light of that dawning transform our lives and our land.
We need Your Light and Your Love more than ever.

And now for your listening enjoyment here is the great Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing “Unto Us a Son is Given” Turn up your speakers and enter full screen.

With love,

Bob Traupman

contemplative writer

Advent Day 17 ~ What are you waiting for?

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Friday of the third week o f Advent

One of the major themes of Advent I promised I would talk about is  “waiting.”

The Jewish people are waiting for the Messiah.  We are waiting for the return of Christ.

Some expect him “soon and very soon.”

(As for me, I don’t worry my lil head about the rapture and stuff ’cause we ain’t gonna know the answer anyway!)

Every single one of us is longing for something — Someone.

What — or Who — are YOU waiting for?

– for Godot?

– to be accepted into college?

– a new job?

– your son to come home from Afghanistan?

– to win the lottery?

– someone to fill your loneliness?

– for news that your biopsy is benign?

– to get home after being stuck in rush hour traffic and bad day at work?

– a letter that never comes?

There are all kinds of things we have to wait for.

Advent is about learning how to use “waiting time” well.

We can wait patiently or impatiently.

Some people want “fast access DSL” to be even faster.

But I have learned that slower is better.

When we’re waiting in line or in the doctor’s office — especially during Advent — we can go inside ourselves.  Quiet our mind. Just focus on our breathing for a while or say a decade of the rosary.

Real life happens when we’re waiting for something else to happen.

Life happens between here and there.

But we have to be ready. Open.     Ready to hear God speak to us in the murmured wisdom of a three-year-old.

Ready to see the evidence of God’s presence when you walk out the door in the morning.

– or even to see God in a baby in manger.

Ready and waiting for Jesus to come to us in a new way this Christmas.

Yes, life happens WHILE we’re waiting.

When we’re not in any particular hurry.

When we’re ready to respond to whomever wants or needs our attention at the moment

– one of your children or perhaps a stranger at the  checkout counter at the corner grocery store.

That’s what a real Christmas is all about!

That’s what a spiritual life is all about whether you are Catholic or Hebrew or Muslim or Buddhist or non-believer.

But the most important waiting that we try to learn during the Advent season is to wait for the Lord.

Having enough faith to wait for God to act in our life on God’s time — not ours.

So, Advent is about learning patience.

It’s  also about longing for something –Someone more.

About realizing  as St. Augustine said:

“Our hearts are restless until they rest in you, my God!“

Finally, dear friends, I share with you a song I’ve always loved from West Side Story because it captures so well the excitement / the anticipation/ the hope / the yearning / striving / hungering / the thirsting / the DESIRE of the human race for something MORE! Someone NEW to break into our life and turn us upside down.

“Something’s Coming!” sung by Tony in West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein — a YouTube presentation. Turn up your speakers and enter full screen.  Christmas is one week away.

Have a great day!

With love,

Bob Traupman

contemplative writer

Advent Day 14 ~ Soar like an eagle!

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The symbol for St. John is the eagle because he soars to the heights of mystical love 

Tuesday of the third week of Advent

Isaiah is so amazing.    He offers hope. He sees imminent possibilities for the human race.  He warns.  And also he chastises. (More on that later.)

I’ve always loved this scripture that appeared in the Mass readings recently:

God gives strength to the fainting,

for the weak he makes vigor abound.

Though young men faint and grow weary,

and youth stagger and fall,

They that hope in the Lord

will renew their strength,

they will soar as with eagle’s wings;

They will run and not grow weary,

walk and not grow faint.

~ Isaiah 40:30-31.

I just spoke with Betsy today, Lord. She’s eighty-something and has had a marvelous 65 year love affair with John. I last saw them on the couch, both dressed in denim gaga-eyed like teenagers.  Now John is slipping away into another world within himself.  And yet, she finds that her God and the angels are lifting her up on eagle’s wings. And she tells me — to her delight –she feels renewed by her faith and the Magnificat Mass book  I got her as a gift. Today she told me to reread p. 335 in the October issue.   Renew her vigor, Lord.

Monday night I spoke with Aaron, Lord, a really good guy, 32, who violated his probation.  He has “staggered and fallen” again,  even though I know he wants  badly to get clean. He has lost his vigor, has lost his way.  Be with him, too, Lord.

And then, praying about this Isaian text, I want to mention the guys on the corner of Broward and I-95, Lord.  I don’t care what they do with the buck I give them. I just look them in the eye, give them a thumbs up and ask their name.  When the light changes, I lift them up in prayer.   Their sign often says “Homeless Vet.” Young men whose souls are  buried deep within. Homelessness is tough, Lord.  I know.  I had a brief bout of it.    Be with them, too, Lord.  I’d love to find a way to help these guys find their souls again, Lord.  Let them run again, Lord, into the wind.  Let us honor the poor, Lord.  They have much to teach the rest of us.

Then there’s Sean, Lord.  He’s down for the count this Christmas because his marriage is headed for divorce and they have to get the kids through it all. Be with that family, Lord, and all the homes in our land that are not sweetness and light before Christmas.

I, praise you, Lord, because you have restored my vigor in marvelous ways at age 67!  You’re renewing my strength.  And I’d love to soar as if with eagle’s wings if you would grant me that grace.  Soar to the heights of the mountains and dive to the depths of the ocean of Your love, Lord.  I’m ready and willing to serve You, Lord for the next twenty years.

Whatever You will, Lord. Whatever you will..

Day by day, let us serve You and Your people the best we can.

And now enjoy Godspell’s Day by Day. Turn up your speakers, enter full screen and have a great day ~ whether you want to or not!

With love,

Bob Traupman

contemplative writer


Rejoice! The Lord is near!

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Third Sunday of Advent

In our Catholic liturgical calendar this is “Gaudete Sunday — the Sunday of Joy.    We’re half way through Advent and the vestment color is Rose, rather than purple, the color of penitence.  So, we see the celebrant in rose vestments, which is a little too close to pink (ahem!)  I had a “Rose” cell phone once; everybody asked me why I had a pink cell phone (Don’t ask. I bought it when I was manic.)  I insisted it was rose – not pink!

Enough foolishness.

This is supposed to be a joyful time of year but . . . some us don’t see things clearly, or can’t speak up for ourselves or are disabled.  some of us are afraid /disillusioned /confused / depressed / lonely / weak-kneed / in need of a good old-fashioned infusion of hope and joy

Today’s first reading from Isaiah 35:1-6a,10  sums up the joyful, hopeful mood of  this third Advent Sunday:

The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing.

Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return
and enter Zion singing,
crowned with everlasting joy;
they will meet with joy and gladness,
sorrow and mourning will flee.

And then this traditional third Sunday reading:

Brothers and sisters:
Rejoice in the Lord always.
I shall say it again:  rejoice!
Your kindness should be known to all.
The Lord is near.
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.                                                                                                             ~(Phil.4:4-7.)

To You be honor and glory.  Amen!

COME, LORD JESUS!

To get you in a joyful mood I have a surprise for you ~ the HALLELUIA CHORUS sung in a shopping mall during lunch by opera singers mingled with the munchers. This is truly amazing and lots of fun.  Turn up your speakers and enter full screen.

(With our joyful gratitude to Alphabet photography.)

And here are all the of the readings for today’s Mass if you’d like those as well.

With love,

Bob Traupman

contemplative writer

Our Lady of Guadalupe ~ God prefers the poor

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Friday of the Second Week of Advent

(We will observe the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe today

as it occurs on the 12th and will not be celebrated on Sunday)  This is an amazing story.  Half way down is an interpretation of the symbolism of the image that of the woman that appeared on Juan Diego’s cloak.  That also is amazing.  It converted a whole culture.

Today,we honor our sister and brothers in Mexico

as they celebrate the appearance of the Mother of Jesus  to a poor peasant native Mexican.

Today, may we unite ourselves in solidarity with all the peoples of North and South and Central America who rejoice in this feast day;indeed may we unite ourselves in solidarity with  all the world’s poor.
Here is the charming story:

An elderly Indian man named Chuauhtlatoczin (“Juan Diego” in Spanish) had a vision of Mary, the mother of Jesus, at Tepeyac, a squalid Indian village outside of Mexico City, 469 years ago. Mary directed Juan Diego to tell the bishop to build the church in Tepeyac. The Spanish bishop, however, dismissed the Indian’s tale as mere superstition. He asked that he bring some sort of proof, if he wanted to be taken seriously. Three days later, the Virgin Mary appeared again and told Juan Diego to pick the exquisitely beautiful roses that had miraculously bloomed amidst December snows, and take them as a sign to the bishop. When the Indian opened his poncho to present the roses to the bishop, the flowers poured out from his poncho to reveal an image of the Virgin Mary painted on the inside of the poncho. That image hangs today in the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City and is venerated by thousands of pilgrims from all over the world.

Significantly, Mary appeared not as a white-skinned, blue-eyed, blond-haired European Madonna but as a dark-skinned, brown-eyed, black-haired “Tonantzin,” the revered Indian Mother, and she spoke to Juan Diego not in cultured Castillian but in his own Nahuatal language. She spoke in the language of the powerless, disenfranchised, and despised Indians. She was then and is today, “La Morenita” – the Brown One. Her message to the bishop was that God’s church should be built out on the fringes of society, amidst the poor and the downtrodden. The vision challenged the powerful conquerors, the Spaniards of Mexico City, to change their way of thinking and acting. It challenged them to move out from their position of power and influence to the periphery; to leave their magnificent cathedral and build God’s house in Tepeyac – among the poor and the despised, away from the center of power and culture and education and the arts.

Guadalupe is a “vision” story and, like all such stories, tells us something about God and something about ourselves. More precisely, it tells us how God wants to be among us. St. Juan Diego’s vision of where God wants to be or whom we should listen to should come as no surprise to us. Throughout history, God has consistently chosen to be with poor people. In that respect, the Blessed Virgin Mary’s message to St. Juan Diego at Guadalupe is a restatement of Jesus’ mission: That God is in those who are hungry, thirsty, imprisoned, naked, sick, stranger, and suffering. The challenge for us is to heed the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the message of Christ’s Gospel, and reach out to those who belong to the margins of our society.
– Source: The Manila Bulletin online.

God of power and mercy,

you blessed the Americas at Tepeyac

with the presence of the Virgin Mary at Guadalupe.

May her prayers help all men and women

to accept each other as brothers and sisters

Through your justice present in our hearts

may your peace reign in our world.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

. . . official prayer from the Mass of the feast

The Image of Our Lady is actually an Aztec Pictograph

which was read and understood quickly by the Aztec Indians.         
1.    THE LADY STOOD IN FRONT OF THE SUN
She was greater than the dreaded Huitzilopochtli, their
sun-god of war.
2.    HER FOOT RESTED ON THE CRESCENT
MOON
She had clearly crushed Quetzalcoatl,
the feathered serpent moon-god.
3.   THE STARS STREWN ACROSS THE MANTLE
She was greater than the stars of heaven which they worshiped.
She was a virgin and the Queen of the heavens for Virgo rests over her womb and the northern crown upon her head.
She appeared on December 12, 1531 and the stars that she wore are the constellations of the stars that appeared in the sky that day!
4.   THE BLUE‑GREEN HUE OF HER MANTLE
She was a Queen because she wears the color of royalty.
5.   THE BLACK CROSS ON THE BROOCH AT HER NECK
Her God was that of the Spanish Missionaries, Jesus Christ her son who died
on the cross for all mankind.
6.   THE BLACK BELT
She was with child because she wore the Aztec Maternity Belt.
7.   THE FOUR PETAL FLOWER OVER THE WOMB
She was the Mother of God because the flower was a special symbol of
life, movement and deity-the center of the universe.
8. HER HANDS ARE JOINED IN PRAYER
She was not God but clearly there was one greater than Her and she
pointed her finger to the cross on her brooch.
9. THE DESIGN ON HER ROSE COLORED GARMENT
She is the Queen of the Earth because she is wearing a contour map of
Mexico telling the Indians exactly where the apparition took place.

The Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Science

1.   The image to this date, cannot be explained by science.

2.  The image shows no sign of deterioration after 450 years!
The tilma or cloak of Saint Juan Diego on which the image of Our Lady has
been imprinted, is a coarse fabric made from the threads of the maguey
cactus. This fiber disintegrates within 20-60 years!

3. There is no under sketch, no sizing and no protective over-varnish on the
image.

4.  Microscopic examination revealed that there were no brush strokes.

5.  The image seems to increase in size and change colors due to an unknown
property of the surface and substance of which it is made.

6.  According to Kodak of Mexico, the image is smooth and feels like a
modern day photograph.  (Produced 300 years before the invention of
photography.)

7. The image has consistently defied exact reproduction, whether by brush or
camera.

8.  Several images can be seen reflected in the eyes of the Virgin. It is
believed to be the images of Juan Diego, Bishop Juan de Zummaraga, Juan
Gonzales, the interpreter and others.

9.  The distortion and place of the images are identical to what is produced in
the normal eye which is impossible to obtain on a flat surface.

10. The stars on Our Lady’s Mantle coincide with the constellations in the sky on
December 12, 1531. All who have scientifically examined the image of Our
Lady over the centuries confess that its properties are absolutely unique
and so inexplicable in human terms that the image can only be supernatural!

With love,

Bob Traupman

contemplative writer

Advent Day 12– The dance of the shadows

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Thursday of the Second Week of Advent

Here they are again, Lord.  Light and shadow together.
In this case, it appears the shadows on the lawn
are actually making room  for the light.
It seems the shadows are even escorting the light!

And the golden cast of the afternoon sun is awesome, Lord.  I am always in awe of it.

It shows forth Your glory, Lord.  At least to me.

Advent and Christmas and Hanukkah are all about light.
Teach us to look for your Light wherever we find it, Lord.

Sometimes we find the Light where there is supposed to be darkness and sometimes we find darkness where there is supposed to be light. Give us wisdom to know the difference. Teach us also to  see the shadow is always right next to the light in our lives.
Teach us to be patient with the shadow and even the darkness;
may we wait for the Light to come into our lives
and once again to our beautiful land.
May we never over look it; may we always be ready “to be wrapped in light as in a robe.”

Now fade all earthly splendor,
The shades of night descend
The dying of the daylight
Foretells creations end.
Though noon gives place to sunset,
Yet dark gives place to light:
The promise of tomorrow
With dawns new hope is bright.
– James Quinn, S.J. , 1968

Now here’s one of the great pieces from Handel’s Messiah – “And the glory of the Lord” on YouTube.  Enjoy. Be sure to enter full screen.  Once you get to You Tube there are other selections from the Messiah to enjoy as well.

Dear Friends,

When you’re out and about, take time to notice  the difference in the early morning and late afternoon light.  These times of day are a photographer’s workshop.  The sun often offers a golden glow to everything and the shadows are long and penetrating.  Each day ~ twice a day  ~ behold the glory of the Lord ~ right in front of you.  And it’s delightful entertainment ~ on demand ~ all for free for the discerning eye!

With love,

Bob Traupman

contemplative writer