Rise, and do not be Afraid

Susan! Not sure why we complicate things the way we do. If only we would listen to what God is sharing with us. He knows our hearts and speaks personally to us in so many ways. Lent’s a great time to listen better! Blessings.

Your description opened the curtain to my imagination and I was right there in the chapel with the sisters!! I call that position “going Old Testament.” I could sense the silence and reverence! A silent retreat would be GREAT right about now!

I went on a Women’s De Colores Retreat about 26 years ago at St. Paul of the Cross Retreat Center. After the evening Chapel service we were put on “silent mode” until after breakfast the next morning. I chose to stay in the Chapel for prayer. There in the chapel was an ENORMOUS crucifix!!! Somehow, I had managed to avoid the “cross” in my growing up in the Episcopal church of my youth. I didn’t like to look at it as the acolyte would pass by during the processional and I would avert my gaze. There was no corpus on the cross in the Episcopal church either, but in that chapel there was the body of Christ and Jesus had his eyes OPEN! There was no more avoiding or escaping the cross and it was there in the silence that I had to GAZE on my crucified Lord and make a decision. Would I accept his offer to “come follow him” or not?

The next morning there came a “wake up” knock on my door by one of the Cha Cha’s (a volunteer who was there to help with the retreat). I had discovered that I had no soap and had to communicate this to her without speaking. I mouthed my request and she actually understood me! She gave me the “one minute” sign with her first finger and disappeared down the darkened hallway. She returned and knocked on my door a second time. When I opened to her she had in her hands a small bar of Ivory soap topped with a gold, foil wrapped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup! She presented it to me like it was on a golden platter and I was a princess! The Reese’s even looked like a miniature crown! I KNEW this was from Jesus because only Jesus and my mother know that I like my chocolate in the morning before I even brush my teeth! Some people say “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” but for me, a female, that applied to me. Making me food is my “Love Language” and this was a “sweet secret” that Jesus was whispering to me that morning, an act of intimacy of a Lover to his Beloved; “Come to me.” How could I resist?

The Ivory Soap was also very symbolic to me. At that time in my life any traveling that was done usually involved staying in Truck stops or Super 8 motels due to their “economy.” The soap provided by these establishments were cheap, off-brand, drying to the skin, and left a less than desirable scent on the body. To be handed a bar of Ivory signified a new dignity being given to me, a preciousness and value with the name, IVORY, and a cleanliness that went deeper than just the skin. The combination of the chocolate and the Ivory soap spoke to me of a redeemed and transformed life that Jesus was offering me.

This is an important memory of the LORD inviting me, wooing me, to be in relationship with Him. Life has rolled on with its ups and downs. Relationships can be taken for granted in the grind. The vision of lying prostrate provoked a desire in me for that deep and humble posture before the LORD and a reminder of his pursuit of me has not stopped. How about my pursuit of Him? What about my “Yes” to Him? Am I still captivated? I need to do more than just give up my chocolate this Lent!! It’s time for a long “shower” in an Examination of Conscience, Reconciliation, Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving.