‘to be able to make room in your life for another – especially a stranger – is a great gift. We need to teach ourselves to give others our undivided attention. Often we call, ‘there is not room at the inn’; no room in our hearts, minds or homes. It is when we open ourselves to the other who comes to us that the great Other also seeks to enter our lives, Jesus still says, ‘where two or three come together…I am there.’ Other experiences that are well known are those of St Christopher and St Francis. Christopher struggled across the ford with a child on his shoulders. The child needed help, and Christopher gave it. On reaching the other bank, Christopher put the child down and proceeded to dry himself. During this time the child disappeared – likely went off home. Perhaps in later years Christopher could have put a name to that child, but that night he knew it was Christ! It was from that incident that he took the delightful name of Christ-bearer – Christopher. St. Francis sought to express the love of God in all creation. This was not too difficult with the birds and the flowers. It was hard when he was confronted with a leper covered in sores. Suddenly, Francis was faced with an outcast from society, scorned and rejected of men. With great effort, he took the leper in his arms, and then knew that he embraced Christ and Christ embraced him. Each of these saints discovered the sacrament of the Divine Presence in a fellow being: ‘where ever you did this for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.’ Circle me O God Keep hope within Despair without. Circle me O God Keep peace within Keep turmoil out. Circle me O God Keep calm within Keep storms without. Circle me O God Keep strength within Keep weakness out. …what the Celtic people call the Caim, the Encircling. It is said that when the Celtic saints were troubled by evil or attacked by enemies, they drew the Caim around them. Sometimes they actually made a circle around themselves by using a stick or index finger. This was no magic, but an expression of the reality of the Presence of God. The encompassing of any of the Three Persons of the Trinity, or all of them, might be called on. In old times the supplicant would stretch out the right hand with the index finger extended, while turning around sunwise, s if on a pivot, and calling for the desired Presence to protect him. The circle was said to accompany the person on his journey and keep him from dangers. This was a way of acting out the truth stated by Paul in Romans: If God is for us, who can be against us?... I am certain that nothing can separate us from his love: Neither death nor life, Neither angels nor other heavenly rulers of powers, Neither the present nor the future, Neither the world above or the world below – there is nothing in all creation that will be able to separate us from the love of God Which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord. Once this become our own personal experience, life becomes quite different. The Caim works, not a a charm but to re-tune us to the reality of the love and presence of God. I like to listen to my transistor in the morning to hear the news. When I first come into the room all is silent, the radio waves are there, but I have not switched on, the transistor does not create the music, it only receives it. I need to switch on and be tuned in. so it is with the Divine Presense. By calling upon Him, we tune ourselves to His being with us. The Hymm of st Patrick is used like a Caim: I arise today Through a mighty strength, in invocation Of the trinity. Call upon the Father; take your time. You may lke to see yourself as if a child with a heavy load to carry. You have been struggling with this, feeling that it will defeat you; it is too heavy for you, it is wearing you out. The father is there. Call upon him. He has been watching and waiting. He will not only help you to carry your load. He will carry you if you are weary. Call upon him. Let his arms enfold you, his love surround you. The encircling God is with you, The encircling Power of the Creator. Call upon the Savior. It is when we are unable to help ourselves that we begin to know Christ as our Savior. Call upon Him who has conquered death and all the hells of this world. With His wounded hands He will enfold you. He calls you: ‘Come to me all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.’ Come, trust in Him. The enfolding of Christ be round you, The enfolding arms of His love. Come to the Lord and giver of Life. Come to the Spirit, who transforms you from a ‘lump of clay’ to a lving being, a person. Come to the Spirit to be refreshed, renewed, restored. The encompassing of the Spirit be round you, The encompassing of the strength of God. This is how to begin the day, not in your own effort, but in the power of God. Awake to this fact and it will help you to arise – not only to get up, but to get over so many things that would pull you down. The way to over ome gravity – and so much triviality—is to arise in the Presence each morning. To know that we are the sons and daughers of God, that He is with us and that He gives us life eternal. He gives today a resurrection quality, and helps us to arise. St. Pauls says of this: We who have this spiritual treasure are like common clay pots, in order to show that the supreme power belongs to God, not us. We are often troubled, but not crushed; some times in doubt, but never in despair; there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed. Because such prayers are like pulling a coat around us when the weather becomes severe, many of them become dressing prayers. They were like St Paul putting on ‘the whole armour of God’. In her translation of the St Patricks Breastplate, Mrs. Alexander make it sound s if Patrick is fastening the Presence to himself: binding God to him as carefully as he binds on his shoes or his tunic. Perhaps as he was dressing he would say: I bind unto myself today The strong name of the Trinity By invocation of the same, The Three in One and One in Three. As he threads the laces through the eye-holes of his tunic And pulls them tight and his body, he continues: I nd this day to me for ever, By power of faith, Christ’s Incarnation; His baptism in the Jordan River; His death on cross for my salvation. The Caim and dressing prayers are putting our trust in a power beyond ourselves. (Positive thinking tends to be egocentric; our prayers are God-centered, discovering that we are centred in God, without whom nothing is strong.) David Gascoyne expresses it so well: Always, whenever, whatever, however, When I am able to resist For once the constant pressure of failure to exist Let me remember That to be truly man is to be man aware of thee And unafraid to bee. So help me God. --David Adam, The Cry of the Deer, Meditations on the Hymm of St. Patrick – ‘The Presenc pervade your paths ? provide You with Peache’ Ca rd Aotem?
Posted on: Tue, 03 Sep 2013 04:29:11 +0000
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