Advent Meditations

[Mike]

Hi all. Christmas is rapidly approaching, and most of us I wager are busier than usual. I've not been on much lately myself with finals and last-minute papers to wrap up the semester. But let's not get so busy that we forget to properly celebrate the season. Like most things, you only get out of Christmas what you put it into it, that is, it is only as meaningful as you prepare yourself for it to be. After all, it is only after much longing and travail that Christ is born. Let us wait in expectation for the gifts of God.

 

So I figure for the following two or three weeks we could each share random meditations/prayer/poems for Advent.

So here goes. I hate to steal Derek's (tariki) style, but I'll quote Thomas Merton. This is a Marian canticle from The Book of Hours that I found to be quite fitting for Advent.

 

Go, roads, to the four quarters of our quiet distance,

While you, full moon, wise queen,

Being your evening journey to the hills of heaven,

And travel no less stately in the summer sky

Than Mary, going to the house of Zachary.

 

The woods are silent with the sleep of doves,

The valleys with the sleep of streams,

And all our barns are happy with peace of cattle

gone to rest.

 

Still wakeful, in the fields, the shocks of wheat

Preach and say prayers:

You sheaves, make all your evensongs as sweet as ours,

Whose summer world, all ready for the granary and barn,

Seems to have seen, this day,

Into the secret of the Lord's Nativity.

 

Now at the fall of night, you shocks

Still bend your heads like kind and humble kings

The way you did this golden morning when you saw

God's Mother passing,

While all our windows fill and sweeten

With the mild vespers of the hay and barley.

 

You moon and rising stars, pour on our barns and houses

Your gentle benedictions.

Remind us how our Mother, with far subtler

and more holy influence,

Blesses our rooves and eaves,

Our shutters, lattices and sills,

Our doors, and floors, and stairs, and rooms,

and bedrooms,

Smiling by night upon her sleeping children:

O gentle Mary! Our lovely Mother in heaven!

[rivanna]

Beautiful canticle, Mike, have never seen anything like that before.

I'm always amazed by your knowledge and understanding.

[soma]

An Old Irish Blessing

May love and laughter light your days,

and warm your heart and home.

May good and faithful friends be yours,

wherever you may roam.

May peace and plenty bless your world

with joy that long endures.

May all life's passing seasons

bring the best to you and yours!

 

I use to manage a half way house for the mentally disturbed and started one for prisoners. Christmas was the time when we had most of our suicide attempts. The emotions and expectations were too much for some to handle. May we all experience the peace inside at this time. Merry Christmas.

[Mike]

Beautiful canticle, Mike, have never seen anything like that before.

I'm always amazed by your knowledge and understanding.

 

Thanks Karen for your kind words. But if I have any knowledge at all, it's not at all very useful - what I do have is more of a refined and polished-up ignorance.

 

By the way I noticed a typo, the first word of the 3rd line should be 'begin', not 'being'.

 

Peace to you and to all,

Mike

[soma]

Mike your refined and polished up ignorance seems to transform our consciousness to wisdom. May your luminous heart continue to enlighten and speak to our hearts and souls. Enjoy the peace and stillness within at Christmas. Soma