open up within me the gate to awareness of you

O name of Jesus,

key to all gifts,

open up for me the great door to your treasurehouse

so that I may enter and praise you

with the praise that comes the heart

in return for your mercies

which I have experienced in latter days;

for you came and renewed me

with an awareness of the New World…

Gather my mind into the silence of prayer,

so that all my wandering thoughts

may be silenced within me

during that luminous converse

of supplication and mystery-filled wonder.

O Sun of righteousness

by which the righteous beheld their own selves

and became a mirror for their generations,

open up within me 

the gate to awareness of you.

~Isaac of Nineveh, †late 7^th century

as published in Magnificat magazine,

May 2015

Vol. 17, No. 3, pp262-3

[Photos: top, Mont-Sainte Michel, France;

bottom, Mission La Purísima Concepción, California

all photos © Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda]

praying through the cracks

Beauvais

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,

my memory, my understanding,

and my entire will,

All I have and call my own.

You have given all to me.

To you, Lord, I return it.

Everything is yours; do with it what you will.

Give me only your love and your grace,

that is enough for me.

 ~St. Ignatius of Loyola, 

Suscipe prayer

At Medieval Chauvigny

 Besides the fields of yellow, on our recent pilgrimage of the French countryside and its astonishing Cathedrals, I became obsessed with doors.

In particular, the juxtaposition of doors, or openings, and light. I was fascinated by the fusion and separation, whether the door was wide open or there was light pouring through the gaps, the door’s cracks.

windows and door at our French farm home

I feel full of questions about my writing projects and what, if anything, I have to offer. But my physical tiredness doesn’t help me think very clearly these days.

Keeping everyone’s intentions in my heart. And from here, praying to have a heart that is an open door—one that allows the Christ Light to shine, even through my cracks.

at Mont-St-Michel

the courage to be oneself

entrance to Eglise St Jacques, Compiegne

I remember the first time that I really understood the phrase, “be gentle with yourself.” My friend Pat was giving a workshop at a nearby parish in Austin, and I tagged along with her to listen and keep her company.

I honestly don’t remember the actual topic Pat was presenting, but I remember that at some point during the day she challenged the all-female audience to treat themselves as kindly as they would someone else.

“Imagine that it’s your friend who is in this situation and not you. What would you say to her? How would you treat her? If I had to guess, I bet you’d be much kinder, more patient, more gentle and understanding than you are being to yourself.”

Over the past couple of days, I’ve remembered that moment often, especially as I’ve tried to get back to the “swing” of things here, while still fighting jet lag both in my body and my mind!

Why is it so hard to allow myself to be human?

For example, ever since last week I’ve been saving May 30 in my mind for a special blog on Joan of Arc. Yet here I am with about one hour left in the date, and I still haven’t put anything together.

Yet why continue to give myself a hard time about it? What’s the worse that will happen? Only that you will have to hear about it half a day later!

On May 30, 1431, Joan of Arc was burnt alive on the Old Market Square in Rouen, France—and her ashes thrown into the River Siene. She was 19 years old.

Joan was a big part of our two-week French pilgrimage. We saw images and paintings of her everywhere—and without planning anything but Rouen, we came across several sites related to her courageous story.

Here’s a sampling:

By "chance" we came across the town/church where Joan of Arc was arrested,

in the little town of Compiegne, where we spent our first two nights

Here she is in Beauvais, the Cathedral that will never be finished!

And at the Cathedral in Amiens

And at the Cathedral Notre Dame de Reims, we came across a contemporary exhibit by Greg Tricker dedicated to Joan of Arc (and an assembly of other saints)

In Poitiers, a town we first visited 13 years ago as a stop on the train to Lourdes:

at Mont-St-Michel:

And finally, Rouen, where she was killed on May 30, 1431:

"I ask, first of all, to make peace. If one is not prepared to make peace, I am quite ready to fight for it" ~St. Joan of Arc

our farm home away from home

I've never stayed overnight in a building with a thatch roof!

the road to our farm home

There’s something truly different about staying in lodging with its own individual name, even when I don’t know what the name means!  It makes me feel like I’m visiting a distant relative.

Our farm home away from home, La Pelviniere, is located just outside the village of Champ du Boult—which is near the village of Vire, in the Calvados Region in Normandy. It is early spring here, and everything is green, budding, and right now, very wet.

According to the information on the building, La Pelviniere underwent a complete renovation over 18 months—with final additions done just last year—which transformed the insides of this 300 year old thatched-roof building into a distinctive historic lodging, with completely modern facilities on the inside.

way to our bedroom

michael reading his novel in the sitting area

The bottom line is, we’re not roughing it—and I must admit that I have been very grateful for the central heating the past few days, which have been muggy, rainy, and cold.

 I love the little touches around the house that remind me that this is not your usual house...

the "handle" to my bedroom

The "nightstand" next to my bed, a nitch in the wall

enter -- but mind your head!

a nitch in the kitchen with a stereo & CDs

I do hope before we leave at the end of the week to be able to take a walk in the backyard among the apple trees, which are just-beginning to bloom, and to say hello to the sheep, horses, and chickens that live in the farm next door.

looking out my bedroom window

This whole area is awash with World War II landmarks, history and stories, something we’ll be exploring later in the week, perhaps tomorrow?

Needless to say, no Wi-Fi in our thatched-roof dwelling! But I will post when I can, and concentrate on one aspect or place as we continue on our pilgrimage through the French countryside.

Yesterday we visited Mont-St-Michel, an iconic, imposing landmark about an hour from here. I will post on it soon. Like Chartres, that one place alone commands its own write up!

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NOTE: We heard the news today about the terrifying storms that Norman and Oklahoma City have had the last couple of days -- and the death toll from the tornadoes that went through Moore.  I want to assure you all that you are in our prayers, and we will commend you to Our Lady's care and intercession at every church we go.

my candle of prayer intentions today

Do count on my prayers for you—and thank you for praying us through this pilgrimage journey.