seeing the invisible, and two notes

The Little Prince and the fox

"Goodbye," said the fox. "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
 "What is essential is invisible to the eye," the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, “The Little Prince”

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“It is what is invisible that God sees and that the Christian must look for” 

~Flannery O’Connor

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I miss my friend Pat daily, especially at Mass.

Every time that Pat received the Eucharist in her hand at Mass, her communion “Amen!” could be heard loudly amidst the usual whispered voices of others. I can hear in my heart’s memory her resounding, strong consent, leaving no doubt about her certainty!

Pat’s “Amen!” was a genuine affirmation of what she believed.

I thought of her today when I read this,

“The phrase ‘I believe’ could be literally translated by ‘I hand myself over to,’ ‘I assent to’… [W}hat is invisible is greater and much more valuable than anything visible. But in order to have a living awareness of this, we need conversion, we need to turn around inside, as it were, to overcome the illusion of what is visible, and to develop the feeling, the ears, and the eyes, for what is invisible.” 

~Pope Benedict XVI

 of Note #1: I am thrilled to be going back to Cedarbrake Renewal Center in the Diocese of Austin, Texas--this time to lead a writing retreat. If you're anywhere near, please consider joining me!

Feel free to write me for more information? Here's the official blurp, or click here: 

Writing as Prayer: Sept 13-15

Join us for a weekend exploring writing as a tool for fostering intimate prayer. We will use guided writing exercises, visual and musical props to invite participants into spiritual conversations with the sacred. Anne Klock, flutist, will provide the sacred music for this retreat. NO writing skills are required, only a willingness to ponder and listen—with pen in hand!

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of Note #2:  I am taking some time off to practice deep breathing in front of the ocean. You may not hear from me for a few days... Be well!

this little light of mine

There’s an email story making its way through cyberspace about a boy helping a classmate with a stack of books – and the life-saving meaning of that simple act of kindness.

The email story ends with the statement:

“Never underestimate the power of your actions.

With one small gesture you can change a person's life.”

I’ve read the story before, but found myself pondering it from a new angle this week, mostly in light of the Boston bombings.

I received the email story through my friend Sr. Tess, whom I recently wrote about and who currently lives in Boston. In a personal note, Tess asked for prayers for her city—and for a friend who is nervous about the London Marathon taking place in her city this coming weekend.

In my reply, I asked Tess to also remember the people of Oklahoma City in her prayers. Not only is this Friday, April 19, the anniversary of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, but the OKC Memorial Marathon will also take place on Sunday.

Everyone is a bit on edge.

Not only can the acts of one person change irrevocably another person’s life, for good or for evil… it can also affect an entire global community.

Perhaps when evil acts hit close to home we pay more attention. But at daily Mass today I was reminded that we never stop being connected to the suffering Body of the Christ. We remain in communion with one another, in Christ who is our Light.

Nothing that I do is inconsequential. Everything that I do affects other people. I don’t have to be able to see it to believe it’s true.

As my friend Susan Stabile wrote today on her blog CREO EN DIOS!:

“…we don’t always feel brave or strong or inspiring. But we don’t need to “feel brave to be brave…. feel strong to be strong…or feel inspiring to inspire.” We need to remember that our star, however small, can light the way for others.