Sr. Kathryn J Hermes, FSP

Baptism of Jesus: Who Will Join Me? (Horizons of the Heart 30)

Published on December 27, 2023December 29, 2023 by Sr. Kathryn J Hermes, FSP1 Comment

The grace we are asking of God: to discover Jesus in my own personal story so that my personal myth may be transformed in Jesus, as was that of Ignatius, that I will be disposed to hear God’s call and follow it wholeheartedly

Horizons of the Heart is inspired by the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius and my own notes from my thirty-day Ignatian retreat in 2022. See an index for the whole series.

“It is through our senses that we feel the ‘touch’ within the heart (Exx 335), and then the heart expands in feelings of happiness, peace and serenity, and in a renewal of spiritual strength, along with desires to ‘move forward’ (Exx 315, 329) (Imitating Christ our Lord with the Senses: Sensing and Feeling in the Exercises: Antonio Guillen (The Way, 47/1-2 (Jan/April 2008), 225-241). St. Ignatius mentors retreatants in this form of prayer in his Spiritual Exercises.

Preparing for Prayer

Begin by relaxing. Take a deep breath, hold it, and then let it out with a sigh. As you do this several more times, intentionally relax the muscles in your face, your shoulders, your arms, your legs. Offer a quiet prayer of gratitude. Rest in your Father’s arms.

Settling into Prayer

Ask Jesus that every aspect of this prayer will please him and will give glory to God.

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan (Mark 1:9).

Slowly read the passage for your meditation once. Leave some moments of silence and then read it again with the intention of entering into the story, of observing the details of what is happening. Take some time to set the stage and picture the environment in which the story takes place. I will share my own reflections simply as a prompt for you to enter into the contemplation more deeply yourself.

I notice as Jesus stands in line at the Jordan: just one of the crowd, talking, listening, waiting, being jostled by the large number of people around him. I enter deeply into how he is spiritually and intuitively sensing this experience, taking on his feelings as my own: his eagerness, his jubilation, his attentiveness, his childlikeness. He is simple, here and now, in the moment. His only delight is in the Father, waiting upon his Father.

“Jesus, I want to stand with you. I choose to stand in the Father’s delight.”

Let the story expand from the few verses that are recounted in Scripture to what that would have been like for Jesus or Mary, what they would have experienced or needed or felt, how they lived these events interiorly, how they expressed themselves. With your senses immerse yourself into the event. Is there any way you can be of help to them. If so, imagine yourself entering the story through these actions. Look around for a particular moment that seems to be of greater importance to you, to catch your attention.

Jesus stands in the Jordan River, the gentle waves pushing against his body as the sun shines down. Again his sense of joy, gratitude, quivering with joy, filling all things. His gratitude to the Father. There is no hurry to “get on” with the baptism. Remain with him here.

Ask for the grace “to know Jesus intimately, to love him more intensely, and so to follow him more closely.”

Entering into the Mystery

This deeper contemplation of Jesus in the Gospels is an apprenticeship of our feelings and senses in which we are formed in such a way that we feel with Jesus, that our feelings becomes those of Jesus, and our spontaneous reactions of personal promotion and self-protection are gradually curbed and re-invented so that we spontaneously react as Jesus does.

Entering into the mystery of what we contemplate, we humbly allow Jesus to be our Master, to educate our senses and feelings according to the pattern of his own life and teachings. It is a matter of becoming saturated with Jesus’ own way of being and feeling. It is learning how to resonate with everything Jesus resonates with, as we gain this felt understanding through our contemplation, and of rejecting whatever Jesus rejects.

John the Baptist approaches his cousin Jesus. Witness the moment when John, standing waist deep in the water, realizes that the Lord of All stands before him.

Two men: the Bridegroom, the Word made Flesh, and the Friend of the Bridegroom, the Best Man, the greatest of all the prophets. Two men whose every moment of life was stretched and shaped by utter fidelity to the Architect of love and our salvation. Two men who were eager to “run the race.” Two men who did as they were bidden by God and wasted no breath on what would or could lead them to deviate or dawdle along the way. Two men who sought nothing less than All.

Jesus, shape anew, bring order to the disorder in my will.

Entering still deeper into the mystery of Christ, allow your heart to taste, to smell, to touch the infinite gentleness and sweetness of Jesus. Allow your spirit to soak up what has been felt and known in this contemplative prayer.

As you do this your mind’s activity will fade into the background, and the mystery you are intuitively contemplating will begin to take over and engulf you, planting within your spirit an inner knowledge of the Lord.

You will at some point begin to intuitively sense the difference between the way Jesus spontaneously feels, speaks, and acts in a situation and the way you yourself feel, speak, and act in similar situations in your own life.

John recognized Jesus in awe. I sense Jesus feeling awe and gratitude that John had given all to prepare the Savior’s way: he did, knew, wanted nothing else.

The wise and foolish virgins: Stay away for you know not the hour when the Bridegroom will arrive.

The Father’s voice: “Behold my Son, listen to him.”

The humiliation of the Father that only a few in the history of the world would listen to his Christ. The love and humility that leaves people free.

Father, may I delight you.

Rest in that awareness as Jesus helps you to resonate with what he resonates with. As you enter into his feelings and the way he uses his senses, you will gradually lose interest in your own spontaneous reactions, defenses, and self-promotions. Jesus will bring you to his way by attraction, sweetness, and beauty. He will make you feel safety, belonging, and hope.

Colloquy

Allow an image or object that encapsulates all these experiences to form in your mind. Take some time to speak with God about the meaning or significance of this object.

As I prayed with Jesus at the Jordan, with how Jesus and John the Baptist were like horses, quivering to run the race, to return love for Love, to delight the Father who delighted in them, I held up my own life next to theirs and talked to them about those ways in which I was not ready to “run the race.” Not ready for Jesus to transform the myth under which I had lived my life so far.

I heard Jesus call out, “Who will join me? Who will live as I live, struggle as I struggle, give as I give, love as I love, suffer as I suffer, and triumph as I triumph?”

Ask Jesus to show you one specific gift he wishes to give you. Receive it and remain in stillness and quietly relaxed presence under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

Reviewing the Graces of Prayer

When you finish praying, write down the main gifts and discoveries from this time of intimate contemplation. What is one concrete thing you can do to solidify these gifts in your life.

Featured image: ilragazzoconmoltafede-Apostolada de la Palabra from Cathopic

The Annunciation: “Let our adoration never cease!” (St. John Paul II)

Published on December 24, 2023October 5, 2022 by Sr. Kathryn J Hermes, FSP1 Comment

I can remember cherished moments as a child turning the living room lights low on Christmas eve and sitting with a cup of hot chocolate before the nativity scene so carefully arranged on the logs in the fireplace. Tiny Christmas lights twinkled in the straw that surrounded the figurines: Mary and Joseph, shepherds and kings, sheep and donkeys and cattle. I loved singing Christmas carols on that blessed evening, uniting myself in spirit to the angels who announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds over 2000 years ago. It was a magical moment for a child.

Over fifty years later, magical moments of singing carols at our family’s creche at Christmas have been replaced with the deeply meaningful and mystical times spent in stillness before the burning presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Here is no figurine, no nativity display that once a year captivates our hearts and reminds us of the birth of Christ. In the Blessed Sacrament Jesus is truly present, body, blood, soul, and divinity. Jesus is real. Jesus is here. Right now. Today. A statue of the infant Jesus in a manger reminds us of something that happened 2000 years ago. The Eucharist lets us enter into that reality with our entire being right now, and participate in the salvation Jesus is bringing about on this earth today. We can bring Jesus our desires, tell him of our struggles and need for healing, beg him to teach us to pray as did the apostles, and commit ourselves body and soul to his service.

In the Gospel account of the Annunciation we learn three very important lessons from the Virgin of the Annunciation that model for us how to receive and adore Jesus in the Eucharist.

God is living and real. God loves you. God speaks to you. God has something to say to you. God cares about what is happening to you and has a plan for your healing and salvation. Each of us has our own unique role to play in the mystery of salvation.
The Father has sent his Son as Savior of the world. In the Nicene Creed we confess: “For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit, he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.” God sent his Son to save us by reconciling us with himself, taking away our sins. In this instant, the Eternal Word leapt down from heaven and he whom the whole world could not contain enclosed himself in the womb of his Virgin Mother. The Word became flesh in the womb of Mary that we might know God’s love and that he might make us “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pt 1:4.)
Mary models for us how to be still and silent before the presence of God. The Virgin of the Annunciation shows us how to listen and respond with obedient faith, committing to God, as she did, our whole being, body and soul. “Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” I often think of the moment right after the angel left Mary. It was the first instant of Jesus’ life within her womb. How she must have quietly loved him and adored him. What faith it must have required of her. She knew better than most the utter reality of God’s presence.

Mary, the Virgin of the Annunciation is also known under the title Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament. The flesh of Jesus that was crucified, raised up in glory by the Father, the flesh that Jesus gave us at the Last Supper and continues to give us sacramentally in the Eucharist is the very flesh that he received from the Virgin Mary on the day she said her Fiat to the angel. In our reception of the Eucharist in holy Communion and in Eucharistic adoration, the Virgin of the Annunciation models for us faith, adoration, and loving surrender. As Jesus’ Mother she calls us to unite ourselves sacramentally to her Son as often as we can. As Jesus’ Mother she calls us to the silent and still presence of God that burns in our Eucharistic Chapels. This Christmas, as we are drawn into the wonder of Christ’s birth and our hearts are warmed by the figurines of our nativities, as well they should be, let us resolve to warm ourselves from now on at the fire of the Eucharist, Jesus truly present in our churches.

Mary was the first tabernacle of God. She adored him in her womb for the nine months before his birth, a secret prayer of loving worship. May the Virgin Mother of the Savior teach us how to become tabernacles of God. After receiving Jesus in Communion may we, as did Mary, carry him into the world. In the words of Saint John Paul II, “Let our adoration never cease.”

“O Mary, model of loving souls and fervent adorers, I ask you for three precious graces: to know the God hidden in the Tabernacle; to seek his presence, in holy intimacy; to live habitually with my heart turned to him. Amen” (Blessed James Alberione, SSP).

Praying with this Passage of Scripture

Lectio Divina is a way of listening to God as he speaks in his Word. It is a practice of communicating with God through Scripture and attending to God’s presence and what he wishes to tell us. In this slow and prayerful reading of the Word of God, we allow ourselves to be transformed by the Spirit who forms us into the image of Christ. There are four movements in Lectio Divina: Read (lectio), Meditate (meditation), Pray (oratio), Contemplate (contemplation).

Begin by finding a still space to pray. Breathe deeply and become quieter within. Abandon any agenda, worries or thoughts you bring to this prayer and entrust these things to the merciful care of God. Ask for the grace to be receptive to what God will speak to you through this Scripture reading. Grant me, Jesus Divine Master, to be able to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God and your unfathomable riches. Grant that your word penetrate my soul; guide my steps, and brighten my way till the day dawns and darkness dissipates, you who live and reign forever and ever Ame

Read (lectio)
Begin by slowly and meditatively reading your Scripture passage out loud. Listen for a particular word or phrase that speaks to you at this moment and sit with it for a time.

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Meditate (meditatio)
Read the same passage a second time. As you re-engage the text, let the word or phrase that stood out become your invitation to speak from your heart with God who wishes to share his heart with you. Allow this word or phrase to wash over you and permeate your thoughts and feelings. You may wish to repeat this phrase quietly and gently for a period of time

Pray (oratio)
Read the text a third time. Listen for what God is saying to you. Speak heart to heart with God. Notice the feelings that this conversation with God raises up within you. Share with God what you notice about your response to this conversation. You may wish to return to repeating the phrase quietly and gently, allowing it to permeate you more and more deeply.

Contemplate (contemplatio)
Read the text a final time. Now be still and rest in God’s embrace. Ask God to give you a gift to take with you from this prayer. You might ask God if he is inviting you to do some action, for instance, make some change in your thoughts, attitudes or reactions, in the way you speak or how you treat others. Thank God for this gift and invitation as you conclude your prayer.

Image by articgoneape from Pixabay

Mysteries of the Rosary for Christmas

Published on December 18, 2023December 18, 2023 by Sr. Kathryn J Hermes, FSP1 Comment

I have the practice of praying mysteries of the rosary that are specific to a need I have or a Feast we are celebrating or an inspiration I have received. They always begin with the Annunciation, my favorite mystery of Jesus and Mary’s life. There is such a comfort to find my life reflected in hers and to allow her to mother me in all the mysteries of my own life.

Here are the mysteries of the rosary I’m praying through the Christmas season. The reflections are from the Song of Songs and the prophets Zephaniah and Isaiah.

The Annunciation
Ah, you are beautiful, my love;
    ah, you are beautiful;
    your eyes are doves.
Ah, you are beautiful, my beloved,
    truly lovely.
(Song of Songs 1:15-16)

The Visitation
Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands grow weak.
The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness (Zeph 3:16-17)

The Nativity
The voice of my beloved!
Look, he comes,
leaping upon the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
(Sg 2:8)

The Shepherds Visit Jesus
Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
    shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
    O daughter of Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away the judgments against you,
    he has cast out your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
    you shall fear evil no more.
(Zeph 3:14-15)

The Epiphany
Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.
(Is 60:1, 3, 5, 6)

Image credit: Danny Aliano Rossas, Cathopic

An Advent Prayer for Holy Communion

Published on December 13, 2023December 10, 2023 by Sr. Kathryn J Hermes, FSP1 Comment

“Thou art He that was to come, O Jesus! We look for no other. We were blind, Thou hast enlightened us; we were lame, Thou hast made us walk; the leprosy of sin disfigured us, Thou has cleansed us; we were deaf to Thy words, Thou hast given us life again; we were poor and had none to care for us, Thou hast come to us with every aid and consolation. These have been, and will again be, the blessing of Thy visit to our souls, O Jesus! A visit, silent but wonderful in its work; which flesh and blood cannot understand, but which faithful hearts feel is granted to them.”
Abbot Gueranger, OSB; The Liturgical Year; Book 1 – Advent

An Advent prayer of gratitude after receiving Holy Communion.

Image: Benjamín Dominguez

Behold the Joy this Advent

Published on December 10, 2023 by Sr. Kathryn J Hermes, FSPLeave a comment

Arise, O Jerusalem, and stand on high; and behold the joy that will come to thee from thy God.

Say to Jerusalem that her God is coming to her, and He wishes to make her His bride.

Somewhere, many years ago, I remember reading Augustine’s words that Christ came to earth as to a wedding. Such celebrations are filled with dancing and joy and hope and laughter. By the gentle asceticism of these Advent days we prepare ourselves, as did Jerusalem, for the divine visit, and detach ourselves from all that is not God who has claimed us now as His spouse.

In today’s Collect we prayed:
Almighty and merciful God,
may no earthly undertaking hinder those
who set out in haste to meet your Son,
but may our learning of heavenly wisdom
gain us admittance to his company.

Image credit: Eduardo Montivero
Inspired by Prosper Gueranger

Stretch Your Roots Deep Into the Soil of God’s Mystery

Published on December 3, 2023 by Sr. Kathryn J Hermes, FSPLeave a comment

You probably didn’t hear the Entrance Antiphon at Mass this morning. The Church opens her liturgical chants with this beautiful Psalm which expresses her confidence “as the beloved bride of Jesus.” As we lift up our hearts and our voices with all the Church, we rejoice in this first Advent day, “for the Savior comes to each of us in proportion to the earnestness of our longing for him.”

To you, I lift up my soul, O my God.
In you, I have trusted; let me not be put to shame.
Nor let my enemies exult over me;
and let none who hope in you be put to shame. see Psalm 25

The beginning of any liturgical season shakes us awake from any fatigue or boredom that prevents us from stretching our roots deep into the soil of God’s Mystery, into the ultimate meaning of God’s life and ours…love. Each liturgical season focuses our attention around the way we have been loved into being, the way we are loved and redeemed, and the way we can become love for others.

So on this first day of Advent the Church has us pray that we “resolve to run forth to meet your Christ with righteous deeds at his coming so that, gathered at his right hand, [we] may be worthy to possess the heavenly Kingdom.” (see Opening Prayer)