SEVENTY-SEVEN TIMES

In the phrase "seventy-seven times",

Jesus was referring to Genesis 4:24, 

where Lamech thirsted for revenge.

Seven is a significant number in

the Scriptures, symbolizing

completeness. As thirsty as Lamech

was for revenge, so thirsty must

the disciple of Jesus be for forgiveness.

Forgiving the unforgivable helps to 

stop the earthly cycle of revenge from 

one generation to the next.

APPRENTICESHIP IN THE SERVICE OF GOD

We are called to apprenticeship 

in the service of God,

in order to learn who it is 

we are really meant to be.

Jesus companions us 

on this journey.

WHO DO WE FOLLOW?

We follow a Jewish rabbi Who was willing

to go to His death rather than raise

a fist in violent resistance.

As His followers, our hands are meant for healing.

For blessing, not striking.

For comforting, not hurting.

For nurturing, not stealing.

For caring, not unkind actions.

Let us be worthy to follow the Son of God

made man. He showed us the way:

if it were easy, He would not have needed

to come in order to give us both

example and hope when our personal

cross weighs most heavy, our tears flood our eyes

and the road to God seems at times too

heavy to be borne.

It isn't. He - the Christ, the Son of the Most High -

stands at our side waiting to help us carry

our cross as Simon of Cyrene helped Him to

carry His. Be of good cheer and courage -

it is possible to live this life without hurting 

others. It takes courage, conviction and a lot of patience. With grace from God it can be done.

MARTHA, MARY, COOKING POTS AND RABBINIC STUDY

Martha asked Jesus to confirm with her

that Mary's role as woman precluded 

her from rabbinic priestly instruction

and discussion at the feet of the Rabbi;

and to oblige Mary formally to the 

role of assistant servant and cook.

Jesus refused, gently rebuking

Martha for her short-sightedness.

The discussion continues today.

Many believe the second created

to be a gender defined by humble

service and child rearing to the

exclusion of the intellectual

and passionate following of

the Rabbi Christ.

Jesus clearly showed women

that to follow Him with dedication

and in study at His Feet

is not only wise, it is blessed.

With thanks to Youtube

ANOTHER CHRIST

Jesus has not merely told us what human beings, created in God's Image, were meant to become.

He has shown us.

THE BROKEN CHALICE

THE BROKEN CHALICE

Crushed from the depths of my suffering,

I turn my face to my Lord.

Groaning aloud from the depths of my misery -

If this is what it means to be human;

   then let me die.

Then out of darkness flowers a tiny hope

       planted there by the maiden.

She, too, stood there at the foot of her Cross

  Watching her hopes being crucified;

       seeing the buried fears of her years

           being finalised.

She knew the depths of despair,

     every agony of the human heart;

betrayed, suffering from the vice of others, 
heartache,

     disappointed, hunger, fear, pain

and triumphantly she conquered

      through the sun of her conviction.

Come, O Maiden-Mother,

   come into this sad, lost heart of mine,

imprint it with the flower of your spirit,

pour out the fragrance of your humility, and 
touch it with the delicacy of your submissiveness, 
glorify it with the splendour of your love.

Unfurl within my anguished spirit

     the beauty of the Imago Dei* within me -

raise the flag of victory of faith over the darkness

    of despair and faltering blindness

      of vision.

Break within me the bread of your Son,

      the Spirit, that gives life;

pour out within me the wine of the Christ-one

      flowing from me through the wounds of my life

so that, chastised, I may become humble,

    as He, and you, are humble,

so that purified, I may become the chalice of His offering,

carved out by suffering, engraved with His teaching,

    chased with His image, embossed by His love,

so that, one day, dear Mother,

    I may become very like you,

      in that I too - heard His Word,
and - inspired by you - learned - like a little child -
to hear it
and - led by you - learned to follow it,
and - taught by you - learned to teach it,
and - loved by you, learned to love it.

O Mary, dearest one,

    O Mary, gentlest one - 

             teach me to become like you.

Sister M Catherine

Africa. Undated

__________________________________

*Image of God

From 'A Silence full of bells'

THE WINDSONG

THE WINDSONG

The power of God irradiating

      around a blinding figure

        of Mary, the Gospa* Virgin

transmuting the grace of God

         through the medium of her being

as a windsong rustles through the flute.

The windsong of mercy; of compassion, and love

       of intense Spirit-energy and flowing freedoms from sin

the windsong of the Christborn

      symbolised by stable; simplicity; and humbleness

superb in selflessness; in glory; in love.

And her; the shining light

       of centuriesaged wisdom and brokenhearted love

the lamp of the Davidlineage and the facestamp of her mother

    bearer of God's lamp of Light, hopeful through the ages.

She strides, tender-shod, terrible-footed

      tender to the weak, mighty to the hopefilled.

A powerful woman;

   her power being her humility,

her tranquillity,

   her simplicity.

Sister M Catherine

Africa; Undated

_______________________________________________
*Croatian name for the Blessed Virgin

From 'A Silence full of bells'

LOURDES

LOURDES
"Ave Maria"
         the gentle words
               fill my soul
I remember watching the miraculous water
       tinkle in the lighted dusk at Lourdes
winding pathways of flame marking the processions
       the mothdark softness of the earlyevening
         the glimmer of white statue in the
           frowning mystery of the grotto.

the sputter of dying candles
        and the peace of a new-found faith
           gently touched into life
                by the even gentler virgin.

Used with permission

With thanks to Youtube

CASTILIANROSE

Castilianrose
A glorious Castilianrose
      a colour-blushed patched cloak,
a smiling girl, laughing for joy
     her laughter falls like raindrops
         her smile shimmers in the air,
imprint your face on the cloak of my heart,
       our lady of Guadeloupe.

A patchedcloaked old peasant, with perfumed roses
     a glimpse of heaven
          amidst our poverty
A doubting bishop, a heaven-sent morning,
        a young smiling girl, singing with love.



Used with permission

AIDS BABY

If I were different

I would be another child,

Who would react warmly when my mother smiled.

Maybe someone would hold me, speak in a loving tone,

Maybe then my parents would have taken me home.

I saw her face once,

but the glass frame between us might just as well

have been a brick wall

I lifted my hand

In my incoherent language I started to call.

She winced, my love denied.

I let my hand fall to my side.

She walked away, I do not know her name,

She left me,

a symbol of her shame.

In my infant's body an adult sickness does rage,

it tears throughout my body,

it takes no heed of my age.

I fear the darkness,

even in the light

I feel lonely,

too weak to face this fight.

I do not blame anybody,

but I need to know:

is this my fault?

But things are as they are

I'm not just another child

I'm this disease's victim.

Without cause, without trial.

I lie in this cot

And wait for someone to understand

It's not medicine I want,

I just need someone to hold my hand.

                                                       AW

                                                                  With permission

WOMEN CHANGING THE WORLD

So;
The great Moses stood
  towering in stature, powerful in might
    casting rods, turning snakes; calling forth clouds
       and hail; reddening the deep river to blood

And freeing the Israelites.

Freed from bondage;
  freed from slavery.
    Bonded into relationship, and love with,
       YHWH.

And changed our world.

And yet . . .
   without women, this great leader
     would not have called; and cast; and reddened.
        He would never have been.

He would have died with the others.

As he floated in woven reed basket
   Alone and scared and longing for his mother
      His infant wails above the rustling of the water over the
        pebbles and past rushes and stalking ibis

His mother watched, the sacrifice made. His life over her love.

Not alone; no, not uncared for.
  Twice his little craft had almost turned over
    His sister Miriam had rushed out and righted it
       Heart hammering; it was a death sentence

To care for such a babe. Yet she dared. A sister's love.

Two women, twice over.
  A mother, a sister. Saving the babe
      And yet a third had hovered in the background;
         The midwife who had not reported the birth.

Despite the sentence of death for such a thing. A midwife's care.

Three women, thrice over.
  A mother, sister and midwife. Saving the babe.
      And yet, what future for this little infant?
        A gracious princess, daughter of great Ruler, heard the cries.

Basket brought over; baby seen; realisation Hebrew child.

Her duty? To make it known.
  Allow the killing. She did no such thing.
     Loving the infant Moses, she took him to her heart.
        Passed him off as her own. [Took time off court?

Wore larger clothes? Her attendants sworn to secrecy.]

Four  women, four times over. And more.
  A mother, sister, midwife and princess.
    And attendants? How many
      Girls and women were in this conspiracy

At the threat to their own lives? Many, it seems.

Secret kept; babe saved. until the child was full grown.
  Strong prince; dual citizened; finding the truth
    Making the choices; fighting for the right
      And blood on his hands. Flight from wealth. In fear for his life.

The babe grown prince turned fugitive.

Fugitive was given sanctuary in her father's home by Zipporah.
  She loved him, and became wife.
    Kept him safe; cared for him.
      Let him go to his destiny, back to Egypt.

The fugitive turned prophet.

Loving wife added to list of many women.

So; mother, midwife, sister, princess, attendant, wife.

Without the daughter of the Egyptian ruler, the history of our world
  Would have been entirely changed.
    Without womens' intercession, the Ten Commandments
       Would not have been given to our world.

For without the man, no Law would have been received.

As women, it is never known
  When an action God expects of the second created
 
May one day change the destiny of the entire world.

Catherine Nicolette Whittle

         

CONCEPTION

How must it have felt for God
  plummeting through the fathomless universe
    created by Himself as the
      Morning Stars had sung for joy . . .
to seed quietly into the womb
  of a humble human with sandalled feet
    and fingers coarse with dropping water-buckets
      into Nazareth well?

It was such a small space.

He, Who had been used to limitless galaxies
  by Nature outside of, and unruled by, time
Now bound by the span of nine months;
  watching His little fingernails grow
    the miracles of His tiny eyelids form
and the buds of His limbs blossom into hands and feet
  destined to walk the roads, and heal the blind
    and call on the winds Redemption from the
      four corners of the earth.

His form took that of an infant man.

How must it have felt for the Creator
  now joined with created,
    pushing headfirst into a stable world?
The first cries He heard outside the womb
  were His: His Eyes
    bright as stars, discovered the miracle
      of human love; as He looked into the
        eyes of His mother and stepfather.

How must it have been for God ...

Catherine Nicolette Whittle