Open to
The reality
.
The love
And the majesty
.
Open to
The generosity
.
The love
And creativity
.
Always open
To God.
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Tag: open
The Open Hours of the Day
Before us
The open hours
.
Of the day
Await our activity
.
How will we choose
To use the time
.
With prayer
And love
.
And openness
To divinity?
.
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Spiritual Reflection: Openness is Enough
Why him,
why him,
why him?
.
Because it seems
God chose
.
One so foolish
and so poor
.
To show that
only openness
.
To God
Is enough.
.
I wrote those lines inspired by Francis of Assisi.
Openness is enough: openness to life in all its richness, openness to others, openness to God.
The practice of mindfulness is a good way to develop openness to life. Many people in the west today live life so quickly that they forget to actually experience the here and now. It is possible to live in future, and also to live in the past; but to live in the present takes a special form of attention, mindful of detail, of both pleasure and pain, of both self and others, of both inner and outer worlds.
Listening is a way to be open to others. Many of us talk so much that we forget to listen. We are full of our stress, our worries, our feelings. But if you round and round inside a bubble you just end up…trapped in a bubble! Better to burst the bubble, step out, and listen to those around you. Openness is a discipline, a way of loving others, a grace.
Prayer is a way of being open to God. When we pray we put ourselves into perspective. God is bigger than our momentary concerns. We make space in the silence to listen and to think. We acknowledge our finitude, our limitedness, our need of grace.
We can all be “chosen” in the way that Francis of Assisi, and others who have followed the spiritual way, felt chosen by God. It was part of Francis’ humility that he often described himself as “foolish” and “poor”. It means we feel a sense of belovedness, a personal sense of meaning, of being loved by God.
Openness, then, can develop your sense of self-worth, that you are loved just for being a being created by God, living in an amazing universe.
Openness is enough.
Inspiring Paintings: Like a Child
This amazing painting by Giotto captures the dramatic moment when St. Francis of Assisi (on the right, naked) throws off all his clothes in protest to his father (being restrained on the left), who was a rich merchant.
Francis says that he will from now on only follow his “heavenly father” (you can see the hand of God at the top of the painting).
I love the expression on the bishop’s face (who covers up Francis), the children front left who are caught up in the drama without really understanding what is going on, the onlookers, who probably also weren’t exactly sure what was going on apart from a domestic row, and the way Giotto uses the building to highlight the conflict between the two parties.
I wrote this poem about this moment in Francis’ life, captured so beautifully by the painting:
The bishop holds him
like a child
.
And in his nakedness
we see our own condition
.
Without impressiveness
without pretence
.
Open
to grace.
Open Your Eyes
Open your eyes
To the light
.
That comes
From God
.
And your mind
To the ways of heaven.
.
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Unadorned
Reclaim
your unadorned self
.
Open to give
and to receive
.
Reclaim
your right to be
.
Regardless
of accomplishment.
Always On Pilgrimage
Always
On pilgrimage
.
Moving from here
To there
.
Open
To new
.
Gifts
Of the spirit
.
Fresh
Revelations
.
As we travel
Into each new day.
.
Inspired by https://beingbenedictine.com/2019/07/07/a-benedictine-pilgrimage-the-soul-of-a-pilgrim-part-1/
.
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Thirsty For The Round Of Grace
To be open
Is the publican’s way
.
Thirsty
For the round of grace
.
That is generously
Poured out for all.
.
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Open in Contemplation
Transmit Life
How are you open
And how do you transmit
.
Life
In all its wonder
.
And the glory
Of God?
.
