Today I chose a simpler more contemporary piece. While this one doesn’t have so many characters in the scene I felt it had a lot to “say” about the role we play in our family, community and world.
Conduit of faith
Joseph stands close by Mary’s side and he is looking to her. This scene reminded me of the statues of Joseph in a few of the crèches I saw in area parishes. As I pondered Joseph’s gaze, it occurred to me that Mary was a conduit of faith for Joseph.
Spotlight on Mary
Mary is the protagonist in this painting. All eyes, even Jesus’, are on her. The more I think about it, the more I get the sense that Mary is the conduit of faith, hope and love for everyone in the scene – her husband, her son, her neighbor.
Gatekeeper
I look at the shepherd in the doorway and he looks to me like a gatekeeper, like he’s keeping watch at the entrance of the hut. The hut and who’s within it are symbols of faith, hope and love.
God speaks
My interpretation of this painting is we all are called to be conduits of faith, hope and love in the world. At the same time, we’re called to be gatekeepers. We keep watch in our families, communities and world and we offer our prayers where we feel they’re needed most and we encourage others in faith by our example.
Don’t be discouraged
It’s easy to get discouraged or feel like we’ve failed in some way because our family and world are not Christ centered. But we should remember that God is in control and His ways are not our ways. Never underestimate the power of prayer! Keep praying – pray without ceasing!
Your best is good enough
When I was a teacher, I remember telling my students that doing their best is all they needed to concern themselves with. Some of them would get so discouraged when they got a 75 on their test. But sometimes, no matter how hard they tried, 75 was all they could muster. I’d try to make them understand that if they studied as they should have and did the best they could then they shouldn’t beat themselves up for achieving that 75.
Keeping the faith
The same holds true for us. We shouldn’t be discouraged at life’s unfolding in a way we didn’t expect. Instead, we should ask ourselves: are we focused on being the gatekeeper of the faith? How are we doing at being a conduit and example?
One can only hope
No matter our circumstance at any given moment, we must remain steadfast and dedicated to keeping faith, hope and love alive in our families, communities and world while acknowledging our limitations. Everything else is up to God!
What do you see in this painting? How does it speak to you? Share your thoughts. Merry Christmas! God bless you.
Love can move mountains, literally and figuratively! So I continue to process my journey and along the way, the all-knowing, ever-present God, provides me with thoughts, words and people who continue to prod my memory just enough to reveal the lessons.
While on The Camino I reflected on God’s great love for me. It led me to share the following reflection on Tripcast:
Today I’m grateful for love! The kind of love that saves and the kind that sets free.
I am grateful for the love of Christ. The tremendous love that propelled Him to lay down His life for me. The kind of love that overflows and is infinitely merciful. A love I felt so intensely as I continued to move forward on The Way.
As my Camino journey nears its end, I reflect on how I got here. In trying to decide whether this 37 day journey was feasible for me – I was surprised to hear the words “DO IT” come out of my husband’s mouth.
As I walked everyday the first two weeks I couldn’t help but think of the deep love he had for me. A love so deep he was willing to set me free even if it hurt! Wow!
So in addition to Christ’s love, I’m so grateful for the love of my husband. A love so big and so deep he sacrificed routine/daily comforts and checked his PTSD at the doorlong enough for me to experience the journey for a lifetime! And for THAT I’m grateful!
Looking back
Pilgrims on the Camino often recall a familiar phrase: “the Camino provides.” The Camino most certainly does provide. The Camino provides companionship, it provides necessities, it provides encouragement through it’s beauty and the list goes on and on.
When I wrote that reflection on love, I was overwhelmed with emotion when I thought about the love I have been blessed to experience in my life. Just when I thought I’d reached my limit, the Camino provided something deeper.
I often tease my husband about the fact that he doesn’t remember what I tell him or that he’s clueless about the number of things I do on any given day to make his day go smoothly. My time away on the Camino changed all that.
I was pleasantly surprised to hear him acknowledge that he takes me for granted (something he never realized until then). I was even more surprised that he would remember small details of a conversation we’d had the previous day. Being away from home also made me realize just how much I take for granted as well. Our eyes and ears were opened and our hearts grew closer.
The love of Christ
One of the things I set out to do on this journey was to grow closer to God. Before this journey I often found myself overwhelmed with life, sometimes a bit anxious. I knew that these feelings were a result of my lack of trust in and surrender to God. I wanted to grow closer to Him in a way that would allow me to breathe easy knowing that He has control of my life. I’m happy to report that the Camino continues to provide.
I have a greater sense of peace now that I have returned to “normal life.” I remind myself often of the grace God provided on the journey, how He never let me go, how He carried me, how He moved mountains for me.
When I wrote about the kind of love that sets free in my original reflection, I was referring to my husband’s love for me. He never holds me back from anything I want to do. He often says “who am I to hold you back, I don’t own you.” So yes, while that relational love sets me free, the love of God sets me free in a completely different way.
I’m more dependent on God after my trip, knowing He has my best interests at heart. I’m trying not to control the outcome of anything. I am aware now more than ever that I was NEVER in control and so I’m surrendering more. I’m making a conscious effort to not desire recognition for anything. I find myself preferring anonymity. While that wasn’t the case just a few months ago, I recognize how liberating that is now!
What are your mountains?
On the Camino journey, I walked through actual mountains. At times, it felt grueling and at other times it felt invigorating. Nonetheless, those mountains are behind me now. They’ve been moved! In life, we all experience mountains as well. Figurative, of course. My personal mountains were stress, anxiety, control, fear. What are your mountains?
Looking ahead
Whatever the mountain may be, my experience has been that love can move mountains. Love is transformative. We just have to acknowledge that we are loved! Recognize it and it’s immensity.
Just yesterday, during prayer group, we discussed our favorite Psalm. My personal favorite is Psalm139 because it reminds me just how much I am valued and loved by God. He knit me in my mother’s womb. He CHOSE to create me. Everything He created is good and has a purpose. That includes me! How cool is that?
I think it’s important to remember that we are going to experience hills and valleys in life. This is true regardless of our purpose, even though He loves us and even though He created us with intention. Those hills and valleys are there to teach and transform us.
In a recent interview we had with Orange Magazine, my friend and I were asked if the struggles we experienced on The Camino changed us. Of course they did! Then my friend shared a quote that summed it all up:
“God loves us just the way we are, but too much to let us stay that way!“
Think about that the next time you start to wonder if God hears you, if God loves you or why He allows you to experience suffering. Love can move mountains! It has the power to transform us! God Bless you!
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