Getting Graphic

Not long after beginning to write here five years ago, I learned I could post pictures as well as text.  And that there were marvelous old paintings in public domain, freely available from sites like Wikimedia. For a longtime Art lover like me, this was a thrilling discovery.

As time went on, I also found that pairing paintings and photos with inspiring quotes was something I loved to do. I could then post something quite brief in between longer writings - something I found especially helpful after realizing that I, myself, enjoy reading blog posts that are not too lengthy. (I get to blame my own lack of concentration on 'age').

And then, around a year ago, I started trying to make graphics/memes.  Another fun thing for an Art lover!  Spending time with Scripture, writings of saints, beautiful paintings and striking photos... it has been a blessing I could never have dreamed of when I began blogging in 2011. 

So for today's look back, I'm simply providing a link to our 'graphics.' At the bottom of each page, more can be seen by clicking on the words 'older posts' at the bottom of the screen.

Have a good weekend, all!

Click this line for Graphics (memes) 

Revisiting The Grille

The grille is a powerful symbol.  I would go so far as to say that, in the cloistered heart way of life I’m describing, it is the important symbol.  It is a place of separation and, just as importantly, it is a place of encounter.  It is only through the grille that some cloistered individuals (in a number of communities) connect with the world. 

And the truth is: every human being has been given, by God, a way to connect with the world.  A way to see situations correctly; a way to interact with others appropriately.

God invites each one of us to view and respond to every person and every circumstance through His will.

We do not have to guess what that will is.  God has revealed it to us.  Scripture and the authentic teachings of the Church make up the bars of our grille.

Am I facing a hardship?  I can face it through the grille. “God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him…”  (Romans 8:28).   

“We do not fix our gaze on what is seen but on what is unseen…” (2 Corinthians 4:18).  In days to come, may God open us more fully to the grillwork of His will.

This is a repost from our archives. It is linked to Reconciled to You and Theology is a Verb for 'It's Worth Revisiting Wednesday.'

For the past few days, we've been providing links for those who might like to have a look around the archives. Because the symbol of grillwork is central to the Cloistered Heart analogy, I encourage anyone wondering 'what that's all about' to click on the following explanations:

To See or Not to See. The Choice is Mine.

Grabbing the Grille

We Find the View Through the Grille

Salesmen in the Foyer

Positively, Grillwork

When Light Encounters Darkness 

This and That, as Seen Through the Grille 

Text not in quotes © 2016 Nancy Shuman
thecloisteredheart.org 

Your Monastery

'You must know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Who is within - the Spirit you have received from God.'  (1 Corinthians 6:19)

'Monastic life,' wrote Louis Bouyer, 'is nothing else, no more and no less, than a Christian life whose Christianity has penetrated every part of it.' With this in mind, I'd like to take a deeper look into what it can mean to 'be' a monastery in the midst of the world. 

As before, click on any line below to open that post. 


And Our Monastery Is...

The Right Address

In Substance the Same

Let Me Be a House of God




Samuel van Hoogstraten painting, digitally altered

New Here? Come, Have a Look Around!

In just a few days, this little site will "celebrate" five years on the Internet. Five years of posts on what it can mean to live for God, cloistered in heart, in the midst of our families and neighborhoods and workplaces; and it seems that in some ways, we are just beginning.....

Because that many pages of quotes and pictures and analogies can be overwhelming, and because we (thankfully) have new visitors on an ongoing basis, I've decided to spend this week re-visiting some of our rooms and corridors. 

So let's have a look around the cloister, shall we? Just click on highlighted, italicized words below to open any of these "doors."

The Basic Analogy of "The Cloistered Heart" can be found by clicking here. 

In a typical week, we feature a newly written post or two, a few quotes or graphics, and something chosen from our five years of archives. The intention is to keep things brief (for reasons spoken of here), and to offer a variety of things from day to day. 

One of my favorite types of posts to do is something I have called "The Path Between." The explanation of these is given here, and most of the ones posted so far can be found by clicking here. Most of these are brief quotes. As you may know, clicking on the words "older post" at the very bottom of a screen will open more posts.
 
Now to go sweep out a few more corridors! God willing, I'll see you back here tomorrow.... 

Monasticism, Applied

Last month, I did a post (here) to hopefully help newcomers find their way around this site. I think it's time once again to do a bit of exploring.

The following is a brief series, from our archives, on "applying the monastery" to our lives in the midst of the world. One post leads to another in chronological order (there is a click-on link at the bottom of each post). 

Click the following line to begin....

Our Monastic Day 

 

 Photo: Mount St.Michel, public domain via Pixabay

New Here? Let Me Show You Around

Last week I was introduced to smart phones.

I know. Astonishing, isn't it, for someone to be so far behind in the world of technology?

One thing I've learned through this educational experience is that blog sidebars and stand-alone-pages may never be seen by phone and tablet viewers. If the first post you see here speaks of "viewing life through the grille" or "living enclosed in the will of God" with no real clue to what is meant by these phrases, you are entitled to be confused.

Or... well... you were. I will now attempt to withdraw that entitlement by providing a few explanations. And in view of the fact that new people arrive here often (thanks be to God, and welcome!), I hope to do a semi-regular post with links to explanatory pieces. Each such post will have a link to basic terms, as well as a few links to our archived posts and "series" (different each time) in case anyone would like to poke around a bit.

Want to see how this works? Me too!

So here goes...

For a quick overview of what we mean by "a cloistered heart," click this line.

For a quick look at a cloistered heart "habit," click this line.

For posts illustrating what I call The Path Between (illustrating "cloister" in the midst of the world), click this line.