He Calls. He Says. He Is.

I have heard it said that Scripture is God's love letter. I opened it today with that thought in mind.

The following is what unfolded.... 
  
            'Here I stand, knocking at the door. If anyone hears Me calling and opens the door, I will enter his house and have supper with him, and he with Me.'(Revelation 3:20)'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the One Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty!' (Revelation 1:8)'Every hair of your head has been counted, so do not be afraid of anything.'(Matthew 10:30)'For I know well the plans I have for you... plans for your welfare, not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope. When you call Me, when you go to pray to Me, I will listen to you.' (Jeremiah 29:11-12)
     'Whoever drinks the water I give him will never be thirsty; no, the water I give him shall become a fountain within him, leaping up to provide eternal life.' (John 4:14) 
     'I Myself am the bread of life. No one who comes to Me shall ever be hungry, no one who believes in Me shall ever thirst.' (John 6:35)
     'I am the true vine.' (John 15:1)
     'I am the good shepherd.' (John 10:14)
     'I am the resurrection and the life.' (John 11:25)
     'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.' (John 14:6)
    
     'And you, Who do you say that I am?...' (Mark 8:29)








Paintings: 'Jesus Knocking' and Winslow Homer's 'Girl Seated' used in a digital composite

My Cloister On Wheels

Revisiting Boundaries

I am enclosed within the will of God.  It is a sweet thought, isn't it?  I have chosen to live within the boundaries of God's will as these have already been built for me, to protect me.  God has given Scripture and Church teaching to show me the boundaries...  to fence me in, so to speak.  If I remain within this enclosure, I am safe from spiritual harm.

But oh, the world outside God's will can look so appealing.  Those who live out there, "free" of the constraints imposed by the "thou shalts" and the "thou shalt nots"... well, they appear to be pretty happy.  They're choosing their own paths without regard to God, and sometimes making sport of those who try to live according to Church teaching. They're telling bawdy stories, drinking to excess, and engaging in behavior that the Bible and the Church clearly assure us is wrong.  This is the way the world is today, we're often told. Anyone who doesn't keep up is a killjoy.

If I'm not inclined to join in some of these particular out-of-enclosure-frolics, I may have other temptations.  To gossip, perhaps. To be unkind. To speak harshly, be slothful, give in to anger, be self-focused... oh, how the list goes on.  The world outside God's will can at times look awfully appealing.  And after all, I'm not sealed up in a cage.  There's no lock on my enclosure wall....

Day by day, I have a choice to make.  A choice not just to enter "the enclosure of God's will" once and for all - but to remain within it.  Whether or not I actually venture outside my enclosure, I do find myself craning my neck (all too often) to see how green the grass looks on the other side.

I find that the only hopes for me are prayer, reliance upon grace, and determination to accept God's help to avoid what used to be called "near occasions of sin."

Which are much nearer to us than they were a few decades ago. And they are still tailor made to kill true joy. 

"Do not conform yourselves to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may judge what is God's will, what is good, pleasing and perfect."  (Romans 12:2)

This is a slightly edited repost from 2012. It is being linked with Theology Is A Verb and Reconciled To You for 'It’s Worth Revisiting Wednesday'         

Text not in quotes © 2012 - 2015 Nancy Shuman
thecloisteredheart.org  

Painting: Jehan Georges Vibert, Sneaking a Peek 

Am I Serious?

'Most people cannot leave the world in a bodily sense, but every follower of 

Christ who is serious about genuine growth must leave the spirit of the world.'  

Thomas Dubay SM, Fire Within, Ignatius Press, 1989, p. 81

Painting: Ludwig Sckell, in US public domain due to age

Back In The Habit. A Field Trip.

It's a lovely day for a field trip. A lovely day to visit friends in the physical cloister, and to hear (anew) what the privilege of wearing a habit can mean to them.....

Click this line to find 'Clothed in Passion-Wisdom'

'I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation, and wrapped me in a mantle of justice.' (Isaiah 61:10)