The Sisters Of the Visitation of Tyringham

Live + Jesus

SEEK THE THINGS THAT ARE ABOVE

by Sister Miriam Rose

August 2006

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Dear Friends of the Sacred Heart,

We experienced today in the liturgy the Lord's Transfiguration, a glorious moment giving the apostles and us an awe-inspiring glimpse of the fullness of the glory of the Lord. But the Transfiguration is more than a momentary flash of divine glory; it is a prelude of Our Lord's Passover and final coming. It also reveals the hope to which we are all called as St. Irenaeus has said, "The glory of God is man fully alive."

We also raise our eyes this month to the vision of the Assumption of Our Lady who, like us, lived an outwardly ordinary life on this earth but who was raised body and soul to heaven to live eternally at the side of her Son. Our Lady has achieved, by accepting the marvelous graces offered to her, the ultimate gift of the fullness of eternal life and joy.

So now, where do we each stand in relation to seeking these glories of heaven? Often we may feel that these are wonderful happenings that have nothing to do with us personally, but St. Paul has told us: "Eye has not seen, ear has not heard what God has in store for us." Our goal is to live in such a way that we are united with the Lord in our love and service in this life and united eternally with Him when this life is ended. Is this reality truly a part of our consciousness? How can we keep our eyes on our ultimate goal? Perhaps a simple analogy will help to raise our own thoughts to seeking what is above.

When we have a 'dream vacation' planned we usually think of it frequently as we go about our daily duties. It may be a long way off, but we put aside things we will need, buy necessary items, imagine ourselves arriving at the dreamed of spot. The idea of this special event is never too far from our minds and we can quickly recall it when we need to for further study and planning. It is a very desirable goal. We look forward to it eagerly. Even if we have never been to this spot before, we have heard enough about it to want to experience it.

What we do in preparation for an anticipated event like this one is live with the idea fresh in our minds day after day. At times, we get busy and the idea is pushed back, but it still lingers there, coloring our actions and thoughts. Once we begin our trip, we keep our final destination clearly in mind. We may need to check a map frequently to be sure we are on the right road; we may have to stop and ask directions when we come to a complicated intersection. Since we are motivated by our goal, we make decisions that move us ever towards.

But this is only a simple analogy, life is much more complex. The desire for our goal of eternal life has been planted in us from the beginning; the longing for it is definitely there, yet our lives can become filled with cares and responsibilities, experiences that may pull us away from even valuing this promised goal-until we find ourselves wondering if this promise truly exists.

We know that faith is the foundation of all of our hopes. The object of faith is primarily the miraculous power of God as it is available to each of us and to the entire world in the Word of God, in the Church's redemptive signs, and above all in the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. As a spiritual writer, Andre Louf has written: "Faith renders us open to the power of God. Accordingly, it is the liberation of our most intimate self, the redemption of our heart. It is as if God pulls aside a bolt in our deepest self and a door opens. Through the opening he can flow into the deepest dimensions of our self and pull it along in the loving grip and restorative power of his omnipotence."

Our faith then penetrates into a domain where our intelligence cannot wholly follow. This is precisely the risk and the grandeur of faith which is, as the letter to the Hebrews puts it: "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Heb. 11:1) Like the mother who is always attuned to the sounds of her baby in the crib as she goes about her work, so we must be attuned to the "sounds" of God in our daily lives, as realistically present as the baby. We cannot wait for another transfiguration to occur. We must look for God's presence and glory in the ordinary and the every day.

In the book, "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom, the main character discovers, after living a life of ordinariness and seeming lack of success, that he had touched and been touched by many people in his life, even those who were unseen and unknown to him. His very presence in heaven is ultimately due to someone he had never met. We must not miss the significance of our daily encounters with one another, for we may find that: "It is the Lord!"

We look to Our Lord always as our Guide on that journey to our ultimate destination. Keeping our eyes on Him, we will always know the way, even when we must persevere through the dark places of weakness, frustration, despair, illness, obscurity of mind. For we know that here, particularly here, God in Christ is with us, near to us, in us, sharing our burdens, as we too can share his in others. (Col. 1:24) The terrible banality of so many lives comes from the fact that nothing really matters to them; there is nothing to hope or wait for. God, who has given all, waits freely and without necessity, vulnerable and exposed, on our recognition and response of love. The prophet Jeremiah quoted God as saying: "When you seek me, you will find me, if you seek with all your heart."

So our seeking involves looking first at the every day occurrences, the familiar faces, the ordinary of our lives. But it takes a glance that remembers the Transfiguration, the glory that exists hidden in the ordinary. It is a seeking that incorporates the Christ-life in each situation; the "wide-angle" vision that sees possibly the drab, the plain, yet knows that hidden behind that scene is the glorious and the grace-filled.

In the writings of St. Margaret Mary we learn just how much the Sacred Heart of Jesus is intimately involved and present in our "everyday-ness": "This divine Heart is an inexhaustible fountain from which three streams are continually flowing. The first is the stream of mercy, which flows down upon sinners and brings the spirit of sorrow and repentance. The second is the stream of charity which brings relief to all those who are suffering under some need, and especially those who are striving for perfection. These will find, through the help of the holy angels, the means of overcoming their difficulties. The third is the stream of love and light for perfect friends whom He wills to unite with Himself...Moreover, this divine Heart will be a sure refuge and a harbor of safety at the hour of death for all those who have honored It during life. It will protect and defend them."

The stream of mercy constantly reminds us of our frailties and moves us to reach out toward the Lord in our repentance, for He is truly our only strength. The stream of charity is felt whenever the suffering may cause us to curl inward; we must again reach out and see what is being offered to us. The stream of love and light finally carries us when we have become too frail to continue. But we must ask, reach out, and accept what the Lord is ever willing and ready to bestow.

So, we have available to us the ultimate Guide for our journey of seeking; the Lord Himself provides nil that we need-in case we have forgotten to pack something for the trip! St. Paul says that we already have ascended, in so far as we are included by faith in Christ. He draws the logical conclusion: "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." (Col. 3:1-2)

In Our Lady we see the fulfillment of our spiritual journey. Just as she entered, body and soul, into the definitive life won for us by Christ, so hopefully, will each one of us. During our life, we will try to cultivate the seed of life that is given us, letting all our being, our attitudes, our acts be informed by the Spirit, opening ourselves in joyful trust and thanksgiving to the outpouring of love and light that is the life of God. This journey, then, is more than a dream vacation; this is the journey to our true "home", prepared for us from the beginning of time. What a wonderful arrival we will experience, and there is no return ticket, no departure date, for this is truly the eternal, loving home of the Father who is our ultimate goal.

This presentation was given at the Monastery of the Visitation of Tyringham, MA on Tuesday August 1, 2006

God be Praised