Archive for the ‘Liturgy’ Category

 

(Thirty years ago–1981–The Feast of the Visitation fell on a Sunday. It was transferred to Monday, June 1st, and on that day I was ordained to the sacred priesthood. This meditation—in the form of a ‘letter’ from Elizabeth to Mary—was given a year later as a sermon in the Convent of St. Helena, Vails Gate, NY. I offer it once again, in thanksgiving to God for the many blessings of being called to stand at His altar and offer the Holy Mysteries.

Please pray for me that I may continue to bear this sacred office faithfully.)

A Meditation on the Feast of the Visitation

My Dear Cousin:

I dictate this letter with faltering voice and with a great sense of weariness, for the years have multiplied upon my head. I am so old now that I’ve forgotten just how many years there have been. But I’m not so old that I’ve forgotten everything. In fact, it seems the events of long ago happened only yesterday, and now as the dusk of my life draws to a close, and the soft darkness of death approaches, I feel moved to share some of these memories with you.

For you see, dear cousin, you were really the only one who fully understood; and of course you were the only one who could—for you, too, were a woman, and a mother—and you, too, have borne a son dear to your heart.

That day long ago when you visited me so unexpectedly is as clear in my memory as the summer sun. Then, as now, we lived high in the hills of Judea, and the air was clear and sharp, yet heavy with the expectation of the late rains and of the harvest soon to be gathered in. It had been a long, cold spring for me, and I had felt all the aches of the ancient in my heavy body; even then, my years were many. And then there was this added burden—so welcome but still so heavy.

My belly grew and my legs ached with the weight of it, and I wondered as my time grew near whether or not my strength would fail me.

My body had never learned in its youth how to be a mother, and these lessons come late were taxing to body and soul. I found a loneliness in it, for my beloved husband was enveloped in a great silence that even my love could not seem to penetrate. He had been like this ever since his last turn of service at the temple in Jerusalem: utterly unable to speak, and with the light in his eyes turned inward as if he gazed upon a sight beyond human vision. I know now that his silence came from God, but then it was a hard thing to know, and I longed so for just a word from him—just a word to tell me that he shared both my pain and my joy. But his silence became my silence, and together we waited.

In all those silent months, I had long hours to pray and think, for my old body refused to labor in other ways. It, too, had turned inward, and all my energies seemed to pour into this new life within me, and to leave little over for outward concerns. And as I waited and prayed, and grew heavier and heavier, I remembered: I remembered Sarah as she must have been: like me, both joyous and frightened with the advent of a pregnancy so ardently longed for. I remembered her faithfulness, her willingness to follow Abraham to new lands, to uncertain futures, to the eternal seeking of what must have seemed an illusory promise. Sarah knew; she knew what it was to wait, and pray, and remember. She knew what it was to be a mother, to bear a son, to let him go.

Then there was Rachel: won by Jacob after long years of labor; sharing him with her sister Leah. Rachel, too, must have known long years of silence and grief and prayer. And then at last God “hearkened to her and opened her womb” and she bore her son Joseph. Rachel knew: she knew what it was to wait, and pray, and remember; she knew what it was to journey ever forward and follow a God who demanded all; Rachel knew what it was to give that all as she labored over the birth of her son Benjamin, the son who claimed her life as the price of his own.

And so the long months went on, there on the hills of Judea. The days passed, and I waited, and my belly grew. I found it hard to sleep, and often rose long before the dawn to sit in the soft darkness and watch the light slowly creep over the eastern mountains. Those were the moments when I felt utterly at peace; I knew that my beloved had been faithful to God; I knew that the life within me would not die; I knew that the silence and waiting would come to an end.

Those quiet mornings were precious to me, and I felt my own heart sing as the first sleepy birds began the morning chorus. And singing brought to mind that other old friend from the past: Hannah. Like me, Hannah had been long barren, and sorely tormented by her affliction. She, too, had known the scorn of others as the years rolled past. She, too, waited and prayed most fervently, and the Lord heard her prayer and had pity upon her. In due time Hannah conceived, and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked him of the Lord.” Hannah knew what it was to bear a son, and to let him go—to lend him to the Lord’s service; and she knew how to rejoice in her blessing: “My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in the Lord. There is none holy like the Lord, there is none besides thee; there is no rock like our God … He raised up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world.”

Hannah knew how to wait, and pray. Hannah knew how to sing.

And so, dear cousin, the months passed. And that clear spring day dawned, and the birds sang, and I went about the chores of my silent house, waiting, ever waiting.

Then you came. You entered my house and greeted my beloved and me, and with the sound of your young, hopeful voice, the child in my own womb leapt for joy. 

From the deep pit of silence within me came the cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! … And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

And your voice broke into song: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.” You sang, O Mary, my cousin, and you brought joy and peace to our silent house. And then you departed upon your own way, already swelling with the child within your own womb, and I waited, larger and heavier, and so near to my own time of delivery.

Yes Mary, we both know what it is to wait, to bear a son, to let him go, to sing.

And in these many years since, we have not ceased learning to wait, to pray, and to sing. Even in those moments of the greatest grief, we have known joy. My own John left us so early; his father’s blessing was upon him, and he went forth to prepare the way of the Lord; he went forth to be the prophet of the Most High … It was hard to let him go, and yet we knew we must, for he was ours no longer; the Spirit had claimed him from time before time, from that moment in the temple when my beloved Zechariah was struck dumb.

But it was hard to let him go: Sarah’s son was spared the knife; my son was not.

Yet still we sang: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people and set them free.” And you, my dear: you were so very young, yet you bore so very much more. You bore the Son who redeems us all; you bore the pain of scorn and rejection even as he lay in your womb; you bore the abandonment of Golgotha; you bore the incredible news of his resurrection; you bore the sight of his risen body and sore wounds. 

You bore all this, my dear Mary, because you are the most favored one: You are she, chosen above all women to be the Mother of God.

You are she, my dear, who has become the mother of us all. Yes, even of me, your old, old cousin. For you are she who has taught us all to wait, to pray, to remember, to sing.

You are she who has taught us to bear forth within our barren bodies the Word of the Lord.

You are she who has taught us to seek the fruit of Christ within the hearts and minds and souls and bodies of all whom we meet.

You are our Mother, calling us forth to give birth to Love.

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”

With weary joy, my dear, I remain your affectionate cousin,

+Elizabeth+

                AND THE ANGEL SAID:
TO YOU IS BORN THIS DAY
IN THE CITY OF DAVID
A SAVIOR, WHO IS CHRIST THE LORD.

Born in humility,
Becoming our flesh:
                Sing, O Angels of Heaven!
Proclaim the birth of Christ!
Mothers will come,
To nourish a babe:
                Sing, O Angels of Heaven!
Proclaim the birth of Christ!
Fathers will come,
To shelter the weak:
                Sing, O Angels of Heaven!
Proclaim the birth of Christ!
Children will come,
Trusting, unafraid:
                Sing, O Angels of Heaven!
Proclaim the birth of Christ!
Shepherds will come,
Knowing his Voice:
                Sing, O Angels of Heaven!
Proclaim the birth of Christ!
Royalty will come,
To adore the true King:
                Sing, O Angels of Heaven!
Proclaim the birth of Christ!
Servants will come,
To serve at His Throne:
                Sing, O Angels of Heaven!
Proclaim the birth of Christ!
Sinners will come,
To weep at His Feet:
                Sing, O Angels of Heaven!
Proclaim the birth of Christ!
Mourners will come,
Seeking the Light:
                Sing, O Angels of Heaven!
Proclaim the birth of Christ!
Prisoners will come,
Longing for freedom:
                Sing, O Angels of Heaven!
Proclaim the birth of Christ!
Priests will come,
To lift bread and wine:
                Sing, O Angels of Heaven!
Proclaim the birth of Christ!
Born in humility,
Becoming our flesh:
                Sing, O Angels of Heaven!
Proclaim the birth of Christ!

 GLORY TO THE FATHER, AND TO THE SON,
AND TO THE HOLY SPIRIT:
AS IT WAS IN THE BEGINNING,
IS NOW AND EVER SHALL BE,
UNTO AGES OF AGES. AMEN.

SC+, 2010

Be Silent All Flesh…the Lord has roused Himself from His Holy Dwelling. (Zechariah 2:13)

Christmas, 2010

In the midst of military, political and economic chaos in all corners of this earth:

…a small businessman in Maine, grateful for his freedom, begins a movement now numbering thousands of volunteers who lay Christmas wreaths on the tombs of fallen soldiers with a moment of silent prayer.

In the midst of crowds thronging the malls and holiday parties, with the gaiety escalating to near-hysteria:

…a woman gathers her courage, and calls for silence when a child is overwhelmed by the noise and unchecked emotions swirling around him.

In the midst of beeping monitors and flashing lights required by a frightening series of medical tests:

…a gentle nurse promises to let a patient sleep in silence through the night.

In the midst of strident voices—left and right—decrying this or that current (and perhaps soon-to-be-forgotten) cultural battle:

…a 7^th Century monk prays: “O Mystery exalted beyond silence, gather my mind into the silence of prayer, free from the concerns of this world.”[1]

Yes…Let all flesh be silent. For in these small pockets of silence, all too rare and fleeting, hidden away and often unnoticed—in these precious moments between breaths when we can hear our own hearts beat . . . now is the time to keep silence.

For it is only in such silence that the Holy One can rouse from His Holy Dwelling in the Heart of God, and come among us to be born in a poor stable in Bethlehem.  Only in such silence can the Holy One bring strength and courage to the heart of a soldier keeping watch in the mountains of Afghanistan. Only in such silence can the touch of the Holy One comfort the heart of a little child surrounded  by poverty, or despair. Only in such silence can the Holy One enter our own hearts, and find once again His own Holy Dwelling.

I do pray we will all find those moments of silence when the Lord enters His Holy Dwelling within our hearts.

Susan Creighton+

---

[1] Isaac of Ninevah, 7th C. Syria: in The Syriac Fathers on Prayer and the Spiritual Life, translated by Sebastian Brock, (Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1987)

EASTER MORN

Joseph said,
“The Tomb was closed—yet now the Rock is rolled away?”

Pilate said,
“I’ve washed my hands of this MAN—I’ll hear no wild tales HE yet lives.”

The Women said,
“We came with oils, but found a shroud—where can HE be?”

The Rain said,
“Our tears did wash HIS face—as we will wash each soul Baptized from this day hence.”

The Earth said,
“We welcomed HIS bones—and found our ancient mass transfigured into Light.”

The Fire of Hades said,
“We feared HIS coming—now HE commands us as Holy Fire.”

The Wind said,
“HIS Spirit turns our silence into Alleluias on high.”

The stars said,
“With HIS light risen from the tomb, our brightness is eternal.”

They all cried out,
“Alleluia! Christ is Risen! HE is Risen indeed! Alleluia!”

SC+, 2010

 

 

 

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

 

 

 HOLY SATURDAY

Joseph said,
“Here—I have a tomb, new, unused. HE may lie within.”

Pilate said,
“Take HIM—I care not where this troublesome man lies.”

The Women said,
“We weep, we mourn, but gather the oils—we will bind HIS wounds.”

The Rain said,
“Our tears will wash HIS face.”

The Earth said,
“We welcome HIS bones, formed from our dust before time began.”

The Fire of Hades said,
“We fear HIS coming—HE will steal our bounty.”

The Wind said,
“HE breathes no more, and even I am silenced.”

The stars said,
“HIS light is hidden, so we must shine bravely through darkest night.”

They all said,
“In silence, We will keep watch.”

 

 

The Whale
            A meditation for Good Friday

Sinking, sinking, sinking.
deep rest in darkness cold:
Tide washing torn flesh,
dilutes the blood,
chills the soul,
tossing limbs to and fro.

Silence beyond silence,
Cold beyond cold,
Fear beyond fear.

Bones lose strength,
and sinews sag
their very form is lost,
and what was once a life
with borders, edges, frames
returns to elemental stuff
where even cells break down
and atoms float into the void.

Consciousness and will
no more do dwell
within, without, or with at all.
There is no where, no up, no down,
no time, no space to mark
the passing of a life,
or entrance of a death. 

            And each is all.

“Remember: you are earth,
and to earth you shall return.”
We’ve got it wrong,
for earth herself
emerged from silent sea—
a pattern in the chaos we
label terra firma,
deluding our senses
into stable cosmos, order, law.

The very law of elementals
which moves in cyclic spiral,
crumbling cliffs and grinding
rocks upon the shore,
as earth dissolves into the sea,
so do our bones and soul,
becoming one within the void.

            And each is all.

Yet even there the life force moves,
and gently bumps against
my cells that are no more,
consumes and hallows emptiness:

“And there goes that Leviathan . . .”
that swallowed Jonah, spat him out:
Bone and sinew, flesh and blood?
or broken down to cell and atom, DNA?

What elemental form is known in death?
Is there some cell, some atom,
some electron with my name
engraved upon its very being? 

The dead return to earth,
that cosmic ordering of chaos,
that quieting of turbulent form. 

Yet is there not a further path,
where even earth
returns to void?

            And each is all.

 

 

In the deep silence of Maundy Thursday, we do such simple things: gather together to share a meal, tell ancient stories, break bread and pour wine, wash weary feet…and begin a vigil that will lead us through the terror and desolation of Good Friday, to the triumph and joy of the Resurrection.

Meet smooth, soft counterpoint:
BLESS  and  GIVE –
From a womb of terror
Birthing eas`ed pain, and  LIFE.

Harsh – soft – the rhythm roams Creation:
TAKE  and  BLESS
BREAK  and  GIVE
A symphony that sings of LOVE.

SC+ 1991

In 1982, when I wrote this poem, I was a member of a religious order, and it was our custom to have the sister presiding at the offices give a meditation for the community. Although the time of some of the commemorations was slightly different then, it still seems to fit….even from the silence and solitude of the hermitage.   SC+

LORD,  IT  IS  WELL  THAT  WE  ARE  HERE
A Week  of  Light  to  Ashes

And Peter said to Jesus:  “Lord, it is well that we are here.”
We’ll build three booths:  for Prophet, Law, and King —
to house the glory of the mountaintop
For human eyes dare not gaze upon this great illumining…
The cloud descends, and Voice commands:
“This is my well-beloved Son.”

Then Polycarp did have his turn:  “Lord, it is well that we are here.”
Four-score-and six you’ve led me well; I’ll not deny you now.
We’ve journeyed long and far and hard
to meet this day at Caesar’s call:
Now joyous flames will consecrate the love that asks not gain.

And Sisters said to Jesus:  “Lord, it is well that we are here.”
O day of ash and penitence! Your awesome weight surrounds;
The desert calls:  We turn again in silent prayer
To offer heart and soul and limb to join the sacrifice of God.

Then Matthias said to Jesus:  “Lord, it is well that we are here.”
I followed you through hill and vale; I listened at your feet.
I did not know you knew me, Lord, but now your call comes clear:
You’ve chosen me to fill the gap; and I say “yes” — in fear.

George Herbert ends the week:  “Lord, it is well that we are here.”
Priest and poet I did not seek, but a Country Parson feeding sheep.
Yet you have called me Lord, of your great Love, to enter in
and taste of thy sweet meat:
“So I did sit and eat.”

LORD, IT IS WELL THAT WE ARE HERE.
24  February 1982

 

EPIPHANY GIFTS

Wise men from the East
opened their  Treasure,
offering Him gifts . . .
               GOLD
                FRANKINCENSE
                MYRRH

                                If I could give you a gift,
                                would it be GOLD,
                                remembering others
                                who freeze for lack of shelter?

                                                The gift I can give
                                                is the GOLD of silence
                                                in daily prayer.

                                If I could give you a gift,
                                would it be INCENSE,
                                remembering others
                                who choke for lack of clean air?

                                                The gift I can give
                                                is the INCENSE of joy
                                                before God at the altar.

                                If I could give you a gift,
                                would it be MYRRH,
                                remembering others
                                who die for lack of fragrant oil?

                                                The gift I can give
                                                is the MYRRH of tears
                                                for the easing of wounds.

                                                                                                                        SC+, Epiphany 2009