Recollecting, Ruminating and Enrichment

As we have said, the formators here on this pilgriamage are The Holy Spirit, Our Lady and ourselves.  If we do our part, our teachers will come to help us,  Our Lady will pray for wisdom for us and for understanding of the Divine Will.  The Holy Spirit will enlighten our hearts and shed light into the dark corners of our hearts and minds to let us see, if are prepared to put the work in.  

The method of 'study' we are embarking upon as we journey together to the Holy House is one of deep pondering, creative reflection and a sharing of the fruits of our meditations and responses.

We have summed up the stages of the process as:

Recollecting

This process involves thinking carefully over and recollecting what we have been reading in the Book of Life or in its various sources.  Prayerfully reflecting upon our reading and examining what the text is saying to us individually. Here we are especially looking at the question of vocation and calling to the lay branch.  

It may seem like a very little amount of reading to do as the Book of Life text is only around 75 pages plus appendices.  The Daily Gospel is ofen less than a chapter long.  However, its not the quantity that you read each day that counts, its the quality of reading, the time spent really thinking about what Jesus is saying to your heart and He can say a hundred things through one word!

In this way we also help evangelise our memories which become engaged in the process of prayerful reflection and responsiveness to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit.

Ruminating

This involves several processes, including recording your thoughts in a reflective prayer diary and ruminating upn your entries while asking God to help you go deeper into the mysteries you are trying to understand

THis rumination might also take on forms other than journalling.  These could include any kind of art or creative expression that allows you to process the responses and reactions of your heart to what God is saying, to how He is forming you, teaching and leading you through the Book of Life and the charism of COLW.

This rumination and expression is for your eyes only.  Nobody will ask to see what you've written or made as this is a sacred space for you.

Enrichment

This part of the cycle involves sharing the fruits of your contemplation. What can you give to your pilgrim partner?  What have you learned that could help another on their journey? 

Ours is a living charism and it comes alive when shared. Our senses and faculties of mind and heart become evangelised when they are awakened and used to express the things of God and especially when used to express the gifts He has placed in our hearts for one another.  In this way we build one another up both collectively and individually.

Of course, we are not here to offer one another spiritual direction or to advise one another.  Just as we are not qualified to offer to others our own prescription medicines, even if they make us feel great. We can't know the full story of another person and we will leave that to their Spritual Director.

n.b.  Each person's story is sacred and their soul is holy ground - we will never share what we have been told in confidence and we would never trample on holy ground or break the delicate plants growing in such a precious garden.  When we share together we will pray for one another, exercising discretion and kindness.  Thank you in advance for respecting this rare rule.  We want to be a very free and joyful forum of growth and peace for all of us.

...a pilgrim's prayer journal...

 'Before Philip called you I saw you under the fig tree...'

John 1: 47-52

Nathaniel was completely unawares that he was known to Jesus. Ironically, though we are unawares, he knows us better than we know ourselves.  A jouney to self-knowledge - the inner journey of the pilgrimage - is a road to met Jesus at the point where he has been waiting for us all along to reach him there.  He knows how deep we can go, how far we will let him in, how far we will reach.

This image of God knowing us fully, in all the perfection he knows we are capable of, keeps coming back to me and here again is Nathaniel.  Seen by Jesus while he is still unawares.  We are known and seen deeply, even if we don't even know ourselves.  The more we ask, the more willing we are to be teachable - to let go the reigns,  or hold them more lightly, we will see the fuller picture.

To see ourselves through God's eyes - no false humility, bashful fear or timidity but plainly accepting his compliment as he shows us his love and hands us our mission.  

Putting into words... (Preface p.vii)

In the preface of the COLW Book of Life, Fr. Matthew Blake OCD mentions how the text seeks, of necessity, to 'put in words' an expression of the desires, experiences and collective understanding of the Community - namely in this instance the sisters - as they have responded to the movement and action of the Holy Spirit in their lives and through the development of COLW.  Through this process God has given the COLW charism as a gift to the Church.  

Sometimes its easy to tell another person in words what God has done for us.  When Mary sang out her Magnificat we glimpse an image of her uplifted head as the words flowed from her grateful, rejoicing heart.  At other times we struggle to find the right words to express our responses, feelings and reactions in prayer.  Surely it wasnt always easy for the author of the Psalms to express some of the more difficult moments of their life.   

Reading through the Book of Life, elloquently written and beautifully describing the various aspects of this precious charism, it's hard to grasp quite how hard it may sometimes have been to capture the essence of what has been happening over this past decade and a half in the hearts and lives of those living it.

For us then, as we read the Book of Life to learn about the charism and to seek to know our path with the ecclesial family of COLW, it can also be hard to put into words the action of God in our lives or the movements of our hearts in response.  

This is where the creative response comes into play - as a fruit of our meditation and rumination  - of the parts of the text that speak to us, whether positively or less so.  

In the Preface, Fr. Matt continues with a quote from the Spiritual Canticle of St. John of the Cross, 

" It is better to explain the utterances of love (of the Spirit) in their broadest sense so that each one may derive profit from them according to the mode and capacity of one's own spirit, rather than narrow them down to a meaning unadaptable to every palate"

Which is to say that this book has been written with a view to describe the history and development of the Community and to explain the details and extent of the charism - but it is written so as to be applicable to everyone.  

We can read its pages and apply them to our own life too, asking ourselves How is Jesus speaking to me in this mystery?  Where is God leading me in his Divine Will?  What does living in the Divine WiIl mean for my life?   Can I be more like Mary?  How is my life Incarnational? Each aspect of the charism can be turned inward as a question or as an observation of our hearts as we seek to travel within on this pilgriamge to the Holy House of our own soul.

A reading of the Book of Life alongside a prayerful reading of the daily Gospel will very much help to answer these questions and similar other thoughts, suggestions and proposals that Jesus might surprise you with over the coming months.

A wise person has said, 'whatever you find hard to do, do it with all your might'.  This charism of COLW is a contemplative one, rooted in the spirituality of the Carmelite tradition.  As such, time for reflections and mediation upon the mysteries of God, most especially the mystery of the Incarnation, is essential to this journey.  It may take discipline and effort to turn up and read, to listen and most of all to find a response to the daily invitation, but it will be worth it! 

We will also need to be obedient to the counsel of the Desert Fathers, to 'Know Thyself'.  As attractive as might be the idea of following a life dedicated to reflection on the mysteries of God, another large part of the process is by means of learning to know ourselves in all our woundedness and poverty, in our nothingness from which God calls us to be His children.  This affective maturity also requires work and dedicated time for prayer and reflection.  Preferably also, we would suggest working through this journey with the support of a good Spiritual Director, who can help you to go deeper into the hidden things of your heart and what Jesus is saying to you intimately, through this period of your life.  

Let's pray for one another as we set out together on this journey, seeking only to live in the Divine Will. Through close reading of the Book of Life with a listening heart, meditating on the Gospels in the light of the COLW charism, with open hearts willing to be changed and transformed, let's dare to put into words all the Jesus is saying to our hearts.  

Our Lady will pray for us too as together we hope to be able to sing our own Magnificat of praise and thanksgiving.  We hope also to say our own Fiat too, in joy and in sorrow, every moment. 

 

"Saints are needed in all states of life" (BoL pg. 2) - The COLW Patrons

Holy people are needed in all states of life and we have some wonderful examples from among the patrons of COLW.  Let's ask for their prayers and look at their example as we travel this journey. It would be good to try to learn about them all over time to see what a diverse group of people they are.  Ech one is remarkable for their holiness as well as reflecting something particular of the face of Christ for us.  Each one especially reflects an aspect or fruit of the COLW charism through their own gifts and mission to the Church.

Choose a saint from amongst the patrons of the Community to accompany you through the coming months of the pilgrimage.  There are saints, blessed and servants of God on the list from all states of life and each one reflects a different aspect of the COLW charism.  Try to learn something about your chosen holy man or woman and ask them for their prayers.

The COLW Patrons and their feasts

St. Francis de Sales, 24th January

St. Joseph, 19th March

Bl. Gabriela of Unity, 22nd April

St. John The Baptist, 24th June

Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin, 12th July

St. Therese of The Child Jesus, 1st October

St. Faustina, 5th October

Bl. Carlo Acutis, 12th October

St. John Paul ii, 22nd October

Bl. Chiara Luce Badano, 29th October

Bl. Charles de Foucauld, 1st December

Ven. Luisa Piccaretta