Novena, Day 8

 I have been thinking that if we greet each day with Christ  (or whatever word brings a sense of the sacred to you) in our hearts, we should also end our day with "I greet this night with Christ in my heart." I find the rhythm of opening and closing meaningful for that is the ongoing rhythm of this life.  We are not static. 

This morning in my reading, I came across this passage, "Self-knowledge and experience of God unfold together and into each other...It is a path in which we leave egoism or incomplete selfhood behind, the egoism that tries to control and monitor the process of self-knowledge."*  We must constantly ask ourselves, "Am I on a path to know God, or my own ego?"  We say vigilant because the ego is desperately trying to maintain control, whereas God tenderly whispers, "Come." It is like trying to listen to a very quiet voice in the midst of a marching band and a cheering squad. Yes, distraction comes easily. However, let us be easy with ourselves in this time of unlearning and learning. I appreciate the image of unwrinkling in this novena. Sometimes I do feel rather wadded up. 

I greet this day with Christ in my heart. 

I address each one whom I comfort 

with tenderness and strength, 

knowing love within my heart. 

Though shared from my heart, 

the offering shines in my eyes, 

unwrinkles my brow, 

brings a smile to my lips 

and a ring in my voice. 

For each pleasant and constructive experience, 

I am grateful. 

From each unpleasant experience, I learn. 

For the experienced of awakened life, 

I am uplifted. 

I greet this day with Christ in my heart.  

  

Rev. Carol Parrish-Harra (first and last lines have been edited)  

 

*The Selfless Self," Father Laurence Freeman, OSB, p. 86 (1998, Continuum) 

image: This photograph was taken in Millbrae probably close to a decade ago