Hello Nancy, Just came across your website today. I am amazed and thrilled. This seems to be what I have been seeking with little luck until today. I have a cloistered heart but wish to connect with you and others. So many beautiful articles on your site...........so much to absorb......just need to take it all in slowly. I love the analogies of the monastic cloister. I am married also........3 sons, 7 grandchildren and a most wondeful husband I can pray with. I hope you are able to answer me. Thanks & Blessings, JoAnn I don't seem to fit in any of these categories below. sorry.
But I want to be a Trappist monk or hermit . LOL! A short, simple quote that contains wisdom beyond compare. Oh...it's so hard to be in the world some days. I long to go and be with Him who I seek...alone...in solitude and silence.
Well...I will have to do my best with two dogs, four kids and a husband : )
Not sure how this "parlor" works, but I just wanted to say thank you for all the beautiful, inspirational and encouraging posts. I just finished reading "grille eyes" and that truly resonated with me. I haven't gotten your book yet, but plan to, and I keep "A Cloistered Heart" open on my computer all the time. I always find something here to help me through my days. God bless you, and thank you so much for this great ministry!
WELCOME, Debra! I'm so glad you made your way over to the 'parlor,' and hope the route hasn't been too confusing. Having the separate blog happened because the Cloistered Heart blog wasn't originally set up to receive comments. One of my (grown) kids set me up to blog a year and a half ago, and I didn't even know then that blogs COULD have comments. Not being able to figure out how to enable that which had originally been 'disabled,' I / we eventually came up with the parlor idea. And it does kinda go with the 'cloister' theme.. maybe...?
Anyway, I'm happy you've made your way over here, and thank you very much for your kind, gracious words.
And I... do not wish to be either a Trappist monk or a hermit, since I am not a man and do not think I am being called to be a hermit, but I do wish to be a nun. But I am not yet Catholic, so I must remain here a bit longer, longing to go apart with my Lord. And indeed, I can see some good in it. If I were not here, how would my friends (who are Protestant) know much about the Church? How would they know anything of the beauty of all that I am going towards? But still, the longing is there in my heart. As one of my favorite poems says:
I have desired to go where springs not fail, where flies no sharp and sided hail, and a few lilies blow.
And I have asked to be where no storms come, where the green swell is in the havens dumb, and out of the swing of the sea.
~Gerard Manley Hopkins, Heaven-Haven (A nun takes the veil)
I guess this is a really long comment. I just want to get this out of myself, I guess. I've been looking around and thinking of how much more /right/ I feel when I am not surrounded by school stuff. And I don't really want to put this on my blog, at least not until something more fitting for the blog has coalesced in my mind and soul. (So, sorry if this comment is just excessively much longer than any proper comment should be.)
Christina Therese, thank you for sharing this marvelous poem. And I'm glad you shared what you did right here - I hope many others are stopping by the parlor and finding these words. Since this is a blog FOR comments, it seems a perfect place for longer ones! :)
I am struck by your saying that if you were not out here, how would your friends know much about the Church. Indeed. Thank you again for sharing so beautifully with us here.
You have the tea and scones ready. I knew you would!
The tea and scones have distracted me. What was I going to say? Must pop back and have another look at your posts... Oh yes! The Quick Trip. What a wonderful idea and excellent way to help us find our way through your posts.
Another wonderful quote from "Listening to the Indwelling Presence"! I kind of assumed the book would be old enough so we wouldn't have to worry about copyright, but you are correct. We can't made any e-versions yet. Such a pity! But yes, we will enjoy the quotes on your blogs. I know half of this comment belongs on your other blog, but I seem to be doing things all wrong tonight.
I have some ice ready for YOUR tea, Sue, and a dish of chilled fruit for all of you visiting from the land of summertime. Ah, but you should see the snow piled high outside my wintry window today....
Sue, the 'quick trip' is a direct result of YOUR blog, where you helped lead us to some of your older posts. So thank you!
Yes, apparently it will be quite awhile before anyone can make e-books of the author 'A Religious''s 1940s works. I can guarantee I won't be around and able to do that by then (what am I saying?! I wouldn't have any idea how to do that NOW!). Maybe that task will fall to some of our children :)! In the meantime, these wonderful books seem to be in a kind of "no man's land" between "Out Of Print" and "Public Domain." So I'm just glad to have access to a few of them so I can share portions on the blogs from time to time. The part I posted late last night had so struck me that I came back to the computer at practically midnight... I just "knew" I had to share that right then, right there, because maybe one other person besides me needed it... right then, right there.
Hello Nancy, Just came across your website today. I am amazed and thrilled. This seems to be what I have been seeking with little luck until today. I have a cloistered heart but wish to connect with you and others. So many beautiful articles on your site...........so much to absorb......just need to take it all in slowly. I love the analogies of the monastic cloister. I am married also........3 sons, 7 grandchildren and a most wondeful husband I can pray with. I hope you are able to answer me. Thanks & Blessings, JoAnn I don't seem to fit in any of these categories below. sorry. on Let's Talk
JoAnn, your comment didn't show up here when I clicked to publish it, so I took the liberty of putting it on myself. 'Anonymous' should have worked.. so that was the way to do it! I was afraid I'd lost the comment, but thankfully was able to retrieve it.
I am so glad you're here, and would hate to lose any more of your words. So I invite you to contact me via e-mail also, if you like. My address is on the sidebar of the Cloistered Heart blog.... just substitute the @ for the word at that's in parentheses, and substitute . for the word dot that's in parentheses. As you may know, the address is written that way to prevent robot dialing. I would love to be able to talk some more!
Again, I'm so glad not to have lost your comment (whew!), and I thank you so much for your kind words.
What a journey this winter has been. If you are looking out at snowflakes as I am, remember........God will give us Spring sooner than we think. Wishing you all a wonderful day as we are wrapped warmly in our cloistered heart. Blessings & Peace, JoAnn Loria-Briffa
I am so thrilled to discover that you will ?get personal" this Lent. My prayer for Lent :
“Such a soul has been stripped of her old self and has been clothed in a new self, in Christ gentle Jesus. Then, she is open to receive and hold that grace by which she experiences God in this life.” Saint Catherine of Siena
I would express it more likethis: I shed false masks, outfits, mud and allow my true self, hidden in Christ to rise up and take centre stage
I am so struck by your speaking of false masks, because I'd been thinking of this exact image. For over a week now, I've remembered a particular photo that expresses just what I've had in my mind... it shows someone with a mask she's just removed from her face.
I love your prayer for Lent, and thank you for sharing it.
Ahhh, this does my heart good. And gives me hope as I find myself struggling to stay on track and not be pulled away. I do have many that I am responsible for and am finding all of that especially challenging right now. It's time for me to slow down and get 'personal' ~ right now. I will be happy to follow along this Lenten season. In Jesus' name.
In my life, at this (later) stage of it anyway, it seems there are "seasons." Times when I'm so busy I can't take a breath, and then days or weeks when I have more time. And it's unpredictable.. but of course, for all of us that's the way it goes, I s'pose.
I just clicked on a comment waiting for moderation, and it disappeared. Wasn't on the screen for me to read and post here... I can't find it. So to whoever left it: I apologize! Hope you'll stop by again!
I love your pre-Lenten reflections from your Cloistered Heart, Nancy. As I'm sick in bed today, I could relate to the Why Wait? You have such a beautiful way with words. Oh how grand it would be to live next door and pop over for some of that tea and scones. I picture your place behind the grille to be so cozy and full of peace. I hope to visit here more often, especially this Lent:)
Thank you, Juanita. I sometimes call myself "the backwards blogger," because it seems the CH blog is more like a book in some ways, and the book is "random" like a blog :)! As you can see, the book was written WHILE the cloistered heart analogy was coming into being. I hope it will provide a bit of "backstory!"
It is so lovely to escape into the parlor away from the world. I get too caught up with distractions, and like you, I am squeezing prayer into little bits of my day instead of giving it priority. Sad to say, I have spent too much time writing recently, and not enough with God. It is so easy to disappear into a creative world and forget that real joy comes from escaping into prayer. I hope to join you here during Lent. I hope you will keep me on track!
Colleen and Sue, thank you so much. I know we are ALL praying together now for our Holy Father, and for the next pope of our Church. I know that's where our thoughts and prayers are now.
Lectio Divina, one of my favorite subjects! Nice and concise explanation of it. I'm sure Pope Benedict wanted us to fast and pray for the conclave, and that's why he announced his resignation this week.
I am so comforted by your approach to the Lenten days ahead. In prayer. I was actually getting a little anxious that I had not settled on how I would prepare this season...what to do, what to abstain from, how to best serve our Lord...and then I read your last few posts again and prayed. And the answer was there all along. Joining along with you 'prayerfully' this Lent, for our families, our Church and the world we live in. Linking up, as well :)
Paula, I normally tend to "stress out" as Lent approaches. But this year I was amazed at how I was actually looking forward to it. I haven't felt that way about Lent in years! It is good to know we're going through this holy season together. Thank you, and thanks for linking up!
Nancy, I love the painting on your Seriously, Lent post. I like the idea of Lent being a time of not only entering the desert, but also the depths of the catacombs. As I write this comment, I am listening to the J.M. Talbot song you posted. He is one of my favorite Christian artists. The song echoes musically and beautifully, the words of St Teresa of Avila: God alone suffices.. Have a blessed and fruitful Lent. God bless.
Thank you, Karinann. That painting grabbed me SO MUCH when I first saw it recently (where? Can't remember!), so I tracked it down on Wikimedia Commons and was glad to find that it's in public domain. It had so stuck with me that I knew it was "my image for Lent." It's really staying in my mind in prayer.
I would like to ask permission to make copies of your post, "Just What IS a Cloistered Heart?" to handout at a Silent Lenten Retreat that I am in charge of on Palm Sunday weekend. Our topic is contemplation by Fr Thomas Dubay.
Yes, you have my permission, and thank you for asking. Contemplation by Father Dubay! Wonderful!! I pray it will be a blessed time apart with Our Lord, for each one of you.
We are having some major (thankfully intermittent) Internet link-up trouble here; there will be people coming in a few days to look things over and try to track down the root problem.
In the meantime, if you should happen to wonder why your comments are not posted and / or responded to - it isn't that you've been forgotten! Just want to be sure you ALL know that. And a prayer would be much appreciated!!
Hi Nancy, I'm sorry to hear that you are still having trouble with your internet connection. Hopefully they will figure out the problem.
Lent doesn't usually go as I plan it either. I guess what I would LIKE to do for the Lord is bigger than what I really CAN do...lol. There's a saying that goes "Man plans, God laughs" and I'm sure God smirks at our "Lent lists" and says, "I'll make them humble instead!" I loved the touches of humor in your post.(So THAT'S where the missing socks go!)
It really has been an unusual week, hasn't it? Asteroids, meteors, the Pope, fireballs from space debris in the sky in California and Cuba. Strange.
The Internet came back on just a few minutes ago, and I was glad to find this waiting on my comments screen. Oh yes, an unusual week. May God lead us all!
Hi Nancy..I wanted to stop by (if you are able to read this!) and say thanks for the note on my blog. I stop by here almost everyday....it is such an interior respite. You have no idea...so thank you for always keeping it up. I wish I could help with the internet issues. I don't know much about that. Praying that it remedies itself asap. I haven't had time to really get into all that's happened with the Holy Father (to be honest I don't understand much of the politics that go into it...I just sort of trust that God will provide with that...too bad I can't apply that to other areas of life). The asteroid thing...I read briefly about it...again...no time to really get into world news. How sad! Anyway, thank you so much again for being such a wonderful friend and keeping up this little contemplative space on the internet...even when it's temperamental!
Jen, it means so much to me that you are here. SO VERY much. One of my (grown) sons seems to have done something to help the connection, plus we're having a workman come tomorrow from the phone company... plus we're looking at other connection options. Lots of bases to cover! And to you, I sent love and prayer.
It is so lovely to escape into your parlor! I didn't think I'd be here after making my own Lenten plans. Oh how ambitious! 6 whole weeks away from the Internet, and I lasted about 3 days. Though really I don't think it was my fault. God does indeed have plans for us that are different from our own. We seem to get so much satisfaction from accomplishing our own plans: I did it! I survived 6 weeks without blogging! How strong I must be. Well, I won't be saying that, will I? I have to laugh at myself and my grand plans.
I have been reading the comments and now I know about the asteroids. I missed that one. Then again I never watch any news programs so it's not surprising. See what a great place this is? I am catching up on all the news, and at the same time, I'm refreshing my spirit!
Nancy, I would like to thank you with my whole heart for your kind comment on my blog today. You and so many other friends have left so many encouraging words for me. I am truly blessed.
I am interested to hear about your writing and letters to Jesus. Now that wouldn't have happened if your Internet connection wasn't so unreliable. All things work together... Funny how Romans 8 has turned up in so many places over the last few days. I hope those words are associated with Romans 8 because I can't go back and read your post again otherwise I will lose this comment of many words. If I have got it wrong, I will accept looking foolish. That's a state I am getting used to!
Oh Nancy..I love the idea of writing letters to Jesus...how beautiful. I think that I have been practicing this to one degree or another for the last 10 years or so. It would only be once a week though when I would be in Adoration. I would write to Jesus asking for favors or praying about a certain situation or person then I would put my pen down and wait quietly for Jesus to respond to me, and He did. I knew that I knew what He wanted me to write, and I obediently copied the words that I heard in my heart not really concentrating on each word, as a matter of fact at the end of the "holy dictation" I could not remember what I had even written and would not allow myself to read it until the next day and not before praying and asking God to remove any words that were not of Him..His letter back to me was always spot on and so touching and yes, personal..I relish those letters back and forth between Jesus and myself. Writing Jesus is a beautiful and joyful habit to develop anytime but especially now during Lent..Thank you for sharing and motivating.. God Bless...Joy
ps..I must add that if this is the wonderful grace that comes from you being without electricity then we must all hope for more power outages..ha
Don't you just love writing letters to Jesus. I have been doing this for quite some time and I agree it does help to keep the prayerful mind focused. I also love the intimacy of it. No fancy journals for me either. I use the good old fashioned marble covered notebooks from my grammar school days. (Although now the marbling does come in some pretty colors :) Continued Lenten blessings, Nancy
lovely- The members of Maddona House and The Companions of the Cross (A flourishing new order of priets founded in Ottawa, Canada) gave me this great idea to help melisten to the Spirit. i give Jesus a chance to answer me by starting out Dear Melanie, or Daughter. If i shut my logical, left brain, the Spirit takes over in surprising ways
Thank you, friends! I hope you don't mind a "group" response, as I am "plumb tuckered out" tonight after a long, fun, creative, exhausting playday with a grandchild. I am not as young as I was this morning :) !
I had written letters to Our Lord years ago, in journals. What a blessing to be getting back to it. I had an experience of NOT writing this morning, made richer because I had BEEN writing, but because that may become the next blog post I won't make you read about it here.
Joy, I hope I have "learned my lesson" and can keep Internet! :)
Sue (and everyone), I've just found a wonderful post about how God sometimes changes our Lenten plans. It's from a delightful group of nuns - a relatively new Texas foundation from Mother Angelica's Poor Clares in Alabama. I found their blog extremely appealing. They're at http://blog.texasnuns.com/
Karinann, this time around I want to write in nothing but a plain old fashioned notebook... maybe because I'm getting back to basics?
Melanie, I like thinking of "giving Jesus a chance," because (alas) I have been all too guilty of not doing so all too often.
Colleen, I am intrigued and excited about what will happen as I get back to this. Already there has been a bit "happening" even though I've had not one second to write a word today. There is more time left in this evening yet :)...
Nancy, I find that writing helps me connect with Jesus, too. It's as though He teaches me as my mind is trying to articulate the thoughts. I hadn't thought of writing letters to Jesus, though - that sounds like something worth trying:-)
I was so glad that I started blogging, again, when I read your latest posts. I'm sure I'm too undisciplined and spiritually dim to join in with the parlour discussion but, perhaps, if I sit quietly in the corner, I can listen to everyone's words of wisdom and be inspired, instead:-)
I hope your Internet is fixed, now. Ours was horrible for ages because I was afraid of going through the rigmarole of setting up a new router and modem. Eventually, it broke completely and I found that technology had improved so much that the installation was breeze! It took about 10 minutes to set up and, now, it's all perfect.
Thank you for the link to the post about Lenten plans: "We like to take the smoothly paved scenic route; He likes to go off-roading..." I just love that! Well, I have been off-road instead of sailing smoothly along, and you know, I am so glad. I have spent more time blogging than ever the last few days, but it has been so good. I have been very blessed by this unexpected turn of events. A few questions I'd been asking God got answered too.
It sounds like you've had such a hectic time recently, not exactly what you planned either but I am guessing you feel very blessed too.
Writing lessons to Jesus while you cook? Yes, sometimes we forget He is so very close to us every minute of the day.
Thank you, Sue! Often, blogging helps me stay closer to Our Lord, so for me it is an actual "prayer booster." I pray a lot about what to write and what to quote and to be led to "the pictures God wants to use." So for me, it makes for an even more fruitful Lent!
And yes, I feel very very blessed. Getting back to "writing to Jesus" was worth every second of momentary stress.
And with this, I am closing out this particular comments screen.... everyone please join us for the more recent one posted today (February 22). I decided a less appetizing post picture might be kinder Lenten fare! :) So "y'all come"....
Time again to open another Parlor Post. Welcome... I look forward to our visit!
ReplyDeleteHello Nancy,
DeleteJust came across your website today. I am amazed and thrilled. This seems to be what I have been seeking with little luck until today. I have a cloistered heart but wish to connect with you and others. So many beautiful articles on your site...........so much to absorb......just need to take it all in slowly. I love the analogies of the monastic cloister. I am married also........3 sons, 7 grandchildren and a most wondeful husband I can pray with. I hope you are able to answer me.
Thanks & Blessings, JoAnn I don't seem to fit in any of these categories below. sorry.
But I want to be a Trappist monk or hermit . LOL! A short, simple quote that contains wisdom beyond compare. Oh...it's so hard to be in the world some days. I long to go and be with Him who I seek...alone...in solitude and silence.
ReplyDeleteWell...I will have to do my best with two dogs, four kids and a husband : )
I understand :)! Thanks, Theresa.
DeleteNot sure how this "parlor" works, but I just wanted to say thank you for all the beautiful, inspirational and encouraging posts. I just finished reading "grille eyes" and that truly resonated with me. I haven't gotten your book yet, but plan to, and I keep "A Cloistered Heart" open on my computer all the time. I always find something here to help me through my days. God bless you, and thank you so much for this great ministry!
ReplyDeleteWELCOME, Debra! I'm so glad you made your way over to the 'parlor,' and hope the route hasn't been too confusing. Having the separate blog happened because the Cloistered Heart blog wasn't originally set up to receive comments. One of my (grown) kids set me up to blog a year and a half ago, and I didn't even know then that blogs COULD have comments. Not being able to figure out how to enable that which had originally been 'disabled,' I / we eventually came up with the parlor idea. And it does kinda go with the 'cloister' theme.. maybe...?
DeleteAnyway, I'm happy you've made your way over here, and thank you very much for your kind, gracious words.
And I... do not wish to be either a Trappist monk or a hermit, since I am not a man and do not think I am being called to be a hermit, but I do wish to be a nun. But I am not yet Catholic, so I must remain here a bit longer, longing to go apart with my Lord. And indeed, I can see some good in it. If I were not here, how would my friends (who are Protestant) know much about the Church? How would they know anything of the beauty of all that I am going towards? But still, the longing is there in my heart. As one of my favorite poems says:
ReplyDeleteI have desired to go
where springs not fail,
where flies no sharp and sided hail,
and a few lilies blow.
And I have asked to be
where no storms come,
where the green swell is in the havens dumb,
and out of the swing of the sea.
~Gerard Manley Hopkins, Heaven-Haven (A nun takes the veil)
I guess this is a really long comment. I just want to get this out of myself, I guess. I've been looking around and thinking of how much more /right/ I feel when I am not surrounded by school stuff. And I don't really want to put this on my blog, at least not until something more fitting for the blog has coalesced in my mind and soul. (So, sorry if this comment is just excessively much longer than any proper comment should be.)
Christina Therese, thank you for sharing this marvelous poem. And I'm glad you shared what you did right here - I hope many others are stopping by the parlor and finding these words. Since this is a blog FOR comments, it seems a perfect place for longer ones! :)
DeleteI am struck by your saying that if you were not out here, how would your friends know much about the Church. Indeed. Thank you again for sharing so beautifully with us here.
Nancy,
ReplyDeleteYou have the tea and scones ready. I knew you would!
The tea and scones have distracted me. What was I going to say? Must pop back and have another look at your posts... Oh yes! The Quick Trip. What a wonderful idea and excellent way to help us find our way through your posts.
Another wonderful quote from "Listening to the Indwelling Presence"! I kind of assumed the book would be old enough so we wouldn't have to worry about copyright, but you are correct. We can't made any e-versions yet. Such a pity! But yes, we will enjoy the quotes on your blogs. I know half of this comment belongs on your other blog, but I seem to be doing things all wrong tonight.
God bless you!
I have some ice ready for YOUR tea, Sue, and a dish of chilled fruit for all of you visiting from the land of summertime. Ah, but you should see the snow piled high outside my wintry window today....
DeleteSue, the 'quick trip' is a direct result of YOUR blog, where you helped lead us to some of your older posts. So thank you!
Yes, apparently it will be quite awhile before anyone can make e-books of the author 'A Religious''s 1940s works. I can guarantee I won't be around and able to do that by then (what am I saying?! I wouldn't have any idea how to do that NOW!). Maybe that task will fall to some of our children :)! In the meantime, these wonderful books seem to be in a kind of "no man's land" between "Out Of Print" and "Public Domain." So I'm just glad to have access to a few of them so I can share portions on the blogs from time to time. The part I posted late last night had so struck me that I came back to the computer at practically midnight... I just "knew" I had to share that right then, right there, because maybe one other person besides me needed it... right then, right there.
ReplyDeleteHello Nancy, Just came across your website today. I am amazed and thrilled. This seems to be what I have been seeking with little luck until today. I have a cloistered heart but wish to connect with you and others. So many beautiful articles on your site...........so much to absorb......just need to take it all in slowly. I love the analogies of the monastic cloister. I am married also........3 sons, 7 grandchildren and a most wondeful husband I can pray with. I hope you are able to answer me. Thanks & Blessings, JoAnn I don't seem to fit in any of these categories below. sorry. on Let's Talk
JoAnn, your comment didn't show up here when I clicked to publish it, so I took the liberty of putting it on myself. 'Anonymous' should have worked.. so that was the way to do it! I was afraid I'd lost the comment, but thankfully was able to retrieve it.
DeleteI am so glad you're here, and would hate to lose any more of your words. So I invite you to contact me via e-mail also, if you like. My address is on the sidebar of the Cloistered Heart blog.... just substitute the @ for the word at that's in parentheses, and substitute . for the word dot that's in parentheses. As you may know, the address is written that way to prevent robot dialing. I would love to be able to talk some more!
Again, I'm so glad not to have lost your comment (whew!), and I thank you so much for your kind words.
Hi Everyone,
DeleteWhat a journey this winter has been. If you are looking out at snowflakes as I am, remember........God will give us Spring sooner than we think. Wishing you all a wonderful day as we are wrapped warmly in our cloistered heart. Blessings & Peace, JoAnn Loria-Briffa
I am so thrilled to discover that you will ?get personal" this Lent. My prayer for Lent :
Delete“Such a soul has been stripped of her old self and has been clothed in a new self, in Christ gentle Jesus. Then, she is open to receive and hold that grace by which she experiences God in this life.” Saint Catherine of Siena
I would express it more likethis: I shed false masks, outfits, mud and allow my true self, hidden in Christ to rise up and take centre stage
I am so struck by your speaking of false masks, because I'd been thinking of this exact image. For over a week now, I've remembered a particular photo that expresses just what I've had in my mind... it shows someone with a mask she's just removed from her face.
DeleteI love your prayer for Lent, and thank you for sharing it.
Ahhh, this does my heart good. And gives me hope as I find myself struggling to stay on track and not be pulled away. I do have many that I am responsible for and am finding all of that especially challenging right now. It's time for me to slow down and get 'personal' ~ right now. I will be happy to follow along this Lenten season. In Jesus' name.
ReplyDeleteIn my life, at this (later) stage of it anyway, it seems there are "seasons." Times when I'm so busy I can't take a breath, and then days or weeks when I have more time. And it's unpredictable.. but of course, for all of us that's the way it goes, I s'pose.
DeleteGlad we'll be sharing Lent. A blessing!
I just clicked on a comment waiting for moderation, and it disappeared. Wasn't on the screen for me to read and post here... I can't find it. So to whoever left it: I apologize! Hope you'll stop by again!
ReplyDeleteI love your pre-Lenten reflections from your Cloistered Heart, Nancy. As I'm sick in bed today, I could relate to the Why Wait? You have such a beautiful way with words. Oh how grand it would be to live next door and pop over for some of that tea and scones. I picture your place behind the grille to be so cozy and full of peace. I hope to visit here more often, especially this Lent:)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tiffany, for such kind words! I LOVE to find you here, and tonight I am offering a special prayer that you'll be well SPEEDILY.
DeleteDear Nancy,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to tell you that I ordered your book, and it arrived today!
Reading your blog has truly been a blessing to me, and I have been wanting to read your book. I am planning to read it during Lent.
Blessings,
Juanita
Thank you, Juanita. I sometimes call myself "the backwards blogger," because it seems the CH blog is more like a book in some ways, and the book is "random" like a blog :)! As you can see, the book was written WHILE the cloistered heart analogy was coming into being. I hope it will provide a bit of "backstory!"
DeleteNancy,
ReplyDeleteIt is so lovely to escape into the parlor away from the world. I get too caught up with distractions, and like you, I am squeezing prayer into little bits of my day instead of giving it priority. Sad to say, I have spent too much time writing recently, and not enough with God. It is so easy to disappear into a creative world and forget that real joy comes from escaping into prayer. I hope to join you here during Lent. I hope you will keep me on track!
God bless you!
Colleen and Sue, thank you so much. I know we are ALL praying together now for our Holy Father, and for the next pope of our Church. I know that's where our thoughts and prayers are now.
ReplyDeleteLectio Divina, one of my favorite subjects! Nice and concise explanation of it. I'm sure Pope Benedict wanted us to fast and pray for the conclave, and that's why he announced his resignation this week.
ReplyDeleteI, too, feel this is him calling us to prayer. I am quite at peace with our Holy Father's decision, now that I've gotten over the initial shock of it.
DeleteLove this quote from our Papa...God bless this man of heroic humility! I'm joining you in prayer:)
ReplyDeleteHeroic humility, absolutely! Thank you, Tiffany.
DeleteI am so comforted by your approach to the Lenten days ahead. In prayer. I was actually getting a little anxious that I had not settled on how I would prepare this season...what to do, what to abstain from, how to best serve our Lord...and then I read your last few posts again and prayed. And the answer was there all along. Joining along with you 'prayerfully' this Lent, for our families, our Church and the world we live in. Linking up, as well :)
ReplyDeletePaula, I normally tend to "stress out" as Lent approaches. But this year I was amazed at how I was actually looking forward to it. I haven't felt that way about Lent in years! It is good to know we're going through this holy season together. Thank you, and thanks for linking up!
DeleteNancy,
ReplyDeleteI love the painting on your Seriously, Lent post. I like the idea of Lent being a time of not only entering the desert, but also the depths of the catacombs. As I write this comment, I am listening to the J.M. Talbot song you posted. He is one of my favorite Christian artists. The song echoes musically and beautifully, the words of St Teresa of Avila: God alone suffices..
Have a blessed and fruitful Lent. God bless.
Thank you, Karinann. That painting grabbed me SO MUCH when I first saw it recently (where? Can't remember!), so I tracked it down on Wikimedia Commons and was glad to find that it's in public domain. It had so stuck with me that I knew it was "my image for Lent." It's really staying in my mind in prayer.
DeleteI would like to ask permission to make copies of your post, "Just What IS a Cloistered Heart?" to handout at a Silent Lenten Retreat that I am in charge of on Palm Sunday weekend. Our topic is contemplation by Fr Thomas Dubay.
ReplyDeleteYes, you have my permission, and thank you for asking. Contemplation by Father Dubay! Wonderful!! I pray it will be a blessed time apart with Our Lord, for each one of you.
DeleteThank you so much, have a grace filled Lent.
DeleteBlessings,
Susie
Hi, dear friends! I want to let ALL of you know:
ReplyDeleteWe are having some major (thankfully intermittent) Internet link-up trouble here; there will be people coming in a few days to look things over and try to track down the root problem.
In the meantime, if you should happen to wonder why your comments are not posted and / or responded to - it isn't that you've been forgotten! Just want to be sure you ALL know that. And a prayer would be much appreciated!!
Hi Nancy,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear that you are still having trouble with your internet connection. Hopefully they will figure out the problem.
Lent doesn't usually go as I plan it either. I guess what I would LIKE to do for the Lord is bigger than what I really CAN do...lol. There's a saying that goes "Man plans, God laughs" and I'm sure God smirks at our "Lent lists" and says, "I'll make them humble instead!" I loved the touches of humor in your post.(So THAT'S where the missing socks go!)
It really has been an unusual week, hasn't it? Asteroids, meteors, the Pope, fireballs from space debris in the sky in California and Cuba. Strange.
I wonder what will happen next?
The Internet came back on just a few minutes ago, and I was glad to find this waiting on my comments screen. Oh yes, an unusual week. May God lead us all!
DeleteThank you, Mary!
Hi Nancy..I wanted to stop by (if you are able to read this!) and say thanks for the note on my blog. I stop by here almost everyday....it is such an interior respite. You have no idea...so thank you for always keeping it up. I wish I could help with the internet issues. I don't know much about that. Praying that it remedies itself asap. I haven't had time to really get into all that's happened with the Holy Father (to be honest I don't understand much of the politics that go into it...I just sort of trust that God will provide with that...too bad I can't apply that to other areas of life). The asteroid thing...I read briefly about it...again...no time to really get into world news. How sad! Anyway, thank you so much again for being such a wonderful friend and keeping up this little contemplative space on the internet...even when it's temperamental!
ReplyDeleteJen, it means so much to me that you are here. SO VERY much. One of my (grown) sons seems to have done something to help the connection, plus we're having a workman come tomorrow from the phone company... plus we're looking at other connection options. Lots of bases to cover! And to you, I sent love and prayer.
DeleteNancy,
ReplyDeleteIt is so lovely to escape into your parlor! I didn't think I'd be here after making my own Lenten plans. Oh how ambitious! 6 whole weeks away from the Internet, and I lasted about 3 days. Though really I don't think it was my fault. God does indeed have plans for us that are different from our own. We seem to get so much satisfaction from accomplishing our own plans: I did it! I survived 6 weeks without blogging! How strong I must be. Well, I won't be saying that, will I? I have to laugh at myself and my grand plans.
I have been reading the comments and now I know about the asteroids. I missed that one. Then again I never watch any news programs so it's not surprising. See what a great place this is? I am catching up on all the news, and at the same time, I'm refreshing my spirit!
Nancy, I would like to thank you with my whole heart for your kind comment on my blog today. You and so many other friends have left so many encouraging words for me. I am truly blessed.
I am interested to hear about your writing and letters to Jesus. Now that wouldn't have happened if your Internet connection wasn't so unreliable. All things work together... Funny how Romans 8 has turned up in so many places over the last few days. I hope those words are associated with Romans 8 because I can't go back and read your post again otherwise I will lose this comment of many words. If I have got it wrong, I will accept looking foolish. That's a state I am getting used to!
God bless you!
Oh Nancy..I love the idea of writing letters to Jesus...how beautiful. I think that I have been practicing this to one degree or another for the last 10 years or so. It would only be once a week though when I would be in Adoration. I would write to Jesus asking for favors or praying about a certain situation or person then I would put my pen down and wait quietly for Jesus to respond to me, and He did. I knew that I knew what He wanted me to write, and I obediently copied the words that I heard in my heart not really concentrating on each word, as a matter of fact at the end of the "holy dictation" I could not remember what I had even written and would not allow myself to read it until the next day and not before praying and asking God to remove any words that were not of Him..His letter back to me was always spot on and so touching and yes, personal..I relish those letters back and forth between Jesus and myself. Writing Jesus is a beautiful and joyful habit to develop anytime but especially now during Lent..Thank you for sharing and motivating.. God Bless...Joy
Deleteps..I must add that if this is the wonderful grace that comes from you being without electricity then we must all hope for more power outages..ha
Don't you just love writing letters to Jesus. I have been doing this for quite some time and I agree it does help to keep the prayerful mind focused. I also love the intimacy of it. No fancy journals for me either. I use the good old fashioned marble covered notebooks from my grammar school days. (Although now the marbling does come in some pretty colors :)
ReplyDeleteContinued Lenten blessings, Nancy
lovely- The members of Maddona House and The Companions of the Cross (A flourishing new order of priets founded in Ottawa, Canada) gave me this great idea to help melisten to the Spirit. i give Jesus a chance to answer me by starting out Dear Melanie, or Daughter. If i shut my logical, left brain, the Spirit takes over in surprising ways
ReplyDeleteThank you, friends! I hope you don't mind a "group" response, as I am "plumb tuckered out" tonight after a long, fun, creative, exhausting playday with a grandchild. I am not as young as I was this morning :) !
ReplyDeleteI had written letters to Our Lord years ago, in journals. What a blessing to be getting back to it. I had an experience of NOT writing this morning, made richer because I had BEEN writing, but because that may become the next blog post I won't make you read about it here.
Joy, I hope I have "learned my lesson" and can keep Internet! :)
Sue (and everyone), I've just found a wonderful post about how God sometimes changes our Lenten plans. It's from a delightful group of nuns - a relatively new Texas foundation from Mother Angelica's Poor Clares in Alabama. I found their blog extremely appealing. They're at http://blog.texasnuns.com/
Karinann, this time around I want to write in nothing but a plain old fashioned notebook... maybe because I'm getting back to basics?
Melanie, I like thinking of "giving Jesus a chance," because (alas) I have been all too guilty of not doing so all too often.
Colleen, I am intrigued and excited about what will happen as I get back to this. Already there has been a bit "happening" even though I've had not one second to write a word today. There is more time left in this evening yet :)...
Nancy, I find that writing helps me connect with Jesus, too. It's as though He teaches me as my mind is trying to articulate the thoughts. I hadn't thought of writing letters to Jesus, though - that sounds like something worth trying:-)
ReplyDeleteI was so glad that I started blogging, again, when I read your latest posts. I'm sure I'm too undisciplined and spiritually dim to join in with the parlour discussion but, perhaps, if I sit quietly in the corner, I can listen to everyone's words of wisdom and be inspired, instead:-)
I hope your Internet is fixed, now. Ours was horrible for ages because I was afraid of going through the rigmarole of setting up a new router and modem. Eventually, it broke completely and I found that technology had improved so much that the installation was breeze! It took about 10 minutes to set up and, now, it's all perfect.
God bless, Nancy:-)
Nancy,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the link to the post about Lenten plans: "We like to take the smoothly paved scenic route; He likes to go off-roading..." I just love that! Well, I have been off-road instead of sailing smoothly along, and you know, I am so glad. I have spent more time blogging than ever the last few days, but it has been so good. I have been very blessed by this unexpected turn of events. A few questions I'd been asking God got answered too.
It sounds like you've had such a hectic time recently, not exactly what you planned either but I am guessing you feel very blessed too.
Writing lessons to Jesus while you cook? Yes, sometimes we forget He is so very close to us every minute of the day.
God bless!
Thank you, Sue! Often, blogging helps me stay closer to Our Lord, so for me it is an actual "prayer booster." I pray a lot about what to write and what to quote and to be led to "the pictures God wants to use." So for me, it makes for an even more fruitful Lent!
DeleteAnd yes, I feel very very blessed. Getting back to "writing to Jesus" was worth every second of momentary stress.
And with this, I am closing out this particular comments screen.... everyone please join us for the more recent one posted today (February 22). I decided a less appetizing post picture might be kinder Lenten fare! :) So "y'all come"....