The View Up Here

From a great article on what it means to be a mystic  (all emphasis mine) : What makes a mystic, well, “mystical”? Mystic and related words come from the Greek language — from the same word which gives us mystery and even sacraments. But the Greek root word, mueo, also gives us the English word mute. So a mystic is someone who enters the mystery of God. And a mystic also, and therefore, is someone whose spirituality is muted (in other words, profoundly silent) — which is to say it cannot even be put into words. It’s the silence of a monastery, understood not merely as the absence of sound (or thoughts, or words), but as an opening that allows us to discern the quiet presence of God.  A mystic, in the broadest and m[o]st humble sense of the word, is simply someone whose relationship with God is primarily contemplative. Someone who prays, and who prays silently, opening the heart to the presence of God , which cannot ever be fully put into words.  The author wisely...

The journey of discerning God's will for me continues.  I still feel the draw to contemplative life, but I question it at the same time. Why? For one thing, I won't know until I actually am able to live the life in some kind of trial/live-in experience. There's still much about this journey that I'm not clear on because I just don't have enough first hand information, and that takes time. I know I want to be a consecrated religious, a little spouse of Jesus. That's about all I know for sure. Carmelite? Love love love Carmelite spirituality. Cloister? Not so sure. Franciscan? Love love love Franciscan spirituality. Active apostolate? Not so sure. I'm starting to understand on some level that what I desire is balance: contemplative and active apostolates in fruitful harmony.  "St. Francis Starry Night" by Sue Betanzos See (and buy) more of this artist's work here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/sue-betanzos.html And I feel that a...

I've asked the question "Why did Yeshua have to be baptized?" We know He was sinless, so John (Yochanan) the Baptist's call for sinners to repent and be baptized doesn't seem like it would apply to the Messiah, right?  Did this moment when God's echo "You are my son, the beloved; in you I am well pleased" (Mark 1:11 NRSVCE) merely function as a formal green light to begin His ministry?  I have come to the belief that Yeshua, too, needed to be ushered onto his journey just like we do. It was time to leave the comfort of the world He knew - the world of family, work and daily routines - to begin His real mission. And maybe He didn't fully understand the purpose or the pattern of that mission until the Holy Spirit descended upon Him. It was right after that that the Spirit led Him into the desert to be tested - tempted by fear to grasp at power , just as we are tempted every moment of our lives. And He passed that test, thus inaugurating H...

I have no idea who painted this or what the title is. It hangs along with other similar works in the little Italian restaurant my friends and I went to celebrate my birthday.  If you want a quiet beach and a sweet little Italian place for a drink or dinner, I recommend Playa del Rey, The Pinguini Caffe.