The Heart of Matter: Opening Doors
Tuesday, April 19th
“God is a beggar of love who waits at the soul’s door without daring to force it open; God does not violate our freedom to create ourselves because divine love has imparted to us the freedom to be.”
—Ilia Delio, “The Emergent Christ”
“Dios es un mendigo de amor que espera a la puerta del alma sin atreverse a forzarla; Dios no viola nuestra libertad de crearnos a nosotros mismos, porque el amor divino nos ha brindado la libertad de ser.”
—Ilia Delio, “The Emergent Christ”
Incarnational Practice: Opening Doors
As we open physical doors this week lets pay attention to the action itself, to what precedes the opening, and what follows it. What happens on the threshold? How can we bring that same awareness to open the door of our hearts to God in our daily circumstances.
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What is being revealed? What is being moved? What is being asked?
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What precedes for me is getting in touch with my self. What follows is listening to my heart. I try to practice this during the day, though at times I have to bring myself to the present moment of awareness.
Loving this quote that seemed to speak to me, but uncertain at the first reading why, yes, sometimes the ordinary can be special. I took my 11 year old grandson to check out a riding stable. A new experience for him,it was definitly entered into with love and it was an experince of kindness all around. God waiting at the doorway without forcing it open brings a feeling of comfort and peace.
I dwelt on the question, “What happens on the threshold?” I thought about the Gospel call to emulate Christ and live on the edge. I am often aware of living on the edge as we live on the edge of two distinct ecosystems, an extensive marine reserve of mangroves and the coastal savannah woodland. We are constantly delighted in our daily walks, by the unique combination of fauna and flora which inhabit this liminal space. It is a constant reminder that we need to be active to overcome all kinds of injustice in our world.
Oh, what a joy to receive your message today and the accompanying image. My favorite memory of the church where I went to Sunday school, was confirmed, sang in youth then adult choir, played the organ for early service, and was married was the “huge” stained glass window showing a background of a village down a hill with a pathway leading to the foreground with the Christ standing before a big, wooden door, hand raised, knuckles tucked in, ready to knock. I remain drawn to photograph closed doors, archways, and windows to this day. I shall need time to absorb the open door. Thank you!
As I open doors today, I think of and pray for so many people for whom doors are closed at our southern border, and people in Ukraine who have no doors in bombed-out buildings. Thank you for your reflection and invitation, Ilia.
What an interesting reflection. I think we tend to spend more time closing doors than opening them. I have a dog, Darla. Darla is just the cutest little dog. She is part maltese and part poodle. She weighs all of 9 lbs. Every day we go for a long walk. It is sometimes challenging because I want to get to our destination and Darla wants to stop and say hello to every person dog and every other critter she sees and wants to smell every flower and leaf. Our route takes us up a dead-end street to the entrance to s state park where we can go off on one of the trails. Half way up the street is a house with a dog. The dog barks incessantly and looks scarry. He was kept in by an electric fence but he would run back and forth growling. I was a bit frightened and would cross over just in case the dog got out. Darla, on the other hand, was intrigued. She kept pulling me over to say hi. One day the dog’s owner Chris was out so I stopped to say hi. I mentioned that Darla wanted to say hi to his dog. Chris replied that Arlo was all bark and no bite and invited us to open the imaginary door and come in. Arlo and Darla started sniffing each other and then started running around playing. Now everyday when we turn the corner, we can hear Arlo barking as folks walk by his house. I notice people crossing over to avoid walking directly in front of Arlo’s house. One neighbor even told me she drives to the end of the street to avoid walking her dog past the house. When we get there Arlo comes running over to the edge of the property sits down and waits for us to say hi. He quietly follows us to the end of his property. I often wonder how much better our world would be if we weren’t so afraid to open new doors.
Peace and All Good Patrick
As a senior who often finds it hard to sleep, I can report that sometimes I find being awake when I would rather sleep often affords me the grace to reach out to God in prayer. When I am awake I sometimes sense that this is the time for me to pray. In my daily activities a few lines of St. Paul pop up: “Pray always,” “Rejoice always” and “Don’t worry about anything; pray about everything.” I intend to open doors and to encounter what or who appears. God provides it and them all. I say, “Thanks.”
Opening doors to our hearts…how inviting and important…as I approach the “door” I think ,”Here I go” and as I pass through the door I think, “ well I’m on my way” and as I get to the other side I think, “ well I’m on the journey now be alert and aware” … doors are passage ways moving us from one place to another..we either go in or out…our choice …so will I be open and receive or close those doors this week…I’ll be more aware of which way I move…towards our gracious God or away from his/her so I’ll “be more alert and aware” …
The light is indoors when the doors are open.
Meditation time is good but not enough. I must be awake all day long as I open daily doors. Thank you for these insights Ilia.