Joyce Rupp is one of the most admired spiritual writers of our time. Her inspirational writings delve on the existential groanings of the human spirit in the modern times, and deeply grounded in sound biblical, theological and psychological principles. Here is a poem from her book, Prayers to Sophia: Deepening our Relationship with Holy Wisdom. I find this from her blog in National Catholic Reporter.
Calling on Sophia
Radiant
and Unfading Wisdom,your deep love calls to me.
I seek you with all my heart.
Hasten to make yourself known.
Sit
at the gate of my heart.
Teach me your ways.
Meet me in my every thought.
Attune my mind to your perceptions.
Open all that is closed within me.
I desire your instruction.
I long to receive and to share your love.
Teach me your ways.
Meet me in my every thought.
Attune my mind to your perceptions.
Open all that is closed within me.
I desire your instruction.
I long to receive and to share your love.
Dance
on the path of my life.
Free me from all that hinders.
Deepen all that attracts me to you.
As the mystery of my life unfolds
through the quickly passing years,
draw my love ever nearer to you.
Free me from all that hinders.
Deepen all that attracts me to you.
As the mystery of my life unfolds
through the quickly passing years,
draw my love ever nearer to you.
I
promise to be awake and vigilant,
attentive to your voice,
I will hide no secrets from you.
Come reveal yourself to me.
attentive to your voice,
I will hide no secrets from you.
Come reveal yourself to me.
"Wisdom is radiant and
unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by
those who seek her."
-- Wisdom 6:12
-- Wisdom 6:12
Reflection questions:
When do you find yourself calling upon Sophia?
For what do you most long and seek when you call upon her?
Call upon Sophia today from the depths of your heart in word
or dance, song or art.
More of Joyce Rupp.
For more reflections, visit Joyce Rupp's website
Here is a short description of Sr. Joyce Rupp from Living Spiritual Teacher Project.
Joyce Rupp is well-known for her work
as a writer, a spiritual "midwife," and a retreat and conference speaker.
She has led retreats throughout North America, as well as Europe, Asia, and
Africa. Rupp has an B.A. in English, a M.R.E. in Religious Education, and an
M.A. in Transpersonal Psychology. She is a member of the Servites (Servants of
Mary) community and a volunteer for hospice. She lives in Des Moines, Iowa.
--oOo--
More of Joyce Rupp.
For more reflections, visit Joyce Rupp's website
Here is a short description of Sr. Joyce Rupp from Living Spiritual Teacher Project.
Joyce Rupp is well-known for her work
as a writer, a spiritual "midwife," and a retreat and conference speaker.
She has led retreats throughout North America, as well as Europe, Asia, and
Africa. Rupp has an B.A. in English, a M.R.E. in Religious Education, and an
M.A. in Transpersonal Psychology. She is a member of the Servites (Servants of
Mary) community and a volunteer for hospice. She lives in Des Moines, Iowa.
Joyce Rupp is a very creative and
enthusiastic resource provider whose devotional works always contain concrete
spiritual practices, lively anecdotes, inspiring poetry, and thoughtful journal
exercises. She has a special gift for reading her own experiences and finding
intimations of God's presence in her daily rounds. Her description of herself
as a spiritual midwife is perfect given the nurturing dimensions of her writing
and especially her contributions to our appreciation and understanding of
Sophia. One of her favorite metaphors for the spiritual journey is the dance.
This, also matches the playfulness and suppleness of her imagination.
--oOo--
To have a glimpse of her spiritual journey and how she creatively translates her life-experiences to her writings, listen to her answers in the interview was conducted by Frederic Brussat on the occasion of the release of the new edition of her popular book, May I have this Dance.
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Frederic Brussat: How did you come up
with the title of May I Have This Dance?
Joyce Rupp: One day I read the passage
in Ezekiel 37, about the dried up bones in the desert that God brought
together. At that particular moment in my life, I was feeling a lot like those
old bones. Much like what I wrote in the opening poem: “lost dreams/and
forgotten pleasures/sold like a soul/to a gluttonous world/feeding on my
frenzy/and anxious activity.” When I read the part about the bones coming
together into a wholeness, I had this strong image of the sun-bleached, parched
bones being filled with new life. I could almost see them dancing toward each
other, elated to be rejoining one another as they regained their strength. That
old song of Annie Murray’s, “Could I Have this Dance?” popped into my head and
there I was — off and running with the image of a dance with the divine.
For the rest of the interview, see here.
In her book, Praying our Goodbyes, my favorite is chapter 2 titled "I Know How the Flowers Felt" where she reflected on the unfairness of human life as our own protest to the powerful and good God, debunked the wrong theories about suffering, and embraced a God who cares. I will soon reflect on this chapter in the separate entry.
Human suffering is an existential groaning of human existence for meaning. Our experience of "goodbyes" or separation from our loved ones, from people who matter so much in our life, who inspired us to live a meaningful life despite the contingency and existential sadness of life, we often complaint that "life is unfair."
Joyce Rupp responded: "People who are suffering often conclude that life is unfair. But what they may actually mean is: Why isn't God fair? The expectation is that good should come to the good and bad to the bad. If we have been good we should not have the hard, ugly blows of life. Isn't that how God ought to operate? Why isn't God fair? Isn't God the one who is ultimately to blame for this pain? Couldn't this God, who can do all things, have stopped it in an instant?"
To find the answer to her question, read chapter 2 (and the rest of the book) of her book.
--oOo--
In her book, Praying our Goodbyes, my favorite is chapter 2 titled "I Know How the Flowers Felt" where she reflected on the unfairness of human life as our own protest to the powerful and good God, debunked the wrong theories about suffering, and embraced a God who cares. I will soon reflect on this chapter in the separate entry. Human suffering is an existential groaning of human existence for meaning. Our experience of "goodbyes" or separation from our loved ones, from people who matter so much in our life, who inspired us to live a meaningful life despite the contingency and existential sadness of life, we often complaint that "life is unfair."
Joyce Rupp responded: "People who are suffering often conclude that life is unfair. But what they may actually mean is: Why isn't God fair? The expectation is that good should come to the good and bad to the bad. If we have been good we should not have the hard, ugly blows of life. Isn't that how God ought to operate? Why isn't God fair? Isn't God the one who is ultimately to blame for this pain? Couldn't this God, who can do all things, have stopped it in an instant?"
To find the answer to her question, read chapter 2 (and the rest of the book) of her book.
JS, You found a beautiful poem, seeking God, perhaps in the almost twilight time of her years.
ReplyDeletePutting that into my own experience I never thought that i do not know Him. I join in her prayer to enlighten me an bring back the trust in the ever presence of God. What I see around me is deepening misery ad even I is miserable now ever since I join the discussion group in Disqus. I was before, confined in the walls of my abode, happly doing the chores of a homemaker. Disqus made me disconted in what I am now.
So God please help me clearly understand
Where all my stark discontentment lies
Is it in not being able to see, feel your
Presence in moments of depression and sadness
Make me feel alive with your welcoming hand
Guiding me to a place so joyful and nice
Purify my heart through its inner most core
And aid me in chasing the elusive happiness.
Hehehe, this is just an attempt to be poetic not to be like her. Pardon me but it reflects what i feel.
Learn to bracket yourself when you read comments at Disqus. It means be selective. You do it well at disqus, continue to meet friends, to communicate and to articulate your opinion.
DeleteI agree with you that prayer makes us all humble before God, it breaks a lot of the walls we build to protect us. I think the prayer "Disturb Us, O Lord" is a prayer of serenity. It is paradoxical, we come to prayer to find peace amidst the noisy world, and yet in prayer our God let us see the world, our loved ones, our families, ourselves and we are disturbed. In the silence of our heart, we know that our life-situation is not what God want it to be and we are called to do something to change it, to make it better, to make it more loving and life-giving.
Don't be frustrated when you are disturbed and frustrated in the group discussion, ideas are not neutral, it either make us weak or strong and yet we have the option to accept what we think is truth and reject what we think is untruth. Just continue building relationships. I think that's the best path to follow. I do not expect people there, especially the hard liners, to change their views. These people already made their decisions and it takes a miracle to persuade them. Just enjoy engaging with the social network group. I know you are adaptable. Take this prayer of Miguel de Umanumo:
"Those who believe that they believe in God, but without passion in their hearts, without anguish in mind, without uncertainty, without doubt, without an element of despair even in their consolation, believe only in the God idea, not God Himself”
Keep well...
You have the gift to construct verses, to express yourself in a poem. Sr. Joyce Rupp is the most read spiritual writer among the religious, women and men. Enjoy making verses and visit her website, there are plenty of verses there. Kudos!
DeleteThanks, JS. As it is I have Pinoynga, PnoyNUSA and Moonworshipper as friends although we have opposite views.
DeleteWith the same view, I consider you, Violet, Thadeo, EdgarEdgar, Nuntiandi, and BCGORG. I have Kap bagwis as FB friend.
Thank you for appreciating my short simple poem although it fell short of following the number of syllables in a line. The best so far that I have written is something like Dsiderata, and i have several copies of some poems left in the attic of my house in Binan. I now lve in a city here in Metro.
That's great to know. I always believe that ideas need not divide us.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I said something bad about others and their ideas, I really felt bad about myself and yet I keep on doing it. Silly, isn't it? It does not provide a sense of fulfillment and yet I keep on doing it. Pathetic, isn't it? Well, I usually do not contradict for the sake of doing it, but I often find myself at the opposite side of the table. I'm not argumentative and yet I disagree a lot. Am I really sick... mentally sick? I don't think so.
Maybe I love the idea of thesis-antithesis because the collision of two opposites gives birth to a new idea. This is true in theoretical level but I seldom see it in the actual exchanges of ideas. Some of us resort to name-calling and ended up bitter and the new idea is aborted.
Different worldviews, cultural, political and ideological, need not hinder us to respect the opinion of others. But, as human as we are, we often find ourselves defensive of our views or worse, we launch offensive remarks to the views of other people.
At the end of the day, we say our mea culpa. Or, at least, resolved to be more considerate to others.
I love poetry but have no gifts on it. Some people express their thoughts, their feelings, their aspirations, their commitment in life through poems. In fact, some life-experiences are better expressed in poetry than in other forms of composition like writing a book, an article or just commenting in online discussion threads. You are good at it, make it a habit... not for others but for yourself. If others find it helpful, then that's a bonus. Keep well, my friend.
My friend JS, sometimes people find some of us in the group pathetic, But it is not true. When can they see that you are speaking the truth which will correct the social ills that we have. I admire your tenacity in giving the opposite view to come up with a synthesis. Keep on. Don't be discouraged. I told you secure a job as an editorial writer, if not locally, abroad. You can write a book. You have the eloquence and empathy. You know another poster that has the same trait as you is Moonworhipper. He is an IP. He is also eloquent although he has the opposite view. But we are friends despite. I had invited him to visit your blog. I pray for you to have many followers. Take care.
ReplyDeleteThank you, my friend.
DeleteBishop Julio Labayen, OCD wrote about perspective: Where we stand so we see and so relate. From a particular vantage point, we see, relate and act to our environment. For me, as I said before, what's important is that we make a stand. We may differ in our way of seeing and doing, but we have to make our stand on various social issues.
The demand of this mental attitude is high but rewarding. I read and reread the works of those people who are at the opposite side of the table. I believe that the best way to debunk their interpretation of the truth is to identify and understand their major arguments. If you debunk only the non-essentials, the minor arguments, you are not after for the truth.
This is precisely my stand against the Filipino atheists, who are more anti-church, anti-Catholic, anti-religion, for using creationism to attack the Catholic church. Using the fundamentalist's literal interpretation of the creation story, a method and theory which is criticized by the Catholic church as non-biblical, is anti-reason and bad science. They are guilty of misrepresenting the teaching of the Catholic church; they are attacking that which is not taught by the Catholic church. Funny, isn't it? But they are doing it either by sheer ignorance or by pure hatred that they maligned the Church at all means. I say, they did not hit the target. There is no sense in attacking creationism in order to destroy the reputation of the Catholic church and condemned it as ignorant, superstitious, and anti-science. Yet these Filipino atheists are proud to be men and women of reason and science. Does it mean that we let creationism spread its lies? No. By all means uncover its lies and correct its errors.
I don't have the talent and the necessary skills for writing, but I believe I can learn this stuff. Well, who knows, someone will find my writings valuable. My aim in writing and collecting some valuable materials is simple: that someone, a fellow pilgrim, will read my works and find some answers to his/her questions in life. As of the moment, I see myself as an elementary pupil in writing. Thanks for the encouragement, I truly appreciate it. Keep well.
You are too humble. Humility is a virtue but sometimes it isn't in your case. You've got to belie3ve in yourself. You really have the talent in writing. You're not am elementary pupil. You almost at par with he talent and skill of CDQ. I am not kidding. It s expected of CDQ for he has been writing for so long now. Don't tire of your love of writing. You can teach journalism, don' you know it? Yes you can!
ReplyDelete