embracing the heretical imperative...

For my own soul, as well as for those who have joined me on a 40 day exploration

of Celtic spirituality for Advent, I have been saturated in study. One of the current texts that I am reading is Celtic Daily Prayer from the Community of Northumbria. They articulate their Community Rule in a way that delights every part of my being. To the question, "How, then, shall we live?" they ask community members to:

+ Say YES to availability and vulnerability. "This involves availability to God and to others - expressed in a commitment to being alone with God in the cell of our own heart and to being available for hospitality, intercession and mission. Intentional vulnerability is expressed through being teachable in the discipline of prayer, saturation in the Scriptures and being accountable to one another through soul friendships." (Anam cara.)

+ And to embrace the heretical imperative. We must challenge assumed truth, be receptive to constructive criticism, affirm that relationships matter more than reputation, and live openly in the world among people as a "church without walls." Such a way of being is NOT something to be entered into lightly!

Last night, as we finally found the time and space to light the candle on our six week Advent wreath, sing and pray together out loud, and talk about how needing one another's presence and help is complicated but vital, I was grateful for this quiet ritual. Our days for the past nine months have been given over to our respective morning work: we rise and I get prepare a simple breakfast as she gets ready to teach; then Di teaches and I study/write/and do house work. We take time midday to eat together, sometimes take a short walk and often a nap, before returning to our discrete afternoon tasks: she to more teaching and editing, and me to writing, yard work, preparing supper, practicing my music, and playing with Lucie. (BTW Lucille is reasonably well. She is aging with arthritis in her hips and probably some tumors in her aging body, too. But she loves winter and we were out running in the wetlands today so she is thrilled. And now she's conked out on my bed.) 

For the next 35 days, we will add quiet Advent evening prayer into quasi-monastic mix before our evening meal. This Advent seems to be beckoning me into deeper into contemplation. Even while I distract myself with extraneous tasks and denials I know that you can run but you can't hide. As we pranced and shuffled with Lucie in the wetlands this afternoon, I took a few pictures of a land that articulates what I am feeling.