Bienvenidos a Uruguay

Week 36--

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia! (Please listen to this. It is one of my favorite parts of the Easter Mass ... in English... every year. It is beautiful, and I couldn't stop singing it today in my head... and later out loud!)

Welp, I'm back from my silent retreat. There's a lot to hear when you're silent for a long time... and I left the retreat full of the Lord's joy and peace, thanks be to God!

It would take hours for me to write all that I experienced of God's overwhelming love on this retreat...but I do want to share just a little something that made me smile today. I hope it makes you smile too.

Before you read: I have nothing against gardeners. I actually quite like gardeners, and it will soon be on my bucket list to learn the names of flowers. The passage is John 20:11-18

"But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, "Why are you weeping?" She said the them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and to your Father, to my God and your God." Mary Magdalene went and said to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord" ; and she told them that he had said these things to her."

Mary Magdalene sees Jesus and supposes, "Oh... that's probably just the gardener..." That just makes me smile! It is so human, and I know I do this all the time. God is so present in this world, and He presents Himself to me soo many ways... and I say, "Oh... it's probably just the gardener..." How many times does Christ try to show Himself to me, and I disregard Him as "just the gardener?"

I also love in this passage how Jesus calls Mary by her name. And with that, she recognizes Him. "Mary." <-- that's all He says. "She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, 'Rabboni! (which means Teacher)." The punctuation and the capitalization is so interesting to me. "Mary." Period. "Rabboni!" Exclamation point! "(...Teacher)," CAPITALIZED T. The first is so direct. Period. The Lord is calling Mary directly by name. Period. The second conveys joy in seeing the Lord for who He is! He's not just the gardener! Exclamation point! The third shows respect, for although Jesus is Mary's beloved friend, He is also her Lord and Creator. CAPITALIZED T.

But besides the punctuation and capitalization, there is more to this! You see, just as Jesus calls Mary by name, so He is also calling me directly by name. "Courtney." Nothing more. "Courtney." ...and He waits for me to recognize His call. He waits for me to say, "Wait a second... you're not the gardener!" And just as He is calling me directly by name, so He calls you directly by name.

It reminds me of this Catholic hymn, "You are Mine." ♫♪ Do not be afraid I am with you. I have called you each by name. Come and follow me; I will bring you home. I love you, and you are mine. ♫♪

I finished the spiritual exercises with Mass and a prayer, by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, that I think is absolutely beautiful and would like to share:

 

Take Lord and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will.

All I have to call my own, You have given it all to me. To You, Lord, I return it.

Everything is Yours; do with it what You will. Give me only Your love and Your grace.

That is enough for me.
Amen.
 

I would love to share more, and I probably will individually with you if you would like when we chat in person (or via Skype), but I have to get up in a few hours for school (bleh...), and like I said... everything would take hourssss to explain. I want to thank all of those who kept me in their prayers throughout my time in spiritual exercises. I literally prayed for "all those on my blog list," as well as for the specific intentions that some of you all passed along to me-- so please be confident that the Lord has His hand of protection over you.

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia! (Quick! Here's another chance to listen to the hymn from the begninning... if you'd like...I can't get enough!)

 

Are you sure that the guy yanking weeds in your backyard is just your "gardener?" ...You may want to check on that...

 

With joy--

 

Courtney