I took the plunge yesterday! I became a Companion of the Institute of World Evangelisation ICPE Mission. When I saw my SD on the eve, he asked me what did it mean for me and what would I bring to the community. I shared with him that my gift to God and the community was purity of heart, symbolized by the tuberose.
This beatitude holds special significance for me for I lost purity of heart, the innocence I had as a young child for many years. I sought for it desperately and when I found it again in my late 30s, it was as if I was given the gift to see the world in Technicolor again, after having been condemned to a world without colour for decades.
I could finally see God, face to face. Purity of heart means I stand before God as I am, vulnerable and unadorned, with "humble, contrite heart". What Blessed John Paul II calls original nakedness, the ability to be in such close relationship with the Father that there is no fear or shame, like Adam and Eve were before The Fall.
If I am able to see, and hear God, then I can speak of His goodness and truth with authority and love. I can be a true witness not just in what I say, but in how I live with my life - with moral integrity.
I chose the tuberose to represent purity of heart for I see God in flowers (if you follow my blog you will have realized that). The tuberose also holds special meaning for me. It is a white, gorgeous scented, night blooming flower that is evocative of Hawaii for it is in many of the flower leis there. It connotes, for me, the spirit of aloha, hospitality, love, celebration, and graduation.
The tuberose also has healing powers, being anti-spasmodic and anti-inflammatory, and the Balinese call it sedap malam, delicious night. I want my life to be like the tuberose's: a fragrant, healing offering that is pleasing to the senses, bringing much pleasure and joy.
My SD was even more poetic for he said that I should be like an alluring fragrance to those who live in darkness and cannot see, leading them to God by appealing to other senses. Nice one, Father A!
So how will my life change now that I have reaffirmed my fundamental option for God? Again my SD said it best, in taking my Covenant, I am saying yes to seeing myself as God sees me, so I can go on successfully to be the light of the nations, bringing His salvation to the ends of the earth (yesterday's first reading from Isaiah was freakily appropriate).
I may be doing the exact same thing I was doing last week in terms of work and play, but because of my renewed focus and effort to know Christ and make Christ known, I need to rely more on the Almighty to guide my every thought, word and action.
And, of course, I have a new community of brothers and sisters to love and support me as I exercise my holy, prophetic and royal muscle more powerfully in the world.
This beatitude holds special significance for me for I lost purity of heart, the innocence I had as a young child for many years. I sought for it desperately and when I found it again in my late 30s, it was as if I was given the gift to see the world in Technicolor again, after having been condemned to a world without colour for decades.
I could finally see God, face to face. Purity of heart means I stand before God as I am, vulnerable and unadorned, with "humble, contrite heart". What Blessed John Paul II calls original nakedness, the ability to be in such close relationship with the Father that there is no fear or shame, like Adam and Eve were before The Fall.
If I am able to see, and hear God, then I can speak of His goodness and truth with authority and love. I can be a true witness not just in what I say, but in how I live with my life - with moral integrity.
The tuberose also has healing powers, being anti-spasmodic and anti-inflammatory, and the Balinese call it sedap malam, delicious night. I want my life to be like the tuberose's: a fragrant, healing offering that is pleasing to the senses, bringing much pleasure and joy.
My SD was even more poetic for he said that I should be like an alluring fragrance to those who live in darkness and cannot see, leading them to God by appealing to other senses. Nice one, Father A!
So how will my life change now that I have reaffirmed my fundamental option for God? Again my SD said it best, in taking my Covenant, I am saying yes to seeing myself as God sees me, so I can go on successfully to be the light of the nations, bringing His salvation to the ends of the earth (yesterday's first reading from Isaiah was freakily appropriate).
I may be doing the exact same thing I was doing last week in terms of work and play, but because of my renewed focus and effort to know Christ and make Christ known, I need to rely more on the Almighty to guide my every thought, word and action.
And, of course, I have a new community of brothers and sisters to love and support me as I exercise my holy, prophetic and royal muscle more powerfully in the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment