Christmas Greeting - Life's Adventure

Fr. Stephen - 88

   

Dear William,
Thank you for the gift of your Christmas Message and Painting for each of the privileged monks.
Not least is of Fr. Stephen, who celebrated his 88th birthday and was with us at the Mass, and the later  Bridget special for dinner.
Let me see if his portrait is to hand.  (Eureka - only found in our Blog).

And your wonderful Meditation - thank you.

The art is in another dimension; . "Medieval symbols that survived into this period include the Holy Spirit entering the room in the form of a dove, the gilded rays of light emanating from the tiny figure of God in the window, and the white lilies, symbolizing the Virgin’s purity." How do we interpret the the Holy Spirit - the Dove symbol with a shadow?
Yours ...
Donald

The Annunciation with Saints and Donors, The Latour d'Auvergne Triptych  http://artnc.org/works-of-art/annunciation-saints-and-donors-called-latour-dauvergne-triptych  

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: William W ...
To: ...>
Sent: Tuesday, 11 December 2012, 5:00
Subject: Life's adventure

Dear Fathers ...,

 

I am hoping that today the post will bring you my Christmas greetings cards, sent a little early so that the stamps enclosed may give wings to the first flight of greetings to the many friends of Nunraw!

 

With the cards is a print of a solemn reflection for Christmas and I should like to explain! Whilst I was preparing to come on my retreat, my mind had been dwelling upon the mystery of life and death - how I might, so to speak, circumscribe for myself the meaning of 'life's adventure'; it was when I was with you that I believe I journeyed to its source. I settled on a concept, that of life originating through the 'Idea in the mind of God' - His Son, leading to the 'Ideal in the heart of God' realized in the Son's incarnation; it is through his own 'life's adventure' that faith finds its fulfilment, the mystery its completion. I am sure there are fine writings on this subject, but I needed to come to a way of understanding for myself.

 

It is through my love for Nunraw and the Cistercian charism that my 'life's adventure' is quickened and the journey sustained.  

 

With my love in Our Lord,

William

                            Life’s Adventure

 

The mystery of life and death holds a deep fascination for all mankind,    but for many people death presents only an aspect of fear, a dark curtain hanging over the end of an earthly existence. For the Christian, however,   it is seen as a veil through which the light of eternity can even now be discerned, drawing us onward in faith and confidence. In his Incarnation Jesus opened to us the mystery of God’s love and showed us the way of truth and life, so that, following him, we might live in longing expectation of faith’s fulfilment, the completion of life’s adventure.

 

 

I love to be suspended within the mystery of life’s adventure

Upheld by the Idea in the mind of God brought within this sphere,

His living Word expressing the celestial vision of so loving a Father

Wondrously born as man through the eternal generation of His love

 

Such heavenly wisdom through Whom all things came into being

Conceived in the womb of divinity before the dawn of salvation

The very presence of the Godhead lying in the stable before me!

Sent into the world by the Father’s compassion for His children

 

Exemplar of all that is revealed amid the myriad of creation’s wonders

I kneel before You in awe and adoration as Your life’s adventure begins,

Frail human child cradled in the arms of Your immaculate mother

The one chosen to bring into this world a most wondrous exchange

 

For the Ideal in the heart of God is realized in Your incarnation

Awakening such responsive love that had lain dormant in desire

Your birth opening the way to the promised everlasting inheritance

The fulfilment of faith, the completion of life’s adventure

 

 

 

Psalm 109:3 (Grail)   A prince from the day of your birth on the holy mountains; from the womb before the dawn I begot you. 

Hebrews 2:10-11 (AMP)  For it was an act worthy of God and fitting to the divine nature that He, for Whose sake and by Whom all things have their existence, in bringing many sons into glory, should bring to maturity the human experience necessary to be perfectly equipped for His office as High Priest through suffering. For both He Who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father.

Hebrews 9:15 (AMP) Christ, the Messiah is the Mediator of an entirely new covenant, so that those who are called and offered it may receive the fulfilment of the promised everlasting inheritance.