I Arise TodayFebruary 04, 2019

I arise today with winter in my being:
resting earth
gracious darkness
dreaming seeds
barren trees
frosty breath
glowing fireplaces
empty spaces.
This is my inheritance in this vibrant new season.
I arise today in the heart of winter.

WINTER, HUMBLE SERVANT OF CREATION, with brisk determination you encompass our land. You clothe us into warm wraps, sending us out into the weather to gather the lessons you scatter. You call us to sit by the fireplace and feed each other stories. You invite us to listen to that which is invisible. You are the contemplative season. In unseen and unknown places you faithfully do your work. In the winter storms of our lives, teach us patience. May we learn to trust the goodness of what we cannot see. As the ground becomes frozen may we have the courage to visit the frozen ground of our own lives, believing in the life that is hidden. You clear the air. You protect the seed. You embrace reality. You, O Winter, hold our fears until they can be transformed into trust. You are the beautiful season that we sometimes overlook. Share with us your virtues of solitude, contemplation, and faith. Surround us with your fresh, crisp breath and protect the seed that is sleeping in the depths of our being.

This reflection is taken fromThe Circle of Life
c 2005 by Joyce Rupp and Macrina Wiederkehr.
Used by permission of Ave Maria Press. All rights reserved.

Shared by Sister Julianne McCauley