Advent 2

In his lovely book on St. Francis, Richard Rohr writes that "much of Francis's genius was that he was ready for absolute 'newness' from God, and therefore could also trust fresh and new attitudes in himself. His God was not tired, and so he was never tired. His God was not old, so Francis remained forever young." This leads Rohr directly to the mystery of the incarnation - the essential union of the material and spiritual worlds. This is Christ.

Rohr goes on to say "Our outer world and its inner significance must come together for there to be any wholeness - and holiness. The result is both deep joy and a resounding sense of coherent beauty. What was personified in Jesus was a manifestation of this one universal truth: Matter is, and has always been, a hiding place for Spirit, forever offering itself to be discovered anew." Richard Rohr in Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi, p.xiv, Franciscan Media, 2014.

I think of some of the tired and old attitudes that I find within myself. Am I open to discovering the Spirit hiding in plain sight, offering itself to be discovered anew? Can I make room for the Incarnation? Something to ponder this week.