Air Castles

Today is the feast day of Teresa of Avila, Spanish mystic and Doctor of the Church. She was the Roman Catholic Nun who reformed the Carmelite Order during the Spanish Inquisition started by Ferdinand and Isabella -- the same monarchs who gave us "Columbus Day." Teresa died in 1582.

Teresa's mystical contemplative works are The Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle. To read and appreciate them, I have to get very, very quiet.

Here is an excerpt from the ending of The Interior Castle, which was written to her nuns:

In sum, my Sisters, what I conclude with is that we shouldn't build castles in the air. The Lord doesn't look so much at the greatness of our works as at the love with which they are done. And if we do what we can, His Majesty will enable us each day to do more and more, provided that we do not quickly tire.

But during the little while this life lasts - and perhaps it will last a shorter time than each one thinks - let us offer the Lord interiorly and exteriorly the sacrifice we can. His Majesty will join it with that which He offered on the cross to the Father for us. Thus even though our works are small they will have the value our love for Him would have merited had they been great. [page 194]

The Episcopal Church celebrates Teresa's life with this prayer:

O God, by your Holy Spirit you moved Teresa of Avila to manifest to your Church the way of perfection: Grant us, we pray, to be nourished by her excellent teaching, and enkindle within us a keen and unquenchable longing for true holiness; through Jesus Christ, the joy of loving hearts, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

In peace,
Linda+
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Vicar, Holy Cross Church Episcopal
http://www.holycrosschurchbillings.org/
406-208-7314
Photos: ruins of the Dungeness Mansion
estate of Thomas and Lucy Carnegie
Cumberland Island, Georgia
December 2007

Two Good Samaritans

Yesterday morning, this is where I was literally stopped in my tracks. I was trying to make [tire] tracks in more than a foot of snow that had been falling for about 48 hours. I was almost at my destination, the Kathy Lillis Chapel, to set up for the 10:00 a.m. worship service.

Thinking it would be a good idea to turn my car around and park it at Shiloh & Poly, I got totally crosswise the street. I got out of the car to shovel out from under the tires, and two Good Sams stopped to render aid. I knew I was really in Montana when the guy in the city snowplow hopped down from the driver's seat, clad in a T-shirt and jeans, to survey my hapless situation. Soon he was joined by the driver of a small SUV, and together they gave me a push in the right direction.

The best thing in the world is to do the right thing at the right time without being told to do it. Blessings on those two Good Samaritans.


In peace,
Linda+
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Vicar, Holy Cross Church Episcopal
http://www.holycrosschurchbillings.org/
406-208-7314

Wonder Winterland

My first thought was: "Uh-oh. That white stuff is not cotton." From the time these pictures were taken - about half an hour ago - the white stuff has gotten even deeper. The National Weather Service says that this is a two-part storm, and the second part should "come in with a vengeance" today, with three more inches of snow today, six more tonight, and about five more tomorrow.

It's very quiet all around, which means this is a great time to catch up my reading. I'm almost finished with A Grace Disguised by Terry Sittser. Terry is a college professor of religion. He thought would give him a basis for understanding his grief when in one automobile accident his mother, his wife, and his four-year-old daughter were all killed instantly. He admits he was wrong about that. He is kind enough to share the ways in which he has learned to live with his loss, go on with his life, and rest in God's amazing love.

Next on my reading list is So You Don't Want to go to Church Anymore by Jake Colsen. I don't really know what that is about, but I can guess. On Tuesday of this week, as a part of the Rocky Mountain College Symposium on religion in American life, the speakers met with area pastors. Part of our discussion centered on the growing number of people who claim their religion is "no religion." I have a theory about that, and it finds expression in a line from The Book of Common Prayer:

I ask your prayers for all who seek God, or a deeper knowledge of him. Pray that they may find and be found by him. (p. 386)

My theory is that this prayer is for all of us, regardless of "religious" stripe or the lack thereof.

Lots of food for thought during my first big Montana snow-in. Now I have to run along and make a pot of soup.


In peace,

Linda
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Vicar, Holy Cross Church Episcopal
http://www.holycrosschurchbillings.org/
406-208-7314

Song for a snowy Friday

It is not yet daylight in Billings, so I cannot take a picture to illustrate this, but the rain that started yesterday afternoon is leaving a good coat of snow on the grass. This makes The Second Song of Isaiah (Isaiah 55:6-11) even more appropriate at Morning Prayer today:

Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the evil ones their thoughts;
And let them turn to the Lord, and he will have compassion,
and to our God, for he will richly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

For as rain and snow fall from the heavens
and return not again, but water the earth,
Bringing forth life and giving growth,
seed for sowing and bread for eating,
So is my word that goes forth from my mouth;
it will not return to me empty;
But it will accomplish that which I have purposed,
and prosper in that for which I sent it.


In peace,
Linda+
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Vicar, Holy Cross Church Episcopal
www.holycrosschurchbillings.org
406-208-7314

Places to see

One of my favorite travel books is 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. Since I have moved to Billings, my list of places to see has kept growing, and they are not all listed in that book. Not so far from Billings - about two hours if you take a leisurely drive - are two such places.

Many people simply pass through Cody, Wyoming on their way to Yellowstone National Park, but if they want a real treat, I highly recommend the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. It boasts five museums under one roof, "exploring the history of the American West." If you love paintings and bronzes by good western artists, this is a must-see. I could spend half a day with the Charles Russell art. And then there's the Frederic Remington exhibition, and the Albert Bierstadts, etc etc.

But if you want great art by a local artist, take a retreat at Thomas The Apostle Retreat Center on the outskirts of Cody. The Rev. Daphne Grimes - writer, poet, sculptor, painter, and iconographer - is the founder and Director of the Center. Some of her work is in a gallery on the grounds, some is in the chapel, and the bronze sculpture of Jesus and Thomas entitled "My Lord and My God" is outside to greet visitors.

It would take more than a quick tour of the facilities to appreciate this place. In the quiet atmosphere you can stretch your muscles, stretch your mind, and stretch your soul. Maybe the author of my favorite travel book would consider a re-write.


In peace,
Linda+
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Vicar, Holy Cross Church Episcopal
http://www.holycrosschurchbillings.org/
406-208-7314

photos taken 09/30/08