Excerpt from the Newsletter of The Blessed Foundation 6605 River Styx Road – Medina, OH 44256 – 330-725-5456
Website: www.Blessed-Foundation.com
To read the whole newsletter with detailed events: http://www.blessed-foundation.com/images/Newsletter_March_2009.pdf
E-mail: DeeCurci@Blessed-Foundation.com
COME TO THE DESERT
Dear Friends of The Blessed Foundation,
“God’s presence is present in my own presence. If I am, then God is. And in knowing that I am, if I penetrate to the depths of my own existence and my own present reality, the indefinable am that is myself in its deepest roots, then through this deep center I pass into the infinite I am which is the very Name of the God.”
I keep coming back to these words of Thomas Merton, who was a contemporary mystic, scholar and Trappist Monk. In speaking recently to some faith communities I shared these words of Thomas Merton with the following thoughts:
You have to go to the interior desert and sit with God to absorb this profound truth so that your living can begin to be a reflection of God. In this day and age it is getting harder and harder to go to the desert. When I was a child, there was family, school, homework, friends, playing, television, radio and Church/God. As a parent there was family, friends, work, getting the kids to their various functions, television and radio, the creeping in of the computer age and church/God. For most of us now there is the relationship of family, extended family, friends, work, getting the kids to their various functions, helping with the grandchildren, television, radio, cell phone, texting, e-mail, twittering, blogging, Facebook, Utube, surfing the internet and church(if we have that community connection)/God. It is getting very hard to go to the desert. In fact, it is getting even harder to understand the desert experience because of all the distractions that we allow to fill our days, our months and our years. The other challenge is that when we actually find we have entered the desert because of difficulty, tragedy or sorrow in our life, we want to short-circuit the experience before we have a chance to allow the emptiness to be infused with healing and wisdom, the gifts of the desert.
The Christian practice of Lent is an invitation to create desert space in our lives, removing outer and inner distractions in order to make visible the God who is resident within us. (The outward practice of “fasting” was to symbolize the inner practice of becoming empty.) When we have finally stilled ourselves, we can evaluate what the foundation of our life is and who are we called to reveal through this incredible gift of life. Desert space provides a place to sit honestly and openly in the compassionate and healing presence of God as we yield to the master refining tool of the “Jewelmaker”.
Perhaps our outward reality of the massive challenges facing our World can be an opportunity to revision our living, to re-exam our priorities and to honor life. There is a global call to not only look at how we are harming Mother Earth, but the action we need to embrace, collectively and individually, to reverse that which has been harmful to Her. Could we also look with kind and compassionate eyes upon what we have been doing that is harming our mind, body and spirit and commit to a practice to Feast On Peace®?
How do we get to the desert?
If you desire it or more accurately long for it, you will find room in your life to go there.
You will be in the desert if you experience grief in your life.
Where is the desert?
It is inside of you…but requires that you “turn off” all distraction in order to extract the grace of the experience of being in the desert.
Why go to the desert?
The purpose is to transform into God-being by removing the addiction of self-absorption into God absorption.
Willingly come to the desert and fast from those things that are violent or harmful to ourselves, to others or the earth and feast on thoughts, words and actions that create Peace. This is our ultimate act of Love returned to God.
We all have the purpose and right to create a world of peace, one person, one day, one life at a time.
The retreat center of The Blessed Foundation has inherent in its purpose a place to participate in the desert experience. With the many paths that are across the River Styx, the two labyrinths and Kairos retreat house to help with the process of stilling the mind, there is opportunity to learn to welcome the desert.
THE DESERT
And I said, “Teacher, speak to me of transition.”
And the Teacher responded.
You speak of transition, that place of Kairos (God’s Time), which is the “Threshold” the doorway for transformation. It is the place of desert and ego loneliness. But it is also the place where I your Creator do not leave you alone. Indeed, it is the place where, even if unaware to your ego, the depth of your soul knows that it is being cradled by Me. It is a place of stretching into the limitlessness of My Divine Love.
Here, in the desert, is where the mystery of Faith and Hope are sometimes wrestled with and where, in your human longing, you practice Trust.
In the desert, there may be places of oasis, where you are refreshed by my touch through many other souls in this journey, or by inner epiphanies and the gift of Mother Earth, who displays her cloak of nature daily for you to see, touch, smell and be comforted by. You, in your human state live the desert, and when you leave this earthly body-vessel, you will live the Oasis! dc: 3/22/03
Blessings & Peace be upon all your comings and goings, Dee
The Blessed Foundation was established as a public charity and organized under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Therefore, contributions are tax deductible.
The foundation commits to use 100% of your donation to help others through the work of the foundation, no salaries are ever paid.
HOW TO CONTACT US
- Our Address: 6605 River Styx Road, Medina, OH 44256
- Our E-Mail: DeeCurci@Blessed-Foundation.com
- Our Web site: http://www.BLESSED-FOUNDATION.com/
- Our Phone: 330-725-5456
The grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset year round.
“Kairos” retreat center is available by reservation from May through October.
The Blessed Foundation’s mission is the ministry
founded on the Biblical Text Matt. 25: 35-40
“For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
A stranger and you welcomed me,
Naked and you clothed me,
Ill and you cared for me,
In prison and you visited me.
Amen I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least,…you did for me.”
The Blessed Foundation’s name is inspired by The Beatitudes:
Matt. 5: 3-11
“Blessed Are You”
