1 DEC
December 8
Making Room for silence
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
Psalm 46:10
Reflection
Here’s Brother Munch’s contribution!
Hello humans! Something a bit different today, from me, a Brother mouse!. I work very hard most days in our wonderful library. There is lots to do! We also have lots of guests to look after, meals to cook, rooms to clean. Our life is busy, and at its best, full in a good way.
However, sometimes it gets a bit much. My heart beats at around 600 beats per minute, and sometimes my thoughts are even quicker! In fact, even on quiet days my mind can be full of distractions. Like what kind of cheese to have for lunch…
What the mystics tell us is that we need time each day just to be still and silent. Advent is a very good time for that, because it’s the season of waiting.
So every day I scurry down to the chapel to be quiet as a mouse.
Sitting there, I realise just how fast my mind is racing. But if I’m patient with myself and with God, I can gain a bit of distance from my thoughts, and remember what really matters. God is here. And the more I do this, the more I remember God is there in everything else I do. I return to my full life with more intention and with more love. My heart still beats just as fast, but it beats for everyone I love, and especially for God!
Brother Munchin
is the librarian at Alnmouth Friary.
He is a mouse who likes cheese, and often gets distracted by it a bit too much.
Reflective Action
REACH OUT
Reach out to someone who might feel lonely.
Send a message, make a call, or invite them for coffee.
Franciscan Quote
And the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon those men and women who have done and persevered in these things and It will make a home and dwelling place in them. And they will be children of the heavenly Father, Whose works they do.
And they are spouses, brothers and mothers of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Later Admonition and Exhortation 48-50.)
Prayer
Creator God,
help me to see You
in the people I encounter.
Give me a heart
that is open
and welcoming.
CULTURAL insight
In Tanzania there are more than 120 ethnical groups (tribes).
Having worked in three different Lutheran Dioceses I still have only a very narrow point of view into the rich Tanzanian Christian culture.
In Tanzania there is not a culture to buy Christmas presents. But even the poorer families want to give their children at least a new garment to use in Christmas Services. And to gather into these services is the thing. To celebrate together the birth of our Saviour is even more important than ever. And if you can have a family meal with a piece of whatever meat is accessible, you can really feel the Christmas.
Christmas is also the time to do the big Baptism Services. Many Christians have been baptised at Christmas. So if you don’t remember your birth date, you can always write 24th or 25thDecember.
In Chaggaland, around Kilimanjaro, you can see lots of people who have come to visit their home places. To “eat Christmas” together and celebrate Baptism, of their own or of their relatives.
Olavi Heino TSSF
Finland missionary 1986-2020
Stretching Toward Light
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.”
Psalm 46:10
developmental markers
week 14
In the womb
- About 8.5 cm (3.4 in) long, about the size of a lemon
- Muscles developing and body straightening
- Neck elongates, facial muscles active – can make expressions
- Lanugo (fine hair) covers the skin
- Liver, kidneys, and spleen begin functioning
- Baby starts to move more freely in the amniotic sac
in the mother
- Uterus continues to rise and expand – baby bump may be more visible
- Increased energy and stable hormones
- Digestive issues may appear (heartburn or constipation)
- Emotions may be calmer, but dreams or deeper spiritual reflections may arise
- Sense of connection with the baby may begin to deepen
reflection
Growth is now happening more rapidly.
Facial expressions develop, and the baby can even frown or squint.
It’s body is lengthening and straightening.
The neck becomes more defined.
Lanugo covers the skin.
Kidneys start producing urine,
and the liver begins making bile.
The whole body is practicing being alive.
It is a time of stretching- muscles growing, limbs lengthening, space being made.
The womb holds and expands.
So too must we stretch to make space for love incarnate. Christmas is near.
The Word is not only taking flesh, but form. Not only presence, but personality.
Stretching is rarely comfortable.
For Mary, for us, for a growing child it means surrendering to change, to growth, to grace.
But from that stretch, light is born.
wonderings:
I wonder how it feels to stretch – to grow into something new
I wonder how we make space in ourselves for God to grow
I wonder what kind of person Jesus was already becoming in the womb
Journaling Prompts
If you keep an Advent Journal, here are some ideas you could write about;
Stillness with Brother Munchin
What thoughts race through your mind
when you try to be still? Can you name them, not to judge, but just to notice?
Then gently ask:
What helps you return to what really matters?
What would it look like to sit still, even just for a moment, and remember that God is here?
Why not draw brother mouse in your journal as a reminder that will put a smile on your face.
In speak makes the complete…
“When I am still, I remember…”
Tanzania
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