Emptiness
My first thought as I began the chapter was, "What a
Houselander begins her book with an indirect explanation of the source of the title, The Reed of God
, by describing the virginal quality as emptiness, illustrated by three metaphors: an empty reed "through which the Eternal Love was to be piped as a shepherd's song", "the hollow in the cup, shaped to receive water or wine...and lifted up in sacrifice", and "emptiness like that of the bird's nest, built in a round warm ring to receive the little bird." Is anyone else chart-oriented? Forgive me- it's my left-brain kicking in...
Was anyone else struck by the irony of emptiness that she describes at the top of page 22? Or did any of you feel warned by her statement on page 23 that being too set on a purpose can falsely fill the emptiness? I wrote "being a mom???" in the margins. Did any of you come up with your own imagery of emptiness? I've been thinking about it and praying the Holy Spirit would reveal some personal imagery to me, but so far Houselander seems to have cornered the market on imagery! What does emptiness mean to you at this point in your life?
I find that I need to slow down as I read this book to fully enjoy her prose and diction. She paints beautiful imagery with simple words; if I read too quickly I miss it. For example:
Our life has been given to us from generation to generation, existing in each age in the keeping of other human beings, tended in the Creator's hands, a little flame carried through darkness and storm, burning palely in brilliant sunlight, shining out like a star in darkness, life in the brave keeping of love given from age to age in a kiss. (The Reed of God
Is there anything more to say about that than "WOW"? Because THAT's what I wrote in my margins: WOW.
***Don't forget to click "email follow-up comments" when you leave your own comment, so that the discussion will be sent right to your inbox! I can't wait to hear what you girls thought of this chapter!
17 comments:
ERGH My book hasn't come yet! I'm expecting it any day now...
(I haven't read the post yet) My book JUST came in the mail! But I'm going out of town for the weekend and it may be tough finding time to read. I'll do my best!
Will leave my thoughts later (I have a lot of them), but Sew... read it using Amazon's "Look Inside" ... you should be able to read the first chapter (I just did it to make sure). Just search for the book, click Look Inside and then use "search" the book for Emptiness and start reading!
One thing that really resonated with me was Houselander's comment that "The tendency of our generation is to worship physical and material happiness..." (28). Not much has changed since 1941, it appears!
The idea of lives being cluttered with trivial things, and the need to empty it in order to return to the virginal emptiness, has also stuck with me. My mind (and home!) frequently become cluttered by potty training frustrations, fruits and veggies that need to be made into baby food, and hunting through the house for scorpions. As I go about my daily chores, I have been forgetting that "it is really through ordinary human life and the things of every hour of every day that union with God comes about" (26).
Finally, I'm intrigued by the idea that each of us is made from our own, particular, specialized material in order to experience Christ in our own way, and we need to "ask the Holy Spirit to let It show [us] the way Christ wills to show Himself in [our] live[s]," with an emphasis for me on how *Christ wills*. Too often I expect my husband's experience of Christ to echo my own, and try to form my daughter's in my own experience. I need to remember that each member of my family is made of their own special material and answers Christ in his/her own way.
Good chapter! I like how short they are-- it was easy to read it a few times and really reflect. Looking forward to the thoughts of others now.
Oh Lauren, it has been a crazy couple of weeks and I just started the introduction last night. I will have tomorrow off and all of next week, so I will catch back up for the next installment. I look forward to reading everyone's two cents...but I probably won't read many more until I get through the chapter - lest I miss the things that may pop out at me, because I am focusing on the great things other people are saying! God Bless!
What a beautiful writer!
It would never have occurred to me to relate Mary’s virginity with emptiness. Empty seems like such a negative word. But Houselander turns it into something HALLOWED, not hollowed, when she gives it form and purpose. Now it has meaning . . . goodness . . . not barren, but full of divine potential.
I am inspired to “discard deliberately all the trifling unnecessary things in my life” (. . . well . . . not my Diet Coke . . .) to quiet my soul, and to open my heart up to whatever form God’s love takes in me, at this moment in my life.
My Favorite Quote from this chapter is about (of all things) candle wax:
“In every way it is fitting material to bear a light, and by light it is made yet more lovely.”
Test here (leslie)Hope to write soon.
Still reading... But the quote you talk about on page 27... It reminded me of this quote... Might not totally relate, but I thought I'd share:
"To be Catholic is to live one's whole life 'in' the gospel, to rest one's case in the pierced hands of Jesus Christ the Savior; to think of oneself as having been adopted into 'the whole family in heaven and earth' as St. Paul teaches, to be profoundly conscious of one's place in an immensely ancient tradition...that stretches back to the beginning."(Archbishop Christoph Schonborn, Archbishop of Vienna, Austria)
And I LOVE this on page 27 as well... ".... He has been there is every generation, blowing with the Devine Breath of Spirit on that little flame of life. He is the Wat, but He is not limited as we are: He can manifest Himself in countless ways we do not dream of. He can will to live in lives of suffering and darkness we cannot conceive of; He can choose what seems to us the most unlikely material in the world to use for a positive miracle of His love.". LOVE IT!!!
I loved (p.30),"There is...one big thing we can do with God's help, that is, we can trust God's plan,we can put aside any quibbling or bitterness about ourselves and what we are. We can accept and seize upon the fact that what we are at this moment, young or old, strong or weak, mild or passionate, beautiful or ugly, clever or stupid, is planned to be like that. Whatever we are gives form to the emptiness in us which can only be filled by God and which God is even now waiting to fill." Elaborating this same point, on p. 27 she wrote,"Some are endowed with...dark and terrible impulses and crumbling weakness, fears, and neuroses...It is a great mistake to suppose that [they]...have not been designed and planned by God as much as others who seem luckier in the world's eyes." In this chapter Houselander doesn't develop HOW God will fill, will use this lack, this emptiness, but just that He will. That alone is such an amazing and liberating thing to accept. And further: (p. 24) "...Every second of our survival does really mean that we are NEW from God's fingers, so that it requires no more than the miracle which we never notice to restore to us our virgin-heart at any moment we like to choose." (emphasis mine) Pondering that, I "get it" that, at any moment, all I need to do is direct my thought to God and say "Take me." He then "takes me," heap of filthy rags that I am, and I am made new - right in that moment. There is to me or anybody no discernible change in my looks, my behavior, my feelings....I could even go immediately to sinning (I always have that choice and a sinful disposition anyway). But I accept it on faith that I am in that moment made new, with all the potential that moment is pregnant with. It must be that the more frequently we make this effort of awareness and acceptance, the better His grace will start to take root in us.
Hm, I must have missed the book ordering, but I was blown away by the chart you posted here. Blow. Away.
I have a lot of thinking to do about the purpose of my emptiness.
Lisa, I like your comment about how each person is made up of his own material and answers Christ in his own way. It helps me be less judgmental of both others and myself too. It makes clear the fact that God made each of us unique and that there is purpose to that.
Jenny, I also liked your comment about St. Paul's teaching to be profoundly conscious of one's place in an immensely ancient tradition...that stretches back to the beginning. (Gave me goosebumps!!!) : )
I agree, Mom (Barbara)! And I loved your insight on emptiness being "HALLOWED, not hollowed"! I also agree about the encouragement to discard trivial things. (You can keep your diet coke!!) That's why (on a superficial level) I've stopped reading most fiction and watching t.v. Our time is limited and there are so many more edifying things that can bring us closer to Christ and each other!
Espera- praise God "for [His] power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9) and that "we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15) "So let us CONFIDENTLY approach the throne of GRACE to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help!" (Hebrews 4:16)
TCIE- if you think the chart blew you away, you've GOT to get the book!! It just keeps getting better!
Sorry it has taken me so long to post. A lot of this may be personal, but I hope it will still be relevant and will speak to someone by sharing. Let me just say – this chapter was EXACTLY what I needed. It was unquestionably the divine timing of the Lord – a “God moment”, if you will, for me.
A little personal background… I had been having an incredibly hard week. I am basically homeless right now; my three daughters and I are living with my parents while my husband is living with a friend four hours away and trying to find us a place to live in our new hometown. So after almost 2 weeks of living like this (preceeded by 1 week of living in two different friends’ homes, 2 nights each, on the way down to my parents’ house) I felt like my head was barely above water. My children may as well have been hanging from the chandeliers and my mother and my sister were both pushing as many of my hot buttons as possible. I was trying to do as many extra chores as possible to keep my mom sane with 4 extra bodies in the house.
And I… me, myself and I was COMPLAINING of unhappiness! In fact, I was asking myself when the last time I was happy really was. And then, I was wondering what the heck was wrong with me?!? Yes, I admit it – I was pouting! Well, after talking with my husband and venting I had the epiphany that perhaps I had been fooled by the cultural myth that “if we aren’t happy something is wrong” (my book still sitting and waiting for me to read the first chapter – staring at me).
Well, doesn’t God have a sense of humor? For the very next day, exhaughsted and ready to pass out for the night, I realized it was Wednesday and thus I needed to read that chapter that had been taunting me all week long.
HELLO! What a wake up call! It only took me getting to the second page in the chapter before I felt like I was being personally spoken to (p 22). Ah, the common complaint of people today – being unhappy. I realized I have been so focused on our future (where to live, schools, church, the move itself, etc.) that I was cluttering up my life with these trivial details and plans. Phew! It immediately put me at ease and gave me a peace. It really was amazing. Though, I do like to be busy, so I have to ask myself: do I fear the silence that she speaks of? I hope that it isn’t fear but that I just don’t have a lot of time to be silent at this season in my life and so in the future I will have more opportunities for silence and will sieze them.
In addition, I really related to the other type of person she spoke of – she who is too set on a purpose. Just simple things like focusing so much on being a Godly wife, mother, daughter, bible study leader… whatever – trying to control it all, I think, is the downfall of having these great purposes.
Along the same lines something else that spoke to me was on p 26 (para 2-3) when she speaks about all the time we spend in the everyday and that’s how our union with God comes about. With all the stress I spoke of above, I really have been struggling with finding Joy in the everyday – the laundry, the dishes, the cooking, the wiping baby’s bottoms, the cleaning messy faces. Sometimes it all seems so… not exciting? It’s hard, at least for me, to find a purpose in this a lot. To be Joyful in doing these things day after day after day. Houselander’s simple, easy explaination of how the ordinary life unites us with God really ressonated with me. I’d love to hear what you all do to make it through the day with Joy in your hearts. I really need that right now. I definitely need that reminder that only God can fill our emptiness. I am excited to keep reading!
Sorry about all the extra posts... I kept getting an error that my post was too large and it wouldn't publish... well, apparently it published anyway!
Alright, I said I'd be back and I meant it. I just finished the first chapter and loved it! Right from the very beginning I was hooked. Her imagery of emptiness as PURPOSEFUL really stuck out at me. Laura, I really apprecaite the chart! I kept noticing her going back to the same three images, but you really tied it all together.
The thing I took away most from this first chapter was the idea of being formed for God in different ways (pg. 30). How we all wish to be formed "by the love and tender devotion of a devoted family" but that may not be what God has in store for us....and that doesn't mean we wont still be able to be formed and bring Him glory. "Formed by the knife" or "blows from the gold-beater's hammer" may not seem as wonderful as being formed through a family, but I couldn't help but think how much less time those people spend in Purgatory! Ha!
I'm excited to read the next chapter and hope to do so today and tomorrow and then be caught with ya'll.
I know I am really late, but better late then never. I found myself having to read and re-read this chapter. This may be due to the non-stop ESPN/what-ever-sport is-in-season background music as I am trying to read and also spend time with my husband...who knows! Well, I got it done and I (like everyone else it seems) really liked it! I agree with Barbara and was really surprised and pleased with Houselander's positive image of emptiness when it is often seen as such a negative thing. It really made me think that I need to purge my life and make a space for Christ to enter...to invite him in rather than wonder when things are not going my way when he is going to show up! Houselander has made me see that, in reality, there is no room right now due to my own clutter!! I just can't determine what that clutter is and how to rid myself of it in order to make a space.
Ladies, I really enjoyed reading all of your posts...y'all brought up so many things that I didn't catch, so thanks!!
Time to catch up on Chapter 2!!!
Phew, I'm here! I just put down some heavier reading for "Reed of God", only to find out that my mind was whirling just as much!
My brain's a little fried, so I will get out what I can!
I actually had a thought about the introduction to share first. My husband and I just finished a class towards our MA in Theology entitled "Discipleship and Mission in Luke-Acts". AWESOME!!!
One of the things we learned (which is probably common knowledge, but new to me) was how the Sacred Writers of the Gospels often omited the names of key people in parables, stories, etc to increase audience relatability (sp?). Not "limiting" it to a specific person (time, place, etc) expands the possibility "Could this be me? How does this relate to my experience?" It is easier to place ourselves into the story.
Well, in the case of the Blessed Virgin, I am kind of seeing the same thing. The lack of details that we have about Our Lady might be served not to "limit" her but expand. We see on p. 18 "She is humanity." It increases our relatabilty (again, sp?) Now, I don't want to go so far as to say that it was intentional that we have a lack of details. I might be wrong here, I mean a would-be-disciple in Luke 9 is different than the Mother of God, but in case it's valid, there you go!
Okay, now on to this chapter. I have one thought before drifting to sleep - I really liked that page 29, where we are molded, pierced by God. I don't know about you, but piercing is generally painful. It made me think of God gently molding us to be who we are, as in the case of the chalice. - but that fire must be hot! God knows the end product, he knows that the "pain" is useful.
We believe that Mary's heart was pierced (Lk 2:35) , and that she "held all these things in her heart (Luke 2:51). Did Mary know the end product? Did she know what fruit her pain would bear? Do we know what fruit our suffering bears? It really makes me ponder the mystery!
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