Easter, with its grace of interior resurrection, is the radical healing of the human condition.
Lent, which prepares us for this grace, is about what needs to be healed, [forgiven and celebrated].
— Thomas Keating, The Mystery of Christ
Once there was a young girl who walked past a storefront on her way home from school every day. Behind the thick glass was displayed a string of faux pearls that hung over a necklace tree and they beckoned her heart like nothing else. Every day she passed the window added to her piling wishes to own the pearls. Though she schemed every possibility, there would be no way for her to afford to buy the pearls herself with the nine quarters she had saved for well over an eternity. The necklace would take twenty. It would be several months when she would receive enough birthday money to purchase the necklace…. at least she hoped.
So she had to wait, and hope.
As the day of her 8th birthday approached she noticed that a card had been slipped under her breakfast plate . With her heart racing and her eyes wide open, she opened the heavy card. In it were eight quarters from her Me-maw; one for every year. Ecstatic, she did her math and to her sadness, wondered how in the world she would get the last three quarters to purchase the necklace. Her only hope was to pull on the heartstrings of her Papa. Her tugging of his heart led to the dispensing of three quarters and a drive to the store. There she bought the pearl necklace and with a face that could light a black forest, she opened the box to show her Papa her long awaited treasure.
Then her Papa asked the unthinkable. He asked her if she trusted his love for her. She replied “of course”. He then asked her to give him the string of pearls. She could not believe her ears. This would take some time but in the end she opened her pearl-filled palm with the look of shock and grave disappointment.
Then her Papa did the unthinkable. He laid in her hands, a string of real pearls.
Lent is about letting go of our faux selves~ in order for God to resurrect the true self.
Lent is not about sacrificial offerings that feel punitive~ but about giving God our intention to by found.
Lent is about the human heart becoming fully alive ~(Irenaeus).
Lent is about God leading us to the desert ~ one of the few places where we can experience his love (Hosea 2:16)
Lent is the journey that opens us to the interior silence ~ the desert of one’s own heart.
Lent is the paschal mystery ~ that leads to resurrection.
Indeed, this is our pearl of great price.
Today marks the first day of Lent. Might you consider one intention to lay down in the palm of God’s loving hand? Join us. We are journeying with you.
Picture found here.
val-head
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I love pearls. I related very strongly to this story. Thank you.
Valerie,
I love pearls too. They are quite a wonder of creation aren’t they? Someone long ago gave me a pearl necklace as a sign of healing and hope~ to portray what happens when an oyster finds its peaceful environment all of a sudden intruded upon with pieces of sand (quite painful, I am told) and in the crisis of that deep pain, births a pearl. This is the only way pearls are birthed- through pain. Wow. I am glad to hear the story touched you.
Love it! When we let go of that which is actually holding us, we get the real deal in exchange. We’re given PEARLS for pearls; beauty for our ashes. If ever there was a time more suitable to dig deep and find our false attachments it is Lent. God’s gifts of the real are never disappointing. The process is often painful, but the results are good and true and beautiful and lasting. Thanks be to God!
Rob,
Yes, this is a beauty for ashes story. Funny thing in this story though- its one thing to know you are sitting in ashes and what an experience it is when God turns beauty of them. But in this image- we think our faux pearls of life are real. So in this portrayal, its all about waking up- seeing- believing that it is truly better than we can muster up. Amen?
Indeed! We so easily lean toward anything we think even looks like a pearl. We’re prone to idolatry because it’s quicker, easier, more quantifiable and more controllable – or so we think. However, get a taste of the real thing, just once, and nothing else will ever do. Then, when faced with the decision of faux verses real, we must enter a very real crisis of soul management and spirit-directed discernment to wait longer for the real to emerge. Hence, the imposter faces us, waiting for us to grab hold while our soul is yelling at us from inside, “wait, wait, wait…there’s something better emerging. Just hang on a while longer!”
Oh so true Rob. I marvel at the fact that Jesus used the image of a pearl in the parable of the pearl of great price. Oh how nature teaches us! I heard recently that the 5 things that move our souls toward ourselves are Consciousness, Love, Silence, Time and God. They are all one. As I look back on my life I am in awe of how true.
A beautiful story Val. It lingers in your thoughts, tugs on your heart, and draws you in…
Thanks Bob. I have heard this story told in several different ways so this is my telling of it but it has always served as a good metaphor of truly why it is that we ought to know the beauty and centrical reason for letting go. What has worked for you on the path of letting go?