Mary van Balen

"...Soul, self, come, poor Jackself, I do advise/
You, jaded, let be; call off thoughts awhile/
Elsewhere; leave comfort root-room; let joy size/
At God knows when to God knows what; whose smile/
's not wrung, see you; unforeseen times rather - as skies/
Betweenpie mountains - lights a lovely mile."
from Gerard Manley Hopkins - poem 46


This morning a line from Psalm 3 found a place in me. A simple line, "I lie down, I sleep and I wake, for the Lord upholds me."

Surely nothing special. In the midst of danger and trial, the psalmist goes on, knowing the Holy One sustains him. The ordinariness of the line is what stayed with me. Not only through achievement or great effort, but also through the quotidian routines of life, God is Emanuel: With Us. And not begrudgingly, but offering Grace.

A friend mentioned Hopkins' poem 46 to me the other day, and I came home, took out my "Gerard Manley Hopkins: Poems and Prose" Seleted and edited by W.H. Gardner," and read it a few times, letting the words linger. Hopkins' brilliant juxtaposition of words and created words delight and reach deep.

In my January 13 column, The World Is Great With God, I mention the human tendency to be hardest on ourselves, missing the Divine Presence in and around us, focusing instead on self and shortcomings. Hopkins poem was written at a dark time in his life and reflects his recognition of the need for self compassion.

Poem 46 begins, "My own heart let me more have pity of; let/ Me live to my sad self hereafter kind,/Charitable; not live this tormented mind/With this tormented mind tormenting yet..."

Letting our thoughts go elsewhere refreshes and enspirits. A daughter working on her PhD dissertation takes time out to spend an evening with a friend going to exercise classes and eat tacos at their favorite local Mexican restaurant. This morning, before tackling other chores and attempting a nap before two overnight shifts at the department store taking inventory, I allowed myself time to play with poetry and paint. Read More 

“THE WORLD IS GREAT WITH GOD” …Bl. Angela of Foligno




(Originally appeared in The Catholic Times, January 13, 2013 issue. © 2013 Mary van Balen)


When my column deadline approaches, I usually look to a number of places for inspiration. I check the Universalis site, one of my favorites, for an overview of the liturgical feasts that come immediately before and after the date of publication. I read morning and evening prayers of those days as well as the daily Mass readings. Sometimes, Mass readings for the Sunday following the column provide a topic. Current news also feeds the muse.

This column falls between two great feasts, Epiphany and Baptism of the Lord. Checking Universalis, I found today’s date surrounded by blanks on the liturgical calendar. No big saints around which to fashion a column. I plunged deeper, using another favorite prayer guide, “Give Us This Day,” published by Liturgical Press.

I found the introductory quote in the “Blessed Among Us” feature, written by Robert Ellsberg, author of “All Saints.” I knew nothing of Angela, a thirteenth century wife, mother, and mystic. A third order Franciscan, she gave herself to charitable works. Her phrase “The world is great with God,” spoke poignantly to me after having celebrated Christmas, when a teenaged woman, great with child, delivered her son.

I continued reading and praying through the week’s readings. Gospel after gospel told stories of Jesus caring for those around him, curing the sick and speaking to those who followed him hoping for words that would help them make sense of life and the world they in which they lived. He fed thousands from their own meager resources, love making them more than enough. Interrupting times of prayer to respond to people’s needs was his way, even walking across stormy seas to calm his disciples as well as the waves. And, when he arrived in his home territory, he went to the synagogue and read from Isaiah: He was here to proclaim liberty to the captives, to give sight to the blind, to grant freedom to the oppressed.

Clearly, Jesus saw the world “great with God” and embraced it. Read More 

In his book, "Dictionary of Biblical Theology," Xavier Leon-Dufour points out that in the OT, the Israelite understanding of divine kingship differed from that of other ancient Eastern kingdoms in an essential way: Yahweh has a covenant with his people. He desires his reign to be recognized by obedience to the Law. His reign is of the heart, a moral code, not a political one. (p 292)

In today's gospel, after his baptism, Jesus has moved to Capernaum, on the Sea of Galliee and beings his public ministry by declaring the "Kingdom of heaven is at hand." Then he began teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom, and curing people. A sign, it seems, that the kingdom had indeed come in the person of Jesus. It has broken into history, into time and space.

People came from all over to see and hear Jesus. They brought the sick, the mentally ill, the suffering, and he cured them. They may have been simply curious. They may have been desperate, unable to find relief from suffering and giving this guy a chance. I doubt many believed he was the Christ at that moment. Maybe after a cure. Maybe not. Maybe they thought he was a wonderworker or magician. Read More 

"A word found me," a friend told me after Mass yesterday. "Reveal."

She had been looking for her word for the year, prompted by a spiritual mentor, and it shimmered before her right out of the Scripture reading on New Year's Eve.

"You might want to try it," she suggested. I might. I would. It sounds so...well...contemplative. I thought I would go home and be still and receive a word.

I did return home, but ran a couple of errands on the way. And then I straightened up the house and prepared some food for dinner (my sister and brother-in-law were coming). I sat quiet for a few moments, and then decided to finish the, I am embarrassed to say, Christmas cards I had been working on little at a time for a couple of weeks.

"It's a good thing there are 12 days of Christmas," I wrote on each one, " That gives me time to send out the cards!"

True. Christmas season isn't over yet, and I did enjoy taking time with each card, writing personal notes and slipping a copy of my December column into the envelopes before sealing them.

Dinner was wonderful. Michael and I savored pork and sauerkraut. Elizabeth enjoyed the black bean lasagna she brought along. The best part of the evening was the long rambling conversations that included children, grandchildren, my book in process, homographs and triple homonyms, and how to earn badges on "Drawsomething."

A good beginning to 2013, but no word appeared, shimmering before me.

This morning, the Psalms, reflections, and Mass readings in the January issue of "Give Us This Day" spoke to me, not with a single word, but with an image: Resting in God. Living There.

The January issue began with a reflection by Ronald Rolheiser, OMI about "Blessed Consciousness." He shared a story of a Buddha sitting under a tree, called a "pig" by a passing soldier. Read More