In the Labyrinth

On this All Saints and All Souls

It seems the right day to reread this story. I am writing in the near dark, just the illumination of candles and a friendly pair of glowing pumpkins looking over my shoulder.  Jack Straw was one of those rare stories that appear instantly and somehow hardwired in my brain. I wrote it all at once, and it was very satisfying. Hope you enjoy it. 

A New Year, My Birthday, and the Solemnity of Mary

"Hail, heavenly ladder by which God came down; hail, bridge leading from earth to heaven." Agathistos Hymn, Greek --6th century.

It is a challenge to be born on a day so charged with potential and even more so to me, who was the first baby of that year in my city when I was born. There is a forward surge, everyone leaning into New Year's promises, open to the possibilities of new successes and new joys. And it is in the Catholic church, a holy day of obligation, celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, her life one long and never-ending New Year's promise to reconnect humanity with the divine.

This day offers me a moment to contemplate the example of Mary's life, rich in grace, compassion, and fertility. It's also an opportunity to think about how, in the coming year, I shall shape my actions, be productive in my work, and be open to those graces that enrich my life through family and friends. Not resolutions exactly, but a commitment to be fully present and thankful every day.

Art: Late 15th century (1485-1488) Italy Madonna and Child with Joseph, Elizabeth, and John the Baptist by Andrea Mantegna.

All Saints Day

The tricks and treating are over (well, except for that candy migraine hangover and the bag of little wrapped chocolates hidden in the kitchen pantry for later must-have-sweeties-emergencies) and now we honor the saints. As a Catholic, it's true, I talk to the saints all the time. I ask for help, courage, prayers for friends and family, and often (though not often enough) just thanks for all the trouble I give them. Today I will light candles, recite the litany of the saints, and remember with awe and gratitude all those lives lived in faith.

Marianne Stokes, St Elizabeth of Hungary Spinning for the Poor, 1895

Holy Days of Obligation: The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

I enjoy these days, for they have their own stories, their own prayers, and their own hymns. For a little while, we stop our noisy routines and settle into a contemplation of the mysteries.

It is the will of God that we should have nothing which has not passed through the hands of Mary.

- St Bernard of Clairvaux

Art: Baroque painting of Our Lady of Lledó, Spain.