Greetings! Welcome to my studio. I call this blog the Handmaiden's Studio because my first name is Mary. Growing up Catholic, I thought Mary was the least inspired name a girl could get. There were Marys aplenty at Our Lady of the Assumption school. In my family, if Mary wasn't your first name it, or some derivative, it was surely your confirmation or middle name. As a teenager, I wanted to be something exotic, perhaps Monique or Esme or Chantal. When I was older, I began to see the real depth of beauty in the name, Mary.
In the New Testament, the angel of the Lord appears to Mary and says, "Behold the handmaiden of the Lord." Then he proceeds to tell her she will bear a child conceived of the Holy Spirit. Much to Mary's infinite credit, she says,"let it be done unto me according to your word." Whether you are Christian or not, this is a powerful message of faith. I would like to think I would have been like Mary, but I seriously doubt that I would have replied in kind. So in lieu of bringing forth the Savior and starting a new religion, I try to apply Mary's faith to the events in my very ordinary life.
We have lived on many Army bases around the world. Once I attended daily Mass at an Army post in the deep South. There were many exchange officers from different countries. One of the officers from South America went up to receive Communion. He took a knee, put his beret and his hand over his heart and then stood to receive Communion. It was a simple gesture, yet powerfully moving. He acknowledged his true leader by his simple act of devotion. In the Byzantine rite Catholic Mass, the priest will either say "the servant of the Lord receives the body of Christ" or if you are a woman, "the handmaiden of the Lord receives the body of Christ." I never feel belittled by this phrase. On the contrary, I feel honored.
This blog will be a place where I write about the spirit. In my heart, I know there is something other than this plane. I am not sure that we can fully comprehend it this side of heaven. The Divine, and all the mystery that the term implies, reminds me of going into the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. I was thrilled that I could simply sit at a desk and request any book that had ever been published in the US. At the same time, I was keenly aware that, even at eighteen, I did not have enough lifetime to read them all.
My thinking is much like brainstorm mapping. I pull seemingly unrelated things together and strive to find the subset. I am a soul on a journey. You will not find a certain dogma here. So again, welcome. Namaste, "The Light in me greets the Light in You." Blessings on your journey.
In the New Testament, the angel of the Lord appears to Mary and says, "Behold the handmaiden of the Lord." Then he proceeds to tell her she will bear a child conceived of the Holy Spirit. Much to Mary's infinite credit, she says,"let it be done unto me according to your word." Whether you are Christian or not, this is a powerful message of faith. I would like to think I would have been like Mary, but I seriously doubt that I would have replied in kind. So in lieu of bringing forth the Savior and starting a new religion, I try to apply Mary's faith to the events in my very ordinary life.
We have lived on many Army bases around the world. Once I attended daily Mass at an Army post in the deep South. There were many exchange officers from different countries. One of the officers from South America went up to receive Communion. He took a knee, put his beret and his hand over his heart and then stood to receive Communion. It was a simple gesture, yet powerfully moving. He acknowledged his true leader by his simple act of devotion. In the Byzantine rite Catholic Mass, the priest will either say "the servant of the Lord receives the body of Christ" or if you are a woman, "the handmaiden of the Lord receives the body of Christ." I never feel belittled by this phrase. On the contrary, I feel honored.
This blog will be a place where I write about the spirit. In my heart, I know there is something other than this plane. I am not sure that we can fully comprehend it this side of heaven. The Divine, and all the mystery that the term implies, reminds me of going into the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. I was thrilled that I could simply sit at a desk and request any book that had ever been published in the US. At the same time, I was keenly aware that, even at eighteen, I did not have enough lifetime to read them all.
My thinking is much like brainstorm mapping. I pull seemingly unrelated things together and strive to find the subset. I am a soul on a journey. You will not find a certain dogma here. So again, welcome. Namaste, "The Light in me greets the Light in You." Blessings on your journey.
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