Wisdom delivered her servants from their ordeals. (Book of Wisdom, 10:9)
Reading and Reflecting
This week we are reading chapter 5 – “Treasured Memories “- of The Star in my Heart. As you read, reflect on the questions.
Joyce Rupp tells us that the ability to remember is a gift we too easily take for granted. But, says Rupp, we need to gather up our good, life-giving memories and “carry them in the pockets of our hearts” (pg 63, The Star in my Heart).
What good memories do you carry “in the pockets of your heart”?
Treasured memories give us energy when we recall them, says Rupp. They refuel our enthusiasm for life. Macrina Wiederkehr, in her book Gold in Our Memories, adds that when she visits a memory, she perceives a “divine energy that exudes from the earth.” Perhaps this is the energy of the first day of creation, at which wisdom was present (see Proverbs 8:22).
To revisit, to re-member is returning to a memory and reliving the story of it that is retained in our very cells, says Wiederkehr.
What does it mean to you that memories are stored in your very cells?
How can you call forth good memories during the tough times?
Rupp says that gratitude is at the core of a healthy spiritual life. When we recall memories, we are helped to be aware of “Sophia moments” – those times when we have been drawn to deeper truths and wisdoms.
Can you recall when a difficult or painful situation eventually revealed a deeper truth for you?
What place does gratitude play in your life? (For articles, reflections, videos and more resources on gratitude, visit Network for Grateful Living. https://gratefulness.org )
Scripture for this week
As Joyce Rupp pointed out, The Book of Wisdom chapters 10 and 11 recount the history of the Hebrew people, but the story is told in terms of the guidance of Sophia/Wisdom. Read as much of chapters 10 and 11 as you want.
Does considering the action of wisdom change the narrative for you from the old stories you are familiar with?
If you do not have the apocrypha (where the Book of Wisdom is found) in your Bible, follow this link to read the chapters.
Practice for this week
In Gold in Our Memories, Macrina Wiederkehr offers questions for reflection. Choose one or more of these and spend some time with it this week – journal, draw or paint, write a poem.
Can you remember moments when joy came back to you after a long absence?
Do you believe that even during stormy times when all seems dark and foreboding, there is a place of calm within you?
Are you aware that there is a life in you that no one can destroy?
Can you accept the truth that within you a thing of beauty is being kept safe for you?
What is it that needs to be awakened or restored in you?
What are some ways you might access life’s golden moments, joyful memories from the past that have grown dim?
Is there anything you would like to retrieve from your soul’s storehouse?
Closing
An excerpt from The Secret Garden found in Macrina Wiederkehr’s Gold in Your Memories.
The Wisdom Years 