A CRADLE — free as the sky

Our recent trip to the Philippines reminded us, not that we had forgotten, that we are right where God wants us to be: in Asia, with Korea as our base. It was a trip of confirmation and affirmation. After we landed in Incheon airport, driving home, I felt like I was home. After years of being in liminal space, this was a welcome emotion. Feeling grateful and grounded, we hosted friends in Korea at our house for the Christmas holidays, which was the first Christmas since 1976.

Now that we have most of our furniture and essential household needs in place, we feel settled. My wife feels at home, so I am wise enough to follow her lead.  During our time in the Philippines, I shared the name of our home—a place to behold and be held—with Ruthie and Joey. After listening contemplatively, Ruthie saw an image of a rocking cradle where the infant’s eye and the parents’ eye meet. The gentle image of rocking evoked and added to the playful note of a warm and tender gaze.

A day ago, as we were zooming with our faithful intercessor for over a decade, I shared that our desire is to carry with us the image and embodiment of “cradle” wherever we go. One might say, there is the physical cradle in Yangpyeong, and the portable cradle when we travel. The mystical and unitive experience of being seen by God and seeing God, albeit dimly, and the reality of Christ in the world are undoubtedly the first steps toward living and living rightly.

So how do we experience such a union? Thomas Merton offers his wisdom, “The answer is, by faith, and this means not simply by an intellectual assent to certain authoritative dogmatic propositions, but, more than that, by the commitment of our whole self and of our whole life to the reality of the presence of Christ in the world.“ I am glad that Merton does not undermine dogmas and certain authoritative belief propositions, but it is decisively more in Merton’s fertile mind. Pursuing and aligning with the reality of the presence of Christ in this world is experiential and maturing faith at work. To pursue and align, we are first invited to see Christ and Christ at work in this world.

It is clear in my mind that in order for us to take “cradle” wherever we go, we first have to experience a cradle in our lives. Must I say that I love the image of a rocking cradle, so whimsical and exciting? And yet so helpless, dependent, and needy? It is not unlike being poor in spirit, which has been a learning theme in the Philippines. My soul finds solace because God does and will not require strength, perfection, and resolve. Only the admission that I am helpless and needy. ..That is where God is. That is who God is.

Thus, the image of a cradle is not about fantasized tenderness or ignorance of one’s desperation. What if I could offer that space as a gift to those we meet and interact with? I see the finish line of my study at the School of Spiritual Direction. Even months ago, I wasn’t quite sure whether I wanted to avail myself of one-on-one spiritual direction sessions, but as I meet regularly with three directees each month, I know I want to extend that space to those God has prepared. As I am being cradled, I desire to offer that cradle space to others.