Le point vierge

I'm sitting in the dark after a long day in my spiritual direction class.  By these people I am so gently and lovingly held in a way that is unexplainable.  We are all so different.  Different ages, different faith traditions, different loves, and yet.  It is always the "and yet" that reminds me that despite everything, God is present and active. 

This past Sunday I preached on Gabriel's Annunciation and I stumbled accross le point vierge -- a french term used by Thomas Merton to describe an untouched inner place of holiness, a virgin place.  In my class today, my classmates, my friends, helped me to see that in Mary's "yes" (Luke 1:26-38) I am also invited to step into this difficult season and to remember that God's favor rests on me even when I don't feel it and even when it is hard.  

And though my shoulders and neck are aching with an unnamed pain undoubtedly brought on my stressors far too big for me to control, God placed le point vierge as the closing song in our class.  From its origin, through Mary, into today, God places peace and beauty that is available to each of us, even when it feels hidden and inaccessible.