Pouring out a thousand graces…

What do you do when the grace runs low?

When my son called from Phoenix, he asked, “How was your Father’s Day?”  I told him the truth: I took a long walk in the woods by myself, listening to John of the Cross. I needed to refill the tank. Grace had been depleted.

It had been a full week: a funeral for an infant born prematurely, classes I taught on advanced prayer, a day at the homeless shelter, several spiritual direction sessions, and three weekend Masses preached in English and Spanish. By Sunday afternoon, I was physically exhausted and spiritually drained. 

My homily had been about how the Father walks with us and listens to us.  (A New Image of the Father)  I realized I needed to take a walk with my Father and experience that for myself.

So I went to the woods.

As I walked, I listened to The Spiritual Canticle. Stanza 4 stopped me:

“O woods and thickets, planted by the hand of my Beloved!
O green meadow, coated bright with flowers, tell me: has He passed by?”

In his commentary, St. John says that all creation bears the traces of the Beloved – signs of His passing, hints of His beauty. The weary soul looks upon the natural world and asks, “Where have you gone? Where can I find you?” Those traces awaken a deeper desire to seek the one who made them.

On the drive home, an old Cat Stevens song came on the radio: Morning Has Broken. The line, “Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden, sprung in completeness where His feet pass,” could have been written by St. John himself. The themes are the same: creation bears the footprint of God.

As I walked, I realized I was standing inside the imagery of the Canticle – woods and thickets, green meadows, flowers bright with color. Then Stanza 5 unfolded in my heart:

“He left me there, pouring out a thousand graces…
With His image alone, He clothed the groves in beauty.”

John writes that wherever Christ has passed, He leaves graces multiplied. That afternoon, I received what I had been longing for – not simply rest, but renewal.

Each of us has a place where the Beloved pours out a thousand graces. When you feel depleted – physically, emotionally, or spiritually – where do you go to reconnect with your Beloved?