In Celtic Spirituality - aspects of which come out of middle Europe - and moved to Ireland and Scotland, there is a phrase, “Thin
Places” or “Caol Áit”.
Probably, because both of today’s
readings begin in the great outdoors, I thought of “Thin Places” when I read the
first from the Song of Songs and the second, the gospel, from Luke.
When I’m not too clear about
what something means - like “thin places”, one way I learn about the unknown,
isto preach about that unknown topic.
So I did some Google research
and came up with some ideas and words about “Thin Places.”
DESCRIPTION
Gaelic - which includes Scotland and Ireland - and many
islands off the coast of both these countries have sacred places - beautiful
places - where people feel God’s presence.
If a place is too busy, too noisy, too self-centered,
that would be calleda thick place.
Now there are also other places called “thin places” -
and your thin places can be different than my thin places.
There is a Celtic saying thatgoes like this: “Heaven and earth are only
three feet apart, but in thin places that distance is even shorter.”
Let me repeat that, because if you get that, you can
begin to get what Celtic spirituality means by, “Thin Places.”
“Heaven and earth are only three feet apart, but in thin
places that distance is even shorter.”
In Celtic Spirituality - and hopefully in Italian and
Spanish, and German and Filipino Spirituality, hopefully the message is that
God is here - closer than 3 feet away.
We come to church - to get in touch by God and to touch
God.
After reading up about this last night, I heard that if
we get in touch with God here, we can get in touch with God out there.
SOME EXAMPLES
Let me give some examples of “Thin Places” - places where
God breaks through or where a sense of God can happen.
In a nursing home a person is in a bed with tubes and they
are breathing hard and there is their spouse - in silence - in semi-darkness -
holding their spouse’s hand as well as God’s hand. That could be a thin place.
When I’m in a funeral home and the body is in a casket
and there is a kneeler there before the body, I reach down and say one Hair Mary on one
rosary bead in the dead person’s hand.That has often been a God moment for me. Now I can call that a thin
place.
When I meet a mom with
a new baby in one of those baby carriers, I like to say, “Can I see your baby.”
She unzips or unsnaps the hood, and shows me a 6 week old baby. That is often a
thin place.
In the movie City
Slickers, Billy Crystal is at a camp fire with a bunch of guys on a western
vacation. They talk about the moment a kid goes to his first Major League baseball
game with his dad. They walk through the dark underbelly of a major league ball
park. Then they go up through the tunnel. They see blue sky and they come out
and see that great green grass, the people, the players practicing, and they go
“Wow” with awe. For me seeing that moment on the screen was a thin place.
It’s Thanksgiving - my sister-in-law is sitting there
looking around the room. She sees all her kids and their husbands and their
kids - laughing and being with each other - and she says pointing to her kids,
“This is what makes it all worthwhile.” That could be a thin place.
TODAY - DECEMBER 21ST, IN NEWGRANGE
IRELAND
Today, December 21st, in Newgrange, Ireland,
a small group of people go into this prehistoric cave like dwelling. It was
under a mound or a small hill. It’sdated
back to 3200 B.C. There is a 10 year waiting list to get in there today.
A shaft of light goes through one opening - to the center
of the mound - and it goes directly to the other side and out an opening.
It’s a sacred moment - on this day - the shortest day of
the year - when we have more darkness than light - and then we move into winter
- as we move towards the spring and more light.
This building is older than Stonehenge in England or the
pyramids in Egypt.
In Celtic spirituality the dark is feminine - like in the
womb - as mothers long to bring a child into the light of the world.
Mary - from her dark womb - brings Christ the Light of
the World - into the world.
In today’s gospel she moves with haste into the hill
country to be with Elizabeth who is filled with her baby as well. She runs like
the lover in today’s first reading from the Song of Songs - and all of creation
- bursts, flowers, the winter is over. The
Holy Spirit has touched Mary as well. Elizabeth says the words of the Hail
Mary, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb,
Jesus.
It was a thin place between Mary and Elizabeth as they
held each other in God.
So thin places are more than places. They can be moments
- when we sense the presence of God - moments when we are in the presence of
God - and that is every moment.
CONCLUSION
So that’s a few words about “Thin Places”.Once you bring that idea into your
spirituality, you’ll come out of dark tunnels and see new light.
“`Broadway is a
street,’ typed the columnist, `where people spend money they haven’t earned to
buy things they don’t need to impress people they don’t like.’”
