That\u2019s all I ask on this 12th<\/sup> Day of Christmas.<\/p>\n Tolstoy wrote: Everyone can feel God, but no one can truly understand God. Thus, do not attempt to understand God, but try instead to feel God\u2019s presence within you. If you are unable to find God there, then you will never find Him. When you look inside yourself, you see what is called \u201cyour own self\u201d or your soul. You cannot touch it or see it or understand it, but you know it is there.\u00a0 And this part of yourself\u2014that which you cannot understand\u2014is what is called God. God is both around us and inside of us\u2014in our souls<\/em>.<\/p>\n The dance continues, arms, legs, and body more synchronized and centered. The shapes and shadows beyond the window pane are less distant than before, almost within reach. The incarnate one or the lone deer hasn\u2019t strayed, remaining erect and still, but now as my body persists in uninterrupted and unscripted movement, it has turned its head as if expecting another. And then there are two, now three, then four, and finally five apparitions emerging from the forest. I extend my left arm toward the window, wanting to touch and hug them, caress their heads, imagine holding out my blueberry and apple slice palm-filled hand to their mouths. \u00a0Can they see my darkened form silhouetted against the hall light, my shadow stretched across the ceiling? Do they mind or care?<\/p>\n Pope Francis, in a celebratory Epiphany mass, urged: \u201c\u2026the faithful to be like the Magi, who, he said, continued to look at the sky, took risks and set out bearing gifts for Christ. If we want to find Jesus, we have to overcome our fear of taking risks, our self-satisfaction and our indolent refusal to ask anything more of life. We need to take risks simply to meet a child. Those risks are immensely worth the effort, since in finding that child, in discovering his tenderness and love, we rediscover ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n The reluctant disciple\u2019s dance, mine, is less frenetic than before, perhaps choreographed by the unknown and unknowing, but as I watch the parade of recognizable shapes, one following the other, walking slowly, light of foot, by the trees and into open space my dance is fearless, risky and assured.<\/p>\n Be still my restless soul and dance.<\/p>\n January 6, 2018, is a cold, really cold day, and at four-thirty in the afternoon the screen on the weather station to my left indicates an outdoor temperature of – 4\u00b0 and an indoor one of 63\u00b0. It\u2019s dusk, I\u2019m doing my dance for fun and warmth while facing west into the forest. This view, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":760,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[644],"tags":[180,504,202,6,189,505,431,507,53,506,503],"class_list":["post-759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faith-and-hope","tag-advent","tag-dance","tag-epiphany","tag-god","tag-jesus","tag-magi","tag-norway","tag-pope-francis","tag-soul","tag-star","tag-tolstoy"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Facebook\"](\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yourreluctantdisciple.com%2Findex.php%3Frest_route%3D%252Fwp%252Fv2%252Fposts%252F759&t=No%20Gold%2C%20Frankincense%20or%20Myrrh%2C%20Just%20a%20Dance&s=100&p[url]=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yourreluctantdisciple.com%2Findex.php%3Frest_route%3D%252Fwp%252Fv2%252Fposts%252F759&p[images][0]=https%3A%2F%2Fi0.wp.com%2Fwww.yourreluctantdisciple.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F01%2FIMG_0158.jpg%3Ffit%3D1536%252C2048%26ssl%3D1&p[title]=No%20Gold%2C%20Frankincense%20or%20Myrrh%2C%20Just%20a%20Dance\" "\\"Share")
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