View from the Glass Chapel
San Damiano Chapel at St Francis Springs Prayer Center
Birthdays have a way of inviting us to pause. They encourage us to look back with gratitude, to look ahead with hope, and to recognize the countless ways God has been present throughout the journey.
As I celebrate another year of life, one particular memory has gently returned to my heart. It is a memory from a July pilgrimage that our fraternity made to the St. Francis Springs Prayer Center. We had gathered as brothers and sisters in St. Francis to step away from the routines of daily life, to pray together, and to deepen our relationship with the Lord.
That afternoon, I found myself sitting quietly in the Glass Chapel before the Blessed Sacrament.
As I gazed through the chapel's glass walls, a forest of trees stretched before me, standing silently as witnesses to God's magnificent creation. Their branches swayed gently in the breeze, reminding me that life is constantly growing, changing, and reaching toward the light.
During that time of adoration, words began to surface in my heart—not as sentences or a carefully prepared meditation, but as gentle whispers from the Holy Spirit:
Life. Love. Hope. Fear. Listen. Trust. Obedience. Awe. Kindness. Peace. Instrument. Pain. Road. Embrace. Grace. Sadness. Courage. Willingness. Silence. Honesty. Joy. Sorrow. Sacrifice. Journey. Will. Proclaim. Embrace. Release.
As I remember that afternoon now, on my birthday, Fr. Bob's challenge seems even more personal. He invited us, while praying before the Blessed Sacrament, to take the next step in our intimate relationship with God, to remain open to wherever God might be leading us. Looking back, I realize that the invitation did not end with that pilgrimage. It continues today. Each birthday is another opportunity to answer that same call with renewed trust. Those words carry an even deeper meaning than they did that summer afternoon.
As I reflect on another year of life, I realize that growing older is not about counting years as much as it is about deepening roots. Looking back at the forest outside the Glass Chapel, I now see those trees differently. They have endured changing seasons, storms, and harsh weather, yet they remain firmly planted because their roots run deep. That image has become a reflection of my own spiritual journey. With each passing year, God continues to invite me to become more deeply rooted in Him. As a Secular Franciscan, I have come to embrace my vocation in a different light. I am learning that vocation is not simply something I do, it is the person God is continually forming me to become. Every joy, every sorrow, every challenge, every grace has become part of that sacred work.
In that silence, Christ gazes upon us long before we begin gazing upon Him. He sees every joy and every sorrow. He knows every sacrifice we have made and every sacrifice we still fear making. He looks beyond our failures and sees who we are becoming through His grace.
I can now see that the Lord was already preparing my heart for the journey that continues today. May we have the courage to answer that invitation with the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, a prayer that captures the longing of every heart seeking God:
"My God and my All."
Amen.
¡Palante, Siempre Palante! ("Forward, Always Forward")
To Jesus through St. Francis
Thank you for allowing me to be part of your spiritual journey! Keep at it! Keep praying. Love the Lord.
Peace and Grace.Frances Acosta,OFS
