He drew a circle that shut me out. Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But love and I had the wit to win. We drew a circle that drew him in.—Edwin Markham
Picking up again on Pope Francis’ “Schools of Prayer” that we touched on last week, today we turn to rose windows as another way to draw us deeper into prayer.
Rose windows in their circular, repetitious, ordered design have a way of bringing calm and harmony to viewers. I remember the many years that I brought my mum to mass at Saint Frances Cabrini in Yucaipa and calmly taking note of the north facing rose window.
The Lord gives us many ways of encountering and fostering our relationship with God to help us be transformed by grace. Gazing at a rose window in all its richness, engages our bodies, minds, and hearts: we look and move to find a spot that best captures the light that then helps create a time of silent listening. “Prayer places our intellect in the brilliance of God’s light and exposes our will to the warmth of his heavenly love,” says Saint Francis de Sales. A rose window, with light pouring through, can bring this truth into striking definition, and we can begin to gaze at it in quiet awe.
As lovely as the rose window at St. Frances is there is another one only a block from school. Smiley Library has two rose windows (same design, one facing north, the other facing east). I like to stop outside and gaze at the north facing window when I’m walking after dark. Not only does the light from inside illuminate it nicely, the quiet outside with the stars shining creates a wonderful moment of peaceful listening.
Showcasing SHA talent: This 4 color picture, by Izay in 8th, has an ordered and repetitive design like a rose window.
God bless,
Mrs. Alhadef
Campus Minister
5th Grade Aide