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         I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly. —John 10:10

Author and retreat leader Joyce Rupp guides readers in a meditation on the liminal experience of standing on a threshold, held between death and new life. She writes:

The power of a threshold resounds in the story of the resurrection. From the hollow deadness of the tomb, Christ came forth transformed with unmistakable splendor. So in our threshold experiences, the Holy One’s life-giving energy frees and gifts us with what enables us to express the beauty of our soul...

Sit on a chair that is placed across a doorsill. Recall the formation of a caterpillar into a butterfly. First, see the caterpillar crawling along, munching leaves. Then, visualize this little creature creating the chrysalis in which it will hang. Imagine you are inside this quiet, dark space of metamorphosis. Let yourself sit quietly inside that threshold of change for as long as you can. You do not need to do anything but just “be there.” After some quiet time, picture a brilliant monarch butterfly coming forth from the chrysalis. Join in the wonder and freedom of its first flight. Close this reflection by turning your heart in trust toward the One who brings you fullness of life.

Rupp offers this prayer:

Gestating Spirit,
your gifts of transformation
await me on every threshold.
Your life-giving power raised Christ
from the bleak tomb. . . .
Raise what has died in me.
Refresh it with your touch of love.
I open the door of my heart to you.
I open the door.

Joyce Rupp, Open the Door: A Journey to the True Self (Notre Dame, IN: Sorin Books, 2008), 96–97.