Feast of St. Sergius, Abbot

Image from Wikimedia Commons

A story about St. Sergius:

Six months before his death St. Sergius was granted a revelation of it. He gathered his monks around him, handed the administration of the monastery over to his disciple, St. Nikon, and gave himself over to solitude. Before his departure from this world, he once again gathered his monks and instructed them to remain in faith and unity, to preserve spiritual and physical purity, to have great love among themselves, to refrain from evil desires and passions, to keep moderation in food and drink, to espouse hospitality, to be humble and shun earthly glory and vanity. The saint then partook of the Holy Mysteries and quietly said: “Into Thine hands I give up my spirit, o Lord.” Immediately an indescribable fragrance issued from his body, while his face shone with heavenly rapture. This took place on September 25, 1392.

The advice Sergius gave his monks is good for all people in all times.

Today, by the way, is the anniversary of my first vows as a religious solitary. The year was 1987. I remain grateful beyond all telling for the grace of my vocation. Deo gratias!

Vision of Heaven

"Meeting at the Golden Gate" by Giotto di Bondone

Image from Wikimedia Commons

This, then, is the blessed hope. I love the last two lines especially:

And this, then,
is the vision of that Heaven
of which we have heard,
where those who love
each other have forgiven
each other, where, for that,
the leaves are green,
the light a music in the air,
and all is unentangled,
and all is undismayed.

- Wendell Berry, from his poem "To My Mother"

Inspiration and consolation

Yesterday I shared with you a quotation by Mother Maria Skobtsova who died in the gas chambers of the Ravensbruck concentration camp in 1945. I had not heard of her before yesterday and I have found myself absolutely fascinated by her story and genuinely inspired by her witness. The following quotation was found in an essay by Jim Forest called "Mother Maria Skobtsova: Saint of the Open Door":

“The way to God lies through love of people. At the Last Judgment I shall not be asked whether I was successful in my ascetic exercises, nor how many bows and prostrations I made. Instead I shall be asked, Did I feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and the prisoners. That is all I shall be asked. About every poor, hungry and imprisoned person the Savior says ‘I’: ‘I was hungry and thirsty, I was sick and in prison.’ To think that he puts an equal sign between himself and anyone in need. . . . I always knew it, but now it has somehow penetrated to my sinews. It fills me with awe.”

-- Mother Maria Skobtsova

Here's something that was remembered about her by another prisoner at Ravensbruck:

“She used to organize real discussion circles … and I had the good fortune to participate in them. Here was an oasis at the end of the day. She would tell us about her social work, about how she conceived the reconciliation of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. We would question her about the history of Russia, about its future, about Communism, about her frequent contacts with young women from the Soviet army with whom she liked to surround herself. These discussion, whatever their subject matter, provided an escape from the hell in which we lived. They allowed us to restore our depleted morale, they rekindled in us the flame of thought, which barely flickered beneath the heavy burden of horror.”

-- Jacqueline Pery

Reading about Mother Maria these last two days has gladdened my heart and strengthened my own motivation to persevere. Deo gratias!

Discipleship

Artist: Joshua Reynolds
Image from Wikimedia Commons

This was sent to me in an email from Sojourners:

I am your message, Lord. Throw me like a blazing torch into the night, that all may see and understand what it means to be a disciple.

- St. Maria Skobtsova, Orthodox nun and martyr (1891-1945)

Happy Autumnal Equinox

Artist: Oldřich Hlavsa
Image from Wikimedia Commons

This is the spirit of contemplation. I suggest we all take the following to heart:

Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn.

-- Elizabeth Lawrence

The Feast of St. Matthew the Evangelist

The Evangelist Matthew Inspired by an Angel

Attributed to Rembrandt
Image from Wikimedia Commons

This is from an medieval work known as The Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine:

We may note that in Saint Matthew four things are worthy of consideration. The first is his swiftness to obey; for as soon as Christ called him, he quit his custom-house, leaving his tax accounts incomplete without fear of his masters, and devoted himself completely to Christ. This ready obedience has been a source of error to some, as Jerome recounts in his commentary on that place of the Gospel: 'Porphyry and the Emperor Julian find proof therein either of the ignorance of a lying chronicler, or of the witlessness of them that so promptly followed the Saviour, as if they went off after the first man who called them, without any reason whatsoever. But there is no doubt that the apostles, before they believed in Him, had seen the many signs of His power which went before Him. And of a surety, the very splendour and majesty of His hidden godhead, which shone even in His human countenanec, were enough to draw them the first time they looked upon him. For if a magnet has power to attract rings and bits of iron, how much the more can the Lord of all creation draw to Himself those whom He will!' Thus Jerome.

Perhaps we could reflect on what "swiftness to obey" means to each of us in our time and in our current circumstances.

~~~

"Who's the greatest?"

Artist: Edgar Degas

Image from Wikimedia Commons

In today's gospel reading, the disciples are arguing about which one among them is to be the greatest. I simply want to offer you the following:

Leonard Bernstein, when asked what the most difficult instrument was, answered "2nd fiddle". "Plenty of people want to play 1st violin but to get someone to play second violin or second flute, etc...that's a problem. Yet, without them there is no harmony."

Some of you know that before I entered the religious life, I was a musician by trade. And for most of my career I played first oboe -- I guess because that's what I was ususally hired to do and because it fit my "musical personality" (or so I was told). But toward the end of my career I started being offered some very nice second oboe jobs and I accepted them (with my long-term teacher's enthusiastic encouragement because he contended that playing second was considerably harder than playing first). What a wonderful adventure! Playing second (and doing it well) requires much more artistic maturity, much more attention to subtlety and nuance. There is a different kind of satisfaction involved and it's truly very lovely.

Think about it.

~~~

Forgiveness as defiance

Artist: Rembrandt

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Forgiveness as defiance. Now there's a concept, isn't it? Take a look:

Forgiveness is an embrace, across all barriers, against all odds, in defiance of all that is mean and petty and vindictive and cruel in this life.

— Kent Nerburn in Calm Surrender

Worth pondering. With sincere thoughtfulness.

Journey to Reality

Surat Al-Ikhlas - Maghribi script, 18th Century, North Africa

Image from Wikimedia Commons

I ventured over to the Spirituality and Practice website today and was stunned (in a positive way!) to find a review of a book entitled It's Really All About God (subtitled "Reflections of a Muslim Atheist Jewish Christian".) I definitely want to read this. The author, Samir Selmanovic, is "the co-leader of Faith House Manhattan, an interfaith 'community of communities' that brings together forward-looking Christians, Muslims, Jews, atheists and others who seek to thrive interdependently."

Selmanovic is a convert to Christianity who has experienced distress over the self-serving attitudes and practices of organized religion. Here is something he said that just knocks my socks off:

We can either stay within the Christianity we have mastered with the Jesus we have domesticated, or we can leave Christianity as a destination, embrace Christianity as a way of life, and then journey to reality, where God is present and living in every person, every human community, and all creation.

This reminds me of the part of the baptimal covenent in which we promise to "seek and serve Christ in all persons". We don't have to bring Christ to the person; Christ is already there. Rather, we seek Christ in the person. Big, big difference.

How to find Paradise

"Glimpse of Paradise"

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Here are two wonderful quotations about how to find Paradise on earth:

We believe that it is difficult to let go, but in truth, it is much more difficult and painful to hold and protect. Reflect upon anything in your life that you grasp hold of--an opinion, a historical resentment, an ambition, or an unfulfilled fantasy. Sense the tightness, fear, and defensiveness that surrounds the grasping. It is a painful, anxious experience of unhappiness. We do not let go in order to make ourselves impoverished or bereft. We let go in order to discover happiness and peace.

-- Christina Feldman

I like what Feldman says about letting go not being a matter of deprivation at all but rather a way toward happiness.

And here's another obvservation that says much the same thing:

The only things we can keep are the things we freely give to God. What we try to keep for ourselves is just what we are sure to lose.

-- C.S. Lewis

Tightly grasping to what we cannot have or to what we are sure to lose is the most direct way to suffering and unhappiness known to humanity.

Something about struggle

"The Quest"

Artist: Seema Kohli

Image from Wikimedia Commons

If, by chance, you are struggling at the time of your reading this, take heart from these words of one of our great preachers:

You may look through the streets of heaven, asking each how they came to be there, and you will look in vain everywhere for a person who is morally and spiritually strong, whose strength did not come to him in struggle. There is no exception anywhere. Every true strength is gained in struggle.

-- Phillips Brooks

Holy Cross Day

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Rowan Williams was still Archbishop of Wales when he said this:

All I want to say about the image of the Holy Cross this morning is that the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is where we wake up. 'Awake, sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you life.' Our sin is like sleep, like a bad dream. We are locked in ourselves. The serious tangled insides of the human mind, the human heart, human speech trap us more and more. Here the reality of God stands against the reality of our minds and hearts.

-- Rowan Williams

I found it in a reflection by John Pridmore on Holy Cross Day in the Church Times. I urge you to click through and read the whole thing if you have time. It's all good.

God's excellence

Lady Wisdom (Library of Congress)

Image from Wikimedia Commons

I love today's readings. All of them. But especially the optional reading from The Wisdom of Solomon and the gospel reading (from Mark) about losing your life in order to save it.

Just in case you are not familiar with the passage from Wisdom, here it is:

For Wisdom is a reflection of eternal light,
a spotless mirror of the working of God,
and an image of his goodness.
Although she is but one, she can do all things,
and while remaining in
herself, she renews all things;
in every generation she passes into holy souls
and makes them friends of God, and prophets;
for God loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom.
She is more beautiful than the sun,
and excels every constellation of the stars.
Compared with the light she is found to be superior,
for it is succeeded by the night,
but against wisdom evil does not prevail.
She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other,
and she orders all things well.

The sentence from Mark's gospel to which I refer, of course, is this one:

For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.

I've long believed that this saying of Jesus is the quintessential Christian koan. A koan is a paradox, a conundrm, used by Zen masters to help their meditation students learn to let go. "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" is a famous koan that most people know. Using the koan as a support for meditation is meant to exhaust, if you will, the rational intellect so that it gives up and with it, the person's ego. At that point the person reliquishes his or her obsession with attachment or control and becomes truly accepting. Seems to me that is what Jesus was on about with his teaching on losing one's life.

God's love

Margret Hofheinz-Döring/Galerie Brigitte Mauch Göppingen

Image from Wikimedia Commons

God is not only fatherly,
God is also mother
who lifts her loved child
from the ground to her knee.
The Trinity is like a mother's cloak
wherein the child finds a home
and lays its head on the maternal breast.

-- Mechtild of Magdeburg

Mechtild of Magdeburg lived in the high Middle Ages and was a member of the Beguines, a loosely organized group of women who usually lived alone and were devoted to prayer and good works.

The call to be truly oneself

Moses and the Burning Bush
Image from Wikimedia Commons

I have loved the saying quoted below for a long, long time.

Here's my question: Why is it so common in the church today that its members are put under pressure to conform to someone else's conventional idealization of the kind of people they should be?

Rabbi Zusya said that on the Day of Judgment, God would ask him, not why he had not been Moses, but why he had not been Zusya.

~Walter Kaufmann

We need to be genuinely ourselves according to our true nature. The most damaging aspect of the authoritarianism currently present in the church as an institution is the insidious devaluing of many people's gifts while highlighting their faults. No wonder people get discouraged and leave never to return.

It's not right, folks. It's just not right.

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Artist: Pietro Cavallini
Image from Wikimedia Commons

What a pity this feast day does not appear on the calendar of the American Church. It does, however, in the Church of Ireland and that gave me much pleasure when I lived over on the Emerald Isle.

Why does it matter? Well, let me ask you this. Have you ever taken note of the fact that, in the Bible itself, every time people are happy about the birth of a baby, the baby in question is always a boy? What do you think that does (consciously or unconsciously) to little girls growing up in the church?

Just think about it. Think about it hard.

Today we get to rejoice that unto us a child is born, unto us a daughter is given. And she will be the God-bearer for us and she will be our own true Mother for all eternity.

Ave. Ave. Ave Maria!

Labor Day, 2009

Saint Joseph the Worker

Here's a prayer offered by the National Farm Worker Ministry:

Bless the hands of the people of the earth,
The hands that plant the seed,
The hands that bind the harvest,
The hands that carry the burden of life.
Soften the hands of the oppressor and
Strengthen the hands of the oppressed.
Bless the hands of the workers,
Bless the hands of those in power above them
That the measure they deal will be tempered
With justice and compassion. Amen.

I found it on a little essay about Labor Day by Cathleen Falsani over on Sojourners. I recommend the article.

The Canaanite woman

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Here's part of a reflection on the first story from this morning's gospel reading:

Surely Jesus of all people should know that God's goodness is bounteous, that there is more than enough food for everyone.

And this is essentially what the Gentile woman points out to Jesus. There's plenty of food for everyone; even once all of those recognized as people, as insiders, are fed, there's still food left over for those who aren't even considered human, the outsiders. And they're all eating the same food; admittedly, some of it is crumbs from the original serving, but it's the same substance. Whether they are at the table or under it, they are all finding nourishment.

And Jesus, apparently moved by her words -- or reminded by her of his own previous miracle -- essentially says, "Good point. You get the same food as all of God's other children anyway, so why not have a seat at the table?" He promptly heals her child, and never again in Mark does he refuse to heal anyone or question anyone's worthiness to be healed.
...
Jesus understands our initial antipathies to strangers -- after all, he had them himself -- but ultimately there is no one we shouldn't invite to the feast. There is plenty of bread for everyone, even those who have traditionally been relegated to eating crumbs under the table, so we will not go hungry but rather will dine abundantly when we follow Jesus' example and welcome all comers to the table.

-- Karen A. Keely

Welcome all comers. I love those words. There really is no need for us humans to police God's table. Really.

Some thoughts about trust

"The Flying"

Artist: Anchise Picchi

Image from Wikimedia Commons

I can only fly freely
when I know there is a catcher to catch me.
If we are to take risks,
to be free,
in the air,
in life,
we have to know
that when we come down from it all,
we're going to be caught,
we're going to be safe.
The great hero is the least visible.
Trust the catcher.

— Henri Nouwen

The gift of Russian spiritual practice

Photo from the Library of Congress

I just had to show you a sample of some amazing 100 year old color photos the story of which is truly fascinating. Here's a description of the church pictured above:

Russian churches featured exterior and interior decoration in the forms of mosaics, frescoes, and carvings, often in brilliant colors. The Church of the Resurrection in Kostroma in the northern part of European Russia was built in the 1650s and demonstrates the exuberant decoration of the exterior characteristic of its period. However, in spite of the dramatic exterior, the church is noted primarily for its interior wall paintings.

Amazingly enough, this picture was taken in 1910.

You can see the entire exhibit right here.

Now let me share with you something for your contemplation that comes from the Russian Orthodox tradition:

The Jesus Prayer is also called the Prayer of the Heart. In Orthodoxy, the mind and heart are to be used as one. St Theophan tells us to keep our "mind in the heart" at all times. Heart means the physical muscle pumping blood, and emotions/feelings, and the innermost core of the person, the spirit. Heart is associated with the physical organ, but not identical with it. Heart means our innermost chamber, our secret dwelling place where God lives.
...
Someone said the heart is a dimension of interior consciousness, awareness, where we come in touch with an inner space, a space of no dimensions. This consciousness is timeless, the place where tears reside and deep contact with the present moment abide, and from which restful movement comes. Acting out of our heart means to act lightly, with vigor and enthusiasm. When not in that inner awareness, we are restless, agitated and self-concerned.

There is within us a space, a field of the heart, in which we find a Divine Reality, and from which we are called to live. The mind, then, is to descend into that inner sanctuary, by means of the Jesus Prayer or wordless contemplation, and to stay there throughout our active day, and evening. We descend with our mind into our heart, and we live there.

The excerpt above is from an article entitled "Saying the Jesus Prayer" by Albert S Rossi.

There are several forms of the Jesus Prayer. The one I typically use is this: "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me."

Three by Desmond

Tibetan mandala (Commons)

These so utterly represent the way he thinks!

I give great thanks to God that he has created a Dalai Lama. Do you really think, as some have argued, that God will be saying: 'You know, that guy, the Dalai Lama, is not bad. What a pity he's not a Christian'? I don't think that is the case - because, you see, God is not a Christian.
...
We may be surprised at the people we find in heaven. God has a soft spot for sinners. His standards are quite low.
...
So people actually, if they want to know, "What is God like?" they would have to look at you and me and see us as being compassionate, because God is compassionate, as being loving, because God is loving.

-- Archbishop Desmond Tutu

A way of looking at art

Artist: Margret Hofheinz-Döring

Image from Wikimedia Commons

I rather like this:

Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist does the better.

- Andre Glide

Saint Aidan's Day

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Aidan's prayer:

Leave me alone with God as much as may be.

As the tide draws the waters close in upon the shore,

Make me an island, set apart,

alone with you, God, holy to you.

Then with the turning of the tide

prepare me to carry your presence to the busy world beyond,

the world that rushes in on me

till the waters come again and fold me back to you.

I found it here.

What really defiles us

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

In this morning's gospel reading, Jesus declares that we are not defiled by what goes into our mouths but rather by what comes out. Here's a story that illustrates how seriously we need to concern ourselves with that teaching:

- A woman once went to St. Francis of Assisi and asked what she had to do to be forgiven for her gossiping. St. Francis told her to take feathers and place one at the doorstep of everyone she had spoken ill of in the town. She did so and returned to the wise saint. Francis told her to then go and retrieve all the feathers. When she attempted to do so, they were all gone. By that time the feathers were scattered all around town. Once again, she returned to St. Francis and told him about the feathers. He said to her, "You wish to repent and be forgiven of your sin. Good. But the damage of your words is done and can not be taken back."

I found the story right here.

You know, I'm trying to remember a time the Church tore itself apart because of (rather - objecting to) the gossips within our midst. I'm not having much success here.

Words of great consolation

Artist: Brunhilde Mayer

Image from Wikimedia Commons

For however devoted you are to God, you may be sure that God is immeasurably more devoted to you.

- Meister Eckhart

The theological question facing us

Artist: Victor Dubreuil

Image from Wikimedia Commons

For a long time now I have believed that Walter Brueggemann is one of the most important theologians/biblical scholars writing today. I had the enormous privilege of meeting him and hearing him speak here in Tulsa a few years ago. What he says below is really important, I think. Even urgent:

Though many of us are well intentioned, we have invested our lives in consumerism. We have a love affair with ‘more’—and we will never have enough. Consumerism is not simply a marketing strategy. It has become a demonic spiritual force among us, and the theological question facing us is whether the Gospel has the power to help us withstand it.

-- Walter Brueggemann

Luminosity

Image from Wikimedia Commons

I wanted to share with you the above unusual icon and also the following quotation from the 10th Century:

The lives and the eulogies of the Saints resemble, by their luminosity, the stars: for as the stars, firmly studded in the firmament as they are, illume the entire universe, and the same stars are beheld by the Indians, and are not hid from the Scythians, and shed their radiance over the earth and the seas, and show the way to the ships: and even if we know not their names for their multitude’s sake, we as yet admire their brilliant loveliness. So, too, doeth the brilliance of the Saints, even when their relics are shut under a tombstone, yet their miracles in the entire universe are not bound by earthly confines: we admire their lives and wonder at the glory wherewith God glorifieth those who have pleased Him.

-- St. Symeon Metaphrastes on the Lives of the Saints

The importance of learning to celebrate

Image from Wikimedia Commons

When things are difficult, taking the following attitude will really help you get through:

In the muddled mess of this world, in the confusion and boredom and amazement, we ought to be able to spot something — an event, a person, a memory, an act, a turning of the soul, the flash of bright wings, the surprise of sweet compassion — somewhere we ought to pick out a glory to celebrate.

— Samuel H. Miller in The Dilemma of Modern Belief

I've discovered that about people who come to talk to me. Often, it's not so much that they need someone to listen to their problems (although I don't belittle the importance of that) as much as they need someone with whom to celebrate their joys and successes. Both, actually, are important.

Into the beautiful darkness

Artist: Józef Chełmoński

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Wouldn't that be utterly lovely? To stop struggling?

Giving yourself up to love is melting into God. It is falling into the hands of the living God with complete abandon. This is the deep, interior prayer for which we have been striving. Here we must let go of our dependency on thoughts, words, and images. We go into the beautiful darkness. We stop struggling. We let the angels carry us. Surrender is the only word we know.

-- Macrina Wiederkehr from A Tree Full of Angels

And I also think that the words "into the beautiful darkness" are deeply and wonderfully strengthening and consoling.

"How lovely is your dwelling, O LORD of hosts! "

Psalm 84 is one of the choices from the lectionary for this morning:

Berliner Philharmoniker with Claudio Abbado
Swedish Radio Choir
Eric Ericson Chamber Choir

I listened to a number of recordings to find just the right one for you. The one above has undoubtedly the best tenor section of the lot - truly needed for this movement of the German Requiem.

To love or to be loved?

A Currier and Ives piece

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Many people who come to talk to me really, really want to be loved. That's so understandable, so normal. But is it really the aspiration that will bring us the greatest peace, the greatest happiness?

The important thing was to love rather than to be loved.

— W. Somerset Maugham

Yes, it would be wonderful to have both. But if you could only have one, which would it be? That may be the most important question you'll ever ask in your life.

~~~

Something wonderful

"Paradise"

Artist: Giovanni di Paolo

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Probably the best thing this great existentialist ever said:

God creates out of nothing. Wonderful you say. Yes, to be sure, but he does what is still more wonderful: God makes saints out of sinners.

-- Søren Kierkegaard

Where is heaven anyway?

"Court of Heaven"

Artist: Fra Angelico

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Maybe it's a bit too clever or maybe it's a bit on the glib side; it's also very true:

The purpose of religion -- at any rate, the Christian religion -- is not to get you into heaven, but to get heaven into you.

-- Frederick Ward Kates

How we learn to listen

Artist: Caspar David Friedrich

Image from Wikimedia Commons

If God is love, then let our love speak to us of God.
If God is good, then let what is good speak to us of God.
If God is joy, then let what fills us with joy speak to us of God.
If God is peace, then let what brings us peace speak to us of God.
If God is life, then let what is full of life speak to us of God.

— Margaret Hebblethwaite

Joined in the Moment

"Endless Road" by Margret Hofheinz-Döring

Image from Wikimedia Commons

I thought maybe I had posted this before but I did a search on this blog and couldn't find it so here goes:

One Easy Step to Enlightenment

First off, and I do mean first
You know in your heart
that the times are changing
Oh so much slower than we thought
and you know in your heart
that the good guys and the bad guys
don't know any more than you what's going on
End of the World?
End of Time?
I'm here to tell you
and yes that is my job
It doesn't matter
This moment and only this moment, matters
It is your heart, your very soul
that will shape this moment
and when we, together
Awaken to the idea
that is this moment
we will reach out
Without any thought for
what's in it for us
without any notion of our need
but reach out in one infinitesimal
moment
for no other reason than to
Be
Together
Joined
In the Moment

-- Krev Roues

I would submit that fear utterly disappears whenever we're able to take on the message of this poem.

I would also submit that this was at least part of what Jesus was saying when he told the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise."

~~~

PS: Ah, I see that I have posted it before but it was over on my blog Meditation Matters. Well it belongs here too so I'm not taking it down! :-)

Too perfect for words. I'm serious.

This is all you ever need to know. Really:



Shamelessly nicked from MadPriest.

Saint Mary the Virgin

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Here is an excerpt from a sermon preached on this day in 2007 at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Clifton, NJ :

The assumption is that moment when the promises become real for one member of the mystical body of Christ and so assure us all that the symbolic world indeed is giving way to reality. That reality is the resurrection of the mystical body of Christ and its formation in the world across the boundaries of time and space. It is a reality that we form even this day, but we form in faith and in hope, heirs of the promise that we hold this day in clay vessels as we await the redemption of our bodies.

Mary has passed from the symbolic into the real. That is the first meaning of this day’s feast. We, in the heat of the summer, oppressed by the heat of our lives and the weight of its deep humidity, find renewed hope for the redemption of our own bodies.

We stand this day in hope, even as we look to heaven to behold a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

- The Reverend Peter De Franco, Jr

The heart in thrall to God

Mural painting from the catacomb of Commodilla (Fourth Century)

Image from Wikimedia Commons

I haven't thought of this text in a long time now and just happened upon it today. Way back in my minister of music days I remember teaching my choir a lovely, haunting piece with these words:

I bind my heart, this tide, to the Galilean's side,
To the wounds of Calvary, to the Christ who died for me.

I bind my soul this day to the brother far away
And the brother near at hand, in this town and in this land.

I bind my heart in thrall to God, the Lord of all.
To God, the poor man's friend, and the Christ whom He did send.

I bind myself to peace, to make strife and envy cease.
God, knit Thou sure the cord of my thralldom to my Lord!

- Lauchlan Maclean Watt

Thinking about salvation

Image from Wikimedia Commons

There's a lot of misunderstanding out there about what the word "salvation" actually means. Here's something that can illuminate our reflections on the subject:

There are a number of Hebrew words about salvation which also mean "to bring into a spacious environment", "to be at one's ease", "to be free to develop". "Salvation" can be seen then as the new life in Christ, in which we are to be "free to develop" into Christ-like people. For this maturing to take place, there needs to be a breaking down of barriers, a breaking up of the soil of our personalities, and a healing of inner wounds and hurts. The soil is softened, the clay becomes malleable through the experience of the tender love of God and the accepting, non-judgmental love of Christians. We cannot be beaten into shape.

-- Michael Harper

That last sentence is very, very important and a lot of Christians today don't understand it at all.

Saying their beads

Artist: Friedrich Herlin

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Gesture of love

If this doesn't make you cry, you might need a heart tune-up or something.

(Charlotte Alexandre sent me this and I'm so very glad she did.)

If there is to be understanding...

Artist: Jan van Eyck
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Dear Readers,

I want to call your attention to an article that was sent to me by Teresa Wilbur, long time friend of St. John's Center. It is called Music: Essential for Life however the title does not begin to do justice to the power of the piece which is really an address to parents of incoming students at The Boston Conservatory.

I've always known that my years and years of training and professional work as a musician prepared me more than anything else possibly could have for my spiritual vocation. In fact, I have long been aware that the vocation is one. This brief piece by Dr. Karl Paulnack puts words to why that is true more eloquently than I have ever before experienced. And so I'm posting this on all three blogs today.

I will share only three sentences here:

If there is a future wave of wellness on this planet, of harmony, of peace, of an end to war, of mutual understanding, of equality, of fairness, I don't expect it will come from a government, a military force or a corporation. I no longer even expect it to come from the religions of the world, which together seem to have brought us as much war as they have peace. If there is a future of peace for humankind, if there is to be an understanding of how these invisible, internal things should fit together, I expect it will come from the artists, because that's what we do.

Please go read the whole thing. I promise you, you'll be glad you did.

And then listen to some good music today. Something beautiful. Something meaningful to you.

You'll be glad you did that too.

~~~

"I am the Bread of Life"

Artist: Francisco de Zurbarán

Image from Wikimedia Commons

The readings for today are so moving, so powerful, so heart-wrenching and heart-opening that I want to cry. Depending on which choice one's parish selects for the first reading, we either have the story about the death of Absalom or that of Elijah being fed by the angel. The choice of Psalms is likewise profound: "Out of the depths have I called to you..." or "Taste and see that the Lord is good." The Epistle reminds us to put away malice, bitterness, slander and to be tenderhearted toward each other. And then, of course, we have the gospel reading. "I am the Bread of Life." Here's a reflection about the "I am" passages of John's gospel that represents something about how I have thought of them for a long time now:

The "I am" passages may be Jesus’ poetic expressions of ... a mystical experience in which his personality and ego fell away and the only reality he sensed was that of God. If this is how we understand the passages, then when Jesus said "I am the way ... no one comes to the Father, but by me", this may mean that the way to God is to become one with God, as Jesus did. It may mean that we do not get to God through dogma or doctrine, but rather through mystical union with God, an experience shared by mystics of many religions throughout history.

-- Jim Burklo

Yes, many biblical scholars say that these sayings have been put in the mouth of Jesus by "the teaching Church" and I agree with that too. I would also say that, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, the Church recognized that what really mattered about Jesus was not his personality or ego but, rather, his shedding of those things about himself. Our epistle today from Ephesians tells us to be "imitators of God". Letting go of our ego definition will bring us into that mystical union indeed.

Encouragement

More and more I'm learnging to appreciate the enormous value of encouragement.

The video below is not ostensibly religious or spiritual but it gives some wonderfully practical help in actually carrying out the admonition of St. Paul in Romans 12 when he said, "Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep."

I think you can see how the suggestions in the video help us put the prayer attributed to St. Francis into practice: "Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand..."

A candle to pray by

The music on this video is gorgeous. Don't quit watching before it kicks in!

The Transfiguration of Our Lord

Artist: Fra Angelico

Image from Wikimedia Commons

The Transfiguration is not just about Jesus; it is about us. No one, I think, has ever expressed this reality more beautifully than the following:

God is transfiguring the world right this very moment through us because God believes in us and because God loves us. What can separate us from the love of God? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And as we share God's love with our brothers and sisters, God's other children, there is no tyrant who can resist us, no opposition that cannot be ended, no hunger that cannot be fed, no wound that cannot be healed, no hatred that cannot be turned into love, no dream that cannot be fulfilled.

-- Desmond Tutu

A tunnel to freedom

Gothic Revival Silver Spoon

The spoon

Some days I think I need nothing
more in life than a spoon.
With a spoon I can eat oatmeal
Or take the medicine doctors prescribe
I can swat a fly sleeping on the sill
or pound the table to get attention.
I can point accusingly at God
or stab the empty air repeatedly.
Looking into the spoon’s mirror,
I can study my face in its shiny bowl,
or cover one eye to make half the world
disappear. With a spoon
I can dig a tunnel to freedom
spoonful by spoonful of dirt,
or waste life catching moonlight
and flinging it into the blackest night.

-- Richard Jones

Your spiritual profile

Artist: Sophie Gengembre Anderson

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Which of the following describes your approach to faith or your faith personality most accurately?

believer
lover
seeker
maverick
companion
thinker

I just rediscovered a website I first found several years entitled Explore Faith. You can answer a ten question survey to indicate your "type" according to the choices above. I turned out "seeker" . I'm not sure that really describes me but it's obvious that's how I answered the questions today!

While you're there, you might enjoy exploring the site. Lots of good stuff there!

I think we need some Bach today!

From Cantata BWV 147:

Soprano: Christine Schäfer

English translation:

Make ready, O Jesus, to thee now the way;
My Savior, elect now
My soul ever faithful
And look down with eyes full of grace now on me!

Something I just remembered

Christian Science symbol

Quite a few years ago (pre-convent days) I lived next door to some dear people who were Christian Scientists. We became close friends and, in the process, I learned quite a bit about Christian Science. No, I'm not about to suggest that we give up going to doctors but I do want to say without reservation that there is much to be admired in Christian Science spirituality. This morning I happened to remember the opening sentence from their text book, Science and Health:

To those leaning on the Sustaining Infinite, today is big with blessings.

I love that. "The Sustaining Infinite" is both a deeply personal and also non-anthropomorphic name for God.

Here's something else I've always considered to be beautiful:

Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.

What orthodox Christian can argue with that? You often see those words painted on the front wall of Christian Science churches.

Finally I want to share with you something that prompted in me both reflection and sorrow when I first read it back in the 80s:

If all who ever partook of the sacrament had really commemorated the sufferings of Jesus and drunk of his cup, they would have revolutionaized the world.

I commend the above quotations to us all for reflection and contemplation today. They are all by Mary Baker Eddy.

By the way, the Christian Science Mother Church is in Boston and if you're ever there, please go by for a tour. It has a truly amazing organ - world class. And the building itself is lovely and also fascinating.

Kataphatic prayer

Artist: Francisco Zurbaran

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Our friend, Monk-in-Training, reminded me this morning that today is the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Ignatius, of course, is historically, one of the most well known proponents of kataphatic spirituality - that is, using images in prayer. Here's somethinge brief about that from Inner Compass: An Invitation to Ignatian Spirituality by Margaret Silf:

He began to find himself, in imagination, present in the scenes, conversations, and stories of the Gospels, and he began to participate in the plots of these stories. It was the start, for him, of an adventure into imaginative prayer that was to become a most powerful catalyst for the growth of his personal relationship with God..

Sadly, I've heard some praying people assert that apophatic prayer (without images) is somehow "better" or more authentic than kataphatic prayer. I don't think such an assessment is at all justifiable. The kind of prayer that a person finds accessible is largely a matter of temperament and personality. If our prayer brings us to surrender to God, then it's "good" prayer. If it doesn't, then something needs to be re-examined.

The color of grace

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Spiritual rigidity makes it very difficult for us to be open enough to notice divine surprises like this:

Lord, you are like a wildflower. You spring up in places where we least expect you. The bright color of your grace dazzles us. Far from trying to possess you, may you possess us.

— Henry Suso

Absolute mystery

Artist: William Turner

Image from Wikimedia Commons

This is the reason it is truly best not to judge other people for their belief system:

I must confess to you in all honesty that for me God is and has always been absolute mystery. I do not understand what God is; no one can. We have intimations, inklings; we make faltering, inadequate attempts to put mystery into words. But there is no word for it, no sentence for it.

— Karl Rahner

Little things

Artist: Jacques-Louis David

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Sojourners sent the following quotation out in an email today and I think it goes well with yesterday's posting:

Every spiritual master in every tradition talks about the significance of small things in a complex world. Small actions in social life, small efforts in the spiritual life, small moments in the personal life. All of them become great in the long run, the mystics say, but all of them look like little or nothing in themselves.

- Joan Chittister

We are very easily seduced, aren't we, by the world's understanding of significance. It is wise not to devalue seemingly "little" things. We don't know. We really don't know. Let us, rather, assume that our judgment of what is small or great may very well be distorted.