Everything Speaks

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desert, God's Word, listen, Moses, tell, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, word of life

I went out ten minutes ago (6:10 a.m.) to get my morning coffee and was greeted with the clearest sky possible, darkly shining in the moonlight with the morning star as brilliant as a huge diamond. I thought of a quote learned long ago: “The morning star shines clear in the sky, offering it the word of life.” After a glorious display, the light spreads quickly and the day begins again. I must not dawdle if I am to catch the show.

Yesterday, our “desert day” confirmed the truth of the desert Abba Moses in the following “word.”

“A certain brother went to Abba Moses in Scete and asked him for a good word. And the elder said to him: Go, sit in your cell, and your cell will tell you everything.”

I now know that if my cell is the night sky, or the glory of a rising sun, or just my morning coffee time on my bed, the word will be heard if, of course, I am listening well.

Thomas Merton, from the Desert

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abbas, ammas, desert, prayers, retreat, spiritual liberty, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, The Wisdom of the Desert, Thomas Merton, true self

It is 6:52 a.m. in Tucson, Arizona, and I am here to learn about those intrepid men and women known as the desert fathers and mothers (or Abbas and Ammas) of early Christianity (4th century), who left the cities to find their “true selves” in the  silence and solitude of the deserts of the Near East.

Later this morning I will set out and find a space in this desert place where I will be alone for just an hour without anything to distract me but my own thoughts. The rules are: no cellphone, no journal, no watch to tell when we should come back. “Watch the sky,” our teacher answered when that question came up. Just walk out, find a place and sit down. Simple? Not so much, since we are 21st century Americans.

Here’s what Thomas Merton said on the subject in his book, The Wisdom of the Desert:

“We cannot do exactly what they did. But we must be as thorough and as ruthless in our determination to break all spiritual chains, and cast off the domination of alien compulsions, to find out true selves, to discover and develop our inalienable spiritual liberty and use it to build, on earth, the Kingdom of God. This is not the place in which to speculate what our great and mysterious vocation might involve. That is still unknown. Let it suffice for me to say that we need to learn from these men [and women] of the fourth century how to ignore prejudice, defy compulsion and strike out fearlessly into the unknown.” (p.24)

This will obviously not be achieved any time soon but making a start seems important today. Prayers, please!

Ponder This

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enlighten, Ephesians, Genesis, Mark, perseverance, promise, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

With the promise of God in Genesis 8:22, that “As long as the earth lasts, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter and day and night shall not cease,” hope returned to the world. With Paul’s prayer in his letter to the Ephesians (1:17-18), “May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our hearts that we may know what is the hope to which we are called,” the promise was solidified. Through the willingness of Jesus to lay hands -not once but twice – on a blind man to assure his healing (MK 8:22-26), we can trust in God’s perseverance on our behalf.

What more can we ask as this new day dawns?

One More Wake-up Call

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creation, defense, Genesis, hear, Herod, Jesus, Mark Divine, Noah, Pharisees, see, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, understand, voice

The lectionary readings for today are a little scary. In the first (from Genesis 6&7) God is lamenting that he created humans at all because of how wicked they have become. The only solution, God thinks, is destruction of all humans. animals and birds. “For I am sorry that I made them,” God says. Thank heaven that Noah showed up as the one shining creation, enough to save the world because “he did what God commanded him.”

In the gospel the disciples misinterpret a warning from Jesus to watch out for the leaven of Herod and the Pharisees. Because he used the word “leaven” to describe their wickedness, the disciples thought that Jesus was upset because they had forgotten to bring enough bread for all of them to eat. (MK 8:14-21) When Jesus realized their conclusion, he reacted with what sounds like uncharacteristic vehemence and frustration in a torrent of questions: Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear? Do you still not understand?

Most of the time I do not consider God to depend on our strength or weakness, wickedness or upright behavior, perceptiveness or lack of understanding. I consider God (and Jesus while he lived among us) to be all knowing and loving, forgiving us everything. These readings have not changed my opinion but they do seem to have the effect this morning of making me want us to do better. It isn’t enough today for me to wring my hands at the political climate in our country and the world. And how many more “active shooters” will it take before I add my voice – not just in my home but to my Congressional representatives – about gun control? What is the purpose of reading these texts every morning if I simply put them aside and go on with my day? I don’t think it’s just up to me to save the world but if I’m not willing to make a little noise in God’s defense, how can I expect anything to change?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Sister Catherine

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aging, living, Sister Catherine Schuyler, Sisters of St. Joseph, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Our eldest Sister died yesterday. Sister Catherine Schuyler was 107 years old. We were preparing to celebrate next month her 85 years as a Sister of St. Joseph. In my mind’s eye and ears I can hear the uproar of cheers that would have erupted to accompany her up the aisle of our grand chapel to celebrate her life and thank her for the example she offered of steadfastness and joy.

My favorite story about Catherine is the way she chose to celebrate what I believe was her 97th birthday. She loved the Adirondacks and chose to live among those mountains in her “older age.” Urban legend tells that she climbed a mountain on that birthday “because she could!” (Her words, as the story goes.) What an example of living until you die! And she lived after that for another decade. I can easily bring her wonderful smile to mind. How happy she must be now to know the beatific vision that smiles back at her in heaven.

“Fly with the angels, Catherine! You will live on in our hearts,” said the announcement to us of her passing yesterday. And so she surely does already, and so she will remain.

Sabbath Morning

Tags

growth, jeremiah, psalm 1, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, trees

There are lots of familiar images in the readings for today. In reading both the text from Jeremiah and the psalm it’s easy for me to see a tree planted near water “stretching out its roots to the stream” (JER) and “yielding its fruit in due season” (Psalm 1) because a river runs through the back of our property and we are blessed with many trees that will be leafing out within a couple of months. There are some spring days when we worry about the river overflowing its banks but rushing water or damage to the trees is rare. It is miraculous to me to walk around in the spring and observe the growth that has taken place – without any fanfare, silently and imperceptibly over the winter.

Both Jeremiah and the psalmist are comparing us to these trees. Of course there are broken branches in some cases – usually from winter wind – but mostly we can count on the strength of the roots and the trunks of the trees to persevere and grow. It gives me hope to consider this comparison, especially when I am not feeling very effective or prolific in projects or when the strictures of winter seem too harsh. All I need to do is look up from my typing and see the tree outside my window standing tall and silent against the morning sky. Two bluejays have just landed in its branches without any assistance from the tree itself.

So it is with my life (and yours). A readiness to offer space for another is enough as we wait for a later recognition of the growth that manifests even just because of the waiting.

Shopping

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consider, grace, options, Peace, rainbow, spring, symbol, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I’ve begun to think that everything can be a symbol from which I can learn if I am paying attention. Call me crazy but I’m convinced that there are lessons to be learned each day and life is more easily engaged in a positive manner if we pay attention. Let me explain.

Yesterday I finally accepted the fact that I needed to get a new phone. (Mine has been on a charger now for days with no sign of life.) Being one of the least technologically savvy persons I know, I resisted a trip to the Verizon store but finally gave in to the inevitability and went. Having been alerted to the fact that there is an alternative to the large store near the university where all the employees are like 15-year-old barracudas who meet you at the door and talk faster than anyone I have ever met, I was grateful for the information that led me to that small, quiet alternative where there were only two employees, one a middle-aged man and one a 22-year-old woman. She became my guardian angel within the first five minutes. The bad news was that my phone was irrevocably dead and because I had resisted adding “cloud space” for the last many months, she would not be able to transfer such things as contacts and photos. The good news was that I would be able to purchase a new phone for about 60% of the price that I was expecting.

I did not buy the phone. I needed time to consider the options. Grace got in my car with me for the trip home, however, because in that half-hour drive two things happened. First, in realizing that I would need to let go of much that was contained in the phone’s memory, I would be starting over. A new season would be born for me which suddenly seemed like a good thing – like when the first shoots of spring plants begin to appear. Of course it will demand some work to build a new set of contacts but those will be recent rather than long-ago entries that are no longer operative. And if my photos are gone, I still have the memories they contained. The recognition was swift and filled me with peace.

As I neared my exit from the highway the most vivid and spacious rainbow suddenly appeared, stretching from ground to sky in a blaze of seven colors that took my breath away. Because I had left the sun in the city and was driving into a dark gray backdrop of sky, conditions were perfect for such a show: no rain, just glorious color. It stayed with me for over five minutes of gratitude and glory.

Today I will buy and begin life with my new phone and call it Grace.

Try This!

Tags

Brian Johnson, mantra, Optimize, success, Teddy Roosevelt, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Sometimes on Fridays I like to take stock of what the week has held of events and accomplishments (or lack thereof). This week I feel as if all I’ve done is answer emails and telephone messages, trying to catch up with myself and hoping each day for more “success.”

This morning I smiled as I read one of the various websites that just appears on my screen each day without any invitation from me. I have just begun to read it occasionally rather than automatically deleting it. It is written by Brian Johnson and is called “Optimize.” Today I didn’t even have to click on his topic to get the message, which he says comes from Teddy Roosevelt, because it appears in big, bold letters – all CAPS and says: DO WHAT YOU CAN WITH WHAT YOU HAVE WHERE YOU ARE. 

Sounds like a mantra for the day to me! Thanks, Brian, wherever you are!

Be Your Valentine

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A Deep Breath of Life, Alan Cohen, heart, love, St. Valentine, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Many people know that the genesis of the practice of sending valentine cards and gifts to show our love for one another began with an imprisoned Christian who was condemned to death as a heretic. Some of us know that St. Valentine is remembered for the cure of Julia, his prison guard’s seven year old daughter who was blind. Perhaps fewer of us have heard the story of the note he left for Julia on the day of his execution which said the following:

My dear Julia, although we shall never see each other again, know that I will always love you. You are very dear to me. I will stay unseen by your side and I will live in your heart. I believe in you. Your Valentine. 

Alan Cohen* reminded me of this legend today and added an unusual but deeply thought-provoking post script after urging inspiration for our loved ones. He says: If you are your own Valentine, remember that all the love you need is within you, just as you are, right where you are. (*A Deep Breath of Life)

What a good idea! Happy Valentine’s Day!

By Breath

Tags

breath, Christine Valters Paintner, Genesis, psalm 104, pulse, rhythm, Sara Thomsen, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Wisdom of the Body

I woke up this morning with song lyrics running through my body/mind and found them as well in the lectionary readings for today from chapter 2 of the Book of Genesis and Psalm 104. The Scriptures say, “The Lord God blew into [our] nostrils the breath of life and so [we] became living being[s].” And then: “if you take away their breath, they perish…” Sara Thomsen is still singing to me: By breath, by blood, by body, by spirit, we are all one…

The song is likely a result of my preparation for our book club meeting today where the first of two chapters for our consideration is entitled “Breath: The Gateway to the Body.” The Scripture readings just add serendipity to the theme. Or is there more to be said?

In the book, Wisdom of the Body by Christine Valters Paintner, chapter two spends itself on all sorts of reasons to pay attention to our breath. One paragraph that I find quite beautiful and worth this day in reflection is from page 34. It is my gift to you and God’s gift to us all for today.

Pause just a moment before reading further to notice your breath without trying to change it. Track your breathing for a few moments, bringing a sense of wonder to this primal rhythm that sustains your life even when you aren’t paying attention, such as while you are sleeping, eating, or in deep conversation with a dear friend. The breath, like the heartbeat, is the ancient rhythm and pulse of life. The breath is like an old and loyal friend with whom you are becoming reacquainted.