Hope-filled Holiday

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anxious, Elizabeth, endure, Mary, Memorial Day, pandemic, persevere, re-connect, rejoice, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Zephaniah

Zephaniah, the ninth of the twelve minor prophets, is a rarely quoted text in the daily lectionary. Thus, it is a memorable moment when we read a message like the joyful one that is the first reading for today. Listen:

Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem…Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged! The Lord, your God, is in your midst. He will rejoice with you with gladness and renew you in his love. He will sing joyfully because of you…

It was significant today for me to read such an account of emotional experiences as I had just spent a heartfelt half-hour reading about families and other groups that have been spending this weekend re-connecting with loved ones. All across our country people are gathering in celebration of the incipient end of the pandemic. One after another, families and friends tell of the joy they have experienced upon spending time with one another. The stories are full of hugs, kisses, laughter and new stories from over the past year when such behaviors were not allowed. Love was the over-arching theme and the possibility of actually touching one another seemed almost miraculous. All of it gave credence to the second reading for this day from Paul’s letter to the Romans. We would do well to take his words to heart:

Brothers and sisters: Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality…

Above and beyond all that, there was the consummate example of love and hospitality—my favorite in the entire gospel (at least today…) where Mary “went in haste” to her cousin Elizabeth. Mary was a pregnant teenager seriously needing solace and she found it in Elizabeth (undoubtedly held tightly in her arms). How similar are some of today’s stories to Mary’s, how needy are we all of comfort after the past sixteen months!

May we find joy in the Lord as Zephaniah did, camaraderie as Paul and the early followers of Jesus did, and comfort at the possible end to the pandemic as Mary did in the person of her relative. And may we all remember on this Memorial Day to thank God for all the good that has been done for us.

Smart Monkeys

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A Deep Breath of Life, accept, Alan Cohen, anxious, clutch, creative, fit, intelligence, learn, monkeys, struggle, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, the tide of events

I would have to look back in my posts to see if Monday is the day on which I am most likely to rely on the thoughts of others rather than my own in writing here. Perhaps it would make sense that the beginning of the work week would be fraught with plans and deadlines or regrets about what I did not accomplish during the weekend, in which case focus on creative thought might be more difficult. Whether or not that is sometimes the case, it is not so this morning, yet I am once again drawn to share what is to me an engaging and meaningful lesson from Alan Cohen’s book, A Deep Breath of Life. See if my choice is helpful for you.

Jungle lore tells that monkeys learned how to evade capture by making use of ease rather than force. Hunters would put some nuts in a glass jar with a rim smaller than its base. A monkey of inferior intelligence would reach into the jar and grab the nuts, but because the hand with the nuts in it was too large to fit through the rim, the animal would stand there struggling, and the hunter would grab him. The smarter monkeys, however, didn’t reach into the jar; they simply opened one palm and tilted the jar so the nuts fell into it. If you are trying to clutch onto something that won’t fit into your life naturally, that’s when you get caught. Accept what shows up, and you are free. Take advantage of the tide of events and life will support you in ways that you could not manipulate through anxious struggle.

Build on what is, rather than what isn’t, and you will be one with life.

The Important Things

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anxious, busy, Jesus, love of God, Luke, presence, St. Martha, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, worried

I think St. Martha ought to be the patron saint of the United States. (Today is her feast day.) We are so busy! One translation of the familiar message to Martha in the tenth chapter of Luke’s gospel has Jesus saying, “Martha, Martha, you’re anxious and worried about so many things…” but another has it as: “you are so BUSY…” Either one fits the description of so many of us whose lives are so full of activity that we find it difficult to sit still. Even when there is nothing pressing, we find some necessity staring us in the face. Even when we’re eating (at least if alone) we look for something to read, just to save time! Even our children don’t have time to sit down to talk or eat with parents because after school means basketball or travel soccer, music lessons or karate… then homework on into the night.

Perhaps I’m making excuses for myself. It’s almost noon and I am still in my pajamas (which could be taken to be a shorts set, however!). I’ve had my coffee, eaten a banana and emptied the dishwasher in the 3 1/2 hours since I finally rolled out of bed, but I’ve also had some great conversation with my Sisters. Now, however, I have told myself I have to “get serious” and attend to all the catch-up things that await my attention. Somehow, I’m not sure I will be too productive today. And that’s okay. I think I’ll focus on the conclusion of Jesus who finished his message to Martha about all that she’s concerned about by saying, “Only one thing is necessary.” He was trying to get her to imitate her sister who was just sitting with him, reveling, I would guess, in his presence and what he was saying. So whether it’s a focus on the present moment with those around us or on the love of God, it sounds like enough for me today. And it sounds good.