Good News

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body of Christ, Brother Curtis Almquist, Christ, Society of Saint John the Evangelist, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

In a newly begun daily message, the Society of St. John the Evangelist has, I think, really “hit the mark.” The message is simple, clear and totally on point so I share it in gratitude for what I hope to remember throughout this day and beyond. See if you agree.

We’re the best that Jesus has got, we all in whom — so we say and pray–Jesus lives. We become what we have received: the body of Christ. Then we go and be that in the world that God so loves. (Br. Curtis Almquist, ssje)

Miracles

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Brother Curtis Almquist, conversation, Jesus, meeting, reality, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, walking miracle

Just a word today as I prepare to spend the day with about 100 of my Sisters (always a joy) to pray and reflect on our lives together. We do this on a regular basis but today is preliminary to our “General Chapter,” a meeting of hearts and minds that usually happens now every six years to examine our reality and to set a direction for the future. Our conversation started yesterday afternoon and will continue through tomorrow. With no words of my own this morning that might approximate the meaning of this event for me, I offer a line from the daily message of the Society of St. John the Evangelist.

Brother Curtis Almquist suggests: It’s not just Jesus who is a walking miracle; you also are a walking miracle. (ssje.org)

What would our lives – and the world – be like if we all believed that saying and lived out of it?

The Human Jesus

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acceptance, Brother Curtis Almquist, developmental issues, gratitude, growth, human, humanity, imagination, Jesus, limitations, Messiah, mission, reflection, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, understanding, visualizing

Like many people, I receive a few “thought for the day” quotes in my e-mail each morning. Most often I delete them without too much reflection but occasionally there is something that makes me sit up and take notice. Perhaps because of the Wednesday and Friday gospels this week that focused on the miraculous feeding and healing powers of Jesus, I was led to reflect on his humanity today by Brother Curtis Almquist of the Episcopal Society of St. John the Evangelist in a short post entitled Growth. Here’s what he wrote.

I don’t think Jesus asked to be the Messiah any more than any of us asked for the deck of cards that was handed to us in our birth. But Jesus grew into the acceptance of his humanity, his gifts, his limitations, his mission, and his unfinished business, facing the same developmental issues that we all do in growing up.

Even though in theory I totally buy into Paul’s declaration to the Philippians that Jesus “emptied himself of godliness” and “became like us in all things but sin,” it’s rather stunning to think of Jesus having limitations, let alone “developmental issues.” I must admit, however, to a tiny sensation of relief and gratitude somewhere inside me as I begin to conjecture just what that might mean. I think it will take some time because there are no words that will clarify the sensation. It will take imagination, visualizing Jesus in life situations – in his youth, as a young adult and during his ministry – asking him questions about what he is experiencing in the situations in which he finds himself and then listening for answers.

Trusting that this process is not just a “flight of fancy” but rather a journey into the “imaginal” world may lead to a deepening of understanding and appreciation of Jesus as “fully human.” Why not give it a try?

Once More With Feeling

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Brother Curtis Almquist, humility, identification, judgment, love, love is the answer, perception, reject, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I feel as if I’m getting boring in this daily task, as everything seems to move toward the same message, no matter where I am or what the day portends. It’s as if everything is conspiring to have me see that in everything every day love is truly the answer. No matter how it is expressed, underneath every message is that truth. I found it this morning in a message from a website that shows up in my mail every day. On this day, when I will be in a day-long meeting with about a hundred Sisters of St. Joseph, I am happy to have it with me, just in case…

Humility: The discovery of the grace of humility is a movement toward a spirit of identification. It’s to presume, in some deep way, “I am this other person.” And rather than to use our judgment to reject or condemn, to use that perception of this other as an insightful invitation for mercy. Someone who has a way of getting under our skin in some significant way probably belongs there. (Brother Curtis Almquist)