The Choice Is Ours

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chaos, choose, Divine Light, fear, humanity, Joyce Rupp, listen, love, Psalm 145, Psalms for Praying: An Invitation to Wholeness, spiritual eyes, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, trust, wholeness

In her book Psalms for Praying: An Invitation to Wholeness, Joyce Rupp has a stunningly beautiful rendering of today’s lectionary psalm (145) that seems quite apt for our time. Let it be our prayer and hope for this day.

Divine Light shines in those who live in Love. I shall uphold all who are burdened with fear, and raise up all who call to Me. The time is nigh for you to choose, for great is the new dawn that fast approaches; I call each of you to open your inner ears, to see with spiritual eyes, and to trust that even amidst the outward chaos, all is working toward the wholeness of humanity.

*CORRECTION: 10/27/16: Although I was holding the book Psalms for Praying in my lap as I wrote yesterday, I inadvertently noted the author as Joyce Rupp, whose writings I admire greatly. The author of the above quote is really Nan Merrill.

 

 

 

 

 

Wisdom Seekers

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awareness, blessedness, chaos, compassion, generosity of heart, held by God, light of mercy, listen, psalm 112, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, wisdom

Having just come from three days in the company of a dozen people who are seeking to open their hearts more deeply to God in the study of wisdom, I was taken by this morning’s psalm. The title given in an alternative translation for Psalm 112: 1-6 is The Seeker of Wisdom and the message is clear.

Hallelujah! I speak in praise of all the truly blessed upon the earth. They stand in awe, aware of God, and listen carefully to every breath and word God utters. They grow and spread across the land; their children’s generations are also full of blessedness. Their houses fill with wealth and good and all relationships of theirs are just and fair. In all the dark and bitter places of their lives the light remains and brightly burns with mercy and compassion, for these they balance with righteous laws. They share their wealth with generosity of heart. In the times of chaos they are firm and planted deep, for they are held by you in full remembrance.

May we all continue in blessedness because of our willingness to “listen carefully to every breath and word God utters” and to know, in times of chaos, that we are held by God. In this way the light of mercy and compassion will guide us faithfully and we will become that light to all we meet.