Shedding

Tags

branch, connection, John, lesson, nature, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, vine

I”ve spent some time yesterday and the day before picking up branches under one of our large maple trees. I hope that today I will complete the task and be able to rake and then cut the grass under that tree. We’ve had an inordinate amount of shedding going on this spring, mostly because of the heavy winds of the past few months. Some of the branches could be mistaken for trees themselves because they are so very large. As I drag them to a pile on the edge of our property, I sometimes wonder what made them separate from the tree as many of them seem strong and not at all diseased. People would say that it’s just the way of things in nature: they live, are nourished by their root system and then they die – either from a weather event or just old age.

Clearing the branches makes me more aware of the gifts of the trees to our ecosystem and to me. Beauty, shade and release of necessary gasses as they breathe are notable reasons to be grateful, as is the shelter they provide for the birds. Interestingly, today the gospel is the familiar “vine and branches” reading from John that speaks to us of our connection to one another and to God. And that is perhaps the greatest lesson of all.

Une Grande Tragedie

Tags

beauty, connection, Notre Dame, Peace, rebuild, symbolic, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, unity

How does one speak of the event of yesterday which sent shock waves throughout the world? Anyone who has had the privilege of visiting the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris is in mourning – but so is everyone who perceives the symbolic meaning of the massive structure that the world watched burning over and over yesterday during the consistent coverage on television and the internet. It was said often that Notre Dame belongs not only to all Parisians but to a world that bowed before the structural magnificence and the priceless beauty of design and artistic jewels of all kinds held within her walls.

I have been privileged, as a high school French teacher and a Roman Catholic, to stand in the light of her more than 800 years of existence and feel the holiness that is not confined to one manner of religious practice but transcends all in the energy and splendor of the place. There are no words adequate to measure the loss. President Macron has vowed to see that the structure is rebuilt and one can only hope his promise is fulfilled. But like so many such efforts, it will never be the same. The wooden structure will likely be replaced by more fire-retardant materials and the prayers of nearly a millennium of pilgrims will be hard to replace.

But wait! There is possibility of a sort. President Macron promised to begin today to solicit donations from around the world of people who desire to restore this most precious icon of art and faith. Perhaps such a worldwide effort will create something symbolic that speaks of our connection, a striving for unity of purpose that will stand as a new way of building cohesion. Perhaps in the rebuilding we will achieve a new kind of universal claim of ownership, a recognition of need for beauty, peace and willingness to participate in something larger than ourselves where all are welcome to visit and find a home. Perhaps in our corporate loss we will find a widening of our hearts, a willingness to create something beautiful for God and one another.

May it be so, we pray.

Coming Together

Tags

connection, consciousness, gathering, heart, life, love, loving, meeting, Oscar Wilde, sharing, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Yesterday I had two meetings back-to-back. The first was a small gathering, only four of seven who try to gather monthly for a “shot in the arm” of wisdom practices that keep us conscious in a way that nothing else seems able to do. We always miss but are very aware of our connection with our “absent brethren.” I went from there to a virtual committee meeting; just our voices were together through the miracle of a phone conference. Again we were four, together in the ethers in an effort to create a process that we hope will enable deeper sharing among members of a much larger group. I could see the faces in my mind as each of us spoke and allowed ideas to germinate in the sharing.

This morning I think how blessed I am to count these experiences as part of my life’s “work.” Extraneous, perhaps, or at least tangential to what I am being paid for, these occurrences of connection create the foundation of everything else that I am able and privileged to do. It’s all about love, you see, which is clearly illustrated for me today in a quote from Oscar Wilde that seems worthy of sharing.

Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and richness to life that nothing else can bring.

 

 

 

 

 

Go Deeper

Tags

connection, discipline, fasting, Isaiah, Lent, mass shooting, reconciliation, relationship, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, transformation, turning your back

In the wake of another mass shooting in a high school yesterday where all reports were of a system that was prepared for such an incident, it seems futile to talk about all the security measures that were in place. How was a single gunman able to kill 17 people? Will we ever be able to stop such things from happening by shoring up our defenses? Are we not called for something more transformative? Isaiah thinks so.

Some of us are still entering Lent with hopes of transformation resulting from the simple disciplines like giving up our favorite foods or fasting from criticism of our co-workers (not a bad start!). How do we react to this morning’s challenge of Isaiah who asks: “Do you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?” When is the last time we participated in an effort to “set free the oppressed?” We’re pretty good at sharing our bread with the hungry but how many times do we open our homes to the oppressed and the homeless? That could be pretty dangerous, right?

We tend to make excuses about the impossibility of interpreting the Scriptures literally. Culture has changed so much…life is so different now, and, to be honest, those claims have some validity. Can we find ways, though, to practice such large-heartedness in the culture that is ours now?

Here is the line that is closest to my heart. I hear so often about families whose members don’t even speak to one another. Isaiah finishes his litany of how we ought to work toward transformation with the call of not turning your back on your own. How might I, who have been blessed with a nuclear and extended family that are bound together by care and history of connection, find a way to interpret that dictum of Isaiah as part of Lenten practice? Believing that we are all brothers and sisters, perhaps my task is to examine the wider sphere of my relationships and work to repair any rift or misunderstanding that I can find, even if it has been long buried. Perhaps in working toward this kind of reconciliation, I might join in the necessary effort toward forgiveness that hangs heavy on our hearts today.

 

 

 

 

 

Success!

Tags

climate change, connection, consciousness, deep breath, gratitude, Peace, soup supper, Syrian refugees, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, unity

Sometimes we just have to “let go and let God.” At the beginning of this week we had  heard from people who said, “Oh yes, I’d like to come to your soup supper” (see yesterday’s post) but at that point we only had one confirmed reservation. I think it  was on Tuesday that we counted up nine additional people. Since I have been engaged in programming events for years where reservations (not necessarily for food but sometimes just for space and set-up), I expected some “after deadline traffic” but I was beginning to wonder about the folly of such an undertaking. My last call for an additional two attendees was yesterday morning about seven hours before the event. By then I had developed enough stamina to reply, “Of course you can come! I’ll see you there!” while my mind was saying, “Will we have enough soup? Will I find enough soup spoons? Should we have ordered more books”…etc.

By five o’clock, I was ready for whatever happened and taking deep breaths of gratitude for our trusty team of 3 soup makers and 3 set-up/clean up staff who allowed me the luxury of addressing and then mixing with the 28 people who participated in the event. All the books were sold, all the soup consumed, excellent interactions were the order of the evening and the original goal was achieved: a new consciousness of and over $500 to be donated to aid for Syrian refugees. An additional gift was the exhibit of five powerful and telling paintings by local artist, Claudine Jones, whose concern for the environment contributed not only to the conversations but to our awareness of the need to be engaged in the issue of climate change.

I continue to be amazed at what can happen in a small city in Upstate New York that causes ripples of connection to the larger world. I met a few new people last evening and in our conversations with old and new acquaintances relationships were begun or strengthened in service to the good of all people. May it continue and lead us in time to a world of unity and peace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Derby

Tags

accomplishment, care, connection, dreams, fidelity, Good Shepherd, humans and animals, joy, Kentucky Derby, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, thrill of victory

This may sound a bit crass to some who expect a reflection on the Good Shepherd today, but I just read an article about yesterday’s annual Kentucky Derby and made a connection that I want to share. It’s not about sheep, obviously, but rather horses and the fact that even really rich people can share dreams that start in childhood.

It seems that the two owners of the winner, Always Dreaming, grew up in Brooklyn and came to love horses and horse racing when their fathers brought them to the track as young boys. The one being interviewed, Anthony Bonomo, spoke of his neighborhood and the fact that after the race he had 267 messages on his phone from those folks he had known all his life. He said they would have to have a meal at a big restaurant in Brooklyn to share the joy of all those people whose support they cherish. He recounted – before the race – how their beloved horse would run the race, responding exactly as planned to the jockey’s body commands that were so familiar. It happened just as he predicted, even to the 2 1/2 lengths of the lead at the finish line.

This is the first time I have considered that, for owners, this race is not just about competition or money that most of them certainly don’t need. Rather, in addition to the thrill of the game, it is love for the animal itself that resounds in the joy of accomplishment. I understand in a very small way this “thrill of victory,” having gone on a few family outings to the race track and seeing the beautiful animals pass by on their way to the starting gate. I would choose the winner by looks and by their names rather than their statistical promise and rarely picked a winner so it was good that I was not rich enough to bet on them! Riding a horse in the hills around Taos, New Mexico, is also a great memory for me. There is no fear, even on narrow trails, as the horse knows where to walk and can read the simple cues from the rider’s knees and gentle pulls on the reigns.

This reverie may seem far-fetched – and I will stop here – but having experienced the connection between humans and their animals gives me a peaceful feeling that is always the result of such a relationship. Cats and dogs and even gerbils, I guess, can teach us a little of what Jesus was talking about today – about care given and fidelity received. And I, for one, am happy to have known that joy.

Remain

Tags

connection, flowering, fruit, Jesus, John, remain, steadfast, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, vine, wine

In my neighborhood we’re just beginning to see the flowering of trees that we hope will later produce much fruit. In the southwestern part of our state vintners are hoping for just the right mix of sun and rain that will assure an abundance of grapes this year. Driving in wine country is a breathtaking experience of seeing acres and acres first of the perfectly pruned “naked” vines secured in row after row and later those same vines in full leaf. It’s then time to walk the fields in order to see the fruit hidden among the leaves and experience the fragrance of the ripening grapes. (Oh yes, and then there is the wine tasting…)

From observing nature in this and many other ways, we come to better understand the frequent references of Jesus to life and growth in the Spirit. Often, for me, there is a word (usually a verb) that deepens the meaning of the message. Today that word is “remain.” In what scholars have come to call the “final discourse” of Jesus in John’s gospel (ch. 14-17), there are many beautiful sentiments, none more vivid or familiar, perhaps, than “the vine and the branches.” Jesus says, Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. As I read those two sentences, the verb remain, repeated four times, reverberates in me as a clear call to fidelity. The essential truth is that if the connection of the branch to the vine is severed, life is irrevocably cut off. But the responsibility for connection is not all on us! The effort of remaining steadfast in all of life’s circumstances is made worthy of any struggle because of the promise that Christ also remains in us. Knowing this, I am willing for the pruning as much as for the ripening and trust that all will come to fruition in the fullness of time.