Always A Solution

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creativity, Jesus, loaves and fishes, openness, possibility, problem solving, solution, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

The gospels are replete with stories that teach a lesson. Sometimes I just have to smile at what looks like a “throw-away sentence” but is really a clue to the way Jesus functioned and a lesson that he was offering to his followers. Today, for example, we have one of the “feeding of the 5,000” stories—the one that Jesus uses to challenge the creativity of his followers by asking a question. “Where shall we buy bread for all these people?” he asked Philip. We get a clue to his purpose as the gospel then says, “He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.” (I would have hated to be in Philip’s shoes as creativity is not my best gift…and I’m not fond of being tested like that.) Philip couldn’t get his mind around a possible answer to the question so it was a good thing that there were others more creative in the band. Andrew’s answer of 5 barley loaves and 2 small fish from a boy in the crowd was clearly not a solution but it got the miracle going.

Sometimes we don’t have to have the solution to a problem all by ourselves; it’s good to have companions who can add to the solution. I have always been amazed at what can happen if a group comes together with a willingness to help and an openness to possibilities—even if some of the suggestions seem impossible, because sometimes that’s all that’s needed to get the creative juices of the group flowing. Jesus knew that and he trusted the group he had gathered. It’s up to us to do the same, letting go of wanting to be in charge but willing to add what we can to a solution. We may not be able to feed 5,000 people in the end but if the love generated in the group takes over, it can be a beautiful thing to see what God can create in us.

Stillness

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creativity, Eckhart Tolle, let go, solutions, stillness, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

A few days ago I read a sentence that Eckhart Tolle had on his website. It was a “thought for the day” that might well be be made into a poster to hang in the bedrooms of busy people – or anyone really. See if you agree.

Stillness is where creativity and solutions to problems are found.

And remember that stillness is not the same as silence. Just check into your brain if you think you’re in stillness to see if there are still thoughts running around, and then breathe, letting everything fall away in the same way that the leaves are falling these days from the trees even when there is no wind – or even a breeze. They just let go…

Right Timing

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creativity, kindness, reflection, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, transformation, wonder of creation

I’m always amazed at the transformation in the natural world that happens in the autumn here in the Northeast United States. Somehow, absent a catastrophic event like a hurricane, the “peak” weekend for the splendor of the colorful foliage – the weekend for “leaf peeking” is around Columbus Day (now being named by increasing numbers of people as “Indigenous Peoples Day”). It seems to make little difference whether or not there is good evidence for the timing but this year was a late blooming yet eventually spectacular event precisely on the central date of October 12th. Now it’s up to us to allow the leaves to fall, remembering the beauty of the miracle of transformation that has just happened.

In another example of synchronicity, today’s lectionary readings offer a commentary on this beautiful happening with Psalm 8. It begins: O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is your name over all the earth! Next is a reflection that could and should move us to wonder. The psalmist puts us directly in the midst of the miracle by a statement and then a question.

When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars which you set in place – Who are we that you should be mindful of us, that you should care for us? Yet you have made us little less than the angels and crowned us with glory and honor…

Let us give thanks for the kindness and creativity of our God and revel – perhaps through video and photos – in the wonders that we continue to see in the turning of the seasons throughout the year.

Imagine!

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A Deep Breath of Life, abilities, Alan Cohen, awareness, creativity, enlightened, healing, I am the way, Imagine, Jesus, joy, life, love, seeking, striving, success, support, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, truth, trying

Home again this morning in my own space, I first did what is my usual Sunday morning task: checking my calendar for the week to make sure nothing creeps up on me for which I’m not prepared. I was reminded that there is some creative work to be done and that is a good thing for my spirit. That task done but still in waking mode, I turned to Alan Cohen to find the perfect message for this morning. Perhaps you will find it to be so as well.

Imagine that all of your trying, seeking, and striving has been completed. Imagine that you have within you all the awareness and tools you need to live a life of joy, creativity, success and love. Imagine that you don’t have to pass any more tests or prove anything to anyone. Imagine that you don’t have to earn the love or favor of God. Imagine that you have the abilities and credentials to offer healing and support to others. These imaginings are much closer to the truth than imaginings that you are broken, wounded or needy. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” If you recognize who you are, you can make this statement with equal authority. 

Practice being enlightened. It is the truth about you.  (Alan Cohen – A Deep Breath of Life)

Mid-October Morning

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action, Celtic Benediction, creativity, God, health, hope, John Philip Newell, new life, prayer, reflection, renewal, rest, rhythms of time, seasons, stillness, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, unfolding

On this dreary Saturday morning it is clear that the earth has shifted into the season of Autumn. As the rain taps out a wake-up call on the roof, I wonder if we will see the usual splendor that accompanies October. Some say because of the hot, wet summer we had, the trees will not provide us with that gift this year. I always hold out hope though, and it will last in me for a few more days. For now, I am relaxed into morning by a prayer of John Philip Newell that expands the rhythms of time and the seasons into a God-like view.

For the night followed by the day, for the idle winter ground followed by the energy of spring, for the unfolding of the earth followed by bursts of unfolding, thanks be to you, O God. For rest and wakefulness, stillness and creativity, reflection and action, thanks be to you. Let me know in my own soul and body the rhythms of creativity that you have established. Let me know in my family and friendships the disciplines of withdrawal and the call to engagement. Let me know for my world the cycles of renewal given by you for healing and health, the pattern of the seasons given by you for the birth of new life.   (Celtic Benediction by J Philip Newell, p. 76)

 

 

One More…

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awareness, creativity, hope, joy, laughter, light, Macrina Wiederkehr, morning, prayer, presence, radiant glory, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Here is one more prayer of praise from Macrina Wiederkehr, the text I will pray this morning with my colleagues as we gather for another day together.

Anointed by your morning light, I lift up my spirit to receive the gift of this new day. Open my eyes to the beauty that surrounds me that I may walk through this day with the kind of awareness that calls forth grateful living. In all of creation let me see the brightness of your face. Shine in my heart and on my life, filling me with joy, creativity, hope and laughter. Draw me into the radiant glory of your presence and into the small lights of those with whom I live and work. Inspire me to take time for those who are discouraged. May I live with the kind of presence that enables others to feel at home. Great Dawn of God, hear my prayer.

Have a blessed day!

 

 

 

 

 

On Balance

Tags

cabins, creativity, games, group, happy memories, Matthew, outdoors, Peace, rest, summer camp, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, the spiritual center

Yesterday a trio of people came to visit and remember the days of their youth here in Windsor. Two of them had been campers here when the Spiritual Center was Big Island Camp, a summer camp for Jewish children and teens, and the third, a husband who had heard all the stories from that era and was a willing companion to the two who desired a return to “the old days.” It is less common now, after almost 40 years of the life of the Spiritual Center, for campers to come back to refresh their memories, but come they do and their conversations with each other as we tour the land and the buildings always reveal a fondness for their experiences here.

Yesterday was no exception and I was happy for the opportunity to be the “tour guide” with a window into their past and observer of their appreciation for what has become of their youthful home-away-from-home. Several times, someone remarked that those days were experienced as “simpler times” when campers lived in primitive cabins, played simple games and used their creativity to entertain themselves and each other with the carefree energy of summer. The follow-on line was always, “That couldn’t happen now…” and everyone agreed. Now there are security concerns everywhere and standards for everything like whether or not electronic devices are allowed in camp. (Well, we at least need our cell phones!!)

Nostalgia aside, it’s easy to admit at times like yesterday that we have lost something in the past half-century. We must admit, however, that there are some astounding advances that are beneficial to our world – and there are campers who are still learning to love the outdoors and experience the joy of diving into a lake or catching a fish or climbing a mountain – or being part of a group challenge in creating a game or making something silly out of clay. Moreover, even the sophistication of many camping experiences now can remain as peak moments in a person’s life as it is the relationships that form from those times that stay with us when all the specifics of the experiences dim.

This morning as I read the wisdom of the gospel text that says, “The kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old” (MT 13) I gave thanks for the happy memories embedded in this land and prayed that we would continue to enliven the people who come here for peace and rest and refreshment with an experience of reverence for all that has been and all that can be for those who share it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, for the Simple Life…!

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attention span, change, conscious, conversation, creativity, entertainment, robots, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, work

The pace of change seems to accelerate with every passing day. Last night on the news, in a story about auto manufacturing plants, I learned that now 10% of assembly line work is done by robots. In what I believe was given as the year 2025 the percentage will be 25%. While the introduction of robots makes the actual work less labor intensive, it also will decrease the need for human workers and thereby unemployment will increase. This morning I read of the impending closing of the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus in April after 146 years. There are many factors contributing to the demise of this institution, including the vigorous work of animal rights activists, but a telling comment struck me as a clear indication of the impact of the speed of change even in small children. Speaking of the 12-minute tiger act segment during the circus performance, a representative of the circus remarked, “Try getting a 3 or 4-year old to sit still for 12 minutes…It is seemingly no match for Pokémon Go or YouTube…”

This is not a lament by an aging American (although I do feel somewhat like an anachronism on occasion) but it speaks to both the immense creativity of the human mind as well as the need for attention to the complexity of life in our times. When people lose their jobs, whose ingenuity will supply alternatives? When simple methods of entertainment from yesteryear fail, how can we provide healthy, creative activities and images that feed the souls as well as the bodies and minds of our youth? And in this busy lifestyle that requires differing schedules for family members of all ages, is there still room for the “simple things” like face-to-face conversation and “just being there” for one another?

Complexity requires more attention than simplicity, it seems. Awareness of what is happening around us is not a choice. Whether subtle or blatant, we need to be awake to the pace of change and its effects on the whole of our lives as citizens now not only of our town or village but of the larger world as well. So in case we haven’t noticed that 2017 is already two full weeks old, I say, “Good Morning! It’s time to wake up and get conscious!”

 

 

 

 

 

Incredible Things

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creativity, cure, history, incredible, Jesus, Luke, progress, reality show, reflection, repurposed, reverence, simple ways, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I often wonder what the next “reality show” on television will be. Whether it’s “Texas Flippers” or the latest tiny house being built, the networks seem to be birthing new iterations of demolition and rebuilding every day. In contrast to the seeming lack of desire to save anything in a house that might be “repurposed: – e.g. kitchen cabinets that might be “dated” but still in good shape – there is one, albeit very different, show that was playing when I walked into the living room yesterday. I think it’s called “Barn Builders.”

The team of a half-dozen strong, bearded, Southern-speaking, friendly workers is led by a man named Mark, whose reverence for history is impossible to miss. There’s lots to learn from this show about how barns were built long ago, what woods and other materials were used and why anyone would be interested in them today. Each episode features either the careful deconstruction of a barn whose wood is to be repurposed or the renovation of a structure to its faded glory of long ago. Often the team uses the implements of the era when renovating – like the flat axe I saw yesterday. Time and energy ran out on that one though, as they were working on a 40-foot tree that was to become a strengthening beam in the renewed structure of an 1839 tavern. The chain saw came out and did the job in record time. All involved were not only grateful for time and effort saved but amazed at the creativity that has brought us so much progress over the last two centuries. Most important was the esteem for early farmers who had worked so hard to build their homes and their lives.

There were two prompts for the above reflection. First, what may seem a stretch but is really true, was the last line of this morning’s gospel after Jesus had cured a paralyzed man. They said, “We have seen incredible things today.” (LK 5:26) Secondly, there is the reverence for history that is evident not only in the actual project of the Barn Builders episode but also in the vignettes sprinkled throughout the hour where Mark tours other properties or gives brief lessons about historical building processes. The premise of this show truly does remind me that we continue to see incredible progress but also that we need to remember our history that is so rich in seemingly simple ways.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Living Words

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apostles, creativity, discoveries, Hubble Space Telescope, human heart, inventions, Jesus, psalm 19, sister, Sister Linda Neil, CSJ, Sister Marion Honors, CSJ, St. Jude, St. Simon, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, universe, world

Illustration by Sr. Marion Honors, CSJ

Today is the feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles. The job description of these followers of Jesus was one of proclamation, telling their immediate (and sometimes far flung) world what they had learned in the company of Jesus, specifically about spreading the message of love. Psalm 19 attests to that ministry. We read this morning: Not a word nor a discourse whose voice is not heard; through all the earth their voice resounds and to the ends of the world their message.

If that were not enough to call us to celebrate the presence of God, the psalmist broadens out the reach of the message earlier in the psalm, singing: The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day pours out the word to day and night to night imparts knowledge. Last evening that glory was visible to a group of participants at the Sophia Center. Sister Linda Neil, CSJ was skillfully flashing slide after slide of images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope interspersed with the art of Sister Marion Honors, CSJ in a magnificent reflection on the place of humans in the universe. It was, as the psalmist knew so long ago, glorious!

We have, of course, been blessed many times over by the discoveries and inventions of the human mind even just in our lifetime. What was clear last night and again in my thoughts this morning is the magnificence of human creativity and the centrality of the work of the human heart. Our great artists attest to this – but so do we all in what we contribute to the growth and care of the universe, our home. Knowing that, I give thanks for my sister who celebrates her birthday today. She has been a beacon of generosity to people and to causes of justice & charity throughout her life both professionally and personally. Her care for the next generation of extended family is clear in the joy young cousins always take in her presence to them and her interest in the goings-on of their lives. So for all of the above, especially for God’s “handiwork” in the creation of my sister, I sing in gratitude and wonder.