Perspective

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divisiveness, Maronite, perspective, pray, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Last evening as we watched one more Hallmark movie, I commented to Sister Elizabeth that the judgment two of the characters had made was such a clear example of their differing worldview. Each of them thought they were correct in their view, and could not see how the other could understand things in any other way. It was a great lesson in how several factors determine our perspectives on issues and behaviors and need always to be considered when challenged. Things like male/female, “class status,” country of origin (even ancestry), education and many more should never be discounted in serious conversation. We are facing that kind of issue of self-knowledge and acceptance now as we prepare for national elections. How wonderful it would be if we all really listened to what candidates are saying rather than just deciding by whether they are democrats, republicans or independents!

This morning I was reminded of all this as I read about the “Saint of the Day” in the Franciscan media website. I realized how provincial I am as I learned of Blessed Emmanuel Ruiz and his companions. Emmanuel was a Franciscan friar of the Maronite rite, a missionary in Syria, who suffered martyrdom in the mid-nineteenth century for his faith. The last line of the reflection about this saint called readers to “pray for the Church in Syria.”

Likely because 217 of the 266 popes in our history have been from Italy, it’s easy to think “Holy Roman Catholic Church” without considering the 6 Popes who have come from Syria…or the others who are in the minority, including our present Pope Francis from Argentina (whose parents were, however, Italian immigrants which muddies the waters of my point a bit.)

Maybe today would be a good day to explore the Maronite Rite, a facet of my own religion with which I have only a passing acquaintance, to broaden my perspective in this season of divisiveness on so many fronts in our country. A tiny step, perhaps, but a start. Oh yes, and then to pray for the Church in Syria!

Coexistence

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divine exchange, divisiveness, Flood, God's presence, Huston, Jan Phillips, Julian of Norwich, mysticism, No Ordinary Time, positive energy, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, trust, willingness, wisdom

Sometime in the recent past I became aware that real distress and pure joy can exist in me at the same moment. Yesterday I knew it at an even deeper level, not just as a theory in my mind but a felt sense in my heart. While carrying the devastation and suffering of the people in Texas to work with me, I was also aware of a growing excitement for what would be the culmination of our very fertile conversations sparked by the book, No Ordinary Time. I wasn’t happy that the series was over but rather immensely thankful for the growing trust and willingness of group members to share themselves as they recounted their experiences of the book.

Thirteen of us sat in circle at the noon hour and seven in the evening. As we listened, pondered and then added our own wisdom to what had been offered, I felt a melding of the heaviness of the floods and the buoyancy overflowing in me simply because of the presence of such extraordinary women around me. We were talking about the chapter entitled Mysticism and Oneness. Agreeing with the definition that mysticism is an unmediated experience of God’s presence, we shared snippets of our lives that proved the truth of our own simple mystical experiences. Interspersed with moments of recognition among us were references to the tragedy of the hurricane and the horror of the divisiveness that characterizes our country right now. At several junctures we noted our responsibility to raise the level of positive energy in whatever way we can in order that balance might be achieved. And then we were silent for a time.

In the end we moved around the circle in turn, taking the hands and looking into the eyes of each of these sisters of ours saying fervently, I honor the holiness in you. A simple sentence, growing in us over three months, that was indeed an expression of the oneness we had come to feel. And as I took my turn hearing and saying those words to each and all with total honesty, I held the wonder of this “divine exchange” as well as the pain of the world in the solidarity of our hands and knew the hope of Julian of Norwich, that all shall be well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Graced Moment

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angel, blessing, book study, conversation, divisiveness, Don Postema, election, Jacob, persepctives, point of view, respect, Space for God, Thanksgiving, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, understanding, violence

Last evening I had a graced conversation with four other women. Our sharing began a couple of years ago in a book study that was scheduled to last five or six weeks. At the end of that time, it was clear that no one wanted to terminate the conversation so we decided to meet once a month and delegated the facilitator of the book group to find texts – either a short passage for one gathering or a book that would serve us for several meetings. Last night only five of us gathered for the conclusion of our consideration of a very meaningful book called Space for God by Don Postema. The last three chapters are entitled Wrestling with God, Prayer and Justice/Compassion and The Goal Is Glory. Right away we were faced with a bit of the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel and our conversation moved – not surprisingly – to the state of our post-election nation. The wonder of it all, however, was that although all of us were not of the same mind about the result and had not voted in the same way for president we managed to talk about the issues rather than personalities of the candidates. We talked about perspectives and the difficulty of understanding one another’s point of view. We lamented the divisiveness and violence that is present now in the populace. In the end, we were most grateful for a safe place to talk about our differences and we moved from a place of struggle to the desire not only for the reign of justice but also of compassion. We recognized that an acceptance of difference made it possible to participate in praise of what God has done in our lives and voiced a desire to hold the tensions that exist, praying that peace will be the outcome of our willingness to create it.

Honest conversation is not an easy thing to achieve if we are most interested in not “upsetting the apple cart.”  If we are able to trust our companions and engage those with whom we differ, enough to speak of what is really important without blaming (something that did not seem to happen even locally during this election cycle), I believe the blessing will be deeper and stronger relationship among us. We agreed to disagree last evening and came away with deeper respect and admiration for one another. As the Thanksgiving holiday dawns, we are hoping that many families will have this same experience, knowing that it will take some preparatory prayer to achieve that outcome. Let that be our commitment for the next several days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rootedness

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Book of Psalms, Book of Revelation, determination, discerning heart, divisiveness, energy, enurance, grace, heart, inner work, Jesus, love, Luke, Lynn Bauman, meditation, Peace, pity, psalm 1, rootedness, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, wisdom

In Luke’s gospel account of Jesus with a blind man, it seems the lesson is that the man had to be clear about what it was he wanted in order for Jesus to heal him of his infirmity. We are at the beginning of a new season in the political life of our nation and need to be much clearer than we have been about what is possible and how we might effect the best possible outcome in the circumstances that exist now. I find it interesting that the first lectionary reading for today is the very beginning of the Book of Revelation and the response to that is the first in the Book of Psalms.  So we begin anew to deepen our intention, not only for endurance but for the love that has been assaulted in the events of the past year.

My pondering began with the following verses from the first reading. Grace and peace to you from the one who was and who is to come…Moreover, you have endurance and have suffered for my name, and you have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: you have lost the love you had at first. (REV 1:4, 2:2-4) I think about the divisiveness that has infected our country and I begin to examine my participation in its rhetoric. While I preach only love, I need to look deeply into my thoughts and feelings that sometimes can speak energetically as loudly as my words to prove a point, sometimes indicating a different message altogether.

Often at wisdom retreats we are guided in meditation to envision our energy going down from our feet through the ground to the very center of the world until we sense a rootedness and then draw up that energy into our heart. In the same way we image the energy reaching up high into the cosmos and again drawing down into our hearts. Thus we are stronger than before and as we do this exercise together, we know greater consciousness and possibility. Lynn Bauman’s translation of Psalm One called me today to this knowing. But the blessed ones grow strong as living trees, their roots sink deep and hidden beside flowing streams which come from you. And through life’s passing seasons they do not cease to bear a plenitude of fruit nor do they fade from giving shade of leaf that covers all with good. (Ps. 1:3)

All that having been said I am left with the question of Jesus to the blind man. It was not enough that this man was asking for pity; Jesus was likely to have been feeling that immediately upon hearing the man’s cry. What he wanted was determination and a discerning heart from the man about what was his intention for the future. Thus the question: What do you want me to do for you? We might consider that question deeply today, reflecting on the state of our hearts, to determine if we are ready and willing to follow through with the inner work involved in the intentional answer of: Please, let me see! (LK 18:41)

A Prayer in Darkness

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discord, divisiveness, justice, liberty, Peace, political rhetoric, saving will of God, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas Merton, uniting, unity

There seems no end of discord and destruction in our country right now. From the political rhetoric in the presidential campaigns to the destruction of floods and tornadoes ripping through states from the deep south to the northeast, there is an unsettling energy that pervades our days. We long for a quieter spring season and for campaign reform that will limit the time and money spent on the electoral process. We pray for the end of the divisiveness that is rampant and the daily fare of our media reporting. An earnest prayer of Thomas Merton resonated in my heart this morning as a reminder of our true path. I offer it here as a course correction for those of us tempted to step away from our Lenten journey in the face of challenges.

Almighty and merciful God, Father of all, Creator and Ruler of the Universe, Lord of History, whose designs are inscrutable, whose glory is without blemish, whose compassion is inexhaustible, in your will is our peace. Bless our earnest will to help all races and peoples to travel, in friendship with us, along the road to justice, liberty and lasting peace: but grant us above all to see that our ways are not necessarily your ways, that we cannot fully penetrate the mystery of your designs and that the very storm of power now raging on this earth reveals your will and your inscrutable decision. Grant us to see your face in the lightning of this cosmic-storm, O God of holiness. Grant us to seek peace where it is truly found. In your will is our peace!

May we see ourselves as instruments of God in the world, uniting ourselves to the saving will of God for the good of all, working toward unity and peace rather than adding to the discord that only leads to destruction. For such unity and peace is the will of our God.