Reaction or Response?

Tags

Ancient Songs Sung Anew, disaster, evil, fatigue, Lynn Bauman, misery, prayer, psalm 55, save me, senseless, tempest, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, violence

The psalmist is calling this morning for rest (PS 55) – not just because of fatigue but from all the evil in the world. What is most difficult for me to abide are the senseless killings in high schools that have increased exponentially this year. It’s so difficult to hear on the news about the lives of many good young people senselessly snuffed out for no reason except the revenge of a deranged shooter. Add to that all the disastrous weather conditions – the destructive storms and the monumental effects of the Hawaiian volcanic eruptions – and it’s no wonder that we might react to the cry of the psalmist.

And I say, “Had I but wings like a dove, I would fly away and be at rest…I would wait for the One who saves me from the violent storms and the tempest…Engulf them, O Lord; divide their counsels!”

The catch is in the last sentence of the quoted text which is not the end of the psalm. The psalmist continues, vehemently at times, desiring destruction by God of the evil perpetrators. In his commentary, Lynn Bauman writes the following thoughts that I believe are worth more than a passing glance.

The psalmist is at the stage in spiritual experience where he or she prays to be saved out of misery, but asks God to destroy the tormentors. This is certainly how we often feel. Is that the only prayer possible? What other forms of prayer are asked of us? (Ancient Songs Sung Anew)

 

 

 

 

 

Red Sky In the Morning

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affliction, bless, cheerfulness, diligence, endure, evil, generosity, good, hate, honor, love, persevere, prayer, rejoice, rejoice in hope, Romans, see, sincere, spirit, spiritual growth, St. Paul, Thanksgiving, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, weep, zeal

Sometimes opportunity is so fleeting that we easily miss it if we aren’t paying attention. Take, for example, the coming of light to the sky. That’s something that happens every morning so it’s often taken for granted. Today, because of the shift to Daylight Saving Time, I was happy to see that it was in process as I started the trek downstairs for my coffee. Had I not been paying attention when I sat to write on my return I would have missed a breathtaking red sky whose glory dissipated within two minutes. I was almost too busy reading Paul’s staccato-like advice to the Romans in chapter 12 to look out the window. Both “feasts for the eyes” were worthy of a pause.

I could have just glided over that reading (ROM 12:5-26) because of what seemed self-explanatory as well as familiar. I mean, why would I need to think about how to exercise our differing gifts as I read: “let us exercise them: if ministry, in ministering; if one is a teacher, in teaching; if one exhorts, in exhortation…” since it follows automatically in that way. I got stopped, however, by the last three elements on the list: “if one contributes, in generosity; if one is over others, with diligence; if one does works of mercy, with cheerfulness.” Generosity, diligence and cheerfulness are certainly qualities to be pondered.

Had I not been slowed down by those three important words, I could have missed the brilliance of what came next. I find it impossible not to share the totality of this message because every bit of Paul’s exhortation is so vital to our spiritual growth. If we took each one of the following clauses for a day’s reflection we would be much richer when Thanksgiving rolls around. And then it would be a good practice to start again for the season of Advent! But I’m getting ahead of myself. I plan just to bask in the sunshine of this morning and read the text – the entire remainder – aloud, to hear Paul’s words again as if for the first time.

Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise  hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly.

Blessings on us all!

 

Troubled Times

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9/11, care, end of the world, evil, good, grief, hope, Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, love, new beginning, pray, psalm 62, refuge, response, safety, Sept. 11, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

There are moments – days – when I sit not knowing what to say here. The words nine and eleven, when taken together, can conjure up only one thing for most, if not all, people in the United States. We were shaken to our core in 2001 with images of planes crashing into buildings and those buildings crumbling like structures in a bad movie. Messages of love on cell phones and lines of people waiting to give blood to the wounded showed us the other side of the tragedy. Remembrance of the outpouring of care for those most affected has helped assuage the grief of those days following the 9/11 attacks but it is like other days in our history that have left indelible scars in our hearts.

As I write this, Hurricane Irma is barreling through the state of Florida, continuing a path of destruction that has already devastated Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Islands. Following on unbelievable scenes of flooding from Hurricane Harvey in Texas and what is predicted for storms to come, people wonder if we are witnessing the end of the world as we have known it.

If asked, I would answer that perhaps this is the case and in the way that I perceive it, an end would be a good thing if it portends a new beginning founded on the kind of behaviors that are not the cause of but rather the response to hatred/prejudice and disaster. Think of those images of first responders on 9/11 or the reports this week of people like the man in Houston that opened his furniture store to 600 people as a refuge from the storm, or the donations that are pouring in from everywhere…In a new order, I would hope for the scales of good and evil tipped toward the good, such that all people would see the benefit and embrace the future in love.

Pollyanna, you call me? Perhaps, but this hope is founded in possibility. It must be believed to be achieved. Until such time as all people see the value of love as a guide for life, I will pray and hope and try to do my part to better the world. I am bolstered in my faith by the testimony of people who have come through disaster with their faith intact or stronger and by the words of Psalm 62 this morning, which calls for patient but constant effort toward peace of heart in the following words:

Alone my soul awaits you in the silence, Lord, for you alone are my whole hope and prayer. You only are my saving rock, a stronghold safe, unshaken sure, my safety, honor and my refuge firm. (vs. 6-8)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Mystery of Evil

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agents of evolution, cynicism, evil, Jan Phillips, light, No Ordinary Time, opposition, shadow, suffering, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, visionary, wisdom

Yesterday my co-facilitator, Cheryl, and I were speaking about today’s book-club meeting. We’ll be considering chapter 4 of the book No Ordinary Time, by Jan Phillips. Both of us commented on our hesitation when considering the chapter title: “The Mystery of Evil.” We admitted we’d rather skirt that one in favor of the uplifting discussions we’ve encountered thus far. No worries. Jan has a way of stirring up readers and motivating to action so that anything (like saving the world) seems possible. Here are some thoughts from the introduction to the chapter that will most likely form the basis for our conversation today.

…there’s nothing I struggle with more, nothing I know less about than the nature of evil. It is everywhere around us, advancing as exponentially as we appear to be advancing in intelligence. It is the shadow to our light, and therefore I suspect, it will always be with us. But I am hopeful, as I believe along with Helen Keller that “although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it…”

This is not the Middle Ages. This is the time in history when humans have become aware of ourselves as agents of evolution. It is not happening to us, but through us. It is not a higher caliber of weaponry that will bring our success, but a higher caliber of consciousness…

And because we are dealing with an entirely new worldview, with the creation of a new myth, based not on separation and a fall from grace, but on oneness and ascendancy into our true potential, the revelations of our collective wisdom will take some time to supersede the old myths. They will meet with opposition, cynicism and a wild clamoring against change. Since so many are profiting from things as they are, and since we collectively fear letting go of the known, the forerunners of change will be addressing minds that are closed and frightened. And this is the great challenge for any emergent prophet or visionary – to know that one’s ideas will be criticized and resisted, yet to dare to speak, knowing that these thoughts are the only building blocks we have to a new and safer world. (No Ordinary Time, pp.89, 91)

Well said, indeed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holding On To Hope

Tags

build foundation, evil, generous, goodness, hope, Manchester, spiritual willingness, strong, suicide bomber, terror attack, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, victims

It seems ironic that only 48 hours after I wrote my thoughts about optimism, we are faced with the shocking reality of the dangerous world in which we live. At this moment in Manchester, England, we know there are 22 people dead and dozens more with serious, even critical injuries because of a powerful bomb blast perpetrated, it is reported, by a single suicide bomber. Many of those victims of violence are teenagers. This is an unspeakable horror and ought to shake us to our core.

So where does the hope come from in this situation? Is there a balance to be had in this moment of evil? Even in the few stories I have read this morning, I would say a grateful and resounding YES! The example I choose that illustrates the goodness and solidarity that stands against evil is the 48-year old woman who gathered and led out of the arena a group of teenagers, took them to a hotel, stayed with them and gave them her cell phone number so that all their parents could call her to assure that their children were safe. In addition, hotels were opening their doors to anyone in need, taxi drivers were offering free rides and pictures from the scene showed any number of concert attendees helping the wounded. As all this was happening, no group claimed responsibility for the attack. To this moment it appears to be the work of one person.

This may be impossible for many of us but I (who have never birthed a child, let alone have one involved in this atrocity) must ask us to pray not only for the victims but for the soul of the perpetrator of the event. It is a stretch of our spiritual willingness, to be sure, but if I continue to speak of unitive consciousness and hope for “one world” I must not veer from the principle of universal love in any situation. I take the example of the woman I spoke of above who acted spontaneously out of the goodness that was already in her – as in all the rest of those generous people – to respond in contrast to the act of one person. How will we continue to build and not tear down the foundations of a world where this type of event cannot happen because of the light of love that exists in every citizen? It is only our work in this direction that can move us forward.

Are we strong enough? I can only pray that our corporate answer is “YES.”

“Come Away”

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come away, courage, dancing, deep reflection, evil, fear, fearless, Hebrew Scriptures, Psalm 23, spiritual practices, stillness, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Wisdom School

“Even though I walk in the dark valley, I fear no evil, for you are at my side. With your rod and your staff you give me courage.”

These words from Psalm 23, probably the best known of all the psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures, jumped out at me this morning. Then I read that Jesus called his apostles to come away from the crush of the crowds “to a deserted place” for some rest – most likely, for a chance to gain some clarity and reassess what was happening so as to refuel for the re-entry into the ministry that was theirs.

Having arrived in Stonington, Maine yesterday to the shared joy of being with a dozen colleagues whose presence I have enjoyed variously at different “wisdom schools” over the past ten years, I am aware of a similar call to “come away” for fearless and deep reflection on our call to meet the challenges in our country today. Our work will be rigorous and internal, but work it will surely be. Perhaps the outcome will be so subtle as to go undetected by “the crowds” but we will surely be more committed to our spiritual practices and more certain that there is a way forward, although its evolution may still be in seed, thereby impossible to comprehend.

This message itself may be similarly “impossible to comprehend” but I am reminded of a quote on a card that has been in my small treasure box for decades. It says: In the stillness is the dancing, and this morning, that is enough for me to know.

Jan’s Wednesday Advice

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evil, good, Jan Phillips, light, No Ordinary Time, reflection, shine, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, vulnerable

Needing someone else’s words this morning to speak for me, I turned (not surprisingly) to my friend, Jan Phillips. In her book, No Ordinary Time, I found the reflection for Wednesday’s hour of prime perfect for a message for today. I will take it to heart and share it in the hope that others will find resonance there as well.

We live on a tectonically unstable planet. The rose doesn’t ask in a windstorm, “What did I do to deserve this?” The forest doesn’t look at the maple ripped apart by lightning and say, “God has punished it for wrongdoing.” We are the children of Holy Mystery, born of the marriage of heaven and earth. Our bodies are made of stardust and clay, our spirits are as infinite as Creation itself.

We are vulnerable and invincible, wise and wicked, generous and greedy. The line between good and evil runs from the temple to the toes of each of us. When evil occurs and drops us to our knees, all we can do is intensify our light, turn up our heat against the chill of the dark. 

We do not think of God as a punishing force, as the creator of events that rob us of hope. Look instead inside yourself and ask what you can be to the ones crying out, ask where to shine your light to overcome the shadow. The mysteries of life keep us in awe and protect us from arrogance – that is their gift to us, as the gift of an ending is a new beginning. In this human lifetime, evil haunts and humbles us day and night. Catastrophes confound us, paradox surrounds us, and there is nothing for us to do but give what we can give, withhold judgment, radiate kindness, and use every sorrow as a stepping stone to love. (p. 69)

P.S. While I am not in the habit of advertising in this blog space, as a reminder for those within driving distance of Binghamton, NY: Jan will be with us at the Sophia Center on April 28-29, 2017 for a concert and workshop, the title of which is No Time for Ordinary. Save the date and watch our website for updates in the new year.

Temptation

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40 days, demands, desert, evil, fully divine, fully human, good, Jesus, Lenten gospels, Luke, sin, struggle, suffering, temptation., The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today in churches all over the world Christians hear about Jesus being tempted mightily by the devil. He is in the desert, a dangerous place to be even if one is just thinking about the weather which can include wild variations in temperature. Add the possibility of dust storms and no access to water if you’re stranded with the sun beating down and it is no wonder that, after forty days, Jesus was severely put to the tests described by Luke’s gospel. The last sentence in that account surprised me though, and had me wondering this morning if I had ever heard it – I mean really heard it – before. Rather than just saying that after Jesus withstood all the temptations “the devil left him,” Luke says, “When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.” (LK 4:13)

No matter how one perceives the account of the temptations in the desert (different in each of the synoptic gospels) especially regarding the devil as a personification of evil and/or struggle to choose the good, we still have 2,000 years of hindsight to intuit the outcome of such an experience for Jesus, the Christ. However, modern Scripture scholars have brought us back to a more balanced view of Jesus as “fully human, fully divine.” After centuries of theological study focused on the divinity of Jesus, we have been called in recent history to remember that Jesus was “like us in all things but sin” – a very comforting thought for those of us who struggle with small and larger temptations on a regular basis. Perhaps that’s the great majority of us.

Just that small prepositional phrase – “for a time” – set me on a path of reflecting this morning on a way to reframe the difficulties Jesus experienced on his journey to Jerusalem. How did he deal with the demands of the increasingly large crowds that he encountered? We have examples of his need to escape for some quiet, but do we ever think of him saying to himself something like: “I’ve got to get out of here! They’re driving me crazy!” before he “went up the mountain alone?” What was the depth of his disappointment with the people he chose for his disciples when they failed to understand what he was trying to say? Did the loneliness of that reality ever threaten his determination to continue the mission he so clearly understood? Was he similarly distressed by the way people treated each other sometimes? Was he ever tempted to give in to despair?

Thus, although I have been aware of the difficulties that Jesus encountered in his public life and how he must have suffered as he moved toward his final destiny, I’m not sure I have ever given serious consideration to the part “temptation” played in that suffering. I think I considered that his battle with that was taken care of and once he exited the desert his struggles never caused him to question or falter. Now I wonder. And I will continue, as I read the Lenten gospels, to think in new ways about the path of Jesus and perhaps find new comfort for my own encounters with temptation.

Have Mercy On Me, O God!

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acceptance, acknowledgment, contrition, David and Bathsheba, evil, forgiveness, grace, guilt, just, personal sin, Pope Francis, psalm 51, recognition, relationship with God, repentance, Samuel, sinfulness, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Year of Mercy

Yesterday I was having a conversation about sin – not sins but sin, as in “the sin of the world” or “social sin.” It’s much easier to look at it that way, not so difficult then to exclude myself from the topic rather than talking about my personal sin and guilt. Today, however, I could not avoid such a “close encounter” in the face of the story about David and Bathsheba. (2 SM 11:1-17) David’s actions of adultery and the subsequent plotting the death of Uriah when his attempts to hide Bathsheba’s pregnancy from her husband had failed sound like a modern movie plot! This from God’s chosen one, the king of Israel, the one whose reign was to last forever through his descendants!

Most of us know our own sinfulness and try to hide our shadow side from others for fear that we would be abandoned if anyone “really knew me.” David’s story gives us opportunity for a different way to proceed. It comes in a series of steps: recognition, acknowledgment, contrition, repentance, forgiveness and finally acceptance – all of which come in his relationship with God. His waking up to the seriousness of his sin came at the death of the child born of his liaison with Bathsheba but that recognition was so deeply felt not only by the loss but also because of his great love for God and the knowledge that he had severely damaged that covenant. Thus, his sorrow matched his guilt as he sang, “I have done such evil in your sight that you are just in your sentence…Let me hear the sounds of joy and gladness; the bones you have crushed shall rejoice. Turn away your face from my sins and blot out all my guilt!” (PS 51) It is because of the depth of relationship that David could come to trust God’s forgiveness. Still cognizant of the enormity of what he had done, David was then able to accept himself and let go of his guilt to live into God’s welcoming embrace. I am confident that we are called to the same willingness in the face of our sin.

Serendipitously as I was pondering all this, my eye fell on a quote that seems apt for both this reflection and this “Year of Mercy.” Pope Francis writes that the Church is commissioned to announce the mercy of God, the beating heart of the gospel, which in its own way must penetrate the heart and mind of every person. Having received the grace and ability to acknowledge our own sins, may we be moved to extend such mercy to our companions and, yes, to our broken world.

The One Thing Necessary

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attitude, evil, Learning to Love, let go, love of money, money, Paul, status, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas Merton, Timothy

It is amazing how a word or two can change the whole meaning of a text. I came across an example of that this morning in Paul’s advice to Timothy where he is talking about money. I have often heard that money is the root of all evil. What the text actually says is that the love of money is the root of all evil. (1TM 6:7-12) What a difference that makes! Quite often now we hear in this country about very rich people who are joining Warren Buffett in giving away at least 50% of their fortunes. What a blessing that they have become financially successful but are not enamored of keeping their money to themselves! It seems they have also heard in their hearts what Thomas Merton offers as an expansion of Paul’s advice to Timothy, when he says: “Let go of all that suggests getting somewhere, being someone, having a name and a voice, following a policy and directing people in ‘my’ ways. What matters is to love.” (Learning to Love, 15) So whether we’re rich or poor or somewhere in between, it’s our attitude toward money and status that is important on this journey of life, this opportunity to love.