Shepherding?

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belief, faith, Good Shepherd, guiding, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I smiled as I was reading the daily devotional “Living Faith” this morning. Today’s reflection was written by the very popular Joyce Rupp, author of many spiritual books and an often sought-after speaker and leader of retreats. When commenting on today’s well-known gospel about the “good Shepherd,” Sister Joyce said the following: “That line (The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.) is comforting, but I sometimes wonder if I believe it.”

WHAT??? The great Joyce Rupp is doubting God’s guidance? How can that be?? Well, no. As it turns out, she isn’t doubting God’s goodness and kindness at all. She is just admitting to the kind of busyness and lack of attention that we all experience at times, when we just swim along without a thought to the path we’re on. Sometimes things then go awry and we – if we’re lucky – are shaken into attention again, ready to jump back onto the path of the Shepherd who is always willing to lead and guide us. In conclusion, Sister Joyce says the following:

Abiding faith is about believing every day, no matter what happens, that God has my back leading and guiding me even when things don’t turn out to my satisfaction.

Good news, and a good reminder to turn our attention consciously to the path we’re on each day…maybe as we rise from sleep and take that first step of the day.

Waking Up Again

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Abraham, faith, gratitude, Sarah, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

When I read some of the chapters in Genesis where God is in conversation with Abraham, I get a little jealous, wishing for a relationship that seems sometimes so “daily.” I mean that it would be nice to talk about the family, e.g. Sarah having a son and Abraham laughing at God’s promise because he was 99 years old (Gn 17). As I write that, I see that I have moved away a bit from the conversational relationship with God that has long been a part of my morning meditation. I would like to blame the pandemic but I don’t think that would be fair. My meditation mat and home altar are still in place and no one is prohibiting me from the quiet of my bedroom…I just seem to have become lazy and am realizing that this recognition might be a value of revisiting a prayer schedule on a regular basis. Sometimes all it takes to wake up is a line from the Scriptures, as this morning with verse one from chapter 17. Listen:

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said: “I am God the Almighty. Walk in my presence and be blameless.” That shook me awake in an instant so that I almost felt a need to stand up and salute…but then I read the rest of the text and heard the softening of God’s voice as God spoke of descendants, especially “Sarai” (Sarah) having a child in her old age.

This is the God I want to be close to, the God in whom I place my faith, my trust and my love. I meet that God everywhere: in the dancing of the trees on our land…in the sounds and smells from the kitchen where Liz has begun to prepare our dinner for today…even in the wonder of my aging hands as I notice the curving of my right index finger. Even there I bless my mother whose arthritis, much more serious than mine, was borne with grace and a luminous smile…

I will stop here begause I can no longer avoid the pull of my prayer space and the gratitude that rises in me from the gifts of this morning. Blessings all… Stay Awake!

Wind and the Water

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apostles, faith, Jesus, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I think that today’s gospel could be called “Getting to know you…” It’s early in the writings of Mark; Chapter four, to be exact. Those fishermen who have left their nets to follow Jesus are just now crossing the Sea of Galilee to get to another place where Jesus will preach. It’s a very placid scene. The water is calm; the Teacher is asleep in the boat and all seems as it should be.

Suddenly a violent wind storm comes up and threatens to capsize the boat. Jesus is still sleeping. Finally someone yells to him: “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?!” (That’s a rather strange question that presumes a faith in Jesus as healer that they otherwise do not seem to possess yet.) Next, Jesus acts in a way that one might expect later in the relationship but which at this point seems rather startling. He wakes up (one might think as if he was waiting for the challenge) and speaks directly to the wind (somewhat unusual, you must admit) saying “QUIET! BE STILL!” and miraculously, the wind calms.

The apostles must be totally flummoxed by that time, as Jesus throws a challenge at them. “Why were you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” What would you have said in reply to that question? I don’t see the possibility of any reasonable response. Rather, I am certain I would have been “in the same boat” as the apostles, wondering, “Who is this whom even the wind and the sea obey?”)

The story ends with a beautiful saying, one that I saw many years ago on a “holy card” and recall as often as I am in the presence of a body of water. It says that He hushed the storm to a gentle breeze and brought them to their desired haven. Each time that comes to mind, I ask myself the state of my faith. Do I trust that I will be given the strength to come through the storms of life? Am I feeling able? Is my faith in need of a boost, a sign that I will be taken care of so that I need not be “terrified” by circumstances? Happily, I am usually able to respond in the affirmative, trusting that the waters will not drown me but rather will lead me to that “desired haven” where God awaits.

Sharing the Faith

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Acts of the Apostles, faith, Jesus, proclaim, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today we read my favorite lectionary text from the Acts of the Apostles: (Acts 17:15->) when Paul stood in front of the people of Athens to proclaim his faith in Jesus. It’s a stirring text and brave at the time when Christians were few and far between. The most “gutsy” sentence of all was the proclamation that…”he is not far from any one of us. For ‘In him we live and move and have our being.’“

I just think of Paul standing up in this large outside amphitheater with no microphone or any other apparatus—only his voice to convince his listeners that Jesus is more than just a gifted preacher. If the opportunity presents itself, why not go outside, stand up tall, take a deep breath and boom out the sentence quoted above. How believable is your statement? Can you imagine speaking that way if there was a crowd listening to you? Think about it.

Today’s brief reflection from the Daily Devotional “Living Faith” has this to say about that situation:

“It’s hard, and risky, to speak of faith to others. We don’t want to offend or be laughed at; we’re afraid of being unable to explain ourselves, getting muddled or misrepresenting our faith. Yet it remains true that we know about the resurrection from the dead because someone took the risk to tell us. And they knew because the women and men who beheld the risen Jesus told others, and the word has been passed on year after year over twenty-one centuries. We may find, like Paul and the Athenians, that one person’s openness to speak is met by another’s openness to hear….” (Mary Marrocco)

Faith=Trust?

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communication, compassion, faith, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, trust

After reading today’s gospel (Jn 14: 1-6), I started to think about faith and trust and nuances of meaning. Jesus says: Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. This is a post-resurrection story where he’s concerned about the faith of the disciples in what seems impossible…What they saw before them (Jesus alive – in the flesh) was something impossible to believe. They had to trust.

It seemed to me, upon reflection, that faith was more an intellectual capacity and trust involved a somewhat emotional response – a feeling level, if you will. As I often do, in an an attempt to “widen the field” of my brain or consciousness, I googled the word trust. What I found gave me enough for an entire day of reflection. Here’s what I offer you for today:

“The four elements of trust: (1) consistency; (2) compassion; (3) communication; and (4) competency.”

(Here’s where it gets interesting!) The next sentence says: “Each of these four factors is necessary in a trusting relationship but insufficient in isolation.”

Agreed???

Blessed Joseph

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faith, intercessor, Patris Corde, patron, Pope Francis, Sisters of St. Joseph, St. Joseph, support, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

If you noticed that I am speaking late today, there is good reason. Today is the feast of St. Joseph, husband of Mary and Mother of Jesus. I am a Sister of St. Joseph, one of the thousands of women whose religious community gathers with pride on this date each year to celebrate this quiet, loving, faithful and holy man who was willing to take on the protection and parenting of “the boy Jesus.” We who live under the patronage of St. Joseph trust the guidance we find in the Scriptures, the stories of Joseph, full of silence and listening to God and the messages of God. You will not find conversations of Joseph with God’s messengers. Rather, he is busy being silent deep in the heart of God, his love and reverence for his young wife and then his son, Jesus, of primary concern to him.

This evening, as the celebrations of this day ended we again had reason to pause and join our Sisters across our province who joined from far and near to pray in thanksgiving for Joseph—through the miracle of “Zoom”. We listened to a part of the Apostolic Letter of Pope Francis, Patris Corde which was a fitting conclusion to our day. Here is what we heard:

Each of us can discover in Joseph—the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence—an intercessor, a support and guide in times of trouble. Saint Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation…Even though Joseph’s fears, God’s will, his history and his plan were at work, Joseph, then, teaches us that faith in God includes believing that he can work even through our fears, our frailties and our weaknesses.

May we go to Joseph in any hour of need, for he is the patron of the universal Church and a great model of who we are to be in the world!

History Chooses You

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faith, history chooses you, John Lewis, Meg Wheatley, Pema Chodron, perseverance, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Sometimes in the very early morning, when there is no light yet outside and I have either no thoughts or too many to know what to say, I come across the briefest of familiar statements that causes everything to coalesce. As I opened to the Book of Job today for the first lectionary reading, I had an image of Rep. John Lewis walking over the Edmund Pettus Bridge toward certain danger on “Bloody Sunday.” (I was remembering the documentary movie from last night about John Lewis, about race in America, about voting and “Good Trouble.”) I had just read a quote by Pema Chodron that said, “How did I get so lucky to have my heart awakened to others and their suffering?” in a short reflection entitled “History Chooses You.” (Meg Wheatley, Perseverance, p.19) In my mind’s eye, I could see 15-year-old John Lewis preaching to the chickens he was feeding as part of his morning chores…You see how a morning like this can speed up…

Slowly the message was taking shape. The faith of Job that he could not lay aside, no matter the tribulation that befell him, the courage of John Lewis and all the great people who “could not not do” the actions that changed the laws, and are still overcoming racial injustice in our country, were sustained by the inner light that told them, “History chooses you.” Faith in God, the solidarity of like-minded companions, the conviction of the need for change become so strong that the call cannot be ignored. God is always there, “making a way where there is no way.”

Is it our moment now to stand up and do what is necessary, trusting in ourselves and in the God who loves and leads us through it all? We may not be called to great things but in the spirit of Mother Theresa of Calcutta we ought to be at least equal to the task of doing “small things with great love.” for the life of the world. Are you ready to see, feel, know that light in you?

What Is Peace?

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Benedictine peace, courage of hope, faith, Peace, right-heartedness, serenity, Sr. Joan Chittister, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Although we are not engaged in an “all out war” in our country right now, we are experiencing what Joe Wise, one of the early musicians of the “guitar Mass” era, called our “private little wars.” In truth, we are in a very dangerous moment of civil unrest and seem unable to restore a sense of peace any time soon. With this in mind this morning, I turned to Joan Chittister for a word of hope or guidance. I was not disappointed. Sister Joan reminded me of what some call “the long view” – the truth that cycles of life are longer than my personal story and it is up to me and all of us to move toward change for the better each day. Here is what she said about Benedictine peace. Every sentence deserves reflection.

Benedictine peace is not something that is ever achieved. It is something sincerely and consistently sought. It comes, in fact, from the seeking, not from the getting. It comes from the inside, not the outside. It comes from right-heartedness, not from self-centeredness. It comes from the way we look at life, not from the way we control it. It comes from the attitudes we bring to things, not from the power we bring to them…Monastic peace, in other words, is the power to face what is with the serenity of faith and the courage of hope, with the surety that good can come from evil and the certainty that good will triumph. Peace is the fruit of Benedictine spirituality. Peace is the sign of the disarmed heart. (Wisdom Distilled from the Daily, p. 184)

The Power of Attention

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faith, focus, goal, Jesus, Matthew, Peter, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, trust

Today’s gospel is a lesson in trust and focus: trusting in ourselves and God at the same time as getting the task done. It’s one of the familiar scenes of the apostles in a boat (MT 14: 22-36) and is clearly a test for them as Jesus is not with them. Rather, he has sent them ahead while he goes away – as is his custom – to refuel spiritually on a mountain alone.

Everything is fine until a serious wind comes up and rocks the boat so much that it is in danger of capsizing. Enter Jesus walking on the water toward them creating a double reason for distress: the possibility that they’re seeing a ghost as well as the danger of drowning. Jesus tells them not to be afraid. “It is I,” he says, and Peter tests the vision by challenging Jesus to have him walk to meet him in the water. Jesus obliges by the simple command: “Come!” Peter, ever the impetuous one, climbs out of the boat and is walking until he realizes that he is, in fact, walking on top of the water – an impossible thing to do. So, of course he starts to sink. As we expect, Jesus catches him, saves him and then remonstrates with him for his lack of faith.

Peter would have been fine if he had just kept walking…if he didn’t lose focus on his goal which was getting to Jesus. Losing focus and allowing our fear of failure – sometimes by over-thinking things – to be the actual cause of the failure comes from a lack of trust in ourselves as well as in God.

I’m much more willing to put my trust in God than in myself sometimes. Reflecting on this passage today, however, makes me more conscious that the two efforts are really one if we are living a life of faith. God and I have to be working together in everything. My focus needs to be that of the Spirit of God within me. If not, I will surely stumble and could even drown. So it appears today that the lesson is vigilance: staying awake is a must every day.

(N.B. Ironic that I wrote about paying attention on this date and then commented on the wrong readings! It never pays to skip a day of your chosen practice! It makes the message even more important. VIGILANCE!)

Seeds

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faith, Genesis, growth, Holy Week, Matthew, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

It’s amazing how much life there is in seeds. Some are so small they can hardly be seen and it takes trust to even put them in the ground without throwing in a whole fistful. When I was in a gardening phase of my life I wondered what was the reason for the differences among them, including size. Then it occurred to me that even animals and humans start that way and the amazement comes with the exponential growth during the gestation period. That brought me, of course, back to the creation story in Genesis that I love to hear during Holy Week and then forward again to the days in spring when all the flowers and trees begin to bud and then burst into their marvelous diversity. God really was (and remains) very prolific and generous in creating our world.

So what, then, should we make of the parable of the mustard seed in today’s gospel as a sign of the kingdom of heaven? (MT 13:31-35) Something very large and glorious, I suspect. Be sure to look around today, lest you miss the manifestations everywhere.