Over and Over

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forgive, forgiven, forgiveness, John Newton, Luke, Matthew, Our Father, spiritual practice, The Lord's Prayer, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

The prayer we know as “The Lord’s Prayer” or the “Our Father” can be found in two of the four canonical gospels – Matthew and Luke – and, although translations vary, the wording of the two is virtually the same. What differs are the verses that follow. Luke, chapter 11, gives an example of what Jesus meant by telling a story. Today we have Matthew’s version which tells people how they are to act when doing spiritual practice – not looking gloomy and neglecting their appearance so people know they are fasting, etc. (That always makes me smile as I know how easy it is to moan to let others know when I am in pain from some small injury or distress…). I noticed something in between Matthew’s directives this morning, however, that surprised me and made me wonder if I will ever have a new thought that doesn’t touch on our relationships in today’s world situation. (See the past few entries of this blog.)

After the “forgive us our debts/trespasses as we forgive…and deliver us from evil” lines and before the “don’t be gloomy,” there is an extra push on forgiveness. If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions. If we judge by the amount of text given to a thought, the necessity of forgiveness seems to win out over every other action in this prayer.

So once again today, I guess there is need to look at how easily – or not – I forgive. And here is another possibility. I have recently been made aware of a website entitled healthbeyondbelief.com of John Newton, a distance healer. To begin, one might choose to read – often – his Comprehensive Forgiveness Prayer for Ourselves. If this is an introduction for you to such a concept, it might seem a bit extreme, but I recommend openmindedness.

Whatever works, I suggest reflection once more on the issue of forgiving and allowing ourselves to be forgiven. It’s a big topic but worth the time.

 

 

 

 

 

What’s On Your List?

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anxieties, blessing, calm, centering prayer, forgive, holy anger, hopeful, inspiration, judge, Macrina Wiederkehr, non-violent heart, prayer, seven sacred pauses, sit in silence, spirit, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, tolerance

Not having any inspiration this morning – nor even cogent thoughts for that matter, I have been searching the words of Macrina Wiederkehr for an expression that would mirror how I’m feeling. Since I am unable to recognize myself in anything I read, I choose simply to offer her prayer that begins: There are mornings when I simply sit in silence trying to remember some of the things that rise in me. Her list is challenging but maybe if I focus on even one of the elements, it will jump-start my motivation for the day. May this day be a blessing for each of us and all of us together as we rise to the call of the Spirit.

Macrina’s list includes a tolerance for those who don’t agree with me, a refusal to judge others, a willingness to forgive, greater effort to live with a non-violent heart, a calm and hopeful spirit in the midst of my anxieties, discipline in my daily personal prayer, attention and faithfulness in my daily work, a holy anger for the injustice in our world. (Seven Sacred Pauses, p. 63-4)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Morning Conversation

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cleanse, forgive, gladness, Holy Spirit, justice, Lent, light, love, mercy, Nan Merrill, Peace, psalm 51, Psalms for Praying, reflection, repentance, saving grace, strength, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, weakness, wisdom of the heart

During the season of Lent it is not unusual to see part or all of Psalm 51 show up as the response to the first reading in our lectionary. It is the season when repentance for our faults is traditionally front and center and God’s mercy is a constant call. Psalm 51 is uniquely suited to those themes and appears again today for our consideration.

In keeping with yesterday’s reflection on the necessity of really listening with openness to the thoughts of others, I decided to look at what Nan Merrill’s translation added to the meaning of this psalm. Her book, Psalms for Praying, emerged from the deep reflection of silence and is decidedly softer than the traditional psalmody. I find a few of the nuances fresh and helpful for my own prayer and offer her words in prose form this morning which I hear as one side of a conversation with God from a person whose desire for right relationship is boundless.

Have mercy on me, O Gracious One, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant kindness forgive me where my thoughts and deeds have hurt others. Lead me in the paths of justice, guide my steps on paths of peace! Teach me that I may know my weaknesses, the shortcomings that bind me, the unloving ways that separate me, that keep me from recognizing your life in me; for I keep company with fear and dwell in the house of ignorance. Yet, I was brought forth in love, and love is my  birthright.

You have placed your truth in the inner being; therefore, teach me the wisdom of the heart. Forgive all that binds me in fear, that I may radiate love; cleanse me that your light might shine in me. Fill me with gladness; help me to transform weakness into strength. Look not on my past mistakes but on the aspirations of my heart. Create in me a clean heart, O Gracious One, and put a new and right spirit within me. Enfold me in the arms of love, and fill me with your Holy Spirit. Restore me in the joy of your saving grace, and encourage me with a new spirit.

Return!

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come back, coming home, forgive, God, Hosea, protests, receive what is good, return, soul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, violence

One of the most popular and heartfelt “holy songs” of the early 1970’s, written at Weston Priory, Vermont in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, was based on the Book of the prophet Hosea. The haunting melody drew us in with the monks speaking for God, singing, Come back to me with all your heart. Don’t let fear keep us apart…Long have I waited for your coming home to me and living deeply our new life. There is a circle dance that we do now in wisdom schools that similarly calls us as we walk while singing: Return again, return again, return to the land of your soul…

Both of these melodies play in my head this morning as I read the text from Hosea calling Israel to a return to God. (HOS 14:2-10) The violence in our country is a daily thing this week – violence erupting last night among the people in the protests against violence! Like Israel of old, we seem to have lost our way. How are we to turn back now? Re-turn, God says. Keep turning. Turn until you meet the other turning toward you. Return to who you are. Return, says the Lord to Israel. Take with you words and return to the Lord. Say to God, “Forgive all iniquity and receive what is good…” Let the one who is wise understand these things; let the one who is prudent know them.

Whom will you meet and where will you find peace as you turn – and re-turn – this day?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forgiveness of Sin

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cries of freedom, distress, forgive, forgiveness, Jesus, King David, Nathan, Pharisee, Pope Francis, psalm 32, Samuel, shelter, sinfulness, sinner, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, your sins are forgiven

When we think of King David, it is natural to focus on his greatness, his love of God and his importance in the history of the Hebrew people, even though we know his failings. Today, however, we hear the prophet Nathan speaking for God, recounting all the favors God has done for David and then listing all of David’s egregious transgressions (2 SM 12: 7-13). Most stunning is the question: “Why have you rejected the Lord and done evil in his sight?” If David had been ignoring the seriousness of his sins or trying to rationalize his actions, that question must have shocked him into recognition of the depth of his sinfulness, because immediately he responded to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” His deep remorse is difficult to grasp from that simple sentence, but God knew his heart. Nathan answered for God saying, “The Lord on his part has forgiven your sin; you shall not die.”

In the gospel, it is Jesus who points out the sinful behavior of Simon the Pharisee who has invited him to dinner (LK 7:36 – 8:3). When a woman known to be a sinner approached Jesus, weeping and anointing his feet with ointment, Simon judged not only her but also the legitimacy of Jesus as prophet because he should not be allowing the touch of such a woman. When Jesus points out Simon’s lack of hospitality to him and compares it to how generous the woman has been with her love, everyone at the table is surprised when he then says, “Your sins are forgiven.” Again we have a simple sentence that holds so much meaning! Her life was undoubtedly changed forever.

Pope Francis surprised the world some time ago by declaring that he is a sinner; he knows and admits that this is a fact of his life. In a way, it seems, the Pope’s declaration has opened a way for all of us to admit the same. God’s forgiveness of David was immediate because, in spite of his sin, David loved God intensely. Jesus saw that same love in the woman who bathed his feet with her tears and welcomed her because of that love. We suffer in our sins because we cannot accept the possibility of God’s forgiveness and the reality that God is just waiting to hear us say, “Please forgive me.”

Psalm 32 proclaims that if we acknowledge our sin it will be taken away. As a result, the psalmist sings to God: You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me; with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round. And what could be better than that! So let us run to God’s heart and feel the words we long to hear: “My Beloved, your sins are forgiven!”

Signs of Spring

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awaken, calm, dawn, discipline, flowers, forgive, hopeful spirit, impatience, injustice, love, Macrina Weiderkehr, non-violence, prayer, psalm 5, seven sacred pauses, spring, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, tolerance, unfold, wake, winged heart

Late yesterday afternoon I went on a brief “inspection tour” of the property where I live, looking for signs of spring. The air had a different quality to it (it was almost warm!) and there was evidence that the daffodils and tulips, and even the irises, were getting impatient for their time to shine. I whispered to them to slow down because March is so unpredictable; we could be buried in snow next week! There was a feeling of holding back in me at the same time as my own impatience to get out there to begin the clean up of the yard.

I noticed this morning how bright it was at 6:30 – a sure sign of spring – when my alarm went off and I actually spent a moment before I rolled out of bed, musing about how the day might go with God’s companionship. It was not surprising to me then when Macrina Weiderkehr offered me a morning reflection that felt like a plan for  renewal. I’ll share it in its entirety and I’ll take it with me to work, hoping it remains as God’s work within me today and in the burgeoning season just beginning inside and out.

The words of Kahlil Gibran are sitting at the gate of my heart this morning. “To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.” Words from Psalm 5 are also trying to get my attention: “In the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.” I don’t always rise at dawn and watch for God, nor do I consistently awaken with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving. There are times when the wings of my heart remain folded; yet prayer still happens in me. There are mornings when I simply sit in silence trying to remember some of the things that need to rise in me:

1. a tolerance for those who do not agree with me,
2. a refusal to judge others
3. a willingness to forgive,
4. greater effort to live with a non-violent heart,
5. loving thoughts toward those who don’t exactly dote on me,
6. a calm and hopeful spirit in the midst of my anxieties,
7. discipline in my daily personal prayer,
8. attention and faithfulness in my daily work
9. a holy anger for injustice in our world.

As I remember these necessary risings in my life, the wings of my heart slowly begin to unfold. All Praise to You, Giver of the Morning! (Seven Sacred Pauses, p. 61-62)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

70 X 7

Tags

forgive, forgiven, forgiveness, gracious, innumerable, Jesus, Joel, merciful

There are two strong statements in today’s Scripture passages, one from the Book of the Prophet Joel that appears as the gospel acclamation and one from Jesus in the gospel. As is often the case, I am taken by a few words or a phrase, today being the introductory phrase of each citation that gives strength to the message.

The gospel is really about the wicked servant that is forgiven and yet does not forgive his colleague a debt. This parable is occasioned by the question to Jesus that says: “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how many times must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answers: “I say to you, not seven but seventy-seven times.” There’s no question that forgiveness is necessary since the questioner doesn’t ask, “do I have to?” but “how many times must I forgive?” Jesus responds beginning with the frequently used, “I say to you” which often appears in the Scriptures as counter or more emphatic to a former statement of law, or to assure that listeners are really getting the point. And we know that “seventy times seven” means “innumerable” in Scriptural terms.

Reading backward from the gospel to its introductory verse, we hear Joel remind us: “Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart for I am gracious and merciful.” That message floods me with relief from the first two words, telling me that past behavior can always be forgiven if I am willing to turn my life around now. Even at this late date, God is still hoping for my return, no matter what came before. That is certainly enough to convince me that forgiveness of anyone in my life for anything they have done is the right thing for me to do. If God is willing, so must I be – 70 X 7.

Little Words

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attention, forgive, home, Luke, Our Father, prayer, solidarity, The Lord's Prayer, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thich Nhat Hanh

In these days when interfaith exchange is becoming more common, it is wonderful to hear similar sentiments from very diverse spiritual leaders. One of the most striking examples of this is a book called Living Buddha, Living Christ by the widely esteemed and beloved teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh. Also common now are interdenominational gatherings of Christians commemorating some tragic event or praying for peace or at a wedding ceremony where the Lord’s Prayer is recited and everyone knows the words! It is a comfortable feeling of “home” and solidarity to say or sing it in unison at such times. It is one of the first prayers to be taught to Christian children and the last recitation heard at many a deathbed. And sometimes, as with other memorized texts, we fail to be conscious of the sentiments expressed.

What is it that we are seeking from our Heavenly Father when we recite this prayer? Luke gives us the “stripped down” version in the gospel this morning (LK 11:1-4) that first praises God’s name and purpose (Hallowed be your name; your kingdom come). Then we ask for what will sustain us each day, seen as simple food but representing much more (Give us each day our daily bread), and ask forgiveness for our failures in our dealings with others (Forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us). Lastly we ask not to be tested beyond our capacity at the end of our life (Do not submit us to the final test).

Whatever the translation, if I am really paying attention, there is usually some little shift that I notice – a small word perhaps, or some phrase that is so very applicable to my life at the moment. Today it is about that forgiveness ability that I long for. For me the line has always been “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” I’m used to the big changes like “debts” or “sins” in place of “trespasses” – which make sense. This morning, however, I’m stopped by the shift in the preposition that tells God why we should be forgiven. It says for instead of as we have forgiven…Usually I think of God measuring how much I have forgiven hurts against me and then forgiving me that much (as). Today, it looks like God expects me to have forgiven everyone – like there’s no question of that having happened already (for = because). Definitely enough to ponder for today!

 

Four Hundred Ninety Times

Tags

forgive, forgiveness, from the heart, Jesus, Mark, Peter, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

This morning’s gospel (Mk 18: 21-35) begins with Peter asking Jesus how often he is expected to forgive a brother who has wronged him, suggesting that maybe seven times would be the limit of forgiveness. Even if we were unaware of seven being the perfect biblical number, which would indicate – to Jesus anyway – the number of times necessary to allow total reconciliation, the answer that Jesus is said to have given to Peter implies the same thing. Not seven, he says, but seventy times seven times. Even if someone were the greatest thorn in my side I can’t imagine that I would ever need to forgive behaviors that many times (490 to be exact).  If I love someone, I’d probably be used to those annoying traits by that time. If I’m called to forgive someone with whom I’m not in relationship and/or if it seems the offense has been done on purpose, Jesus seems to be telling us we need to really forgive without holding on to the residue, rather than: “I’ll forgive but I’ll never forget!”

When I look at the other side of such an issue, I have to admit that I would always want to be really forgiven, which has to involve some semblance of love entering into the situation. The honesty involved in a conversation – even a heated one – involving an offense can make a relationship stronger if both parties come to the conclusion that the relationship is worth letting go of the offense. I think that’s what Jesus is going for here – that no matter how often we show the worst side of our “human frailty” we always need to remember the best side of ourselves and the other. In that way we will forgive, as Jesus calls to us this morning, from the heart.

A Good Plan

Tags

advice, condemning, forgive, gifts, give, judged, Luke, merciful, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I have been since Friday (unexpectedly) AWIS – away without internet service – but am back this morning with perhaps the best plan for living before me in the Gospel of Luke. I can do no better than to repeat it here.

Jesus said to his disciples, “Be merciful just as your heavenly Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in turn be measured out to you.” (LK 6:36-38)

That’s five distinct pieces of advice. Even considering one of them today would be a start. Perhaps choosing the one I would most wish to ignore would be a good plan.