Examen

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examen, examination of conscience, Fourth of July, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, together, willingness

On this national holiday there is nothing in me that wishes to celebrate. It feels as if we have regressed into an understanding of the gifts given to this country that is very low on the scale of mature response to challenge. It seems that freedom has now devolved into license, an immature “I’ll do what I want” rather than what is best for the common good. We are in danger now, not as much from any foreign enemy as from those previously named “neighbor.” The sadness that arises from these thoughts is profound.

In concert with these feelings I have been hearing a song in my head that is decades old and has not been in my internal Rolodex for sometime now. It was too long to sing during the guitar Masses of the 1960s—8:09 minutes to be exact—but I used to know all the verses anyway because they were (and are) so meaningful. For those of us who were taught to make a daily practice of “examination of conscience”—also known in religious circles simply as “examen”—the song can still be a powerful tool, as relevant today as it was a half-century ago. It will not leave me this morning and even if I only sing the refrain, I believe I will need to pay attention to the lyrics throughout the day.

The song was written and performed by Joe Wise and is called “Lord, Teach Us to Pray.” I would recommend a listen in the quiet moments of this day to ask for willingness when we don’t know how to do anything on our own, because on this day, we ought to understand that we never can.

America the Beautiful

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America the Beautiful, Fourth of July, hymn, prayer, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, tribute

One day when she was teaching English at Colorado College in the summer of 1893, poet Katharine Lee Bates and some other teachers decided to take trip up Pikes Peak in a prairie wagon to see the view from the top. Later she recalled that after leaving the wagon near the top and going the rest of the way on mules, she was very tired. But she continued: “When I saw the view, I felt great joy. All the wonder of America seemed displayed there, with this sea-like expanse.” Words of a poem began to come to her and when she returned to her hotel room, she wrote down the words, first published in the Independence Day edition of the church periodical, The Congregationalist in 1895 with the name Pikes Peak. In 1910 a hymn tune composed earlier by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward was published with Bates’ poem as America the Beautiful. (wikipedia)

I have thought for many years that this hymn should be our national anthem because of the qualities of soul expressed in each stanza and refrain. I am always disappointed when only one or two of the four verses are sung. Today, when we are reflecting on how to be our best selves as Americans, I hope to spend some time listening to – and singing – this wonderful tribute to our country. My prayer will be one of gratitude and hope that we will live up to the responsibilities that are ours as citizens of this beautiful land.

1. Oh, beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed his grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.
   
   
2. Oh, beautiful for pilgrim feet whose stern, impassioned stress, a thoroughfare for freedom beat across the wilderness! America! America! God mend thine ev’ry flaw, confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law.
   
   
3. Oh, beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife, who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life! America! America! May God thy gold refine, till all success is nobleness and every gain divine.
   
   
4. Oh, beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears! America! America! God shed his grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.

Mindful Celebration

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blessed, citizen, divisive, Fourth of July, opportunity, Peace, privilege, Psalm 145, remembrance, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, United States

In the midst of horrendous acts of terror and destruction reported from around the world and even in our own country, we celebrate today our national holiday. I am often aware of the privilege of having been born in the United States of America, the “Land of Opportunity.” My grandparents sought and took that chance for a better life and I look back to my parents (members of Tom Brokaw’s “Greatest Generation”) and now to my siblings and cousins and see how blessed we have been.

With all our country’s challenges at present there is reason to lament. The widening gap between rich and poor, the increasingly divisive political rhetoric, the obvious disturbance caused by climate change cause me to wonder sometimes about our future. But then I think of all the great advances and advantages that we have here in the United States – all the remarkable inventions and discoveries, all the achievements of the young as well as some who have been working on the same problem all their adult lives who have just had the breakthrough that pushes our science to new heights. I watch hordes of people come forward to help in times of trouble and feel the joy of an announcement and photos of the long awaited birth of a new “citizen” in our family. Learning to live in the darkness and light of life without giving in to depression and sadness or appropriating for ourselves the credit for all good outcomes is sometimes quite a task. For me, the possibility of peace in the midst of it all lies in the recognition of my place and responsibility in the grand scheme of things.

Mindfulness of our relatedness to and reverence for all of creation and gratitude for God’s care at every moment seems a place to begin today’s celebration. I call on today’s liturgical text of the psalmist’s words for a fitting tribute to the One who is the Giver of all good gifts. Psalm 145 proclaims the following:

O Sovereign God, all-powerful, your name I praise above all else. Each day that comes I add another note of song that I shall never cease to sing, for you, Almighty One, are great beyond my telling. Of you there is no limit and no end. Each generation speaks its word, its view of you, and so your power passes through the ages. In awe I ponder all that you have done. I see its beauty and its grandeur everywhere. Yes, all shall finally see and know it too, and recount in full to everyone. And so the news of you shall spread and grow, and all shall add their voice to sing this song of deep remembrance.

Blessings to us and all the world. Happy 4th!

 

Happy Fourth

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community, creativity, Fourth of July, generosity, identity, immigrants, opportunity, Peace, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, United States, world

Yesterday I was frustrated because there was an internet glitch that kept me from posting this daily blog. This morning when I checked to see if anyone had visited our site yesterday, I found that people did view 15 previous posts and that in addition to the United States the visitors came from Panama, Australia, Nigeria and Germany. It is a miracle to me that in the span of my lifetime our world has progressed from “party-line” telephones, where we had to share phone connection with neighbors, to the worldwide web of instant global reach. This progression (as well as many others) is not the achievement of one nation but rather a sometimes competitive and sometimes cooperative venture among countries.

Today the United States celebrates our national holiday of independence. I am grateful to live in this land of great opportunity, creativity and generosity. Knowing that we are at the same time fiercely independent and sometimes mired in the greed that can be a by-product of success, I remember that we have been, throughout our history, built on the efforts of our immigrant ancestors and that our responsibility is as large as our achievement. I have been changed in writing this blog almost every day. I can no longer just be conscious of my personal life or my identity as an American descended from Irish Roman Catholic immigrants. In pondering my message for the day, I need to be aware of others as far away as the Philippines or South Africa or Finland or…

As we give thanks for the blessings of peace and prosperity in this land today, my prayer will be for a future of world community where all are able to celebrate having what they need and to share life with neighbors across the globe.