Envious?

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fairness, generosity, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

There’s a great lesson in today’s gospel. We may need to dig deep for the total honesty needed to admit how we would feel in the situation, even if the feeling was just a twinge. If that were the case we would know that we were at least on the right path. It’s one of those lessons that we need to really encounter – not just to read about – in order to know for sure how we would feel, but even speculating on it begins the process of self-scrutiny.

The story is the parable of the workers in the vineyard, where some were hired in the early morning and worked all day. Some found work only for the last work-hour before quitting time. When it was time to collect wages at the end of the day and those who had worked all day got the same amount of money that those who worked just one hour were paid, there was lots of consternation and grumbling because the first people who got their pay were the last hired and they got the agreed upon wage. The natural conclusion would have been that those who had worked all day would get more…Not so! They got the agreed-upon wage.

How would you feel if you had toiled all day in the sun picking grapes and expected a bonus because you knew that those who had been hired last got what you had agreed upon in the morning? We could argue that the actions of the vineyard owner were not “fair” but would lose the argument if we had already known and agreed on the amount coming to us.

Think about it this way however. What if you had a family and were standing around in the hot sun all day begging God to let someone hire you so you could buy food for tomorrow for your children? Or what if you had looked and looked for work and this was the only job available and just for an hour? Does that help?

How ever we look at it, we ought to ask ourselves the question that the owner of the vineyard asked the discontented workers: Are you envious because I am generous? And don’t just theorize…Dig deep for how you would feel. Then consider how blessed we are to have a generous God who knows what is best for us to help us grow into our best selves.

Love Expands Us

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generosity, jealousy, love, Meg Wheatley, perseverance, Sisters of St. Joseph, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Because I lingered in the kitchen with my coffee this morning, it’s already 9:30 and the day is in full swing. Lots of activities await. How to go about everything is the question. I will likely need to make a list! On days like this I just try to breathe—especially if everyone else is about their own tasks and seeming focused. It is a luxury to sit looking out my window at a gloriously fresh morning, hearing the birds all across the expanse of our property and beyond. They are perhaps the busiest of all, if not the loudest!

Needing help, I turn to Meg Wheatley and am stopped on the quote that introduces a page entitled “Jealousy.” Scientist Humberto Maturana says:

Love is the only emotion that expands intelligence.

I was about to leave it at that and let you fend for yourself but then I thought about our weekend and the wonderful experience of our leadership selections. The generosity of the Sisters who offered themselves to us in service for the next five years was extraordinary. Most universal and important in their presentations were their expressions of love for our Congregation. It gave me pause to consider Meg Wheatley’s reflection on jealousy and generosity that expanded on the Maturana quote.

She says: When something good happens to someone else – another organization wins a grant, a friend gets a promotion, someone else gets the opportunity we wanted – we can activate either emotion. We can question whether there’s enough to go around. We can wonder whose need is greater, or just assume that we needed it more. We can be happy for their good fortune, or bemoan the loss of ours.

As closely as jealousy and generosity are, they create very different consequences. If jealousy dominates, we turn inward, shrivel our hearts, and lose strength. If generosity grows, we grow also. Our world expands. We realize there’s enough to go around. We realize we don’t need everything we thought we did. The world in general feels more reliable, more trustworthy, more enjoyable.

The world expands from the inside out – it’s our hearts that have enlarged. We not only feel more loving, we’re also more open and aware. We see more, we take in more, we let in more.

Jealousy is such a waste of a good human heart. (Perseverance, p. 74-5)

So on we go, Sisters of St, Joseph, founded to be “the Congregation of the Great Love of God.”

One Heart and One Mind

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Acts of the Apostles, common good, community, consciousness, counterintuitive, difficulty, freedoms, generosity, one heart and one mind, step up, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I felt a wave of sadness as I read the lectionary texts this morning. It began with the first line of the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles (4:32-37).

The community of believers was of one heart and one mind, and no one claimed that any of their possessions were their own, but they held everything in common.

Immediately images flashed across the screen of my mind, videos from yesterday’s news of demonstrations in Pennsylvania against the closure of all gathering places in the state: factories, offices, restaurants, beaches – everywhere that people might congregate. They were not peaceful demonstrations but angry protests against what people saw as government attempting to take away the freedoms on which our country was founded. I was appalled to see the majority of those gathered without masks in close crowds and automatic rifles at the sides of some people who were waving American flags as well.

Where is the sense of the common good in those pictures? I live in New York State, three miles from the border from Pennsylvania and 175 miles from that state capital – as the crow flies and from where the wind blows. We have been diligent to assure no spread of COVID-19 and all of our efforts may be undone by yesterday’s activities, actually taking place in many cities across the country.

As I write this I am conflicted because I am also aware of the difficulties facing people who have lost their jobs and who have received no financial help from the government thus far. I understand the frustration that builds every day because of the restrictions placed on us – of travel, of visiting loved ones, of wondering how long we will have enough food to eat. And then I begin to think of the generosity of nurses and doctors and bus drivers and first responders of all kinds who put themselves in danger each day to preserve life and the common good in service to those in need.

It is a sad and frustrating and unsettling time – not just in our country this time but in the whole world. It will take a mighty effort for us to wake up, to step up to a higher plane of consciousness, equal to the challenges we face now, especially those that call us to greater care for life than for anything else.

Are we equal to the challenge? It is not something we can do alone. It is counterintuitive that now we are told to stay away from others – at least 6 feet way. Can we survive this without physically connecting, starved of hugs as we are? It will take a monumental effort to move toward “one heart and one mind” in this complex world of ours. But it is the only world we have.

We will survive together or we will not survive at all. How do you propose that we “step up?”

All Kinds of Food

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COVID19, generosity, hunger, Jesus, John, love of God, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Some of those reading these blog posts will likely be familiar with my fondness for today’s gospel from John, chapter 21. I’ve often called it “breakfast on the beach,” a catchy title, I think, that today means more than usual to me. When it shows up in the lectionary readings I’m always quick to highlight the humanity of Jesus, shown by his willingness to do a very simple, loving service to his friends, i.e. cooking them breakfast. I rarely focus on the earlier part of the gospel where the apostles are tired and likely disappointed because they have worked all night and caught no fish. With a quick directive from Jesus to cast their nets on the other side of the boat, Jesus saves them from their fatigue and probably significant hunger while at the same time re-igniting their trust that he is really — physically –present to them. It is, as we learn later in the chapter, about more than just the food.

We have been virtually quarantined in our house now for about a month. A few trips to our village post office with mask and gloves and a plastic window between me and the postal worker, as well as a couple of bank deposits from the drive-up window, have been the totality of my outings and more than any of my housemates. We take turns more now planning and cooking our meals as we are all home all the time.

It was clear at the beginning of this week that food supplies were becoming scarce in our house. Rather than anxiety-producing, that meant we needed to make and call in a list to Sister Paula’s sister, Joan, a widow who lives alone now and spends her days serving others wherever she sees a need. In the days before COVID-19, I would sometimes stop at Joanie’s house to drop off or pick up something for Paula. Inevitably, I would see Joan in someone’s driveway returning the neighbor’s trash barrels to their storage place after the morning trash pick-up. It is not her only neighborly service. Whether or not she knows the name or anything else about the person she sees in need of help, she never passes up a chance to be God’s envoy.

We are now fully stocked again for a week or two and in addition to the food we have received the love of God in the generosity of a cheery, willing woman we call “sister” to us and to all those who cross her path.

A Christmas Prayer

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Emmanuel, generosity, Joyce Rupp, kindness, love, Prayer Seeds, respect, reverence, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Joyce Rupp has a meaningful Christmas prayer in her book, Prayer Seeds, that seems appropriate for this sixth day in the octave of Christmas, to remind us that the spirit of the feast lives on beyond a one-day celebration. Won’t you pray it in connection with all those reading this post?

Emmanuel, God-with-us, you chose to come for each person, the destitute and the wealthy, the unfortunate and the privileged, the troubled and the peaceful, the healthy and the ill.

You came in human form with a message of extravagant love, showing us how to be with those who have much less than we do. You came offering a gesture of respect and reverence instead of indifference and disdain; giving courteous kindness in place of thoughtless disregard; contributing ongoing support rather than a mere holiday handout.

Change my heart. Turn it inside out, toward the larger world. Remind me daily of those who struggle with their basic existence. Lead me to help change social systems that contribute to this ongoing struggle. Enlarge my awareness. Increase my generosity. Guide my choices of how I live, what I purchase, and how I use my material wealth.

Remind me often of your presence in those I tend to ignore or forget. Boundless Love, thank you for cherishing each person on this planet. (p.2-3)

Joseph’s Role

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dreams, generosity, God is calling, inner voice, intuition, love, prayer, St. Joseph, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Joseph, husband of Mary who brought Jesus into the world, has a very small speaking part in the gospels. He is very often called “the silent one” which is not the easiest part to play in any situation. We do speak of some men as the “strong, silent type” and that is seen as a good thing but more because of the descriptive strong rather than silent. (And they are usually handsome as well!) One might think of Joseph as one “waiting in the wings” for his moment to shine, but that is not true! Joseph is always ready – listening – for God’s word in his life and obedient at every turn. His obedience to messages that some would have dismissed immediately had to come from deep within himself and from the conviction of how God worked in his life – always for his good and the good of those he loved.

Sometimes we are also called to trust our intuition, our dreams and the sense that God is calling us to something we would not have chosen, perhaps, but what seems an important next step. We would do well to imitate Joseph, standing silent, waiting for God to speak and trusting our inner voice that flows from a life of prayer and generosity in love.

Consequences

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Abram, consequences, generosity, Genesis, hearts, jealousy, Meg Wheatley, perseverance, Sarai, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

After reading today’s text from the lectionary (GN 16:6B-12, 15-16) about Sarai’s inability to have children and her acquiescence to Abram’s need for an heir, I found her decision to “give” her maidservant, Hagar, to him as his concubine rather surprising. Actually, it was her behavior after the decision that belied the seeming generosity of her decision. She was very abusive of Hagar when Hagar became pregnant! Serendipitously, without any effort on my part, (Does anything really happen “by chance?”) I opened Meg Wheatley’s book, Perseverance, and found the following:

Jealousy and generosity are reverse images of one another. In response to any circumstance, one or the other will arise, guaranteed. Since they inhabit the same space, only one can appear at any time; they cancel each other out. Jealousy arises as generosity disappears, generosity flourishes as jealousy is stilled…

As closely connected as jealousy and generosity are, they create very different consequences. If jealousy predominates, we turn inward, shrivel our hearts, and lose strength. If generosity grows, we grow also. Our world expands. We realize there is enough to go round…

The world expands from the inside out – it’s our hearts that have enlarged. We not only feel more loving, we’re also more open and aware. We see more, we take in more, we let in more.

Jealousy is such a waste of a good human heart. (p. 75)

Pure Joy

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benefit, generosity, praying, psalm 19, sacred music, singing, stable, The Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, unity

It’s always interesting to me when one word jumps out from a page and starts me on a road of reflection. This morning that word was an adjective from Psalm 19 in an alternate translation. The word was stable. (When bolded it really does give the impression of what it means.) I’m fairly certain that I hooked onto that word because everything seems unstable right now: the weather, the political scene and many of the institutions – religious and secular – that seem to be failing around the world. We need something to hold onto and I believe it can only come from a deep, interior place. Here is what the psalmist said in speaking to God:

The stable patterns of your ways give joy and fill the heart with good, bringing light to eyes that now can see. Pure light, pure truth, pure justice, God, they’re like a cleansing wind that passes through our souls, assessing all.

Last evening I had an experience of this “purity,” this stability. I went to a benefit concert for the work of The Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus who travel to Haiti on a regular basis to help improve conditions in the lives of the people there. The concert was organized by and featured the extraordinary talents of the parish musicians and choir of St. James Church in Johnson City, NY. I am always comfortable there as I had known many of these people as students when I was teaching high school, two of whom are Jan DeAngelo, music director for the parish and Patricia Foley, leader of the contemporary choir, the group presenting the concert.

From the first pure note of the a cappella solo, Pat led the crowded church into a truly holy event, traveling through time and venues where sacred and secular are one. Violins, horns, guitars and drums melded perfectly with the artistic prowess of Jan’s piano – and the voices…well, the blend was, to coin a word, heavenly. And the best part of all was that the audience was encouraged to sing along at every turn – and we did! From John Denver’s All This Joy to the stirring religious anthem, How Great Thou Art, the evening was suffused with the light of generosity and willingness and the truth that our singing and praying was perhaps as beneficial for Haitians as the overflowing bucket of donations at the back of the Church.

My gratitude is great, just for knowing such talented, generous people who offer their gifts on a regular basis for the praise of God and the good of community, bringing light to eyes that come to see from a place of unity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taste And See…

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eating, Elijah, generosity, Jesus, Kings, psalm 34, strength, Taste and See, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

From the prophet Elijah to Jesus, today’s readings speak of the importance of eating to keep up our strength for living – both physically and spiritually. We find Elijah journeying into the desert (1 KGS 19:4-8) where, in a moment of desperation, he lies down under a tree and asks God to let him die. Instead, an angel wakes him and orders him – twice – to eat, having provided the food that will keep him alive and strong on his trek through the desert (a forty-day trip) to Horeb, the mountain of God.

The psalmist is eloquent in calling us to “taste and see the goodness of the Lord” in one of the most lyrical and inviting of the entire Book of Psalms. “Glorify the Lord with me,” he sings. “Look to God that you may be radiant with joy!…Taste and see how good the Lord is; blessed is the one who takes refuge in God.” (PS 34:2-9)

John’s gospel has Jesus speaking boldly of himself as “the living bread that has come down from heaven. This bread,” he promises, “is my flesh for the life of the world.”  (JN 6:41-51)

There are so many ways we could reflect on these readings today.  We might consider our need for bodily sustenance and our responsibility for feeding not only ourselves but also those who do not have enough food. We could think metaphorically about spiritual food and our longing to strengthen our desire for God in Eucharist or other prayerful exercises. Or…

As I prepare breakfast for the retreat participants here at our center for the weekend, I will try to maintain a focus of generosity, adding love as the main ingredient of the food to be offered to them. What will be your practice concerning food today?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Cheerful Giver

Tags

generosity, poor, St. Lawrence, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, treasures

As one who is not overly enamored of the workings of internet technology, I must admit that I appreciate my findings more and more when I go surfing in the morning. Today I typed in the word generosity and found a lovely short paragraph from the University of Notre Dame that expresses what I think is inherent in all the lectionary readings for this date, celebrating the feast of St. Lawrence.

Generosity also involves giving to others not simply anything in abundance but rather giving those things that are good for others. Generosity always intends to enhance the true well-being of those to whom it gives.

The legends surrounding the life and death of St. Lawrence bear witness to this truth. Lawrence was a deacon in Rome in the third century serving Pope Sixtus II in a time of great persecution. Knowing he was likely to be arrested and martyred for his faith – as was the Pope – Lawrence, who was charged with responsibility for the material goods of the Church, began distributing all the money and selling even the sacred vessels to give to the poor. When the Roman official heard of this, he ordered Lawrence to bring him all the treasures of the Church saying that the emperor needed them to maintain the military forces. Lawrence agreed and gathered all the poor and infirm, orphans and widows…all the poor in any way, and lined them up. When the government official arrived to claim the riches, Lawrence said, “These are the treasures of the Church.”

That story calls me to consider what I see as “treasure” and how generous I am in my living. Whether we are materially rich or poor we all have gifts to give. Where do your gifts lie? Are you willing to open your hands and your heart to others in need? Are you willing to receive the generosity of others? The readings suggest, as does a song of long ago, that “God loves a cheerful giver.” May we all know the joys of generosity!