Anticipation

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anticipation, calm, dawn, day, glory, John Phillip Newell, Prayer of Awareness, presence, reunion, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, willing, workshop

Over the past half hour I have had a line from the movie, The Sound of Music, floating in and out of my mind. As Julie Andrews is about to embark on her adventure as a nanny/governess for seven children she muses, “What will this day be like…I wonder…” My wondering is nothing like that of Ms. Andrews/Maria. I am anticipating the arrival of eleven women who have been participating in book studies at The Sophia Center over the past year. They are coming for a sort of “reunion workshop” that I’m sure will be extraordinary as they are, themselves, no ordinary women. My anticipation is calm and willing, an expectation of blessing and rest. So I pray for all of us (and seekers everywhere) a lovely morning “Prayer of Awareness” from John Phillip Newell.

At the beginning of the day we seek your countenance among us, O God, in the countless forms of creation all around us, in the sun’s rising glory, in the face of friend and stranger. Your Presence within every presence, your Light within all light, your Heart at the heart of this moment. May the fresh light of morning wash our sight that we may see your Life in every life this day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teamwork

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glory, God, grace, joy, morning, privilege, see, spirit, team, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, wisdom, Wisdom School

6:37AM: Very dark outside. Very cold in my bedroom. A day to hunker down under a mountain of blankets, one might say. But I’m awake and moving with thoughts of gratitude for the promise of two days of work that is not burdensome. Rather I look forward to the creativity of planning with my “Wisdom Team” for the events that help us and those who participate in these retreats to go deeper into life in the Spirit. The work is greater than anything we could conjure ourselves and it is always a joy and privilege to see where it takes us. Today is a new beginning and I find myself singing silently a familiar chant:

Pour out through me, God of glory, Lord of grace, that all may see Thy eternal radiant face.

 

 

 

 

 

Getting to the Heart of Things

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deeper, fast from the heart, fasting, glory, God, heart, Isaiah, lesson, light, Lord, reward, sharing, sheltering, spiritual lives, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, vindication

Today it’s Isaiah whose message rings loudly in my ears with the same focus: go deeper! Get to the heart of things. He’s talking about fasting and the dissatisfaction of the people with God’s response – or lack thereof – to their practice. They want their reward. But God is more concerned with the lack of depth in their spiritual lives because, even while they fast, they mistreat their laborers and fight among themselves. They just don’t get it. So once again they – and we – get a lesson on what it means to “fast from the heart.” It’s a truly moving and inspired passage. (Is 58:1-9a) Read it aloud, if you will, with gusto!

This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke, setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke, sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless, clothing the naked when you see them and not turning your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; your vindication shall go before you and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help and God will say: Here I am!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Singing Our Praise!

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beloved, faithful, glory, harmony, Holy One, humble, love, Nan Merrill, Peace, praise the Lord, presence, psalm 149, psalms, Psalms for Praying, sing, sing to the Lord, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Sometimes at our Tuesday “Lunch With the Psalms” meetings, one of us will ask, “Didn’t we just have this one…really recently?” I think about young people over the centuries who have studied the Hebrew Scriptures, part of which was memorizing the psalms, getting tripped up by the similarities, especially in the last five (146-150) which all start with Praise the Lord! with the possible exception of 149 that in most translations we’re told to sing to the Lord!

Wanting a fresh image or two from the psalm of the day to remind me of the fact that we are still in the joyful season of Christmas, I turned to Nan Merrill’s Psalms For Praying this morning. I smiled at her first words: Praise the Beloved! She follows by calling us to song but cannot begin without reminding us of the responsibility of offering the gift of praise to the one who guides us in every moment. Her translation of this psalm is lovely; why not sing the whole thing with full voice?

Praise the Beloved! Sing a joy-filled song praising the Blessed One among the people! Be glad in the Creator, rejoice in Love Divine. Praise the Holy One with dancing, with melodies and voice! For the Beloved dwells within, journeying with us through all our lives, leading us in truth and love. The humble are adorned with honor; the faithful exult in glory, singing for joy with thankful hearts! With truth on our tongues, with gratitude as our friend, we are in harmony with the universe, as we hold hands with all the people. The chains of oppression are broken, the fetters of injustice unbound. The realm of Peace and Love shall reign! Glory abides with those who are faith-filled. Praise the Beloved! All peoples on earth, welcome Love’s Companioning Presence into your hearts!

 

 

 

 

 

That Day Is Today

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Advent, Christmas, education, energized, everyday life, glory, God's glory, Isaiah, learning, luster, shift, surprise, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, understanding, vantage point

This morning’s Scripture readings began with the familiar phrase, “On that day…” that is usually followed with a promise of some import to be visited on God’s people. Today it is Isaiah promising “luster and glory…honor and splendor…” (IS 4:2-6). Promise for the future is important to keep us going; I spoke of it yesterday in terms of Advent and the coming of Christmas. But sometimes I wonder if we are really interested in the possibility that awaits us – or even if we believe what we are reading, perhaps based on what we have experienced in past years when the cycle has come and gone with little effect on our lives.

This morning, just to get me through my first cup of coffee, I read two articles from my graduate school quarterly, the Middlebury Magazine. Middlebury is an amazing school with an equally amazing endowment so it is natural to expect great things happening there. I was interested in the interview of the editor, Matt Jennings, with the relatively new President of the College, Laurie Patton, (in her second year at the post) because I had not yet “met” her and was interested in what she brings to Middlebury. I was pleased with what I learned and found it consonant with the article that followed about a pilot program begun there in 2014. Called What’s the Story? it “seeks to alter our understanding of secondary education” by bringing together high school students from several locations and grade levels who work in small groups on a project of their own choosing for almost an entire school year with an adult mentor (Midd grads who teach in the state). At the completion of the research and development, there are presentations around the state as outcome of the learnings and credit is given for the work. Not only are the projects interesting and important but the students learn innovative ways of research and presentation, with perhaps the most important element of all being the process of working together as agents of their own learning.

Although the two paragraphs above may seem unrelated, I found myself strangely energized after having read the articles and easily fell into thinking about how to shift things in my “everyday life” to make more happen interiorly for me during this month of Advent. Creativity is definitely the link. Practices have to be (dare I use the word) relevant and meaningful and necessary tasks seen in a different light that adds to the coherence of it all. I guess I’m looking for a little “luster” today – just a start so that I will notice “God’s glory” when I arrive at Christmas day. Sometimes a shift in perspective doesn’t mean a 180 degree turn but just a little inching toward the goal from a different vantage point. And a little willingness to be creative will surely win the day. Forgive me if you are left saying, “HUH???”  after reading all this. It may be a case of “You had to be there…” to understand my enthusiasm. All I can say is, “trust me. Every day is worth what we put into it and what we get out of it may just surprise us.” So on we go!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We Remember

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9/11, fallen, glory, good, Peace, psalm 51, rebuild, sacrifice, september 11, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, vengeance, wound

Today as we mark the 15th anniversary of one of the most horrific days in our national history whose memory still resounds in conflict around the world, we would do well in honoring our fallen brethren to turn to the psalmist and pray not for retribution (which only keeps the wound of vengeance festering) but for peace of spirit in the words of Psalm 51.

Lord, lead us forth in graciousness to the city of your peace, where with the saints we’ll know your highest good, and there rebuild for us our broken walls and shattered hearts. Then everything shall be a sacrifice to you, and offered to the blazing brightness of your name, and burned forever in the glory of your everlasting gaze. (vs. 18-19)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cosmic Dance

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conscious work, glory, healing, hungry, Kanuga, poor, Psalm 95, refugees, sharing, synergy, terror victims, The Elm Dance, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I can’t be sure yet but I think the rain has stopped. Yesterday it seemed as if we were destined to begin building an ark for 250 people and however many animals came swimming down the paths here at Kanuga. But it was a day when it seemed no one was bothered by the rain. We were buoyed up by the synergy of our sharing, especially as we came together in a magical event that replaced our “conscious work” period of cleaning up the grounds of leaves and sticks and other remnants of autumn.

We gathered in the gym, first in our “small groups” of 20 people each and then in 3 concentric circles to learn and then dance The Elm Dance for the healing of the world. All nervousness about “doing it right” vanished quickly in the first go-round when the groups realized how simple the steps were and how easy it was to stay together as they moved. Especially beautiful were the moments of moving toward the center of the circle where joined hands let go into the sky, waving like the branches of beautiful trees and coming back together in the movement out again to continue circling. Later sharing provided ample evidence of connecting with the plight of refugees and victims of terror, the poor and hungry of the world and the ravaged places of Earth herself in ways that were deep and meaningful.

The rain continued to accompany us through the day and night where strains of our closing chant for the evening resonated everywhere as witness that every cell of this body sings, “Glory!” I have no doubt that the best advice any of the participants here could give for this new day comes from the gospel verse for this morning: If today you hear God’s voice, harden not your hearts. (Ps. 95:8)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wake Up Call

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be content, body of Christ, Book of Hours, deepening, glory, heart, hope, messages, the present, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas Merton, wisdom

I had need of a little Merton this morning to get me going for the day. I know that there is always some hidden pearl of wisdom hidden in the ordinariness of any moment but I have just come from such richness in wisdom gatherings in New Hampshire and in Syracuse, New York that I wasn’t sure the events of today could measure up. Silly me! I opened Merton’s Book of Hours and found right in front of me not one but two worthy messages. I didn’t even need to search or turn a page!

1. God cannot be found by weighing the present against the future or the past, but only in sinking into the heart of the present as it is.
2. Our glory and our hope – We are the Body of Christ. Christ loves us and espouses us as His own flesh. Isn’t that enough for us? But we do not really believe it. No! Be content, be content. We are the Body of Christ. We have found Him, He has found us. We are in Him, He is in us. There is nothing further to look for, except for the deepening of this life we already possess. Be content.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Time Is Now

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acepting, blessing, burdened with fear, Divine Light, free, glory, gratitude, heart of my heart, love, Nan Merrill, new dawn, Psalm 145, Psalms for Praying, radical trust, raise up, St. Bartholomew, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, wonder

On this feast of St. Bartholomew, one of the twelve apostles, I was drawn to the translation of Psalm 145 written by Nan Merrill in her book Psalms for Praying. While very different from the traditional English translation, I found it a powerful message for today’s disciples. It begins around verse 10.

God Speaks: Divine Light shines in those who live in Love. I shall uphold all who are burdened with fear, and raise up all who call to Me. The time is nigh for you to choose, for great is the new dawn that fast approaches; I call each of you to open your inner ears, to see with spiritual eyes, and to trust that even amidst the outward chaos, all is working toward the wholeness of humanity.

The disciple responds: O Heart of my heart, envelop me! I know You are near to all who call upon You. Bring to my recollection all that I have denied, that I might be accepting and free, to help rebuild the soul of the world with radical trust, love and wonder! When I speak, let it be of blessing and gratitude; let your glory within me shine out to the world!

 

 

The Embrace of Reconciliation

Tags

exile, glory, mercy, perfect peace, psalm 85, return, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, truth, turn toward God

Psalm 85 is seen by some scholars as a hymn based on the experience of return from exile and is expressive perhaps of what can happen to us first personally and then corporately when we turn toward God as the center of life. This is beautifully expressed in all three translations that I read this morning. Here is my favorite.

To everyone who turns their face towards you, you come so close and glory floods the landscape of the soul. And in the secret places of the heart your mercy and your truth shall meet at last in full embrace, and right-relationship and peace kiss one another there. So truth is finally born in full; it springs from earth full grown, and heaven reaches out restoring balances to all. And from that marriage, prosperity unmeasured fills the lands and yields a harvest of unimagined good, and makes the path of justice smooth between all peoples everywhere, for everything in you knows perfect peace. (vs. 9-14)

May it be so in our world in our time!