Morning Musing

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breath of life, God's presence, opportunity, purpose, reflection, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

It’s very cold outside in Windsor, New York today. And it’s snowing, that persistent, almost invisible kind of flakes that could come all day long and only equal about an inch of what we know to form when the humidity quotient is low. I am partial to snow of any kind. Of course the kind that allows snowman-building and good skiing is prettier but not so helpful for people who have to drive through it.

I may have said this recently but I always think when I see snow in the morning of something I heard long ago from someone whom I do not remember. “Snow is a new beginning,” the phantom person told me and so I hold on to that hope today, as I do each time I wake up to a snowy morning. Concomitantly, snow is a quiet happening, which always brightens my day.

Earlier this week I found a sheaf of smallish lime-green papers stuck in a 15-year old journal from my annual retreat in 2005. There were several pages of quotes from various sources (most likely to help with reflection in quiet moments), but just one page without a source. Somehow, it feels perfect for this slow, quiet, snowy morning. Do with it what you will.

Each day is a gift, an opportunity, a treasure—because God is the one who gives us the breath of life, places before us a purpose and direction, allows us to enjoy the wonder of God’s presence and the union of God’s love. You are not here by chance but by God’s choosing. God’s hand has formed you and made you the person you are. God compares you to no one else…You are one of a kind…You lack nothing God’s grace can’t give you. God has allowed you to be here at this time in history to fulfill God’s special purpose for this generation. (Anonymous)

One Thing I Ask

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God's presence, lessons, meditation, psalm 27, self-compassion, stay home, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

For a long time I have wished for more time with less to do. I was reminded of that this morning when I read Psalm 27 which sang out:

One thing I ask of the Lord, this I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, that I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord and contemplate God’s temple.”

It’s ironic really because since the second week of March — 46 days to be exact – I have been without a schedule and without restriction except to “STAY HOME” (as directed by our government) but have yet to dedicate time in any regular way to the contemplation of the “loveliness of the Lord.” I have participated in a virtual retreat by Zoom and have begun again the group book study that was interrupted mid-course last month…but that just happened this week and only takes 3 hours out of 24…

As I think of it, another irony is that the topic of the virtual retreat for this week is “Self-Compassion” and I wonder why I might be feeling guilty at this moment. I sit in my recliner and look at my meditation mat just three feet away, wondering why I am not sitting there right now and what it will take to finally move from recognition of lassitude to the discipline of meditation once again.

There are many lessons in this “season-out-of-time,” as I have come to call it. In conversations lately (zoom and telephone only!) I have been grateful to hear that I am not alone in what is probably a mild case of depression if not just an adjustment to life during a situation I have never before encountered.

As I think of it, I have not lost the sense of God’s presence always with me so perhaps attention to that fact is a way to achieve the same result as happens in a scheduled meditation session. That’s something to watch as I go forward…but I think today will lend itself to a scheduled “date” with God on my mat, because during this attempt to explain myself to myself, I am feeling a deeper longing for just such an event!

Prayer for Awareness

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blessings, Dorian, God's presence, John Philip Newell, Praying With the Earth, the first Breath of day, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

As I wait for new information about hurricane Dorian and its slow process of destruction, I pray for God to be with all those affected by this unprecedented event. No, that’s not exactly true. What I am praying for is that those affected will be aware of God’s presence in the midst of the storm. John Philip Newell companions me in the waiting and in the hope of this new day.

It is in the depths of life that we find you/ at the heart of this moment/ at the centre of our soul/ deep in the earth and its eternal stirrings./ You are the Ground of all being/ the Well-Spring of time/ Womb of the earth/ the Seed Force of stars./ And so at the opening of this day/ we wait/ not for blessings from afar/ but for You/ the very soil of our soul/ the early Freshness of morning/ the first Breath of day. (John Philip Newell, Praying with the Earth)

Reader’s Choice

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Ancient Songs Sung Anew, God's presence, refuge, stillness, stronghold, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

A strange thing happened just now as I went to the USCCB website for the lectionary readings of the day (always my first stop upon arising). When I clicked on the calendar, an empty space appeared. Thinking it was my recalcitrant phone, I did the same with my computer. Same result: empty page. I clicked on February 4th and 6th and both showed the readings of the day but today was empty. I’m supposing it was some kind of a glitch at the Bishops’ office but decided to treat it as “reader’s choice.”

I opened my trusty Ancient Songs Sung Anew – not exactly at random. Today I am participating in an event at the Dominican Retreat and Conference Center in Schenectady, NY, a place where I spent several graced weekends leading retreats some years ago. One of my favorites was based on Psalm 46. As I opened to it this morning, I was not disappointed to find the title, God’s Presence in a World Torn Apart. Here are some of the hopeful lines.

God is for us a place of refuge and a mighty strength always present to us in our time of need…Though storms may blow and the seas themselves begin to foam, and the foundations of the world are shaken to their core…like a stronghold to our ancestors, our God is with us now…And like the light of morning, God’s presence breaks as dawn, and nothing is ever shaken there or broken down…Be silent, then, and in the stillness know the transcendence of our God. Know too the immanence of the One present in each being…Like a stronghold to our ancestors, our God is with us now. (p. 115)

I will hope to remember these words as I watch the State of the Union address this evening.

Everyday Blessings

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fortress, God's presence, psalm 144, shield, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, trust

On my bedroom windowsill I have a rock that I found on the shore of Skaneateles Lake    during a retreat many years ago. It really looks like a miniature mountain and on an outcropping sits a tiny statue of an owl looking out. The composition is a sign to me of God’s strong, wise and ever-watchful presence, a metaphor like that of today’s psalm that sings: Blessed is the Lord, my rock, my fortress, my stronghold, my deliverer, my shield in whom I trust. (PS 144:1-2).

It’s good to have symbols and metaphors that keep us steady in our faith and help us to trust in the everyday, don’t you think? Where do you find such support?

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Times Of Trouble

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doubt, God's mercy, God's presence, Jesus, Matthew, storms, suffering, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, walk on water

Sometimes it seems hard to believe that we are strong enough to withstand the difficulties that plague us. I’m thinking this morning of the raging fires in California as well as all the people I know who are suffering from trauma or illness from which there seems to be no way out. At these times we might be challenged to go on by sayings like “Cast your cares upon the Lord for he cares for you.” Once in awhile, however, when everything seems so dire, it feels as if God is on vacation, and we wonder if we will survive.

In the gospel this morning (MT 14:22-36) Jesus has sent his disciples to the other side of the Sea of Galilee at the end of a session with a large crowd. He stays behind for some alone time with God up on a mountain. His prayer is interrupted when a storm comes up and he knows that the disciples are in trouble because the wind is against the boat so they can’t go forward. Rather they’re being tossed around and in danger of capsizing. So that they may believe in his power to save them, he appears walking on the water toward the boat. (Stop for a moment and think how you would react to seeing him coming at a time like that.) They thought he was a ghost so he announced himself and told them not to be afraid. Peter wants to be sure so he says, “Lord, if it is really you, command me to come to you on the water.” (Be careful what you ask for!) Jesus says, simply, “Come.” Peter gets out of the boat and starts walking but when his rational mind kicks in he begins to sink and cries out, “Lord, save me!” Of course, Jesus stretches out his hand, catches Peter and they both get into the boat as the wind dies down. “Why did you doubt?” Jesus asks.

When our particular crisis passes, or when the fires die down and neighbor appears to help neighbor, we often wonder why we doubted God’s presence, God’s mercy. But here we are, just simple (or maybe sort of complex) human beings, struggling to make sense of things that sometimes seem too great to shoulder. My sense is that God knows that and loves us all the more for our willingness to call out, “Save me, Lord! I’m drowning!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those Gone Before Us

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All Saints Day, All Souls Day, departed, God's presence, loved one, Office for the Dead, Peace, prayer, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

There are some interesting notes today in the text from Fr. Don Miller (http://www.franciscanmedia.com) about this “All Souls Day.” The first is the story of the emergence of such a remembrance. It was in the middle of 11th century, says Father Miller, that “St. Odilo, abbot of Cluny, France, decreed that all Cluniac monasteries offer special prayers and sing the Office for the Dead on November 2, the day after the feast of All Saints. The custom spread from Cluny and was finally adopted throughout the Roman Church.”

I am partial, however, to a second notable thought that appears in the reflection section following the historical statements. Fr. Miller writes: …prayer for a loved one is, for the believer, a way of erasing any distance, even death. In prayer, we stand in God’s presence in the company of someone we love, even if that person has gone before us into death. I find that a sweet comfort as I image myself standing between my cousins, Paul and Jim, who have left us in this past year, and when I find myself in the circle of the four Sisters of St. Joseph who have gone before us during the past month. As I remain quietly in these two saintly companies, I hear St. Paul preaching to the Romans in the familiar words: The souls of the just are in the hand of God and no torment shall touch them…They are in peace.

May all of our dear departed ones rest in peace. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

Coexistence

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divine exchange, divisiveness, Flood, God's presence, Huston, Jan Phillips, Julian of Norwich, mysticism, No Ordinary Time, positive energy, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, trust, willingness, wisdom

Sometime in the recent past I became aware that real distress and pure joy can exist in me at the same moment. Yesterday I knew it at an even deeper level, not just as a theory in my mind but a felt sense in my heart. While carrying the devastation and suffering of the people in Texas to work with me, I was also aware of a growing excitement for what would be the culmination of our very fertile conversations sparked by the book, No Ordinary Time. I wasn’t happy that the series was over but rather immensely thankful for the growing trust and willingness of group members to share themselves as they recounted their experiences of the book.

Thirteen of us sat in circle at the noon hour and seven in the evening. As we listened, pondered and then added our own wisdom to what had been offered, I felt a melding of the heaviness of the floods and the buoyancy overflowing in me simply because of the presence of such extraordinary women around me. We were talking about the chapter entitled Mysticism and Oneness. Agreeing with the definition that mysticism is an unmediated experience of God’s presence, we shared snippets of our lives that proved the truth of our own simple mystical experiences. Interspersed with moments of recognition among us were references to the tragedy of the hurricane and the horror of the divisiveness that characterizes our country right now. At several junctures we noted our responsibility to raise the level of positive energy in whatever way we can in order that balance might be achieved. And then we were silent for a time.

In the end we moved around the circle in turn, taking the hands and looking into the eyes of each of these sisters of ours saying fervently, I honor the holiness in you. A simple sentence, growing in us over three months, that was indeed an expression of the oneness we had come to feel. And as I took my turn hearing and saying those words to each and all with total honesty, I held the wonder of this “divine exchange” as well as the pain of the world in the solidarity of our hands and knew the hope of Julian of Norwich, that all shall be well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even Now…Come!

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God's presence, heart, Joel, open arms, Psalm 95, return, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Between the prophet Joel and Psalm 95 this morning, I find it impossible to resist the invitation I hear from the God who never gives up on us. Come, sings the psalmist, calling us to be in God’s presence. Come and bow in worship before the one who made us and guides us as a shepherd. And as if that were not enough, verse 8 pleads with us: Oh, that today you would hear God’s voice! Harden not your hearts…! It’s as if God is saying, “Yes, of course I know everything: the good, the bad and the ugly! Your past is totally open to me, but I can’t resist you, can’t let you go! Even in your darkest moments, I have loved you and you belong to me.  So in this present moment, come!”

It’s Joel that seals the deal with those two enticing words. When we feel at our lowest, least lovable, Joel speaks God’s message: Even now, return to me with your whole heart, for I am gracious and merciful.

This season of Lent is one that has traditionally called Christians to repentance for past failings and to a “firm purpose of amendment” – actually something we ought to commit to every day of the year. This determination is not, however, something that should depress us because of our lack of perfection but rather encourage us because God’s expectations are probably more reasonable than our own. Waking up each morning to a God whose first word to us is “Come!” ought to be enough to move us toward the day with a heart full of gratitude and hope, of longing and confidence toward the God who turns toward us with open arms.

 

 

 

 

 

God’s Desire

Tags

attention, centering prayer, God's eyes, God's presence, intention, love, Psalm 147, recognition, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, trust

Last evening I shared some thoughts on contemplative prayer with a friendly group of people in Syracuse, NY. We were speaking specifically of the method of Centering Prayer, different from other forms of meditation in that the practice is one of intention rather than attention. One simply makes the intention to be in God’s presence and then lets go of all thoughts as they arise during the period of silence. I said at one point that God’s presence is assured; it is our consciousness that wanders away. All we need to do is to return to the One who always waits for us.

In this morning’s psalm, I read a line from a modern translation that supports my image of God companioning me during the prayer. It reminds me of something I heard long ago that says, “Our desire for God is also God’s desire for us” but goes even deeper in touching my heart. Listen as you read it aloud. Then picture yourself looking at God and seeing this desire in God’s eyes.

God searches out the faces turned in love and trust with eyes that long to catch our glimpse of recognition. (PS 147:12) May we all be blessed with the ability to recognize God in this day.