Waking Up Again

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Abraham, faith, gratitude, Sarah, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

When I read some of the chapters in Genesis where God is in conversation with Abraham, I get a little jealous, wishing for a relationship that seems sometimes so “daily.” I mean that it would be nice to talk about the family, e.g. Sarah having a son and Abraham laughing at God’s promise because he was 99 years old (Gn 17). As I write that, I see that I have moved away a bit from the conversational relationship with God that has long been a part of my morning meditation. I would like to blame the pandemic but I don’t think that would be fair. My meditation mat and home altar are still in place and no one is prohibiting me from the quiet of my bedroom…I just seem to have become lazy and am realizing that this recognition might be a value of revisiting a prayer schedule on a regular basis. Sometimes all it takes to wake up is a line from the Scriptures, as this morning with verse one from chapter 17. Listen:

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said: “I am God the Almighty. Walk in my presence and be blameless.” That shook me awake in an instant so that I almost felt a need to stand up and salute…but then I read the rest of the text and heard the softening of God’s voice as God spoke of descendants, especially “Sarai” (Sarah) having a child in her old age.

This is the God I want to be close to, the God in whom I place my faith, my trust and my love. I meet that God everywhere: in the dancing of the trees on our land…in the sounds and smells from the kitchen where Liz has begun to prepare our dinner for today…even in the wonder of my aging hands as I notice the curving of my right index finger. Even there I bless my mother whose arthritis, much more serious than mine, was borne with grace and a luminous smile…

I will stop here begause I can no longer avoid the pull of my prayer space and the gratitude that rises in me from the gifts of this morning. Blessings all… Stay Awake!

Gratitude

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gratitude, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Friends,

I have heard from so many of you in response to my “What Now?” post that I am energized toward considering a new “era” of connecting. Be assured that I will “be back soon” with whatever seems correct to the time. I have an early meeting this morning so need to go and consider what is best. I’ll talk to you later. You can be sure of it! Blessings all!

A Pause for Reflection

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compassion, gratitude, hope, learn, reflection, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

This morning I awoke to a cacophony of birdsong! The sun was up early (or so it seemed) and the birds appeared to have found their voice. Together, they announced a new day. And so it was in the human neighborhood last night. Announcements all over the airwaves were proclaiming the good news: a congressional bill that would favor the needy and allow people to lift themselves out of poverty, as well as three vaccines showing themselves capable of giving us permission to feel a physical connection. Holding hands was once again a promise, even hugging for those vaccinated would be allowed! The relief and joy in the voices and words of the reporters was visceral and came right through the screen to free us from our sad loneliness after almost exactly a calendar year of “social distance” from one another.

We are still asked to be vigilant as we celebrate success. It is so easy for euphoria to erase any attention to care or caution. But today is a day for a new song…a joy-filled anthem of gratitude for the creativity and sharpness of mind to find a vaccine, of the willingness to move forward for the good of the whole. It is happening. As we rejoice we ought to pause and ask ourselves and one another:

What have we learned from this dark time? What are the lessons that will take us into a new moment of care for the world? Where does compassion lie for those who have seemingly lost everything? How can we add our portion of light to the dawning day? And most of all, how will we express our gratitude to the God whose love for us is everlasting…

Breathe In, Breathe Out

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breathe, gratitude, new reality, one breath at a time, possibility, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, transition

Today is a day to rejoice in the ability of the human spirit to rise to challenge and see what promise there is in each day. We had a day of ceremony yesterday here in the United States of America. It was a day of gratitude for technology and creativity, a day to participate in the unfolding of a new day, a new reality. I sat in our living room all day, unwilling to miss a moment of what was happening in the transition of leadership in government. It had to be simple and we had to intuit the smiles on faces that were masked but that was easy to do because we knew a new day had dawned and the eyes of the country were shining with hope.

President Biden said at one point that he had been asked recently to describe the United States in one word. His answer was: POSSIBILITY. If he had been asked to expand his answer to a sentence, I have no doubt that he might have said, “All things are possible for those who love God.” That’s how I feel today. It’s as if we have hardly been able to breathe lately and now we understand a way forward: one breath at a time.

Little Christmas

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blessings, Eckhart Tolle, epiphany, gratitude, present moment, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Eckhart Tolle has an appropriate message for today. His “Present Moment Reminder” says the following:

When you make the present moment the focal point of your life instead of past and future, your ability to enjoy what you do – and with it the quality of your life – increases dramatically.”

That seems a perfect corollary to the celebration of the Epiphany, the date of which is usually January 6th but has sometimes been changed to accommodate the faithful whose work schedule is Monday – Friday. I think of the song from the movie “Mame” that shouts out how “we need a little Christmas, right this very minute…we need a little Christmas now.” It was difficult to have a “normal” Christmas this year so maybe what we ought to try is a “do-over,” spending some time on this day when we celebrate the manifestation of Christ to the world to consider how we see Christ in those people who cause gratitude to rise in us whenever we think of or encounter them – and all of the blessings – spiritual and physical – that we have been given over the past year.

BOMBAS

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dignity, gratitude, prayers of gratitude, remember, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Veterans Day

I was just looking at a new website – new to me, I mean. It’s called Bombas. Maybe you’ve heard of them. They make socks and for each pair they sell, they give one pair to a homeless person. They say that the one item of clothing most needed by poor or homeless people is socks. At the moment their website says that they have given away 40,000 pairs of socks! (You see why I say it’s not new. I think they have been in existence for about five years, but still, that’s a lot of socks!)

Today I saw a new face of Bombas. It concerned their care for military veterans. I’m amazed at their organization and happy that I found it on the internet in a new way on this Veterans’ Day holiday. The Executive Director of Bombas, Marguerite Bachand, announced today Operation Dignity, a program serving at-risk veterans in their 20s, their 70s and every age between, providing them and their families with emergency, transitional and permanent housing as well as comprehensive outreach and support services, under the title, Operation Dignity. (You can find it on the internet.) Today is a great day to remember the service of our military men and women. If you are so inclined and able, why not give socks for Christmas this year? (…even order them today from Bombas!).

Perhaps the greatest gratitude you can give is through your prayer. Please join me throughout today – and beyond – in offering a bow of gratitude in the prayers we say for all those we know and those unknown to us who have given service to our country and the world. God’s blessing on our Veterans!

The Right to Vote

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election, gratitude, prayer, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, voting

This could perhaps seem to be a postscript to yesterday’s post about patience but, for me, it’s also a reminder of the privilege I have to live where I do—in the United States of America, I mean. Sometimes these days I am sad when I speak of or write the letters USA because of all the discord that exists in our country right now. It seems that the “U” (United) is tottering on a precipice as we face our Election Day next Tuesday. This year is different, however, allowing many people to more easily exercise that most precious right of voting. Because of the threat of disease we have many options of place and time to vote.

Yesterday was my sister’s birthday and I consciously made the decision to vote on that day as a sort of bow to her years of ministry in service to our government. I was hoping for good weather and lines that were not too long although the more important thing was the hope of lots of people doing their civic duty! It was a rather strange but somehow quite meaningful event. Because we were all masked, conversation was at a minimum; only couples could be seen close enough to talk to one another. The early rain had stopped and as we snaked toward the door of the building (interestingly named “Cooperative Extension – Taste New York”) the sun came out to brighten the mood of this quiet bunch, adding a peaceful quality to the event as everyone waited their turn, keeping a safe distance but moving steadily together toward the doors of opportunity.

As I moved forward, I became aware of the diversity in the crowd as well as our unity of purpose and intent. I began to pray then for our country and the people in front of and behind me in that line. I prayed for the youngest, for the lady with her little dog and for the elderly woman with a cane whose resolve was evident in her slow progress to the door where (blessedly) she was invited by everyone to pass along before them. I prayed in gratitude for the poll workers and for peace in the coming week, that all might be safe. and I prayed in thanksgiving for the privilege of living in this country and for the stamina we need now to navigate the challenges we face as a nation.

My prayer for us continues as today I pray: God bless us all and God bless the United States of America!

The Ministry of Healing

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coronavirus, frontline, gratitude, selfless service, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Luke’s gospel moves quickly into the mission of Jesus as healer. By Chapter 4, he has already cured Simon Peter’s mother-in-law of a severe fever and then spent the night – from sunset to daybreak – curing all those who came to him with “various diseases.” Even as he goes away to a deserted place, they follow and try to call him back. There seems no rest for him, weary as he is from working all night.

I am instantly reminded of the ambulance drivers, the orderlies, the nurses and doctors who are working non-stop to stem the tide of the Coronavirus. I can imagine they never expected to be swallowed up as they are now – from dawn to dusk and into the night, working to save lives.

They will be my focus for gratitude today, with the hope that they can persevere and know the peace that comes from selfless service.

Leave It to the Little Ones

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gratitude, Jesus, Matthew, Rilke's Book of Hours, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Sometimes I just need to let go of the ordinary and let the possible extraordinary wash over me bringing joy or hope. This morning, for example, on my way to the USCCB website (U.S. Bishops) where I find the daily Scripture readings, but before I successfully found today’s gospel, I was treated to a four-year-old girl not only identifying photos of an ear, a heart and a pair of lungs but also correctly explaining their function to Ellen DeGeneres. Then there was a man holding his 4-week old baby, giving instructions that the season of crying was over and now the baby ought to do nothing more than smile. Miraculously, the baby did just that! “Enough of this!” I said to myself. “Let’s get serious!” At that moment Rilke’s Book of Hours caught my eye and I opened to a previously marked page that said the following:

You too will find your strength. We who must live in this time cannot imagine how strong you will become—how strange, how surprising, yet familiar as yesterday. We will sense you like a fragrance from a nearby garden and watch you move through our days like a shaft of sunlight in a sickroom…(p. 183)

So with all of that experience gathered I was not surprised to find the passage from Matthew’s gospel for today that said: At that time Jesus exclaimed, “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to little ones…” (MT 11: 25-26)

And thus, a shaft of light bringing gratitude to my 72 year-old self will allow a relief of total responsibility for the salvation of the world today, remembering that God is in charge and sees each generation through the challenges that arise and will undoubtedly be conquered!

Preparation/Determination

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consciousness, discipline, gratitude, prayer, thanks, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, to do list

Pentecost is on the horizon – not ready yet to burst forth but definitely building in energy. I just made a list of necessary tasks, those that I need to complete before what we call “Ordinary Time” begins again. That season is the longest in its liturgical “counting” of weeks and it is dawning on me that it may, indeed, indicate a “new normal” for us, in some manner at least. Today is not a time for lament on what seems lost but an opportunity to begin (if we haven’t already) to recognize a new season of consciousness.*

As I hurriedly picked up a used envelope, soon to be discarded to the trash, on which to write a list of tasks to be done before Sunday, I noticed I had already used part of the space on the back for a random quote. That’s not unusual. I often find these messages of import, saved for later when they offer perfect advice for the new day. This one seems quite appropriate for my mood and the rising tide of determination in me this morning. (The sun just broke through the clouds to underscore the moment.)

The envelope reminded me: The transformative power of gratitude cannot be overestimated…If the only prayer you ever pray is “THANKS!” it is enough. Two messages that become one in my quest for meaning and discipline today. May it follow me through the hours and breathe in me as a recognition of having done my best (even if not having totally completed all tasks) by nightfall.

Where do you hope to be by the end of the day?

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N.B. *While it is true that Pentecost is my “push point” for newness, it may be helpful for all to know that there is still time to prepare for newness of spirit. The Sunday after Pentecost (June 7th) is Trinity Sunday, the actual day of transition. We take the Triune God with us as we step into the period of “counting” or Ordinary Time.