Flexibility of Farmers

Tags

farmers, harvest, let go let God, Mark, planning, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, trust

I have to give farmers a lot of credit for the way they live their lives. It occurs to me because the gospel for today is one of the parables about sowing seeds (Mark 4: 1-20) and all the things that can happen between the moment of planting and the harvest. There’s a lot of waiting that goes on and the extra work when certain conditions appear – like frost in Florida or drought in the mid-west of our country. Farmers are not in control of outcome. They are also not as able to take vacations as most people do. And every year is likely to be different.

I’ve often said that in my next life, should there be one, I would like to be a farmer. The life close to nature and the joy of seeing things grow is attractive to me. I should say that even dairy farming is included in my visioning because of the regularity of the work and the relationship with animals. The challenges may be different but the conditions remain similarly challenging.

So what’s my point? I guess it’s mostly about the trust necessary in any life. My computer could crash this morning and then how would the blog be proliferated? We’re up to 836 people who sometimes read it. I have no names or street addresses or phone numbers and it would take all day to find even some of the readers…you get the picture. The question is about what I would do in that situation. Most likely I would trust that it might be time for me to go on to something else and to “let go and let God.”

It’s a risky business, this life…Today I thank God for the example of those willing to sow and watch and wait…and trust in the providence of God.

Seeds for the Future

Tags

Ancient Songs Sung Anew, future, harvest, psalm 126, reap, seed, sow, suffering, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

A commentary on today’s lectionary psalm (126) suggests that it was written to express “the joyous return of the Hebrew people from exile in the East.” In the meditation that followed that commentary, there was a striking paragraph that seemed better than anything I could offer this morning so I repeat it here for your consideration.

In this Psalm the earthly experience is seen as a seed-bed for the ultimate harvest. We sow now, we shall reap later. The ultimate question is, what are we sowing? If tears are the precious seeds of the future, what does that teach us about suffering? (Ancient Songs Sung Anew, p. 327)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good Seed

Tags

bear fruit, disciples, embrace, generosity of heart, Gospel, grateful, harvest, Jesus, Luke, perseverance, sowing seeds, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Although we are moving through the season of harvest here in our country now, the gospel for today reminds us of the necessity of sowing seeds on good ground. (LK 8:4-15) The disciples of Jesus didn’t understand the parable in which his message was “hidden” so he did something that rarely appears in these gospel texts. He explained the meaning! As he spoke of the different kinds of “soil” in which the word of God might be sown, they heard the pitfalls of life in how the yield of what was sown might be more or less. In the end, we find that as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance. (vs.15)

So today it may be time to look at what we have seen growing around and within us because of our generosity of heart and perseverance, being grateful for what has blossomed as well as for what needed to be weeded out. For all of it, may we give thanks to the Lord of the harvest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Words, Words, Words…

Tags

bumper crop, charity, generous, harvest, Lazarus, Luke, perseverance, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, words

I’m always interested in the various ways of using a word that cause different images to arise. This morning I was stopped by the gospel acclamation which preceded the text from Luke 16 about the rich man and Lazarus. The acclamation said: Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.

There are many synonyms for the adjective generous that let us know we are not using the word “heart” in its physical sense, many of them related to money or time, the giving of which is more plentiful than expected. There is also the notion of kindness involved in the giving and far down in the long list of synonyms a surprising addition: the word “bumper” as in “a bumper crop.”

Instantly upon seeing that word I am flooded with images of fields of tasseled corn, standing tall in the sun, ready to be picked, providing food for many people or animals. Immediately I sense a lifting in my heart, as when the sun peeks over the mountain in the morning. I can even feel a bit of willingness to move out of myself in a way that might move toward a charitable act – like gleaning in that field for the poor, perhaps…

Who would have thought I could take one word that far? If I had time, what might I make of yielding a harvest through perseverance? A bumper crop, certainly…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bigger Barns

Tags

charity, donate, excess, harvest, Jesus, Luke, parable, possessions, rich man, share the wealth, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Yesterday afternoon I began to make an inventory of one category of clothing (t-shirts and blouses) in my closet, drawer and storage bin. I only made it through the closet and storage bin when my phone rang and derailed the project. I was, however, already getting uncomfortable with how many items I had found in the storage bin. I had put them there as winter approached for the exchange with the heavier, more appropriate clothes of the season. The discomfort arose from the fact that July ends today and I have survived quite well with what I have found in my drawer and closet to wear since the warmer temperatures arrived in the spring. My dilemma today (after I pull everything out of my drawer) will be which items I will surrender to my favorite charity, Rural Services of Chenango County. I am usually moved to donate what doesn’t fit me any more or what I have not worn in the past appropriate season but this time I feel a push to dig deeper. It is the first time I can remember surrendering something still serviceable that fit me and that I really liked without too much angst – good practice for the inner tasks of letting go.

In today’s gospel passage (LK 12:13-31) Jesus tells the story of the rich man with the bountiful harvest whose solution to having too much to store is to build a bigger barn. I smile at God’s synchronistic joke and promise to remember that goad to surrender as I finish my project today. I have no plan to die soon with an overstocked closet but who knows? So I’d better get busy, my goal being to share the wealth and – just maybe – eliminating the storage bin altogether! (Even if only by next year…)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Harvest of Perseverance

Tags

fertile soil, generous heart, harvest, hear, keep the word, Matthew, perseverance, share, soil, sowing seed, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, understand

Yesterday someone brought us four large summer squash from their abundance and the vegetable farm down the road had many boxes ready to ship from their crop as well. That’s pretty common around here in the summer. Even if you only have one summer squash plant, you are bound to share in the end as the yield is always heavy. On the other hand, I was trying earlier in the week to plant two small pots of flowers and I encountered lots of stones (not uncommon on our land) and all sorts of ants and other bugs. I’m still not sure if they will survive.

This morning’s gospel is the one about the sower sowing seed in four different kinds of soil: the path (i.e. the road), rocky ground, soil among thorns and rich soil – all indicators of how we hear the word of God. It harks back to yesterday when I talked about open eyes and ears open to hear the word of God. All four kinds of “soil” hear the word this morning but it is only the rich soil that hears and understands the word which yields a good harvest. (MT 13:18-23) Implied is the importance of listening deeply but there’s another additive, found in the acclamation that precedes this gospel. It says: “Blessed are those who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.” That says to me that even if you have the best soil in the world it’s likely you will need to pay attention to all sorts of conditions so you’ll water the crop sufficiently and fertilize if need be. Sometimes it seems as if something I plant will never grow. I kept a plant of mistaken identity for six years because it kept putting out a leaf or two every year. When we transplanted it finally, it flourished into a large hibiscus rather than the hydrangea that was ordered! Clearly, perseverance does pay eventually!

Bigger Barns

Tags

baby boomers, clutter, fool, God, greed, harvest, Luke, possessions, rich man, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, treasures

One of the words heard very commonly today, especially from “baby-boomers” in my circles, is downsizing. When our houses become cluttered with things that are no longer needed or useful, especially clothing, exercise equipment, gadgets or the like, we begin to wonder about the advisability of getting rid of some of them. Sometimes the divestment can be quite painful if what we have has been precious to us in the past. How can I possibly give away my wedding dress or the bicycle that might someday become part of my exercise program…? Even though we may not count ourselves in the company of the greedy, it is easy to see how we can slide into the “too much is never enough” category. (I did actually buy a small bookcase this year – to add to the other three in my bedroom…just for my studies, of course.)

The gospel this morning (LK 12: 13-21) is rather stark in its commentary on greed and the acquisition of too many goods. Luke recounts a parable about a rich man who, when faced with a bountiful harvest, plans to tear down his barns and build bigger ones where he can store not only his grain but his other goods as well. His vision sees him, when the building and storage is complete, saying to himself, “Eat, drink and be merry!” But God calls him a fool, tells him he’s going to die that night and asks what will happen then to all that he has stored up. The moral of the story is a good one for us to consider. Jesus says: “Thus it will be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.”

So I guess I’d better get about considering what matters to God and at the same time start thinning out my library…and clothes closet…and cache of mementos…

Let’s Get to Work!

Tags

family, harvest, laborers, Luke, refugees, religious, spiritual, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, world

This morning I’m in Albany, NY at the province center of our religious community for our annual “homecoming” event, a gathering of as many Sisters as are able to come together to reconnect and to listen to speakers on issues of importance for us – in the world and in our Church. As the world gets “smaller” and we become more socially conscious as a Church, the concerns seem closer in essence than in the “olden days” when most of us were younger and more removed from what was going on in the wider world. It is significant to me that as we listen today to Janet Mock, the immediate past president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and Howard Hubbard, the Bishop Emeritus of Albany, speaking about being Church in a new way, Pope Francis is listening in Rome to a worldwide gathering of bishops and lay people at a synod centered on Church policy around issues of family in the world today.

Just before I came here I had a conversation with a 50-something woman about “church.” She said she is not much of a church-goer these days but learned much from her mother (whose funeral is later this morning) who was active in settling refugees after the Vietnam war. Recently, her own daughter who is now a teacher came to her to discuss the need to help Burmese refugees who are coming to our area. “So,” she said, “I guess I’m doing a bit in the spiritual realm at least.” This is a common theme these days which many of us tend to smile and yet shrug our shoulders at (“spiritual but not religious”)…but as I read the gospel of Luke this morning (LK 10:1-9) – thinking of all of the above – I am called to consider in a new way the service of those who are not working directly in a church but are serving God nevertheless. Luke charges us to do our part when he says that the harvest is abundant but laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out more laborers for the harvest.

Whether our contribution is in social action, church service or prayer for the world, we are called to recognize the contributions of all who choose to participate in the rich harvest that is before us now and holds the seeds of our common future.

Harvest Prep

Tags

blossoms, expanded conciousness, fruit, harvest, Jesus, Matthew, priest shortage, priests, sacred cows, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, vocations

I was in conversation last night with a group of people when the topic came around to fruit and other crops. We were eating grapes and cherries among other things. We noted what a poor showing the forsythia made this year – a big disappointment to some of us who wait all year for their brilliance. It was the same for apple blossoms and other fruit trees although some showed beautiful flowers. Someone wondered about orchards in upstate New York and what the apple harvest would be like this year…

This morning’s gospel has Jesus continuing to address the crowds and being moved to pity for them as they seem to him “like sheep without a shepherd. He says to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” (MT 9:38) In my Church a familiar topic is the dearth of priests to serve the parishes. Some people also lament the drop in church attendance. I know these are both valid concerns and I encourage prayer for vocations to the priesthood and ways to build up parish community. I believe, you see, that the harvest is indeed great. I see a shift in focus, however, and The Sophia Center for Spirituality is a part of that shift. People seem to be longing for some opportunities to deepen their personal spirituality and to connect with others who are searching for the same. There are many church communities that are vibrant, doing a good job with incorporating different spiritual practices and outreach to their ritual and relationships. Communities of disciples are flourishing. But there are also places where the flowering of community has diminished over some years and especially concerning is the lack of presence of young people in their midst. Brave congregations face the “why” question head on and shift to meet the needs of a totally different population from the one that existed “when we were young.” Letting go of how “we’ve always done it” allows for creativity and welcome to young and old – and all of us in between.

Today is a good day, I think, to examine what are the “sacred cows” in my life and how willing I am to give them over to an expanded consciousness of who are the -perhaps unlikely – shepherds who are willing to put themselves at the service of a greater harvest. The next question is where and how to search for the deeper life that might ignite a renewal of spirit in our churches that are struggling. It’s all out there – just as it was in the time of Jesus. We have only to pray to the Master of the harvest and then start digging!

A Postscript

Tags

exile, harvest, Hebrews, mercy, Peace, Psalm 85:9-13, soul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Although yesterday was the actual Independence Day holiday, many people will go about celebrating for the rest of the weekend. Luckily, Arthur (the storm) has done its damage – less than some predictions called for – and is on its way to Canada and points north in a weakened condition. There is still time, therefore, to pull out the picnic “stuff” and get to the beach, should one be so lucky as to be in close enough proximity to do so. The mood in many places will most likely match the weather; the hope of Thursday being fulfilled at least for some today.

The Psalm response for today (PS 85:9-13) is a song that the Hebrew people most likely sang after returning from exile. It is filled with promise and a spirit of hopeful joy. Admittedly, the situation in my earlier paragraph does not compare with this one but the potential for destruction and loss and the relief as the storm passed most likely evoked the same kinds of emotion as what the Hebrews were feeling. As I read the psalm earlier in a contemporary translation, I was thinking about my comments of yesterday and what a fitting conclusion to them these words provide. So I offer it as a conclusion and a hope for the time when our consciousness reaches the point that I was desiring for us yesterday so that the words of the psalmist will take us home.

To everyone who turns their face toward 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.