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A Deep Breath of Life, Alan Cohen, effort, faith formation, hope, kindness, lights, lights in the world, patience, Philippians, shine, simple practices, St. Paul, success, The Sophia Center for Spirituality
The verse before the gospel today was encouraging. From Paul’s letter to the Philippians, it urges us to shine like lights in the world as you hold on to the word of life. (2:15D, 16A) Thinking about my day yesterday with a group of parish faith formation leaders, some of whom who are wrapping up a challenging year in their churches, I was happy to reflect on their willingness to live in the reality of their experiences while still fanning the flame of hope in their hearts. The day was not an intensive, content-heavy experience but rather offered them some simple practices for everyday life that also included a brief nature walk and some poetry. The important element, as I saw it, was simply their presence together in community with no expectations except the support of one another. It was clear to me that they are, indeed, “lights in the world.”
I found the same spirit in Alan Cohen’s thought for June 16th in his book, A Deep Breath of Life. He was talking about baseball and how a batting average of .250 was a good predictor of a solid career if the player was also a decent fielder. In contrast, a player with a .300 batting average is a star. He pointed out that the difference between these two was one hit out of 20 times at bat. His reflection on that “margin of greatness” was the following.
Sometimes just a little effort is all we need to put us over the edge to huge success. In your career, family, or spiritual path try to stretch beyond your perceived limits. A little extra patience with a customer could make her a lifetime client and bring you her friends’ business. A seminar participant told me that she signed up for an intensive workshop simply because I had responded to a letter she had written me. An extra kind touch, one more deep breath, or a willingness to listen could make the difference between a modest salary and a million-dollar contract, or a life of mere survival and a glorious adventure.
I doubt that any of the people sitting in front of me yesterday will ever be a multi-millionaire, but I have a hunch that, in the end, they all have a good chance of looking back on their lives as a blessing – and maybe even a great and glorious adventure.
It seems ironic that only 48 hours after I wrote my thoughts about optimism, we are faced with the shocking reality of the dangerous world in which we live. At this moment in Manchester, England, we know there are 22 people dead and dozens more with serious, even critical injuries because of a powerful bomb blast perpetrated, it is reported, by a single suicide bomber. Many of those victims of violence are teenagers. This is an unspeakable horror and ought to shake us to our core.
On a continuum from pessimism to optimism, I come down pretty consistently on the positive side. I’m not saying I’m the “cockeyed optimist” in the song from South Pacific but I can usually look on the bright side of things. I don’t think about it too much; it’s just the way I see the world. I presume that kind of statement might be made by every one of us – about where we are vis-à-vis our world view.
For those of you reading this message who have no other connection to the Sophia Center for Spirituality than the blog, whether because of distance or focused interest, I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to join us in our end-of-year fundraising campaign. Please take time to read the letter below and consider a donation. It is my privilege to write nearly every day and I am grateful to know that people far and wide are sharing in this on-going project. We hope to continue all the work of the Sophia Center into the future. Your gift will help to make this a reality. Thank you!
Today we have one of Isaiah’s more familiar, even famous, visions. It is his powerful vision of “the day of the Lord,” describing what has come to be known as The Peaceable Kingdom. (IS 11:1-10) There are so many vivid images, some that we see on Christmas cards, some we recognize from observation of the world around us.
Over the last eleven years I have become part of an ever- expanding community of seekers under the tutelage of Cynthia Bourgeault, author of groundbreaking books and leader of retreats and “schools” offering insights into the deep stream of wisdom that exists as the bedrock of Christianity and, one could add, of all the world’s major faith traditions. This past week there has been a steady stream of e-mail messages among us – mostly brief but meaningful – as a result of the outcome of our national elections. This morning, I re-visited the 29 of those received that I have saved for further pondering. It seems to me that they echo the last line of this morning’s gospel reading which says, By perseverance you will secure your lives. (LK 21:19). Here are just a few of their “wisdom words” for your consideration:
It is often said that “life imitates art.” This morning’s gospel reminded me in a nearly perfect analogous situation that sometimes “life imitates gospel.” We had in our yard a beautiful hibiscus tree, a memorial to my father, that was moved early in the spring of this year out of necessity. As the year progressed I was concerned to see that it produced no flowers – even no leaves – so it seemed doomed. When our handyman asked if he should cut it down I used almost the exact words of the gospel, saying: Leave it for this year. I shall cultivate the ground around it; it may flower in the future. (LK 13:8-9) I must admit that my hope was not strong but, miraculously, just last month we saw a bit of green on a couple of branches and even a few buds. Two weeks ago, during a Wisdom School at our retreat center, I asked a participant from Maine who is an expert on all things natural and agrarian to look at it. She assured me energetically that the tree would survive and even thrive next year, telling me what nourishment would help if I’d just dig around the base and add what she wrote down for me. I don’t know what happened to the poor fig tree in the gospel but I do trust that I will see the beauty of hibiscus again next year.
Today people all over the world are celebrating St. Pio of Pietrelcina, one of the most controversial and beloved saints in the history of Christianity. Unlike many of those holy people recognized in the Christian canon of saints, Francesco Forgione lived during the life of many of us (5/25/1887 – 9/23/1968). He entered the Capuchin Franciscan order at the age of 15 and took the name of Pio (Pius). He was ordained in 1910. After September 20, 1918, when he had a vision of Jesus and received the stigmata (the wounds of Christ) in his hands, feet and side, Pio suffered for the rest of his life. His deepest suffering came not from the wounds but from the notoriety, the claims that the wounds were self-inflicted, and from the embarrassment and humiliation of the cross he bore. Much of his life was spent in hearing the confessions of penitents and healing people near and far. He was reported to have several spiritual gifts including bi-location and was investigated many times but in the end was found to have been the conduit for many healings and declared a saint of the Roman Catholic Church in 2002. Most notable, it seems to me, is the fact that throughout the long and arduous process and steps toward canonization, there was no treatment of the extraordinary spiritual “gifts” but rather only focus on the verified healings and the holiness of life of this “suffering servant” of God.
Today ends what the Sisters in my local community have taken to calling my “triathalon” which denotes the three legs of my journey from Windsor, NY to Orlando, Florida for a national convention, then to Japan (through Los Angeles and Honolulu) for a retreat with our Japanese Sisters, and back to Albany for a “Wisdom Circle” experience called Mary Magdalene and Conscious Love. It has only been sixteen days since I left home but it seems so much longer because of the fullness of each of the experiences.