One More…

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awareness, creativity, hope, joy, laughter, light, Macrina Wiederkehr, morning, prayer, presence, radiant glory, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Here is one more prayer of praise from Macrina Wiederkehr, the text I will pray this morning with my colleagues as we gather for another day together.

Anointed by your morning light, I lift up my spirit to receive the gift of this new day. Open my eyes to the beauty that surrounds me that I may walk through this day with the kind of awareness that calls forth grateful living. In all of creation let me see the brightness of your face. Shine in my heart and on my life, filling me with joy, creativity, hope and laughter. Draw me into the radiant glory of your presence and into the small lights of those with whom I live and work. Inspire me to take time for those who are discouraged. May I live with the kind of presence that enables others to feel at home. Great Dawn of God, hear my prayer.

Have a blessed day!

 

 

 

 

 

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Believe It!

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beautiful, bitterness, despair, hope, indifference, love, Macrina Wiederkehr, nonviolent, Peace, power, seven sacred pauses, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, transform, truth, unconditional love, violence

I read something from Macrina Wiederkehr’s book, sevensacredpauses, this morning that made me smile, especially given what I wrote yesterday. I think it’s worth sharing.

I will believe the truth about myself no matter how beautiful it is:

• I believe in my power to transform indifference into love.
• I believe I have an amazing gift to keep hope alive in the face of despair.
• I believe I have the remarkable skill of deleting bitterness from my life.
• I believe in my budding potential to live with a nonviolent heart.
• I believe in my passion to speak the truth even when it isn’t popular.
• I believe I have the strength of will to be peace in a world of violence.
• I believe in my miraculous capacity for unconditional love.

I will believe the truth about myself no matter how beautiful it is. (p.109)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Troubled Times

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9/11, care, end of the world, evil, good, grief, hope, Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, love, new beginning, pray, psalm 62, refuge, response, safety, Sept. 11, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

There are moments – days – when I sit not knowing what to say here. The words nine and eleven, when taken together, can conjure up only one thing for most, if not all, people in the United States. We were shaken to our core in 2001 with images of planes crashing into buildings and those buildings crumbling like structures in a bad movie. Messages of love on cell phones and lines of people waiting to give blood to the wounded showed us the other side of the tragedy. Remembrance of the outpouring of care for those most affected has helped assuage the grief of those days following the 9/11 attacks but it is like other days in our history that have left indelible scars in our hearts.

As I write this, Hurricane Irma is barreling through the state of Florida, continuing a path of destruction that has already devastated Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Islands. Following on unbelievable scenes of flooding from Hurricane Harvey in Texas and what is predicted for storms to come, people wonder if we are witnessing the end of the world as we have known it.

If asked, I would answer that perhaps this is the case and in the way that I perceive it, an end would be a good thing if it portends a new beginning founded on the kind of behaviors that are not the cause of but rather the response to hatred/prejudice and disaster. Think of those images of first responders on 9/11 or the reports this week of people like the man in Houston that opened his furniture store to 600 people as a refuge from the storm, or the donations that are pouring in from everywhere…In a new order, I would hope for the scales of good and evil tipped toward the good, such that all people would see the benefit and embrace the future in love.

Pollyanna, you call me? Perhaps, but this hope is founded in possibility. It must be believed to be achieved. Until such time as all people see the value of love as a guide for life, I will pray and hope and try to do my part to better the world. I am bolstered in my faith by the testimony of people who have come through disaster with their faith intact or stronger and by the words of Psalm 62 this morning, which calls for patient but constant effort toward peace of heart in the following words:

Alone my soul awaits you in the silence, Lord, for you alone are my whole hope and prayer. You only are my saving rock, a stronghold safe, unshaken sure, my safety, honor and my refuge firm. (vs. 6-8)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Refreshment

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eyes, hearts, hope, Mary Oliver, rest, Sabbath, St. Paul, thanks, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

It rained all night last night and I slept a grateful nine hours, with only two brief moments of waking just to reposition myself in my bed. Having those two events to take forward, I feel some inner turning as well. Perhaps it’s because it happens to be Sunday, my traditional day of Sabbath rest, however that unfolds.

The gospel acclamation for this morning spoke the message to me first, saying: May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our hearts, that we may know what is the hope that belongs to our call. Then a program from a long-ago event fluttered out from between two books on my side table offering me an enrichment of Paul’s words from the pen of Mary Oliver. In her inimitable style she gave me all these images to consider.

There are lots of words meaning thanks.
Some you can only whisper.
Others you can only sing.
The peewee whistles instead.
The snake turns in circles,
The beaver slaps his tail
on the surface of the pond.
The deer in the pinewoods stamps his hoof.
Goldfinches shine as they float through the air.
A person, sometimes, will hum a little Mahler.
Or put arms around old oak tree.
Or take out lovely pencil and notebook to find a few
touching, kissing words.

What more would I ask on this first day of the rest of my life?

Saturday at Dawn

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action, Book of Hours, Christopher Pramuk, Creator, God, Hagia Sophia, Holy Wisdom, hope, humility, joy, Kathleen Deignan, purity, reflection, silence, sweetness, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas Merton, wholeness

Although Saturday can be a day to catch up on all sorts of mundane tasks and chores, occasionally I savor the opportunity for a bit of leisurely delving into reflection on something found in one of the many alluring books on my shelves. This morning I returned to Thomas Merton’s Book of Hours, noting that I had not visited with him – or mentioned him here – for quite some time. Rather than quotes from his various texts, Saturday’s entries in Kathleen Deignan’s book of Merton’s writings are all parts of his amazing prose poem, Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom).

In a commentary on this text of Merton, Christopher Pramuk, a professor of theology and spirituality at Xavier University, writes the following:

For years I have been haunted by Merton’s prose poem “Hagia Sophia.” The poem seems at once to multiply and silence all questions about God. Rather than succumbing to tired theological categories and preconceptions, it breaks them wide open, making old things new, daring us to imagine and hope again.

See if you agree. (I just quote his beginning here. I believe it is enough for one day.)

There is in all visible things an invisible fecundity, a dimmed light, a meek namelessness, a hidden wholeness. This mysterious Unity and Integrity is Wisdom, the Mother of all, Natura naturans. There is in all things an inexhaustible sweetness and purity, a silence that is the fount of action and joy. It rises up in wordless gentleness and flows out to me from the unseen roots of all created being, welcoming me tenderly, saluting me with indescribable humility. This is at once my own being, my own nature, and the Gift of my Creator’s thought and Art within me, speaking as Hagia Sophia, speaking as my sister, Wisdom.

(I recommend reading this slowly and often, aloud if possible, to catch and feel the beauty and meaning.)

 

 

 

 

 

The Margin of Greatness

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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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holding On To Hope

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build foundation, evil, generous, goodness, hope, Manchester, spiritual willingness, strong, suicide bomber, terror attack, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, victims

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.

So where does the hope come from in this situation? Is there a balance to be had in this moment of evil? Even in the few stories I have read this morning, I would say a grateful and resounding YES! The example I choose that illustrates the goodness and solidarity that stands against evil is the 48-year old woman who gathered and led out of the arena a group of teenagers, took them to a hotel, stayed with them and gave them her cell phone number so that all their parents could call her to assure that their children were safe. In addition, hotels were opening their doors to anyone in need, taxi drivers were offering free rides and pictures from the scene showed any number of concert attendees helping the wounded. As all this was happening, no group claimed responsibility for the attack. To this moment it appears to be the work of one person.

This may be impossible for many of us but I (who have never birthed a child, let alone have one involved in this atrocity) must ask us to pray not only for the victims but for the soul of the perpetrator of the event. It is a stretch of our spiritual willingness, to be sure, but if I continue to speak of unitive consciousness and hope for “one world” I must not veer from the principle of universal love in any situation. I take the example of the woman I spoke of above who acted spontaneously out of the goodness that was already in her – as in all the rest of those generous people – to respond in contrast to the act of one person. How will we continue to build and not tear down the foundations of a world where this type of event cannot happen because of the light of love that exists in every citizen? It is only our work in this direction that can move us forward.

Are we strong enough? I can only pray that our corporate answer is “YES.”

My Hope Quotient

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bright side, explanation, hope, optimist, pessimist, Peter, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, world view

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.

In today’s reading from the first letter of Peter (3:15-18), there is a line that set me to thinking. Peter writes, “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.” That sounded to me like a challenge to go beyond a simple statement such as “Life is good!” or “Bah, humbug!” to an explanation for such words. It sounds like Peter is looking for a testimony of faith, like “God has been good to me,” but even there we ought to be more specific.

I believe this will be a day of considering my answer…

A Vision

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hope, inner peace, potential, prayer, seeker, spiritual path, taize, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, wisdom work

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!

Dear Friends near and far,

As we approach the end of our third full year of existence here at The Sophia Center for Spirituality, I continue to give thanks for all the blessings that have come to us as we endeavor to serve people who are seeking ways to deepen their spiritual lives. To those who have come along on this journey we have offered quiet retreats, bi-monthly centering prayer sessions, Taizé chanting once a month, exploration of the tenets of other faith traditions and tapping into the deeper side of Christianity at a Wisdom School. All of these and more have become part of our programming for the people of our region of Central New York and beyond.

Helen Daly had a vision for the spread of “Wisdom Work” in its many forms in wider and wider circles. A generous grant from her estate has enabled us to continue the mission of the Sophia Center. As is always true, however, organizations such as ours cannot continue to function indefinitely from of one source of funding. It is time for us now to give others the privilege of joining in the effort to raise the consciousness of all people to unity in diversity. This goal of ours is becoming more urgent as it is seen in stark contrast to world events and personal tragedies that seem to escalate with the passing of each day. A spiritual path can open the door to wisdom leading the seeker to hope, to trust in potential, and to inner peace. This we believe. This we strive to achieve together. Won’t you join us?

With sincere gratitude,
Sister Lois A. Barton, CSJ
Program Director, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

(We are grateful for your donation which is tax deductible. Go to our website’s donation link via Paypal (click HERE), or send your check payable to The Sophia Center for Spirituality at 30 Main St, Binghamton, NY 13905.)

The Lion and the Lamb

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dead of winter, hope, Isaiah, judgment, life, Peace, peaceable kingdom, prayer, presence, signs, silence, strength, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, tree, vision

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.

I believe I have spoken here of the hibiscus bush (tree?) that was moved in our yard a couple of years ago. It seemed very clear that it did not survive the transition. The surge of hope that ran through me on the day I discovered not only leaves on one of the branches but also buds seemed excessive but for me it was a clear sign that life is in some ways an inside job and occasionally we have to trust what we cannot see.

Waiting for peace in our country and world seems as futile and far away right now as the possibility of cows and bears being neighbors or babies playing by a cobra’s den. It’s clear that while waiting (patience) is important, there is more to be expected of us. How peaceable is my approach to others? Do I jump to judgment in whatever I read? Are rumors ever my “stock in trade” or do I know how to be in silence – to dwell occasionally with oppositional thought until the walls in my mind or at least in my heart are dissolved like smoke? Do I ever connect myself energetically with people in other countries around the world where people seem so strange to me? What power does the word “enemy” have in my life?

Today I look out at the tallest of trees across the yard. She stands stripped of all her fair-weather clothing and each branch – even to the tiniest of shoots – is exposed. In the “dead of winter” I know that life remains in that tree, that she is shoring up her strength to be ready for the spring when she will bloom again. Where is my willingness to be like that tree today, able to stand strong, stripped perhaps of easy answers and solutions but willing to offer my strength of honest purpose, my prayer and presence to move my world just a step closer to the realization of Isaiah’s dream?