Who Knows Best?

Tags

Elisha, humility, Israel, Kings, Naaman, ordinary miracles, prophet, River Jordan, servants, speak truth to power, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today’s first reading (2 KGS 5:1-15) could be staged as a somewhat comedic morality play. It’s the story of Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram who has leprosy. The events go like this. A little girl captured from Israel, the servant of Naaman’s wife, tells her mistress that the prophet Elisha in Israel could cure Naaman. The wife speaks to the king who says to Naaman, “Go to the King of Israel.” The King of Israel is incensed by Naaman’s request (thinking that Naaman is asking him for a cure which is obviously not in his skill set) and says, “Is the king of Aram trying to provoke me?!” Elisha overhears this event and goes to Naaman telling him to wash seven times in the River Jordan. Now Naaman gets angry like the king, looking for something more spectacular for the cure and saying they have better rivers where he lives if that’s all it takes. His servant asks the core question of the story when he says, “If the prophet had asked you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it?” Naaman recognizes the truth in the question and humbly goes to the Jordan where he is healed. Happily, he acknowledges the cure and the power of the God of Israel.

I like this story and say to myself, “Let’s hear it for the servants!” The servant girl to Naaman’s wife is moved by compassion and trust in the power of her God to heal through the prophet Elisha. The servant of Naaman is willing to “speak truth to power” as a reality check for Naaman and his behavior. I see the moral of the story that can be a lesson for us as two-fold. 1) Keep humility close in order to avoid bursts of hubris in any situation where you feel challenged. 2) Be awake to the ordinary miracles in your everyday life. Sometimes solutions are simpler than they appear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Balance of Power

Tags

authority, discern, faithfulness, Israel, Jesus, justice, love, Mark, psalm 89, Samuel, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, truth

Today’s readings reflect on the question and content of authority. In the Hebrew Scripture (1 SM 8:4-7, 10-22) the elders of Israel come to Samuel in his old age and insist that they need a king to rule – as is the case in other nations. Samuel points out what that might mean in terms of the authority a king would have over the people that would change life as they know it, but they continue to insist. God tells Samuel to give them what they want and learn by experience what it means.  In the gospel (MK 2:1-12), when Jesus heals a paralytic by saying, “Your sins are forgiven,” the scribes grumble about where he gets the authority to talk that way. Jesus, knowing his own authority and that it comes from God, asks whether it is easier to tell the man his sins are forgiven (indicating, I think, a deeper healing) or to get up and walk. As with Samuel, Jesus then says to the man, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat and go home.” When he did, the people “were all astounded and glorified God.”

The question of how people view authority and where true power really lies led me from those readings to the psalm refrain (PS 89:16-19). In both traditional and modern language, the seat of power seems to rest in the balance between the light of love and justice. Here are three translations.

Blessed are the people who know the joyful shout; in the light of your countenance, O Lord, they walk. At your name they rejoice all the day, and through your justice they are exalted. For you are the splendor of their strength, and by your favor our horn is exalted. For to the Lord belongs our shield, and to the Holy One of Israel, our King.

Your guiding hands, your strengthening arms embrace us and draw us in and place us everywhere in right relationship to all: to truth and love and justice done, their one true source your face, your throne. And all who seek that face shall shout in festive praise. They walk and your abiding faithfulness lights up their way; their feet keep balance on the path of right towards you.

Blessed are those who know your Love, who walk in the Light of your countenance! Blessed are those who call upon your Name and extol truth and justice! For You are the glory of their strength; You give wise counsel. Our very lives belong to You, O Loving Companion Presence. 

To all of this I would add for our world today that those are blessed who are able to look deeply – past any “politically correct” rhetoric – to discern the heart of where true authority lies in others but also in ourselves. And blessed are we when we act from that deeper place regardless of the favor or criticism that may arise as a result.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

O Key of David, Come!

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Advent, Christ, Christ the King, consciously, consciousness, David, Israel, key to life and living, keys, O Antiphons, physically, the shadow of death, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, unlocked the door

I recently had two experiences that taught me the importance of staying awake and always being sure my keys are on my person when I am around doors that could lock automatically unless I check the position of the locking device (i.e. pop the button or turn it as necessary to really unlock). Sometimes it requires more than ordinary consciousness to assure the position of that button, as I found out at a retreat center when I locked myself out of my bedroom at 2:30 in the morning. That mistake required a long walk to the front desk to find the guard who came with me and opened the door with a master key. On the second occasion, I was in a generally unconscious state because of too many thoughts running around in my head as I went into my office and dropped everything I was carrying on a table; everything, that is, except the food I brought with me that I then took to the refrigerator in the kitchen. Upon my return I realized that I had not done step two: turning the button on the center of the doorknob to the open setting. I was outside looking through the glass at my presentation for the evening, my purse that housed my phone, my computer and all my contacts and, yes, my keys. I was totally at the mercy of God, the downstairs phone and my memory which I was hopeful would be the key to remembering a phone number that could save me. God and the pastor of the Church were kind that day and all was soon restored.

It is an understatement to say that keys are important. Today our homes, our workplaces and even our churches are generally locked and unavailable to us without keys. Metaphorically, we need mental keys to understand difficult texts or to teach children ways of remembering important information, often in song. One that I always recall is M-A-DOUBLE S-A-C-H-U-S-E-DOUBLE T-S, boom, boom, boom, Boston, Boston, my hometown… (Kids from Oklahoma got a big boost when the Broadway musical of the same name appeared…but I digress.) The point is that it is important to keep our keys with us both physically and consciously, and today the liturgy points to Christ, the descendant of David as the key to life and living. And so, we are called to pray:

O Key of David and Scepter of the House of Israel, You open and no one closes; You close and no one opens. Come and deliver us from the chains of prison who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.

O Key of David, ruler of life, you unlocked the door to God’s kingdom. Come, pry loose the lynch pins of our hearts and open to us your advent.

Wrestling

Tags

Genesis, God, Israel, Jacob, Jesus, Matthew, struggle, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, wrestling

This morning’s readings are about struggle: internal and external struggle. The Genesis story (GN 32:23-33) of Jacob wrestling with what first appeared to be a human, then an angel and, in the end, the one of whom Jacob said, “I have seen God face to face” is a familiar one. Jacob struggles all night with God and in the end is blessed with a new name that foretells his destiny; he was called Israel. The story is told as an external wrestling match but is most likely significant of the struggle that is often part of our life with God. If we are truthful, we all probably have some difficulty living in this world and wondering why God allows all the suffering and need – our own and/or that of the wider world.

In today’s gospel (MT 9:32-38) even Jesus seems to be overwhelmed a bit. He’s going from place to place, “to all the towns and villages, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom and curing every disease and illness…moved with pity for the crowds” who seem so troubled and abandoned. I can just picture him looking around at all there is to do for so many people and wondering how he can possibly manage to change the world for the better – wrestling with God about the difficulty of the task. I see him slumping down – probably on a rock – covering his face with his hands and then looking up to say to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out more laborers for his harvest.”

Wrestling (I learned as a high school teacher attending wrestling matches) isn’t just about rolling around on the floor trying to pin your opponent. It is a well-developed skill. I think we’re being asked to continue wrestling with the big questions in order to stay on track toward the manifestation of the Kingdom of God. We need to continue to ask God’s blessing for the work of transformation – of ourselves and the world – and get about developing our muscles for the long haul.

Stormy Weather

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calm the wind, faith, Israel, Jesus, Mark, Mount of the Beatitudes, psalm 107, Sea of Galilee, storms, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

One of my favorite memories of our February trip to Israel is our visit to the Mount of the Beatitudes. Looking out from that peaceful place down to the Sea of Galilee, I was reminded of many gospel stories of fishermen and their encounters with Jesus. At one moment I saw (and actually have a picture to prove it!) two boats in the distance, probably plying the same trade as in the days of Jesus. I thought then of the storm at sea, recounted in all the synoptic gospels – today in MK 4:35-41 – when Jesus showed his power in calming the wind. His challenge to the disciples that day after he had stilled the waters echoes down through history to us. “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”

Each time I’m sitting by water, whether a quiet lake or a vast ocean, I think of the quote that I saw attached to a picture like the one I snapped in Israel. I saved it and learned this morning that it’s from Psalm 107: “He hushed the storm to a gentle breeze…and brought them to their desired haven.” That always reminds me that no matter the “storms” in my life I need only breathe into the conviction that God is with me and will see me through to the end.

Keeping the Sabbath

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daily ritual, Exodus, Israel, keep holy the Sabbath day, Moses, Muslim, reconfigure a remembrance of God, Sabbath, spiritual practice, sundown, ten commandments, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

When I was in Israel last month it was impossible to be confused about which day was the Sabbath for the Jewish people. Shops were closed, the buses didn’t run (even for the tourists) and all “worldly activities” stopped in mid-afternoon on Friday so that people would have ample time to welcome  their day of rest at sundown. We were on our own until Saturday at sundown – and it became a good time to walk and reflect and perhaps attend Shabbat services. And if we were paying attention during our stay, we would often hear the Muslim call to prayer – a blast that went out all over the city to remind people to “hasten to prayer.” Five times a day (dawn, midday, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall – about two hours after sunset) the call goes out and people turn to remember God and right action.

Today’s lectionary reading from the Hebrew Scriptures (EX 20:1-17) lists the Ten Commandments given to Moses. The first three, which speak of our relationship to God, are more detailed than the rest where we find ways of relating to one another in the world. As I read the third, I was reminded of my youth when it seemed there was more congruence of American culture and consciousness of God.

Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord,  your God. No work may be done by you, or your son or daughter, or your male or female slave, or your beast, or by the alien who lives with you…

I can already hear the objections (which I myself have often raised): that people have to work and now stores and other places of business are open 24/7 so it’s impossible to designate a day…We are a true melting pot (or a stew) in this country now so a common Sabbath isn’t feasible…Sunday is the only day I can get the laundry and food shopping done…and it’s all true. The question is a challenge to the creativity of each of us. In the face of all the obstacles, how might I reconfigure a remembrance of God that is more than a one-hour, once-a-week exercise? It might be a daily ritual – or several times a day. It might be a weekly fast day, or a day of compassion each week, or, after practices have become ingrained enough, it may be that we are always celebrating Sabbath because we are always, day and night, turning inward and resting in the presence of God.

A New Day!

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companion on the journey, Israel, Judeo-Christian scripture, leap into the adventure, Shalom, spiritual reflection, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas Merton

Here I am, home again, looking out at the frigid beauty of the dawning day in Windsor, New York. I dismiss the thought that it is 1:00PM in Israel as I try to re-acclimate to life in the United States. When I awoke in the dark nearly an hour ago, my first thought was a surprise. “Leap into the adventure of this day!” When I looked at my clock to see that I still had time to sleep before the alarm, I tried to convince myself to answer the call to wakefulness but I couldn’t quite manage it. Thankfully, when the alarm pulled me easily out of my dozing, I heard again the invitation to the day as an adventure once again.

The truth of today is that although I am now back in the cocoon of home, the “I” who is “back” is not the same. I have been forever changed by the experience of the past two weeks in ways that I cannot unpack as easily as I will unpack my suitcase. Thomas Merton was a worthy companion on the journey, drawing me deeper into the mystery that is the inner life, even while the learnings from Mike, our guide through the geography and history of Israel, have also left an indelible mark.

Who knows where it will all lead? More deeply steeped in the Judeo-Christian Scriptures now because of having experienced them in some of the places and the ancestors of people I met, I know that the foundations of my writing here will not change radically. How the influence of the physical journey will play into the spiritual reflections, however, remains to be seen. I only hope that each day in the eternal present I will leap into the adventure that awaits and find there what God has in store!

Shalom! May it be so!

Up, Up and Away!

Tags

God's name, how wonderful your name, Israel, Kathleen Degnan, Lectionary, Lord, pilgrims, psalm 8, sacred, spiritual experience, spiritual journey, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas Merton

Psalm 8 is one of my “top three” favorites. It is no wonder that it should appear in the lectionary this morning as I leave home today to begin a pilgrimage that will take me to Israel tomorrow. The refrain, O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth! is an apt title, I think, for what will be a voyage of some 5,600 miles (one way!) to reach a place that is sacred to the three Abrahamic faiths. Along the way I hope to see the sunset from above and know the clarity of the atmosphere from at least 6 miles above the earth. Flying – even in a plane – is a spiritual experience for me and I relish the time even as I look forward to the adventure on the ground.

Because I cannot predict what the days will hold and want to be free to immerse in all the activities and reflection on what we experience, I decided to dedicate the two weeks of my absence to Thomas Merton, as we continue to be mindful of him during the centennial year of his birth. I have probed Thomas Merton’s Book of Hours by Kathleen Deignan for snippets from various Merton texts and have asked our administrative assistant, Mary Pat Hyland to post one each day until I return. I trust this will be a worthy exercise.

Just as I do not travel alone but with 20 other pilgrims, so I am aware of connections to others near and far who share the spiritual journey with me. So I have packed everyone in my suitcase and look forward to the journey that will, I hope, culminate in a deepening of appreciation for all of us of God’s wonderful name in all the earth.

Say Yes

Tags

Annunciation, Blessed Mother, David, Israel, Luke, Mary of Nazareth, Messiah, Psalm 40, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

On this feast of the Annunciation, the day when Mary of Nazareth consented to be the mother of the Christ, the Scripture readings are focused on assent to what God asks of us. Clearly the sacrifices of old are not enough. God is asking for our very selves. Psalm 40 repeats the refrain, Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will. The psalmist knows that God doesn’t wish “sacrifices or oblations, holocausts or sin offerings,” and so offers himself saying, Behold I come! To do your will, O my God, is my delight! Perhaps Mary was reminded of those words in the startling, incredible event of her encounter with God’s messenger who told her she had been chosen to be the mother of the long-awaited Messiah. The notion of the Messiah that Israel had been waiting for would have given her absolutely no sense that she was in the running for that honor! Why would God choose a lowly teenager from a small town to birth the one who was to restore the throne of David? It could only have been her recognition that this was no self-created illusion but rather a true call from God that made her say yes.

Long ago, I read an alternate translation of Mary’s response that most of us know as “Be it done unto me according to your word.” (LK 1:38) That translation spoke more to me of the strength of Mary’s trust in God and her relationship, even at her young age, with the God that was her guiding principle for life. I treasure the translation and, when I am challenged with a path I would rather not walk or a task I would rather not perform, I think of it and try to live up to Mary’s example. I offer it as my reflection for today.

Mary said, “I belong to the Lord, body and soul. Let it happen as you say!”