A New Look

Tags

Ancient Songs Sung Anew, Good Shepherd, guidance, inner pilgrimage, journey, Lynn Bauman, Psalm 23, Scripture, Stephen Mitchell, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

When we are very familiar with something, be it a place we inhabit or a text from Scripture, we can slide over the experience with only half a mind and miss the significance. Take Psalm 23, the great Shepherd Psalm, for example. Many of us fall back on that text when asked to recite something from Scripture because it is the one that jumps most easily to our lips, so occasionally it helps when praying to adapt the translation in order to  wake us up to new depth.

I am not a fan of changing words just to be trendy and sometimes updating takes the reverence out of a traditional text for me. Not so with Stephen Mitchell’s interpretation of the Psalms or Lynn Bauman’s translation and commentary (which I use frequently in the morning). Two suggestions in Bauman’s notes gave me pause this morning. You might use them as you reflect on your favorite translation.

1. Imagine that this psalm does not refer to the world outside you, but speaks to an interior space or place within your own being. As you do, mark the shifts in relationship between yourself as a “sheep” needing guidance, and God as shepherd guiding you. Note also the changing landscapes of the soul as you are led through this inner pilgrimage.
2. Which part of this journey holds the most significance and poignancy for you at this moment in time? Meditate on those words throughout the day. Ask yourself…”How do I need the care and guidance of the Shepherd at this time in my life?” (Ancient Songs Sung Anew, p.55)

On the Road Again

Tags

hospitality, Jesus, journey, kindness, Luke, strangers, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, welfare, Word of God

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to go back in time and live in a simpler world with fewer people, a world where Jesus could say to his chosen Twelve: “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic.” (One would probably want the power and authority Jesus gave to them over demons and to cure diseases, however, to keep them safe along the way as they preached the word of God.) (LK 9:1-6) When I left home yesterday to come to a meeting 135 miles away, I made sure I had my driver’s license, money, credit card in case of emergency, cell phone, and the food that one of the sisters had bought me at the grocery store for my lunch. Oh, yes, and the car that would get me here in about two and a half hours! Times have certainly changed! The world turns faster, the culture much more complicated – virtually nothing is the same!

I wonder, though, about the kindness of strangers. When Jesus was giving instructions to the apostles that day he obviously wasn’t worried about their welfare. “Whatever house you enter,” he said, “stay there and leave from there.” There was a caveat about what to do if they were not welcomed in a place, but basically they could trust traveling like that.

We certainly can’t wish ourselves back to that simpler time (which also included violence on the road and robbers, etc…) but it’s a good opportunity to think about how we treat strangers. Do we trust them only if they look like us? Do we judge them by appearance before we even hear them speak? And what if they don’t speak our language? Hospitality and welcome seem sometimes to have been replaced by mistrust and ignorance. Just a smile would go a long way to making someone comfortable.

I’ll remember that today on my trip home…

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s Life!

Tags

block, directions, journey, life, metaphor, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

This morning I got up at 6:00, the absolutely last moment possible if I were to complete the several tasks (or at least the majority) before scooting out the door for an 8:30 meeting 20ish miles away. Then I remembered that I had promised directions to a group of people who will be attending a workshop this weekend at The Spiritual Center where I live. I had told them at our evening book group meeting last evening that I would send the information about getting there  before I went to bed. When I got home, however, I had no service, a distress for all of us and the electronic devices in our home last night. The upside of that predicament was that I got to sleep a bit earlier, but I was left with that task for this morning – thus the delay in this writing.

The task of sending directions became more complex when I decided I needed to offer alternatives to the normal way of getting to Windsor because of the HUGE construction project going on at the confluence of all the major roads in Binghamton. Since there are people coming from northwest, northeast and west of the city as well as directly in the midst of the many detours, I needed to plot several routes – some with more than one possibility for avoiding the worst late afternoon slowdowns. It took much longer than I thought and I actually had to google a map of Binghamton to help me remember the name of a street that I have known for 40 years! I have confidence now that everyone will arrive safely and in a timely manner. (In case they get lost, I did include my cell phone  number.)

This is a weekend that the group has been looking forward to for a long time and I am happy to provide it to them (organizationally). Even happier am I that I am not the presenter but just need to be “one of the girls” involved. I got to thinking later in the morning, as I began to get responses to my message with the directions, that my project this morning could be seen as a metaphor for life. There are times when what is usually seen as simple becomes complicated simply because of an added element – like a necessary e-mail or a multi-year construction project. It takes time to figure out ways around what blocks us. Sometimes the way is also simple but for some situations or for some people it is full of twists and turns that make it almost impossible to figure out. Sometimes we even need to ask for help.

I’ll be happy to welcome the participants to our workshop tomorrow and will be glad when the last one arrives, making that step on the journey complete and readying us for the adventure that awaits us!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Respite

Tags

Bethany, Celtic Treasure, companionship, healing, Holy Week, inner quiet, J. Philip Newell, Jerusalem, journey, Passion, respite, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

John’s gospel for today (12:1-11) always signals for me a pause in the frenetic events of Holy Week. Yesterday there was the uproarious crowd as Jesus entered Jerusalem and beginning on Thursday the intensity of the Passion commences, not to subside until the next waiting period at the tomb. It feels this morning like watching the ocean waves in slow motion – building, crashing, subsiding and then building again to a crisis point – but in between, a space of silence and repose.

Jesus is in Bethany now, likely the most welcoming place he knows, where he is cared for with good food, soothing massage and the companionship of dear friends Lazarus, Martha and Mary. In my mind’s eye, I always imagine his mother at the table as well. How could she not be with him now?

It seems to me that we ought to spend these “in-between” days in inner quiet and attention – in whatever ways we are able, given that our “normal life” of work and family responsibilities likely continues. As a prayer to guide us, I offer J. Philip Newell’s words.

We stumble on the journey, O God. We lose heart along the way. We forget your promises and blame one another. Refresh us with the springs of your spirit in our souls and open our senses to your guiding presence that we may be part of the world’s healing this day, that we may be part of the world’s healing. (Celtic Treasure, p. 68)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Signposts

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Alan Cohen, awake, breath, connected, conscious, destination, direction, Gandhi, journey, Meg Wheatley, reminders, slowing down, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, wisdom

Today I am conscious – maybe just because it’s Monday – of the need to be aware of what surrounds me as I live today. There are already so many reminders and it isn’t yet 7:00AM!

• For at least the fifth day in succession there has been dense fog in the morning which could be mistaken for cloudiness portending rain later. Only if I am awake will I not be taken by surprise when the sun comes blazing out from under the mist.
• Alan Cohen’s morning reflection is entitled “Enjoy the Journey” and is peppered with reminders of the wisdom of slowing down so as not to miss what is just ahead of us. For example, he begins with a quote from Gandhi which wisely states that there must be more to life than increasing its speed, and from his own musings on creating a bumper sticker: Going nowhere faster will not get you somewhere.
• From Meg Wheatley: If you can’t get destination, go for direction.
• And most simply, when I wanted to access our website to write this: You’re not connected.

So I take a deep breath and jump into the depths of the day…

 

 

 

 

 

Yielding

Tags

centering prayer, Finding the On-Ramp to You Spiritual Life, Jan Phillips, journey, opportunities, resistance, spiritual path, spiritual practices, surrender, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, yield

In looking ahead to possibilities for the autumn “semester” at the Sophia Center, I began re-reading Finding the On-Ramp to Your Spiritual Life, a little book by Jan Phillips. The impetus came from two different conversations – one with Jan and another with a member of my Spiritual Practices Circle who is considering reading the book with a group in her Church. It’s a catchy title and the idea of using traffic signs as chapter titles was, it seems to me, quite an inspired idea. It’s part of Jan’s genius, I think, to see deep meaning in the connections that exist everywhere and use everyday experiences to mine deep truth. Think about all you could say about “STOP” or “DIVIDED HIGHWAY” or even “FALLING ROCKS AHEAD.” (Actually, that’s not a bad idea. What would you say about each of those things vis-à-vis your life?)

Last night I read the chapter entitled YIELD, which is a familiar concept to someone who learns the daily letting go in the practice of centering prayer. Here’s how Jan began that reflection.

The word yield has a variety of meanings. On the road, it means to surrender, to give way. In nature, it means to engender, to bear fruit. On the spiritual path, one leads to the other. Once we give up our notion of how life “should be,” we free ourselves to experience the lives that we do have.

Simple, right? But not easy, of course. Give it some time today as you drive or shop or interact with others…See how yielding is a better choice than resistance and bow to the opportunities that so often just show up to help us along on our journey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Knowing the Way

Tags

Acts of the Apostles, conversion, destination, discipleship, I am the way, Jesus, journey, map, Pennsylvania, Pentecost, see, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas, traffic, truth, way

I was on the internet yesterday checking driving directions to the location of the retreat center I will be visiting next week. It was astonishing how quickly I came to know not only how to get there but also how many miles I would travel depending on which of two possible routes  I take (with a map available for each) and how long (to the minute!) it would take to arrive at my destination – including the indication of how dense the traffic might be. Although this service of mapquest – or google maps or another site – is quite efficient, there was a tiny twinge of sadness associated with the exercise. I have always loved maps and figuring out the best way to reach a destination was always satisfying for me. No matter. The important thing is arriving at the destination, I suppose, even though the journey itself can be engaging and instructive if sometimes confusing.

The gospel for today finds the disciples confounded by what sounds like a riddle as Jesus prepared for his departure and was giving them instructions for how they were to live going forward. (JN 14:1-6) First he talks of going away. That in itself would be anxiety-producing enough, I suspect, for those who had been following him and been through the recent events with him. He talks about many rooms in his Father’s house and my guess is that they are confused because they were taking his words literally while he was speaking in another language! Thomas, who always needed to “see” the truth of things, seems the most frustrated when Jesus tells them they already know the way to where he’s going. I feel for Thomas when he blurts out, “Master, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way!” I doubt it helped when Jesus answered, “I am the way.”

Perhaps we need to think ahead to the time after Pentecost to pick up the story of how the disciples followed the way, solving the riddle of that confusing speech of Jesus. Examples abound, as in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles for today (ACTS 13:26-33). My guess is that the understanding came variously and perhaps slowly for some – not always like the shocking event of Paul’s conversion. I might liken it to my trip. I read the directions and was familiar with the highway route but it will take the experience of driving there myself to truly get the whole picture and be comfortable with the way. My hope is that, in this beautiful season of flowering trees and the mountainous region of Pennsylvania that I will be traversing, I will be stunned one more time at the beauty and grateful for the opportunity of making the trip. And upon arrival I look forward to days of deepening my understanding of what it means to walk the path of discipleship.

Homecoming

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Ask and you shall receive, forgiveness, Genesis, homecoming, hope, journey, lift up, Luke, Mary Magdalene, optimistic for the future, perseverance, prayer, Sisters of St. Joseph, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, wisdom

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.

The theme running through all of my days of travel has been the hope that lives in the hearts of the Sisters and others I have met. Regardless of the dire situations in our country and the world, we are optimistic for the future and grounded in a life of prayer because of our trust in the benevolence of the Divine Being who will not leave us to our own devices. All of us are held in relationship with God and one another in a bond that I experienced as a felt sense of joy and confidence in each place that I touched down.

I was reminded of this sense of optimism and the need to work toward the good by today’s lectionary readings about perseverance in prayer. We are called by Abraham’s courage in his famous plea to the God who was prepared to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of the wickedness abiding in those cities. Beginning with the question: “If there were 50 innocent inhabitants there, would you relent?” (GEN 18:20-32) Abraham continued to ask toward a greater favor asking: “What if there were 45…40…30…20…10???” God’s willingness to answer with alacrity that those cities would not be destroyed for the sake of the few innocent people tells me that, ultimately, God desires to forgive, not to punish or destroy. God is on our side.

Jesus knew that God and encouraged his followers to ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find; knock and the door shall be opened to you. ( LK 11:1-13) All of my experiences during these days have convinced me of the need for us to pray – alone and together – for changes in ourselves and all around us that will bring us back to balance. This prayer cannot be a “sometimes” thing. We need to be serious and consistent to actually “be the change we wish to see in the world.” Thus our prayer will become our way of living and lift up the quality of life for everyone. We will “come home” to our deepest selves and meet each other at each step of our journeys. In this way wherever we find ourselves in the world will be recognized as home and we will be welcome there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Call and Response

Tags

Advent, be ready, choices, decisions, fishermen, Jesus, journey, Luke, Messiah, Simon Peter, St. Andrew, St. Peter, stay awake, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, vocation

I was slow this morning to answer the wake up call of my alarm. Perhaps it was the cold (20F degrees) or the fading dream that made me want just a little more time under the blankets. After surrendering to the morning 15 minutes later, armed with my first cup of hot coffee, I went to read about St. Andrew, the saint of the day. I found what I already knew: that Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter, a fisherman, called as one of the first disciples. There was virtually no other information about Andrew personally, except that he was the one, before the miracle of the loaves and fishes, who spoke up about the boy who had some food with him. We only have legend to tell that he preached the gospel to people in what is now Greece and Turkey and was crucified at Patras, now the third largest city in Greece.

Not satisfied, I dug a little deeper by reviewing all the canonical gospel stories of Andrew. In the gospels of Matthew and Mark, his call to be a disciple is recounted in the same way. Jesus is walking along the Sea of Galilee and sees Andrew with his brother, Simon, plying their trade as fishermen and calls both of them with the direct, if strange invitation: Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. In Luke’s gospel, the spotlight is on Simon Peter, who has a conversation about his unworthiness to be offered such a call by Jesus; Andrew is not mentioned until chapter six where the entire group of apostles is named. John’s version of the story is altogether different as Andrew becomes a major player. Originally a disciple of John the Baptist, Andrew and another disciple of John are present when Jesus again walks into their midst the day after John first recognizes Jesus as God’s Chosen One. They follow Jesus and when he turns around to ask what they’re looking for, they answer with a question: “Rabbi, where do you stay?” At the invitation to “Come and see,” they go along. After spending the day with Jesus, the first thing Andrew does is to seek out his brother Simon to tell him, “We have found the Messiah!” Then he brings Simon to Jesus.

All of this made me consider the notion of call and where it leads when it is heard. How was it that I came to know my vocation in life? Did it grow organically or was it a lightning bolt that shifted my perspective on everything? Did someone invite me to something I had not considered or introduce me to someone who changed my life direction? Did I hear a lecture or take a course that made things fall into place for me? And what have been the events/circumstances that have occasioned the less dramatic decisions in my life, the everyday choices I have made? How do I keep on the path every day?

In this season of Advent, when the call to “Stay awake!” and “Be ready!” is the daily message, we would do well to think on these things and sharpen our ear to hear what might be a next step on our journey.

How Does It End?

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arrival, death of Jesus, ending, faith, giving up control, heart of God, hope, journey, resurrection, suffering, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, trust

I’m the kind of person who could never leave a story in the middle. It always amazed me that people could get up in the middle of a movie on television and say, “I’m going to bed” or – even more seriously – walk out of a movie theater when they have paid for what they’re leaving! I always wanted to know the way things would turn out. As I write this today I realize, however, that this is not as important to me as in the past. I wonder what that means. Am I more interested in the journey than in the arrival? Do I have more trust that everything will be resolved in situations? It’s such a new thought that I don’t have the answer but I have a suspicion that it has at least something to do with giving up control. When I think liturgically about the next few weeks, I realize that we already know “the rest of the story” of the sufferings and death of Jesus, i.e. the Resurrection. What must it have been like for the companions of Jesus? We only know a few of those stories and no matter what the struggles were almost all get resolved in the end when they see him again. Every year I ask myself where I would have been during all those events: hiding my identity as Peter did? helping to carrying the cross or stepping up to wipe the face of Jesus along the way? staying at the tomb with Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary”? It’s impossible to know the answer. Maybe a better question for today is this: how strong are my faith and hope in God as I face the events of my own life without knowing what will happen in the end? I now recognize it’s that ability to let go into the heart of God that will determine the answer.