On the Second Day of May

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creation, light, pandemic, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas Merton, wholeness

Today feels like what Thomas Merton might describe as “the first day of Creation.” I feel the warmth of a sun that is already shining so bright and full through my window that I am unable to see my computer screen. I need to lean toward the south to shade the brilliance enough to type. It is glorious in both heat and light and leads me to shout silently to God that “this is what May is supposed to be like!” In my mind I am already out picking up branches that were victims of the wind these last three days. I can already imagine that by sunset there will be tiny leaves on branches everywhere—a gift from the mixture of sun and rain…just how things are supposed to be.

It’s difficult on a morning like this to remember words like pandemic. The reality slowly seeps in but at the same time I begin to wonder if there isn’t a way—or more than one way—to see a wholeness in what seems an overwhelming dissonance. Would I be able (or even willing to try) to maintain the lightness of being produced by the sun’s warmth and the consequent burgeoning of life in creation today while holding the reality of death and dying that is all around? It would seem an impossible task but I sense a worthy challenge in it for myself today.

Attitude = Gratitude

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attitude, gratitude, light, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, virtual liturgy

I cannot escape this world that I live in, even if I wanted to with my whole self, that is: body, mind and spirit. So here is what seems quite evident to me on this first day of the week. I woke up with the thought that I need to change my attitude toward the present state of the world. I recognized that I have been devolving into a reactive mode with the negative forces (restrictions, political rhetoric, etc.) rising while my normal state of optimism was receding. The miracle of the day is that everything is converging to feed the good on my path.

Kitchen conversations at “coffee hour” just now were all about the spiritual lessons of yesterday given free of charge on the internet by spiritual leaders of East and West. Today’s lectionary readings at usccb.org were like stepping stones into light. Then more gifts from bloggers followed and I am now set to join a virtual congregation of Mass-goers at my favorite local Church to touch back into my heritage of beautiful Catholic ritual where approximately 300 believers will join with the exquisite singing voices of Pat and Jan and to listen to the wisdom of Father Charles whose presence as presider is a gift in itself. Additionally, every time I participate in this virtual Sunday liturgy, it seems that the seven necessary participants are joined by others. The resonance and volume seem to indicate many more participants in the church when in reality we are elsewhere but joining in spirit.

How can I not be grateful for this day, this opportunity to live in light – even in the face of what appears to be opposition? I am convinced of the call to shake off “the deeds of darkness” and bathe in the Light. Might you find ways to join in this attitude of gratitude today?

Of Life And Death

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death, Ladislau Boros, life, light, obituaries, psalm 27, salvation, The Mystery of Death, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Wisdom School

For some reason today I turned my morning ritual upside down and began by reading the local obituaries at the beginning rather than at the end of my usual routine. That meant that the lectionary readings came later and led to this moment of reflection – an interesting interpolation that turned into what now seems like a unified whole. There was great variety in those obituaries, particularly of the life spans of the deceased. I often pause when I come across people in their early 70s now and wondered this morning when I read about the life of a woman who was 83 whether I would still be reading such things a dozen years from now.

That may sound rather morbid but it really is not. It’s a practice that first lets me know if there are any cards to send or funerals I ought to attend and secondly, to consider the deeper questions of life and death for at least a few minutes. I suppose it has something to do today with the fact that I was reading my notes yesterday from a Wisdom School based on the book, The Mystery of Death, by Ladislaus Boros. There are lots of meaningful quotes in that book, but that’s for another day. Today I am taken by the theme of light, shining out from each of the readings. Here is my favorite, from Psalm 27:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?”

One thing I ask of the Lord; this I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life…Wait for the Lord with courage, be stouthearted and wait for the the Lord.”

A New Day

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John Philip Newell, life, light, oneness, Praying With the Earth, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today we take a breath. Some return to work. For some it is enough to put away gifts received and put out the trash, saying goodbye to loved ones and checking the calendar to keep appointments straight. Regardless of the events of yesterday and how we celebrated Christmas (or not at all), the tumult of the holiday fades today as we return to “normal life.” We might well use the Wednesday morning prayer from John Philip Newell to guide us along into renewed awareness that we can be somehow changed for the better each day, whether a grand holiday or a stitch in ordinary time.

All things come from you, O God, and to you we return. All things merge in your great river of life and into you we vanish again. At the beginning of this day we wake not as separate streams but as countless currents in a single flow, the flow of this day’s dawning, the flow of this day’s delight, the flow of this day’s sorrows, your flow, O God, in the twistings and turnings of this new day.

All things are born of you, O God. We carry within us your light and your life. In the mystery of matter and deep in the cells of our souls are your longings for oneness. The oneness of the universe, vast and vibrating with the sound of its beginning. The oneness of the earth, greening and teeming as a single body. The oneness of the human soul a sacred countenance in infinite form. Grant us your longings for oneness, O God, amidst life’s glorious multiplicities. (Praying With the Earth, p. 26, 28)

Standard Time

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daylight saving time, heart of life, John Philip Newell, light, Praying With the Earth, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, time

Sometime in the night my cell phone pulled back an hour to afford me another hour of sleep. Just like that…done…and now we are on Eastern Standard Time here. It’s a bit of a lesson, sounding like “God said ‘Let there be light and there was light'” — but not really. We have no power over the elements or the “space/time continuum,” as it is called. And most of us won’t be quite as satisfied when it is dark at 5:00EST today, rather than at 6:00 like yesterday. There’s a very long article on Wikipedia today explaining the origin and practice of Daylight Saving Time – as well as the places which have exempted themselves over the years. There is, of course, a legal process to follow in order for a state – or territory of the U.S. – to change or not to change and reasons given for the choice. Still, it remains a bit of a conundrum for me, seeming like it is just one more thing that we complicate to serve our own needs.

I must admit, however, it was very comfortable to lie in bed this morning, dozing in and out and watching the light come…So here’s a prayer for the morning to accept and be grateful for what we’ve been given in this glorious universe!

Light within all light, Soul behind all souls at the breaking of dawn, at the coming of day we wait and watch. Your light within the morning light, Your Soul within the human soul, Your presence beckoning us from the heart of life. In the dawning of this day let us know fresh shinings in our soul. In the growing colours of new beginnings all around us let us know the first lights of our heart. Great Star of the morning, Inner Flame of the universe, let us be a colour in this new dawning. (Praying with the Earth by John Philip Newell)

Padre Pio

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healing, hope, light, Padre Pio, pray, St. Pio of Pietrelcina, suffering, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, the stigmata

Today Christians everywhere celebrate Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, who died on this date in 1968. We know him as Padre Pio. There is much to say about this humble servant of God, which you can find on http://www.franciscanmedia.org or in any number of books, documentaries and internet sites or perhaps from people, still alive, who have had experience of his life. It was not easy; he suffered spiritually and physically, and, perhaps most of all, psychologically from the words and actions of those who did not believe the movements of God in his life.

The verse before the gospel in today’s lectionary could be called “difficult grace” in the life of Padre Pio. It calls us all to humility and truth in recognition of our gifts, and reads as follows: Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” Clearly, Padre Pio did not take credit for his extraordinary gift of healing or complain about the trials of his suffering, especially when he received the stigmata (the wounds of Christ in his physical form). It was his willingness to serve God in whatever way was asked of him that we honor today.

May we be willing each day to do the same.

Diversity

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Br. Nicholas Bartoli SSJE, celebration, differences, diversity, human, light, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

As we struggle toward unity in our homes, our communities and our world, we are also charged with the responsibility to embrace diversity. From our families to the members of the United Nations (meeting this week in New York City) the task is acceptance and understanding. I was reminded of this today by a post from the Society of St. John the Evangelist that called for appreciation of our uniqueness as a way to celebrate the unity of humanity. Here is the post.

Although we may have plenty of differences, it remains true that the Holy One created human beings as perfectly beautiful and in God’s image, shining like stars with the light of Christ. It’s a light reflected through the prism of this world as a diverse offering pouring forth from within each unique human heart. We pray with God’s help we will bear witness to that light, and instead of creating separation from difference, see diversity as a cause for celebration. (Br. Nicholas Bartoli, SSJE)

Definitional Distinction

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compassion, guilt, light, Meg Wheatley, perseverance, regret, see clearly, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Most people who know me are aware of my fondness for words – not that I prefer talking to silence, but I’m always interested in nuances and things making sense. This morning I read a page from Meg Wheatley’s book, Perseverance, that gave me pause and seems worth repeating. Her concluding paragraph is especially helpful for a Saturday of looking back to the past week and forward to the next.

There’s a fundamental distinction between guilt and regret. Guilt turns us inward, creating a cauldron of self-hatred that destroys us. People never act wisely from guilt – the intensity of emotions prevents discernment and right action.

Regret, on the other hand, does not disable us. It gives us the capacity to see clearly, to clarify our future, to change. We can vow not to repeat our mistakes, we can pay attention to what we’ve learned, we can focus our heart and mind on not causing harm again. We can develop greater insight into who we are, and move forward to become who we would like to be.

If guilt and shame are driving us inward, hopefully we can notice this direction and choose, even for a moment, to look outward. If we look out into the world, we will notice that millions of other people are, at this very moment, experiencing the same terrible feelings.

We can use this time of feeling badly about ourself to get beyond our self, and connect with all those other humans with whom we share this dark kinship. If our hearts open to them, what enters us is not more darkness, but the light of compassion. (p. 87)

What’s Your Name?

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hungry, Isaiah, light, malicious speech, oppression, renew, reward, solidarity of purpose, spirit name, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

There’re a great line from the book of the Prophet Isaiah today. In my opinion, it names the sort of person we all ought to aspire to become. First Isaiah offers a description and then speaks the name. Listen:

Thus says the Lord: If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusations and malicious speech; if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday; then the Lord will guide you always and give you plenty even on the parched land. He will renew your strength, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails. The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake, and the foundations from ages past you shall raise. (IS 58: 9-14)

That sounds like a pretty big reward for doing what we should all be working toward in our lives. And for that, Isaiah says, “Repairer of the breach,” they shall call you.” It sounds to me like naming ceremonies in many indigenous cultures when individuals are given their “Spirit name” which “tells something about the person, their personality, their mission in this life.” (manataka.org) Similarly, Christians often choose a name during their Confirmation ritual that speaks of a saint of the Church or honors the sponsor who witnesses to their willingness to act in a sacred manner in life.

What is your “spirit name?” If you could choose one today, what would it be? For myself, I am rather partial to “Repairer of the Breach.” Perhaps in solidarity of purpose, we could all add that one to names we already own. It could look something like this: “Lois Ann Barton, CSJ, RB” (Congregation of Saint Joseph, Repairer of the Breach.) A good and necessary reminder to carry forward, don’t you think?

Inner and Outer Light

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believe, conscious living, fan the flames, gratitude, imagination, inner fire, light, light worker, meditation, possibility, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, the spiritual center

Sometimes I “talk big” and really mean what I say but find at the end of the day that I haven’t come close to accomplishing what I had decided at the beginning I would be able to achieve. Such was the interim between this moment and what I wrote on Friday about diving in with vigor and making a new start. Events intervene and change the pattern of our days sometimes so all we can do is our best – sometimes starting over the next day. The key is not to get either discouraged or lazy so that nothing ever gets done. This morning I’m ready to try again. Here’s why.

1. Yesterday morning six of us sat around a blazing fire in the living room of the Sophia House considering three themes for reflection in this new year. Our wonderfully creative tech person at Sophia, Mary Pat, walked with us on a non-stressful – peaceful even – path, stopping at directional points of inner and outer light, conscious living and gratitude. Our sharing was simple and then grew as did the fire’s warmth so that, in the end, we had a sense of that fire as an ongoing potential for this year’s journey.
2. Last evening my three Sisters and I sat in our own living room and had what turned into a long, lively exchange of ideas about moving forward with the fulfillment of certain of our proposed projects at the Spiritual Center. It was another experience of how the inner fire in each of us was caught in the circle because of all of us together.
3. This morning lying in my bed after waking I began to consider my day and to wonder what might be accomplished. Suddenly a wave of light seemed to burst within me – not a tidal wave but a flicker of determination that seemed to say, “Fan the flame. Go within to catch the spirit of those light workers who can help you in this realm and beyond. Use your imagination. Get up! Believe in possibility!” Needless to say I did not go back to sleep.
4. As I sat with my coffee to relate these events and their effect on me, a strong wind began to blow through the tallest of the trees outside my window, cheering me on. It’s still waving at me – so I need to move to my meditation mat to solidify purpose and begin the day. Blessings abound!