Tags
basics, community, companionship, Joan Chittister, love of God, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Wisdom Distilled from the Daily
Sometimes I just need a little of Joan Chittister’s Wisdom Distilled from the Daily to get me going in the morning. I’ve been talking a lot lately about the necessity of engagement in deep and meaningful conversation in our world to help us understand each other. With that in mind, I opened to a page in the middle of Sister Joan’s chapter on Community and found a description of Christmas preparations in the monastery and how everyone pitches in to help with everything from major cleaning and decorating to wrapping gifts for the poor. Since that is the way of things in convents I smiled and continued reading to find the important message below that I think is apropos for all of us at any time of the year.
...that makes me realize we are all in this together. Then I know in a special way that I am not alone. Then I realize with new insight that there are basics in life that are more important than a business schedule. Then I understand that those basics are love of God and fun and companionship on the long dark roads of life and partnership in the great human enterprise. We have to learn to be for one another so that the love of God is a shining certainty, even now, even here. That is the function and blessing of community. And it is a far cry from the rugged individualism, the narcissism, and the brutal independence that has become the insulation in our neighborhoods and the hallmark of our culture. (p.48)
Not one to mince words is this “mighty mite” of a woman, everyone’s Sister Joan, who wrote that paragraph for publication 29 years ago. How much more we need to hear it today! Let us think on these things and see what we can do to incarnate her message in our own life and our world.
Today is the feast of Teresa of Avila. Because it is Sunday, always a “first class feast,” we don’t hear about Teresa this year. I find it difficult to let it go by, however, without some mention of this woman who is one of only four women thus far in the history of the Roman Catholic Church to achieve the title of “Doctor of the Church.” Sister Teresa was a mystic, but also very active, tireless in her work of reforming the Carmelite order of nuns in the 1500’s in the most rigorous – some thought too extreme – way. Her writings were extensive and her spiritual practice was constant, although for many years she suffered many physical illnesses and a deprivation of any spiritual consolation. She never despaired, even in the face of investigation by the Inquisition, and her writings are considered one of the great treasures of Christian mysticism.
I received many messages over the past two weeks, mostly around the days of my going to and coming back from vacation. The majority of them encouraged me to be safe, stay safe or wished me safe travels. I presume that when we use those terms we’re speaking generally about our method of travel, although unless we’re driving a car we have little control – of the safety of the train, boat or plane. We have to fall back on the virtue of trust that I spoke about recently. Maybe people just want us to watch out for places where we might fall – like stepping off a curb that we misjudge.
Today is the feast of St. Alphonsus Liguori, a man who lived a long life (1696-1787, amazing even today!) and is known in our Church as the patron saint of moral theologians. A comment in his biographical sketch (
I think St. Martha ought to be the patron saint of the United States. (Today is her feast day.) We are so busy! One translation of the familiar message to Martha in the tenth chapter of Luke’s gospel has Jesus saying, “Martha, Martha, you’re anxious and worried about so many things…” but another has it as: “you are so BUSY…” Either one fits the description of so many of us whose lives are so full of activity that we find it difficult to sit still. Even when there is nothing pressing, we find some necessity staring us in the face. Even when we’re eating (at least if alone) we look for something to read, just to save time! Even our children don’t have time to sit down to talk or eat with parents because after school means basketball or travel soccer, music lessons or karate… then homework on into the night.
Today is one of those days when I find it difficult to determine a topic for reflection, not because there is nothing in the Scripture or from another source that draws me. Rather, the dilemma is choosing from a number of possibilities. The gospel text has Jesus asking, “Who do you say I am?” (LK 9:18-24), St. Paul speaks eloquently about our unity with his famous declaration that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free person, male or female…” (GAL 3:26-29) and Psalm 69 fairly drips with longing, crying out to God, “For you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts like the earth parched, lifeless and without water…” I guess each of those citations speaks for itself, providing enough of a prompt for reflection without any need for commentary.