A Time Like No Other

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assess, coronavirus, Jesus, love, patience, surrender, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

It is not lost on me that we are in a situation – a world crisis – the like of which has never presented itself in the entirety of my life. At the same moment I recognize that we are moving deeper into the season of Lent, a moment of opportunity to come to a more conscious understanding of the meaning of surrender.

I don’t want to talk about the coronavirus because facing it might call me to pay attention in a way that I am unaccustomed to functioning. I cannot, however, disregard all the warnings simply because I am a healthy person. While that is a true fact and I am aware of the great blessing of that reality, I cannot ignore the fact that I am approaching my seventy-second birthday and although I would like to ignore the implications of that in this situation, I do it at my peril. I need to pay attention to what I am eating and how much sleep I’m getting, etc. — if not for my own benefit, for the welfare of the three women with whom I live and for others with whom I interact.

In addition, I need to assess which of my activities I am willing to let go, rather than ignoring the risks because I am not likely to contract the disease. One might not see the connection between the spiritual and practical considerations in such a moment as this but to me it is quite clear.

Patience and love, willingness to surrender for the common good are the virtues needed now by each of us. “What am I willing to surrender?” I ask myself this morning. I would do well to look to the example of Jesus for the answer.

What Does Love Mean?

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love, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Valentine's Day, wisdom

Last night in my email there was a sweet little video posted by Tara Brach that ended with some quotes by 4 to 8 year olds in answer to the question of what love means. I found it heartening and way better than chocolate. Here are my favorite answers.

“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that that your name is safe in their mouth.”

“When you tell someone something bad about yourself and you get scared because you think they won’t love you anymore and you get surprised because they love you even more.”

“You really shouldn’t say “I love you” unless you mean it but if you know they love you, you should say it a lot. People forget.”

Happy “on-going” Valentine’s Day. Think on these things from the wise ones in our midst!

The Good News from Valentine

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God, God loves us, love, perfection, St. John the Evangelist, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today is all about love – not just with chocolates and flowers (although I am partial to both) but also with thoughts from St. John the Evangelist who, among many other messages, gave us this deep and meaningful word from his first letter. Keep it close today!

“Love consists in this: it is not we who have loved God, but God who loved us. My dear friends, if God loved us so much, we too should love one another. No one has ever seen God but as long as we love each other, God remains in us and God’s love comes to perfection in us.”

Love for the Little Ones

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children, exclusion, love, poor, Pope Francis, refugees, Sisters of St. Joseph, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

As we turn the page of our calendars to February, we find in the middle the feast of St. Valentine. I will probably have more to say about this saint then; (his feast has become more of a “Hallmark holiday”). Today, however, there is a striking reminder from Pope Francis about how our love can be shown throughout this month and beyond. I found it in the monthly e-news from our province of the Sisters of St. Joseph and will make it a “hallmark” of my spiritual practices for February. Won’t you join me?

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my Heavenly Father” (MT 18:10). It is not just about migrants: it is a question about seeing that no one is excluded. Today’s world is increasingly becoming more elitist and cruel toward the excluded. Developing countries continue to be drained of their best natural and human resources for the benefit of a few privileged markets. Wars only affect some regions of the world, yet weapons of war are produced and sold in other regions which are then unwilling to take in the refugees produced by these conflicts. Those who pay the price are always the little ones, the poor, the most vulnerable, who are prevented from sitting at the table and are left with the “crumbs” of the banquet. (cf. LK 16: 19-21)”

Intense

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gift, grace, intense, judging, love, St. Angela Merici, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Sometimes it only takes one word to capture my attention and get me thinking. It happened this morning as I read the section of 1 PT 4 that was an optional reading for the Memorial of St. Angela Merici, an important saint in the religious order of Ursuline Sisters. (Her biography is definitely worth a read.)

Here is the quote: Beloved, be serious and sober-minded so that you will be able to pray. Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.

Diving deeply into that statement makes me consider several things:

1. It doesn’t matter how imperfect I am, I’m still called to a deep and high love.

2. We can’t be judging each other because all of us are imperfect (what a relief!).

3. Since we’re gifted by God in various ways, our love will probably be expressed differently and uniquely to each other.

4. There’s lots more possible to find about love when we delve the word intense…

In addition, questions: What is my particular gift in the complex of different ways to love? How can I best reflect God in my love for “all God’s children?”

Anniversaries

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anniversary, birthday, love, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

There are many dates that we all celebrate in different ways (if we can remember them!). Some are easy, like New Year’s Day, because most people share them, but then we remember and ask: “What about Chinese New Year?”

It can get complicated. Most of us need a notebook to remember all the birthdays that we should be celebrating, especially if we have a large family or lots of expectant friends, but for most of us there are likely a few dates that make it into a special category of automatic remembrance. One of those dates for me is today; it’s my parents’ wedding anniversary.

We joke about the fact that although they probably knew in high school that they had found “the one” with whom they would spend the rest of their lives, it took them until the age of 31 years to formalize the commitment (They were born 20 days apart). It’s true that there were complications: the Great Depression where, as young people they needed to help support their families, the Second World War when they wrote enough letters to fill a trunk the size of a post office, etc. We have so many stories and images of the nearly 50 years of their marriage! My siblings and I often speak of how blessed we are to be considered among “the lucky ones.”

At a time when so many people suffer from a lack of love in their lives, those of us who have been blessed by loving relationships of any description ought to be mindful of those who have not been similarly blessed. Is there someone you know who might enjoy a visit, a call or even a hug today? Why wait?

Happy Anything Day to all!

All About Love

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God, God is love, John, love, love one another, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Yesterday and today I have been without internet access but the messages from the daily lectionary have been very clear. My suggestion to all who are looking for inspiration this week is to look deeply into the first letter of John, especially chapter 4 which has enough power to last throughout the remainder of the Christmas season. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Let us love one another because love is of God. Everyone who loves is begotten of God and knows God.
2. If God so loved us we also must love one another. If we love one another, God remains in us and God’s love is brought to perfection in us.
3. God is love and whoever remains in love remains in God and God remains in them. In this is love brought to perfection among us.

I know that you have likely heard and/or read these lines often before. What I suggest is sitting with them until they are stitched into your consciousness, popping up each time someone crosses your path, and you may find a new word in some one of the phrases as I did this morning. I have always heard #3 as God’s love is brought to perfection IN us but today I read it as AMONG us. A new effect of our willingness to love!
I rest my case.

Paul’s Passion

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blessings, Christmas, compassion, Jesus, love, mercy, Philippians, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

According to the liturgical calendar, today is a “Christmas weekday.” Would you know it if I hadn’t told you? Are your presents still visible under your tree? Are you saying: “What tree?” I’m being facetious, of course – trying to make the point that sometimes we move from expectation (a long process) through experience (sometimes very brief) to let-down (“business as usual”) without savoring the event itself or being changed by it at all.

There are two sets of readings for today and in both St. Paul seems to be pleading for our attention to the effect of Jesus coming into the world. First, the Christmas weekday reading says this: “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we are children of God…Beloved, we are God’s children NOW!” (1 JN 2) The second, from the Letter to the Philippians, urges an even deeper consciousness of who we must be in the name of Jesus. “Brothers and sisters,” Paul says, ” if there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind with the same love, united in heart…”

Can you feel it? Did you experience the love that Christmas calls us to? If not, is there still a chance you might manifest it today or work toward the recognition of which Paul speaks even in some small way? A “hello” or a kind word to a colleague? Even a smile would do for a start. You may be surprised to “see what love God has bestowed upon us.”

Blessings on you this day, children of God.

A Christmas Prayer

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Emmanuel, generosity, Joyce Rupp, kindness, love, Prayer Seeds, respect, reverence, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Joyce Rupp has a meaningful Christmas prayer in her book, Prayer Seeds, that seems appropriate for this sixth day in the octave of Christmas, to remind us that the spirit of the feast lives on beyond a one-day celebration. Won’t you pray it in connection with all those reading this post?

Emmanuel, God-with-us, you chose to come for each person, the destitute and the wealthy, the unfortunate and the privileged, the troubled and the peaceful, the healthy and the ill.

You came in human form with a message of extravagant love, showing us how to be with those who have much less than we do. You came offering a gesture of respect and reverence instead of indifference and disdain; giving courteous kindness in place of thoughtless disregard; contributing ongoing support rather than a mere holiday handout.

Change my heart. Turn it inside out, toward the larger world. Remind me daily of those who struggle with their basic existence. Lead me to help change social systems that contribute to this ongoing struggle. Enlarge my awareness. Increase my generosity. Guide my choices of how I live, what I purchase, and how I use my material wealth.

Remind me often of your presence in those I tend to ignore or forget. Boundless Love, thank you for cherishing each person on this planet. (p.2-3)

Joseph’s Role

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dreams, generosity, God is calling, inner voice, intuition, love, prayer, St. Joseph, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Joseph, husband of Mary who brought Jesus into the world, has a very small speaking part in the gospels. He is very often called “the silent one” which is not the easiest part to play in any situation. We do speak of some men as the “strong, silent type” and that is seen as a good thing but more because of the descriptive strong rather than silent. (And they are usually handsome as well!) One might think of Joseph as one “waiting in the wings” for his moment to shine, but that is not true! Joseph is always ready – listening – for God’s word in his life and obedient at every turn. His obedience to messages that some would have dismissed immediately had to come from deep within himself and from the conviction of how God worked in his life – always for his good and the good of those he loved.

Sometimes we are also called to trust our intuition, our dreams and the sense that God is calling us to something we would not have chosen, perhaps, but what seems an important next step. We would do well to imitate Joseph, standing silent, waiting for God to speak and trusting our inner voice that flows from a life of prayer and generosity in love.