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Tag Archives: loving

Coming Together

28 Wednesday Feb 2018

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connection, consciousness, gathering, heart, life, love, loving, meeting, Oscar Wilde, sharing, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

akindnessYesterday I had two meetings back-to-back. The first was a small gathering, only four of seven who try to gather monthly for a “shot in the arm” of wisdom practices that keep us conscious in a way that nothing else seems able to do. We always miss but are very aware of our connection with our “absent brethren.” I went from there to a virtual committee meeting; just our voices were together through the miracle of a phone conference. Again we were four, together in the ethers in an effort to create a process that we hope will enable deeper sharing among members of a much larger group. I could see the faces in my mind as each of us spoke and allowed ideas to germinate in the sharing.

This morning I think how blessed I am to count these experiences as part of my life’s “work.” Extraneous, perhaps, or at least tangential to what I am being paid for, these occurrences of connection create the foundation of everything else that I am able and privileged to do. It’s all about love, you see, which is clearly illustrated for me today in a quote from Oscar Wilde that seems worthy of sharing.

Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and richness to life that nothing else can bring.

 

 

 

 

 

Guardian Angels

02 Monday Oct 2017

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angel, attentiveness, comfort, faith, Guardian Angel, love, loving, personal, prayers, protection, safety, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

aguardianangelBefore I learned any of the prayers that are at the heart of my Church practice, I knew I had protection from heaven each night while I slept because of the simple prayer that helped me close my eyes in trust. You may have learned it too. In a sing-song voice to that matched the rhythm of the words, countless young people repeated night after night:

Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this night be at my side to light and guard, to rule and guide.

Some of us repeated the prayer upon awakening, grateful for having survived the night and wanting to keep the protection going throughout the day. It was simple. Just one word (changing “night” to “day”) gave us continued peace and safety from harm.

These days there are workshops galore for people whose connection to the spirit realm has endured and deepened into adulthood. There are books written about angels, especially the “big three” archangels: Gabriel, Raphael and Michael, named in Scripture and revered for particular reasons: Michael for protection from evil, Gabriel as a messenger of Good News and Raphael, known for mercy and healing (esp. of Tobias’ blindness in the Book of Tobit). In a simpler and more elemental way, however, people still have confidence in God’s care, often manifested as a belief in a personal Guardian Angel.

This is what we celebrate today: faith in the kind protection of a God whose attentiveness to us is personal and loving. Today might be a day to reflect on those persons in our life who have been “angels” for us in God’s service and to thank God for what we cannot see with our human eyes but still perceive in our experience of comfort, protection and – best of all – love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hard To Believe

03 Wednesday May 2017

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believe, big love, Corinthians, doing, Great Commandment, John, love, loving, loving God, received, remind, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, whole heart

aneighborFrom the first clause of the first sentence of the first lectionary reading this morning (1COR 15:1-8), I sat up straight as it felt like an important message was coming. Here’s what Paul said to the Corinthians – and us. I am reminding you, brothers and sisters, of the Gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand. My thoughts went like this: “So, it seems even those first Christians had to be reminded, even with the witness of Paul’s fiery preaching, what they’d already been told! That makes me feel better!” Then I think, “But…I’ve had 2,000 years of reminders and lots of evidence…” I then considered how well I have received the Gospel and whether I stand straight and tall in it each day…

As if that wasn’t enough, the gospel followed with Jesus saying, Amen, amen I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these…(JN 14:12) Now there is a very difficult piece of news! How could I possibly do what Jesus did? And more besides??? Well…(besides the fact that I’ve been on earth twice as long as Jesus was) my mind goes to the Great Commandment of loving God with my whole heart, mind and strength…Maybe I ought to flex my spiritual muscles a bit more vigorously and often and remember to do the same as I love my neighbor as myself – my “other self.” It seems to me it isn’t a question of doing more in that loving, but rather of loving with more of myself – not missing chances to be loving or leaving someone out of my view.

Looks like there will be a new reminder on my mirror or the door leading from my bedroom to my every day: REMEMBER LOVE – BIG LOVE – TODAY!

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