First Thoughts

Tags

Beethoven, bird chorus, deer, encounter, my soul longs for you, Ode to Joy, psalm 42, rain, stay awake, streams, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Perhaps because I had left my window open last night, I was awakened early by the wild chorus of birds outside. I was somewhat grateful because I believe I saw the only patch of blue sky for this day where once again rain is predicted – 100%! The sky is gray now and the birds have completed their concert, but I continue to hear strains of Beethoven playing inside with the lyrics of Joyful, joyful we adore thee, God of glory, Lord of love. Hearts unfold like flowers before thee, opening to the sun above…

In the stillness outside, the movement inside continues as I turn to the Scriptures where I find the beautifully engaging Psalm 42 urging me on like Beethoven toward a deeper place. As the deer longs for running streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. Athirst is my soul for God, the living God…

And then the question of the day arises from the psalm: When shall I go and behold the face of God? The answer today is quick and clear: At every moment in everyone I encounter – if only I can stay awake! As the clock turns to 7:00AM, I know for certain  my task for the day. And so it begins!

 

 

 

 

 

Thirsting, Yearning, Pining…

Tags

beauty, desire, Jan Phillips, light, luminous, No Ordinary Time, psalm 42, soul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, yearning

Psalm 42 is one of the most evocative tracts in Scripture of our desire for God. Many church hymns and spiritual songs are written using the actual words or others that speak of the deep longing we experience in life. It’s difficult to read lines like: As a deer longs for running streams, so my soul longs for You, O God, without feeling a pull toward prayer or simply to silence.

Last evening I spoke with Jan Phillips, whose books I have often quoted in this blog. Jan will join us at the Sophia Center at the end of April to share some of the wisdom she has gathered from her life experience and personal reflection. (Keep watching the homepage for details.) I was not surprised when I opened her book, No Ordinary Time, this morning to find in her reflections for Saturday a perfect complement to Psalm 42. Beginning with a short poetic verse, she then gives an opening to how our desire for the Divine is mirrored in all of life. Here’s just a snippet of what she writes:

My desire is deep and enduring/You are here and yet do I yearn/To see you, Beloved, to feel you/O would my heart turn to fire.

It is the gift of our essence that attracts others to our light. It is our speaking out that calls forth the one we seek. Just as the beauty of a rose summons the bee when it is time for pollination, or the flickering flame charms the moth, so does the brilliance of our soul draw others toward us when we dare to bare it. There is nothing more luminous and alluring than the human soul revealing itself. (p. 148)

It will be our joy to welcome Jan in the spring of the year to experience the beauty of her creative self in word and music – and in the light shining out from her essence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Voice of the Shepherd

Tags

God's voice, Good Shepherd, Jesus, listening, longing, messages, psalm 42, sound recognition, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, voice

Last night I took a chance and left my bedroom window open. Because the day had actually been warm enough to make me believe that spring had finally arrived, I thought that the fresh air would be worth the gamble on my being warm enough all night. Not only did I win that bet with myself but I didn’t need my alarm to wake me up this morning because the birds were busy very early and there was one outside with a big voice that sounded like a repetitive wake-up call. As I settled in with my coffee, I said aloud, “I don’t know who you are but I appreciate your call to slide me back from dreamland to this day.”

There it is again: hearing a voice – this time not one I recognize, but I’d be happy to be introduced to the bird it belongs to. This theme of sound recognition has been with me since my Saturday retreat and keeps calling me to pay attention. It wasn’t surprising then as I turned to the Scriptures of the day and found Jesus speaking of himself as the shepherd whose sheep hear his voice and follow him because they recognize his voice.

Juxtaposed with that gospel this morning is Psalm 42, a psalm of great longing for God. As the deer longs for running streams, so my soul longs for you, O God! Athirst is my soul for God, the living God. When shall I go and behold the face of God? Even here in the great desire to see God’s face there is the undercurrent of listening. I imagine native peoples walking through the woods as quietly as possible, listening for running water that they might slake their thirst (and avoid confrontation with danger, of course!).

Today, then, I hope to dedicate myself to listening intently – but also in a relaxed mode, not forcing anything – so that I may hear messages hidden in everyday events and conversations, insights shared in my spiritual practices group this afternoon or tones of voice in our chanting that lift my heart…In other words, I hope to stay awake all day to the longing for God that rises not only from my visual world but also from the sound of God’s voice everywhere present within and without.

The Mountain of God

Tags

Benedictine, chanting, dwelling place of God, monastery, monks, psalm 42, silence, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, thirst

On this morning of “return” to this blogging practice, I feel as if the lectionary choice of Psalm 42 was chosen just for me. As the hind longs for running streams,  the psalmist sings, so my soul longs for you, O God. When shall I go and behold the face of God? Send forth your light and your fidelity; they shall lead me on and bring me to your holy mountain, to your dwelling place.

I spent the past four days on a high mountain in the hills of California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, at a Benedictine monastery that was as representative as any place I can imagine of the dwelling place of God. Three times a day our group (12 people) joined the monks to chant the psalms and prayers of the liturgy of the hours, gathered again for Eucharist and twice a day for 90 minutes of deep conversation about our desire and willingness to follow God’s Spirit in the living of our lives. Outside of those times we were in total silence and solitude, taking our meals in our “cells” and basking in the beauty that is God’s glorious work of creation. Speaking of cells, there was no cell phone coverage or internet access on the mountain – only a land phone for emergencies. We were totally in God’s hands and at God’s disposal.

My gratitude for the experience of time on God’s holy mountain is profound. My renewed sense that I can carry “the inner mountain” of God’s presence anywhere I find myself if I am willing to fuel that ability by a consistent practice of silence is the hope with which I come home. I will, I think, make a sign for my bedroom door that I will see as I exit each morning to remind me (lest I forget) that athirst is my soul for God, the living God! (Ps. 42:3a)

Monday, Monday…

Tags

psalm 42, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Often I wake up on Monday morning with automatic first thoughts about the coming week. What are my commitments, what does my schedule look like, how much time do I have to prepare for meetings, presentations…and when will I have time for laundry? I resolve to eat better, to pray more and to leave enough time for every activity so there is no need to rush to arrive on time. And sometimes, like the long-ago song of the Mamas & the Papas, Monday doesn’t always go as planned – nor does any other day. Knowing that before I finish my weekly inventory really helps me these days to expect the unexpected and to stay alert for what might allow me to see the gifts hidden under the surface of things. It helps if my morning reflection calls out – as this morning – with reminders like: As the deer longs for running streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. Athirst is my soul for God, the living God. (Ps. 42) And that, above all else, gets me up and moving!