Guardian Angels

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

Before 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Troubled Times

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9/11, care, end of the world, evil, good, grief, hope, Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, love, new beginning, pray, psalm 62, refuge, response, safety, Sept. 11, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

There are moments – days – when I sit not knowing what to say here. The words nine and eleven, when taken together, can conjure up only one thing for most, if not all, people in the United States. We were shaken to our core in 2001 with images of planes crashing into buildings and those buildings crumbling like structures in a bad movie. Messages of love on cell phones and lines of people waiting to give blood to the wounded showed us the other side of the tragedy. Remembrance of the outpouring of care for those most affected has helped assuage the grief of those days following the 9/11 attacks but it is like other days in our history that have left indelible scars in our hearts.

As I write this, Hurricane Irma is barreling through the state of Florida, continuing a path of destruction that has already devastated Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Islands. Following on unbelievable scenes of flooding from Hurricane Harvey in Texas and what is predicted for storms to come, people wonder if we are witnessing the end of the world as we have known it.

If asked, I would answer that perhaps this is the case and in the way that I perceive it, an end would be a good thing if it portends a new beginning founded on the kind of behaviors that are not the cause of but rather the response to hatred/prejudice and disaster. Think of those images of first responders on 9/11 or the reports this week of people like the man in Houston that opened his furniture store to 600 people as a refuge from the storm, or the donations that are pouring in from everywhere…In a new order, I would hope for the scales of good and evil tipped toward the good, such that all people would see the benefit and embrace the future in love.

Pollyanna, you call me? Perhaps, but this hope is founded in possibility. It must be believed to be achieved. Until such time as all people see the value of love as a guide for life, I will pray and hope and try to do my part to better the world. I am bolstered in my faith by the testimony of people who have come through disaster with their faith intact or stronger and by the words of Psalm 62 this morning, which calls for patient but constant effort toward peace of heart in the following words:

Alone my soul awaits you in the silence, Lord, for you alone are my whole hope and prayer. You only are my saving rock, a stronghold safe, unshaken sure, my safety, honor and my refuge firm. (vs. 6-8)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Close Call

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alertness, brothers, calmed, fears, gratitude, Jan Phillips, lightning, safety, sisters, solidarity, storms, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, thunder, tornado, weather, wind

I often speak about the beauty and my good fortune of living in the Northeast region of the United States. Over the past few years my appreciation for this gift has grown as has my compassion for those who live in increasingly dangerous weather climates. Whether it be tornado, mud slide, forest fire or other damaging condition, we have seemed untouched, except for two floods in the last 43 years that caused damage but no loss of life. Last evening we got a taste of what it feels like to experience the likely possibility of a tornado.

It began in the afternoon when the warnings were announced on the media and in the palpable sense of danger when I stepped outside. I understand a little now how the animals feel when the impulse to move to higher or otherwise safer ground embedded in their being clicks on. It was as if a subtle pressure was leaning against my body and an alertness took over my mind. Then there was the inner call to get home, the place of safety, to ride out the storm together. Reports kept coming of damages in places to our south and west as we closed windows, moved outside furniture from the deck to the ground, turned off computers and unplugged everything else in the house. Then we waited.

I had worried in anticipation about two things: first that the roof would blow off the house and secondly that a branch of our huge, ancient maple trees would crash into the house. As soon as we made the preparations, however, my fears were calmed, as if being together was enough to remind me that we would be able to withstand anything the storm could do.

Most of our area is still without power this morning. Thunder, lightning and wind were certainly fierce but I have not heard if an actual tornado touched down. Once again I sit in gratitude for my life. Having experienced all the feelings of yesterday gives me a greater felt sense of solidarity for others whom I am more and more aware of naming my sisters and brothers. And again I hear Jan Phillips singing inside: Because the One I love lives inside you, I lean as close to you as I can…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be Safe!

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God, grace, love of God, rooted in God, safe, safe travels, safety, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, vacation

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.

Dictionary definitions for the adjective safe suggest that we will be uninjured with no harm done, or that we are protected from or not exposed to danger or risk. That last goes against what a growing population of sports people consider the best activities: “extreme sports” – and one might wonder if the resultant exhilaration is worth the risk.

The point of all this? Today’s psalm response in the lectionary. The refrain calls out: Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope! This line resonated inside me as a warm feeling which led to all the meanderings above. Ultimately I came to the conclusion that even if something disastrous had befallen me over the past two weeks, I would still know safety if I am rooted in God. I recognize that as a great grace and wonder if I am sounding a bit naïve. I don’t think so. I don’t mean to say that I would not be disturbed at some serious and negative turn of events or that I do not mourn losses – particularly of beloved persons. What I will continue to ponder today is my relationship with God vis-à-vis my response to situations. Can anything separate me from the love of God? What can shake my hope, my trust? What about you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snow Day

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awareness, day off, luxury, prayer, safety, snowstorm, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, weather

The big news today on the East Coast is the snow. We knew it was coming – toward us both from the West and from the South – so clearly that this time everyone had time to prepare. The reactions to these serious but relatively rare events now in New York State are interestingly various. There is joy in the young population because this kind of snow means a day off from school. Oh yes, and most teachers are as happy (if not more) as the students. For police and first responders there is a hope that people will heed the order to stay off the roads so that they can be cleared – especially in case of emergency. There is probably trepidation for necessary employees at hospitals and nursing homes as they venture out in service to others.

For some people being “cooped up” at home is nerve-wracking but those of us who love the opportunities it affords: reading, catching up on housework, maybe an afternoon nap, these days are a luxury. Of course, there is also concern for the homeless and people who lose electricity during these events.

I have no deep and meaningful thoughts this morning, just an awareness of the diversity of experiences of people here and around our country with something as elemental as the weather. My brother will be leaving for work soon in short sleeves with no concern for travel except the wild drivers on the California freeways, at the same time as I hear absolutely no traffic on our road connecting New York to Pennsylvania. Today, then, I hope to spend a little extra time praying for the safety of all in our country and the world and in gratitude for those whose major work is to keep us safe.