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Tag Archives: Scriptures

Meanderings

14 Sunday Mar 2021

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blind faith, calm, David, John, Lenten journey, Scriptures, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Sometimes, when I think I have a lot of time in the morning—or when something interesting grabs my attention as I scroll the news—I get lost in “the good, the bad and the ugly” and wonder what I am doing as the clock ticks away the day. I try not to let that happen because I usually come away anxious or depressed by the news.

Today is Sunday, the first of “daylight saving,” which confuses our internal clocks and makes some of us late for everything. Why do we think we can control time in this way—just saying that we have lost or gained an hour and acting on that dictum? Well, here we are again and I am taken by what I see as I look out my windows. I have two bedroom windows, you see. One of them is high and looks to the South. The other takes in sky and mountain and even the roof of the cottage in the back yard to the East. As I sit here today, I am happy to be looking south where a beautifully white cloud sails slowly by, encouraged by the wind kicking up. I can only “see” the wind, of course, because of the very tall tree flailing in the middle of the window. The eastern exposure is already preparing for what has been predicted as a serious snowstorm. The sun that was so happy earlier has gone into hiding behind very large and burly clouds.

The outer often mimics the inner here. I wonder if my mood would have stayed as lighthearted as it was an hour ago if I had left the news alone and attended only to the Scriptures after the day had dawned…but that stormy weather is predicted—heavy snow out west and who knows what for our neighborhood…and I have been depleted by the on-going trials around the world…The only way out for me now seems to be good ritual – even if it’s “virtual.”

As I look to the Scriptures for this Fourth Sunday of Lent I find solace in the healing of the blind man (Jn 9:1-41). Even as I look out on more clouds and wind, I know that blindness of all kinds can be healed and I look forward to that story (in an hour now) as well as the choice of David, that ruddy teenager that God chose out of all the brothers to lead the people out of darkness. David wasn’t prefect…by any stretch of the imagination, but God loved him dearly. I’ll hold to that as I prepare for prayer to calm whatever “the weather” brings to my soul today.

Sacred Scripture, Cherished Words

05 Friday Feb 2021

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be content, generous heart, Hebrews, hospitality, Luke, psalm 27, refuge, Scriptures, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Sometimes when I read the Bible verses for the day it’s difficult to choose what to comment on because what was written in the Scriptures centuries ago is so apt and/or uplifting for the very day that we are living. Today there is much to ponder. I have chosen the most precious to me. See if you don’t agree.

  1. Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels. (HEB 13)
  2. Be content with what you have for He has said, I will never forsake you, or abandon you. Thus we may say with confidence: The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me? (HEB 13)
  3. The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom shall I be afraid? (PS 27)
  4. Blessed are those who have kept the Word with a generous heart, and yield a harvest through perseverance. Alleluia! (LK 8)

The Power of Words

25 Monday Jan 2021

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conversion, gift of language, Scriptures, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, words

Sometimes I worry about this task I have taken on, wanting to say something every day that will be useful to at least one of the people who reads my words. Then I think of that phrase: my words. They are never just mine—these words that come to me sometimes with little or no effort, and sometimes as if I were a woman in labor, seeming to push each one out with a mighty force, in order to convey a thought, a feeling or an image. I know I can never adequately express the effect that the sun has on the mountain outside my window, especially on a frigid day like today when some of the frozen trees create a zigzag path to the top that only a nimble giant would attempt to scale.

Today, on the feast that notes the conversion of St Paul, I wonder how he felt when trying to express his experience of the light that changed his life that day on the road to Damascus…or on any day that followed. There are lines in the Scriptures that can touch our hearts with a power that we cannot understand but only recognize. There are poems that take our breath away and lines that when put to music move our bodies even without our consent because they cause such a stirring in our souls.

So today I celebrate those women and men down through the ages who have given us the gift of language and the facility to make words do for us what we cannot do ourselves to express and praise and love and explain ourselves—especially to the One in whom we live and move and have our being. (Acts of the Apostles: 17:22-28)

God’s Grace In Us

08 Sunday Jul 2018

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ego, fallible, God, grace, Paul, power, Scriptures, sufficient, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, weakness

aweaknessSometimes it can be very comforting to read the letters of Paul in the Scriptures, like today when he speaks about his ego getting the best of him. When that happens, he notes that there’s always something that reminds him of his fallible nature. When he begs God to make him better (Sound familiar??) God’s response is amazingly reassuring and loving. We would do well to believe God says the same to us. Listen and see if you can rest in both parts of the answer.

My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. (2 COR 12:9)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being Light

11 Sunday Mar 2018

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darkness, daylight, Ephesians, God, John, light, light of the world, Lord, Scriptures, shining within, St. Paul, sun, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, transformation

abeaconOn this day we begin the season of “daylight saving” by having decided at some moment in the past to say that 7:00AM is now 8:00AM in order that darkness will not descend upon us so soon tonight. It seems ironic that the Scriptures for today include (if reading the alternate “Year A’ texts) a strong directive from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians as well as a declaration before the gospel from John – both on the subject of light.

John declares, “I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life.” (JN 8:12) Having the light of God shining within us is something to be desired and worked toward in our daily life. It’s as if God is promising to be a beacon – like a flashlight for us – which, if we only flip the switch to “ON,” will illuminate our path.

Paul goes even further in his command to the Ephesians and to us that we actually must become the light. No prepositional phrases for Paul about living in the light; rather, Paul says, “You were once darkness but now you are light in the Lord.” (EPH 5:8) For Paul, it seems that following the light of God is not enough. We, ourselves, must be transformed into that light. That’s an astounding statement if we really consider the depth of its meaning. Thomas Merton had a vision of what that might be like which he described as [people] all walking around shining like the sun.

Are we ready and willing to take the responsibility of lighting the way, being that beacon in concert with God?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Words We Use

03 Saturday Mar 2018

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Ancient Songs Sung Anew, bless, honor, language, Lord, love, mercy, New American Bible, Psalm 103, Scriptures, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, words

amom.jpgI always marvel at the way good writers can convince readers of their stated purpose or evoke emotional response just by a turn of phrase. I am also well aware of the fact that each of us is affected differently by language, given our personality, culture and life experience. That’s why I sometimes use alternate translations from the Scriptures. Today is a good example for me because I find myself responding with joy to verses in Psalm 103 from both the lectionary translation and from Ancient Songs Sung Anew: the Psalms As Poetry. A sampling of lines from each may lean you toward a favorite or may allow each to touch you in a way that expands your appreciation – or you may find a translation that suits you better than both. Take a look and see what you think.

NAB (New American Bible): Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all my being bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. He pardons all your iniquities; he heals all your ills…For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness to those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us.

ASSA: (Ancient Songs Sung Anew): God, I bless you with my whole heart and soul. In honor I invoke your name. Each day I bless you, God of all; never will I forget the good that you have meant to me…I wear your love and mercy like a crown…For as the heavens reach infinitely beyond all space and time, we swim in mercy as in an endless sea… For like a parent who tenderly loves a child, so deep in love are you with those who honor you.

 

 

 

 

 

amom.jpg

The Essential Question

16 Thursday Feb 2017

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Christ, christians, compassion, Elijah, John the Baptist, listen, live, love, Mark, Matthew, Scriptures, speak truth, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

ajesusandpeterWe all have our own perspectives on things and sometimes there is not only difference in how we see things, but downright opposition to the views of others. I’m always reminded of this when the “Who do people say that I am?” question shows up in the Scriptures. (Today in MK 8.) That’s the easy question though because the answer can include lots of hearsay, e.g. “Elijah or one of the prophets” (reincarnated?) or John the Baptist (more tricky since they lived at the same time). The riskier question comes next when Jesus asks the question that calls for a response of personal conviction: “Who do you say I am?” No one rushes to that answer and Peter seems the only one to finally get up the courage to speak his mind, or more probably, what he knows in his heart: “You are the Christ.”

I had a phone conversation yesterday about the necessity of listening compassionately without judgment to differing opinions on topics of importance. Never has it seemed more difficult or more crucial for us to do so. And the second part of this practice is to speak the truth as it is known to us with a willingness to enter into honest dialogue with those who might disagree.

It might be easier for Christians today than in apostolic times to declare that Jesus is the Christ, but the implications of what that means about how we live our lives differs greatly. Jesus didn’t talk a lot about how to live; his teaching was mainly in his living. If we could just focus on the dictum, “Love one another as I have loved you,” and read Matthew 25 about “the sheep and the goats” once in awhile, we might do our living in a more compassionate manner, listening to others and even disagreeing sometimes but loving one another as God loves us.

It Remains to Be Seen

01 Thursday Dec 2016

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Advent, commit, commitment, grace, intention, Isaiah, Lectionary, Mark Divine, Scriptures, seek God, St. Louis Jesuits, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, The Way of the Seal, urgency

acommitmentThis morning my reading of the day’s lectionary texts catapulted me back over thirty years into a reverie of liturgical music by the prolific St. Louis Jesuits. These amazing singer/songwriters brought the Scriptures alive with music that is still standard in Catholic churches and other Christian denominations to this day. (Check out YouTube for samples!) Today it was the gospel acclamation that started it all. Seek the Lord while he may be found! declared Isaiah 55:6. Call to him while he is still near! It sounded so urgent – so NOW! (although I must confess to adding the exclamation points myself.) I went then to YouTube to hear again the almost staccato delivery of those words that constitute the entire refrain of the song, building to the news of the three verses that: 1) Today is the day…to turn to the Lord, 2) As high as the sky…are the ways of the Lord, and 3) His words, his ways…lead us to life. Maybe you have to hear it to understand my enthusiasm (so feel free to Google “Seek the Lord” or go to YouTube) but that’s only part one of my morning pondering.

Having been “under the weather,” as they say, for nearly a week (much better now but still less than energetic), I have had a fair amount of time to assess things. I’m looking (albeit briefly) at time management, reorganization of my bedroom (because of spending so much time here), future commitments…lots of things. With the words of the song ringing in my heart, I moved to my computer to write something like what appears in the paragraph above. For some reason I clicked instead on my email account which I always avoid until the blog post is complete for fear of becoming entangled in what can be an entire day’s work. I was aware of going there and proceeded curiously, thinking there might be a reason for the diversion. I was not disappointed as what met my eye was the title of a “daily word” that I received from where and whom I do not know. It said, “How’s Your Commitment?” These are some of the thoughts that followed:

Certainty is a powerful energetic force essential for breaking inertia and developing momentum. The seed of certainty is found in commitment, a one-way street…Take a cue from Yoda, who forcefully mentors Luke: “Do or do not; there is no try!” You must commit with everything you have; otherwise say “no” or “not now.” (from The Way of the Seal by Mark Divine)

So…is there really a way that all this fits together? It seems so to me. How is it that I will choose to attend to the urgency that is growing within me to seek the Lord? I never think there will be a day that the Lord is not near or that grace is not accessible to me, but maybe it is the level of commitment in each moment that needs some energetic infusion in me – a worthy reflection for the season of Advent. Perhaps if the intention takes hold I will know some sort of new birth by Christmas. I can only hope…to commit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Hungry?

20 Monday Apr 2015

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bread alone, eternal life, going deeper, hungry, Jesus, loaves and fishes, Matthew, reflection, Scriptures, spiritual life, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Word of God

loavesfishThe gospel acclamation gives a clue to the message of Jesus this morning, saying: One does not live by bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (MT 4:4). The day after they had eaten their fill from the miraculous multiplication of the loaves and fishes, the crowd could not find Jesus so, knowing that many boats had crossed the Sea of Galilee (not a very far distance) they, themselves, got into boats and found him in Capernaum. When they asked how he got there he didn’t answer but rather said to them, You are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life. (JN 6).

It’s interesting to follow the 6th chapter of John’s gospel. First we have the miracle when great compassion for the hungry crowds has Jesus creating a meal for 5,000 (plus women and children) out of 5 loaves and 2 fishes. The next day when they come back for more he seems to be remonstrating with them in what he says (quoted above). Maybe he’s just tired of being pursued and looking for a little respite at home. It does sound like he slipped away purposely the night before. I think, however, that he is just pushing them to go a little deeper. It is important to give people the necessities of life before trying to evangelize – missionaries know that – but once people have been fed and provided for on a physical level, it’s time to “go for the gold” in living a spiritual life.

I was thinking how beneficial it has been for me to write this blog almost every day. Reflecting on the Scriptures in this way has sharpened my perception about the universal nature of the messages I find there and the application to daily life becomes clearer with each reflection. Then I find in out-of-the-way places “the word of God” which calls for a response from me. I have become more hungry for that word and believe now that I cannot live without it. It is indeed this food that endures for eternal life.

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