The Morning After

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affirmation, encouragement, gentle, humble, labor of love, Macrina Wiederkehr, Pentecost, shelter, Spirit of God, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, transforming power

Sometimes the day after a big celebration can be a “letdown.” I have an image before me of a huge gathering space with folding chairs that need to be folded and all sorts of trash that (if you’re lucky) is gathered up into barrels or bags but maybe still needs to be picked up, decorations that are either able to be rescued for another day or totally useless now…and fatigue is the only thing left except for a memory of joy or love or something beautiful which makes the fatigue worthwhile.

Even with spiritual celebrations, the day after may be less than thrilling as ordinary life begins again. It is on those days – like today – that we must remember the peak times, going inside and turning our hearts to the ever-present Spirit of God. Macrina Wiederkehr is here this morning with the perfect prayer to help us regain the beauty of Pentecost. May it rekindle the fire in our hearts for this Monday and beyond.

O Spirit, come. Come with your transforming power. Breathe upon and into my thoughts and actions this day. Let my work be a labor of love. May those who come in contact with me feel sheltered and cared for. May I do or say some small piece of goodness that will help others feel affirmed and supported. Let your wind and fire move me into the places where I am needed. Let me become your breath so that I may assist you in breathing new life into places that are stale and unfruitful. Make me forceful and gentle, powerful and humble. O Spirit, Come! (Seven Sacred Pauses, p. 84)

Pentecost

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beauty, Genesis, language, lovingkindness, Pentecost, Spirit of God, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, upper room

As I sit waiting on this very special feast of the coming of the Spirit of God into us, I smile into a “letting go” stance because it’s as if I am back in the upper room with the disciples of Christ who have no idea of what is about to happen. Who could have imagined the whoosh of the Spirit that came upon them that day? Suddenly they comprehended so much of God’s message to the world and were able to speak to everyone in a language that could be understood. What was that language? Were they really “speaking in tongues” as we have come to understand that phrase? If so, that is all well and good but I wonder about another (perhaps concomitant) way that they might have been understood.

This weekend we are exploring “the original blueprint” of creation in a step by step journey back to the beginnings of the universe. Our presenter has shared in a complex but understandable theoretical presentation that before anything else the universe emitted two sounds that can be translated as lovingkindness and beauty.

In the book of Genesis (11:1) we read today that “The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words” until things got complicated and people began to gather into tribes in order to “make a name for themselves.” What if, before that happened – before they even had language, perhaps – they were operating in a manner based on the sounds of the universe where lovingkindness was the way and beauty the expression.

Just a theory – one more way to look at how the Spirit of God comes in order that we might heal the earth in service to one another. Today it certainly makes good sense to me. I will attempt to walk this day on the path of lovingkindness and be aware of the beauty in all that I experience.

Just One Question

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Spirit of God, St. Paul, temple, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, within

St. Paul is generally very direct in his preaching and never more than in his words to the people of Corinth. If I were in his audience today I can’t imagine sleeping through what must have been a shocking question (likely delivered with vehemence) that would make anyone sit up straight and take notice. Think about it.

Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1COR 3:16)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Between the Times

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Acts of the Apostles, Ascension, crucifixion, Father, fear, John, Lectionary, Pentecost, pray, resurrection, Son, Spirit of God, The Great Commission, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

The lectionary readings for this seventh Sunday of Easter find us between an ending and a new beginning and we, in the same manner as the disciples, need to be willing to sit in this empty space, reflecting on what has been and waiting for the movement of the Spirit to call us once again to a courageous future.

In the first reading (Acts 1: 12-14) we find the apostles trudging back to Jerusalem after having received “the Great Commission” from Jesus. He had finished his mission and passed on to them what was now theirs to do: to go out to the world and teach what he had first taught them. So today they are together again as they were after the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus. Was it the same “upper room” where they had huddled in fear for their lives? What were they feeling now? Fearful still, perhaps, without the certainty now that they would be safe going forward. Bereft, most likely, because they were again without the presence of Jesus for their strength. But at least they were together in the company of those who had experienced Jesus in what we would certainly call a privileged way. And together they were praying for the Spirit of God to come and reveal to them the manner in which they were to fulfill their mission.

In the gospel for today we have a glimpse of this ending from the perspective of Jesus. John’s Gospel (17: 1-11) could seem like a son reporting to his father his completion of a project – for school, maybe – by recounting all the steps he had taken and how successful the whole enterprise had been. This scene, however, was much more. Jesus was just on the cusp of leaving those he loved, that small band of followers who had listened to him, learned from him, supported him and sometimes disappointed him, but loved him enough to stay with him through death to new life. His care for and pride in these beloved ones is clear in his recounting to God. Consider your feelings if you had overheard Jesus saying to God: They belonged to you and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word…I pray for them. What a validation of their discipleship! Moreover, these lines seem to express a deep tenderness in which Jesus holds those he called his friends.

Let us take some time in these days between the feasts of the Ascension and Pentecost to sit in this space of emptiness, preparing for a renewed outpouring of the Spirit in our lives and remembering that Jesus promises to us as he did his disciples: I am with you always, until the end of the age.

Into the Silence

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blessings, centering prayer, freedom, Hallelujah Farm, light, multi-tasking, pray, reflect, retreat, sacred movement, silence, Spirit of God, surrender

Late yesterday after a glorious five-hour drive through the beauty of Upstate New York and then the Green Mountains of Vermont I arrived at Hallelujah Farm, a beautiful, sacred place in Chesterfield, New Hampshire, just over the border from Brattleboro, Vermont. I have come here for a week of retreat. This time with a small group of people is to be totally silent, filled with centering prayer, sacred movement, the conscious work of preparing silent meals and cleaning up after ourselves, other small household tasks that provide us with opportunities to pay attention to what we’re doing when we’re doing it…as well as our own private time to pray and reflect. I have the privilege of rising early to provide coffee for my companions. Knowing how important that is for myself, I am happy to provide it for those who share this experience with me.

Silence is a rare commodity in our world today. Noise comes in many ways – from inside us as well as outside. Multi-tasking keeps our minds busy and our hearts asleep, at least sometimes. It has been suggested to us that this time be a week for us to be totally “unplugged” from all our normal activities so that we are not – for any reason, however admirable – diverted from our silence. To this end, I will suspend this morning activity until next Monday. It’s interesting to me that even writing that calls me to the discomfort of surrender – a tiny awareness lesson to start the day. The flip side of the surrender is the feeling of freedom – not to be bound by any need other than to listen deeply to the stirrings of the Spirit of God within and around me.

Light is coming to the landscape outside where soon I hope to see the presence of the “four-footed” friends who inhabit this land. I will take them and all who are reading this into the silence of the week with me. Blessings to all until next Monday!

 

 

 

 

 

Post- Pentecost Musings

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Corinthians, different gifts, Holy Spirit, James, Paul, Pentecost, same spirit, solution, Spirit of God, spiritual practice, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Although very conscious of the vigil and feast of Pentecost for the past few days, I was unable to comment on my thoughts in a blog post. On Saturday while driving to Massachusetts for a family wedding on my favorite highway – splendid in the environmental beauty and never crowded with other travelers – I was suddenly aware of the resolution of an issue that had been noodling around in my heart for a week. It wasn’t as if I resolved it myself but, clearly, it had become a peaceful solution inside me. The Spirit of God was working, surely, for my benefit. Conversations at the wedding and in the evaluative sessions that followed in the aftermath (some would say “afterglow”) convinced me of the blessing of our extended family, no matter distance, diversity or individual character traits. We are bound by our DNA, our history and the lovely young people who are carrying us on to the future. Love was flowing everywhere. The foundation of connection that was passed down to us by our parents remains with “the cousins” and has been well-received by the now two generations that follow. Regardless of the varieties of belief or spiritual practice in this new time, Paul’s words from this morning were manifest in our family and in our conversations yesterday. “There are different gifts,” he says, “but the same spirit…To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” (1COR 12) We are, I think, a microcosm of Paul’s vision of the macrocosm.

As it was yesterday, the wind is blowing wildly this morning, moving me back to my “regular life.” As I think about the group – 11 of us – that will join this afternoon to deepen spiritual practice together, I am reminded of those who huddled long ago in that upper room waiting for the Spirit that came in that “mighty wind” and hope that we might touch into such a power in our midst. I will take the words of James with me. In his letter he says, “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show his works by a good life in the humility that comes from wisdom.” (JAS 3:3-18).

The Church calendar says that we have re-entered Ordinary Time but I am convinced that, with God’s Spirit, our Advocate, as our guide, this time of spring into summer will be anything but ordinary!

Wisdom Work

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enlighten, Pentecost, silence, Spirit of God, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, unite in purpose, Wisdom School

I leave this morning for five days in New Hampshire where our “team” will guide nine seekers toward a deeper way of seeing in their lives. We, ourselves, always benefit similarly during these ” wisdom schools” and so I ask the prayer of all who seek – wherever you are – that the Spirit of God will enlighten us during this time. This is the venue that does not afford internet access so I will ask that if you wish to visit the blog you let the Spirit guide you to the archives for a past post, click on it and see if there is a message in it for you. If not that, perhaps you might sit in silence and unite yourself to our purpose for gathering which will surely lead us all – together – closer to the One who loves us more than we can ask or imagine.
Blessings to all as we move toward Pentecost!

Peace, God-style

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Jan Phillips, John, meditation, No Ordinary Time, Peace, safe from danger, Spirit of God, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, wars

Here’s what has happened in the last half hour – in addition to the struggle of getting my computer to do what I want – rather ironic to the topic at hand:

1. I read the gospel for today and what kept repeating itself, as it always does, was the section in which Jesus promises his disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.” (JN 14:27)
2. I thought: “Wars everywhere…obviously we will not be seeing peace any time soon in the world. What about the interior kind of peace that Jesus is talking about…?”
3. My hand went right to No Ordinary Time by Jan Phillips which fell open to Tuesday lauds (prayer at sunrise).
4. Here is what I read. Meditation: This can be practiced in just a few minutes, so try to incorporate it as part of your daily life. Come into a comfortable seated position on the floor or in a chair. Sit with the back flat, crown of the head lifted. Shoulders relaxed and chest open. Rest your hands in the lap or on the knees. Close your eyes, deepen the breath and release thoughts from the mind. Gently repeat the following out loud or in your mind: May I be safe from all danger/May I be held in the arms of God/May I be strong in spirit and body/May I be true to my heart and my soul. Repeat the phrases again, changing “May I” to “May you” while you think of a specific person, or a group of people, or of the whole planet. Finish with a few slow, deep breaths, feeling compassion, love, and kindness flowing through your body. Take a moment or two before moving on with the rest of your day.
5. I gave thanks for the Spirit of God present in so many ways among us – reminding us that peace is possible right now.

Papal Power

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forgiveness, joy, mercy, modern day prophet, Pope Francis, smile, Spirit of God, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

In almost every conversation around the USA this week, comments about the visit of Pope Francis abound. Before he arrived speculation about his message ran high. A man full of surprises, when asked about what he would say to Americans, he responded: “I just want to visit them.” Clearly, just in his presence from the moment he emerged waving from the plane, this first purpose has been achieved. The joy of the crowds, the smiles on the faces of dignitaries and children, the hope that his very being inspires goes far beyond the members of his own Church to all those desiring a better world. But Francis will not leave this country without speaking his mind. This modern day prophet will likely challenge our country to do a better job in caring for the poor and for our environment. His tone will not be one of judgment or condemnation for failure, if we can judge by past statements about mercy and forgiveness. We are wise to listen deeply for universal concerns in his speech which nevertheless are applicable to our personal lives as well.

Let us give thanks for the Spirit of God shining through this simple man who gives so much hope to so many and gives example of carrying the weight of the world with prayerful demeanor and a dazzling smile.

Miracles Abound

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Acts of the Apostles, Easter, Gaza, Isaiah, Jerusalem, miracles, Philip, spirit, Spirit of God, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

The book of the Acts of the Apostles, which is read in the Easter season, is filled with the enthusiastic ministry of those who either had experienced Jesus or had caught the Spirit from those who had been with him. This morning there is a fantastical story – one of many in the book – which mimics that of the disciples on the road to Emmaus after the Crucifixion of Jesus when he appeared to them and explained the Scriptures and then disappeared when “they recognized him in the breaking of the bread.” In this story (ACTS 8:26-40), the apostle Philip is traveling in the desert on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza when an angel of the Lord tells him to catch up to a chariot in which rides a court official from Ethiopia. The official is reading the book of Isaiah about the “suffering servant.” Philip does what he is told, stops the chariot and asks the man if he understands what he’s reading. His answer is a good question: “How can I unless someone instructs me,” whereupon Philip opens the meaning of the Scriptures to him, referencing Jesus and what happened to him. The rest of the story includes the Ethiopian asking for baptism. Philip fulfills the request since they happen to be passing some water, and Philip then is “snatched away” by the angel of the Lord, leaving the man to tell the story just as he did back in Jerusalem.

Jesus had promised his disciples that they would be able to do as he had done – “and more besides” – and we have only to suspend our rational, judgmental, 21st century thinking to get in touch with the power of faith that fairly jumps from every page of the book of Acts. Today I am reminded of the second side of the coin necessary for the miracles written about to be effected. Not only is the power of the Spirit present in the “instrument” of God, but the one who is to be healed or converted must believe that it is possible. That’s why I like the question of the Ethiopian this morning. He needs to understand what is being offered to him and then to accept the offer because his heart has been touched.

I am in California this morning, getting ready to attend a four-day “think tank” with students of “the wisdom way” and a group of wealthy people who are committed to responsible use of their resources. They have called us to the Camaldoli Benedictine Monastery at Big Sur to reflect on the intersection of wisdom and money and how that might impact their decisions about projects to undertake because their “heart-knowing” will be engaged. Surely we will need to deepen our mutual understanding of what we each bring to the table in order to move toward this heart-knowledge for our mutual benefit. I am confident that the Spirit of God is living and active in our day, just as it was in the first century CE and I am hopeful that in the silence that wraps around and informs the monastery we will hear God’s message to us.

One thing about the monastery that will be helpful for the conference but not for communication is that there is no internet or cell service there. So there will be no blogging here after today until Monday morning. Perhaps a good substitute is to read sections of The Acts of the Apostles each day!