The Light of Hope

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communion, Cynthia Bourgeault, hope, light, mystical hope, prayer, presence, present, sharing, silence, spirit, spiritual life, the body of hope, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, wisdom

Today I am privileged to spend the morning in reflection with seven people considering the topic of hope. Self-selected and always seeking to deepen their spiritual lives, these people are all known to me although not to one another. I never know exactly what will transpire at these brief encounters (just 3 hours of prayer, silence and sharing) but I am never disappointed. That is not to say that I do not have a carefully crafted agenda, but once I have prepared, I let go and see where the Spirit will take us. I smile when I think of that truth because it has not always been that way. Needing success eventually gives way to simply being present and trusting the willingness of the participants to hear something of merit and to offer their wisdom to the group.

Today I am certain such wisdom will shine throughout our time together as we speak of what Cynthia Bourgeault calls “mystical hope.” Cynthia describes one of the characteristics of such hope as follows. “It has something to do with presence – not a future good outcome, but the immediate experience of being met, held in communion, by something intimately at hand.”

I trust that will be true not only in the topical presentation but at the heart of our gathering itself. Why not join us in Spirit for this event? Your prayer, your silence and/or your good wishes – even after the event – could add to the power of presence in what Cynthia calls “the body of hope!” We welcome all comers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Life Lessons

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blessing, Ephesians, give thanks, God's will, responsibility, spiritual life, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, the will of the Lord

There are two lines in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians that do not necessarily seem connected but upon reflection can be, I think, a way forward in the spiritual life. Paul is preaching to the people of Ephesus about how best to live a good and wise life. (EPH 5:15-20). In the middle of this brief lesson he draws a conclusion, saying: “Therefore, do not continue in ignorance but try to understand the will of the Lord.” I see that as a call to responsibility to throw of any sort of “ho-hum” attitude and wake up to the very best we can be. What that will lead us to, it seems, is a clue hidden at the end of the text where he says, “giving thanks always and for everything.” In other words, it isn’t just the things that we recognize as good or happy that teach us important lessons, but also the difficult moments that can be some of the best lessons if we know how to find the deep meanings therein.

This is not a new concept for most of us but the reminder seems a good way to start this new week. May it be a blessing for all of us!

 

 

 

 

 

A Timely Reminder

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A Deep Breath of Life, Alan Cohen, build, building trust, future, harmony, kingdom of heaven, love, nurture, spiritual life, Tagore, temple, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, truth

Since our Sophia Center Advisory Board meeting on Tuesday, I have been drawn back several times to thoughts of our future and about the best ways to help people engage in consideration of their spiritual lives. It seems less important these days to dream of large events with nationally known speakers – my fondest hope at our inception. What we have experienced as more useful is the value of deep conversation and building trust in the small groups that find meaning in the exchange of ideas. (Not that I’ve given up hope of major events, of course…) We will continue to seek input for programs and events, of course, and welcome any suggestions.

I was encouraged by the advice of Alan Cohen this morning (A Deep Breath of Life) who expanded on an adage of Tagore: While God waits for His temple to be built of love, men bring stones. Cohen offers the following thoughts.

What is it that you must build? Because we are spiritual beings, we must nurture our thoughts and attitudes above all else. If we think in harmony with truth, the outer forms will take care of themselves. “Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven, and all else shall be added unto you.”

So on we go…

 

 

 

 

 

Starting Again

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A Way Without Words, divine, focus, forced union, grace, improve, interior silence, Marsha Sinetar, regular life, spiritual life, St. Augustine, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Every time there is a holiday or some out-of-the-ordinary event, I find myself taking a deep breath at its conclusion and feel as if new vistas are opening to which attention ought to be given. It’s not as radical as it seems – as in “Whew! That’s over! Now what?” – but rather as if there was something holding the calendar back until it was completed and now “regular life” is resuming for awhile. I felt that way this morning as I moved from the sound of Fourth of July fireworks while drifting off to sleep last night to the familiar sounds of birdsong awakening me and bringing the plan for the day into focus.

I’m not sure that this next is a seamless “fit” with the above paragraph but I read something this morning that was a reminder to be about growth in the spiritual life, specifically about how it is or is not “achieved.” It caught my attention and I felt it wanting to be shared.

As we progress, we realize that forced union with the divine is impossible and that we will not reach enlightenment by checking off a lengthy “to do” list. We do not scrub, wash and launder our way into God’s presence in order to merit transformation. We are hindered by too much concern to “improve,” or to have this or that experience…

As we become receptive to our own interior silence and to the nuances and gifts of grace, we sense that growth into God is inevitable and that this union has always existed. St. Augustine, speaking to God, said, “You were with me, and I was not with you.” Nor would we desire [God] if we were not wanted first. (A Way Without Words by Marsha Sinetar, p. 65)

 

 

 

 

 

It’s Like This…

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distractions, good life, pick up the shovel, shoveling, snow, spiritual life, temptations, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

We have 30 inches of snow on the ground this morning, more than any time since 1961. I am itching to get out and shovel some of it. I made it about 20 feet yesterday afternoon from our door to the edge of the driveway, but that effort was tiny compared to what lies ahead on the driveway itself – and the back deck and  the roof…Happily we have a faithful “St. Joseph” who will arrive soon to begin digging us out.

This may sound contrived but I actually had thoughts this morning that compared our situation to the spiritual life. There are sometimes “mountains” of distractions and temptations to laziness or worse in the everyday. Trying to figure out how to plow through them all sometimes seems too difficult and the effort too exhausting. Just picking up the shovel is a major achievement. Once the first step is taken, however, the next seems less monumental. That happened for me yesterday as I stood on the front stoop and lifted the first shovelful of snow. It was very light and fluffy! “Great,” I thought. “I’ll make quick work of this!” I was dismayed as I progressed because there was so much to clear away at every step and bend-and-lift got more tiring as I worked. Miraculously, I succeeded in opening a somewhat narrow path to the driveway and felt rather pleased with myself. Looking out this morning I see that there is still evidence of my work although it will take a second round to make it passable again. No matter. The effort was its own reward.

There are so many comparisons one might make in attempting to live a good life. Mine may not speak to anyone else but whatever gets us to “pick up the shovel” is worth consideration if it moves us just one more step toward God.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Last Day

Tags

anointed, Christ, Happy New Year, John, love, new year's resolutions, practice, spiritual life, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, truth

I presume it is intentional on the part of those charged with the choice of liturgical texts to have the first reading today (1 JN 2:18-21) begin with the words, “Children, it is the last hour…” Scholars have said that the author was writing to the Christian community to strengthen them against those (“antichrists”) who were spreading untruths about the Christ and about what faithful disciples believed to be imminent, i.e. the fact that Christ would be returning soon to the benefit of “the anointed ones.” It sounds like a serious moment of choice about belief and how to live it. In a way, we might see an analogy in the situation of Americans today. Clearly we are on the cusp of great – one might even say stunning – changes in our country, and it is becoming clearer that similar scenarios are being played out in other parts of the world as well.

It is not my intention this morning to reflect on such weighty topics as are before us all, but it is, in fact, the last day of the year (my reason for commenting on the intentionality of liturgical scholars). My thoughts today are clearly personal – and actually contrived in a way. Regular readers may have noticed that there was no blog post yesterday. Circumstances were some of the reason but there was a small part of me that wanted to postpone until this day – the cusp of a new year. You see, this post, as incredible as it seems to me, is the 1,000th almost-daily “word” that has appeared here. I have thought on occasion of giving up the practice, but since our readership has remained somewhat steady, with incremental increases on occasion (561 at this point), and since it is now, in fact, a practice for me, I see it as a benefit in my own spiritual life. Since this is the moment for resolutions about personal betterment in the coming year I suppose I should do my best to re-energize my commitment to deepening the totality of all things spiritual in my life and let the postings take shape from that place.

Because I have come to believe, as St. Paul clearly stated, that none of us lives as our own master, concluding that we are all one in Christ (and I would venture in our day to add “in humanity”), my strongest desire for this daily work is for us all to grow together. To that purpose I will continue to search for deeper expressions of truth and the love upon which I base all my beliefs. May all of our resolutions lead us day by day to the unity and peace that is surely possible if we move toward it together. And tomorrow may we awaken with a willingness to commit to that future as we wish those we meet a Happy New Year.

How Hungry?

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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

The 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.

Walking the Walk

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center, dream, God, labyrinth, Luke, reflection, spiritual life, spiritual path, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, trust in God, walk the walk, walk together, walking

This morning as Luke (Ch. 12) continues to continues to talk about servants and their readiness to serve, I want to offer a footnote to my reflection of yesterday about walking through life aware of how the walk is going (See “Stay Awake” from yesterday’s blog post). During the day yesterday my mind kept coming back to the theme of the blog and to the experience I had the evening before of walking a labyrinth. We (the Sophia Center for Spirituality) began on Monday to offer a series called “Spiritual Sampler” on Monday nights and the first of these offerings was a labyrinth walk. A labyrinth, as some of you know, is not a maze where you can get hopelessly lost but rather a unicursal or one-branch path that leads to the center. For centuries, labyrinths have been symbolic of walking a spiritual path where, in the center, God may be found.

Until I was quite sure that the description of “unicursal” was true, I was hesitant to walk a labyrinth. Over the last several years, however, I have come to relish the opportunity for this quiet, slow, reflective time that is always meaningful and sometimes surprising. As I made my intention at the entrance to the labyrinth, all I asked was to be in God’s presence, walking consciously toward God. During the next half hour of silence I was conscious of putting one foot in front of the other on the path that twisted and turned, sometimes coming close to the center and sometimes moving farther away, but always with the hope of achieving that goal. I thought how clearly like life that was. On occasion I was aware of the four others walking with me and pushed away the occasional sense of disappointment that there weren’t more companions. That brought to mind the wondering of whether or not the whole project of establishing a spirituality center -just a year old this month – would be “successful” in the long run. As I continued to walk and attempted to let go of such useless thoughts for one who purports to trust God, I heard from inside, “This is your dream; now you need to walk the walk.” Soon after that I reached the center where the sense of relief and strength was palpable.

The walk back out was long and winding again, but I felt a new confidence in remembering what I have known for much of my ministerial life: that numbers have little to do with meaning in the spiritual life and that God is with me at every step of the path. Our short conversation at the completion of the exercise convinced me that our time had been truly blessed and that each day, each moment is precious as we walk together in God’s sight.

A Higher Law

Tags

blame, Jesus, Matthew, Moses, spiritual life, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

This morning’s gospel, Matthew 5:17-37, follows the familiar section called The Beatitudes and it is in that spirit that Jesus speaks of coming not to abolish but to fulfill the law of Moses. Jesus calls his listeners to a deeper way of looking at behaviors, challenging us to look into our hearts and act from love. This demands that we move toward the one whom earthly law would see as our adversary rather than taking him/her to court. And he puts a small twist into such a scenario when he says:

Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, go first and be reconciled with your brother and then come and offer your gift.

What Jesus indicates here is that there is no separation between our living in this world and our spiritual life. This truth is reminiscent of the scriptural question of how we can love God whom we do not see if we do not love those around us whom we can see. Thus, spiritual practice is empty if we are at odds with the people in our lives. But there’s something else in the above quote. Jesus doesn’t say “If you have something against your brother…” – indicating that you have been wronged – but rather, “If you recall that your brother has something against you…” In this case, it seems, the reconciliation needs to be initiated from me – the wrongdoer – not my brother – the one who has been wronged. That implies that we need to give up what has become a national pastime in our culture: blaming. We blame the traffic for our tardiness instead of leaving enough time to get to work, we blame the way people dress for our suspicion of them as they walk by us on the street, we blame noise for our anger against teenagers and shoot into their car (this morning’s news!) and we go to court to see if we can “milk the system” to our benefit. These are exaggerated examples for those of us trying to live a spiritual life, I know, but I would call our attention to the last verse of the gospel reading where Jesus says, “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’. Honesty is a hard-won virtue but most important if we are to live daily from our hearts embracing the higher law of God, the law of love.