Just a little note of deep thanks….
I write this bulletin article on the oddest of anniversaries; a year since my near miss. All day I've been trying to think of something witty and wise to say, but all I keep thinking is - I'm just thankful to be alive. I'm deeply grateful to have more time with my husband, daughters, family & friends. I'm thankful for everyone who prayed for me, made a meal, and comforted my children.
I'm grateful for the first responder police officer who gave me CPR, for EMTs, pacemakers and those who design them, skilled surgeons, kind nurses, and all who work to provide life-saving healthcare. I'm thankful for my loving, dedicated, trustworthy husband Kip, who never left my side and offered such tender, patient care...and still does each day. I'm thankful for my "front-line" family members who took turns keeping vigil at the hospital and helping to care for my girls. I’m thankful for Fr. Joe who was one of the first people to visit me (on a Sunday morning no less) and sang “Be Still My Love” to me and anointed me while I was in a coma. I'm thankful for my loving therapist/spiritual director who has been a steady, wise guide through many a rough terrain, none more so than this weird year of being catapulted into the so called “second half of life” with all the new questions and major quakes of shifting priorities that come with this new phase of awareness.
I'm thankful for peaceful, sunny spring mornings like today and for the sweet smelling lilac bush just outside the front door of my home. I'm thankful for my hero Jesus, his reliable presence to me in the Eucharist, having meaningful and fulfilling work, and for all my genuinely caring colleagues and church pals. I’m thankful for not one, but two amazing “faith families” – my St. John Fisher family just down the road, always there for me and my family when the road becomes bumpy and unpredictable - and all of you here at Christ the Redeemer who I’ve come to love and appreciate more than you know. Thank you for your generous encouragement and whole-hearted welcome into your beautiful communal life of prayer and service. My family is blessed to be here.
I'm thankful for my home, my dog Olive, food on the table, great neighbors, a warm bed, good schools and dedicated teachers. I'm grateful to have more time to read great books, visit beautiful places, share meals, laugh, make love, dance, nap and swing in the backyard with my daughters, and for still being here to kiss them goodnight.
Parker Palmer says "In all of life there is a hidden wholeness" and I felt that wholeness, that connectedness, last year. Thank you for your kindness, care and support during this crazy year. You have touched my life and I am grateful…
Send your "Crazy Catholic Questions" to Lisa Brown at dre@ctredeemer.org or read past columns at: crazycatholicquestions.blogspot.com.
Sunday, April 9, 2017
Saturday, April 1, 2017
Crazy Catholic Question #99: Can I disagree?
Can I disagree with church teaching and still be considered a Catholic?
OMG - YES! We would be VERY hard-pressed to find anyone among us who does NOT struggle with the teachings of the church on at least one point (or two…or ten). Think of our own families. Do we believe every, single thing that our parents believe about raising children? Money? Social issues? Politics? Even about what being a follower of Jesus concretely looks like? I hope not, because that would mean we have stopped learning…stopped growing… So why would we expect our global family/church be any different? Why wouldn’t “the Body of Christ” reflect the growth and conflicts that are going on at our most local level; our own dinner tables?
The discovery of truth and God’s revelation is not a “once-and-for-all” kind of thing. It is ongoing, dynamic and therefore always changing - and change more often than not brings conflict with it. The courageous yet difficult path of “faithful dissent” is often an indispensible route to our communal journey to deeper and fuller truth.
Our Catholic doctrine changes and develops over time. Conflict is often essential to our growth. As witnessed in the bible (Gal 2) when Paul “opposed Peter to his face” because he was avoiding eating with gentiles. Paul said this was not in line with the Gospel and Peter heard him and changed his ways. This is a model of how conflict can lead to clarity.
“Doctrines are ideas, and ideas always change because they exist, not in books, but in people. Ideas change the way people change, according to their different experiences and the new insights and understanding that follow from those experiences.” (Cardinal Newman)
Pope Francis says “If we go out and encounter new people, cultures, and religions, we grow and begin that beautiful adventure called dialogue. Dialogue is the only way for individuals, families and societies to grow and progress. All wars, conflicts and troubles we encounter with each other are because of a lack of dialogue. Dialogue involves asking the other, ‘Why do you think this?’ and then listening to the response.” So honest, heartfelt, passionate, sometimes opposing dialogue is not optional for us….
One out of every 10 Catholics have left the church mostly because they feel that our leadership is unwilling to really listen to the experience of women, gays, divorced, remarried, or plain ol' married couples, etc. But, 1 Cor 12 reads: “You ARE the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it… there should be no division but all the parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” Welp, it’s pretty plain to see that the Body of Christ is suffering…limping…and it’s no doubt because we are missing some indispensable limbs! Our leaders need to recognize this reality and really listen…but they can’t if no one is talking.
One of our parishioners recently wrote a thoughtful and passionate letter to our Archbishop about how she thought it was morally wrong for priests to announce at weddings and funerals that “only Catholics in good standing” are permitted to receive communion. She thinks this is a blatant and painful violation of the unconditional love and inclusiveness that Jesus taught and ultimately died for. I wonder what would happen if all of us sat down and penned an honest letter to our bishop about what we think we Catholics are doing well - and maybe not so well - in our efforts to follow Jesus? Or maybe even write to Pope Francis - he seems to be listening! His address is: His Holiness, Pope Francis, Apostolic Palace, 00120 Vatican City.
As Sr. Joan Chittister always says, "If you're going to leave, don't leave quietly, And if you're going to stay, don't stay quietly!"
Send your "Crazy Catholic Questions" to dre@ctredeemer.org.
OMG - YES! We would be VERY hard-pressed to find anyone among us who does NOT struggle with the teachings of the church on at least one point (or two…or ten). Think of our own families. Do we believe every, single thing that our parents believe about raising children? Money? Social issues? Politics? Even about what being a follower of Jesus concretely looks like? I hope not, because that would mean we have stopped learning…stopped growing… So why would we expect our global family/church be any different? Why wouldn’t “the Body of Christ” reflect the growth and conflicts that are going on at our most local level; our own dinner tables?
The discovery of truth and God’s revelation is not a “once-and-for-all” kind of thing. It is ongoing, dynamic and therefore always changing - and change more often than not brings conflict with it. The courageous yet difficult path of “faithful dissent” is often an indispensible route to our communal journey to deeper and fuller truth.
Our Catholic doctrine changes and develops over time. Conflict is often essential to our growth. As witnessed in the bible (Gal 2) when Paul “opposed Peter to his face” because he was avoiding eating with gentiles. Paul said this was not in line with the Gospel and Peter heard him and changed his ways. This is a model of how conflict can lead to clarity.
“Doctrines are ideas, and ideas always change because they exist, not in books, but in people. Ideas change the way people change, according to their different experiences and the new insights and understanding that follow from those experiences.” (Cardinal Newman)
Pope Francis says “If we go out and encounter new people, cultures, and religions, we grow and begin that beautiful adventure called dialogue. Dialogue is the only way for individuals, families and societies to grow and progress. All wars, conflicts and troubles we encounter with each other are because of a lack of dialogue. Dialogue involves asking the other, ‘Why do you think this?’ and then listening to the response.” So honest, heartfelt, passionate, sometimes opposing dialogue is not optional for us….
One out of every 10 Catholics have left the church mostly because they feel that our leadership is unwilling to really listen to the experience of women, gays, divorced, remarried, or plain ol' married couples, etc. But, 1 Cor 12 reads: “You ARE the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it… there should be no division but all the parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” Welp, it’s pretty plain to see that the Body of Christ is suffering…limping…and it’s no doubt because we are missing some indispensable limbs! Our leaders need to recognize this reality and really listen…but they can’t if no one is talking.
One of our parishioners recently wrote a thoughtful and passionate letter to our Archbishop about how she thought it was morally wrong for priests to announce at weddings and funerals that “only Catholics in good standing” are permitted to receive communion. She thinks this is a blatant and painful violation of the unconditional love and inclusiveness that Jesus taught and ultimately died for. I wonder what would happen if all of us sat down and penned an honest letter to our bishop about what we think we Catholics are doing well - and maybe not so well - in our efforts to follow Jesus? Or maybe even write to Pope Francis - he seems to be listening! His address is: His Holiness, Pope Francis, Apostolic Palace, 00120 Vatican City.
As Sr. Joan Chittister always says, "If you're going to leave, don't leave quietly, And if you're going to stay, don't stay quietly!"
Send your "Crazy Catholic Questions" to dre@ctredeemer.org.
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Crazy Catholic Question #98: Why Do Catholics Do That?
Are YOU someone….Or do you KNOW someone who….
· Often wonders “Why do Catholics do that?”
· Has expressed an interest in becoming Catholic?
· Has never received First Communion?
· Has never been Confirmed?
· Has a child over the age of seven who has not been baptized?
If you are interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith or perhaps have been thinking of becoming a member of Christ the Redeemer, you may wish to consider being a part of our RCIA process.
The RCIA, which stands for Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, has its origins in the earliest centuries of the Church as a way for welcoming new members into the Catholic community. It is an ancient practice of the Church restored by the Second Vatican Council as the normal way adults prepare for baptism and enter the Catholic Church. It includes several stages marked by study, prayer and rites at Mass. Participants undergo a process of conversion as they study the Gospel, profess faith in Jesus, and eventually (at their own pace) receive the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. The RCIA is a profound and beautiful way of responding to the words of Jesus: “Come, follow me.”
A friend of mine likened RCIA to those who go through the process of becoming a U.S. Citizen. They enter knowing little about our country but by the time they are naturalized they often know more about our American heritage and history than natural-born citizens. So too with the RCIA. Those participating in the process often end up knowing much more about our rich tradition, history and faith than many of our “cradle Catholics.”
Next Saturday evening at the Easter Vigil we will welcome 14 people who have been preparing all year at our weekly RCIA gatherings with prayer, study and deep discussion to celebrate the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.
In short, if you hail from another tradition, we genuinely hope the experience of our community has sparked an interest in knowing more about our Catholic tradition. We also recognize that there are many reasons why some baptized Catholics have never received the Sacraments of First Communion or Confirmation. Whatever your reasons or motivation, just know it is never “too late.” Our door is always open. You are welcome to participate in the process with your questions, your insights and your unique story in a warm accepting setting. For more information please contact Lisa Brown and/or send your "Crazy Catholic Questions" to dre@ctredeemer.org.
· Often wonders “Why do Catholics do that?”
· Has expressed an interest in becoming Catholic?
· Has never received First Communion?
· Has never been Confirmed?
· Has a child over the age of seven who has not been baptized?
If you are interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith or perhaps have been thinking of becoming a member of Christ the Redeemer, you may wish to consider being a part of our RCIA process.
The RCIA, which stands for Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, has its origins in the earliest centuries of the Church as a way for welcoming new members into the Catholic community. It is an ancient practice of the Church restored by the Second Vatican Council as the normal way adults prepare for baptism and enter the Catholic Church. It includes several stages marked by study, prayer and rites at Mass. Participants undergo a process of conversion as they study the Gospel, profess faith in Jesus, and eventually (at their own pace) receive the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. The RCIA is a profound and beautiful way of responding to the words of Jesus: “Come, follow me.”
A friend of mine likened RCIA to those who go through the process of becoming a U.S. Citizen. They enter knowing little about our country but by the time they are naturalized they often know more about our American heritage and history than natural-born citizens. So too with the RCIA. Those participating in the process often end up knowing much more about our rich tradition, history and faith than many of our “cradle Catholics.”
Next Saturday evening at the Easter Vigil we will welcome 14 people who have been preparing all year at our weekly RCIA gatherings with prayer, study and deep discussion to celebrate the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.
In short, if you hail from another tradition, we genuinely hope the experience of our community has sparked an interest in knowing more about our Catholic tradition. We also recognize that there are many reasons why some baptized Catholics have never received the Sacraments of First Communion or Confirmation. Whatever your reasons or motivation, just know it is never “too late.” Our door is always open. You are welcome to participate in the process with your questions, your insights and your unique story in a warm accepting setting. For more information please contact Lisa Brown and/or send your "Crazy Catholic Questions" to dre@ctredeemer.org.
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Crazy Catholic Question #97: Good Enough Parent
I overheard you talking with another parent after Mass last weekend about being a “Good-Enough” Parent. What do you mean by that?
My daughters are ages 14, 12 & 7. At the last set of teacher conferences, three of their teachers said, in almost identical language, that my girls are very “self-advocating.” At first I wasn’t sure how to take in this information. It felt a bit like a back-handed compliment.
When I shared by bewilderment on the teachers’ comments with a friend, she recommended I google pediatrician and psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott who researched thousands of mothers and their children back in the 50’s and came to realize that children actually benefit when their mothers “fail” them in manageable ways (not major failures of course, such as abuse or neglect). He was the first to proclaim the benefits of being a “good enough” parent in the long-term growth and well-being of our children.
When our babies are infants, we do our best to respond to their every need. As soon as they cry, we rush to snuggle, change or feed them – offering immediate comfort. Our response at this age is crucial in teaching our children that they are safe and will be cared for. But, of course, this level of attentiveness cannot be sustained, nor should it be according to Dr. Winnicott’s study. In fact, he said the best thing we can do is slowly become “good enough” parents. In other words; our children actually need us to fail in tolerable ways on a regular basis so they learn to live in an imperfect world.
He states that every time we don’t hear them call us right away, are unable to give them our full attention, feed them a dinner they don’t particularly enjoy or are unable to attend a concert or game, we are preparing them to accept and function in a world that will quite regularly frustrate and disappoint. Our children learn, through our “failures” that the world doesn’t revolve around them, that life isn’t always fair, that they won’t always get their way. But they also learn that despite life’s inevitable disappointments and conflicts, they will still be okay.
Even if it were somehow possible to be the “perfect” parent (whatever that might look like), the end result would be a fragile child who is unable to cope with even the slightest disappointment. The gift of the “good enough” parent is that perfection is never offered as an option, rather our children learn to accept, expect and rise above the challenging experiences of anger, boredom and sadness. Resilience is the great gift of the “good enough” parent.
Are our children safe, fed, clothed and loved? Are we getting it right most of the time? If yes, then we need to be gentle with ourselves and trust that when our kids feel annoyed or frustrated or sad because we have let them down, that in those many small moments, they learn that life is hard, that they can feel terrible, and that they will bounce back. Each time we disappoint and they get through it, Dr. Winnicott’s research tells us they will be a little bit stronger for it. I like Dr. Winnicott. In fact, I’d like to hug him and have him over for dinner.
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Crazy Catholic Question #96: Finding God
Our Lenten theme “Finding God in my Daily Life” doesn’t come easy for me. How do we “find” or “hear” God?
Personal prayer is an absolute essential for anyone who wants to call themselves a Christian. It is not an optional part of our spiritual lives, it is the core and foundation. We Catholics hold a very strong conviction that God wishes to communicate with us. Our job is to open ourselves to that communication through prayer; to make ourselves available. I call my daily prayer “Butt-in-seat-time.” A bit crass, I know. But for me, it makes the goal manageable. All I aim to do is simply show up everyday. I don’t always want to be there, I often don’t have time to be there, but I do my best to just get my butt in the seat; show-up and shut-up, and let God do the rest.
But what are we really trying to “DO” when we pray? How do we hear God? Well, I think we all know that it is extraordinarily rare for God to show up in our lives through the clouds parting and a booming voice saying “Lisa, listen to me!” - and I think we can be thankful for that! Rather, our tradition suggests that we hear God through the channels that God built; God speaks to us though the things that God created, which makes sense, why wouldn’t God do that, right? We are built with everything we need for this communication. So, here are a handful of ways we can listen for God in our daily lives…
1 – First of all we find God in what God has made, namely creation itself. Can we experience God in a nice, long, silent walk in the woods? Or by playing with a puppy? Studying wildlife? Looking at a leaf through a microscope? Watching a spider spin a web? Holding a newborn child? Without question. For some people observing and enjoying nature and creation is an essential part of prayer and listening for God in their lives.
2 – Second, we hear God’s voice in the scriptures, appropriately called the “Word of God.” The Bible is the number one bestseller of all time. It gets 5 stars on Amazon! If you have never sat down and read a Gospel from start to finish, I can’t imagine a better Lenten goal. I would recommend Luke or Matthew. The New American Bible is a solid translation and I have always found the footnotes very helpful. We have bibles available here at the parish if you would like one. When we listen to the scriptures proclaimed at Mass we believe that in this communal context, our scriptures have an even more potent “living” quality; the readings are God’s Living Word, God’s voice speaking to us through our sacred texts.
3 – Third, we hear God in the teaching of the church, the living, changing, growing tradition of our believing community.
4 – Finally, we hear God by listening for and “noticing” God in our own experiences and inner workings.
God created us for this communication, so all the “stuff” within us is actually designed to sense the presence of God in our lives: our mind, will, memory, imagination, heart, and desires - So if we listen to what is going on within us, in our deepest longings, this is there where God communicates with us; this is where we hear God. Our job is to simply put down the phone, computer or turn off the TV and get quiet before God 15 minutes a day. Our prayer is like carefully turning the dial on those old style radios; a kind of “tuning-in” to God’s communication to us through our inner life.
Jim Manney’s book A Simple Life-Changing Prayer that we are reading as a parish for Lent is all about this way of listening for God in our lives. Our Thursday Retreat Evenings are designed especially to help us hone this ability to connect and listen in this way. May this sacred season of Lent be one of deep listening for each of us.
Send your "Crazy Catholic Questions" to Lisa Brown at dre@ctredeemer.org or read past columns at: crazycatholicquestions.blogspot.com.
Personal prayer is an absolute essential for anyone who wants to call themselves a Christian. It is not an optional part of our spiritual lives, it is the core and foundation. We Catholics hold a very strong conviction that God wishes to communicate with us. Our job is to open ourselves to that communication through prayer; to make ourselves available. I call my daily prayer “Butt-in-seat-time.” A bit crass, I know. But for me, it makes the goal manageable. All I aim to do is simply show up everyday. I don’t always want to be there, I often don’t have time to be there, but I do my best to just get my butt in the seat; show-up and shut-up, and let God do the rest.
But what are we really trying to “DO” when we pray? How do we hear God? Well, I think we all know that it is extraordinarily rare for God to show up in our lives through the clouds parting and a booming voice saying “Lisa, listen to me!” - and I think we can be thankful for that! Rather, our tradition suggests that we hear God through the channels that God built; God speaks to us though the things that God created, which makes sense, why wouldn’t God do that, right? We are built with everything we need for this communication. So, here are a handful of ways we can listen for God in our daily lives…
1 – First of all we find God in what God has made, namely creation itself. Can we experience God in a nice, long, silent walk in the woods? Or by playing with a puppy? Studying wildlife? Looking at a leaf through a microscope? Watching a spider spin a web? Holding a newborn child? Without question. For some people observing and enjoying nature and creation is an essential part of prayer and listening for God in their lives.
2 – Second, we hear God’s voice in the scriptures, appropriately called the “Word of God.” The Bible is the number one bestseller of all time. It gets 5 stars on Amazon! If you have never sat down and read a Gospel from start to finish, I can’t imagine a better Lenten goal. I would recommend Luke or Matthew. The New American Bible is a solid translation and I have always found the footnotes very helpful. We have bibles available here at the parish if you would like one. When we listen to the scriptures proclaimed at Mass we believe that in this communal context, our scriptures have an even more potent “living” quality; the readings are God’s Living Word, God’s voice speaking to us through our sacred texts.
3 – Third, we hear God in the teaching of the church, the living, changing, growing tradition of our believing community.
4 – Finally, we hear God by listening for and “noticing” God in our own experiences and inner workings.
God created us for this communication, so all the “stuff” within us is actually designed to sense the presence of God in our lives: our mind, will, memory, imagination, heart, and desires - So if we listen to what is going on within us, in our deepest longings, this is there where God communicates with us; this is where we hear God. Our job is to simply put down the phone, computer or turn off the TV and get quiet before God 15 minutes a day. Our prayer is like carefully turning the dial on those old style radios; a kind of “tuning-in” to God’s communication to us through our inner life.
Jim Manney’s book A Simple Life-Changing Prayer that we are reading as a parish for Lent is all about this way of listening for God in our lives. Our Thursday Retreat Evenings are designed especially to help us hone this ability to connect and listen in this way. May this sacred season of Lent be one of deep listening for each of us.
Send your "Crazy Catholic Questions" to Lisa Brown at dre@ctredeemer.org or read past columns at: crazycatholicquestions.blogspot.com.
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Sabbath
Below is an excerpt from the book Sabbath by Wayne Muller that spoke to me this week. I hope you find it insightful as well…
“In the relentless busyness of modern life, we have lost the rhythm between work and rest. All life requires a rhythm of rest. There is a rhythm in our waking activity and the body’s need for sleep. There is a rhythm in the way day dissolves into night, and night into morning. There is a rhythm as the active growth of spring and summer is quieted by the necessary dormancy of fall and winter. There is a tidal rhythm, a deep, eternal conversation between the land and the great sea. In our bodies, the heart perceptibly rests after each life-giving beat; the lungs rest between the exhale and the inhale.
We have lost this essential rhythm. Our culture invariably supposes that action and accomplishment are better than rest, that doing something – anything- is better than doing nothing. Because of our desire to succeed, to meet these ever-growing expectations, we do not rest. Because we do not rest, we lose our way. We miss the compass point that would show us where to go, we bypass necessary nourishment. We miss the quiet that would give us wisdom.
Even when our intentions are noble and our efforts sincere – even when we dedicate our lives to the service of others – the corrosive pressure of frantic overactivity can nonetheless cause suffering in ourselves and others. The Chinese pictograph for “busy” is composed of two characters: heart and killing.
Thomas Merton says “ There is a pervasive form of contemporary violence…[and that is] activism and overwork. The rush and pressure of modern life are a form of its innate violence. To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to violence. The frenzy of our activities neutralizes our work for peace. It destroys the fruitfulness of our own work, because it kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful.”
How have we allowed this to happen? This was not our intention, this is not the world we dreamed when we were young and our whole life was full of possibility and promise. I suggest that it is this: We have forgotten the Sabbath. While Sabbath can refer to a single day of the week, Sabbath can also be a far-reaching, revolutionary tool for cultivating those precious human qualities that grow only in time. If busyness can become a kind of violence, we do not have to stretch our perception very far to see that Sabbath time – effortless, nourishing rest – can invite a healing of this violence. When we consecrate a time to listen to the still, small voices, we remember the root of inner wisdom that makes work fruitful.
Without rest, we respond from survival mode, where everything we meet assumes a terrifying prominence. When we are driving a motorcycle at high speed, even a small stone in the road can be a deadly threat. So when we are moving faster and faster, every encounter, every detail inflates in importance, everything seems more urgent than it really is, and we react with sloppy desperation.
Sabbath honors the necessary wisdom of dormancy. If certain plant species do not lie dormant for winter, they will not bear fruit in the spring. If this continues for more than a season, the plant begins to die. If dormancy continues to be prevented, the entire species will dies. A period of rest – in which nutrition and fertility most readily coalesce is a spiritual and biological necessity. A lack of dormancy produces confusion and an erosion of life. We, too, must have a period in which we lie fallow, and restore our souls. In Sabbath time we remember to celebrate what is beautiful and sacred; we light candles, sing songs, tell stories, eat, nap, and make love. It is a time to let our work lie fallow, to be nourished and refreshed. Within this sanctuary, we become available to the insights and blessings of deep mindfulness that arise only in stillness and time. When we act from a place of deep rest, we are more capable of right understanding, right action and right effort.”
“In the relentless busyness of modern life, we have lost the rhythm between work and rest. All life requires a rhythm of rest. There is a rhythm in our waking activity and the body’s need for sleep. There is a rhythm in the way day dissolves into night, and night into morning. There is a rhythm as the active growth of spring and summer is quieted by the necessary dormancy of fall and winter. There is a tidal rhythm, a deep, eternal conversation between the land and the great sea. In our bodies, the heart perceptibly rests after each life-giving beat; the lungs rest between the exhale and the inhale.
We have lost this essential rhythm. Our culture invariably supposes that action and accomplishment are better than rest, that doing something – anything- is better than doing nothing. Because of our desire to succeed, to meet these ever-growing expectations, we do not rest. Because we do not rest, we lose our way. We miss the compass point that would show us where to go, we bypass necessary nourishment. We miss the quiet that would give us wisdom.
Even when our intentions are noble and our efforts sincere – even when we dedicate our lives to the service of others – the corrosive pressure of frantic overactivity can nonetheless cause suffering in ourselves and others. The Chinese pictograph for “busy” is composed of two characters: heart and killing.
Thomas Merton says “ There is a pervasive form of contemporary violence…[and that is] activism and overwork. The rush and pressure of modern life are a form of its innate violence. To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to violence. The frenzy of our activities neutralizes our work for peace. It destroys the fruitfulness of our own work, because it kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful.”
How have we allowed this to happen? This was not our intention, this is not the world we dreamed when we were young and our whole life was full of possibility and promise. I suggest that it is this: We have forgotten the Sabbath. While Sabbath can refer to a single day of the week, Sabbath can also be a far-reaching, revolutionary tool for cultivating those precious human qualities that grow only in time. If busyness can become a kind of violence, we do not have to stretch our perception very far to see that Sabbath time – effortless, nourishing rest – can invite a healing of this violence. When we consecrate a time to listen to the still, small voices, we remember the root of inner wisdom that makes work fruitful.
Without rest, we respond from survival mode, where everything we meet assumes a terrifying prominence. When we are driving a motorcycle at high speed, even a small stone in the road can be a deadly threat. So when we are moving faster and faster, every encounter, every detail inflates in importance, everything seems more urgent than it really is, and we react with sloppy desperation.
Sabbath honors the necessary wisdom of dormancy. If certain plant species do not lie dormant for winter, they will not bear fruit in the spring. If this continues for more than a season, the plant begins to die. If dormancy continues to be prevented, the entire species will dies. A period of rest – in which nutrition and fertility most readily coalesce is a spiritual and biological necessity. A lack of dormancy produces confusion and an erosion of life. We, too, must have a period in which we lie fallow, and restore our souls. In Sabbath time we remember to celebrate what is beautiful and sacred; we light candles, sing songs, tell stories, eat, nap, and make love. It is a time to let our work lie fallow, to be nourished and refreshed. Within this sanctuary, we become available to the insights and blessings of deep mindfulness that arise only in stillness and time. When we act from a place of deep rest, we are more capable of right understanding, right action and right effort.”
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Reflection from Communion Service on Feb. 14th on Mark 8:14-21
And I tend to agree. Don’t get me wrong. I love miracles and I genuinely believe that Jesus had the power to feed the hungry crowds he encountered single-handedly if he wanted to.
But I suspect that focusing on the physical miracle is kind of like reading the story of Jonah and debating and researching whether a man can live in the belly of a whale for three days or not…it kind of misses the deeper truth that the story is trying to impart.
We can imagine the scene...a blistering hot afternoon in a far off deserted and dusty plain…Jesus has just finished preaching to a great crowd of people about the dream he has for our world…a dream of a kingdom where no one is in need…where everyone’s hunger is met…a joyful time when God’s goodness will reign, where there is no hostility, no war, a kingdom of compassion, sharing and deep communion with God and with each other…a time and place where love is the law of the land.
Minutes after he finishes, the disciples, say to Jesus, “We have to send these people away so they can find some food for themselves before nightfall or we are going to have a hungry mob on our hands.”
The disciples immediately snap back into survival mode, concentrating on what they lack…panicking over a need they do not have the resources to meet. They prescribe having the people “go and buy” what they need from some outside resource before its too late.
Jesus redirects the attention of the disciples to what they DO have. He tells them the crowds to not have to go away. They should feed the people. But in their minds they do not have enough. They are locked into the magnitude of the need before them and the scarcity of resources. They characterize what they have as not nearly enough when they say “But we have nothing here - nothing but five loaves and two fish…”
Theologian John Shea says that it is at THIS point that Jesus has brought about a “crucial shift” in their thinking. They have moved from the preoccupation with lack to the awareness of assets. They now know what they have. They are no longer looking outside themselves for an answer, They have turned their gaze within. "Going and buying may work in the physical world, but what works in the spiritual world is standing still and becoming aware." (Shea)
Knowing what we have is the first step of spiritual transformation.
Jesus asks that they bring him what they have. Then he stands before the crowd and gives thanks, speaking the very familiar words of Jewish blessing and gratitude over the few loaves and fishes he that they have brought to him (which also happens to be our Eucharistic prayer we pray at every Mass) and then he shares the little he has with those around him…He took....gave thanks...broke...and gave....these are familiar to us, right?
So, a possible spin on this miracle is that just maybe Jesus knew that these people were not so dim as to hike out to a deserted place for most of the day in the scorching heat without some provisions…
Maybe when Jesus gave thanks and shared so generously the little he had, he inspired everyone there to slowly begin to dig into their pockets and purses to share the food they were hiding and saving for the long walk home…
Maybe he managed to shift the focus of over 5000 people from seeing what they have as too little and cursing and hoarding it - to seeing it as a gift, becoming grateful and giving it away as a gift to the people around them, who in turn give it away to others….and according to the Gospels, he did this not once, but twice.
No one 'takes and holds"; everyone 'receives and gives'…and all went home that night with a full belly and maybe even a doggy bag for their relatives who weren’t healthy enough for the long days journey…and they would forever hold in their memory the astonishing story about a preacher who inspired with his words and actions a huge crowd of strangers to share all they had with one another…
Jesus is instructing us that we need to be leery of the mind’s tendency to focus on lack and to continuously think “going and buying” from others is the solution. We should take stock of what we DO have, give thanks for it as God’s gift, and give it freely to others who in turn will give it to others. This process of self-knowledge, gratitude and communal love produces not only satisfaction but abundance.
The people that day didn’t just hear the good news, but they participated in an amazing experience of divine abundance, an experience that was completely satisfying because it was a taste of the kingdom, a glimpse of the potential of people, of the collective fulfillment for which we were designed. And really, even today, what could be a greater miracle than that?
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