Category: Spiritual

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Hope for today

I just finished reading Ilia Delio’s book which I reviewed previously and there are a treasure trove of ideas and quotes in the book but one that stood out for me is the following.

“On the whole, I find that younger generations want to help make the world a better place. Many Gen Z-ers express a desire for a just and sustainable world and are concerned about world poverty and hunger. They have an inclination toward catholicity without realizing it, expressed for them as a desire for inclusive, ecological, and planetary life. These concerns are not necessarily driven by institutional religion but by an inner sense of belonging to a whole.”

— Birth of a Dancing Star: My Journey from Cradle Catholic to Cyborg Christian by Ilia Delio

Young people aren’t burdened by the tired old labels that boomers are. What concerns them is creation and the care of it. They’ve frequently been referred to as the nones because they have no religion but they do have this inner sense of belonging to the whole. They see the world as interdependent.

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Ilia Delio’s powerful vision of creation for the 21st century

Birth of a Dancing Star: My Journey from Cradle Catholic to Cyborg ChristianBirth of a Dancing Star: My Journey from Cradle Catholic to Cyborg Christian by Ilia Delio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ve read a number of Ilia Delio’s books and this is great. It’s more from the heart than any of her previous books. She had a remarkable transformation in her life and beliefs and she does a great job of telling that story. I found this book easy to read and difficult to put down. She gave me insights into my own journey of the soul that I had not found elsewhere. She is a prophetic voice for our time. This book belongs with the classics like Merton’s Seven Storey Mountain.

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The Pandemic Mirror – Omega Center

I’ve been reading Sister Ilia Delio’s Memoir, Birth of a Dancing Star,  the last few days and in looking at her community blog for Omega Center I came upon this article called, The Pandemic Mirror. It’s an invitation to think differently about our lives and especially in light of the Corona virus.  I encourage you to read this essay and to give some thought to living in the moment. As she says, “eternity dwells in every breath.”

Source: The Pandemic Mirror – Omega Center

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A conversation with Ilia and Matthew

I came across this delightful discussion of Ilia Delio and Matthew Fox on the need for spirituality. I suppose I like it because it’s a lively discussion by two of my favorite authors. I had never heard of Matthew Fox until a few years ago when a local youth minister told me. I mentioned the conversation I had with the minister to one of my Allegany Franciscan friends who wholeheartedly endorsed my reading of Matthew Fox’s book, Original Blessing. In the book he debunks the concept of original sin. I had thought for many years that original sin made no sense at all. But it wasn’t until I read Matthew’s book that I had a chance to learn that it was essentially the invention of St. Augustine. Jews don’t believe in original sin and so the historic Jesus would not have either. I found this conversation today on Ilia Delio’s website. It’s delightful.

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Internet Easter

This essay by Sister Ilio Delio, OSF resonates for me. We have entered a new age that has been thrust upon us. The cry of various religious leaders to forego social distancing to meet as we once did invites a further spread of the pandemic.  Last night my cousin asked if I had received communion while attending a celebration of the Liturgy of the Lord’s Supper which was broadcast on YouTube Live. Ilia invites us to envision an Internet Easter.

“I think internet religion may be a sign of a new religious consciousness on the horizon. It is not the same as the old religion; it can lack the warmth of the smells and bells and friendly neighbors squeezing their way into the pew. And yet, online I can attend different liturgies around the world, I can explore different religious traditions, I can hear prayers and participate in rituals I would never otherwise venture to discover. ” — Ilia Delio

Source: Internet Easter – Omega Center

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A Reflection for Holy Week

The last couple of years I have been privileged to spend the Triduum at Mt. Irenaeus living in community with the Friars and other guests as we celebrated the liturgy together. This year that will not be possible and that’s weighed on me. I will miss that very much. This morning I got an email message from Fr. Dan Riley, OFM who is the founder of the Franciscan Mountain Retreat and a good friend. Like everyone else Dan’s concern is for those who are working on the front lines, for those suffering, dying, losing loved ones and everything else that goes with this. This week is celebration of the passion like none in recent memory. I have spent more time praying this month than any month in recent memory. Sometimes I despair and wonder if my prayers benefit anyone or anything. Then I hear of advances and answers to prayers for others and I think maybe they are. I hope you enjoy Fr. Dan’s reflection.

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Parker Palmer and Henri Nouwen

I have read many books by both Parker Palmer and Henri Nouwen. Thanks to Instagram I found out about a delightful podcast that I wanted to share here if you happen to be a fan of Parker Palmer and the intersection of his work with Henri Nouwen. One of my favorite books is Genesee Diary in which Henri chronicles the six months he spent at Abbey of the Genesee in 1978. A secular Franciscan friend of mine introduced me to Parker Palmer almost twenty years ago and since then I’ve read many of his books.

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Thoughts on the truth

Anne Lamott is one of my favorite authors. There is so much that I can identify with in her writing. I came across this TED talk today on the Twitter feed of Nadia Bolz-Weber. Her concept of God is close to my own. You might enjoy this talk too.

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Hope for today

“I’ve never fully understood how Christianity became quite so tame and respectable, given its origins among drunkards, prostitutes, and tax collectors….Jesus could have hung out in the high-end religious scene of his day, but instead he scoffed at all that, choosing instead to laugh at the powerful, befriend whores, kiss sinners, and eat with all the wrong people. He spent his time with people for whom life was not easy. And there, amid those who were suffering, he was the embodiment of perfect love.”

― Nadia Bolz-Weber, Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People

Last summer while I was recuperating from prostate cancer surgery I came across this wonderful book. The title captured my imagination right away. I took a chance and downloaded it on Kindle. After that I couldn’t put it down and eventually read all of Nadia Bolz-Weber’s books. I listened to her on YouTube and followed her on Twitter. I find her a refreshing alternative in contemporary Christianity. Last night I was watching the Netflix series Messiah and was taken how charismatic and inviting the protagonist is. The sanitized Jesus that has become the stereotype of contemporary religion would not have attracted much of a following. Being a human is certainly a celebration of imperfection. That is what makes us whole and holy.

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The dynamic energy of transcendence

Without the dynamic energy of transcendence by which consciousness rises and relationships deepen, religion grows old and weary; it becomes rote, a mechanistic repetition of old ideas. To function out of an old cosmology with old ideas of matter and form, to think that God does not do new things, is to make an idol out of Jesus and to ignore the power of the Spirit.”

— Making All Things New: Catholicity, Cosmology, Consciousness by Ilia Delio

Ilia Delio is my favorite modern theologian. She’s helped me to look at the deeper meanings of life and to better understand the writing of Teilhard de Chardin. Many people see God or the creator as immutable but that’s not my belief. As the universe continues to grow and unfold then the cosmos and the energy that surrounds us continues to grow and change too. What keeps everything in place? The creation story that is in the Book of Genesis is more allegory than reality. It was the best that an ancient mind could fathom. Now we know so much more about the cosmos.

Does the creative energy of the universe which we might call God not continue to grow and expand? I asked a Jewish friend of mine how he viewed the Bible. I wanted to know if he interpreted everything literally. He assured me that he didn’t but saw the stories as wisdom stories that needed to be interpreted in light of our present day.

God as he reveals himself to me through my experience is not the limiting God that some religious people seem to think. I believe that there are certain universal principles which govern the universe. Among them is “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The golden rule applies in all cases in my experience. On the other hand the creative force of the universe is open to all people regardless of where they find themselves in the world. There is not one way of seeing God. There are many ways of seeing God. The disparate religious faiths are fingers pointing to the moon.

The universe is not an either/or proposition. It is nuanced and we’ve only scratched the surface. As St. Paul said, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”