I’m reading a book that is tough to put down. It’s entitled, “Jesus Before Christianity.” Late last year I read a book, “Jesus Today: A Spirituality of Radical Freedom.” The author is the Provincial of the Dominican Order. He’s a real thinker and I recommend the book to anyone anxious to consider Jesus before he became the object of the church.
Traveling in Southern Arizona
We’ve just returned from a couple of days on the road in southern Arizona. Yesterday we left my sister’s home in Tempe and drove south on I-10 headed eventually for Tubac Golf Resort. On the Interstate 19 just south of Tucson we stopped at the Franciscan Mission, San Xavier del Bac. I had never visited a mission before so this was first. It is quite ornate and I took some pictures which I will post when I get a chance. This mission was originally established by a Jesuit priest, Fr. Kino in 1692. The interior of the mission church is unbelievably elegant. After visiting the mission we continued our drive south on Interstate 19 until we arrived at the Tubac Golf Resort. After checking into our room, we decided to explore the village of Tubac which is filled with artists and shops to peruse. While in Tubac we visited the Presidio of Tubac. This is an Arizona State Park and there is yet another Franciscan connection.
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arizona, tubac, franciscan, san xavier del bac
Moral Theology of the Devil
It sometimes happens that the men who preach most vehemently about evil and the punishment of evil, so that they seem to have practically nothing else on their minds except sin, are really unconcious haters of other men. They think the world does not appreciate them, and this is their way of getting even.–Thomas Merton, Seeds of Contemplation.
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Spirituality and Paradox
No one has ever become poor by giving.” — Anne Frank
Another expression that I like is, “you gotta give it away to keep it.” If you want more of what you have the answer is always lies in giving away what you have. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given to you. For with the same measure you measure it will be measured back to you.”
If you want to be succesful help someone else to succeed. I heard that first at a entrepreneurial seminar a few years back. In Matthew 20:16, “the last shall be first, and the first last.” Taken together all of these expressions point to a common theme and that is that paradox rules the world of the spirit. Jesus said that the “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” He who is great among you must be your servant. The quotes go on and on. The secret to success is this life is to live the Gospel and that world is upside down. St. Francis comprehended this well. The Kingdom of God is like standing on your head and seeing the world from upside down.
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spirituality, paradox, st. francis, anne frank
Magnificat anima mea, Dominum
Hail Mary, full of grace.
The Lord is with you
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
How often have I prayed those words and then felt a peace and closeness that is beyond all understanding. Today as I moved boxes helping a co-worker whose son is in Baghdad I felt those words fill my head and heart. I’ve been at a few Marian shrines lately and just last week we had the Feast of the Assumption. Everyday Christians around the world pray the Divine Office and invoke the name, memory and intercession of the Mother of Jesus.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,(Magnificat anima mea, Dominum) my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;
he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed;
the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name.
He has mercy on those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm
and has scattered the proud in their conceit,
Casting down the mighty from their thrones
and lifting up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,
to remember his promise of mercy,
The promise made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
For St. Francis of Assisi Mary was the Mother, Advocate and Queen. May she intercede for us always and bring us the Peace of Christ.
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Abbey Cross
This picture was taken tonight at Abbey of the Genesee near Piffard, New York. I found myself at Mt. Irenaeus this morning for Eucharist. After Eucharist and brunch I spent some quiet time in Holy Peace Chapel. I got in my car, got out the map and decided to wander toward Canandaigua Lake. I drove nearly 90 miles through some very picturesque countryside eventually arriving in Canandaigua. After a stop at the Montana Mills bread store to buy a loaf of their delicious “Woodstock” bread for my wife I turned west and south toward home. Whenever I’m near Piffard I try to stop at the monastery. Tonight I got there just in time for Compline and for a quick look in their bookstore. I picked up what so far is an interesting read. It’s entitled, “Mysticism for Modern Times.” It is based on conversations with a Benedictine monk, Willigis Jager. I’d never heard of him or this book until tonight but it looks like just what I needed. I love the view from the monastery. It was great to be able to spend some time there today. Peace.
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What is pacifism?
Yesterday, Brother Jonathan asked me in a comment if I was a pacifist. I couldn’t answer that immediately until I did some dictionary work and even some pondering. Today I’m more sure but not positive I have a definitive answer. It’s funny how being an advocate for peace can be labeled as pacifism. Pacifism has a weak connotation. For some folks pacifism and passivity are synonymous. I am active in my peace work. I sign most if not all of my posts with “Peace”. Gandhi once said, “there is no way to peace, peace is the way.” I must find peace within myself before I can bring it to the world around me. It’s difficult. When I’m wronged my first reaction is to defend myself. I want to get even, but I know that getting even actually will produce more discord and I’m always the person who suffers the most from any discord. Therefore pacifism at least the way I practice it is active. The Lord’s Prayer says, “forgive us our trespasses just as we forgive those who trespass against us.” This prayer is ascribed to Jesus himself. Therefore if I’m going to really follow Jesus I have to forgive others. There are no exceptions. There will be difficulties with forgiveness no doubt. I have found it most helpful to pray for those who have wronged me. It is difficult at times. Sometimes I have to pray for a long time and for many days or even months but eventually my prayers bring the desired results. I find that eventually my attitude toward the person, persons or institutions are actually changed by prayer.
Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.–St. Matthew
Peace and all good to you.
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Biblical Justice
Franciscans are called to live the Gospel going from “Gospel to life and life to the Gospel.” In the Old Testament justice meant fidelity to the bonds of relationship. In the Old Testament the evidence of your love of God and neighbor was how you treated the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner in your midst. The Jews had been foreigners in Egypt and this was key to their right relationship with God. In the Gospel of Luke Jesus describes our relationship to our neighbor and gives us a fabulous story about the Samaritan man who was neighbor to a man beaten and left for dead along the road. In the Gospel of Matthew in the twenty-fifth chapter Jesus gives his only description of the final judgement. It too is about taking care of the most vulnerable among us.
Today in our country there is a situation involving immigration. There are no easy answers. It’s a nuanced argument that is once again being used by clever politicians to divide us. The United States Catholic bishops have taken a position that closely aligns itself with the church’s teachings which of course are drawn from the Gospel. Pundits are spinning their stories as I suppose they have done all through history. The real issue boils down to economics. In our country the emphasis in statehouses and in our national capitol is one of money. People have no real value according to the government except as they might provide tax revenue. In the days after September 11th I was shocked at how soon the dialogue switched from the victims of this tragedy to the impact this was having on our financial markets. The immigration issue is being framed the same way. We’re not concerned with the immigrants unless they can help our economy. With the exception of Native Americans the rest of us came here as immigrants. My ancestors came here from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. My great-grandmother never became a citizen. Today we’d call her an illegal alien. Grandma Owens had seven children each of whom had children. All of them became American citizens. America used to be beautiful and used to be a beacon of democracy. The image of the Statue of Liberty and the famous quote emblazoned at the base of the statue by the child of Jewish immigrants.
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
with silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Some in our country want to post the Ten Commandments in public places. Commandments written in stone have little effect unless they are written in the hearts of the people. ““When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizenamong you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.”
-Leviticus 19:33-34. Peace.
-Leviticus 19:33-34. Peace.
All creation is shouting for joy..
Today began with a trip to Mt. Irenaeus for Mass. That’s my routine on most Sundays. First a trip to the grocery store to pick up some brunch items to share after Mass and then a forty minute trip to the Mountain. Fr. Bob was the celebrant today. At Mt. Irenaeus all the homilies are interactive. The celebrant offers his reflections and that is followed by a chance to share what is on our own hearts with respect to the homily or the readings or what is moving in us today. Today was day rich in imagery and exchange about purging ourselves of the idols that block us from relation with God. The gospel was about Jesus driving the money changers from the temple. The story is familiar but today the reflections were especially meaningful to me.
Following a tasty brunch our Partners in Ministry team assembled for a couple of hours discussing the Incarnation in Franciscan spirituality and how we carry the fruits of that incarnation into our daily lives and how we share it with a world that desperately needs to hear that message. Our animators of the discussion today did an artful job of sharing their insights. One of the metaphors Anita shared was about “blood and water” and how as Jesus died blood and water came from him and that when a mother gives birth to a child there is a release of blood and water. We were all struck by the poignancy of this observation. We began to discuss at length these holy symbols which draw us to the Mystical Christ.
Last night I was reading a piece entitled Maya and Sacrament in Bede Griffiths. After reading it and reflecting on today’s discussion and sharing I thought how much this means to me. All around me I am surrounded by the evidence of the Incarnation. In fact it is shouting to me if I have ears to hear it. It is in the snowy ground around me, in the air I breathe, in my family at the supper table. There are some lyrics to a song that I like that say, “The heavens are telling the glory of God, and all creation is shouting for joy! Come dance in the forest, come play in the fields. And sing, sing to the glory of the Lord!” The song proclaims the incarnation. I am brother and sister to all creation just as St. Francis proclaimed. All that is created is created by God and for his glory.
What a different relationship I have and a change of attitude when I have the eyes to see and the ears to hear that all that is created is brother and sister to me. There can be no duality. It is not part of God’s creation. St. Augustine described the nature of God “as a circle whose center was everywhere, but whose circumference was nowhere.” Peace.
Secret life of bees
Yesterday I read “The Secret Life of Bees” in its entirety. I recommend the book to anyone without reservation. It’s a great love story. My daughter had given me a Barnes & Noble gift card for Christmas. On my way home from Mt. Saviour on Friday afternoon I stopped at the Barnes & Noble in Elmira. Having just read Sue Monk Kidd’s, When the Heart Waits, I was eager to read more by the same author. I was a bit unsure because the Secret Life of Bees seemed to be a book that might appeal more to women. Since it was a New York Times bestseller, I thought “what the heck.” I wasn’t at all unhappy. I couldn’t put the book down. It was riveting.
Now I’m going to read one of Sue’s other books, “Dance of the Dissident Daughter”.
Agnus Dei qui tolis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.