Verse of the day
Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as his own soul. Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that he was wearing and gave it to David and his armor and even his sword and his bow and his belt.
– 1 Samuel 18:3-4
Voice of the day
Friendship means little when it’s convenient.
– Shimazu Koji, John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)
Prayer of the day
Lord, expand our vision for what friendship can be and who our friends are. May convenience not be our barometer for care.
The week that Denise and I were in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada was a wonderful week of relaxation as we explored my mom’s hometown. While there I took time to reflect on what is going on in the US and other parts of the world.
There is so much division based on hatred, fear, and mistrust. It truly hurts my heart and I wonder what the future holds for us. The following words from Thomas Merton help flesh out some of my thinking as I reflect on everything that has happened and continues to happen in the US and in the world.
In 1963, Thomas Merton wrote the following in a form letter addressed simply to, “My Dear Friend.” I think that we as citizens of the United States, as a nation ought to make more serious efforts to act our age and think in proportion to our size. For this, a whole lot of people who never thought about anything serious in their lives are going to have to wake up and start thinking about their moral and political responsibilities. It is no good going on emotions and prejudices and slogans and feelings of righteous indignation. It is no good simply letting our minds become a passive reflection of a television screen. It is no good going around shouting something that someone else has suggested that we shout, no matter what it may be. If we want to become a seriously political nation, the people have to think for themselves. (Thomas Merton: A Life in Letters, p. 9)
Even though he wrote these words in 1963, they are prophetically relevant today. Is there a way out of this quagmire? I believe that there is a way out of the quagmire. It isn’t easy and it will call for a tremendous transformation in all of us. The transformation must begin by breaking down barriers that divide, and building bridges of unity and peace. The first step can only occur when mercy is at the heart of our actions. The Oxford English Dictionary defines mercy as compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.
**“Mercy Now,” is a song written by Mary Gauthier in 2005 which Alana Levandoski recorded on her 2020 album “Hymns from the Icons.” (Mary Gauthier’s recording – Alana Levandoski’s recording)
In the words of Mary Gauthier, we could all use a little mercy now.
**lyrics
Mercy Now – Mary Gauthier
My father could use a little mercy now
The fruits of his labor fall and rot slowly on the ground
His work is almost over it won’t be long, he won’t be around
I love my father, he could use some mercy now
My brother could use a little mercy now
He’s a stranger to freedom, he’s shackled to his fear and his doubt
The pain that he lives in it’s almost more than living will allow
I love my brother, he could use some mercy now
My church and my country could use a little mercy now
As they sink into a poisoned pit it’s going to take forever to climb out
They carry the weight of the faithful who follow them down
I love my church and country, they could use some mercy now
Every living thing could use a little mercy now
Only the hand of grace can end the race towards another mushroom cloud
People in power, they’ll do anything to keep their crown
I love life and life itself could use some mercy now
Yeah, we all could use a little mercy now
I know we don’t deserve it but we need it anyhow
We hang in the balance dangle ‘tween hell and hallowed ground
And every single one of us could use some mercy now
Every single one of us could use some mercy now
Every single one of us could use some mercy now
Maybe I have been living much too fast, too restlessly, too feverishly, forgetting to pay attention to what is happening here and now, right under my nose. Just as a whole world of beauty can be discovered in one flower, so the great grace of God can be tasted in one small moment. Just as no great travels are necessary to see the beauty of creation, so no great ecstasies are needed to discover the love of God. But you have to be still and wait so that you can realize that God is not in the earthquake, the storm, or the lightning, but in the gentle breeze with which he touches your back.
“I’ll never support any kind of violence. All changes must come from democracy, equal rights, nonviolence, and peace. Saying no to fascism isn’t a political view, it’s common sense.”—Greta Thunberg
“Breath can support us in laboring of all kinds—including the emotional pains of grief and anger as well as physical pain—a deep sigh can open up an experience of pleasure and release.”
— Christine Valters Paintner, PhD The Wisdom of the Body: A Contemplative Journey to Wholeness for Women
How does your breath support you in moving through pain and opening to pleasure and release?
To register for the self-study companion retreat to the book with extra resources and guidance click here>>
“[T]he Healer is the one who helps us to welcome the stranger and find reconciliation—perhaps even gratitude for these parts of self that have for so long vexed us.”
— Christine Valters Paintner, PhD Illuminating the Way: Embracing the Wisdom of Monks and Mystics
Where in your life do you feel the need to discover the peace of reconciliation?
Verse of the day
The Lord is his name, who makes destruction flash out against the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress.
– Amos 5:8-9
Voice of the day
It’s up to all of us to resist and dismantle oppressive structures that place conquest, power, and riches ahead of human dignity and justice.
– Adam Russell Taylor, “God Save Us From Christian Empire”
Prayer of the day
Lord, remind us that we have your divine power to demolish strongholds of oppression and injustice. May we do so in your name.
Verse of the day
For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.
– Luke 19:10
Voice of the day
Indigenous communities deserve healing and justice. When we weigh the cost of advocating for MMIWG (Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls), there is only one conclusion: It is worth the risk.
– Kelly Sherman-Conroy , “Will Churches Stand With Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman?”
Prayer of the day
Lord, we lament the loss of your daughters, and the ways Indigenous women are overlooked and disregarded. We pray that those lost may be found.
Even though we are enjoying a wonderful vacation in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada there is always a reminder that the world with all of its hatred fueled by fear and the lies of those who would “whitewash” history. I am proud of Vancouver for being honest with its past and actually trying to make a difference as the province’s journey of repentance and reconciliation continues
It wasn’t easy… the sort of change that we need to make in the US and in other countries around the world. As I write this, we are sitting in a Ukrainian restaurant… Ukraine, a country that some would have obliterated physically and spiritually. The people of Ukraine are a reminder to me that the change that ensures freedom from oppression and independence is not easy.
Yesterday’s reading from Thomas Merton’s journals (volume five, Dancing in the Water of Life) speaks to an earlier era where the same concerns that I have today, Merton had in May, 1965.
The hills are blue and hot. There is a brown, dusty field in the bottom of the valley. I hear a machine, a bird, a clock. The clouds are high and enormous. In them, the inevitable jet plane passes: this time probably full of fat passengers from Miami to Chicago, but presently it will be a plane with a bomb in it. I have seen the plane with the bomb in it fly low over me, and I have looked up out of the woods directly at the closed bay. Like everyone else, I live under the bomb. A Year with Thomas Merton: Daily Meditations from His Journals (Kindle, pages 182-183)
Yes, we still live under the bomb… only the bomb today isn’t always nuclear… it is the bomb of racism, of hatred, of fear, and the worshipping of guns. Lord knows it isn’t easy but we must try and we must succeed in making this world a world of peace and a world of justice grounded in the love of all without any “qualifiers.” As Merton said in a letter to Dorothy Day, Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy.
A must read if you are concerned about the epidemic of gun violence, christian nationalism, and white supremacy in the US.
…In the Hebrew Bible, there are 36 commands to welcome the stranger (versus only two to “love your neighbor”). The language of “stranger,” more so than “neighbor,” connotes someone who is totally other, unknown, and unfamiliar. Yet I’m called to welcome them unconditionally, without knowing their name, identity, or anything about them. The stranger is unassimilable and can’t be reduced to my knowledge of them (much like God).
— Read on sojo.net/articles/i-was-stranger-and-you-shot-me
