“All wars are, by their very nature, evil and destructive. It has become too late for civilized people to accept this evil. We must take a stand. We must renounce war as an instrument of policy. We must affirm that there will be no more war. Never, ever again. War is hunger, thirst, blindness, and death. I call you to resist it.”—Dorothy Day
As I continue to watch events in Ukraine unfold I am in awe of the Ukrainian people as they stand up to a lying bully. Putin’s “reality” (I use that term very loosely) boggles my mind. As a student of history, I am gobsmacked that he would call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a Nazi. He is Jewish and his grandfather was killed by the Nazi’s during the Holocaust. The fact that a sizable number of people and politicians in this country support Putin and his lies while calling themselves “patriots” is mind boggling and breaks my heart.
I often wonder what Thomas Merton would have to say about what is going on today in the church, politics, and culture of this country and world. While he spiritually and literally carried the weight and the sorrow of the world in his own spirit and in his own prayers. The following quote is from a sermon he preached on The Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
One of the great deficits, weaknesses and or problems of society is the weakening of the sense of truth. What has weakened the sense of truth is the struggle for power. The unrestrained will to power which is characteristic of our age today. The will to power where will suppresses truth instead of following truth. We live in an age where men manufacture their own truth. What’s not important is truth but the favorable image is what makes other people’s will go in the direction of your power. (Sermon on The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, 12/8/62, audio recording)
Lord, in the midst of all of this chaos in the world, in the nation, and in the church, I pray that the truth of your love, your justice, your mercy, and your peace will flow down like Amos’s ever-flowing stream. Dona Nobis Pacem et in Terra… grant us peace in this troubled world. Amen.
A wee reflection and prayer for peace from your Padre…
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
It has been a long, yet productive day
Moving boxes of things that other family members want into storage
It is good for us to see the progress and feel the sense of accomplishment
The evening dinner outdoors, Taco Mama and Singin’ River Brewery… a quiet and delightful time
Enjoying each other’s company as we relaxed and played Farkle
Now, with a tremendous sense of accomplishment
Sleep will refresh us and prepare us for tomorrow
Words aren’t adequate when I try to say how wonderful and amazing Denise and my life is
With a thankful heart and as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
“Concern for the redress of a particular injustice needs to be seen as part of a larger struggle against the Domination System in its entirety. Social justice campaigns have been hampered by the shortsighted inability to see that larger context.”—Walter Wink
Russia’s war in Ukraine has a religious dimension that must be understood: For the first time in decades, two predominantly Orthodox Christian countries are fighting one another. John Paul II said, “War is always a defeat for humanity.” As Russian soldiers are engaging Ukrainians in mortal combat, in many cases Orthodox Christians are killing Orthodox Christians. This war is a defeat for Christianity.
— Read on sojo.net/articles/putin-s-religious-vision-underscores-danger-christian-nationalism
Verse of the day
They have treated the wound of my people carelessly, saying, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace.
– Jeremiah 6:14
Voice of the day
[W]e should remain faithful in proclaiming that wars never win, in the end, and that Christ’s resurrection demonstrates how violence is all, ultimately, undone by the power of God’s love.
– Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, “Putin’s Religious Vision Underscores the Danger of Christian Nationalism”
Prayer of the day
May we seek true peace through the power of your love.
A powerful reflection and call to prayer/action…
President Vladimir Putin’s announcement on Sunday that he had ordered Russian nuclear forces to high alert (he called it a “special mode of combat duty”) brought to mind some of the most dangerous days of Cold War brinkmanship.
— Read on sojo.net/articles/nuclear-war-cannot-be-won-and-must-never-be-fought
“What happens to the outer world happens to the inner world. If the outer world is diminished in its grandeur then the emotional, imaginative, intellectual and spiritual life of the human is diminished or extinguished. We are all cousins to each other.”—Thomas Berry
Verse of the day
Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
– Isaiah 58:1
Voice of the day
We must believe in the power and strength of our words. Our words can change the world.
– Malala Yousafzai
Prayer of the day
Let us trust in the power of speaking out. Dear God, help us to be holy disrupters.
This is an unusual Ash Wednesday and Lenten season for me. For nearly thirty-five years I have always been knee deep in planning worship offerings for Lent. From Minnesota to Abu Dhabi and England and in so many states in the US, it has always been a busy season.
This Lenten season will be a time of Sabbath rest, healing, and renewal. It will been a time to slow down and absorb all that the season has to offer. It will be a time to simply be still.
Even though the past fortnight has been a time of cloudy skies, rain, and cold temperatures in Georgia, Alabama, and Minnesota, today is different. Yesterday and today have been remarkable with the sun shining, birds singing, Canada geese honking, and plants showing signs of new growth. Yes, the beauty of Spring is upon us. Yesterday’s reading from Thomas Merton’s journal spoke to my heart of the joy and beauty of Spring that he experienced at his hermitage.
Yesterday—more truly spring, and this is a spring dawn today, cold, but with birds singing. First time I have heard the whistling of the towhee this year. And the cardinals up in the woods to the west. The promise grows more and more definite. March 2, 1966 from Learning to Love: The Journals of Thomas Merton [Volume Six 1966-1967]
Merton would have been used to the traditional Lenten calendar at the monastery in a way that would be similar to my own experience. One of the reasons I appreciate this particular entry is how Merton stopped in the midst of his monastic daily calendar so that he could simply be still in God’s presence.
As Denise and I continue our time of Sabbath rest during this unusual Lenten season, my prayer is that our hearts and our spirits will be open to all the wonder and awe found in God’s creation.
