“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”—Martin Luther King
Verse of the day
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
– Isaiah 43:2
Voice of the day
Where is your fire? / You got to find it and pass it on.
– Sonia Sanchez, “Catch the Fire”
Prayer of the day May our source of heat warm our bodies until our faces shine.
– Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals
The past thirty-six hours have been tremendously difficult for us. You don’t realize how much a wee puppy impacts your life until she is gone. Pixie’s physical body is gone but she is so present with us in memories and in our hearts.
Looking for signs of life when you are walking through the Valley of the Shadows can be a challenge (can you say massive understatement?!). Beginning in January of this year we have said good-bye to Denise’s close friend Joyce, her Dad, her former mother-in-law and our close friend Betty, and now Pixie. We buried and held hands of so many who were dying in Florida and Colorado as a part of my calling as a pastor. Denise was with my Mom when she died and we were with her Mom who waited until the family was getting some food to take her last breath.
As I reflect… as I shed tears… as I search my heart for the Spirit’s wisdom and strength… I found comfort in today’s reading from A Year With Thomas Merton.
And while I was standing there, quails began to whistle all over the field and in the wood. I had not heard any for weeks and thought sure they were all dead, for there have been hunters everywhere. No, there they are! Signs of life, of gentleness, of helplessness, of providence, of love. They just keep on existing and loving and making more quails and whistling in the bushes. (A Search for Solitude, November 7, 1965)
As the Gospel of John says… The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
Shine your light of life, hope, and grace dear Lord in our hearts.
“I do feel that God is with the movement of noncooperation. I have no special revelation of God’s will. My firm belief is that God reveals himself daily to every human being, but we shut our ears to that ‘still small voice.’ We shut our eyes to the ‘pillar of fire’ in front of us.”—Mohandas Gandhi
Verse of the day
Happy are those who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times.
– Psalm 106:3
Voice of the day
Good morning, Revolution: / You’re the very best friend / I ever had. / We gonna pal around together from now on.
– Langston Hughes, “Good Morning Revolution”
Prayer of the day Bring a revolution where we can actively question established systems that oppress and marginalize people. Help us to bring transformation.
Tonight is difficult for Denise and for me. Our hearts are broken. We keep looking for Pixie… especially when popcorn is around. She made us laugh, she gave more love and joy to our lives than you can imagine… especially for a puppy who only weighed 4.5 pounds. She crossed the rainbow bridge this morning. She knew how much we loved her and that love surrounded her as she took her last breath.
In honor of our beloved Pixie, I offer this quote from Thomas Merton’s book, Love and Living: Love is not just something that happens to you: it is a certain special way of living and being alive. Thank you Pixie for loving us and for being such a wonderful blessing to us.
Today is Dorothy Day’s birthday. She was born on this day in 1897 in Brooklyn Heights, New York. She and Thomas Merton were both lifted up, along with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and Abraham Lincoln were lifted up by Pope Francis in his address to the US Congress on September 24, 2015. Calling them “four representatives of the American people,” Pope Francis lauded Day, King, Lincoln and Merton for using their dreams of justice, equal rights, liberty and peace to make America a better place.
Thomas Merton and Dorothy Day were not only contemporaries in the realm of social justice work, they exchanged letters with each other which can be found in the volume of his letters The Hidden Ground of Love. One particular portion of a letter he wrote caught my heart several years ago and is on one of my favorite t-shirts. It says: Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. The full quote is below:
Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody’s business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy if anything can.
On this day I remember and celebrate two spiritual mentors who weren’t afraid to shake up the status quo or the religious and civil powers on behalf of the voiceless poor and oppressed. A blessed birthday, Dorothy Day, and thank you for your inspiration in the lives of so many, including this humble Padre.
Verse of the day
Do not seek your own advantage, but that of the other.
– 1 Corinthians 10:24
Voice of the day
[W]hatever that you do, you begin from the premise that you’re human together.
– Musimbi Kanyoro
Prayer of the day Remind us of our shared human commitments to each other.
I had a discussion with a friend about the relevance today of Thomas Merton’s writings during the era of Civil Rights, the Anti-War and Anti-Nuclear peacemaking movements. It is often quite a jolt to me how often Merton speaks to my heart about issues and concerns of my own heart. The following words from volume four of his journals spoke to me today.
It is shocking that so many are convinced that the Communists are about to invade or destroy America: “Christians” who think the only remedy is to destroy them first. Who thinks seriously of disarming? For whom is it more than a pious wish, beyond the bounds of practicality? I need patience to listen, to learn, to try to understand, and courage to take all the consequences and be really faithful. This alone is a full-time job. I dread it, but it must be done, and I don’t quite know how. To save my soul by trying to be one of those who spoke and worked for peace, not for madness and destruction. — November 12, 1961 (Turning Towards the World: The Pivotal Years)
In today’s sermon, I shared the following quote from Saint Clare of Assisi: Love God, serve God; everything is in that. Perhaps that was the desire of Merton’s own heart as he wrote these words in his journal. To speak and work for peace, not for madness and destruction. How can we love and serve God as we seek to be instruments of God’s peace in this world? That is a quest of a lifetime that begins with taking the first step. Will you join me, dear reader?
“When you start with a conception of God as an old white man sitting in the clouds, it is of little surprise that white men, preferably empowered white men, are considered the closest to God.”—Richard Rohr
