Amos the Prophet calls us today just as he called the Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. These words of the prophet were a part of his “Letter From Birmingham Jail” which was written to the the white moderate Christian pastors in the South who were cautioning him to move slowly. Sadly, those very cautions are echoed today in response to the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Slowly? How long must our sisters and brothers of color wait!
I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Amos 5:21-24
Now is the time for the white moderate and the white liberal to stand and speak out against the systemic injustice that has plagued our nation since the first slaves from Africa were brought over and since the slaughter of the First Nation Indigenous People. That was the cry I heard at the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival march today. We must be moved to listen to the voices of the oppressed and stand in solidarity with them. Then justice will roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Are you afraid of silence dear reader? Are you worried about what silence might reveal within you? I know that this was my response for far too many years. Silence was uncomfortable for me, especially whenever I would go through a particularly troubling dark night of the soul. It has taken time for me to get comfortable with silence. It is even more challenging with my hearing loss and tinnitus (thanks to my USAF experiences).
The first time I felt comfortable with the silence was during a silent retreat I went on as a part of the Certificate in Christian Spiritual Formation program at Columbia Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. The next time was at an Ignatian Silent Retreat at Springhill College in Mobile, AL. In the silence I was able to be still and contemplate. In the silence I was able to listen for the gentle whisper of the Spirit as she spoke to me.
Despite our societal uncomfortableness with silence, spending time in silence can truly be beneficial. The key for me was to allow myself to embrace the silence. When voices of doubt or shame enter in, I was invited to let those thoughts go through my mind’s eye and exit. I wasn’t supposed to dwell on them. Spirit invites me to let them go and not to hang onto them. In those moments I was embraced in the loving presence of God.
Thomas Merton had something to say about silence and waiting on the Lord. True hope is tested by silence in which we have to wait on the Lord in the obedience of unquestioning faith. Isaiah records the word of Yahweh to his rebellious people, who were always abandoning him in order to enter into worthless political and military alliances. “Your safety lies in ceasing to make leagues, your strength is in quiet faith” (Isaiah 20:15)… (Love and Living, p. 42)
Dear reader, may we find our hope and our safety in quiet faith. However, may we listen to the Spirit’s urging and speak boldly from that silence against the horrors of this world. We must speak from a position of strength. We must speak not from our strength but from the strength which the Spirit gives us. She is, after all, faithful and true. She will accompany us on this journey of life and witness.
I started to write this blog last night (Friday) but after watching the opening Plenary Session of the 224th General Assembly (GA) of the PC(USA) on Zoom, I was exhausted. Today is a new day and I am returning to the post once more. Once again, this weekend (like so many before) is filled with the ugliness of partisan politics.
If GA224 had been held in Baltimore Denise and I had planned on being there as observers. Today was to be the march on Washington sponsored by the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. Instead the march was virtual with people from all across the nation gathering to hear the speakers and be challenged to be a part of the change that this country desperately needs. The speakers challenged me to the core. The call to examine my own white male privilege was loud and clear. It gave me plenty to chew on as I learn how to be a part of the change, the difference in this nation.
The bull moose in the picture had been grazing under water for nourishment. I find myself seeking the spiritual nourishment that I need on a daily, sometimes hourly basis. These words of Thomas Merton from 1949 speak to me of that desire for peace in the midst of war and chaos.
Lady, the night has got us by the heart.
The whole wide world is tumbling down.
Words turn to ice in my dry throat
Praying for a land without prayer.
Walking to you on water all winter
In a year that wants more war.
To the Immaculate Virgin, On Winter Night (The Collected Poems of Thomas Merton, p. 219)
Thomas Merton’s words continue to be prophetic today. He spoke in the immediate aftermath of WW2 through the Vietnam War. Fifty-one years after he wrote this poem it speaks to us in our current national and international setting. From my own reflection and prayer must come my own action as a peacemaker.
As I reflect on the day which is now nearly over, my mind and my heart are full. In addition to spending time planning for worship in the weeks ahead; I attended a seminars on-line. Presbyterian Peace Fellowship (PPF) is offering an opportunity for Peace Camp through Zoom and Facebook live. Today’s teach-in was centered on the topic “Pentecost, Pandemic, and Possibility.”
This weekend was supposed to be the opening weekend of the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s 224th General Assembly in Baltimore. The Assembly has gone virtual through Zoom and there will be a lot missing. Besides the fellowship and meeting up with friends we won’t have the same in-person opportunities for discussion, worship, and study. However, the General Assembly and PPF are offering virtual gatherings for worship, study, and discussion.
The teach-in this morning gave me a lot to think about as I consider all of the turmoil in our nation and world. While I continue my course work for seminary, I am also thinking a lot about the urgency for the work of peacemaking and social justice which will be the centerpiece of the thesis proposal. I also continue to read and reflect on the life and writings of Thomas Merton. In Volume 4 Turning Toward the World: The Pivotal Years (1960-1963) he wrote about the beginnings of his transition from a contemplative monk to an activist. This prayer from his journal spoke to my heart.
Father, I beg You to teach me to be a man of peace and to help bring peace to the world, to study here truth and non-violence, and to have the patience and courage to suffer for truth. (p. 121)
Teach us to be men and women of peace, Lord. Dear reader, may we have teachable hearts as we seek to follow the Prince of Peace.
“Slowly we seem to be awakening to the truth that our personal well-being is intimately woven together with the well-being of all creatures and plants.”
— Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, The Wisdom of Wild Grace: Poems
In what ways have you noticed the interconnections between your own well-being and the well-being of the creatures and plants which share your environment?
As I consider and contemplate prayer tonight
I think of a dear brother and friend of ours
There is so much to wrestle with during these times
The bottom line for God and for those who seek to follow Christ is this: May our every movement and breath be this prayer from Thomas Merton: My God, I pray better to You by breathing. I pray better to You by walking than by talking. (Entering the Silence p. 151)
Will you walk with me dear reader?
“When we choose to receive guests as a window into the sacred presence, we choose to live and relate from a more intentional and reverential place. When we engage in a dynamic encounter with what we are fearful of, it relinquishes its power on us, and new wisdom and energy are released. It is in this place of hospitality to the unknown where we encounter God.”
— Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, The Wisdom of the Body: A Contemplative Journey to Wholeness for Women
How do you practice hospitality to the unknown? Do you give welcome to the rise and fall of your own emotions? How do you engage with people from other backgrounds?
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
A long yet productive day of studying
A day of worship and fellowship
A time of planning for the church
A time to simply be still at the end of the day
Now 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…
I came across this quote from Thomas Merton in a book that often brings me inspiration. Dialogues with Silence, edited by Jonathan Montaldo is a lovely combination of Merton’s drawings and selected prose and poetry. It truly stirs my soul.
The quote is from his book The Sign of Jonas: Let me rest in Your will and be silent. Then the light of Your joy will warm my life. Its fire will burn in my heart and shine for Your glory. This is what I live for. Amen, amen. (p.76)
So I leave Merton’s thoughts with you this evening, dear reader. What warms your life? What fire burns within your heart? Merton offers us comfort and challenge as we seek to serve.
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
It was a day of work, studying, and reading
It was also a wonderful opportunity to have a picnic dinner in the Park
A time of fellowship and friendship
A time of good food and storytelling
A time to savor the wonders of your Creation
Now 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…
