The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
Another day of meetings, ministry, and worship
It was also a wonderful time to reconnect with a dear friend of Denise’s
Sitting in front of the fire and being mesmerized by the flames
There is so much to be thankful for
The simple joys and hope for our future
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…
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
Another day of meetings, ministry, and worship
It was also a wonderful time to reconnect with a dear friend of Denise’s
Sitting in front of the fire and being mesmerized by the flames
There is so much to be thankful for
The simple joys and hope for our future
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…
“In monastic tradition, stability is another of the great virtues. On a literal level, stability was the vow the monks made to stay with one community their whole lives. This was to avoid the practice of going from one monastery to another, always leaving when conflict arose or dissatisfaction entered in. As the desert mothers and fathers knew, you carry yourself wherever you go. So to leave a place to avoid certain dynamics or relationship patterns, you will only discover them again in the next place you arrive”.
— Christine Valters Paintner, PhD,Illuminating the Way: Embracing the Wisdom of Monks and Mystics
What are the patterns and dynamics which you find constantly emerging in your relationships with other people?
The signs of spring are all around us. The Elk are shedding their winter coats and will soon have their sleek summer coats. They are also sprouting their new antlers which are covered in velvet until mating season (Rut) begins in the fall. The cool thing about this picture is that we see the connection between our wild neighbors. The magpies catch rides on the backs of the Elk and actually help them to remove the annoying ticks while having a meal on-the-go!
This same sort of connection is what we are called to have as neighbors. I find it interesting that during times of social isolation and distancing that people are finding or creating new ways to be connected as neighbors. I see this happening in churches around the country who are figuring out new ways to help their neighbors (especially their food and shelter insecure neighbors) during this time.
We are indeed being called to be different from what we see too often in the halls of government and in news reports. I think of the folks who daily put their lives at risk providing medical care, food, and other needed supplies. I look at teachers who are thinking outside of the box (along with parents) as they continue to help children to learn and grow.
Yes, a lot has changed and the future in front of us is unknown. People ask when we will return to normal. I think the question should be, how do we create a new and better normal than we had before. In the midst of these times of uncertainty we are called to both seek out hope and to share that hope with others. As I lead worship in a new way via Zoom, the message of Jesus is still the same. I find hope and comfort in the fact that Jesus is walking with us through this storm.
While contemplating hope in the midst of unusual times I was reminded of Thomas Merton’s prayer from his book Thoughts in Solitude. MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. (p. 79)
Hope is what we need now and even though we can’t see the road ahead of us, I find hope in the ones who I am this journey with. And that hope will set us free.
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
It has been a long yet fruitful day, Lord
Thank you for our faith family whom we walk with
For the brief time in the sunshine my sweetheart and I had to snuggle today
For all of your gifts we thank you
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…
“Humility invites us to let go of our hold on productivity as the measure of our worth and discover the deeper value of who we are.”
— Christine Valters Paintner, PhD,Creative Flourishing in the Heart of the Desert: A Self-Study Online Retreat with Hildegard of Bingen
Who might you become if you stopped defining yourself in terms of what you do, and how productive you are?
Today has been another interesting day. A day filled with Zoom meetings and worship preparation. We were able to get a walk in this afternoon which was quite pleasant. For the most part we were able to social distance without jumping off of any paths to avoid people. Avoiding people… that is an interesting concept these days.
How can we serve others when we have to avoid them? Or are there other ways to serve others. These are thoughts that I ponder as we enter week six of Virtual Worship and meetings… of sheltering-in-place… of watching the world change all around us. I do believe that we will all be changed by this experience and my prayer is that the change will be positive. Perhaps narcissism will be replaced by empathy? Perhaps we will see barriers fall down? One can definitely hope and pray that this is the case.
Right now I see a lot of hatred around this country. People who are calling the COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus a hoax are purposefully trying to throw a wrench into the gears of positive movement towards a future without this pandemic. Politicians are politicizing this pandemic for their own selfish devices. Medicine and Science are being cast aside to allow the talking heads to spread fear, hatred, and untruths. In such an environment I see so many barriers being thrown up and so much vile and hate filled speech being spewed by people.
The one thing that this current pandemic needs is for people to put aside differences and work together towards scientifically based, common sense solutions. Am I dreamer? Perhaps I am. As John Lennon sang in his song Imagine: You may say I’m a dreamer. But I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us. And the world will live as one.
So how does one go about making that change in one’s own life? Thomas Merton had something to say about that in New Seeds of Contemplation. Be poor, go down into the far end of society, take the last place among [people], live with those who are despised, love other[s] and serve them instead of making them serve you. Do not fight them when they push you around, but pray for those that hurt you. (p. 143)
I firmly believe that this is the step we need to take as a people created in the image of God. Then perhaps we can live out these words of Merton’s along with these words from John Lennon: Imagine all the people living life in peace… Will you imagine along with me dear reader and be a part of that revolution of change? (Imagine by John Lennon)
When I wrote this five years ago, I had no idea what sort of changes we would face with outside of the box ways of being the Community of Faith, the Church…
Over the years, there has been much discussion within the church and communities of faith about how to reverse declining membership. In the 1950’s it was almost a “Field of Dreams” sort of thinking when it came to church growth. If you build the building, they will come! And for a decade or so, they did come. Something began to shift though and what had worked in the 1950’s no longer seemed to work as well in the 1980’s and beyond…
Over the years, there has been much discussion within the church and communities of faith about how to reverse declining membership. In the 1950’s it was almost a “Field of Dreams” sort of thinking when it came to church growth. If you build the building, they will come! And for a decade or so, they did come. Something began to shift though and what had worked in the 1950’s no longer seemed to work as well in the 1980’s and beyond.
When I visited the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset, England in 2007, I was moved deeply. And when I look at the picture I took back then which is at the top of this blog, I am reminded of that pilgrimage which I made eight years ago. What touched me deeply in 2008 was the history of what had happened in that place so long ago. During the turbulent period…
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Lord, Circle Us
Keep danger away and safety within
Keep darkness away and light within
Keep chaos away and peace within
As we continue to work for love and equality for all of your Children
Hold us in the hollow of your loving hand 💜💜
Five years ago we made a pilgrimage to Our Lady of the Holy Spirit, a monastery in Conyers, Georgia where our friend Carl McColman is an oblate. This monastery was established by Trappist Monks from Our Lady of Gethsemani in Kentucky where Thomas Merton lived and worked. We spent some time just absorbing the peace of this place of worship. Yes, you could feel the peace of Christ in this sacred space.
Peace is an elusive thing to find these days. As I watch hatred, all of the different kinds of -isms and -phobias take over social media my heart hurts. I can only imagine how the One who created the heavens and the earth feels. How does our Creator feel as those who are made in the Creator’s own image (Imago Dei) tear each other apart and spew such hatred towards others. In the spewing of that hatred the hatred splatters back on the one hurling abuse. No one is immune from this, most certainly not this Padre!
I believe that we are called by God through the Psalmist to do the following: Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. (Psalm 34:14)
Thomas Merton wrote the following in his book New Seeds of Contemplation: When I pray for peace, I pray not only that the enemies of my own country may cease to want war, but above all that my country will cease to do the things that make war inevitable. (p. 121)
Seek peace… pursue peace… turn from evil… turn from hatred… turn from greed… turn from war… turn towards peace. Merton also wrote the following in Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander: Peace is something you have or do not have. If you are yourself at peace, then there is at least some peace in the world.
I believe that this is the sort of peace which Jesus was offering the disciples in John 20:19-31. It is also the peace which is offered by Jesus in John 14:27–Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.
This is the sort of peace we need to cultivate within ourselves and our relationships. By doing so, we can and we will make a difference in this world. My prayer is that these pockets of peace will grow and overcome the fear and hatred which COVID-19 has unleashed.
