Not something owned
One of the weaknesses of religious people is the all too human tendency to make their own path the true one, others being left out. When in fact, all images of God are limited and need to be stretched. God is not something owned, not an object to be carried around, nor can God’s work in the world by deduced by certain scripture verses, over used, in order to simply back up ones special place in the scheme of things. No, God is equally involved in all lives, for in God we
Final gift
Old age is feared by many, yet it must come for us all;
for those lucky enough to endure through the years,
bringing with it much joy and sorrow,
pleasure and pain.
Bodies age, lose their original beauty and strength,
yet the soul remains young and supple
hidden beneath a face wrinkled and worn,
either bitter are filled with wisdom.
Our paths are hard, no one spared the trail,
the heart responding to what life offers.
Each enfolded within God’s loving arms,
though hidden a
Patience
It is only through impatience that we develop the ability to grow in actually being patient. Virtue is at first practiced by simply not reacting in an unthinking manner, which later becomes a habit easier to practice. Though self reflection is always needed and I believe prayer as well.
Vice is the same, the more it is lived out, the easier it gets and more likely than not, less authentic guilt is felt. Humility is the ability to see oneself in a clear light without fear and
Puzzle master
It is easy to demand from others what is impossible for me. When I do that, I just want a world in which I am comfortable. Seeking to make others simple props for my life, pieces on a chess board that I can move about according to my will (like that will actually ever happen, people can’t be herded). Compassion and yes empathy allows love to be impersonal, not based on need, but actually on the need of others. Ok, yes, I do in very imperfectly, but in living that out may be
Buried alive
Strange is it not, how the so called unattractive become more beautiful the more we listen and learn to see them in a different light. To understand is to grow in compassion, which allows the inner light to manifest and so see the humor and courage that people actually have if they feel seen and not boxed in or judged.
Also, perhaps all of us at times are the unattractive ones? Pause and consider how that was and how difficult it is to breathe before one who only see what
You never know
I was at the VA yesterday. Met a few people, talked to an 88 year old who just wanted to connect with anyone and who was an interesting chap with a good story. There was a man in a wheel chair across from me and we also talked a bit. He looked about 40, but was actually in his early 50’s. Later I met him in the ENT inner waiting room after being called backed. As he talked with me, he shared some of his life and I could see that his smiles and laughing covered a great d
Our Ideals
I find it a wonder how we as a species seem to live out the same pattern over and over again, generation after generation without seeming to be able to change or learn. Well perhaps we are learning but it seems at such a pace that it may be too late to save us. I also find it amazing that it is those who don’t believe in freewill (well at least they say they do not) who seem to get the most upset over man’s failures to live up to their ideals.
What touches the most deeply
I am getting old now, my youth far behind me, yet I often feel that I am just at the beginning of my journey, even if I am more aware everyday of the reality of my own mortality and yes my extreme human weakness as well as my strengths. I find that grace uses my weaknesses to touch me the most deeply and it is in those areas that many of my gifts find their roots, though if truth be told, I wish it were otherwise. Yet we can be misled by our strengths as well an
Pilgrim
I will always fail to live out my commitment as a Christian, for I am still on my journey. So I fall and rise and keep going, not allowing my inner voices to detour me from what I am called to become. I suppose, again, our beliefs will tell each of us what that ‘being called to’ is. For me it is all about Christ Jesus. As a Christian how could it be otherwise? If it were not, then I should find something else to dedicate my life to. The call is ongoing. For of my-self it is impossib
Choice
Freedom from obligation towards others can seem weightless, fun, easy, yet the price can be steep in the end. For without at least the desire to love and be of service to others, leads to the worst kind of isolation, were in the end an essential aspect of ones humanity is lost, perhaps forever. Perhaps this is what hell is, just being with oneself without end. A way of existing, freely chosen, embraced, becoming cold as death, wherein any kind of warmth is impossible to feel; a p
The struggle for friendship
One aspect of true friendship, is that it allows disagreements to happen, even very strong differences of opinion that can get emotional and words are passed around that are hurtful. To be oneself, to speak ones mind and to allow the other ‘friend’ to do the same is central to any real relationship. Emotions cool, apologies’ are given and the relationship deepens. Arguments and disagreements are not indications of rejection. In fact the opposite may be true.
Talent
I knew a Janitor once who for a hobby did carpentry and was an expert at it. He did not want to make a living making cabinets since it would take the pleasure away from his sideline. He also loved to give them away as gifts. Now that was a very intelligent choice. In fact he liked cleaning and excelled in it and was not interested in the rat race. His brother worked on Wall Street and was quite rich. Yet they got along fine and the janitor’s brother had some very fine furniture
Eucharist
The Eucharist for many Christians is participating in the suffering and death of Christ as well as the resurrection. They cannot be separated. Christ was fully human; his heart filled with compassion for all and drinks with us the seeming bottomless chalice ever empty and ever filled. The chalice we drink is what Christ also drank; it is also what is offered in the Eucharist. God becoming food for his creatures, bread his body, wine is blood……so no matter how lonely one is, or
Events
Relationships often start at a high point, be it friendship, or courtship leading to marriage….well really in every area of our lives. Then things settle in and for a time just living the day in and day out happens. It gives the illusion of permanence….until we suddenly find ourselves ill, or old, or perhaps it is our parents, who have brought the reality of their mortality to light by a sudden turn for the worst, or we lose our jobs…. the list is almost endless. Again, a friend of many
The Wheel
There can be deep personal experiences that can be existentially transforming, the world shifts, a new depth is reached…..then things settle and a period of dryness sets in, and the search continues. No permanent state is allowed, or final resting place, just a taste of what could be, or perhaps what is, but the long walk around the circle is needed. Conceivably the sudden turns, or in fact a glimpse into a deeper reality that opens and we move into a place of deep inner turmoil or
Not bound
Grace is not bound or owned by any religious tradition, since it is obvious to me that those who follow other faiths or spiritual paths often find healing and become loving and compassionate human beings. Grace is as much a part of life as air is for breathing. What is needed is the openness to follow our paths, therefore allowing grace to do its work in secret. Many things can help with this process, but it is love that draws us, for in the end, once one feels loved, seen, accepte
Escape
Seeking to escape pain often leads to other problems that just increase ones unease, leading perhaps to other escape routes that also lead nowhere. Perhaps the human soul, if trapped in ‘eternal cycles’ of pain; could be described as being in hell. Though the awareness of such a state can be grown into, so that the pain is often experienced as just something normal, simply the way things are.
Reach out
If your lonely
don't wait in self pity,
reach out to someone else in need,
your heart will warm,
expand,
and your circle will grow.
Best to seek understanding than to be understood
(from the Prayer of St. Francis)
Not that far apart
After love, truth is what I believe most people seek the most. Actually they are connected. I would think that truth is what leads us all, slowly or rapidly into and ever broader understanding of reality. Words can be so over used however that their meaning can be diluted and trivialized.
I believe that love and truth are what is experienced in many different ways by all of us; then we must continue to grow in our ability to accept both at ever deeper levels. Which can be a
Talent
In the Gospel Jesus uses a worldly metaphor of a rich man going away on a journey and before leaving; he gives three of his slaves some money (talents) to invest. He gave them the amount suited to their abilities. Then after he returned he awarded each according to what they did with the money. Two received the same reward, to be over many things, while the one who buried his money lost what little he had.
It was fear that kept the one who received the one talent from investing,
Its sting
Knowing that we end gives life its urgency. Having an unlimited future is not something I would want even if I was not a man of faith. Live fully, let go when it needs to be done, and when the finale letting go is the next event, it will be just one more passage to go through. For death and life seem to work hand in hand, though, yes, death still has a kick to it, faith does take away much of its sting.
Today
It was peaceful today,
reading on my friends patio,
listening to the wind,
watching the palm leaves sway,
ducks spashing down in a nearby pond,
dark clouds slowly forming,
I so love dark rainy windy days,
just sitting,
slowly sinking into inner peace,
being in the presence of the infinite,
the lover and pursuer
of my soul.
Today my fight,
or flight,
from this peace was lost,
I am happy about that.
All we have,
The progression of time cannot be stopped,
all we have is this moment with all its fullness,
nothing can be grasped, only let go of,
naked we stand before eternity
often forgetting that we are pilgrims,
on a journey,
all desolves each moment,
only the infinite, the eternal,
can fill the inner void.
What we are not
Humility is not about self loathing, but about seeing the truth, embracing it and not sinking into self hatred and despair. Perhaps that is the greatest obstacle, for it is easy to fall into those traps. The call to dying to self is more about that, than overcoming anyone ‘thing’ in ones life. Often our self destructive habits are based on this self loathing than on anything else. It takes courage to stand up to the inner mob that wants to keep us back and to simply say
Central core
Faith is useless if the central core is missing. It then becomes just another ideology; closed to change and lifeless since it is cut off from what is most essential. “To love one neighbor as oneself” is the essential core of any faith that is alive and vibrant. “To treat others as you want to be treated”, if practiced cannot kill, maim nor tortured others, for they or seen as other selves. “Whatever you do to the least of these, you do unto me”.
Ideologies die, not beca
