In this time of national and international fear, violence,
anxiety, recrimination and invective, the last thing we need is panic.
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Monday, July 4, 2016
American Independence Day thoughts
As we celebrate Independence Day, I think that what we Americans ask ourselves is a greater source of pride than what we tell ourselves.
What we ask of ourselves is more important than what we ask of others.
What responsibilities to each other we accept are more important to our future than our perceptions of society's duties to us.
What we truly commit to do to appreciate, develop and apply our talents and opportunities for the benefit of ourselves and our communities is more important to the future of this nation than the victories and accomplishments of the past.
What we ask of ourselves is more important than what we ask of others.
What responsibilities to each other we accept are more important to our future than our perceptions of society's duties to us.
What we truly commit to do to appreciate, develop and apply our talents and opportunities for the benefit of ourselves and our communities is more important to the future of this nation than the victories and accomplishments of the past.
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Not the answer
"What helpful spirit can I bring to this moment?"
The answer changes each time the question is asked, but it is never "fear"; it is never "hate"; and it is never "belittle".
Seeking unifying questions
I seek and welcome guidance from the Holy Spirit as I perceive it. But I
also seek unifying questions - useful questions which require no faith in God, but only intellect, concern for others as well as oneself, and kindness. Here are some drafts:
"What that is universal can I bring to this moment?"
"What contribution can I make here and now?"
"What spirit - what shared human experience that is wiser and more compassionate and powerful than I alone - can I bring to this moment?"
Well, how about that! It seems to come back to what my mother taught me as a child:
"Do your best to leave things in at least as good condition as you find them."
"What that is universal can I bring to this moment?"
"What contribution can I make here and now?"
"What spirit - what shared human experience that is wiser and more compassionate and powerful than I alone - can I bring to this moment?"
Well, how about that! It seems to come back to what my mother taught me as a child:
"Do your best to leave things in at least as good condition as you find them."
Scarcity and abundance
When I feel scarcity, I usually want something without doing the work to get it. It's like being in a well-stocked kitchen wishing for a Big Mac. I am neglecting imagination - other than the desired thing or feeling - and abundant opportunities.
When I accept things as they are - including imagination and opportunities and, yes, even yearning - I find abundance at hand.
When I accept things as they are - including imagination and opportunities and, yes, even yearning - I find abundance at hand.
Sunday, June 19, 2016
June 19, 2016
Last Friday, I attended the funeral mass for a
twenty-six-year-old woman. The loss to
her family and friends was heartbreaking.
The collective grief was vast and nearly overwhelming. But the love – the shared, inspiring,
comforting love – was the most powerful presence.
The recessional hymn was, “Here I am, Lord.” In that hymn, to God’s question, “Whom shall
I send?”, the refrain is “I will go Lord, if You lead me.”
When we seek a spiritual calling, when we experience such a
calling, and when we act on such a calling, we are addressing, connecting with,
and strengthening that seed or spark of the Holy Spirit – of the spirit of love
– which is within each of us.
And
when we come out from our spiritual and emotional bunkers to answer that call,
we experience a freedom which is attainable in no other way.
Sunday, June 5, 2016
June 5, 2016
In Meeting for Worship, I have always focused my meditations on my life: my values and my fidelity to them; my relationships with others and with society as a whole; my explorations of what I perceive as a holy spirit.
Until today.
Today, here, there appears the opportunity to try to imagine, and to understand, the lives and perspectives of others. A sixth grader in an urban middle school with a very different home life than mine, seeking his or her place in the world. A refugee seeking safety and freedom for his family, praying the boat from Turkey to the Greek Island of Lesbos doesn’t capsize and send them to their deaths. A frustrated and angry American voter, trying to figure out the best thing to do for the nation in this election year.
Today I see that it means nothing to perceive myself as striving to understand and serve God – indeed, it would mean nothing to “be holy” – without constant striving for compassion.
Until today.
Today, here, there appears the opportunity to try to imagine, and to understand, the lives and perspectives of others. A sixth grader in an urban middle school with a very different home life than mine, seeking his or her place in the world. A refugee seeking safety and freedom for his family, praying the boat from Turkey to the Greek Island of Lesbos doesn’t capsize and send them to their deaths. A frustrated and angry American voter, trying to figure out the best thing to do for the nation in this election year.
Today I see that it means nothing to perceive myself as striving to understand and serve God – indeed, it would mean nothing to “be holy” – without constant striving for compassion.
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