I doubt I am the only one that feels that Michael Jackson's death has had enough coverage and it's time to move on. But, it would seem that there are plenty of folks that are having trouble in their own way "moving on". They seem to be very emotionally attached to the person of Michael Jackson that his death has brought them to a standstill. I would not for a minute say that we should not grieve when people die. What I do wonder at is why we tend to go overboard when folks of celebrity status die and why we grieve with such intensity when there are so many other things we can be grieving about.
Why dont' we grieve about...
> the countless lives lost both in Afghanistan and Iraq...American and Iraqis / Afghanistan
> the seemingly reckless behavior of countries as the make threats to wipe out other countries
> the countless number of families and individuals who suffer from lack of adequate health coverage
> the many who have lost their jobs, in fear of losing their job, or stuck in a dead-end situation because they have no options
> the countless refugees in other countries who flee violence, tribal warfare, and oppressive regimes and don't have the basic needs of food, clothing, and even water
There is so much else we can grieve about that grieving endlessly about celebrities dying or sports athletes leaving teams and playing for other teams in order to make more money seems out of balance - way off center.
Grieving is important - but grieving for the right reasons...in the right way...for the right causes.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
The Ultimate Source of Fulfillment and Happiness
I was skimming through the classic book, Centering Prayer by Basil Pennington and I came across this quote:
"Much of the unhappiness in our world comes from our seeking to find fulfillment and happiness in things that ultimately cannot satisfy us. In fact, only One can truly satisfy us and that is our God...To choose as the ultimate goal of our lives anything less than God will leave us frustrated, unsatsified, despairing of finding any meaning that is worthy of us, anything that can satisfy the limitless hunger of our minds to know, of our hearts to love. If we do not see all the other things we choose in life as in some way opening out to this infinite fullness, they will prove to be dead ends. Not matter how good and beautiful they may be, no matter how much of ourselves we invest in them, there will come a time when we will say, 'Is this all there is?' And life will appear as a cruel joke, a project that can only lead to frustration and misery. It will be something we need to escape from by drugs, liquor, the passing excitment of sex; something we will try to sleep off or let slip away while we sit mindless before the 'boob tube.' For only so long can we chase, breathless, after passing goods before we discover the cruelty of their limits." (p.142)
God doesnt desire that we not enjoy life. Only that we do not substitute the things that we enjoy for the Source of our enjoyment. When we do that, they become idols and we seek to find fulfillment and happiness in them. They become spiritual dead ends. God desires that we do enjoy life, that we do experience happiness and fulfillment. There is nothing self-serving in any of that. But, God also desires that we recognize God as the ultimate Source of all that is good and beautiful and enjoyable.
"Much of the unhappiness in our world comes from our seeking to find fulfillment and happiness in things that ultimately cannot satisfy us. In fact, only One can truly satisfy us and that is our God...To choose as the ultimate goal of our lives anything less than God will leave us frustrated, unsatsified, despairing of finding any meaning that is worthy of us, anything that can satisfy the limitless hunger of our minds to know, of our hearts to love. If we do not see all the other things we choose in life as in some way opening out to this infinite fullness, they will prove to be dead ends. Not matter how good and beautiful they may be, no matter how much of ourselves we invest in them, there will come a time when we will say, 'Is this all there is?' And life will appear as a cruel joke, a project that can only lead to frustration and misery. It will be something we need to escape from by drugs, liquor, the passing excitment of sex; something we will try to sleep off or let slip away while we sit mindless before the 'boob tube.' For only so long can we chase, breathless, after passing goods before we discover the cruelty of their limits." (p.142)
God doesnt desire that we not enjoy life. Only that we do not substitute the things that we enjoy for the Source of our enjoyment. When we do that, they become idols and we seek to find fulfillment and happiness in them. They become spiritual dead ends. God desires that we do enjoy life, that we do experience happiness and fulfillment. There is nothing self-serving in any of that. But, God also desires that we recognize God as the ultimate Source of all that is good and beautiful and enjoyable.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
So Beautiful...God As Relationship - Not A Principle
I just picked up Len Sweet's most recent book So Beautiful and am finding that it's full of great quotes and nuggets of truth. I intend to sit down and read the whole thing but here is one quote that already is drawing me into what he has to say:
"If God were a thing or a principle, we could discover God through things and principles. But if God is not a thing but a Spirit, and a personal God at that, then God is truly discovered in personal relationship. We must invite others to venture into a personal relationship with Jesus of Nazareth, not matter how tenative, no matter if all opinions are open, and trust the Spirit to take it from there...Jesus never one mentions religion or orthodox theology, nor does he outline certain religious 'beliefs' and 'precepts' by which we wil be judged. He outlines actions by which we will be judged, but not propositions and creeds. The problem with religion as a 'belief system' is what I call the 'belief relief.' The relief of belief is that a belief doesnt force you to do anything other than to 'believe' or to 'think' it. Relations require action; beliefs require only assent. You can believe something without changin one iota how you live and move in the world...There are twenty-one original prayers that Jesus prayed in the Gospels. Every one of them begins by addressing God as Father, a name drawn from human relationships, not from philosophy. The creeds begin, 'I believe.' But Jesus begins, 'Our Father.' "
"If God were a thing or a principle, we could discover God through things and principles. But if God is not a thing but a Spirit, and a personal God at that, then God is truly discovered in personal relationship. We must invite others to venture into a personal relationship with Jesus of Nazareth, not matter how tenative, no matter if all opinions are open, and trust the Spirit to take it from there...Jesus never one mentions religion or orthodox theology, nor does he outline certain religious 'beliefs' and 'precepts' by which we wil be judged. He outlines actions by which we will be judged, but not propositions and creeds. The problem with religion as a 'belief system' is what I call the 'belief relief.' The relief of belief is that a belief doesnt force you to do anything other than to 'believe' or to 'think' it. Relations require action; beliefs require only assent. You can believe something without changin one iota how you live and move in the world...There are twenty-one original prayers that Jesus prayed in the Gospels. Every one of them begins by addressing God as Father, a name drawn from human relationships, not from philosophy. The creeds begin, 'I believe.' But Jesus begins, 'Our Father.' "
Thursday, June 25, 2009
The Redeeming Power of Gratitude
This is a portion of an article written by David Steindl-Rast O.S.B
You can see more of his writings at www.gratefulness.org
As you read it, be mindful of how your sense of gratitude can be a powerful force in your sphere of incluence today.
"Violence has roots in every heart. It is within my own heart that I must recognize fear, agitation, coldness, alienation, blind anger and the impulse to retaliation. Here in my heart I can turn fear into courageous trust, agitation into stillness, confusion into clarity, isolation into a sense of belonging, alienation into love, and irrational reaction into Common Sense. The creative intelligence of gratefulness will suggest to each one of us how to go about this task. As examples I will list here five small gestures of gratitude that I have personally tested. They create a ripple effect to counteract violence.
All gratitude expresses trust. Suspicion will not even recognize a gift as gift: who can prove that it isn't a lure, a bribe, a trap? Gratefulness has the courage to trust and so overcomes fear. The very air has been electrified by fearfulness these days, a fearfulness fostered and manipulated by politicians and the media. There lies our greatest danger: fear perpetuates violence. Mobilize the courage of your heart. Say one word today that will give a fearful person courage.
Because gratitude expresses courage, it spreads calm. Calm of this kind is quite compatible with deep emotions. In fact, mass hysteria fostered by the media betrays a morbid curiosity rather than deep feeling—superficial agitation rather than a deep current of compassion. The truly compassionate ones are calm and strong. Make a firm resolution never to repeat stories and rumors that spread fear. From the stillness of your heart's core reach out. Be calm and spread calm.
When you are grateful, your heart is open—open towards others, open for surprise. When disasters hit we often see remarkable examples of this openness: strangers helping strangers sometimes in heroic ways. Others turn away, isolate themselves, dare even less than at other times to look at each other. Violence begins with isolation. Break this pattern. Make contact with people whom you normally ignore—eye-contact at least—with the cashier at the supermarket, someone on the elevator, a beggar. Look a stranger in the eyes today and realize that there are no strangers.
You can feel either grateful or alienated, but never both at the same time. Gratefulness drives out alienation; there is not room for both in the same heart. When you are grateful you know that you belong to a network of give-and-take and you say "yes" to that belonging. This "yes" is the essence of love. You need no words to express it; a smile will do to put your "yes" into action. Don't let it matter to you whether or not the other one smiles back. Give someone an unexpected smile today and so contribute your share to peace on earth.
What your gratefulness does for yourself is as important as what it does for others. Gratefulness boosts your sense of belonging; your sense of belonging in turn boosts your Common Sense—not the conventional mind set which we often confuse with it. The common sense that springs from gratefulness is incompatible with a set mind. It is just another name for thinking wedded to cosmic intelligence. Your "yes" to belonging attunes you to the common concerns shared by all human beings—all beings for that matter. In a world we hold in common, nothing else makes sense but Common Sense. We have only one enemy: Our common enemy is violence. Common Sense tells us: we can stop violence only by stopping to act violently; war is no way to peace. Listen to the news today and put at least one item to the test of Common Sense."
You can see more of his writings at www.gratefulness.org
As you read it, be mindful of how your sense of gratitude can be a powerful force in your sphere of incluence today.
"Violence has roots in every heart. It is within my own heart that I must recognize fear, agitation, coldness, alienation, blind anger and the impulse to retaliation. Here in my heart I can turn fear into courageous trust, agitation into stillness, confusion into clarity, isolation into a sense of belonging, alienation into love, and irrational reaction into Common Sense. The creative intelligence of gratefulness will suggest to each one of us how to go about this task. As examples I will list here five small gestures of gratitude that I have personally tested. They create a ripple effect to counteract violence.
All gratitude expresses trust. Suspicion will not even recognize a gift as gift: who can prove that it isn't a lure, a bribe, a trap? Gratefulness has the courage to trust and so overcomes fear. The very air has been electrified by fearfulness these days, a fearfulness fostered and manipulated by politicians and the media. There lies our greatest danger: fear perpetuates violence. Mobilize the courage of your heart. Say one word today that will give a fearful person courage.
Because gratitude expresses courage, it spreads calm. Calm of this kind is quite compatible with deep emotions. In fact, mass hysteria fostered by the media betrays a morbid curiosity rather than deep feeling—superficial agitation rather than a deep current of compassion. The truly compassionate ones are calm and strong. Make a firm resolution never to repeat stories and rumors that spread fear. From the stillness of your heart's core reach out. Be calm and spread calm.
When you are grateful, your heart is open—open towards others, open for surprise. When disasters hit we often see remarkable examples of this openness: strangers helping strangers sometimes in heroic ways. Others turn away, isolate themselves, dare even less than at other times to look at each other. Violence begins with isolation. Break this pattern. Make contact with people whom you normally ignore—eye-contact at least—with the cashier at the supermarket, someone on the elevator, a beggar. Look a stranger in the eyes today and realize that there are no strangers.
You can feel either grateful or alienated, but never both at the same time. Gratefulness drives out alienation; there is not room for both in the same heart. When you are grateful you know that you belong to a network of give-and-take and you say "yes" to that belonging. This "yes" is the essence of love. You need no words to express it; a smile will do to put your "yes" into action. Don't let it matter to you whether or not the other one smiles back. Give someone an unexpected smile today and so contribute your share to peace on earth.
What your gratefulness does for yourself is as important as what it does for others. Gratefulness boosts your sense of belonging; your sense of belonging in turn boosts your Common Sense—not the conventional mind set which we often confuse with it. The common sense that springs from gratefulness is incompatible with a set mind. It is just another name for thinking wedded to cosmic intelligence. Your "yes" to belonging attunes you to the common concerns shared by all human beings—all beings for that matter. In a world we hold in common, nothing else makes sense but Common Sense. We have only one enemy: Our common enemy is violence. Common Sense tells us: we can stop violence only by stopping to act violently; war is no way to peace. Listen to the news today and put at least one item to the test of Common Sense."
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Prayer of the Ropes End
"God, this is too big for me. Take over. Take over all the way. I give myself to your strong heart. Lift me, pray for me, endfold me."
(Flora Wuellner)
(Flora Wuellner)
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Practicing God's Presence
Not too long ago, author John Ortberg wrote a book entitled God Is Closer Than You Think. It was a book about how to recognize God in the everyday...in our ordinary existence. Early on in his book, Ortberg offers this definition of spiritual growth: "Spiritual growth...is simply increasing our capacity to experience the presence of God." This definition is so much different then how folks so often define spiritual growth today. We often define spiritual growth in an "event" type of way...in other words...the more "events" you show up to the more spiritual you are. So, if I attend all sorts of religious events and spiritual activities then I must be a spiritual person. The issue is we can become so busy in spiritual activities but yet have no inward change occuring. Our capacity to experience God's presence has not increased.
In his book, Ortberg offers some "foundational truths" to guide us in increasing our capacity to experience God...
1) God is always present and active in my life, whether or not I see God.
2) Coming to recognize and experience god's presence is learned behavior; I can cultivate it.
3) My task is to meet God in this moment.
4) I am always tempted to live "outside" this moment. When I do that, I lose my sense of God's presence.
5) Sometimes God seems far away for reasons I do not understand. Those moments, too, are opportunities to learn.
6) Whenever I fail, I can always start again right away.
7) No one knows the full extent to which a human being can experience God's presence.
8) My desire for God ebbs and flows, but God's desire for me is constant.
9) Every thought carries a "spiritual charge" that moves me a little closer to or a little farther from God.
10) Every aspect of my life - work, relationships, hobbies, errands - is of immense and genuine interest to God.
11) My path to experiencing God's presence will not look quite like anyone else's.
12) Straining and trying harder do not help.
Orberg recommends reviewing these truth's once a day for two weeks in order to cultivate the practice of God's presence. Whether you do that or not, I think it's important to realize that increasing my capacity to experience God's presence is something I can cultivate. It doesn't "just happen" - there can and needs to be some intention on my part.
In his book, Ortberg offers some "foundational truths" to guide us in increasing our capacity to experience God...
1) God is always present and active in my life, whether or not I see God.
2) Coming to recognize and experience god's presence is learned behavior; I can cultivate it.
3) My task is to meet God in this moment.
4) I am always tempted to live "outside" this moment. When I do that, I lose my sense of God's presence.
5) Sometimes God seems far away for reasons I do not understand. Those moments, too, are opportunities to learn.
6) Whenever I fail, I can always start again right away.
7) No one knows the full extent to which a human being can experience God's presence.
8) My desire for God ebbs and flows, but God's desire for me is constant.
9) Every thought carries a "spiritual charge" that moves me a little closer to or a little farther from God.
10) Every aspect of my life - work, relationships, hobbies, errands - is of immense and genuine interest to God.
11) My path to experiencing God's presence will not look quite like anyone else's.
12) Straining and trying harder do not help.
Orberg recommends reviewing these truth's once a day for two weeks in order to cultivate the practice of God's presence. Whether you do that or not, I think it's important to realize that increasing my capacity to experience God's presence is something I can cultivate. It doesn't "just happen" - there can and needs to be some intention on my part.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Slivers of Truth
"The real truth is that God is too great to be lost in the smallness of any single sliver of life. Truth is One, yes, but truth is many at the same time.The greatest danger of them all may be in buying into too small a part of the truth. When that happens, change, growth, repentance, and development are impossible. We find ourselves frozen in the shards of yesterday.Truth is not any one truth, not any one institution, not any one way. Nor can we truly bend ourselves to all of them. Instead, each of us must live our own singular piece of the truth with love. What else can possibly be the final test of what is truly true? "
(Joan Chittister, Welcome to the Wisdom of the World)
(Joan Chittister, Welcome to the Wisdom of the World)
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