Blog Archives

Early trust~

2/28/2018

The other day my niece sent me this photo of me at age two standing with my mom at the mailbox. Undoubtedly my dad took the picture, but it is my mom and me having this moment of love and tenderness that formed the basis of our intimate relationship that lasted until her death at age 101. This trust that my mom (and dad) offered me continues to open me up to an intimate relationship with Jesus.
My mom once told me that she tried to start each day being grateful for her family and friends, her health, her life, and her faith. I try to do the same. Thank you, Mom. Very Grateful!

Richard Rohr and evolution

2/26/2018

      Every morning I receive Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditation from The Center for Action and Contemplation.
The topic for this week: Evolution.
   Today’s focus: All things change and grow.
     This message (the first paragraph posted below) affirms and clarifies what I have know to be true my entire life, starting with my parents and the church of my childhood, and continuing to this day.
    The God I worship and live with is dynamic and evolving, comforting in ways beyond understanding, and loving in ways beyond my imagination. Jesus came among is as the Word, so he could be beyond words, but at the same time be known deeply and personally.

“It is hard for me to understand why some Christians are so threatened by the notion of evolution. Are they not observing reality? Why this stalwart attachment to inertness? Perhaps static things appear more controllable? I suspect such resistance largely comes from our ego and our unconscious. I do recognize the human psyche’s need for stability, security, and superiority. These ego-needs are so strong that they allow people to ignore or misinterpret what is visible all around them, and even to ignore their own obvious “growing up” and healing processes. Even our cuts and bruises heal themselves—by themselves.”

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Sitting and knitting with God

2/24/2018

     Here is a recent question posed on the Society of St. John the Evangelist (www.ssje.org) Lenten series entitled Meeting Jesus in the Gospel of John.
What in my life needs help? Where can I not go it alone? Where do I need God’s help and love and provision in order to take the next step?”
     My response: “I know some of the areas in my life where I need God's love and help because they are the ones I don't want to admit to anyone. But when I take the time with God, I seem to be able to disclose them to Him. Evening is a good time for me to talk with God and ask for God’s help. I sit and knit and we chat.”
    I want to go emphasize the comfort I feel during this sitting and knitting time, usually, but not always, at the end of the day before I go to bed. I think of it as my version of the Ignatian Examen, confession, or therapy. I go through the day, the good, bad and indifferent, starting with gratitudes. I discuss problems, pending decisions and sometimes just tell my story. The listeners are God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit, whoever seems to appear.

God's grace is present all the time~

2/13/2018

     Week One: God is love. (Day Three) meetingjesusinjohn.org

     God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:9,10.
     As I listen to Br. Keith I am startled by his comment that God’s grace is present all the time, not just when I feel it or am conscious of it. I am amazed to realize that I have believed that I had to be aware of God’s grace at work within me in order for it to be true or real.My prayer is that this surprising and crucial revelation will help me to stop pleading with God to show me God’s self in a way that Iwant God to be, and to stop creating God in my own image.
Thank you Br. Keith for this faith altering moment.

Meeting Jesus in the Gospel of John

2/13/2018

The Society of St. John the Evangelist www.ssje.org, in collaboration with Virginia Theological Seminary, is offering a Lenten series entitled Meeting Jesus in the Gospel of John. Every day I receive Lenten Offering: a short video message by one of the brothers on a scripture from John’s Gospel or 1 John. I invite you to join this offering. meetingjesusinjohn.org
I am doing my best to respond each day in the on-line comment section. I will share some of my responses on this blog.

Humility's challenge~

2/11/2018

     Although humility is a core principles of my faith, it is one of the most difficult ones for me to practice. I think about it often, and believe it is a really good idea to be humble, but actually to be in that state, well, that’s where the challenge lies.
     It’s taken an arthritic knee to humble me about health. When feeling well, I take my health for granted. Oh, I may voice gratitude, but my empathy for those not feeling well can go just so far.
    My knee isn’t painful enough for me to stop walking or going up and down stairs, but I am aware of the dangers of overusing it and the inevitable results of the aging process. And that is another opportunity to practice humility.

Taking a Sabbath Day

2/7/2018

I took a retreat day today, or call it a Sabbath Day. The forecast of snow kept me in, and with that I noticed I was lounging around, reading, meditating, working on a jigsaw puzzle, reading, meditating, doing a little cooking, following my bliss. All very leisurely; no obligations; it just happened.
I’m aware of the luxury I have to do this, which is partly an age thing: no kids, no job, and food in the house. But please, don’t use your busy life as an excuse never to take a day for yourself; work around whatever ‘givens’ are before you. A Sabbath Day, even on a Tuesday, is whenever you take time for yourself, and follow wherever your soul leads.

Spiritual friends~

2/2/2018

     You’d think I would have many, many spiritual friends. Just living for as long as I have ought to do it, plus my resume as church member, divinity student, teacher, family member, and friend. Sometimes I attribute this silence of faith to living in New England where we don’t talk easily or often about our faith. Nevertheless, I believe that spiritual companions are hard to come by regardless of the situation. I’m referring to is someone with whom I can discuss faith and such topics as prayer, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, forgiveness, eternity and how they effect our everyday lives. You’d think that enough trust to discuss such matters would need time to develop, but not necessarily. Trust often arise soon, or almost immediately, after meeting someone for the first time. This is God’s grace
     I notice that the relationships I have with my faith friends, with a few exceptions, have a common denominator. We are only moderately, never excessively, involved in each other’s personal lives. We are spiritually close, but socially there is a distance which enables us to speak God’s truth freely to each other without judgment or critique.
     The other day I visited one of these spiritual friends. She is 97 years old, in a wheelchair, and one of the most alert people I know. She was brought up in the Episcopal church, and although hasn’t participated in a church community for years, God’s presence in her life is strong. We talk about whatever is on our mind about faith--our fears and doubts, and well as grace and certainty. And we pray together.