Blog Archives

One hour a day~

9/28/2017

How much time do we spend praying? Christian tradition reminds us a time when churches were open for services night and day, and when monks and others participated in the Daily Office. But nowadays? We’re on the run, at least those still working. As a retired person I have the luxury of time to pray, and since I have this call to pray for people, I’d better take the time. Intercessory prayer takes time. The preparation is intense in itself. Empty my mind of chatter and judgments so that thy will be done can enter.
“Could you not watch one hour with me?” (Matthew 26:40), Jesus asks his disciples. He is asking me, for I am a disciple. I try to do just that for the first hour of my day. It’s a good practice, and for me it feels like a privilege.

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Last day in Florence~

9/24/2017

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My last full day in Florence. Although happy to be going home, I woke up a little sad. What a strange combination, this melancholy I feel from time to time. But it is short lived when I remember to be grateful and remember how my mom started each day being grateful for her family and friends, health, life, and faith.
When I greet the day with praise and thanksgiving, I am less apt to walk around in a cloud of fear and self-pity. Expressing gratitude moves me from head to heart, where God resides.

I am reminded of this by Richard Rohr: A mystic is simply one who has moved from mere belief or belonging systems to actual inner experience of God.

Looking toward Ponte St. Trinita.

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Store up treasures in heaven~

9/20/2017

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     A preface to the Cottage by the Sea post that follows.

    “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21.

    Jesus tell me not to worry about my stuff. Living each day believing that I have enough, opens up a vast space for me to concentrate on following God’s call and do God’s work in the world.
In fact, the Gospels tell us nothing of Jesus’ personal possessions. Rather, we are told to give it all way--to feed the poor. Jesus tells us to store up treasures in heaven, not on earth.

Cottage by the Sea blog post:
     Throughout the centuries the buildings in Florence have been constructed for eternity. Stone has that lasting quality about it, a sturdiness in the fact that except for churches and public structures, the buildings rise no higher than five floors.
      The shops I pass on the ground floor of these old buildings are filled with items that, with luck, might last seven years, not seven centuries. As I sit writing at Caffe Ricchi in Piazza Spirito, I watch vendors setting up kiosks to present home grown provisions, such as bread, cheese, pasta, fruit and vegetables, honey and jams to sell.No waste here. Woodworkers, weavers, potters, and other craft people are sell their heart-felt expressions.
“Buy what you need,” I tell myself, which is easy for me because I don’t want any more stuff. The buying phase of my life is complete. I have more than I need, which is where discontentment sets in. I have begun to get rid of/recycle/donate my extra stuff—books I’ve read, dishes I don’t use, clothing I’ll never wear, ‘sitters’ I don’t appreciate or look at. Contemplation and action.
      As I wander around Florence my eyes gaze up at all that stone, rarely in shop windows.

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Walking around with God in Florence~

9/13/2017

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I’m in Florence, walking around with God. That’s what I tell some folks, and they get it, at least my prayer friends do, and of course those of you reading this blog. Recently I’ve been using that phrase with friends outside my prayer circle, and they too seem to get it. It’s a heart comment, not a head one, although I also tell them that I walk, write, visit churches and museums, and eat..
You either get the idea of walking around with God or you don’t, and you only get in your own way. The detailsare difficult to put into words but here’s my try: I express praise for God’s creation and thanksgiving for all I am experiencing; I pray for people on my prayer list; I pay attention to the moment, trying not to live in the future; I say the Jesus Prayer; I breathe God’s love into my heart.
Of course I can walk around with God at home, but here in Florence it’s my only practice; gratitude overflows.

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Elizabeth Warren Christian faith

9/6/2017

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     Did you know that Elizabeth Warren is a practicing Christian? Her faith was revealed in an article entitled “For Warren, faith is (quietly) critical to her public life” on the front page of the Boston Globe on September 3rd. I never knew this, nor I gather, do most of her fellow citizens. Those who knew are pastors of churches where she come to worship.
Evidently Warren is very private about her faith. She prays, reads the Bible, and follows Jesus. We have a little Jesus in all of us, she believes.
Recently, at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Warren spoke on (Matthew 25:40).
     Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my breathren, ye have done it unto me

“He [Jesus}is saying to us, first there’s God in everyone of us, there’s Jesus in every one of us—however you see it in your religion, that inside there’s something holy in everyone.”

     What a powerful public statement for us Christians sitting to the left of the political spectrum. An affirmation and inspiration for us to speak out about our faith. It is also a powerful statement for all people working for peace, longing to be compassionate, and who can see Jesus as an model of human good.

     It seems that Warren’s life, both public and private, receives its energy, not from ego but from God. The Jesus in her speaks and acts for the poor, the powerless, the disadvantaged, and the underprivileged. It is worth noting that Joe Kennedy III recently referred to Matthew 25 in his plea from the senate floor for health coverage.

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One hour a day~

Last day in Florence~

Store up treasures in heaven~

Walking around with God in Florence~

Elizabeth Warren Christian faith

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