Blog Archives

New year questions about God~

12/31/2017

     These words from a sermon by Br. Geoffrey Tristram, www.ssje.org are worth pondering as the new year begins.

      “First, what are the deep truths about yourself that you absolutely know to be true – the bedrock, the deposit, the precious treasure which is most profoundly true – and which you abandon or forget at your own peril? What is at the core of your God given identity? How does God know you? Who did God create when he created you and called you by name? And what do you need to do to guard and protect your truest self in order to live a life that is authentic?
     “But then, the second question. How can you also be faithful to the Spirit challenging you now to grow? What needs to change? What needs to die so that your truest self may live? We don’t like to die – and we don’t like to change, especially as we grow older. But in Cardinal Newman’s famous words, “to live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.” So where is the Spirit calling you now to change and to grow?”

A baby's born~

12/27/2017

    Often I write a blog for aprayerdiary and then realize it can fit www.acottagebythesea as well. Before I post it here I add something more, for as you know, this blog is unabashedly about my journey as a Christian. I say journey, because I’m not there yet (I know there is no end) and often the road is bumpy and even disappears altogether.
    This year the Christmas schedule at my daughter's didn’t lend itself to attending a Christmas Eve church service. I could have gone, but I was very grateful to be home among the food, fire, lights and love.
Jesus can be born again within us wherever we are. Babies need years to grow in faith and wisdom, as did the fully human Jesus. Same thing with me; it’s just taking a long time. The fully divine part of me needs a lot of time, too. Again, I’m reminded that my journey toward faith, hope and love, doesn’t have a finish line. Its ending is Eternity.

    Regardless of one’s faith tradition, the story of the birth of Jesus touches us all. For me it is about starting again, especially since my birthday is five days after Christmas. New ideas, ways of being, routines, rituals, attitudes can be born in me, which means I have to let go of some of the old ones that are useful anymore.
    A baby is born with nothing, so a place to begin is to pare down possessions. Jesus wore bands of cloth; I have a closet full of things to wrap myself in. Baby Jesus was taken care of, and as he go older he took care of others by thought, word and deed. That is what we are born and reborn to do, regardless of faith tradition.

Faith and works at Christmas

12/22/2017

Is there faith without works? This theological question has been debated since mentioned in James 2:18: “Yes, a man may say, You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”
Without a doubt, the Christmas seasons roots me in both faith and works. I can view the shopping, cooking, socializing, and traveling that fills my life as difficult, agonizing, and unwanted work, as something I have to get done. Or, I can consider it an opportunity to offer love, compassion, and service, as something to further God’s kingdom.
The faith piece is easy to grasp at Christmas. Without getting bogged down in Christian dogma and jargon, Jesus was born to show us that God is love.
Keep the holidays simple.

Convent of San Marco...again~

12/14/2017

My favorite cell.

      I did it again, something I’ve done on every visit to Florence. I went to the Convent of San Marco and took photos of Fra Angelico’s frescoes on walls of the monks cells.
      Christians are encouraged to study and contemplate God’s word as revealed in Scripture. The Dominican monks in the fifteenth century did this by reading and praying the picture on their cell walls—a spiritual experience. Today we read the Bible—an intellectual experience.
    My visit to San Marco, however, was a mind, body, spirit experience. My mind drew from my reading and study of the Bible. My spirit was touched by the visual message of the frescoes. My body experience the visceral experience of a monk in his cell.

Breathing amongst the puddles~

12/14/2017

What do I have to say about prayer today as I wind up my two weeks walking with God in Florence? Always, always start with gratitude! Indeed I am very grateful for this time alone in my beloved city. There is no excuse not to pray, but there are distractions, such as food, museums, and walking to avoid, and appreciate, puddles and people.
If I’m serious about prayer, I have to keep doing it. Abstaining is not an option, although my prayer practices vary and change. My prayer may be more verbal, or less verbal; I may feel God’s presence in a different ways; sometimes I sense that God isn’t there at all. Regardless, one of the things I have learned on this trip is that I have to keep showing up. Return to the breath I tell myself, whether I am in a church, eating a pizza or walking the streets.

Santa Trinita: Theology in artwork~

12/10/2017

Santa Trinita is an empowering place to pray. I have discovered the perfect to pew, where at a single sweep of my eyes, I can take in artwork representative of many theological concepts that give power and definition to Christianity.

With God, alone or in community~

12/9/2017

     Further observations on yesterday’s festivities for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. In spite of the rain, folks were out and about on the streets with umbrellas. The weather was no determent. Long lines formed to attend Mass at the Duomo. Crowds gathered to witness the lighting of the Christmas tree.
     All wonderful. I noticed, however, that I had no desire to participate actively as part of this joyful community. Maybe it’s because I’m not Roman Catholic; maybe because I have chosen to travel alone; maybe because I could watch the tree lighting from my apartment window—probably all three.
     Thinking further for this prayerdiary blog, I notice that when traveling alone I have little interest in attending a church service, whereas at home, Sunday worship is part of my routine. One reason I travel alone is to step away from community. Here in Florence I walk around with God and spend time in churches. God in Trinity is very present to me. I guess I don’t need community and ritual for these two weeks.

Feast of the Immaculate Conception in Florence~

12/8/2017

December 8 on the Roman Catholic Church calendar is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It is celebrated in a big way here in Florence, and I’m sure, in all of Italy. As I passed the Duomo this morning at 10 I was witness to a procession of priest and two, yes two, cardinals because I saw two red hats. They came out of the church and turned a few paces to bless the nativity scene already assembled with all the cast of characters beginning to assemble. When dark comes this evening, the big Christmas tree nearby will be lit and Advent will have burst forth.
If you look really hard you can see the red hat. The top windows on the building are mine.

Walking around with God in Florence~

12/6/2017

     I’m writing an article entitled ‘Walking Around with God in Florence.’ In it I tell about the morning walks that I take to the most prominent churches, my visits to a few of my favorite churches, and those that offer an atmosphere for prayer and meditation. My dilemma: where to post it? Definitely on this blog, but what about acottagebythesea, or a public site such as the Lonely Planet? *
      This quandary underlies an issue that people of faith like me experience these days. We don’t want to be misunderstood as bigots, political conservatives, or stupid. So, we don’t say a word about our faith.
     This is definitely our problem. We had better own it, speak out and stop worrying about what others might think. The good news is the miraculous chance that others may get an inkling that our faith helps us be loving and compassionate.

* Does anyone know of a religious public site where I might post the article?

Walking around with God

12/3/2017

As I prepare to leave for Italy, I’m reminded that Jesus sent his disciples out in twos to heal, and to take nothing for their journey, and to proclaim the kingdom of God. How can Jesus speak to me when I’m going by myself with every intention to be alone, and, although I’m taking very little, I do have a suitcase packed?
It’s the idea of the kingdom of God that resonates with me. I’m not proclaiming it out loud, but I’m planning to the walk around with God. That feel like a proclamation even if no one I meet or pass on the street knows what I’m doing. Whenever we are in a state of peace, that peace spreads to others, especially those in our physical sphere. If I don’t believe this, I’m left in despair. The prophet Micah tells us what the Lords requires of us: to justice, act kindly and walk humbly with God. I’m walking with God, trying to do it humbly.