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Volunteering at the Concord Prison~

12/11/2014

I’m with my sisters in DC; fortunately Margot lives in the area and offers a five star B&B. Speaking for fortunate, I realize how very true that is for me. That being said, I’m aware that my being fortunate is based on my ‘luck’ of birth, and, how fragile that fortune is becoming. I am now part of the racial minority in this country. The walls are coming down. Why has it taken so long for me to hear Jesus’ message—feed the poor, don’t be like the scribes and Pharisees.

So what to do? I’m considering volunteering at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution, referred to around here as the Concord Prison. I need to put that out there. Um, is that what God is calling me to?

Just be a prayerful presence~

1/31/2014

I’ve been rereading my journal entries and blog posts from the past four years, trying to consolidate them into a book. This morning this one from June 2011 was shouting out to be posted again. If I were writing it today, I would add young mothers and young children, who at the moment are dominating my prayer list. The laments and prayers are the same, no matter what the age. This morning, however, I stopped lamenting and heard that maybe I should just be a prayerful presence.

6/1/11 Maybe it’s always like this, but lately I know more than my usual share of people in need of multiple prayers for their multiple problems. Currently I am acquainted with several who are dealing with issues of aging parents, as well as their own personal fear (or actuality) that they will lose their job? I think it is safe to assume that as part of this they are coping with money concerns, as well as all the accompanying psychological baggage. Questions arise: Will I lose my house? What about health insurance? Can I meet college payments? Should we cancel the family vacation? Are there enough funds to get mom or dad the care they need and deserve? Add a health concern of their own or one within the family, or some other particular burden, and it could be enough to lose faith. But it can also be an opportunity to strengthen faith.

      In times of despair we are comforted to know that others are holding our pain and praying for us. It’s what intercessors do; one of the benefits is that they are not personally and emotionally involved in the situation and thus keep clear and pure the energy and channels to God.

    But where does the person in pain go for solace? The Psalms and the Gospels are my favorite places to turn. Psalms of lament, but also psalms of praise and thanksgiving. Jesus’ challenging parables, but also his reminder to consider the lilies of the field.

      In times of despair, I pray for particular outcomes; that’s the best I can do. Sometimes I get the chosen resolution, sometimes I don’t. God understands my human cry for help. But regardless, I always feel embraced in God’ love, whatever that means. It feels right. I am not alone.

Samaritan or Levite?

12/13/2013

I haven’t seen the lady in red, as I call her, since that first encounter a couple of days ago on my walk. I keep looking and praying for her. Although I felt okay about my response, I have been wondering where I am on the good Samaritan continuum—somewhere in the middle, not able to claim priest or Levite nor good Samaritan status.

Regardless, Jesus’ parable give me much to ponder. I definitely had some excellent reasons not to get involved with the woman, but I didn’t cross to the other side, either; I didn’t ignore her. I had some acceptable Samaritan tendencies, but I didn’t take her to to the inn. My involvement was a smile and prayer, which is to me is mighty powerful. But was it enough all by itself? The answer is, “Yes and No.”
This story isn’t over for me.

Praying the news~

12/9/2013

I’ve book marked ‘Praying the News’, one of the blogs offered by Spirituality and Practice. The description is as follows:

“The daily news summons us to prayer. The people, situations, and events of our times call out for our compassion and God's healing presence. In this blog we will pray in a variety of forms as we lift up the needs of the world. We hope that by praying the news in this way we will also expand both our spirituality and our practice….”

Every other day a news item is brought to my attention, along with a short suggested prayer. Recent topics include: A Prayer in support of Immigration Reform, A Prayer for Mentally People, A Prayer for Syrian Refugees, A Prayer for Those Who Live Alone.

There’s much to love with this prayer practice; I love that with a click I can tap into praying for events beyond my little world; I love that I am praying with others; I love this God-way of tapping into the news. I love the way this changes me and the world.

http://blog.spiritualityandpractice.com/blog/praying-the-news

Socrates and 'The Three Sieves'

8/9/2013

The story of Socrates and ‘The Three Sieves’ is posted all over the internet, source unknown.

Read through a Christian lens, it feels like a parable Jesus that could have told. Read the story: it speaks for itself. The challenge is to perform the simple ‘Three Sieves Test’ in our daily lives.

Once upon a time in ancient Greece, one of the acquaintances of the great philosopher Socrates came up to him and said: “Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students?”

“Hold on a moment,” Socrates replied. “Before you tell me, I would like to perform a simple test. It is called the ‘Three Sieves Test.’ ”

“The ‘Three Sieves Test?’ ”

“Yes. Before you say a word about my student, take a moment to reflect carefully on what you wish to say by pouring your words through three special sieves.”

“The first sieve is the Sieve of Truth. Are you absolutely sure, without any doubt, that what you are about to tell me is true?”

“Well, no, I’m not. Actually I heard it recently and…”

“Alright,” interrupted Socrates. “So you don’t really know whether it is true or not. Then let us try the second sieve: the Sieve of Goodness. Are you going to tell me something good about my student?”

“Well…no,” said his acquaintance. “On the contrary…”

“So you want to tell me something bad about him,” questioned Socrates, “even though you are not certain if it is true or not?”

“Err…”

“You may still pass the test though,” said the Socrates, “because there is a third sieve: the Sieve of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me?”

“No. Not so much.” said the man resignedly.

Finishing the lesson, Socrates said: “Well, then, if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor useful, why bother telling me at all?”

Giving Jesus credit~

8/5/2013

On my walk today I got thinking about the different issues that Jesus continually talked about. I figure that what he emphasized was not only important to the people of his time, but is also significant to me 2000 years later. I give Jesus a great deal of credit for zeroing in on the essentials of life!

      When I got home I wrote down the first five that came to my mind. Of course there are many others, but I figure that the first ones are particularly important to me right now. (Before you are influenced by my top five, you might want to jot down your own. Don’t ponder or edit, just blurt them down)

    Here are mine:

1) Wealth and greed are hindrances to the Kingdom of Heaven
2) Spend time alone with God
3) Help the poor, needy and disenfranchised
4) Look for lost items
5) Don’t show off

     I’m not going indulge in excessive spiritual analysis on these, but I fully admit that they indicate areas for attention on my faith journey. Numbers 1,3 and 5 suggest reaching out to others--the public ways I act toward others. Numbers 2 relates to my private, personal relationship with God. I do better with this one. I spend a lot of time with God.

     But where did Number 4, ‘look for lost items’ come from? What did I mean? What resonates at the moment is my need/desire to look for ways that I can see myself, and thus act, as a child of God. It feels like an umbrella for the other four. Attend to the other four and I’ll finding the lost items. Number 4 is the missing piece, the lost item.

Being both Mary and Martha~

11/17/2012

Do you ever read the story of Mary and Martha (John 12:1-7) and think that you are both of them? I do. Today as I sit quietly thinking about God, I say, “Ah, you are Mary, sitting at Jesus’ feet.” But as my mind is jumps all over the place, I say, “Ah, you are Martha, preparing and serving many ideas.”

I’m full of Martha interpretations and thoughts about this passage. For now I’m going to stop and do my best to be Mary about it. (BTW, I believe that being both women is worthy. I like them both. So did Jesus.)

The Presence of Absence, by Doris Grumbach

5/11/2012

How rewarding and satisfying it is to be invited into the musing of someone’s mind. While perusing the stacks at the library last week I came across Doris Grumbach’s gem of a book, “The Presence of Absence: On Prayers and Epiphany”. In this little book Grumbach ponders what public and private worship means for her faith journey. Brought up Roman Catholic, she is writing in the later years of her life, after suffering from shingles and experiencing both distance from God and longing for God. Grumbach feels the need to shed her church upbringing, which taught her that the only way to worship God was through communal worship, namely through the sacraments.

As I read, I’m cheering her on. I was brought up Protestant and am most comfortable with a personal, private relationship with God. But my Protestant church going was powerful, and, it still is. The communal worship at my current church brings us together to do God’s work in the world--no way to avoid outreach at my church. Sunday service also nourishes my personal relationship with God.

Experiencing God both communally and personally is the obvious way to go. Obvious, because, through teachings and example, that what Jesus taught us.

Contemplation and action~

2/17/2012

I heading back home to a very busy weekend. It’s all good, but there is something in me that wants to remain here in the solitude of my cottage by the sea. I wonder if Jesus every wanted to stay off by himself but knew he had to go back among the people? Jesus is my model for contemplation and action, so off I go to do God’s work in the world. If I want to follow the Christian path, I have no choice.