Thursday, October 29, 2009

We read that we ought to forgive our enemies; but we do not read that we ought to forgive our friends.

~ Sir. Francis Bacon

... and our family members, co-workers, and community members. 

Forgiveness is not the abstract injunction of a dreamer, it is a requisite to live with others in the real world. To hold onto past hurts and focus on how others have trespassed against us is toxic to our souls.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

"How does one seek union with God?"

"The harder you seek, the more distance you create between Him and you."

"So what does one do about the distance?"

"Understand that it isn't there."

"Does that mean that God and I are one?"

"Not one. Not two."

"How is that possible?"

"The sun and its light, the ocean and the wave, the singer and his song -- not one. Not two."

~ Anthony de Mello

The Light shines in you. The Song sings through you. Not one; not two.

May you allow and help the light in you to shine today, may you hear the song in yourself and others!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

The Master gave his teaching in parables and stories, which his disciples listened to with pleasure -- and occasional frustration, for they longed for something deeper. The Master was unmoved. To all their objections he would say, "you have yet to understand, my dears, that the shortest distance between a human being and Truth is a story." Another time he said, "Do not despise the story. A lost gold coin is found by means of a penny candle; the deepest truth is found by means of a simple story."

~ Anthony DeMello

Stories need not be factual to be true. Great characters from novels or movies can be more real to us than passing acquaintances. What matters is the truth the story points us towards. Jesus was famous for using stories. He constantly taught in parables with the hope that we might welcome deeper truth. 

So welcome the stories of your day, your own and others. See in them the deeper truth of grace and healing.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Love beauty;

it is the shadow of God on the universe.

~ Gabriela Mistral

The trees in my yard are amazing with color. As they prepare to sleep for the winter they let loose one more blaze of vivid life.

In the ancient Genesis story of creation, after each thing is created it is called "good." It might also be called "beautiful". Our souls are that part of the universe that is able to look back on itself and appreciate that goodness and beauty. Today, notice the beauty in your life and celebrate the presence of Grace in life.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Sticks and stones will break our bones,

but words will break our hearts.

~ Robert Fulghum

We have the capacity to break the hearts of those who love us. James tells us,  "but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God" (James 3:8-9).

We can bless or curse, the choice is ours. 

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Just do the right thing now; don't worry about the future.

Or... as Jesus tells us, "do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today" (Matt 6:34). Aspects of our future are beyond our direct control, so to let go of it and focus on what we might do today is enough. To be more in the present, to allow Grace to inform our now, and then to entrust the future to God's hand is a great way to live.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

To be at one with God is to be at peace.

Peace is to be found only within, and unless one finds it there, one will never find it at all.

Peace lies not in the external world. 

It lies within one's own soul.

~ Ralph Trine

Peace is not from some product we buy, or food we eat, or substance we take in. It is not from some status we achieve, some job we do, or income level we achieve. We will not achieve it by being perfect, or beautiful, or rich, or successful. 

The great spiritual traditions of the world tell us the opposite, that peace is within us already. Jesus' proclamation that the kingdom of God is among/within you speaks to his experience of knowing peace as a gift already given by God, but still needing us to live into it together. So let's stop looking for peace outside of ourselves. Today, come home to know peace within and among us, a gift already given that calls us to journey together in grace.

Monday, October 19, 2009

In this world there are two tragedies.

One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.

The last is much worse.

~ Oscar Wilde

There may be a reason our prayers are not "answered" just as we want. Getting what we want can easily lead to the sense that we are the center of the universe. Real faith is to pray to God with Jesus, "not what I want, but what you want" (Mark 14:36).

Thursday, October 15, 2009

The hatred we bear for our enemies injures their happiness less than our own.

~ J. Petit-Senn

Hatred is a toxin we swallow ourselves in hopes someone else will die. 

The way of Christ is to let go of hate and have compassion. He tells us, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous" (Matt 5:43-45).

To be more like the One who shines on all is our path.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

What we usually pray to God is not that God's will be done,

but that God approve ours.

~ Helga Gross

For God to give us what we want is a bit like a parent always giving a child what he or she wants. It may feel right in the moment but it is not the loving thing for the long term. Part of the child's growing up is understanding that the world does not revolve around them.

Part of our own spiritual growth is to place God at the center of our lives not our own wants. We see this with Jesus, when facing the cross in the garden of Gethsemane he prayed, "remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want" (Mark 14:36). This has been called the "perfect" prayer because it honestly acknowledges need but still places God at the center.

May we offer that same prayer in our needs and concerns today.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

No man or woman of the humblest sort can really be strong, gentle and good, without the world being better for it, without somebody being helped and comforted by the very existence of that goodness.

-Phillips Brooks

Spirit is contagious. When we are good and gentle is spreads and makes a difference in the world. So today, be mindful of the spirit you share. In the ancient words of scripture "hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22).

Thursday, October 8, 2009

When you read God's word, you must constantly be saying to yourself,

'It is talking to me, and about me.'

~ Søren Kierkegaard

Or in the words of the old gospel song, "It's me, it's me, O Lord standing in the need of prayer. Not my brother, not my sister but it's me, O Lord standing in the need of prayer."

When we point a finger at someone else, three fingers point back at us.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

I long to accomplish a great and noble task,

but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.

~ Helen Keller

Or, as we often say, "one day at a time." The route to the great or noble is not direct but rather a matter of doing the daily, seemingly small, tasks with mindfulness and care. So attend to today and let God take care of tomorrow. 

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

I wept because I had no shoes,

until I met a man who had no feet.

~ Persian proverb

There are times we ought to weep, times when it is the healthy and important thing to do. Yet we need to be careful not to get lost in our own weeping. To connect with the larger world and the needs of others puts our life in perspective and helps us know we are not alone.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Life is about letting God use you for his purposes,

not using God for your own purpose.

~ Richard Warren

Faith is not magic. Magic is saying the right thing to get God to give us our way. Faith is a trust, the opposite of magic, where we become a part of God's higher purposes and work to let go of our own agenda. Most people prefer magic to faith. Faith takes deep trust, the best we have to give. But it offers us a real life, living for more than ourselves alone.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Do not judge each day by the harvest you reap,

but by the seeds you plant.

~ Robert Louis Stevenson

This is especially true with things we care most about, faith, family, friends, and work. Often these are realms where we must be patient and sow seeds not looking for a quick payoff. This takes trust that what we sow we will one day reap.