May 31, 2012

A Meditation on Psalm 1

Your love lifts me out of the mud of shame

And I blossom in the light of your smile

Your wisdom is brighter than the sun by day

And your peace is a cool shade upon my weary brow

I dance in the dappled shadow of your willow branches

And cup my hands to drink you up, oh water of life

Save me from the down-ward spiral of my self-loathing

Wash me clean and I will rest in your arms.

April 21, 2012

Reflection (The readings are below, for your reference)

In The Naked Now, Richard Rohr speaks of the two universal paths available to all humans: love and suffering; and in this gospel passage, Jesus acknowledges both with the assurance that love wins. Love always wins. Take courage!

Namaste

The Readings

Exodus 17:1-16 (NRSV)

1 Peter 4:7-19 (NRSV)

John 16:16-33 (NRSV)

"A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me."  Then some of his disciples said to one another, "What does he mean by saying to us, 'A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me'; and 'Because I am going to the Father'?"  They said, "What does he mean by this 'a little while'? We do not know what he is talking about."  Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, "Are you discussing among yourselves what I meant when I said, 'A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me'?  Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy.  When a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world.  So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.  On that day you will ask nothing of me. Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.  Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.  "I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures, but will tell you plainly of the Father.  On that day you will ask in my name. I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf;  for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.  I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and am going to the Father."  His disciples said, "Yes, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure of speech!  Now we know that you know all things, and do not need to have anyone question you; by this we believe that you came from God."  Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?  The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me.  I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!"

December 7, 2011

Reflection (The readings are below, for your reference)

The Dalai Lama once said “It is positive to want to go first, provided the intention is to pave the way for others, make their path more easy, help them, or show the way. Competition is negative when we wish to defeat others, to bring them down in order to lift ourselves up.”

In today’s passage from Matthew, Jesus says that when you encounter people who insist on their own righteousness, focus on what is important. Seek not to compete with those people, but rather to follow Jesus’s example. As St. Paul wrote “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

who, though he was in the form of God,

   did not regard equality with God

   as something to be exploited,

but emptied himself,

   taking the form of a slave,

   being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form,

  he humbled himself”

Namaste

The Readings

Matthew 23:1-12

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 'The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father-the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.

December 6, 2011

Reflection (The readings are below, for your reference)

http://unfolding-light.blogspot.com/2011/10/religion-of-love.html

Namaste

The Readings

Matthew 22:34-46

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 'Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?' He said to him, '"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.'

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: 'What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?' They said to him, 'The son of David.' He said to them, 'How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, "The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet'"? If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?' No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

December 5, 2011

Reflection (The readings are below, for your reference)

Lately I have been trying to practice living in the present. “Trying” is the key word here. Sometimes my trying is more fruitful than other times. However, this reading makes me chuckle at the utter humanity of the Sadducees; not content to live in the present or even the near future, they must micro-manage the after-life. This poor hypothetical woman, who must deal with becoming a widow seven times … surely she should be allowed to look forward to resting in the arms of a consoling God without fretting about earthly rules concerning marriage.

Gracious loving God, help me to see the ways that I over-complicate my present by fixating on the future.

Namaste

The Readings

Matthew 22:23-33

The same day some Sadducees came to him, saying there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying, 'Teacher, Moses said, "If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother." Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother. The second did the same, so also the third, down to the seventh. Last of all, the woman herself died. In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For all of them had married her.' Jesus answered them, 'You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob"? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.' And when the crowd heard it, they were astounded at his teaching.

December 4, 2011

Reflection (The readings are below, for your reference)

Elizabeth and Zechariah and John’s lives were certainly no less full of twists and turns, ups and down, than my own. What strikes me is that they ride the waves with trust in and praise for God.

Gracious, loving God, may I learn from the good example of my ancient relatives in human history. May we all see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, and follow thee more nearly, day by day.

Namaste

The Readings

Luke 1:57-68

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, 'No; he is to be called John.' They said to her, 'None of your relatives has this name.' Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, 'His name is John.' And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. All who heard them pondered them and said, 'What then will this child become?' For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.

Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy: 'Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.

December 3, 2011

On Thursday I went to see James Martin speak and he was SO FUNNY!! He referred to this very gospel – the one we read today – and he said something like, “Don’t you think the disciples saw this conversation play out and thought/said to themselves, ‘That’s a good one!’”

J

Namaste

The Readings

Matthew 22:15-22

Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’ But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.’ And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.