Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 28, Give Up, Take On, Pray '24

    Racism, prejudice and discrimination still exist in the world, and the Jews have endured the longest continuous manifestation of this racism. I have written that we, as Palestinians, should face Israel candidly and say that we are appalled by the Holocaust, that we should open our hearts "and with a new, magnanimous attitude we should say to the Jews, 'We will accept you and share the land with you. You have suffered for so long. Come share our land. This is God's land. We will live in it together as brothers and sisters.'"    

~ Naim Stifan Ateek* 1937-

    After the discoveries and acknowledgement of the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust, a homeland for the Jews was understandably and sympathetically promoted for Palestine as "A Land Without People for People Without A Land," except the flaw in the ointment of the great repatriation was there were many people already there, a few Jewish people and also many non-Jewish people ~ Muslims, Christians, and non-believers. The debates, the wars, the persecutions, the walls, the barbed wire fences, the guns, the bombs, the bloodshed continue and escalate on a daily basis...and yet, a question always remains: to whom does the Earth really belong? We cannot take the land with us when we die but so many are willing to die ~ or to kill ~ to prove it. While this is one example, think Ukraine, Crimea, "Yugoslavia," Turkey/Greece, Russia/China/Mongolia, Asia, the South Pacific and Caribbean Islands, North/Central and South America, and everywhere the suppression of Indigenous Peoples occurs, etc. Religion isn’t the reason, like race, ethnicity, gender identity, extension of "ownership," and intentionally false propaganda, etc., it may only be a useful ruse to exercise power, domination, reap money, and, all-too-often ethnic/other cleansing aka: murder.

God of Heaven and of Earth, and of all the Universes known and unknown:

          We grieve for the pain and suffering, the torment and anger on all sides of this and every other feud over who can, must, should, shouldn't, can't live here or there. Deep as the core of this earth, the anguish belongs to everyone. We are all Your people Jews, Christians, and Muslims in particular are ALL Children of Abraham, but You created EVERY ONE ~ please, we implore, we beseech, we beg You ~ show Your care for Your children everywhere and help us learn to care for each other and to live together in peace, safety, and freedom. Open our eyes, our hearts, and our souls to see ourselves in each other's faces and especially in the faces of all of our children. 
     For today I must give up thinking more about fixing blame and take on learning more about the history of all sides of a conflict whether in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Asia, South America, Central America, and the entire world which, of course, includes my own country, my city, and even my family. I pray for the courage to support and participate with those who abhor violence in all forms and who will encourage dialogue to promote understanding among us all. Help us especially with the eternal question: Who really are my neighbors as Jesus specifically says we are to love as our selves? I entreat You through the Saving Love of Jesus the Christ, and the Wisdom of Your Holy Spirit, who live and reign with You as one, the God of Abraham, the Creator of ALL, for now, for tomorrow, for eternity. amen.


*The Rev Dr Naim Ateek is a Palestinian priest in the Anglican Church and founder of Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem. A former Canon of St. George's Cathedral in Jerusalem, Dr. Ateek is a much sought after lecturer at home and abroad and receives support across all denominations and faith traditions including those of the Jewish faith.  Educated at Hardin-Simmons University, Baptist University in Abilene, Texas; and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, a seminary in the US Episcopal Church in Berkeley, California, Dr. Ateek is a very well-respected author of a number of books and articles on Palestinian Liberation Theology, Dr. Ateek has been the recipient of many honors and awards for his work.

Naim Stifan Ateek is a Palestinian priest in the Anglican Communion and founder of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem. He has been an active leader in the shaping of the Palestinian liberation theology

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution and edited for local use as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com

Meditation Moment in Lent ~ Day 27, Give Up, Take On, Pray

― Anthony de Mello* 1931-1987

    If you knew that this would be the very last time we would speak to each other, would our conversation be different?  We have those moments every day with store clerks, shoppers, people on elevators, those we sit next to in church, at a concert, or sporting event. And then there are our families and friends. What feelings, thoughts, awareness arise if you realize we are all dying. A shocking thought! But it’s true. Some sooner, some later. Some at length and painfully, and some quite suddenly. Some will have a comfortably long life and quietly and peacefully go. Most of us take daily living for granted and yet none of us know the time or the hour [Matthew 25:13]. So let us all LIVE while we can with all that life brings and even all it takes away. Let us turn our eyes to the Creation that our Creator surrounds us with and look for joy in all the life within it, accepting those moments when joy must await our return, as return to it we will and we must. Let us live for those who can no longer and who want us to go on as they walk with us in heart and memory. Embrace LIFE!

Dear Lord of Life:
     You have given each of us this precious gift of the breath of life; what are we doing with it? Is it wasted on the young, regretted by the old, dismissed by those in-between who are too busy to recognize it for what it is?  For today, I will give up taking breathing and life for granted and take on the understanding and compassion that even if the next breath isn't my last it will be for someone. I'll pray for the fullness of breath that inhales Your love, patience, and understanding and with each exhale to disperse anger, frustration, and bitterness. Today may be the last chance we'll have in this life and any days beyond it will truly be a gift. Help us to not waste it by being oblivious to all the gifts we have, thoughtless about the needs of others, chronically cranky, and especially not forgetting to remember You.  amen.   


*Anthony de Mello was a Jesuit priest from India and a psychotherapist who wrote a number of books and made videos on spirituality with an eastern flavor. His first published book Sadhana: A Way to God contained spiritual exercises influenced by Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Long after his sudden death, then Cardinal-Prefect Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, convened a commission to study de Mello's work and seemed to find some of his writings and lectures theologically problematic.  There was a temporary ban on them for Roman Catholics which has since been lifted. Millions of Catholics and non-Catholics alike, however, have found great wisdom and transformational thought in de Mello's writings, many more of which were published posthumously. 

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution and edited for local use as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact:
Leeosophy@gmail.com

Meditation Moment in Lent, Day 26: Give Up, Take On, Pray

Holding on to anger is like drinking poison 

and expecting the other person to die. 

 

Holding on to anger is like holding hot coals you intend to throw at someone

but you're the one who gets burned.

 

Anger is an acid that does more harm to the vessel in which it is stored 

than to anything on which it is poured.

     All of the above quotes, in a variety of similar iterations, have variously been attributed to The Buddha, Mark Twain, Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca, 12-Step programming, and any number of contemporary authors. It is often difficult to pin down the actual origin of almost epigrammatic expressions especially when widely quoted. Nonetheless, whoever said them first, the consensus of the above is that anger is more dangerous to oneself than to others. Anger that escalates to rage and/or combines with desperation, however, can certainly be dangerous for everyone around.

    But not all anger is bad or dangerous ~ it's quite appropriate and justified, when it's directed at or a result of personal loss, instances of gross injustice, discrimination, economic hardship, and so on. It is how we use our anger, how we respond that makes the difference between poisoning ourselves and resolving an issue. Thoughtful response rather than impulsive reaction? Some days are better than others. How can I pull back when pushed over an edge? Counting to 10? Deep breathing? 

   So much depends on when and how the anger surfaces and who is pushing my buttons and what else is going on within me that may be completely unrelated. For one who is constantly seething over things small and large, “itching for a fight” consciously or otherwise, or keeping it all inside unexpressed with an all-gracious exterior, seeking outside help, pastoral and/or professional is a useful step in self-care.

  We all know that Jesus says to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. If I’m spending much of my brief life raging at others, even just inside, it says more about how I feel about me than how I actually feel about her, him, and them.   

 Dear God,
      There are days when I want You to be Your Old Testament Self ~ smiting and plaguing, wrathful and condemning, thundering, destructive, and vengeful, oh my! That gives me permission, sort of, to impose the eye for eye/tooth for tooth thing as I plot my revenge against a perceived enemy.  But mostly, I want ~ and need ~ Your New Testament Self in the form of Jesus who relieves my angst and anger and shows me a quieter yet equally satisfying path. For today, I'll give up attempting to bend my part of the world to my will by shouted recrimination or internal rage. I'll take on seeking more positive outlets to right injustice, overcome discrimination, promote understanding, or get involved with organizations that work to resolve large issues that affect us all. I'll also work toward calming my inner upsets, examining the why and how of what bothers me, and continuing my quest for the inner peace that will reflect outwardly. I'll pray for the guidance and blessing of the Holy Spirit, the support and friendship of a loving community of faith, and the collective wisdom and love of family and close friends. Oh, and I'll keep working on what I'm thinking about those other drivers when I’m in the car. amen. 

 

All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution and edited for local use as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com