Meditation in Eastertide: Tuesday, Week 5: Sometimes a Little Kick Can Help

April 30, 2024 ~ Tuesday, Week 5

We should ask God to

increase our hope when it is small,

awaken it when it is dormant,

confirm it when it is wavering,

strengthen it when it is weak,

and raise it up when it is overthrown.

~ John Calvin*

      Well, God, I think I'm a pretty hopeful person. But as I think about it in this moment, I'm not always sure what I'm hopeful about. When I was young I was hopeful about a happy marriage and great kids, a successful career and lots of travel.  Some of it has happened.  Some of it went a very different way. There were times when things were so bleak I didn't care enough to even want to have hope. But then, through no action of my own, hope blossomed again.

      SO, what am I hopeful about now?  Mostly, I want to be hopeful even when hope by itself  doesn't change things. Of course I hope for the usual list: good health, healthy family and friends, world peace, ending hunger and violence, etc. But so much these days, well, I guess most of the time, is beyond my control and that takes me down a path of despair, or, at the very least feeling disheartened. 

     I want to and hope to be a better follower of Jesus, taking to heart, especially His commandment to love You and all my neighbors and myself. Some days are better than others with those. At the very least, I know that when life is painful and chaotic, I can pray for the desire to hope and for, as Reinhold Niehbuhr says in his prayer, the wisdom to accept the things I cannot change and change the things I can**. And, when I am feeling hopeful, send a reminder for me to give thanks to You ~ an unexpected butterfly or a child’s smile, or the neighbor's dog who runs to me and licks my hand even with no treat in it! While I do know that You are always here, sometimes a little kick somewhere can help.  amen.

  

*John Calvin [1509-1564] was born in France and so would have been addressed by the French pronunciation of his name mostly lost to us over time, which is approximately Zhawn Cal-vawn. The ordained Calvin left the Roman Catholic Church and became a major player in the Protestant Reformation. His writings were contentious and he was influential in at least one execution. He and his contemporary, Martin Luther, had respect for one another early on though each had a differing theological view. There was a disagreement between Luther and a Reformer in Zurich, Huldrych Zwingli, over the interpretations regarding the Eucharist. Calvin's opinions on the matter caused Luther to equate Calvin with Zwingli. From those tempestuous beginnings, Calvin's theological perspective is seen as the major influence for the Reformed, Congregational, and Presbyterian churches throughout the world today. While not my favorite theologian, the lesson to be gleaned is that there is always something useful to be gleaned from reading and/or listening to someone with whom we disagree.

 

** Here is the full, original, unabridged Niebuhr text of the famous Serenity Prayer:  

God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed,

Courage to change the things

which should be changed,

and the Wisdom to distinguish

the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,

Enjoying one moment at a time,

Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,

Taking, as Jesus did,

This sinful world as it is,

Not as I would have it,

Trusting that You will make all things right,

If I surrender to Your will,

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,

And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

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Prayers of the People: It’s Personal ~ Sixth Sunday of Easter '24 Yr B

For Sunday, May 5, 2024; Readings: Acts 10:44-48, Psalm 98, 1 John 5:1-6, John 15:9-17

The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out, even on the Gentiles...Then Peter said, "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" [Acts 10:45, 46b-47]

    Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things...He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel, and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God... In righteousness shall he judge the world, and the peoples with equity. [Ps 98:1, 4, 10]

    Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child…For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments…for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory…our faith. Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? [1 John 5:1, 3a, 4-5]

    Jesus said to his disciples, "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love...This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you...And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last... [John 15:9, 12, 16b]

     NINE YEARS AGO, that is, in 2015, I wrote the following:  How intrusive is this [Gospel] message against the backdrop of mistrust, hatred of "the other," and the seemingly endless and rampant violence across the world and in our local communities? Them vs Us, You vs Me, This is Mine, You can’t do/have/be…is as ancient as Caine and Abel and never tires of repeating. As the reading from Acts tells us, the circumcised believers...were astounded that the Holy Spirit was given even to the Gentiles. Peter was clear that the water of baptism cannot be withheld from those who are different because they have received the Holy Spirit just as we have... And Jesus was even more clear: This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. I see no room for negotiation here. Yet we continue with judgment that is meant only to be God’s when the prevailing thought is those people are doing terrible things so how can Jesus possibly expect us to love them? Well, what we think he expects is irrelevant, he commands it. IF we believe in Jesus, then we must bear the fruit of God's love to all people, in all places, and everywhere. NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE THINKS ABOUT “THEM,” EVERYONE IS INCLUDED IN HIS COMMANDMENT! And yes, I am shouting!

    Today I find it more than disheartening to realize that things, nine years later, are now exponentially worse on so many levels especially in issues of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and politics ~ talk about lions and tigers and bears, oh my! ~ not to mention dragons and snakes and skunks. Yet there are some seeds of hope grounded in love, amidst the anger, frustration, and despair, that are rising up, beginning to flower, and showing great potential to bear sweet and sustaining fruit for sharing. I have to stop often to remember that Jesus didn't require us to "like" anyone, only love them. We are to seek not only Jesus but ourselves in another. "Oh, really," you say, "nothing of Jesus or me is found in THAT person." Look harder and listen more closely. What you and I think and feel ~ and say? ~ about those we label as them may very well be what they think and feel and say about us. We are likely to uncomfortably discover that we are not so very different from them after all. Maybe, if we go beyond the “Golden Rule” to employ the “Platinum Rule” those others might be slightly easier to love. What is the platinum rule? “Do unto others as they would have you do unto them.” If I only do what I want done for me how is that helpful to another? For example, if I invite you to dinner and fill the table with all my favorite foods without asking if you have preferences or allergies or serious dislikes, who is more comfortable? Is not Love for another to go beyond our wants and wishes?

     That said, the stark truth must be acknowledged: Our loving of them does not require ~ nor will it regularly result in ~ reciprocation. The dangers, fears, and tensions of the world will not suddenly evaporate because we are more intentionally loving people. Yes, there is evil intent in this world that no amount of love or understanding will resolve. But judgment belongs to God. As the psalmist says: In righteousness shall he judge the world and the peoples with equity. [Ps 98:10]

    As we listen, hear, and remember the Gospel message together, we can work as a team to learn and practice how to love, through the experience of intentional relationship. After all, even in a loving family, not everyone is happy with everyone all the time, but we work through it because of the connections we want to maintain. And sometimes we have to let go of the things we don’t like about another in order to sustain the relationship.  

    Of course, we are not called to pursue “relationships” with everyone, especially with those who intend harm. We are, however, to reconcile our first thoughts and actions through the lens of Christ’s love. It’s hard and often un-rewarding work in this life. Yet, we are promised much more than a rose garden for following Christ’s commandment. This life is short though it can feel endless when we encounter very demanding, difficult, and desperate days ~ and people. Feeling supported in the trials of faith by the presence of Christ and the Holy Spirit, and in community, we can come to believe that working to act in, through, and by love ~ first, last, and always ~ as best we can in this mortal time, is always personal, whether directed outwardly or inwardly. 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Christ Jesus, Born of God and Woman, as You chose us to be bearers of the fruit of Your eternal love, lift us from the shadows of doubt. Awaken our souls to follow Your Commandments to love one another and to fully abide in You as You abide in us.

                                 Oh Lord of Mercy and Faithfulness                                         

     RESPONSE:  Guide us to offer Love first, last, and always     

~ Christ Jesus, Born of God and Woman, grant us such consciousness of our gifts from the Spirit, that we hold ourselves and those who govern accountable, throughout this Planet, this Country, and this Community; acting always to uphold Your standards of righteousness and equity, on behalf of all people everywhere. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                              Oh Lord of Mercy and Faithfulness

                                              Guide us to offer Love first, last, and always

~ Christ Jesus, Born of God and Woman, lovingly embrace with healing all who are ill in body, mind, or soul, and all who give them love and care. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                 Oh Lord of Mercy and Faithfulness

                                                 Guide us to offer Love first, last, and always  

~ Christ Jesus, Born of God and Woman, with trumpets and the sound of the horn You shout with joy, as those who have risen above this earthly plain are welcomed to the everlasting peace of new life in You. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                 Oh Lord of Mercy and Faithfulness

                                                 Guide us to offer Love first, last, and always

~ Christ Jesus, Born of God and Woman, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

                                                 Oh Lord of Mercy and Faithfulness

                                                 Guide us to offer Love first, last, and always

~ Christ Jesus, Born of God and Woman,  we offer special thanksgivings for those among us who are anointed to teach and lead us in Your Word and Ways. Grant them continual renewal of purpose and endless replenishment of vim and vigor. We pray especially for: add your own petitions 

                                                 Oh Lord of Mercy and Faithfulness

                                                 Guide us to offer Love first, last, and always

The Celebrant adds: Almighty and Ever-Loving God, infuse us with the inner peace and fortitude to let the actions of our lives be the instruments of rejoicing playing new songs of faith and love, each and every day. We ask through Jesus, our Loving Redeemer; and the Holy Spirit, Your Truth; who together with You, are One God, now and forever.  Amen.

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Meditation in Eastertide ~ Monday, Week 5 '24: Catherine of Siena

April 29, 2024 ~ Monday Week 5

To show the love that we have for Him,we ought to serve and love

every rational creature and extend our charity to good and bad 

-- as much to one who does us ill service and criticizes us 

as to one who serves us. For, His charity extends 

over [the] just men and sinners. 

~ St. Catherine of Siena*

Our Risen Lord Christ, 

     We need Your help, more than ever, to live into Catherine's description of Your Great Commandment. When we feel maligned, insulted, or emotionally wounded by others, keep us conscious of the lives we touch and the similar impact we may have on them whether intended or not. Remind us to apologize when we have injured, and to hold back anger, un-judge, and respond with kindness in all circumstances. Guide our minds to love and forgive with You in our hearts. It is always the right place and the right time to remember the right teachings You give to us all.  amen.

*Catherine [1347-1380], the 23rd of 24 children, began having visions of Jesus at age 6. She had such visions often in which Jesus spoke to her and although she attempted to live a “more worldly life” for several years as requested by her parents, she lived almost a hermit life in her family home until she reached an age to live in a monastic community. She was a Third Order member of the Dominicans ~ a lay person, not a vowed member of the community but an adherent to its principles and rules. She was the first woman to wear the black and white Dominican habit. Catherine was a Scholastic Philosopher and Theologian and although never learning to read or right, she was no shrinking violet. Her dictated writings and thoughts to Bishops were so critically important in male dominated times, she convinced Pope Gregory VI to move the papacy back to Rome from Avignon in an extended time of conflict within the Church itself. She was named a Doctor of the Church (one who has shown significant importance in theology and doctrine) by Pope Paul VI in 1970 along with Teresa of Avila, the first two women so named to one of the Roman Church's highest honors.

  Only 33 at her death, Catherine's profound spiritual writings and tremendous political influence were highly exceptional for her times and she remains greatly respected today.

 

Of the 35 Doctors of the [Roman Catholic] Church, the other 2 women are St. Therese of Lisieux (also known as The Litte Flower), and St. Hildegard of Bingen.

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Meditation in Eastertide ~ Saturday, Week 4 ' 24: Here's a "Method"

April 27, 2024 ~ Saturday, Week 4 

~ John Wesley*

Dear God,

    It's seems too simple, John Wesley's Rule of Life.  Just do good, all the time, in all ways, in all places, to everyone for as long as possible.  But I realize that sometimes in the seemingly simple there is deep complexity. I must look deeply within myself to be conscious and intentional about my thoughts and actions to see where I am on track and where I am not.  

   Oh Dear God! I'm off track more than I'm on and I am in such need of Your help. I want to do the good You have called me to do. Having Wesley's words as a kind of mantra will help to guide me but at the end of every day, I need to return to You in my prayer. Please breathe the good of Jesus into my soul as the fuel to fire my life in Christ. Give me the courage and fortitude to spread the Good News through good thoughts and better actions throughout all the days of my life, for as long as I ever can.  amen.  

*John Wesley [1703-1791], born in Epworth, England, was an Anglican cleric and with his brother Charles, also Anglican, and Charles Whitefield, a Calvinist, were riding a circuit to reach rural areas. John's "method" effectively trained and used non-ordained itinerant preachers to develop small Christian discipleship groups offering religious instruction to effect social reforms, particularly in prison reform and the abolition of slavery. It became an evangelical movement known as Methodism and strongly influenced the Holiness and Pentecostal movements. John, however, argued against Calvinism, especially pre-destination, and he and his brother Charles, from whom we have the gift of many hymns, remained thoroughly committed to the Anglican Church and its sacramental theology. By the end of his life John was known as "the best loved man in England."

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Meditation in Eastertide ~ Friday, Week 4 '24: Struggle Transformed

April 26, 2024 ~ Friday, Week 4

 

The spiritual life is not the elimination of struggle; 
it is the sanctification of struggle.  
It is struggle transformed to wisdom.

          ~ Sr. Joan Chittister*             

When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. 

But when I grew up, I put away childish things.  

~ 1 Corinthians 13:11 

Dear God,
   When I was a kid I thought You were The Most Magic Person. You created the heavens and the earth and all that is in it, Adam and Eve and me! As I grow older I wonder more about You and discover that the more I learn, the less I know, although I now believe some things very differently. 
    I now believe that as life happens, so do the ups and downs, joys and sorrows, the routine and ordinary. I know that it's up to me to turn to You, to sanctify the days of joy, the days of struggle, and the days of nothing special. In the midst of terrible times I won't feel immediately better as the Magic You of my childish imaginings would have it. Yet through Your presence in my soul, the older me is more readily able, and sooner, to move forward, accepting the things I cannot change and living each day as fully as possible for the time that I am given. Perhaps in my times of struggle ahead, and by remembering to turn to You before, during, and after, I will more easily transform those times into opportunities for some wisdom. As I continue to work on entering and growing into a more spiritual life, I already know that there is peace and rest in the midst of questions and conflict.  
   As I grow older, help me please, to be more child-like in my faith ~ that is, unspoiled, open, with an accepting innocence, and less child-ish ~ that is, immature, stubborn, and demanding to have things my way and angry when I cannot. Let me remember always, that the Magic of Life is contained within my acceptance, perseverance, and Faith by walking in, with, and through Your grace. amen.

 

*Sr. Joan Chittister [1936- ] is a member of the Benedictine Sisters in Erie, Pennsylvania.  A noted author and lecturer, she is regular columnist with the National Catholic Reporter, and also contributes to other publications on-line and in print. She writes on the issues of women in the church and society, human rights, peace, and justice in the areas of war and poverty, religious life, and spirituality. She is co-chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women, a UN-sponsored organization creating a worldwide network of women peacemakers.  The author of more than 50 books and hundreds of articles, Sr. Joan has received numerous awards for her writing. Sr. Joan is slated to be a keynote speaker at the Discipleship of Equals in October 2023 in Rome hosted by Spirit Unbounded, a new international network for Reform-Minded Catholics.

 

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Meditation in Eastertide ~ Thursday, Week 4 '24: They Didn't Believe It...

April 25, 2024 ~ Thursday Week 4

The Gospel of St. Mark 

But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table...

~ Mark 16:11-13, 14a 

O Jesus,
      Some days I question everything. I can definitely understand why the disciples didn't believe the reports they heard that You had been seen alive. We can be a skeptical lot. Even though You told them, even though they loved and trusted You, still, it was beyond their experience and their realm of possibility. And now, today, more than 2000 years later I believe it when I read it ~ after all, these accounts have lasted for all this time. But I need help sometimes. While I can imagine You sitting at my table, when my heart hurts or my head isn't on straight, imagining doesn't always relieve me. Today, I'm fine, my faith is strong and so is my willingness to proclaim the Good News. Tomorrow or next week? Please, in those times, remind me to read again, to be with those so close to you who were also having trouble believing until they finally did when they saw you. I’m sometimes in the Thomas camp ~ seeing is believing ~ but I’m still ready to  proclaim that You are risen! Indeed and Alleluia! amen.

 

The Gospel of Mark is thought to be the earliest of the four canonical Gospels despite its second place in the New Testament. It has the flavor of a Reader's Digest Condensed/No Frills Book as it chronicles the highlights of the life of Jesus without much of the detail of the others. Biblical scholars disagree on a variety of aspects of this Gospel, especially the ending, and the identity and biography of the attributed author, Mark. Whoever and whatever, the words tell the story of the One we choose to follow. The details in and about the Gospel of Mark make for interesting reading and engaging conversations.

 

St. Mark is remembered on liturgical calendars of many Christian denominations on April 25.

 

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Meditation in Eastertide ~ Wednesday, Week 4 '24: To Be A Silly Goose

April 24, 2024 ~ Wednesday, Week 4 

To Be A Silly Goose

Why do we call a goose silly?

      Oh, I know we can tease children by calling them a silly goose in fun. And sure, geese are comically ungainly in their gait on the ground and seriously noisy in their conversations. I had to wait on the street one day while two were having a raucous discussion across the white line and I was trying to pull into a driveway. I beeped and they stopped, looked at me, and promptly went right back. After a time, I very slowly let the car drift forward and they finally, unhappily, moved but never stopped their "discussion!"  

      In a morning that is sunny and clear I love to watch as they are winging across the sky honking encouragement to each other. The V-formation is beautiful in its symmetry and its purpose. Instinctive, normal, practical. Geese travel together and when one can't go or falls from the formation because of illness or injury, two stay behind to help, to care, to be there until the downed bird can fly again or dies. Then the trio or pair join another passing formation. 

      Each leader leads for a time, flying just slightly above the others to increase lift and reduce the effort of the flock. Then that leader moves to the back of the formation and another leads for a time and then moves to the back of the formation, and so on until the destination is reached. Everyone takes a turn to lead. Geese are also monogamous and mate for life. If their partner dies they mourn and many never take another mate.

      With geese, everyone works together for the good of the entire flock. Hmmm, if only Humans would be better at that. Not so silly after all. 

      With all that in mind I'm happy to be a silly goose in God's flock!

      Dear Lord, help me to be a reliable part of the flock I'm in, taking my turns to lead and to fall back. Give me extra grace to be thankful for those who stop to care for me and to be even more willing to stay on the ground to help another knowing that I'm able to join another passing flock without any resistance to my presence. Geese make me look silly ~ in formation and leadership they are a model of Your vision for the rest of us. Of course like the rest of us they can be unruly, occasionally noisy, and very messy! Yet my prayer is for the awareness of the lessons of interconnectedness and interdependence that You provide for us to see, understand, and reflect in each and every part of Your Creation.  amen.

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