Today, October 19th, the Church in the U.S. celebrates the witness and sacrifice offered by Jesuits and their companions in their mission to the Hurons and neighboring tribes in the North East of what would become the U.S. and Canada.
From Wikipedia:
The North American Martyrs, also known as the Canadian Martyrs, were eight Jesuit missionaries from Sainte-Marie among the Hurons, who were martyred in the 17th century in Canada and Upstate New York. The Martyrs are St. Jean de Brébeuf (1649),[1] St. Noël Chabanel (1649),[2] St. Antoine Daniel (1648),[3] St. Charles Garnier (1649),[2] St. René Goupil (1642),[4] St. Isaac Jogues (1646),[5] St. Jean de Lalande (1646),[6] and St. Gabriel Lalemant (1649).[1]
The readings for today turn our attention to Jesus' teaching about the dangers of greed:
Gospel
Lk 12:13-21
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”
He replied to him,
“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”
Then he said to the crowd,
“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
Then he told them a parable.
“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?’
And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’
But God said to him,
‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself
but is not rich in what matters to God.”
Monday, October 19, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Jesus: the ideal "holding environment"
Today's gospel passage is jammed with a variety of Jesus' teachings. These were probably a collection of distinct sayings, each of which situated in a unique context with a particular audience. The overall feel of Jesus' tone is a balancing act of challenge and comfort, a balance that I think is ideal for both keeping us on our toes and at the same time, supporting us through trials. It leads me to think of how I often meet people who claim to have a very close relationship with Jesus, telling me that he is always offering them consolation and healing... sacred balm to soothe them. I must admit, this has not been my personal experience. Don't get me wrong, Jesus does provide strength, comfort, and encouragement when I turn to him in prayer and listen carefully, but not all the time. Sometimes, I find Jesus gently but firmly instigating me, poking my pride, trying to soften my ego and open me up further to loving and being loved. I wonder if it is possible to have a healthy, adult relationship with Jesus unless we are open to both dynamics in our prayer- consolation and challenge?
Years ago, D.W. Winnicott coined the term, the "holding environment" to describe the ideal context in which infants and small children grow. It entailed having a "good enough mother," who nurtures her baby, but not so much so that the child doesn't have to learn to negotiate his/her impulses and eventually develop a distinct sense of self. Developmentalists like Piaget and Kegan pick up on this notion and extend it to the way that adults will continue to grow and mature as long as there is a good balance of developmental supports and challenges in life... which leads me back to Jesus.
In a profound sense, our relationship with Jesus can serve as a sort of ultimate holding environment, so long as we are open to being both supported and challenged by his witness, his teaching, and his Divine Presence.
Luke 12:1-7
At that time:
So many people were crowding together
that they were trampling one another underfoot.
Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples,
“Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.
“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors
will be proclaimed on the housetops.
I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but after that can do no more.
I shall show you whom to fear.
Be afraid of the one who after killing
has the power to cast into Gehenna;
yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.”
Years ago, D.W. Winnicott coined the term, the "holding environment" to describe the ideal context in which infants and small children grow. It entailed having a "good enough mother," who nurtures her baby, but not so much so that the child doesn't have to learn to negotiate his/her impulses and eventually develop a distinct sense of self. Developmentalists like Piaget and Kegan pick up on this notion and extend it to the way that adults will continue to grow and mature as long as there is a good balance of developmental supports and challenges in life... which leads me back to Jesus.
In a profound sense, our relationship with Jesus can serve as a sort of ultimate holding environment, so long as we are open to being both supported and challenged by his witness, his teaching, and his Divine Presence.
Luke 12:1-7
At that time:
So many people were crowding together
that they were trampling one another underfoot.
Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples,
“Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.
“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors
will be proclaimed on the housetops.
I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but after that can do no more.
I shall show you whom to fear.
Be afraid of the one who after killing
has the power to cast into Gehenna;
yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.”
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Theresa of Avila and Blog Action Day
Today in the Church we remember St. Theresa of Avila, the great 16th century Spanish mystic, reformer, and founder of the Discalced Carmelites. It is also "Blog Action Day," when 7000 of us bloggers around the world are drawing attention to issues of climate change. How, you may wonder, might these two issues be connected? A very good question...
Theresa was not the most likely mystic, entering the convent because of the comfortable life it would afford her. Religious life at that time was rather lax and indulgent. But almost against her will, Theresa began to experience rather intense visions and physical sensations in her prayer-- experiences of God prompting her to simplify and purify her life and eventually to reform the Carmelite order through the embrace of an austere and deeply contemplative way of life. Eventually, John of the Cross, another 16th Century Spanish mystic follows in her footsteps.
While there is tremendous debate about climate change-- it is hard to argue with the idea that excessive materialism and over-consumption do have a destructive effect on both the planet and on our quality of life. When we take a step back and pay attention to our experience, it is the simple things of life that are most satisfying: time with people we love, the pleasure of nature, the experience of beauty, expressing ourselves creatively, putting ourselves in the service of causes and commitments bigger than ourselves. Perhaps Theresa's inspiration to reform her life and the life of her order through the embrace of greater simplicity could lead us to greater happiness, and support the well-being of the planet?
If you are interested in some of the major efforts regarding climate change or the debates going on, consider checking the out the U.N. site for the climate change conference coming up:
http://en.cop15.dk/
Theresa was not the most likely mystic, entering the convent because of the comfortable life it would afford her. Religious life at that time was rather lax and indulgent. But almost against her will, Theresa began to experience rather intense visions and physical sensations in her prayer-- experiences of God prompting her to simplify and purify her life and eventually to reform the Carmelite order through the embrace of an austere and deeply contemplative way of life. Eventually, John of the Cross, another 16th Century Spanish mystic follows in her footsteps.
While there is tremendous debate about climate change-- it is hard to argue with the idea that excessive materialism and over-consumption do have a destructive effect on both the planet and on our quality of life. When we take a step back and pay attention to our experience, it is the simple things of life that are most satisfying: time with people we love, the pleasure of nature, the experience of beauty, expressing ourselves creatively, putting ourselves in the service of causes and commitments bigger than ourselves. Perhaps Theresa's inspiration to reform her life and the life of her order through the embrace of greater simplicity could lead us to greater happiness, and support the well-being of the planet?
If you are interested in some of the major efforts regarding climate change or the debates going on, consider checking the out the U.N. site for the climate change conference coming up:
http://en.cop15.dk/
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Getting Going Again...
Our intention was to bring together the concepts and principles of Ken Wilber's Integral Theory, the insights and practices of contemplative Christianity, and notions of the emerging church. Richard Rohr is well known voice for a progressive Catholicism, rooted deeply in the Scriptures and inspired by the vision of Vatican II. His focus on the retreat was the importance of a non-dual way of seeing and making meaning of the world-- a way of knowing that grows out of contemplative experiences of prayer and self-transcending ways of living. My contribution was in introducing and guiding people in the practice of methods of Ignatian prayer, and in a form of spiritual exercise that is known as "shadow work," wherein we identify and re-integrate aspects of ourselves that have been split off over time.
Of course, all of these aspects of the retreat would take a long time to explain... longer than I have today. But I wanted to at least drop a line and get back into the habit of writing on a daily basis.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Away for a week...
Hello friends,
Will be away at Boulder Integral giving a retreat with friends Richard Rohr, OFM, Sr. Terri Monroe, RSCJ, and Rollie Stanich this week. Please keep us in your prayers! If I manage to find to blog, I will be surprised.
Blessings and peace,
David
Will be away at Boulder Integral giving a retreat with friends Richard Rohr, OFM, Sr. Terri Monroe, RSCJ, and Rollie Stanich this week. Please keep us in your prayers! If I manage to find to blog, I will be surprised.
Blessings and peace,
David
Living in the Present Moment: Abandonment to Divine Providence #4
This past weekend I had the pleasure of many deep and nourishing conversations. One of these chats over a meal of Chinese seafood centered on the topic at hand: the value of living in the present moment. One of the friends expressed concern that the current popularity of the notion of living in the now misses the essential quality of being in a conscious relationship with the Divine. He suggested that the difference between meditation in the style of Zen, for instance, does not pay attention to the Other, and thus is not really prayer.
There may be some truth to this, though I welcome any Zen practitioners to weigh in. While it is my understanding and experience that such meditative practices do not pay attention to the Divine other, I must admit, there are many types of theistic prayer that seem to forget that their is a Personal reality on the other end of the line, so to speak... that God is always more than we imagine.
It is also my experience that when open and attentive to the moment, a profound sense of Presence becomes manifest. This happened this weekend as I was driving. I began by listening to the radio, but losing stations in the mountains, I shut the radio off and continued in silence. As I paid attention to the moment-- the rain falling, the road unfolding before me, the sound of the wind, the colors of the trees-- I found a stillness open up inside me that was anything but empty. It felt indeed like a presence had become manifest, like the presence of an old friend. And the effect of this presence was a spontaneous feeling of gratitude, peacefulness, and desire to express this, which I did outloud in the form of prayer.
So, perhaps living fully attentive to the moment is in some ways and for some people a dimension of prayer, and opening up to the transcendence that is in, through, and beyond all things. This reminds me of a poem by Denise Levertov.
from the rainy nights
from the imagination finding
itself and more than itself
alone and more than alone
at the bottom of the well where the moon lives,
can you pull me
into December? a lowland
of space, perception of space
towering of shadows of clouds blown upon
clouds over
new ground, new made
under heavy December footsteps? the only
way to live?
The flawed moon
acts on the truth, and makes
an autumn of tentative
silences.
You lived, but somewhere else,
your presence touched others, ring upon ring,
and changed. Did you think
I would not change?
The black moon
turns away, its work done. A tenderness,
unspoken autumn.
We are faithful
only to the imagination. What the
imagination
seizes
as beauty must be truth. What holds you
to what you see of me is
that grasp alone.
Denise Levertov
There may be some truth to this, though I welcome any Zen practitioners to weigh in. While it is my understanding and experience that such meditative practices do not pay attention to the Divine other, I must admit, there are many types of theistic prayer that seem to forget that their is a Personal reality on the other end of the line, so to speak... that God is always more than we imagine.
It is also my experience that when open and attentive to the moment, a profound sense of Presence becomes manifest. This happened this weekend as I was driving. I began by listening to the radio, but losing stations in the mountains, I shut the radio off and continued in silence. As I paid attention to the moment-- the rain falling, the road unfolding before me, the sound of the wind, the colors of the trees-- I found a stillness open up inside me that was anything but empty. It felt indeed like a presence had become manifest, like the presence of an old friend. And the effect of this presence was a spontaneous feeling of gratitude, peacefulness, and desire to express this, which I did outloud in the form of prayer.
So, perhaps living fully attentive to the moment is in some ways and for some people a dimension of prayer, and opening up to the transcendence that is in, through, and beyond all things. This reminds me of a poem by Denise Levertov.
Everything That Acts Is Actual
From the tawny lightfrom the rainy nights
from the imagination finding
itself and more than itself
alone and more than alone
at the bottom of the well where the moon lives,
can you pull me
into December? a lowland
of space, perception of space
towering of shadows of clouds blown upon
clouds over
new ground, new made
under heavy December footsteps? the only
way to live?
The flawed moon
acts on the truth, and makes
an autumn of tentative
silences.
You lived, but somewhere else,
your presence touched others, ring upon ring,
and changed. Did you think
I would not change?
The black moon
turns away, its work done. A tenderness,
unspoken autumn.
We are faithful
only to the imagination. What the
imagination
seizes
as beauty must be truth. What holds you
to what you see of me is
that grasp alone.
Denise Levertov
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Living in the Now: Abandonent to Divine Providence #3
Today is the feast of Therese of Lisieux, the "little flower." As a cloistered Carmelite, her spirituality and her personal disposition fostered an instinct for living in the moment, for doing one thing well, and for appreciating how each creature in creation has its own unique part to play-- however humble. She was wrote once, "The splendor of the rose and the whitness of the lily do not rob the little violet of it’s scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.”
Have we discovered the inner peace, passion, and groundedness that come from finding our own unique voice in the big scheme of things? Just as living in the present moment demands letting go of the past and surrendering control over the future, it also involves letting go of our grandiosity and/or our excessive modesty. By this I mean, am I able to accept the task or duty that the present moment is presenting to me, no matter how great or small that task may be? It may be as simple as pushing my chair in after I have finished eating, or as great as surrendering my life on behalf of another. More likely, it is somewhere in between. Therese' insight is that simple things done with great love, thoughtfulness, and self-forgetfulness are a path to holiness.
Could it be so simple? Yes!
Have we discovered the inner peace, passion, and groundedness that come from finding our own unique voice in the big scheme of things? Just as living in the present moment demands letting go of the past and surrendering control over the future, it also involves letting go of our grandiosity and/or our excessive modesty. By this I mean, am I able to accept the task or duty that the present moment is presenting to me, no matter how great or small that task may be? It may be as simple as pushing my chair in after I have finished eating, or as great as surrendering my life on behalf of another. More likely, it is somewhere in between. Therese' insight is that simple things done with great love, thoughtfulness, and self-forgetfulness are a path to holiness.
Could it be so simple? Yes!
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