Well it is July and it is a fairly cool July for the Dallas area.  It is a good time to have a vacation and let the world slow down.  Suzanne and I took a week to get away for a while and went to South Padre Island.  Each morning we would drive onto the beach and set up our chairs and sit and watch the waves roll in, take a little stroll and cool off in the water.  And each morning I would hear the words from the old Simon and Garfunkle song "slow down you're moving to fast."

Yes, I am and yes things are moving too fast.  We have moved into an age of information and technology where things just move too quickly.  I have an Iphone and so I am never away from instant communication.  I can receive calls, texts, emails and current stock reports (not that I need them), weather and the latest and most up-to-date new flashes.

There are some days when I just long for the time when we survived without answering machines, caller ID or call waiting.  I think of hand writing a letter to my parents and waiting with anticipation for their reply.  The closest thing to texting was writing a note to someone in class and trying to sneak it past the teacher.  And of course, the weather was what you got when you walked outside unless you had a trusted weatherman like Harold Taft to turn to.

In the past month both through personal experience and the experience of watching what is happening in the news I have come to believe even stronger the wisdom of my mentor, Fr. Rohr, that "opinions are under-developed thinking"; everyone has one and many, many believe they have the right to share theirs whether it is the truth or not.

All of that leads me to another reflection from my mentor, "Information is not Knowledge and Knowledge is not Wisdom."  Recently I have added to that saying because not everything that passes for information is even the truth.  And because of our current technological ability it is possible to distribute erroneous information or misinformed opinions very quickly and very broadly to the detriment of others.

What moral responsibility do we have to think before we speak, write or act?  What moral responsibility do we have to share truth in word and deed?  And is it even my place to share my thoughts or opinions?  Good questions whether we are communicating or receiving communication from others.  If we would know the answers to these questions we will first have to "slow down we're moving too fast."

The last morning of our time away as Suzanne and I sat on the balcony of our Condo overlooking the Bay a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky; a rainbow, from Genesis a sign of God's presence and promise.  I think I got the lesson there!

If you have ever been in the Texas panhandle you know that the wind blows mightily most of the time.  As a priest I knew of one of my brother priests who was walking to the local hospital only to be blown into the "bar ditch" by a strong March wind.  Tornadoes are fierce this time of the year as well.  So it might be difficult to distinguish between the natural forces of the earth and the working of the Holy Spirit.

In June of 1984 it was on a Pentecost Sunday that happened to coincide with the tenth anniversary of my ordination that I experienced the "wind of the Holy Spirit" blow through my life and I have never been the same since.  While participating in a Service of Healing at the Amarillo Convention Center, the Holy Spirit began to work on me and in me and through me as people came forward to be prayed with for healing.  It was the first time that I had experienced people singing in "tongues" and the first time that I had seen persons "rested in the Spirit".  The Holy Spirit took over my life and my hands that day and we began a journey together that continues even to this writing.

This promised "Friend" as Eugene Peterson calls him in the Message, or "Advocate" or "Paraclete" as the Spirit is so often referred to in scripture is Real and is in charge of the Church.  The Father has accomplished the work of creation and continues to allow us to participate in the ongoing creation of the earth.  Jesus the Lord has done a mighty work of Redemption and called us into the Body of Christ as beloved sons and daughters of the Father.  And now the ongoing work of God is being accomplished in the activity of the Spirit which we have all received.  Do you really believe that the Spirit will remind us of all that Jesus did?  Do you really believe that the Spirit will enable us to do what Jesus did?  Do you really trust that the Spirit dwells within you?  Do you have personal evidence of the Spirit's presence?

If ever I doubted the presence of the Holy Spirit, all that was changed on that day in 1984.  I learned of the power and prompting and challenge of the Spirit.  I learned that as Peterson translated it:  "You can count on it. From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I'll do it."  (John 14:13)  The key is that we act and speak along the lines of who Jesus really is and what Jesus really did. 

Pentecost was indeed the birthday of the Church.  Each and every activity of the Holy Spirit is a celebration of that day and of the immense love of God for his children.  The truth is, we are never alone and we never have to do this journey without the support of our gracious loving God.  Come, Holy Spirit!

Suzanne and I recently returned from leading two "silent directed retreats" at Casa de la Rosa
Retreat Center in Marfa, Texas.  This extraordinary place is also called "The Threshold" and
that is very apt for it is a sacred place of liminal space; a threshold when you are not in the old
place and not yet in the new.  It is a place to leave behind the anxieties and demands of our
everyday world and "be" in the presence of the Holy One, who holds us in love, extends to us
mercy and grants us peace everlasting.

Like the prophet Elijah of old I went there expecting to hear God speak in new ways to my heart.
Just like Elijah I looked for Him in the powerful dust storm that obscurred our view, but He wasn't
in the dust.  Then I looked again for Him to move in the mighty (70 mph) wind that blew across the
desert, still He was quiet.  When the rain blew through and the mountains were left covered in
snow, I thought surely God was there, but still He hid.

Just then the bell rang, the one that called us to the Chapel for prayer four times each day and
like Elijah, I recognized His Presence in the sound of the bell.  I remembered all of those years in
my past, when the "vox Dei", voice of God, called me to prayer and silence through the sound of
the bell and I knew that I was at home.  Home once again in the loving arms of a most merciful and
faithful Father; home again sitting at the table with my selfless and obedient Brother Jesus; home
again wrapped in the embrace of the Spirit.

In the silence there was peace!  And God spoke!

 

 

Happy New Year from Suzanne and myself!  It is our wish that this New Year will bring many blessings into your life and a much closer walk with our loving and merciful God.

From the earliest days of LTM we have used January 1st to mark new beginnings for our own lives and for the work of the ministry that God has entrusted to our care.  In this year of 2010 we will be celebrating 25 years of ministry through Life in the Trinity.  Our official anniversary date is in December but we are excited about all that we are offering this year in programming and all of the possibilities for growth and transformation that we will share through this twenty-fifth year. 

May God our Father hold each of you ever so close in His arms of love; may Jesus our brother walk every day and in every circumstance beside you; and may the Holy Spirit fill you with peace always!

 

Christmas Eve

This, the last day of Advent, brings to an end our waiting.

It has been my joy to spend a part of each day of this season learning from Fr. Richard and sharing with you and it is my hope that all of us have prepared a place within our hearts and lives for Christ to be born anew.

As you know by now I journal daily and while most entries are my thoughts, I often record quotes from others.  One piece that I have carried in the back of my journal for the past year is a benediction I received from the inward/outward site early last year.  This blessing says best what I would hope for all of you as the Christmas season begins.

A Franciscan Benediction

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

Amen.

One of the bessings of my year has been an opportunity to engage in conversation with many of those I would consider to be leaders in the Emerging Church movement. There is a lot of inaccurate information floating around about these men and women and that is a shame because it means that some of the wisdom they have to offer will never be heard because they are so often misrepresented by those who think they know what they are talking about but do not.

I am a huge fan of Phyllis Tickle. Read anything of hers and you will be blessed. And the same is true for Brian McLaren and for Tony Jones. There are others but this will give you a place to start if you are interested.

Before responding to Fr. Richard's reflection for today I want to quote Tony Jones, from his book The New Christians.

"When we took a break for dinner, I followed the group across the parking lot and into Papacito's. I ended up sitting across from Brad Cecil, and the two of us got talking. I can't remember the exact trajectory of the conversation but I do remember saying at a somewhat inopportune time, and in far too loud a voice, "The Bible is propaganda!" It came out even though I don't believe I had ever thought it before. To be honest, I was a bit amazed that I had even said it. Everyone else at the table looked at me, their faces betraying the thought "Who's the new guy?"

As one does in these situations, I began to fervently defend my position even in the face of Brad's stupefaction and his cries of "You've got to be kidding me! That's crazy!"

"Propaganda has a point and a purpose," I retorted. "It doesn't claim to be objective. It's trying to convince someone of something. It's trying to get people to join a cause, to join a movement. Isn't that exactly what the Bible is?"

" ............ It is a living, breathing document that makes a claim on its readers' lives.  It's like the pamphlets surreptitiously printed by Paul Revere and his compatriots in 1776 ___ propaganda in that sense. It's God's manifesto, Jesus' Little Red Book."

Father Richard gave homework today and it is a really good practice. Be sure to do it. He begins by talking about the Bible and he says, "When the Scriptures are used maturely, and they become a precursor to meeting the Christ, they proceed in this order:

1. They confront us with a bigger picture than we are used to, "God's Kingdom" that has the potential to "deconstruct" our false world views.

2. They then have the power to convert us to an alternative worldview by proclamation, grace and the sheer attraction of the good, the true and the beautiful (not by shame, guilt or fear which are low-level motivations). "Attraction and promotion," said Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.

3. They then console us and bring deep healing as they "reconstruct" us in a new place with a new mind and heart.

My teachers in 2009 were many and a constant theme among them was, in essence, Wake up to Scripture! God is trying to tell you something!

You know we kind of have it all lined out. We read a daily devotional, not unlike this one or Fr. Richard's, where someone else has exposed themselves to something that might shake them up a bit. And we let them pass it on to us. Or we attend a classs where Scripture is explored or we attend worship and hear the readings on Sunday morning.

But today we are approaching the birth of Christ anew in our hearts. That is an experience we need to have for ourselves. Fr. Richard closed his thoughts today with these words ...... "We are always the "stable" into which the Christ is born anew. All we can really do is keep our stable honest and humble, and the Christ will surely be born. The response to that could be "okay." But does that mean anything? What if the response was "how do we do that?" I would guess Fr. Rohr hoped for the latter because he gave us some homework. I did it and I so hope you will too.

Reflect: Find a Gospel passage that you look to for consolation and let it challenge you.

I did and it did! I chose The Beatitudes in Matthew 5. In that reading of the words of Jesus I experienced confrontation, conversion and consolation. This practice was very powerful for me. I will be anxious to hear from those of you who accept the challenge to hear whether or not other passages have the same potential for confronting , converting and consoling.

Fr. Richard has said for a long time now, "Either you let the Bible change you or you will change it." Which will it be for you?

The Three "Ps"

In his reflection today Father Richard names his "Three Ps", teaching that they can potentially prevent us from getting into heaven. "Power, Prestige and Possessions are obstables to God's coming. Why could we not see that?" he asks.

Years ago, I read an article by Richard Foster that I have been referencing since where he too names Three Ps. I entered "Personality, Place and Provision" into my journal at the time and wrote that Foster said "The simple life consists of the proper correlation of at least these three things."

Until today I never compared these two teachings. The connection is remarkable.

Provision .... all things necessary to carry on human life adequately. Possessions .... Mary refers to this as "the rich."

The Old Testament contains the promise of provision, "The Lord your God will bless you in all you produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be all together joyful." Dueteronomy 16:15 So How did something so simple become so complicated? We took the teaching on Provision and twisted it into a thing of our own making. "Love Jesus and get rich." Provision is good ..... but it is a limited good.

Place .... the mutually understood and accepted set of personal relationships that give identity to one's life. Prestige .... Mary refers to this as "the mighty on thrones."

Everyone needs to have the same expectation level of an individual's place and place should be viewed as a good thing. However, there is no abundant life until place is properly understood in role and function. We each have a part ot play and all are called to build the Kingdom alongside one another. There is no true and honest place in God's kingdom for "the mighty on thrones". Jesus taught us that in his refusal to be a king. We live inside of  a great misunderstanding of role and function.

Personality ,,,, refers to the inner person, expressed in certain determinate ways or habits. Power .... Mary refers to these as "the proud."

We are each unique and we are gifted with certain ways of seeing and being in the world. In Enneagram language we know that personality is both the best and the worst of us. We have a habit of feeding our own personalities while denying the personalities of others. So in pride we try to change those who are not like us. A serious block to living simply and possibly the greatest obstacle to human community.

The Question: How are power, prestige and possessions preventing you from entering the kingdom?

As I write today it is clear to me that the space between the "Three Ps" as named respectively by Richard Rohr and Richard Foster is the place of peace.

The proper understanding of provision has the potential to protect us from the misuse and misalignment of possessions.

The wisdom of a healthy concept of place can prevent the destructive arrogance of prestige.

And, the uniqueness of personality could be an inexhaustable source of creative energy and hope if we could only see every person's way of being in the world as a unique manifestation of God's creation.

It is disturbing to me to note the amount of time and energy I spend in pursuing my illusion of control. And, since I have tried to be very honest during these days of Advent let me say that control is my very favorite illusion.

In my office I have many, many things hanging on the walls. The west wall is adorned with pictures of some of the saints who are my teachers. Among the women are Dorothy Day, Julian of Norwich, Sister Mary Patrice Murray, Sister Joan Chittister and Teresa of Avila.  Joe and Father Richard have prominant places on the wall along with Francis of Assisi, Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen and others. And of course a great picture of my mom and dad is hanging among these I would call "the wisdom keepers." I heartily recommend all of these men and women as teachers about the illusion of control.

I have pictures of my grandsons that I change out from time to time with the latest and greatest hanging on another wall. There is one of Noah playing Joe's drum. Noah's joy is reflected as uncontrollable and as I remember the noise was beyond description. Will is pictured proudly standing at the coffee table overlooking an entire box of Cherios he has just emptied onto the table. And the picture of Sam reminds me that my own desire to hold and kiss his sweet face is beyond whatever self-discipline I possess. The little ones work diligently to teach us about the folly of this illusion we have that we are on top of everything.

There is so much more hanging in this treasured space, but the wall I want to draw your attention to now is the east wall. In a moderate place centered on that wall I have gathered a collection of pictures and treasures that represent my mother and my daughters. On a small card that leans against the last "studio" picture taken of my mom for her church directory is a note in her handwriting. She is quoting a line from one of her favorites of Joe's sermons ...... he said, "When you have faith you give up the need for control. Faith and control cannot peacefully coexit." This small card once marked her favorite scripture in the inherited Bible I keep close by.

I remember the day as clearly as I am present to this moment now, when my mom looked at me and said, "Suzanne it took me 88 years to learn that faith and control cannot peacefully coexist. Don't you wait that long."

Hanging next to that collage of grace is a fairly large poster that reads:

"The world in which you were born is just one model of reality.

Other cultures are not failed attempts at being you;

they are unique manifestations of the human spirit." Wade Davis

And a small retablo of Jonah and the whale hangs alongside both.

As I sit in my desk chair and peruse all that surrounds me, it seems clear that I intuitively know that I have a lot to learn about faith and control.

In today's reflection Fr. Richard talks about what he titled, "True Religion." He explains that all the great religions each agree in their own way that finally we are called to "transformed consciousness." John 10:30 is quoted, when Jesus said, "I and the Father are one." And then Richard teaches us with these words ....

"When world religions become that mature, we will have a new history, no longer based on competition, rivalry, cultures or warfare, but on people who are actually transformed (Galatians 6:15-16). These people will change the world, as Mary did, almost precisely because they know it is not they who are doing the changing. They will know they do not need to change other people, just themselves. God takes it from there."

That last statement said to me, "Suzanne, it is not yours to change other people or other cultures, just work on yourself."

The Question: How can you bring the gift of contemplation into your prayer life?

And my response ....... By realizing that I am not in control and that I cannot be connected to the One who is unless I simply show up and let God take it from there.

"A Feverish Desire for the Will of God"

Fr. Richard begins, "Religious obedience means a willingness to let go of the consequences on some level and to trust a Bigger Picture. This is what we see Mary doing here in the great annunciation scene. In the obedience of faith we do something because it is true at a deeper level, we feel called at a deeper level perhaps, and not because it immediately works, makes sense or shows likelihood of "success."

Joe and I are sixty-two and fifty-nine years old. We have gotten it right and we have missed the mark. We have been faithful and we have been controlling. We have taken turns with leading and following one another and we have walked side-by-side. But when Joe leads, we listen for the deeper voice. Of all the gifts he gives to me in our shared life, the greatest is that he listens for and to the deeper voice, the deeper truth.

I've had a lot to say over the years about the Roman Catholic church (both good and bad), and about the practice of religious orders in the past that would have boys leave home for seminary when they were only fourteen. But today I would say this .... those boys were provided with both the opportunity and the training to listen for and hear the deepest voice, and then to follow. We really must find a way today to teach our community, our friends, and the children of our friends to listen for a Word that comes from outside of themselves.

If I had the space here I would explore the world that surrounded Mary and her way of being in that environment, because she had an essential knowing that many of us lack.

• She knew how to make space in her life that could accomodate an angel with a message.

• She had the grace to both hear and trust the voice that was not hers.

• She was awake, aware and available.

• She was both curious and trusting.

• And she was free to be obedient.

That kind of "feverish desire for the will of God" is not unavailable to us.  It is, I think, hidden within the world we inhabit. God is here. God is now. And I think God is speaking.  But so often we are not here.  We are not now.  And we are not listening. Fr. Richard says, "People who are centered in God instead of themselves always hear larger voices."

So, because he is called, Joe will continue to teach Centering Prayer to all who come. We cannot hear anything deeper than the mere noise that surrounds us if we do not take the time to practice a new way of listening.  And we will have to be taught to expect a more creative Voice to call us by name.

The Question: In what way do you have a feverish desire to do the will of God?

Oh, that my answer would some day be ....... "in every way."

Joe will be teaching Centering Prayer at The Micah Center on Saturday, February 20th.  You can register on this website or call the center 214.366.3377.

Beginning with the Gospel reading for the day Fr. Richard sites Luke 1:7 ____ "But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years."

While many healing stories are recorded in the four Gospels, there are more healings of lepers than any others. Jesus is always healing lepers. Fr. Richard explains, "'Lepers' were people who, for some reason, were told they were physically unacceptable. They were people who were considered taboo, contagious, disabled, dangerous or excluded for all kinds of reasons. The message seems to be: 'You're not doing it right' or 'You are not acceptable as a member of society.'"

So, before their experience of Jesus we have barren women and lepers. After they are touched by Jesus the women are fertile and the lepers are again humanly connected. Richard talks about this transformation in this way .... "Barren women and lepers are, of course, stand-ins for all of us as classic "before" pictures. Fertile women and realigned lepers are also stand-ins for all of us as the triumphant "after" pictures."

The Question: Who do you know who has been rejected from your community and who you can reintroduce and thus heal?

It saddens me to say that I had lots of ideas about groups of people I might hope to reintroduce into our church community in a positive and vital way. But my heart is drawn to those who long ago experienced "before" Jesus, followed by "after" Jesus, followed by "whatever comes next" While there are the obvious groups who feel separated from church communities our elders seem to often be both present and excluded at the same time.

I suspect our insensitivity is because we just aren't paying attention. The elders in our own church community are well loved and respected. But I'm not sure we are conveying to them how important they are for our ongoing work and how necessary they are as our wisdom bearers. I know that my brothers and sisters from Cochran Chapel would say, "We would never reject our elders!" And to that I would need to say, "But are we sure they don't feel rejected?"

Do they know how grateful we are for their years of commitment to our community?

Do they feel that they have a full voice when night meetings are not convenient or possible for them to attend and our community makes most decisions at those gatherings?

Can they count on us to call and check on them when they miss a Sunday or two?

Do we let them know how grateful we are for the years past when the vitality of our community was defined by their generosity and participation?

Perhaps we just need to be really sure that all who are present are fully included.