Holy Week is nearly done, but I can’t let it go by without sharing this thought: Humanity really doesn’t change.
It doesn’t. In spite of technological, scientific, medical and other advances, people remain…people. Holy Week slaps us in the face with that fact.
Yesterday’s Darling is today’s Outcast. Jesus rode into Jerusalem in triumph, to adoring crowds. He was (and remains) the Ultimate Influencer. One week after receiving a hero’s welcome in Jerusalem, he was crucified. Really, have times changed? He was the ultimate badass that the crowd loved, turning over tables and talking trash to The Powers That Be. The crowds couldn’t get enough of him. A week later, he’d been deplatformed in the worst possible way.
Today, we can consider any number of popular figures, politicians, leaders, entertainers, commentators, etc. etc. etc. and (whether you love or hate ’em) you’ll see how swiftly the tide can turn. This should clue us that human opinions have absolutely nothing to do with facts. (Pilate said to him, ‘what is truth?’ – John 18:38 or paraphrased in Jesus Christ Superstar by Pilate: “What is truth? Is mine the same as yours?” a profound question, and one that has stayed with me for decades.) The details change, but human nature hasn’t.
And really…what is truth? Why are we so quick to proclaim someone a Savior or Messiah – and then turn on them when WE don’t think they deliver like we think they should? It’s a paradox: We think we need someone/something greater than ourselves to drag our sorry rears out of the muck…but then, we reject that someone because they’re not what we expect or think we want. We get nasty and really, really ugly.
Fortunately, there is a Love that will save us from ourselves, in spite of ourselves. Being human is a privilege, a gift, even though it is a tangled, messy, crazy, emotional journey. Never forget that Love came down at Christmas, or the incredible example of love on Good Friday. Jesus joins us on that human journey, and reminds us that in spite of our human craziness, we are worthy of love. And we are loved.
And why shouldn’t we be? We are made of God-stuff.
In the beginning, was the Word. Our Creator spoke everything into being and began the cycles of life and creation that would bring forth each atom, each spec of being, each human soul.
What, exactly, are we made of? Whatever term you want to use for the Divine Creative Mind – God – had only Divine Self. Everything is made of God-stuff, and we are made in the image of that Creator.
We can be active co-creators of life and of our pocket of reality. We always are, whether we want to be or not. I hate hearing the media calling anyone “victims,” for it implies powerlessness.
While some circumstances are certainly beyond our control (sometimes feces occurs), our reaction to circumstances isn’t. Terrible circumstances can take time to overcome, and some cannot be overcome in this world.
Yet – we can decide how to face circumstances.
I remember when I worked as a Clinical Social Worker on the oncology floor of a hospital. I was asked to see a woman who had recently been diagnosed with cancer, and was refusing chemotherapy. My mission was not to “try to change her mind.” Rather, it was to provide another set of ears. Her oncologist and nurses had already discussed the clinical aspects of her decision. I was there to discuss the psychosocial aspects of her decision. Years later, I remember her resolve – and her peace.
She didn’t have an attitude of “poor me.” Rather, she was peaceful, and felt that her quality of life was of primary importance to her and her family. She was also a woman of faith, and knew that life continued beyond the physical.
Her choice wasn’t to lie down and die; it was to live fully for as long as she could. Contrary to what some might say, she didn’t just let life wash over her. She knew that sooner or later, things would get better, and reminded herself of it constantly.
When we were faced with something painful, mom would remind us that “this, too, shall pass.” I remind myself that “things are getting better” because eventually – they do, even though our brains may scream in revolt at times. Working on this mindset also puts us in a mindset of gratitude.
Magically, things eventually do turn around. We recognize the blessings that we do have, focus more on them, and find other things for which to be grateful. Things get better.
Why? Because you, dear reader, are infinitely creative, and made of the same stuff that God is made of.
Today is Mary’s 85th birthday. I’ve had the joy of knowing her – and singing alongside her – for about three decades now. Her birthday falls ON “Birthday Sunday,” the first Sunday of the month where we pray (and sing!) for those in the congregation celebrating birthdays in the coming month.
Leon chose an anthem arrangement of It Is Well With My Soul for us to sing, as it’s a favorite of Mary’s (the rest of the choir loves it too). She sang a beautiful solo on the first verse, and it was all I could do to come in singing when the rest of us joined in because it was so moving.
It is a hymn that bears special meaning, and when you know the story behind it, you can really understand why this song touches the spirit so deeply.
Horatio Spafford and his wife had already lost much – the death of a son, followed closely by the great Chicago fire and destruction of his business – all in the same year, 1871. Two years later, Spafford was planning a trip to Europe for himself and his family. A last minute problem with his business delayed him, but he sent his wife and children on ahead with plans to take another ship and meet with them in a few days.
The ship carrying his wife and four daughters was struck by another ship and went down. His wife survived, but his daughters did not. Spafford immediately went to join his wife, and it is said that he wrote It Is Well in the area where the ship carrying his family went down.
The melody, written by Phillip Bliss, is called Ville du Havre – after the name of the ship that went down.
After the tragedy, the Spaffords had three more children, with one dying of scarlet fever. They eventually moved to the Holy Land and led lives devoted to service.
Their story is incredible, as is their faith. It’s hard to imagine having such soul-ripping events – and still be able to say it is well with my soul. I don’t doubt that the Spaffords had moments of deep anguish and despair. But the words strike right at the core of what is most essential, and beautifully so:
When peace like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know It is well, it is well, with my soul.
It is well, (it is well), With my soul, (with my soul) It is well, it is well, with my soul.
(And the final verse:)
O Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll; the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend; even so, it is well with my soul.
You may also find the hymn listed as When Peace Like a River.
Peace can be like a river – sometimes quiet, sometimes turbulent and nonexistent. But whatever my lot, there is refuge in God’s promise. This line that doesn’t appear in every hymnal:
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life, Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
Sometimes that’s all it is, and all it takes; just hearing that whisper. We can cling to it as we would a raft in a turbulent river and hold on, knowing that somewhere at the end of that rope is peace, even if we can’t quite grab it yet. This is the promise of God, the promise of Christ, the promise of Love.
Happy birthday, Mary. And thank you for giving us a gift with your voice; a beautiful and heartfelt reminder that while hearts may be breaking and we may feel we’ve given up, it is still well with my soul.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God. John 3:16-21
The good news of Christianity is that we are forgiven through the sacrifice of Christ; Jesus suffered and died for our sins and rose from the dead.
This is wonderful news!
But…I’ve always had a teeny, tiny problem with this. If God loves us so much, why did God demand a sacrifice to forgive us? That just seems a bit…conditional.
Forgive me if my sick sense of humor wanders into the realm of the near-ridiculous as I can’t help but imagine a hypothetical (and somewhat Monty Python-esque) conversation….
God the Father: Sheesh. LOOK at them, will you? I’ve given them commandments, guidance, a burning bush, manna from heaven, and STILL they screw up. I’m done with humans; they’re all fit for nothing but the burning pit of hell!
God the Son: Oh, come on, they’re not THAT bad. Give them a chance. Maybe eventually they will figure it out.
God the Father: Hm. I don’t know…but maybe I could be persuaded IF they made a big enough sacrifice. But it would have to be big – I’m really not happy about them.
God the Son: I don’t think they are capable of appeasing you. Tell you what – how about I do it for them?
God the Father: Hmmm. Well, let’s see. How about you become one of them? Like, become human.
God the Son: I can do that.
God the Father: And…not in a life where you’d be a crown prince or anything. I know! How about you become…hmmm, how about a carpenter?
God the Son: OK, I’ve always wanted to make things out of wood.
God the Father: You can teach them what they really need to know: How to treat and love one another. I gave them commandments, but they still mess it up. Oh, and throw in some miracles and healings so that they pay attention.
God the Son: I can definitely do that. Hey, how about turning water into wine? That sounds like a good start.
God the Father: But, in order for me to forgive them and bring them home to me, you need to die a horrible, dreadful, painful, excruciating death.
God the Son: Um. Ahhhh, you sure about that? Well. OK, if you insist.
[end of conversation]
Image: Detail of Dali’s Christ of St. John of the Cross, 1951
WAIT! Don’t call me a heretic just yet, but I can’t help but wonder. Permit me to offer an alternative (hypothetical, of course) conversation:
God the Father: I’m upset. I know I gave them free will, but this is getting ridiculous. Look at how my people are behaving!
God the Son: They’re NOT behaving.
God the Father: Exactly my point! I’ve given them commandments, prophets, examples – I mean, look at King David, for Your sake, he sent his best friend off to be killed in battle and still I blessed him. Why don’t they believe I love them? Why don’t they ACT like it?
God the Son: I think it’s called “human nature.”
God the Father: Yes, but I made them in our image and likeness! I set up this glorious world and they keep messing with each other. I just don’t know what to do to show them how much I love them, and how I would LIKE for them to treat each other. They love living in the darkness! They need to see the light!
God the Son: Light… LIGHT! I have an idea! I could go down there…
God the Father: Hmmm, that’s a thought! You could show them how to live, how to love one another, how to forgive…
God the Son: Yes, and add some miracles so they’d pay attention. I am the light of the world, after all.
God the Father: Absolutely. But – they are fickle. How many prophets have they seen doing miracles and issuing warnings? And still they’ve ignored them!
God the Son: Well, I have an idea that goes beyond anything any of the Prophets did. Let them kill me.
God the Father:WHAT?
God the Son: Seriously. They need a really, REALLY BIG example of just how much they are loved. They really won’t believe it any other way. If they think that the ultimate blood sacrifice – me – has been given for the forgiveness of their sins, they’ve got to listen, don’t you think? That would be a real, heavenly, cosmic slap-upside-the-head!
God the Father: Hm. Wow. You know, that’s really not necessary for us to forgive them, but –
God the Son: I know. We’re going to love them no matter what, and do everything possible to get them all home to heaven one day, some way. But this will be a shortcut. If they follow me, they are following God. If they look at how I live and see me as an example, follow me and accept my sacrifice, they will be bringing home the Kingdom of Heaven on earth!
God the Father: You know, this could be a way to bring all of my creation into my fold – not just the children of Israel.
God the Son: Can you think of a better way to show them that God suffers with them? Like, right along WITH them, when they suffer?
God the Father: No, I can’t. But…are you sure you want to do this? You know I don’t require anything to love and forgive humanity; but I want them to realize how much they are loved, and for them to show and live that love. Doing it like this will wake them up…but…it’s gonna be bloody. And really, really painful. Those Romans are a real piece of work. Sometimes I wonder if the whole free will idea was a mistake…
God the Son: Well, you said yourself how off track they are. They have ignored the commandments and have been hurting each other. And the Romans are bad enough – and what about those Pharisees and Saducees? They’ve missed the point! Anyway, do you think the people would pay attention to anything less than a really, really BIG sacrifice?
God the Father: Good point. But you know…seeing the Son of God die a horrible death can’t be the end of the story.
God the Son: We’re thinking the same thing —
God the Father: Well, of course – we ARE God, after all! After you’re “dead” and “buried,” you’ll come back to life! Resurrection!
God the Son: Yes! Their bodies die, but they’re not sure about what happens after that. I can show them that death and sin are conquered. Rising from the dead? They’ve GOT to pay attention to THAT! That will show them that through me, they have life eternal.
God the Father: Perfect. If this doesn’t wake them up, I don’t know what will.
God the Son: One last thing: In the Torah, there are a LOT of commandments. Maybe we could just…simplify it. You know, love God and love your neighbor. They do have short attention spans.
God the Father: You’re right. I always have had fun with Words…. Let’s get the Holy Spirit in on this plan and get started.
~~~~~~~~~
So, there you have it. This might raise an uncomfortable question: Did Jesus have to die?
We’re so used to saying yes, He had to die for our sins!
But wait – did Jesus have to die because God the Father demanded a sacrifice? Was it atonement?
Or did he have to die because we humans just would not believe or accept God’s love for us any other way?
You decide.
*disclaimer: The warped theology presented here is purely the musing of this author and not to be interpreted as any official stance produced from her Jesuit education (it’s not completely their fault I’m a bit heretical), Catholic school studies or 30 + years in the Episcopal church.
Oh happy day! Tomorrow, one of my dearest friends is getting married. No, not a daughter or granddaughter of a friend, but Charlotte herself. I am filled with joy for her and Paul, and I am not alone in this feeling; everyone in their circle(s) feels the same.
This isn’t a first marriage for either of them. It’s one of those wonderful love stories, where two people who’d been married in the past (and weren’t even looking for a relationship) wound up falling in love. They grew close while working together for their church. While you’d think a “second marriage” would be small and quiet, I doubt if there will be a spare seat (or a dry eye) tomorrow in the First Methodist Church, and I wonder if the walls will be able to hold that much love and joy. We all want to share this happiness with them, and wish them well in this sacred space.
Charlotte asked me to sing, and of course I agreed. It’s a gift that I can give, and I am honored and happy to do something for this sacred day. I’m not alone – friends Cathy and Kerry have made magnificent new curtains and sheers for the Fellowship Hall (where the reception will be). Kerry will be playing the organ for the service. Other friends created and furnished invitations. Everyone wants to do something for the happy couple (in addition to squealing with delight and jumping up and down, which is what I did when Charlotte told me the happy news)!
We’re always happy for couples that wed, but there’s something extra special about this kind of situation. It’s unexpected, and it reminds us that God can surprise us with love in the most unexpected ways. But isn’t that a God-thing? Whether a marriage, or a new friend, or a kindness done by a stranger, or the companionship of a pet, God slips love into our lives when we least expect it. It makes me wonder if we don’t often tend to guard our hearts, and it takes the surprise element for God to kind of whack us on the head (figuratively speaking, of course) and say “HEY! Don’t forget – I love you!! And there ARE good things in this world! See???”
The love between Charlotte and Paul is a magical web that is drawing in all of their family and friends, blessing all of us. It’s a God-thing, for everyone who will let themselves be touched by it. In writing about it, I hope that it touches you in some way, whether you know the happy couple or not.
I’m glad I’ll be singing tomorrow, because for me, it’s a way to “cut lose” with some joy. Sometimes I feel so much love and joy I just can’t shut up. So once again, I am reminded of words from one of my favorite hymns:
Since Love is Lord o’er heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?
Best wishes, Charlotte and Paul, for many joyful years to come. We love y’all!
Last week, someone sent me an article with the shocking title “Church of England considers abandoning Christianity.” Well, the CoE has done some wacky things, but this?
I ignored the sensationalist headline and read the article. There is upset that the CoE wants to use more “gender neutral” pronouns. This, the author says, goes against Jesus’ teachings, as He referred to God as “Father.”
I’m a bit wrung out with pronoun quibbling these days, so please forgive me for rolling my eyes a bit.
I can understand where the author is coming from. I also think there is a lot of energy going into something that is….well (IMHO), a bit petty. (Now, if you want to talk about some of the other things the CoE has focused on recently, go right ahead!! But this post will focus on the pronoun discussion. God’s pronouns, that is.)
I’ve never had a problem referring to God as “He.” (I also don’t freak out if you refer to God as “She…” and please bear with me before you scream “heretic!”) I don’t have a problem (at least not yet!) with so-called gender neutral language as long as it doesn’t get cumbersome. To me, “God” doesn’t imply gender one way or the other.
In my mind, to assign a pronoun to God is to attempt to humanize that which cannot be humanized. And it’s natural for us to do that, for how else are we going to wrap our simple brains around the idea of God?
“But Jesus called God his Father!” Yes, and how can we possibly argue with that? Of COURSE God is our Father! God is also our Mother. God is much, much more than we can imagine. And isn’t that glorious?
Jesus alone intimately knew the nature of God, and – I would suspect – realized that our feeble human brains could NOT possibly comprehend this nature. “Abba” summed it up. So did Father. (I wonder how the audience would have responded to Mother)
I also wonder about the response if Jesus had said “Father and Mother.”
Although…perhaps his listeners would have gotten that. They would have been familiar with this creation story in Genesis:
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)
I’ve often encountered the supposition that the Holy Spirit is, in fact, feminine in nature. One could say that to categorize aspects of God as “male” and / or “female” is simplification. It is, but our human brains need simplification. And we naturally understand the aspects of male and female.
When you get down to it, we can’t fully know the mind of Jesus; but we can follow Him and study God’s word. While we can never (in this life, anyway) fully understand the whole nature of God, we can know that God is both Father and Mother, Creator and Birther, Redeemer and Comforter, a Glorious Mystery. We believe in the Trinity, and know that God is all of these and so much more. I really don’t think God will be offended if someone uses a wrong pronoun. Those pronouns are for our comfort. Remember: God often calls us to step out of our comfort zones.
This is just my opinion, but…to sum up God with a pronoun is like putting limits on what is Limitless, Eternal, and Beyond all Knowing.
Y’all keep on quibbling about pronouns, I’ll just continue to work on my relationship with God and pray for this broken world.
A friend made the observation yesterday that we all want the same thing: To live as we wish, and to be secure in our homes and to rear our children as we see fit. The only disagreement is “how do we get there?”
There was a time (not that long ago) that I would have agreed with him. Now, I’m not so sure.
I’m constantly hearing that someone else knows what’s best. “Trust the science.”
“It takes a village.” “Think globally, act locally.” “We’re all in this together.”
Heck, I’ve said all of that (and more) at one time or another. But now I’m starting to see these catchphrases as…feel-good fluff.
I don’t think that we “all want” to be able to live our lives, worship God, and rear our children in peace, according to our values. Sure, many of us do, and I would hope that it’s the majority. But if you can see what’s going on in the world, consider this: There are those who want to destroy this vision entirely, and they hide behind nice-sounding phrases.
These phrases include “gender affirming care at all ages.” (Nice speak for irreversible, destructive hormone therapy, puberty blockers and gender reassignment surgery – i. e. mutilation.)
How about “minor attracted person?” (That one’s simple: Pedophile.)
Then, there’s “body autonomy.” (Note: refers only to abortion, but not to making other health decisions.)
“We want to do the right thing.”
Yes, we do. The question is: Who’s your authority for the right thing?
Jesus answered, “You are all hypocrites. Isaiah was right when he wrote these words from God about you: These people honor me with their words, but I am not really important to them.Their worship of me is worthless. The things they teach are only human rules.’ You have stopped following God’s commands, preferring instead the man-made rules you got from others.” Mark 7:6-8
Watch out for those nice sounding phrases, and give them some deep thought before using them.
I was listening to early morning talk radio when a caller made me say “yes. Thank you for reminding us all.” The topic was the Great Question of Why is the World and the Country Going the Way it Is and What Can We Do? His response was something I’ve written about before.
We can be kind. Really, truly kind. We can be Christlike. We can show love.
Sadly, an oft-repeated response to this attitude is “thoughts and prayers are useless! It’s not that simple. Pollyanna! We need ACTION! We need new laws! We need a revolution! We need…” something.
We need God.
Really, truly, that’s all we need.
We need God because we are humans, and are broken, imperfect beings. Our society used to recognize this. The problem is that we no longer do. Everywhere we look, we are being told that the world is filled with victims, and “it’s not their fault.” We are told that we deserve XYZ. We’re told that entry level and part time positions deserve a “living wage.” We’re told it’s OK for some to do all the work and others to do none. For some, nothing is their fault; for others, it seems like everything is their fault! We’re told we can be “part of the problem, or part of the solution.”
And then we’re told – by someone or a multitude of someones – how we should fix it. We need to support X, agree with Y, take a class, put a sticker on our car and stand in solidarity with the Thing Of The Week!
Frankly, it’s exhausting.
Whatever happened to simple kindness? Whatever happened to treating people as you’d like to be treated?
Whatever happened to loving our Creator with whole heart, soul and being, and loving our neighbors as ourselves? Sounds overly simple? Are you thinking of “well, I do that, but as for these OTHER PEOPLE….” You’re missing the point.
None of us can change the world…yet we ALL can change the world.
See God in every person you encounter, for God is there. (I know, sometimes God is hard to see in certain people!!) It’s difficult; we are often stressed and rushed. But if we take the attitude that “these other people will NEVER do that!” then we’ve already lost.
Is there so much going on in our minds, in our lives, and on that blasted phone that we don’t have God present in every breath?
If we did, we might pass on that spark of peace to someone else, and you never know what effect that will have.
All any of us can “control” is ourselves – and that’s hard enough. We are misguided when we think that just one more regulation, one more law, one more company or organization, one more control, one more governmental program, more money, a bigger budget, etc. etc. etc. will make things better. These are lies and false promises, and I’m not being political here – this is spiritual warfare. “Good vs. evil” may be trite, so think of it as “God focused living” vs. “Hate focused living” if you like.
It’s not always easy. We can be going along peaceably, being kind, and then the customer non-service representative with some company sends us into a meltdown (I’m guilty). We can be accosted by a neighbor demanding we sign a petition / trim a tree branch / get rid of the dog. We can tune into media and be blamed for something we have no idea what they’re even talking about….
This is where we really need God. I can’t do much of anything about those situations – except try to inject some love and Christlike action into the situation. Will it change things? You never know. Maybe one time in a hundred it will…but that’s a start.
Two highly visible suicides this week bring that subject into the forefront for the time being. For survivors (family and friends left behind), suicide will always be with them. For those who live with depression, thoughts of suicide are often there.
For the rest of the world, well, we’d just rather not think about it, right?
I’m not practicing professionally right now (I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker), but keep my license current and never stop learning. Suicide prevention is a subject that people will ask me about, and I know in at least some instances they ask me because I’m NOT currently “working in the system.” So I urge them: If someone has verbalized thoughts of suicide, take it seriously.
How often have you heard “I just can’t see how someone can do that?” When someone takes their own life, they’re not thinking right. It’s not a rational act, no matter how much the Suicide may rationalize it. “I have no way out.” There is always a way out, a way through that doesn’t entail leaving this world.
Remember, that person is in a dark, dark place. If you can’t see how someone can do that, you don’t understand the darkness. Be glad you’ve never been there. And if you ever find yourself there, I pray you’ll hang on to a glimmer of hope that things can get better, and seek help.
Hope – and help – is always on the horizon.
If you’re one who believes that suicides are eternally damned, I ask you to reconsider your view of (and relationship with) the Divine. I recognize that this is a long held belief in many branches of Christianity, that suicide is “the unforgivable sin.”
That’s just bull. The God I know isn’t like that. The God I know can – and will – forgive anyone! Is the soul’s journey over at the end of human life? Of course it isn’t. The body’s life is done, and so are the physical limitations of the body. I believe one can ask forgiveness even free from the earthly body. I don’t believe that God says “too late, had your chance, muffed it” and zaps the soul into eternal hellfire.
Besides, deep depression has a physiological component. I’ve heard news-chatter over the past few days that “more people are taking antidepressants than ever, but we have more suicides than ever, so…they’re not working?” That’s a pretty simplistic way of looking at things. There is a great sense of despair, confusion, and uncertainty in the world – and we’ve become a more secular society (to the point of forcing God out of everything as much as possible). Hmmm, could the two be connected? The almost total elimination of the Divine from our public life is a far cry from “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.…” We don’t have a state religion, but God has been shoved aside in public life because heaven forbid we should bring, um, heaven into the discussion!!
Take time.
The explosion of antidepressant use has many reasons, and I think that one reason is that it’s no longer as much of a stigma to seek help for depression. Another is that we live in a sea of stress. Fr. Matt recently gave a sermon on keeping the Sabbath. We don’t really do that anymore. Even for families who attend church on Sunday (or possibly on Saturday afternoon for my Roman friends and family), the rest of the day is often taken up with work. And if you enjoy Sunday dinner, someone had to cook it.
The point here isn’t that taking a day off will prevent suicides. But perhaps reshaping our societal values so that we value down time and use some of that down time to reconnect with the Divine would help to ease the stress.
When was the last time you noticed the little things?
Take time to relax. Get outside or dive into an art museum. Read a book. Go for a walk. Go fishing and enjoy the world God made for you. Do something nice for someone else. Tell someone you love them. Listen for the still, small voice inside of you. That still, small voice may guide you to be an angel to someone else who really, really needs an angel. God can, and will, use us if we allow it, and if we listen.
Be kind. Smile at friends and strangers alike. Sure, we can show the love of God in big ways, but it’s the little opportunities that come up a lot more often, so smile because you’re a beloved child of God. Smile because we’re all in this together. You never know the inner battle someone else is fighting, and a simple smile just might make all the difference.
Today’s scripture in my Bible Gateway app is Deuteronomy 6:6-7. I recognize the Sh’ma and V’havta :
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them as a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house and on thy gates.
(Deuteronomy 6:4 – 9, KJ21)
A perfect followup to yesterday, when I was accepted as an associate of the Community of St. Mary, Southern Province. The Community is a women’s Benedictine order within the Episcopal church, and I wrote about beginning this journey here and about my first visit to “The Mountain” here.
Love the Lord thy God… When I was accepted as an associate yesterday in the presence of my faith community at Epiphany Church, Sr. Elizabeth spoke about the Rule of Love/Rule of Life. Yesterday, the readings were about the commandments. Jesus, as we know, summed it all up when He pointed out the greatest commandment. Paul echoed it when he spoke of faith, hope and love: The greatest of these is love.
Sr. Elizabeth, one of the nuns from the Community, was in for a visit and to give a presentation at Epiphany’s “Programs and Potuck” on the Benedictine way and the Community of St. Mary. She stayed with friends Diane and Vickie, and I had fun showing her a few highlights of the area on Friday. Our tour was filled with places born of love.
First, we spent time at Solomon House, which is Epiphany’s outreach ministry. This ministry grew out of the Brown Bag program, and serves clients with not just food for the body, but food for the spirit. Minister Ellen Nora is the director, and we had a great visit. I love and support the mission of Solomon House, but life is often busy and I don’t always get to visit there as often as I’d like. We saw the brand new client-centered food distribution, and I also identified a way for our DAR chapter to help with the ministry beyond our individual volunteer efforts.
Ellen Nora, Sr. Elizabeth and me at Solomon House. Deacon Diane and Solomon House were instrumental at bringing the Women at the Well program into the world.
Next, we went to the Rosary House in New Iberia. Here, handmade rosaries are offered for sale alongside statues of saints, holy medals, prayer cards and books. It is Roman Catholic in focus, but it’s all God.
Our next stop was Jungle Gardens on Avery Island, a favorite stop of mine when entertaining out of town guests. This wildlife sanctuary and botanical garden was born of Edward McIlhenny’s love of nature and concern for conservation. The Tabasco factory is also on Avery Island, and McIlhenny began making Tabasco sauce here after the civil war. Sr. Elizabeth was delighted to see snowy egrets as we wandered through the gardens. “Just wait,” I kept telling her. When we made it to “Bird City,” an aviary on the island, she saw what I meant. This sanctuary literally saved the snowy egret from extinction and today is home to thousands of nesting egrets.
Egrets at “Bird City,” a wildlife sanctuary at Avery Island, Louisiana.
Finally, we went by “Homeplace” – my own little corner of the world. Our time was short, so I borrowed Pop’s golf cart and Sr. Elizabeth, SweetGirl (my furry 4-legged child) and I took a quick tour. My husband was working in the yard, and my brother and Bubba were working in the garden – all labors of love.
Today is Monday, and if it is a typical workday I will face challenges. I will hold the medal I received yesterday as an associate of the Community of St. Mary, breathe deeply, and remind myself to love my neighbor (even if one is driving me nuts).
At least, I’m going to do my darndest. I usually fall short, but following a rule of life and love gives me some extra help.
Just for today…. I accept myself as I am, allowing Divine Love to work through me I am my own compassionate witness I allow myself to make beautiful mistakes. I ask for and receive Divine Help and Grace.
a samaritan woman 