email: whitpresby@charterinternet.com
Spiritual readings "Greetings from Whittier Presbyterian Church"
February 2005
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“Nothing but love…” Friendly Persuasion |
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U.S. News & World Report on Prayer |
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Thomas Cahill on need for Spirituality |
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“Sleeping With Bread” title story |
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Pine tree crosses |
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“Six Feet Under” reflection |
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James B. Nelson “God in dailiness” |
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Karl Menninger on love needed for healing |
Sometimes we need to ‘let ourselves off the hook’ so to speak. Here’s a reflection by the main character, Jess Birdwell, in the novel “The Friendly Persuasion” by Jessamyn West, Harcourt, Inc. publishers, 1940 & 1973. This comes at the end of the book, a picture of Quaker life in 19th century America. Homer is a 12 year old retarded boy whom Jess has befriended.
“Then, while he ate and drank, the meaning he had searched for that afternoon , and maybe his whole life, seemed to shape itself. He took a last bite of bread, a last sup of tea.
“Eliza,” he said, “I’m eighty years old. All my life I’ve been trying one way or another to do people good. Whether that was right or not, I don’t know, but it comes over me now that I’m excused from all that. I loved Homer, but I tried to do him good…the way I see it now, that was wrong, that was where I’s led astray. From now on, Eliza, I don’t figure there’s a thing asked of me but to love my fellow men.”
He got up from the table and went to the window. The earlier resplendence of the sky had faded, leaving only a small finger-shaped stretch of yellow light to show where the sun had been and where it had set. But the coming of dark had never dispirited Jess, and he spoke now with cheerfulness. “No, Eliza,” he said, “as far as I can see, there’s not another thing asked of me, from this day forward.”
Nothing to do but love our fellow human beings. Not a bad philosophy of life. It may sound confusing to seem to contrast “doing good” with loving, but think about it a minute. What we perceive as good may not be so for the one to whom we are doing it. The expression ‘do-gooder’ is rooted in this reality. Sometimes loving someone means doing absolutely nothing to them or for them, just loving them as they are. Not always an easy lesson, but God can teach us is we are willing.
May you be willing to be taught this day something of what it means to love another.
Grace & peace
Geoff
U.S. News & World Report had an article on prayer in its Dec. 20, 2004 issue. It was written by Jeffery L. Sheler. I liked the concluding two paragraphs and want to share them with you.
“As devoted to prayer as Americans may be, many continue to wrestle with vexing questions: Why are some prayers answered and others not” If prayer is a dialogue, who does God remain silent? C. S. Lewis, the 20th Century British author and Christian apologist, once wrote that prayer “is either a sheer illusion or a personal contact between embryonic, incomplete persons (ourselves) and the utterly concrete Person.” More important to Lewis than whether or how God answers prayer was the realization that “in (prayer) God shows himself to us.” That Jesus’s own prayer in the garden (“Let this cup pass from me”) was not granted, Lewis continued, suggests that the notion of prayer as “a sort of infallible gimmick” may be dismissed.”
“So if there are no guarantees that our prayers will be answered, why do we continue to pray? Perhaps it is as William James, the renowned American philosopher, responded a century ago: “The reason why we pray is simply that we cannot help praying.” We continue to be drawn to what (is called) a ‘universal language’ that we are ‘always just beginning to fathom.’ And it is in learning and speaking the language of prayer that we discover the depth and breadth of what it means to be human.”
I liked the phrase, “We cannot help praying” as it captured for me a description of how I function. Prayer springs up from me at surprising times, as well as in my daily devotional routines. “We cannot help praying” tells me we were created that way, created to be in conversation with our creator, or whatever you want to call the object of that prayer we cannot help but offer.
May you find yourself drawn into prayer this day.
Grace & peace
Geoff
In preparation for the Companions retreat later this month (see link below) I’ve been steeping myself in things Celtic, getting out my collection of Celtic music, designing a needlepoint pillow with Celtic elements and reading the book “How the Irish Saved Civilization” by Thomas Cahill, Anchor Books, 1995. Cahill concludes the book with this material.
“As we, the people of the First World, the Romans of the twentieth century, look out across our Earth, we see some signs for hope, many more for despair…”
“Perhaps history is always divided into Romans and Catholics—or, better, catholics. The Romans are the rich and powerful who run things their way and must always accrue more because they instinctively believe that there will never be enough to go around; the catholics, as their name implies, are universalists who instinctively believe that all humanity makes one family, that every human being is an equal child of God, and that God will provide. The twenty-first century, prophesied Malraux, will be spiritual or it will not be. If our civilization is to be saved—forget about our civilization—if WE are to be saved, it will not be by Romans but by saints.”
Another reminder of the crisis our time faces. By his definitions, are you Roman or catholic? As we grow in faith, we find more and more ways we can make a difference in the world around us. How does your faith help you? Where are you making a difference?
Grace & peace
Geoff
One of the better books I’ve read lately is “Sleeping with Bread” by Matthew & Dennis Linn and Sheila Fabricant Linn, Paulist Press, 1995. See my email for Jan. 21, 2005 for a previous use of this book. Here is the story of where they get their title.
“During the bombing raids of World War II, thousands of children were orphaned and left to starve. The fortunate ones were rescued and placed in refugee camps where they received food and good care. But many of these children who had lost so much could not sleep at night. They feared waking up to find themselves once again homeless and without food. Nothing seemed to reassure them. Finally, someone hit upon the idea of giving each child a piece of bread to hold at bedtime. Holding their bread, these children could finally sleep in peace. All through the night the bread reminded them, “Today I ate and I will eat again tomorrow.”
That puts a different spin on “one day at a time” doesn’t it? The book goes on to describe a very simple prayer technique, described in my Jan. 21 email. But the image of sleeping with bread, especially when applied to Jesus’ words in Matthew 4:4, (part of this Sunday’s gospel lesson) makes for a great image. What kind of ‘bread’ do you sleep with? What nourishes your life, whether you are awake or sleeping?
May you find the assurance of God’s grace you need this day.
Grace & peace
Geoff
I don’t usually send these kinds of things around. I figure you all get enough of them already. But this one caught my attention. It has a Lenten or Spring feel to it, so I thought I’d make an exception. Go to this web site and you will see it unfold, complete with musical accompaniment.
http://wandascountryhome.com/pinetrees/index.html
The cross remains the focus of our Christian Lenten reflections. May you find occasional references to Jesus’ cross in your day.
Grace & peace
Geoff
I wonder how many of you have ever seen an episode of the HBO series “Six Feet Under.” Some time ago my wife brought home the DVDs of the first season and when I took the time to sit still and watch them, I was captivated. Here is part of an article about the series from the Nov. 2, 2004 Christian Century Magazine. It is written by Thomas Lynch, described in the article as an essayist, poet and funeral director. This quote is at the end of the article and I found it not only poetic, but also insightful about the varieties of attitudes in the church and in our society.
“Like funeral directors of a certain stripe, Christians of a certain kind will find the show impossible to watch. Its frank language, occasional nudity, gay, lesbian and bisexual plots and subplots are, for a fair few of the viewing public, deal breakers. And more’s the pity. That homosexuals really kiss, really fight, really struggle with intimacy and anger, faith and infidelities is a familiarity that breeds contempt in huge portions of our religious citizenry. That sex can be addictive, love can hurt, faith is often shaky and Whomever Is in Charge Here has a dark sense of humor can be off-putting to triumphalists. That the best, the most noble, the wise, the old the young, the lovely and beloved of our species often die ridiculous, hilarious, ignoble and untimely deaths while the worst of us sometimes get the best of ends unsettles some religious accounts.
Many who found the holy blood and gore of Mel Gibson’s “Passion” quite acceptable will find the all-too-human flesh and blood of Ball’s (the director of the “Six Feet Under” series) cast of characters unacceptably disturbing in its aching, uncertain, struggling humanity, weeping and giggling at the awkward facts of life and death. Too bad, because “SFU” is its own quirky, postmodern, inspired version of a very passionate play. Like the best of biblical characters, the folks who inherited Fisher & Sons (The family funeral business at the center of the series) often find themselves playing in the deep end of the pool, among the verities and uncertainties that are our human lot.”
This series is not for everyone, but if your faith is wide enough, I think you will not only enjoy the series, but have that faith stretched even wider. That is a part of what our Lenten efforts are about, stretching our faith.
May you find your faith stretched this Lenten season by whatever means, and may you become a better person for it.
Grace & peace
Geoff
James B. Nelson (no relation) had a book published last year that looked at spirituality from the perspective of alcoholism entitled “Thirst; God and the Alcoholic Experience,” Westminster John Know publishers, Louisville & London, 2004. Here is one of the paragraphs where he describes the relationship between these two dimensions of human experience.
“Whether we are traditionally religious or militantly atheist or something in between, we appear to be inescapably spiritual, fated with the thirst for completion. By the same token, we are fated to live by faith. We cannot move through the day without patterning our lives around whatever powers or realities we really trust in, rely on, and believe to be ultimately significant. Nicholas of Cusa observed that God is the minimum as well as the maximum: the little things of ordinary days are no less sacred than the great issues of our existence. So we exhibit our faith in little ways no less than big ones, and our spirituality gives shape to the dailiness of our lives just as to our more dramatic moments and decisions. And all of this informs our addictions and our recoveries.
You can find out lots about Nicholas of Cusa at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11060b.htm. I liked the line “the little things of ordinary days are no less sacred than the great issues of our existence” as giving a great description of the way our faith courses through every moment of the day and every part of our lives. It’s a reminder of the life of the Spirit going on all around us at all times. May you sense that spirit in some little part of your life this day.
Grace & peace
Geoff
In his little book, “The Art of Christian Listening”, Paulist Press, 1980, Thomas N. Hart makes this interesting statement.
“Karl Menninger, after decades of work in psychotherapy, lays aside all learned talk both of psychic maladies and of therapeutic techniques, and utters one simple overarching truth: It is unlove that makes people unwell, and it is love and love alone that can make them well again. His contention is buttressed by more general studies and surveys, in which it has been shown that those therapists are most successful in bringing health back to their clients who are best able to convey love. Their theoretical framework may be Freudian, Jungian, Rogerian, Gestalt, Transactional Analysis, or anything else; the most telling factor is still the ability to communicate care, reverence, and hope to the troubled person. This explains in part why some psychotherapists seem to do so little for people even after months and years of appointments, and some complete amateurs are able to make a significant difference in a short time.”
If we need encouragement about our ability to care for others, even without any degrees or letters after our names, here is some of that kind of encouragement. The basic message of Jesus is that we are to love one another. Listening to another, really listening, without trying to solve problems or offer advice, is often the first step in loving. May you have the opportunity to love another this day, and, oh yeah, receive love too!
Grace & peace
Geoff
