Shining Spirit

I sit at the foot of the mountain,
rugged mountain, shadowed majesty,
in the dusk of the day, and I hear
the harmonies of wind and water in
the laughter of a distant waterfall.
I cannot see it, but I know it is there.
I long to feel its soothing spray fill
the pores of my flesh, penetrate to
the tender dryness of my soul.  Yet,
it is enough to hear its song and
to feel my heart begin to sing again.
Somewhere, deep in a darkening
canyon, the waterfall whispers to
me over smooth, wet stones.  And I
am paralyzed in the pleasure of
the moment.  Shall I climb toward
the sounds, seek out the source of
my dusk delight?  Or, shall I remain
under the canopy of the willow
listening to the distant splash of
angels' wings as they frolic at the
foot of the mountain, in the pool
of paradise?

I shall lay aside my pack and rest
myself in the cool, green grass
as willow branches dance above
me and I drift to sleep in the embrace
of the earth, stilled by the song
of the waterfall.

I like the solid ground of certainty as much as the next guy. It’s nice to know that what you know is true. It’s true because I learned it from a reliable source. If your reliable source doesn’t agree with my reliable source, mine’s right. Obviously.

Here is the brief homily given by the character Cardinal Lawrence in the movie Conclave. The Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church are in Conclave upon the death of the current Pope and they are charged with electing the next Pope. In the midst of debate and heated dialogue, Cardinal Lawrence says:

“Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand-in-hand with doubt. If there was only certainty and no doubt, there would be no mystery. And therefore no need for faith. There is one sin which I have come to fear above all else…certainty. Certainty is the great enemy of unity…the deadly enemy of tolerance.”

Fear is often the parent of absolute certainty, the companion of violence, the friend of power seekers. Absolute certainty demanded in the name of flag or faith sounds very much like foundations cracking and walls crumbling. We will never find unity within ourselves or tolerance toward inevitable diversity if we are not willing to wonder.

May the Beautiful Mystery challenge us today in the comforts of our certainties, replacing absolutes with awe. May this be true for both of us. Amen.

Hardly! I leave it to you to attach emotional feelings to this particular day. I simply report these realities to you: (1) Today we remember the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His contributions to the welfare of humanity are significant. It is appropriate to honor his memory and to live out the positive principles that he advocated. (2) Today we witness the inauguration of the 47th President of The United States of America. Some observers are calling Mr. Trump’s second term as President, “Trump 2.0.” It is likely that many changes in governmental leadership will be proposed and some carried out in practice. (3) I have to get my car washed and go to the grocery store. (4) I need to make an appointment with my doctor. Getting old is not always fun.

Observation: All four things about today are important, plus all the other things that will happen unexpectedly. Each thing you and I do today will have some degree of impact on some little piece of civilization. What we think and do matters, perhaps not on the level of prophet or presidential inauguration, but matters still. Life matters whether we agree with it or not, support it or not as it is played out on the grand stage of living. As a steward of this life, as you are, too, I offer back to the Creator of time this Just Another Monday day. I lift up this day before God and I pray with gratitude for the memories of prophets and priests, leaders like Dr. King. And I pray for Presidents, former and present and to be inaugurated. I encourage you to do the same. Let’s set aside the highs and lows of emotions and concentrate on the most profound prayer you can ever pray, four words: Thy will be done. Think those words, say them, sing them, share them, live them on this Just Another Monday day.

God of all histories and all futures: Thy will be done. May it be so. Amen.

As the sun rises over the mountain ridge,
I open my eyes to see, my mind to new
understanding, my ears to hear your voice
in the early morning breeze. But not my
mouth, Lord, because sometimes the sound
of my own voice drowns out the life flow
from You. So I sit in quiet anticipation.
Holy Spirit speak.

Yes, Lord, I ask for the mercy of forgiveness,
for the abundance of your Sacred Love to
fall upon us, for relief and courage for all
the people caught up in the terrors of fire
and destruction in California, for this nation
as we witness the change of national
leadership tomorrow. Unite us in one mind
so that in concert and cooperation we might
seek, discover, and implement righteousness
for all your creation.

Glory to God in the highest; peace on this earth
and throughout all creation, in the spirit of the
one we know as Jesus Christ, Lord of all. Amen

Goal For The Day: Find a Quiet Place. Name it. Maybe it’s nearby, in your neighborhood, within reasonable driving range. Find it, name it, and claim it as your own. “This is where I go when I have nothing to do, or too much to do. This is my refreshment place.” Don’t search for the perfect place, idyllic. Spirit refreshment happens when you find and name a place that is special for you…and when you go there.

Another possibility: the Quiet Place might be inside rather than outside; inside yourself. Some people have the capacity to find their Quiet Place without getting in the car and going somewhere, or moving to a new location. They pause, even in the midst of activity, and rest for a few minutes in their own interiority. They meet renewal there.

Do you keep a calendar of daily or weekly events? Then the next suggestion is to “calendar” your Quiet Place visit regularly. Daily? Every day is probably best. Put “Quiet Place” on your calendar just like you do for doctor visits or pickleball with your friends. And when you see that entry on the calendar, honor it. If you think this is another obligation among many, then forget it. It will be just that. Trudge on. But if you see it as a gift from Spirit to spirit, then treat it gratefully, open it slowly and intentionally. It’s just for you.

A Quiet Place. Your rendezvous with rest, refreshment and renewal. “Give us this day our daily bread.” Got it? Okay. Off you go.

What does it mean to be “great”? Important? Known? Admired? Powerful? All those and more. Children who have the luxury of growing up in “stable, loving environments” can dream of attaining greatness someday. But so many children around the world dream of survival. For some, the future is out there waiting to be crafted. For others, future means the possibility of tomorrow. As children, we take what life gives us and we dream. You? What did you dream when you were a child? Remember the words in a very popular song: “anything your heart desires will come to you”? Grownups learn pretty quickly that desiring doesn’t make it happen. Words like “work” or “effort” come into play. What does it mean to be a “great” person?

Yes, there’s a point here somewhere, and it’s this: Reaching greatness, being known as a “great” person for whatever reason that might be, doesn’t mean nearly as much as leaving behind a string of “little kindnesses” through the everydayness of life. Little gifts of generosity. Small tokens of thoughtfulness. Caring without fanfare. Words! Oh, yes! Little words woven into the fabric of life, words like: appreciate, or thank you or I love you. Most of us have never reached “greatness”, but the great people I have met over the years are the ones who left a trail of little kindness everywhere they went. And that’s the point: it’s never too late to fill your world with small kindnesses. And today is a good day to begin.

Don’t be disappointed that you never reached “greatness.” Every time you bless someone with a little word of appreciation or respect, or perform some simple act of thoughtfulness, in that moment you can honestly say: Not me, but Christ who lives in me. Little kindnesses come from a light within, and to have that light is to live beyond greatness.

Two practical thoughts, pieces of advice, from the poetic mind of Edgar A. Guest. Enjoy.

See It Through

When you’re up against a trouble,
meet it squarely face to face;
Lift your chin and set your shoulders,
plant your feet and take a brace.
When it’s vain to try to dodge it,
do the best that you can do;
You may fail, but you may conquer.
See it through!

It Couldn’t Be Done

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
but he with a chuckle replied
that “maybe it couldn’t” but he would be one
who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
on his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
that couldn’t be done. And he did it.

From another famous best-seller:
“Press on!”

Okay, here’s my problem. For the past couple of weeks, my TV has pushed me to the edge of irreversible insanity. It’s a wifi problem. The wireless signal is not strong enough, so that means every three minutes the picture freezes, a little round thing in the middle of the screen spins and spins, and I go take another blood pressure pill hoping that all will be fine by the time I come back to the sofa. It’s not. If only I could boost the signal strength, then maybe I could watch the Bowl Games and the NFL Playoffs, and the Australian Open tennis tournament in peace. A weak signal produces a weak picture, or no picture at all.

Okay, here comes the metaphor. You knew there was one, didn’t you? No wonder faith seems so weak sometimes. No wonder worship feels dry sometimes. No surprise that prayer sounds and feels hollow sometimes. It’s the strength of the signal. What have I done, or not done, that causes the signal to grow weak? One answer is that I’ve become a “part-time” Christian, a “I’ve got more important things to do” Christian, or a “things are going pretty good right now so I don’t need to pray” Christian. And every time I put on one of those hats, I diminish the strength of the signal from Christ. And my spirit suffers.

I can work toward fixing both of those weak signals. I can prioritize my daily faith practices and be consistent in all the faith-strengthening practices. And, I can call a technician and talk about ways to strengthen that wireless signal. Anything spinning around in your life right now that needs attention? And, lastly but of personal importance, anybody know the time of the next NFL football game?

It all begins today.
There is no yesterday,
at least not one to put in
the safety deposit box.
It all begins right now,
with this word, with the
comma and with the
exclamation point!
By the time you read this line,
Forever is already one minute
old, and what have you done?
Stop reading and go do something
kind, generous or worthwhile.
This is the first day of forever;
don’t misuse it. Make it magical.
You and God can do it.

Would you like to know what’s running through my mind today, Lord? Now, that’s silly, because you already know my mind, but maybe it’s helpful for me to say them again in order to focus and find a way through them. Walk with me Christ through my increasing concern for the welfare of this planet and our insistence on dismantling it, through the deep sadness I feel for victims of violence or turmoil which they did not create, through my sense of helplessness as I read headlines about war casualties and the brutality of terrorist plans. Walk with me, Lord.

I pray that sometime today you will show me a green pasture, cause me to see and feel the texture of still water; that you will put me back together when I start to fall apart under the pressures of simply living.
For my friend who is experiencing a slow descent into dementia; for each fire fighter in California who is facing the monster and trying to save a home or a life; for that law enforcement officer who just raced by in the darkness, siren wailing, lights flashing, enroute to uncertainty; for the child who sleeps in the warmth of her bed and for the child who doesn’t have one. It goes on, Lord. It goes on.

Walk with me through this day so that when I get lost, I will be found; and when I grow tired, I will have refreshment; and when I want to give up or give in, I will hear your whisper. Love me through this day, Christ of God, in such abundance that it will spill over and through me and leave little blessings and signs that we have walked this way.

My mind is full. So is my heart, for you fill me with the courage of hope. Light is beginning to shine through my window; morning comes. Welcome, Lord. Welcome.