Isn't it instructive that the spiritual formation of the
original disciples happens with Jesus on the road? In effect, the disciples
learn by doing. They grow into an understanding of this God of love, this God
of compassion, this God who loves justice, this God who makes all things new,
by participating as active observers and agents of compassion, justice, and
newness. And, yes, necessarily, they pause with Jesus to reflect, ask questions
(sometimes stupid questions), and pray. But the spiritual adventure described
in the four Gospels does not happen in the sanctuary; it happens on the road,
in the company of beggars, prostitutes, and lepers.
Richard
Rohr
___________________________________________________
every day
is a crash course in love
after we
who would be connected with something Sacred
have practiced our spirituality
after the prayers have been prayed
the metta phrases spoken
the deep breaths taken
after the sacred texts have been perused
we must
one way or another
hit the road
and on that road
or so it seems to me
we have one primary agenda
to live love
to think love
carry love
practice love
be love
it is not easy
for there are other people on that road
some we find easy to love
but others?
not so much
that person whose political views are antithetical to ours,
that one whose skin is a different color,
whose religion is different than ours
that person who has hurt us
insulted us
said negative things about us
that person we know just simply doesn’t like us
most of us do not run into lepers
but our society has “lepers” of its own making
people from the LBGTQI community
people with mental illness
or addiction
then there are the poor
the homeless
those “lazy moochers”
who just need to “get off their asses” and get to work!
and when we meet these people
we are called by one who is Love
to think love
and live love
and it is not easy
sometimes we are just too wrapped up in ourselves
and our own agendas, our own needs
sometimes too fearful, too angry
and yet there on the road
in the dust
on the hard pavement
in the grocery store
in our places of work
(on Facebook?)
that where is our adventure with the Sacred is to lived out
that is where we really learn
about how we are loved by God
and about how to love others!
have a good day in school!
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