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Primitive religion is not believed, it is danced!

Arthur Darby Nock

Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
And only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

Elizabeth Browning



Sunday, April 30, 2017

Sainthood

Divine union, not private perfection, is the goal of all religion (Goal).

What is the source of your spiritual power? It’s radical union with God, not just doing good things or holding a role or function...in the end, the only basis for fruitful Christianity is divine union. Such people change you and change the world. Leon Bloy said it well: “There is only one sadness in life, only one—not to be a saint.”
                                                          Richard Rohr

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today O Sacred One
I want to be a saint

St. Stephen has such a nice ring to it

so Lord
this day consume me,
be present inside me,
roll
roar
blow

it is time for a non-hostile take over
make yourself so much a part of me
that I cannot tell where you start and “I” end

let us be united
for that is what faith is all about

may we be like lovers
yes, like husband and wife
two becoming one

the mystery of incarnation
of faith

and
life
will take care of itself

Saturday, April 29, 2017

Sometimes, sometimes...

sometimes
we are just not in that place
of grace

instead we are in a place
where we do not feel

effective
(that sucks)

or valuable
(that is bad)

or valued
(that is worse)

or even liked
(that is the very worst)

we feel alone
and
“slow, low, ugly, puffy, drooped, pooped”
( I borrowed that, but it fits)

and in those moments
we scream a silent scream

because to voice our pain
gets us judged
(So you are depressed again huh?  Why don’t you get help!)

or told all the reason we should not
feel the way we do
(You are fine, fine! God loves you just the way you are!)

and people try to “fix” us
(just breathe, pray, trust – insert advice here ___________  )

but when you can’t get there,
and are told you really should be there,
and you know you should be there,
but you just can’t get there…..

none of that helps

it may all be true
(and the intentions are greatly appreciated and valued)
but it doesn’t help

what helps
is to know
merely
that you are not alone

“I hear you”
“I care”
“Wow, that must be tough”
“I’m sorry”
“I’m with you”

for with someone to be present for you
and walk with you
even in silence
through the places
of ooze and slime and old decay (thanks CS Lewis)

one eventually
finds one’s way
home

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Why Does God Love Me?


Why Does God Love Me?
This is the thing, the core thing that I have the most trouble with in my relationship with the Sacred

Here is what I have come to believe…
God does not love me because I am worthy, because I am lovable
Nor does God love me because I am unlovable, unworthy.

When it comes to love God doesn't seem to work in the realm of
"deserving"
at all

God loves because God is love
that is what God does
that is who God IS

Oh, I know, there are consequences to actions
and we can deny love
I get all that

But, we have no grounds for believing God doesn't LOVE us
because we are unworthy

Jesus makes that very clear

So why is it so hard to grab hold of God’s love?
Beatrice Bruteau makes this startling comment....
"sometimes we want to be loveable more than we want to be loved"

Wow!  That is SO me!

I want to be loveable
I want to deserve love, earn love
I want the other person to "have to" love me

I think this gives me power, and control of a sort
if I am wonderful
amazing
beautiful
whatever

then I have the power to make the other person love me
and this gives me, so I think, a security of love
of course they must continue to love me!
how could they not?

I have been this...
done that....

but to just accept love
and to accept that this love
coming to me may just be
may just emerge out of the heart of the  other person
who may be able to love me
because they have accepted love
that comes out of the heart of God...

Honestly, that is difficult

I have trouble going there

It has to be about me
How can there be a love that is
not earned
not deserved?

And yet
that is how God works

I am not there yet
I am not yet ready to let go of my need to be deserving
and just accept
love

when it comes
how about you?