Greetings, Sisters, Brothers and Friends of the Community!
Many blessings to you this Palm Sunday and for this Holy Week to come!
Each of the four Gospels records Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem amid expressions of honor by the people of the city. Matthew, Mark and Luke mention that people spread their cloaks on the road as Jesus approached. (John mentions the palm branches.)
As clothing, cloaks certainly serve to protect people from cold and other elements. But they can also serve to demonstrate social status and wealth, or even cover shame and guilt. In other words, they can attempt to create an image of something we are really not, perhaps much like clothes are used today. What I received from meditating on these Gospel reports is that, for me, the removal of the cloaks and laying them at Christ’s feet represented the willingness of the people to remove an outer covering of themselves, a false self, revealing to Christ who they really were. In Christ’s presence they knew that they were safe and that there was no point in covering up. Christ accepts us for who we truly are.
Cloaks come in many colors: attachments, envy, pride, shame, guilt, prejudices, bias, conceit. I have my own cloaks to lay at his feet this Palm Sunday. I ask you to lay yours there, too. Let us continue to honor the presence of Jesus during this Holy Week and beyond by spreading our “cloaks” at his feet. He will step over them and continue with us on our journey to the heart.
Your cloak-full brother,
Daniel-Joseph
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
Fear and Punishment
Greetings, Sister, Brothers, and Friends of the Community!
Here’s a little verse to reflect on this coming week. I’d be interested in knowing your thoughts about it:
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.” I John 4:18
For me, although this appears on the surface as a possible measurement for our state of love, I was drawn to the phrase “for fear has to do with punishment.”
Our society certainly has an element of fear woven throughout, and it is used quite prominently in political campaigns and to shape public opinion. And although fear is a highly effective motivator, and can alert us to some real dangers, it loses much of its power when we consider it in the same light that John did – “fear has to do with punishment.”
Generally when we are “afraid” we are holding the fear in the present moment as we imagine some forthcoming consequence, predicament or malady in the future. John knew that if we diminish the power of the punishment, that is, we no longer consider it detrimental to our interests, then the present moment fear withers away in direct proportion to the impact of the punishment.
So, how can we do this? Well, first we need to consider if the “punishment” is real, or man-made. How often did our worry in the past actually bring the “fruits” it promised? Rarely.
And what exactly is being threatened? Is it our true self (which is destructible only by God himself) or is it our own egos, which can be dented by the awkward glance of a child?
It is important to distinguish between the things that really matter and those that don’t (which is most of the stuff we can think up). With God in control of our ultimate destiny, decide what really matters to you now.
Blessings to all!
Brother Daniel-Joseph, CTG
Here’s a little verse to reflect on this coming week. I’d be interested in knowing your thoughts about it:
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.” I John 4:18
For me, although this appears on the surface as a possible measurement for our state of love, I was drawn to the phrase “for fear has to do with punishment.”
Our society certainly has an element of fear woven throughout, and it is used quite prominently in political campaigns and to shape public opinion. And although fear is a highly effective motivator, and can alert us to some real dangers, it loses much of its power when we consider it in the same light that John did – “fear has to do with punishment.”
Generally when we are “afraid” we are holding the fear in the present moment as we imagine some forthcoming consequence, predicament or malady in the future. John knew that if we diminish the power of the punishment, that is, we no longer consider it detrimental to our interests, then the present moment fear withers away in direct proportion to the impact of the punishment.
So, how can we do this? Well, first we need to consider if the “punishment” is real, or man-made. How often did our worry in the past actually bring the “fruits” it promised? Rarely.
And what exactly is being threatened? Is it our true self (which is destructible only by God himself) or is it our own egos, which can be dented by the awkward glance of a child?
It is important to distinguish between the things that really matter and those that don’t (which is most of the stuff we can think up). With God in control of our ultimate destiny, decide what really matters to you now.
Blessings to all!
Brother Daniel-Joseph, CTG
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Statio
Greetings, Sisters, Brothers, and Friends of the Community!
Multi-tasking: the ability to do more than one thing at a time (at least in theory).
In a world of Blackberries, cell phones, iPods, beepers, Palm Pilots and you-name-it, we can easily lose our sense of connectedness to God. This can be a world where we are continually asked to do more with less, and to do it faster and cheaper. When this happens, the mortar of our lives that once held us together begins to crumble, and can result in stress and despair.
When we get sufficiently tired of this sort of thing, we begin to look for escape or remedy. Here’s one possible answer for you – statio.
Statio: the ability to do nothing at all.
This is an oft-forgotten little tool that recently came to my attention again after being awakened from a period of dormancy in some dusty back corner of my brain.
(Yes, I must have corners in my brain because in my youth I was often referred to as a block-head.)
Joan Chittister calls statio “the practice of stopping one thing before we start another.”
Statio is a time when we stop what we are doing, even if only for a brief moment or two, and reconnect with God. It's like taking a sip of cool water on a hot day – it's refreshing to the soul.
Chittister adds, “The practice of statio is meant to center us and make us conscious of what we’re about to do and make us present to the God who is present to us. Statio is the desire to do consciously what I might otherwise do mechanically. Statio is the virtue of the Presence.” (Wisdom Distilled from the Daily, Harper, 1991)
Statio can come in many forms, but the idea is to just take a moment or two and reconnect with God. Short prayers, quick walks outside, a brief meditation on a picture; anything that might get you back in tune with your creator and what your purpose in life is. Watch for those openings in your hustle-bustle day where you can put the brakes on, pause for a moment, and remember who and what you really are! Do this as many times as you can during the day.
Know that God loves you and blesses you for being you!
Well, time for a little statio…
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CG
Multi-tasking: the ability to do more than one thing at a time (at least in theory).
In a world of Blackberries, cell phones, iPods, beepers, Palm Pilots and you-name-it, we can easily lose our sense of connectedness to God. This can be a world where we are continually asked to do more with less, and to do it faster and cheaper. When this happens, the mortar of our lives that once held us together begins to crumble, and can result in stress and despair.
When we get sufficiently tired of this sort of thing, we begin to look for escape or remedy. Here’s one possible answer for you – statio.
Statio: the ability to do nothing at all.
This is an oft-forgotten little tool that recently came to my attention again after being awakened from a period of dormancy in some dusty back corner of my brain.
(Yes, I must have corners in my brain because in my youth I was often referred to as a block-head.)
Joan Chittister calls statio “the practice of stopping one thing before we start another.”
Statio is a time when we stop what we are doing, even if only for a brief moment or two, and reconnect with God. It's like taking a sip of cool water on a hot day – it's refreshing to the soul.
Chittister adds, “The practice of statio is meant to center us and make us conscious of what we’re about to do and make us present to the God who is present to us. Statio is the desire to do consciously what I might otherwise do mechanically. Statio is the virtue of the Presence.” (Wisdom Distilled from the Daily, Harper, 1991)
Statio can come in many forms, but the idea is to just take a moment or two and reconnect with God. Short prayers, quick walks outside, a brief meditation on a picture; anything that might get you back in tune with your creator and what your purpose in life is. Watch for those openings in your hustle-bustle day where you can put the brakes on, pause for a moment, and remember who and what you really are! Do this as many times as you can during the day.
Know that God loves you and blesses you for being you!
Well, time for a little statio…
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CG
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