Greetings, Sisters, Brothers and Friends,
Some cooler weather fronts are moving into the area today, and it may be the last 70 degree day we see for a while.
Summer is pouring itself out to make room for autumn weather.
Speaking of pouring oneself out (a forced segue?), the readings for Proper 21 tomorrow include a passage from Philippians (2:1-13).
“Let the same mind be in you that was in Jesus Christ,
Who, though he was in the form of God,
Did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,
But emptied himself,
Taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
He humbled himself
And became obedient to the point of death –
Even death on a cross.” (Verses 5-8)
We may not always agree that St. Paul “got things right,” but in this case his description of Christ’s emptying himself out is a classic example of kenosis. Kenosis is a Greek word referring to the idea of a person ridding themselves of anything that is not of God – of emptying themselves out so that the love of God can flow through them into the world. As it does so, it is shaped and colored by the individual skills, talents and interests that were given to us. So, for each person, the result may be different, but it is still part of the overall, ever-loving flow of God.
This is what we attempt to do in our formation efforts – identify the dysfunctional parts of the ego in us, toss them out through awareness and observation, and make room for the wonders of how God will use us in His plans. Be patient and be humble; experience the awesomeness of life, and watch moment by moment what your role is. Sometimes it is merely to sit and wait, sometimes it is to pray, and sometimes it is to take action. Whatever it is, do it to the glory of God.
You are all in my daily thoughts and prayers,
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG
Guardian
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Good News, Bad News...Who Knows?
Greetings, Sisters, Brothers and Friends of the Community!
I pray that this note finds you all well and at peace.
Just a thought for you on today’s lectionary readings, particularly on Genesis 50:20, “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good…”
It is a natural thing for us to quickly label an event in our lives as being either “good” or “bad”. Especially when we’re in the thick of things, it seems to be a way to handle the difficulty, to make it more palatable so as to create the sense that we are more in control than we really are. Joseph was aware that his brothers did him wrong when they sold him into slavery, and may have held a grudge against them for the longest time. But when he was able to see the event in the larger picture of life, over time, he realized that God was able to make good of it.
Some of you may have heard the story of the old farmer of years ago whose horse ran away from him. The neighbors gathered around and said, “Oh, bad news!”
“Bad news, good news…who knows?” he replied.
A week later the horse returned with several other wild horses. Now the old farmer had more horses than he had had before. The neighbors gathered around and said, “Oh, good news!”
“Bad news, good news…who knows?” he replied.
The next day the farmer’s son was training one of the new horses when he fell off and broke his arm. The neighbors gathered around and said, “Oh, bad news!”
“Bad news, good news…who knows?” he replied.
The following week the local army came through to conscript young men into service. When they saw the old farmer’s son had a broken arm, they passed him by and left.
“Bad news, good news…who knows?” he replied.
Judging what is good or bad, what we see in others and ourselves, might best be left to God alone. We’re not very good at it.
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG
Guardian
I pray that this note finds you all well and at peace.
Just a thought for you on today’s lectionary readings, particularly on Genesis 50:20, “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good…”
It is a natural thing for us to quickly label an event in our lives as being either “good” or “bad”. Especially when we’re in the thick of things, it seems to be a way to handle the difficulty, to make it more palatable so as to create the sense that we are more in control than we really are. Joseph was aware that his brothers did him wrong when they sold him into slavery, and may have held a grudge against them for the longest time. But when he was able to see the event in the larger picture of life, over time, he realized that God was able to make good of it.
Some of you may have heard the story of the old farmer of years ago whose horse ran away from him. The neighbors gathered around and said, “Oh, bad news!”
“Bad news, good news…who knows?” he replied.
A week later the horse returned with several other wild horses. Now the old farmer had more horses than he had had before. The neighbors gathered around and said, “Oh, good news!”
“Bad news, good news…who knows?” he replied.
The next day the farmer’s son was training one of the new horses when he fell off and broke his arm. The neighbors gathered around and said, “Oh, bad news!”
“Bad news, good news…who knows?” he replied.
The following week the local army came through to conscript young men into service. When they saw the old farmer’s son had a broken arm, they passed him by and left.
“Bad news, good news…who knows?” he replied.
Judging what is good or bad, what we see in others and ourselves, might best be left to God alone. We’re not very good at it.
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG
Guardian
Monday, September 8, 2008
Spiritual Formation in a Nutshell
Greetings, Sisters, Brothers and Friends of the Community!
I pray that this note finds you well and at peace.
The signs of autumn are beginning to show up in slightly colored leaves and cooler evenings.
The cycles of life that Our Lord designed continue to hold true.
The New Testament reading for this past Sunday (Romans 13:8-14) summed up, for me, what spiritual formation is all about: Wake up and Love!
Paul indicates that to properly “love your neighbor as yourself” (verse 9) we need to be “awake.” We can not love others or ourselves very well if we are asleep (verse 11). But what is this “slumber” he speaks of? This is often thought of as the call to get out of bed and get busy with your life. The “night is over; the day is almost here” (verse 12).
Let’s look at this a bit closer. There is a contemporary story about a group of people touring a large manufacturing firm. “How many people actually work here?” a visitor with the group asked. The tour guide responded, “Oh, about half.” This cute little story suggests that many people appear to be awake as they go through their daily activities, but are actually “asleep.” It is as if their brains are turned on, and they are moving around, but they are being managed by some foreign invader.
In fact, this may be exactly what is happening! Jesus tells us throughout the Gospels to become aware of this foreign invader that has taken control of our minds and hearts, and expel him forthright from our midst. Wake up!
This foreign invader is a dysfunctional ego that has become a tumor on our soul. It has grown from all the cultural and societal programming over the years, and manifests itself as prejudice, greed, fear, worry, judgment, hatred, arrogance and a myriad of other things that block our true self from showing itself.
When Paul says, “Wake up!” he is telling us to separate ourselves from this ugly thing and see it for what it really is – separation from God – a spiritual disconnection. Become the observer of this thing to see it for what it really is, and it will begin to slither away in the Light of Truth. Watch how it behaves and reacts to people and situations each and every moment. The time is NOW, Paul says, in the present moment, for this to happen. And as this happens, slowly over time, the natural love that was built into your hearts by your Creator will begin to flow out into your world so that you truly learn how to love your neighbor as yourself in your own unique way. And that is spiritual formation in a nutshell.
Blessings and peace to you all,
Your sleepy-eyed brother,
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG
I pray that this note finds you well and at peace.
The signs of autumn are beginning to show up in slightly colored leaves and cooler evenings.
The cycles of life that Our Lord designed continue to hold true.
The New Testament reading for this past Sunday (Romans 13:8-14) summed up, for me, what spiritual formation is all about: Wake up and Love!
Paul indicates that to properly “love your neighbor as yourself” (verse 9) we need to be “awake.” We can not love others or ourselves very well if we are asleep (verse 11). But what is this “slumber” he speaks of? This is often thought of as the call to get out of bed and get busy with your life. The “night is over; the day is almost here” (verse 12).
Let’s look at this a bit closer. There is a contemporary story about a group of people touring a large manufacturing firm. “How many people actually work here?” a visitor with the group asked. The tour guide responded, “Oh, about half.” This cute little story suggests that many people appear to be awake as they go through their daily activities, but are actually “asleep.” It is as if their brains are turned on, and they are moving around, but they are being managed by some foreign invader.
In fact, this may be exactly what is happening! Jesus tells us throughout the Gospels to become aware of this foreign invader that has taken control of our minds and hearts, and expel him forthright from our midst. Wake up!
This foreign invader is a dysfunctional ego that has become a tumor on our soul. It has grown from all the cultural and societal programming over the years, and manifests itself as prejudice, greed, fear, worry, judgment, hatred, arrogance and a myriad of other things that block our true self from showing itself.
When Paul says, “Wake up!” he is telling us to separate ourselves from this ugly thing and see it for what it really is – separation from God – a spiritual disconnection. Become the observer of this thing to see it for what it really is, and it will begin to slither away in the Light of Truth. Watch how it behaves and reacts to people and situations each and every moment. The time is NOW, Paul says, in the present moment, for this to happen. And as this happens, slowly over time, the natural love that was built into your hearts by your Creator will begin to flow out into your world so that you truly learn how to love your neighbor as yourself in your own unique way. And that is spiritual formation in a nutshell.
Blessings and peace to you all,
Your sleepy-eyed brother,
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG
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