Greetings, Sisters, Brothers and Friends of the Community!
Sometimes, as in recent weeks, I can get a bit lost in all the news of financial turmoil, tainted food, political and corporate corruption, and war. I get side-tracked and begin to feel that my spiritual energy plug somehow got kicked out of the wall socket, or it feels as though I am being pulled in one direction too many.
Eight years ago I got a copy of Thomas Merton’s “The Silent Life.” I return to this book every so often, and read not only his words, but also the notes I made in the margins about my thoughts at the time. In a way, it is like revisiting an old journal to see what issues and challenges I was wrestling with at the time.
Apparently I have felt somewhat “diffused” in the past, too, because certain sections of the book relating to ‘being lost’ were heavily underlined. Once again I was reminded that when we lose our spiritual connection to God we can begin to feel a little ‘diffused’ and ‘exhausted,’ even to the point of misery. “A person,” writes Merton, “cannot go on happily for long unless s/he is in contact with the springs of spiritual life which are hidden in the depths of his/her own soul.” Without this connection, Merton adds, the person becomes a kind of automaton, living without joy, being bounced around like a billiard ball by all the stuff that happens throughout the day.
How can we get the plug back into the spiritual wall socket? How can we reconnect with the inner voice of God that speaks to us in a heart whisper? For me, returning to the well-springs of life periodically throughout the day helps me keep life in perspective and prevents me from being left to the mercy of modern society. The best way for me to so this is by building my day around a framework of the Daily Offices, meditation, and periods of solitude and silence. Doing this may necessitate somewhat reduced contact with the ‘outside world,’ but there is a balance to be sought. What little things do I do during the course of a day that I can forego, so that I can spend the needed amount of time being with God and getting ‘recharged’ by Him? A little less TV? A little less radio? One less club or group meeting? Trimming back on a lot of the little things often gives me the time I need to get back on track. These times of ‘aloneness with God’ become precious and enjoyable!
Please remember your daily prayer times! Not only will they change you, they will also change the world.
Know that you are loved by God, and are only a plug away!
Brother Daniel-Joseph
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Kenosis
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
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
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
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Words Come Hard
Dear Community,
This past week was a rough one.
Using the word ‘terrible’ might also be justified.
The face I saw on my mother when she lost a son
I saw again this week on a friend.
It pierced my heart deeply.
Words come hard for me in times of personal tragedy.
I feel them forming in my heart
Beginning to grow and looking for a way out
Wanting to fly to the bereaved making their unbearable pain vanish as though I had the touch of Christ.
To see the griever smile again!
Only some of the words find their way to my lips
And they come out grossly inadequate.
So I stutter and mumble.
Some of the words flow through to my arms
To shape a hug of partial understanding laced with lots of care;
Other words emerge from my eyes in the form of teardrops
But they don’t match the ones from his eyes.
To see the griever smile again!
He probably couldn’t see me there in the crowd of supporters and grievers
But I was there, hoping he knew I would take all the pain from him if I could.
But, I don’t have that power,
So when he cries, I will cry too.
And when he mourns, I will mourn, too.
For in sharing the grief, maybe we can diminsh the pain just a bit.
“Vulnerable we are, like an infant. We need each other’s care or we will suffer.” - St. Catherine of Siena
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG
Guardian
This past week was a rough one.
Using the word ‘terrible’ might also be justified.
The face I saw on my mother when she lost a son
I saw again this week on a friend.
It pierced my heart deeply.
Words come hard for me in times of personal tragedy.
I feel them forming in my heart
Beginning to grow and looking for a way out
Wanting to fly to the bereaved making their unbearable pain vanish as though I had the touch of Christ.
To see the griever smile again!
Only some of the words find their way to my lips
And they come out grossly inadequate.
So I stutter and mumble.
Some of the words flow through to my arms
To shape a hug of partial understanding laced with lots of care;
Other words emerge from my eyes in the form of teardrops
But they don’t match the ones from his eyes.
To see the griever smile again!
He probably couldn’t see me there in the crowd of supporters and grievers
But I was there, hoping he knew I would take all the pain from him if I could.
But, I don’t have that power,
So when he cries, I will cry too.
And when he mourns, I will mourn, too.
For in sharing the grief, maybe we can diminsh the pain just a bit.
“Vulnerable we are, like an infant. We need each other’s care or we will suffer.” - St. Catherine of Siena
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG
Guardian
Sunday, August 17, 2008
You Owe Me
Greetings, Sisters, Brothers and Friends of the Community,
I pray you are all well and peaceful.
Watching bits and pieces of the Olympics this past week, I am reminded of all the score-keeping that is necessary to make it all work. In some cases a hundredth of a second separates a winner from a loser. The winner expects a gold medal in return.
Fortunately, in the spiritual world (the real world), scores like this are not kept, and everyone can win. Love is the key characteristic in God’s world. It is given freely, without expectation of something in return.
Sufi master Hafiz writes in one of his poems:
“Even after all this time
The sun never says to the earth,
‘You owe me.’
Look what happens with a love like that;
It lights up the whole sky.”
Even after all this time, the SON never says to us, ‘You owe me.’ He just continues to love because that is his nature. Jesus asks us to love others as he has loved us – freely, without the encumberance of a dysfunctional ego. Throw away your score cards (held tightly by your ego) and shine from the heart in the way that he has made you, without expectation in return from others.
Please share your reflections as you are moved to do so.
Your partly-cloudy-but-slowly-clearing-up brother,
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG
Guardian
I pray you are all well and peaceful.
Watching bits and pieces of the Olympics this past week, I am reminded of all the score-keeping that is necessary to make it all work. In some cases a hundredth of a second separates a winner from a loser. The winner expects a gold medal in return.
Fortunately, in the spiritual world (the real world), scores like this are not kept, and everyone can win. Love is the key characteristic in God’s world. It is given freely, without expectation of something in return.
Sufi master Hafiz writes in one of his poems:
“Even after all this time
The sun never says to the earth,
‘You owe me.’
Look what happens with a love like that;
It lights up the whole sky.”
Even after all this time, the SON never says to us, ‘You owe me.’ He just continues to love because that is his nature. Jesus asks us to love others as he has loved us – freely, without the encumberance of a dysfunctional ego. Throw away your score cards (held tightly by your ego) and shine from the heart in the way that he has made you, without expectation in return from others.
Please share your reflections as you are moved to do so.
Your partly-cloudy-but-slowly-clearing-up brother,
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG
Guardian
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Just Another Jesus Image?
Greetings, Sisters, Brothers, and Friends of the Community!
I pray that this note finds you all well and wrapped in the arms of Christ!
Speaking of Christ, a South Bend, Indiana, couple recently reported that they saw an image of Jesus on the fur of their cat.
Seeing the image of Jesus is not a new phenomenon. Here is a small sampling of sightings over recent years:
12-21-01 Jesus image appears on a car windshield. (England)
10-27-05 Couple says fish bone bears Jesus image. (Chicago)
11-7-06 Jesus image appears in the fur of a dog’s bottom. (England)
1-3-07 Residents see Jesus image in tree. (Florida)
8-14-07 Jesus image appears on kitchen cabinets. (Connecticut)
2-11-08 Jesus image found in a tree log. (Pennsylvania)
3-21-08 Man finds Jesus image in a cheesy snack (calls it “Chessus”). (Georgia)
4-17-08 Girl finds sweet Jesus image in a piece of candy. (Florida)
4-30-08 Pregnant woman sees Jesus image in ultrasound. (Ohio)
6-27-08 Jesus image seen in granite slab in Dallas. (Texas)
He has also been seen on a shower wall, on a turtle, and in a split potato.
70,000 hits when I Google “Jesus Image” and I couldn’t find one report of a person seeing the image of Jesus in another person. Once, just once, it would be uplifting to see a story that went something like this: “AP – A man in the small town of Belleville recently reported seeing the image of Jesus in another person. When asked about the incident, he said, “You know, I decided to look past the other fellow’s ego and into his heart, and there it was – the likeness of our Lord and Savior. I realized that this person was truly a good, loving person!”
Maybe this will happen one day. It seems that the incidents of seeing the image of Jesus in all sorts of things are getting more frequent. Perhaps this is just practice for the real thing.
Well, I have to go brush my cats now. Maybe, just maybe…
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG
Guardian
I pray that this note finds you all well and wrapped in the arms of Christ!
Speaking of Christ, a South Bend, Indiana, couple recently reported that they saw an image of Jesus on the fur of their cat.
Seeing the image of Jesus is not a new phenomenon. Here is a small sampling of sightings over recent years:
12-21-01 Jesus image appears on a car windshield. (England)
10-27-05 Couple says fish bone bears Jesus image. (Chicago)
11-7-06 Jesus image appears in the fur of a dog’s bottom. (England)
1-3-07 Residents see Jesus image in tree. (Florida)
8-14-07 Jesus image appears on kitchen cabinets. (Connecticut)
2-11-08 Jesus image found in a tree log. (Pennsylvania)
3-21-08 Man finds Jesus image in a cheesy snack (calls it “Chessus”). (Georgia)
4-17-08 Girl finds sweet Jesus image in a piece of candy. (Florida)
4-30-08 Pregnant woman sees Jesus image in ultrasound. (Ohio)
6-27-08 Jesus image seen in granite slab in Dallas. (Texas)
He has also been seen on a shower wall, on a turtle, and in a split potato.
70,000 hits when I Google “Jesus Image” and I couldn’t find one report of a person seeing the image of Jesus in another person. Once, just once, it would be uplifting to see a story that went something like this: “AP – A man in the small town of Belleville recently reported seeing the image of Jesus in another person. When asked about the incident, he said, “You know, I decided to look past the other fellow’s ego and into his heart, and there it was – the likeness of our Lord and Savior. I realized that this person was truly a good, loving person!”
Maybe this will happen one day. It seems that the incidents of seeing the image of Jesus in all sorts of things are getting more frequent. Perhaps this is just practice for the real thing.
Well, I have to go brush my cats now. Maybe, just maybe…
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG
Guardian
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