Solution Found!

 One of my original purposes in starting a blog was to share with others ideas that have impressed me from my reading.  Sometimes writers seem to have found exactly the right words to describe what is often experienced but difficult to put into words.  When I find such a passage, it seems selfish for me to cherish it without sharing it with others.

Recently, I stumbled upon such a passage from Gordon Allport's The Individual and His Religion.  Allport was a leading 20th-century psychologist who was one of the founding figures of personality psychology.  He was an eminent student of individuals and their religion, focusing primarily not on doctrine but on experience.  In the following passage, he explains what he had found about faith:

Although I have no conclusive evidence on the point, I that the most commonly accepted type of verification is some form of immediate experience, convincing to oneself though not as a rule to others. It is religion's peculiar secret that it brings to the indiviudal a solemn assurance unlike anything else in life, a tranquility, an ever-present help in trouble, that makes next steps easier no matter what mesh of circumstances may entangle the life. 

A person who finds that the practice of faith has brought a genuine solution of conflict is convinced, for to discover order and felicity where there were chaos and distress is to find something extraordinarily real.  This experience of a "solution found" is often attended by some degree of mystical perception.  One feels that one has reached out a hand and received an answering clasp.  One has sent up a cry and heard a response.  Whoever verifies his faith in this manner has evidence no less convincing to him than the sensory perception which validates his beliefs in the world around him. Immediacy of this sort persuades him that revelation comes from God to man.  In passing, it may be remarked that what has been called "functional revelation" seems to be more common than is "cognitive revelation."  That is to say, apparently more people report an access of strength and power than claim clarifying knowledge.

I think Allport's analysis might describe all of revelation from the first book of the Bible forward.  First the world was in upheaval, chaos, without form -- and then, Light, order, harmony -- the elements working together to form a peaceful environment: "And God saw that it was very good."  Solution Found!  

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph; Moses, Joshua, the Judges, the Prophets --- all faced bewilderment and consternation.  But God entered into the midst of the evil and led them to a "Promised Land" of peace, a land "flowing with milk and honey," a land where men lived in harmony with one another and with nature itself.  Those who would not accept the Spirit of light and truth continued to instill disorder and chaos.  Finally, God sent His only Son, His very Presence, into the chaos to overcome it by a "new creation" -- His resurrection.  

There is an overcoming of evil, of chaos, of confusion, of fear, of distrust, of anger --- within ourselves and within the world around us.  It is given to us in the Presence of the Son of God.  Those who have experienced for themselves the peace He gives know "Solution Found!"  The woman at the well, the woman with a hemorrhage, the ruler whose daughter had died, the tax collector hated by Jews and Romans alike ---- solution found!   The problem of evil men overcoming the good -- solution found!

The mystery of death and of suffering -- solution found!  Because we have reached out in pain and found an answering clasp, we believe, we know that God is with us!

How Do You Know....?

 In the days of the prophets, it was often said, "The word of the Lord came to me, saying...."  Today, among believers, we often hear, "The Lord spoke to me...."  

I can understand the skepticism of those who have not heard the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking within them.  How would you know it was the Lord speaking and not your own interior voice?  After all, I think most of us would admit that we talk to ourselves all the time.  So how then do we have the arrogance to say that the Holy Spirit is speaking to us?

I will tell you this, that those of us who have learned to hear His voice did not trust it at first, either.  "Is this me, or is it the Holy Spirit speaking to me?" is the most common response initially.  Later, after many experiences, we gradually come to trust that Jesus spoke truly when He said, "...his sheep follow him because they know his voice" (John 10).  

Maybe it would help to say that Christ's direction is not always a "voice" per se, but often a leading, a kind of knowing, though rarely, it is definitely a voice within.

Many years ago, when I first began learning the ways of the Spirit, I started hearing the Shepherd's voice at the most unexpected times and place.  In fact, one of the ways we learn to know that Voice is that it is often unexpected and un-looked-for.  After I began working full time, I would come home exhausted and prepare dinner for the family, while my husband came home after work and read the paper.  Having not yet learned to yield to the Holy Spirit, I found resentment building within me night after night.  One night, talking to myself as usual, I said, "Where is it written that when both people are working, the wife comes home and prepares dinner and the husband comes home and reads the paper?"  Immediately, cutting across my fuming thoughts, came a strong Voice within me:  "I'll show you where it is written that the greatest among you should be the servant of all the rest!"  What a calm and powerful statement in the midst of my anger!  While it did not bring me to my knees, it stopped me in my tracks.  

I had to think about it for a few moments before yielding to "the word of the Lord."  I had to make a choice at that moment: continue in my resentment or bow to the command of Christ.  I chose to yield, and what a difference it made not only in my life but for the future!  Many years later, my teenage daughter asked why I came home and prepared dinner while Dad came home and read the paper.  My simple answer at that time was, "Dad does a lot of things that I can't do or don't want to do.  He maintains the vehicles and all the finances, so I don't mind fixing dinner every day."  

I will say this:  every time "the Lord has spoken to me," it has changed the direction of my thoughts and feelings at the time.  It has definitely not been my self-talk, reinforcing my own passions and feelings of the moment.  It has always brought peace, not disturbance.  And when I listen and obey, it has changed the direction of my life.  As I gradually grew more certain of His leading, it was not so much a Voice speaking to me, but rather a knowing, an understanding, a soft whisper in my soul.  And I learned to trust it.

"My sheep know My Voice," says the Lord, "and they will not follow another."  I suspect He speaks more than we trust and want to admit, but if we can only learn to listen, we will learn to rejoice in His leading.

Pure Act

 What is God doing right now?  Most of us, I imagine, think of God as "sitting there watching" His world in operation.  The Deists of the 17th Century fashioned their image of God as the Great Clockmaker, who wound up the world and then let it spin without interference.  In other words, He did not directly involve Himself in the affairs of men.

Thomas Aquinas described God as "actus purus," Pure Act.  That is, He is by His Nature, Acting, not "sitting."  He is expressing His very nature in all of creation and through His creatures.  Finally, He expressed Himself fully and perfectly through His Word, His Son, Jesus Christ.

All of us express who we are at the core of our being every day.  Even if we are sitting, doing nothing, we are thereby expressing who we are.  Even in our repose, we are thinking, feeling, expressing something at the center of our lives.  We are always either building up or tearing down the world around us, either building up or tearing down our own lives.  We are expressing something that comes from our center.

Yesterday I wrote about finding God at the center of our operations -- our thinking, feeling, acting. As soon as I had finished the entry, I recalled an example from long ago.  The first part-time job I took after all the kids were in school all day was as a receptionist for an optometrist. I answered the phone, filed paperwork, and checked in patients.  One day, after I had been there just a couple of weeks, someone called and asked how much it cost for an eye exam.  Since there was a price list on the wall in front of my desk, I quoted the price of a basic exam.  After I hung up, the doctor came out of his office yelling at me for daring to quote a price over the phone.  With a number of patients sitting right in front of us, he continued to berate me as an idiot.  

Normally, my response would have been to defend myself and to explain that no one had ever told me not to do what I had just done.  However, what actually happened was that I found a deep and peaceful calm descending over my mind and heart.  I cannot explain why that happened; I just know that I had no desire to defend myself from his anger.  When he stopped yelling, I calmly responded, "You are right; I'll never do that again."  My reaction evidently caught him off-guard.  It was evidently not what he expected. He literally sputtered before turning around and returning to his office. 

My only explanation for what happened at that moment was that the Holy Spirit came to my defense when I had no defense.  Jesus told his apostles not to worry about what to say when they were hauled before judges and magistrates, for the Holy Spirit Himself would give them the words they needed. 

 My point here is that God is not "sitting" up above, watching to see what we will do in any given situation.  Rather, for those who open the door to their hearts (Rev. 3:20) and allow Jesus to enter, He is "living and acting" (Hebrews 4:12) in us, expressing His nature in us if we will only allow it.  Jesus is constantly at work in us, perfecting our human nature to make it more like His.  If we share His Spirit, we will enjoy His Presence and allow the work to continue.  St. Paul said that we are all being transformed into His likeness through the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 3), and that it is God who works in us to will and to act according to His purpose (Phil. 2:13).

Pure Act --Watch for it!

...With Your Whole Heart

 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind (Deut.6).

"How is this even possible?" I wondered.  Given the lives we lead, with multiple interests, responsibilities, a variety of people with whom to interact......how is it possible to be that focused on God?  Maybe the desert fathers might have been able to be that centered, but what about those of us living in the 21st century?

As happens often, almost as soon as I ask the question, the answer appears.  I asked the question last week in a group, and this morning, I began reading an excerpt from John of the Cross, The Living Flame of Love:

The center of the soul is God. When the soul shall have reached Him, according to its essence, and according to the power of its operations, it will then have attained to its ultimate and deepest center in God. This will be when the soul shall love Him, comprehend Him, and enjoy Him with all its strength.

Reading this passage, it began to dawn on me that I had been thinking about God as another object in the universe -- Someone "out there," outside of myself, another Person to whom I had to relate, along with all the other relationships I had.  Someone Else who claimed my attention, along with all the other responsibilities in my life. 

My mornings begin each day with two cats demanding to be fed, brushed, watered, attended to -- not to mention the neighborhood cat who waits on the porch at 4:00 am to be fed.  Of course, there is no comparison here to the mother of three or four who must attend to multiple demands of her children from morning to night, and even through the night.  And then, possibly go to work and face the demands of her boss and perhaps customers throughout the day.  At night, her goal is only to make sure the children are tucked safely into bed before she falls exhausted into sleep herself.  Where, then, is the time and energy to fulfill the command to "Love the Lord your God with all your .... strength?"

If we follow the thinking of John of the Cross, however, we do not have to add God to our list of "things to do and people to see."  Rather, since the center of our soul is God, we can find ourselves attending to our very center -- the place from which we do all these other things outside of ourselves.  In other words, "with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind" refer to the center of our daily operations.  One of the great saints said, "My me is You!"  (My translation:  My heart is You! My soul is You! My strength is You! My mind is You!)  

As John said, "...according to its essence, and according to the power of its operations...."

Where is the center out of which we operate and face the day's demands?  What is the strength that enables us to survive, to greet others, to order our small universe with peace and harmony?  From whence do we draw wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to solve the problems of each day? Where is the center......"according to the power of our operations"?

If our center is ourselves, our own knowledge and wisdom, our own strength and endurance, our own minds and hearts, we are poor indeed and most unlikely to survive very long at all in the face of difficulties.  If our center is indeed God Himself, if we draw from Him the powers we need to face each day, we draw closer to Him as we rely on His knowledge, wisdom, and strength.  

We don't need to look outside of ourselves to love God with all our hearts, minds, and souls.  We need only look within, at our very center.  And when we discover His Light at the center of our being, His Love becoming the Source of our love, His wisdom addressing our problems ----- then we will indeed love Him with our whole heart, our whole soul, our whole mind, and our whole strength.

Behind the Curtain

 I woke up this morning thinking about The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, C. S. Lewis' masterpiece about 3 children who discover a secret door in the back of a wardrobe, and thereby enter a magical fantasy world.  And then I started thinking about The Wizard of Oz and another of my favorite books, The Secret Garden.

In all three of these wonderful stories, people -- children, that is, --- discover another world, a secret place of wonder, magic in a sense, and healing.  And then I realized the universal appeal of these stories.

All of us have a secret world behind the door of our everyday world --- a place behind the curtain of reality if you will.  There is a door in the far back of our minds beyond which only we can enter, unless in rare instances, we open the door and invite one or two others into our secret place.

In the Old Testament, David was given the pattern of the Temple that Solomon built.  The Temple was on a high and holy hill, to which all nations of the world were invited and welcomed (Is.2).  There was a court of the Gentiles, where all were welcomed, and beyond that, an inner court where only the Jews could enter.  This was their gathering place for sacrifice, praise, and worship.  The innermost court, the tabernacle (or Tent of Meeting), was reserved for the priests and it was separated from the inner court by a heavy curtain.  When the priests entered the Tent of Meeting, they washed with water before entering.

It occurred to me that at the Last Supper, knowing that the curtain to the Tent of Meeting would be torn in half the next day, Jesus washed His disciples with water and then said to them, "I no longer call you servants but now friends, because a servant does not know what his master is doing."  He was pulling back the curtain to His own rich interior life and inviting them in -- into His secret and personal relationship with the Father, into His own love for mankind, into the joy and peace of eternal life!  

If we remember what lay behind the secret door of our three stories, we find places of wonder, of discovery, of slow and certain healing, of peace, courage, strength, knowledge, and wisdom. ("If only I had a brain!" says the scarecrow.) 

 Jesus has invited each one of us into His own secret garden, behind the door, behind the curtain of our everyday lives.  It is a place of wonder, of mystery unfolded, of health, of wisdom and knowledge.  I often yearn to pull back the curtain of my own secret garden and invite others in, but it is often impossible to do so.  The "realities" of this world are more captivating to many than what lies beyond the curtain.  

In His death, Jesus was able to enter the Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, with His Father, and He now invites us to enter with Him.  Washed, baptized into His death, we are "born again" into new men and women, born no longer of flesh but now of spirit.  We are able to see, comprehend, and enjoy spiritual realities -- the ones that lie just behind the curtain of our everyday lives. 

"If only I had a brain!"  "If only I had a heart!"  "If only I had courage!"  "If only I could find my way home!"  We've all been looking in the wrong place!  Jesus opens to us the door through the wardrobe, behind the curtain, and into the secret garden wherein lies everything we seek!

Psalms for Ukraine

 Gird your sword upon your side, O mighty one;
clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
In your majesty ride forth victoriously
in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness;
let your right hand display awesome deeds.
Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king's enemies;
let the nations fall beneath your feet (Ps. 45:3-5)

*****

God is our refuge and our strength,

an ever-present help in distress.....

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall;

God will help her at break of day.

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;

He lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see the works of the Lord,

the desolations he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear,

he burns the shields with fire.

Be still and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.

The Lord Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress (Ps. 46, sections).

St. Augustine wrote The City of God, contrasting the place where "the Most High dwells" to the kingdoms of this earth.  In his masterpiece, the City of God dwells in the midst of, and alongside of, Rome, representing all the kingdoms of this natural world.  Jesus said to Pilate, representing Rome, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my followers would fight to prevent my arrest...."(Jn. 18).  

The "kingdoms of this world" are characterized by the lust to dominate, in the words of Augustine, a characteristic of the natural man, the man without God.  Even in personal relationships, the lust to dominate, "my way or the highway," can be observed.  In America today, we see a clear divide between those whose power and philosophy seek to "cancel" those who disagree with their viewpoint, and those who acknowledge, "my kingdom is not of this world." 

Writing the first philosophy of history, Augustine exhibits evidence that from the beginning, the community of God's people has lived alongside the kingdoms of this world, and he traces the antagonism of these two kingdoms, going back as far as the fall of the angels, and looking forward to the last judgment and the eternal destination of good and evil.

From the beginning of his election, David encountered the opposition of Saul's "lust to dominate," to control, to come out on top.  He fled for his life into the desert, but his forced reliance on "the Most High" to preserve his life was just the training-field for what was yet to come, as David went on the defeat the Philistines and the surrounding nations in order to establish Jerusalem and the United Kingdom for the first time in history.  His psalms of victory and praise reflect his dependence not on his natural powers but on God's taking up the fight on his behalf.  

As we read the Psalms today, may they be our prayer for Ukraine, the latest victim of the lust to dominate so evident in the kingdoms of this world.