Encouragement

Many are the troubles of the just man, 
but out of them all the Lord delivers him (Ps. 34:20). 

Almost everyone I know right now is going through "troubles," whether from the aftermath of the storm or from concern over health problems, or worry about family problems.  For some, it never seems to let up, and discouragement sets in, and then depression, robbing one of energy and the joy of life.  

It saddens me that so few people will turn to the Psalms for encouragement.  I completely understand why people will not read other sections of Scripture when they are feeling discouraged, because, unless the Holy Spirit is leading you to the exact passage you need at the moment, it takes some energy to do "Scripture study."   But the Psalms were made for times like this.  

Although not all of the Psalms were written by David, they all had their origin in his experience of being hated by a madman and of being pursued by an army seeking to kill him.  Hiding out in the wilderness of Judea, sleeping in caves, experiencing hunger and thirst on a daily basis, David had no hope except in God Himself -- the Good Shepherd.  He had a few men with him, who themselves were helpless against Saul's army.  And even when the opportunity arose to kill Saul, David could not bring himself to do harm to "God's anointed."

In the Psalms we find every human emotion, from despair to joy.  Even the feeling of wanting to destroy one's enemy and to "smash his children's head against the rocks."  (C.S. Lewis' Reflections on the Psalms is a great help for those who find such sentiments revolting.)  But my point here is that the Psalms encompass all of our human reactions.  They do not "worry" that such feelings are "unchristian" or unworthy; they acknowledge the spectrum of human experience, and because of that, we can find a home, so to speak, in their verses.  

It is always so encouraging to find someone who understands what we are going through, and who can give us some hope out of our despair.  I love to stumble across just the words I need in times of discouragement.  I wrote yesterday about discernment of spirits; what the Psalms do for me is give me peace.  Proverbs 25:11 says, A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.  When I find exactly what I need to hear, that's indeed like "apples of gold" to my spirit.

If we can find nothing else in Scripture to encourage us and to once again "set us upon a rock too high for (our) enemy to reach," (Ps. 18, paraphrased), the Psalms offer a wealth of supply for our need.  Back in 2010, on my way to the doctor only to find out I had lung cancer, I was listening to Charles Stanley talking about Ps. 57:1:  I will hide in the shadow of his wings until the disaster has passed me by.  Even before the diagnosis had been revealed, peace descended all over me and never left.

The Word of God is living and active and more powerful than any two-edged sword, ...discerning the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Heb. 4:12). We need to put it to work for us!  Once the Psalms have applied balm to our wounds, the rest of scripture can begin to penetrate our hearts and minds also.

On Ignatian Spirituality and the Facebook Experience

 Recently I posted a quotation from Julian of Norwich* on Facebook:  

All shall be well,

 and all shall be Well,
and all manner of things shall be well.

Now Facebook is not my favorite thing, but every now and then I become ensnared by photos of animals doing hilarious, sweet, or ultra-cute things, and I continue to scroll through the pages watching for comments from friends and family.  In response to this particular quotation, a friend wrote that she especially loved the story of the cat that kept Julian company in her hermitage.  I had not heard that story but responded that I believed it.  And my friend wrote back that she believed all stories about cats.  

The result of this overall exchange was a chuckle and a brief re-connection with someone I had known professionally and warmly some years ago. Though now separated by time and distance, we were able to one again touch and smile as close friends based on our mutual love of both cats and spiritual response to the writings of a Catholic saint.

In my brief and infrequent forays into facebook, however, I have noticed a distinct division between this type of exchange and the raucous, angry, divisive type of commentary that goes on as par-for-the-course.  Many people have gotten off facebook altogether because of these exchanges.  In fact, just last night I heard someone comment that it is impossible even to have a conversation these days with those whose opinions differ.  Immediately, one is attacked as evil, as enemy, as stupid or uncaring, if one's question indicates a minority opinion from the majority.

Normally, I will not comment on the political forum; in fact, I flee from it altogether as I would if I found myself in the midst of an angry mob.  There is no sense in trying to have a discussion or conversation with those who are carrying bricks and bats and looking for something to destroy, any more than one would step into the street on the night of Kristallnacht* 1938 to discuss the actions of the Nazi troops.  The one time I questioned a comment on getting rid of the electoral college, I was attacked with a volume and a venom that immediately shut me down. 

In reflecting on these two fb experiences, the whole "story" of Ignatian discernment of spirits suddenly became real to me.  Ignatius was a Spanish Basque knight and soldier born in 1491, who loved stories of heroism and battle, of romance and chivalry. When he was severely wounded in battle and recovering in his family castle, he looked for books to read about adventure and great deeds.  All that was available to him, however, were the Bible and stories of the saints.  Eventually, Ignatius began to realize that when he read stories of heroism, he was left feeling unsettled and anxious -- I think I would characterize the feeling as "mildly disturbed."  When he read stories of the saints, or the life of Christ, he was left with a feeling of peace and calm that remained even when he was no longer reading.  

From his experience with noticing the effects certain kinds of reading had on his spirit, he developed The Ignatian Spiritual Exercises based on discernment of spirits.  In the past, when I have heard about "discernment of spirits," I thought of some esoteric "woo-woo" kind of thing, kind of way beyond me.  Now that I am actually listening to CDs based on the Ignatian spirituality, however, I realize that this is everyday experience to which we barely pay attention.

It took Ignatius paying attention to his own spiritual response to different kinds of experience to reveal that God has given to all of us a gift of discernment.  Certain things make us flee in fear; other experiences draw us with warmth, humor, and connection.  Certain experiences unite us; others repel us or disturb us.  When we begin to credit our own interior response to words and situations, we can be led into peace and joy and learn to avoid the things that disturb us.

What amazes me about facebook is that the people who are perpetually angry seem to be addicted to the anger and vituperation.  Day after day, they appear to be shaking their fists and asking others to join them in their outpouring of hatred and division.  Unfortunately, the prevailing mood does not stop at facebook, but has now taken to the public square in a movement much like Kristallnacht. 

*( I have asterisked both Julian of Norwich and Kristallnacht, intending to reference them at the end of this post, but actually, they are both so available on the internet with better explanations that I will leave them to the reader.) 

Learning to listen to our own spirits and believing that God wants unity and peace first within us and then among one another could be the secret to healing our nation and our souls.

God Shining Through

 Pope Francis recently gave a talk for the Feast of All Saints (November 1) in which he compared the saints to stained glass windows, which let the light shine through, each with its own particular hue.  When I think of the people I know, I can see the analogy:  some shine with brilliance/ intelligence; some with goodness and kindness; some with generosity and thoughtfulness; some with a great sense of humor that lightens every encounter.  When Jesus walked the earth, He embodied in every moment the goodness and image of Who God Is.  When He washed the feet of the apostles, He enfleshed -- made visible and concrete-- what God the Father has been doing for us since the beginning.  When He protected the woman caught in adultery, or called Matthew, or healed lepers, He was shining forth the Face of the Father.

A friend of mine had a stroke several years ago, which left her somewhat incapacitated.  Yet she is fully recovered enough to cook for 60 homeless people a day (someone delivers the food and picks it up, and she cooks in her own kitchen).  Once the owner of her own catering business in Atlanta, she probably has every right to feel sorry for herself, but now it's as if she were born to do this!  

We have just survived yet another hurricane, and when I walked out of my house Thursday morning, I was overwhelmed by what needed to be done and by our inability to tackle the task.  Spontaneously, I asked God to send someone to help us, preferably "someone with a chain saw."  Within a couple of hours, a neighbor in the next block whom we barely knew arrived --- with a chain saw and a tree saw.  "I want to help," he said, looking at the two trees that had partially come down in front of the house.  I didn't have the heart to show him the back yard.  "If you can just cut those trees down,' I told him, "I'll drag the pieces to the curb."  He worked for a couple of hours cutting one huge dead tree to the ground and sawing the pieces of another tree that had split down the middle.  

Later that morning, after  he had left, a young couple on bikes stopped to help me haul debris to the curb.  They cleared the ground of all the logs and branches that had been cut down and then offered to  help with whatever else we needed.  "Do you have a chain saw?" I asked, thinking of the wasteland in the back of the house.  He assured me he could borrow one, and I immediately hired them to come back the next day, which they did.  Their work was impeccable, as was their work ethic.  Never have I seen anyone tackle such a huge task with the energy and enthusiasm they had!  Not only did God answer MY prayer, but He answered theirs:  the young man had been in prison for 3 years at one time, and now finds it hard to get a job.  So now we have great help for everyday maintenance, and they have work.  (I have advertised their help to all my friends in the garden club, and now they have jobs lined up for awhile.)

In the past few days without power, neighbors have all worked together to ease the burden.  One of my neighbors arrived early the first day to offer space in her chest freezer for my frozen items; another brought us a small camp stove so that we could have hot coffee in the morning and hot soup at night -- what a huge difference that made!  Other neighbors brought us ice when it became available on the 3rd day, along with coffee from McDonald's, and told us not to worry about the broken fence between our homes -- they would repair it themselves.

In times like this, it is so easy to see "God shining through" each person in his/her own particular way.  What a joy it is!  Even a child can reflect the sweet love of God given to us in one another.  My favorite little boy (not quite 4 yet) met me after church Saturday with the biggest/ tightest hug I think I have ever received, and then he took my hand in his little hand and said, "I walk you to your car, Miss Gayle."  

Even in difficult times, God has a way of opening the clouds and letting His love shine through!

But you will receive power.....

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; 
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. 

The very last words of Jesus to His disciples before He ascended into heaven were, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you...."

What is this "power" of which He spoke?  The Greek word here is dunamis: force, miraculous power, ability, abundance, might, miracle, power, strength, mighty (wonderful) work.  This Greek word is what underlies our English version: dynamite.  

The disciples had come to believe in Jesus, the Son of God, and in His "force, mighty power, wonderful work, strength," but had no clue in heaven or on earth that that same "force, mighty power, wonderful work, strength" would or could ever belong to them.  And yet, after the Day of Pentecost, when the Spirit of God descended on them in tongues of fire, we see the little band of ragged disciples doing the same things that Jesus did during His public ministry: healing the sick, casting out demons, drawing others through the word of God to the worship of the true God, etc. 

The church was alive with the power and the presence of Jesus Christ in His members, in the little band of believers -- the "little band" that grew by 3000 believers in one day!

When Paul arrived sometime later at Ephesus, he "found some disciples" and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when (or after) you believed?"  They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."  As it turns out, they had not been baptized into Jesus Christ; they had received "John's baptism," a baptism (or ritual washing) of repentance.  John's baptism was intended to prepare them for the One Who Was to Come, Jesus Christ.  

What was it that caused Paul to ask the question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?  He must have noticed a lack of power among these believers.  An interesting phenomenon, I'd say.  A "lack of power"  -- isn't that what characterizes most of our churches today?  I am not talking about "hype" here --- the "good feeling" often generated by loud music, raised hands, and speaking in tongues; in "mighty miracles" accompanied by swooning and clapping.  I do not discredit any of these signs, as I have often participated in charismatic services in various churches.  And there are times when the church (and we ourselves) need to be awakened from slumber by a few outward demonstrations.  

However, the kind of "power" I am really looking for is the power evident in and flowing from the Person of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Gospels -- the power of Love, the power of Peace, the power of Kindness and Compassion, the Power of God moving among His people with gentleness --- gathering in the lost and the outcast, healing the lame, forgiving the sinner, overcoming our "human nature" inherited from the beginning and passed down from generation to generation.  The calling of Levi, the tax collecter, to be part of the Kingdom of God; the invitation  to Zacchaeus to come down out of the tree; the healing of Mary Magdalene, who was possessed by seven demons.   The drawing power of the Fatherhood of God inviting mankind to eat at His table, no matter their sins and offenses.  All can be forgiven; everything can be healed if only we ask --- that kind of power!

Do we belong to what Augustine called The City of God, or do we belong to the City of the World and its "power"?  Do we exhibit the nature of Adam, the "first man," or the nature of Christ, "the second man, the Man from heaven?" (1 Cor. 15).  

When the Holy Spirit "comes," He leads us in prayer (Romans 8), fills our minds with truth (Jn. 14 and 16), makes us holy (Gal. 5), and equips us to build up the church (Romans 12 and I Cor. 12 and 14).  That is the kind of dynamite that comes from heaven above, the kind of "power" that does not pass away when the music stops, the kind of power still flowing from Jesus Christ even to His last breath on the cross.  

Is this the kind of power we experience in our church today?

The Gift of Joy

 O God, I stand beaten and battered by the countless manifestations of my own inadequacies.  Yet, we must live with joy.... Aid me in this quest, O God.  Help me find satisfaction and a deep, abiding pleasure in all that I have, in all that I do, in all that I am.  ---Rabbi Nachman of Breslau

Rabbi Nachman of Breslau stressed the importance of joy in the spiritual life and encouraged his followers to spend an hour a day conversing with God, "as you would with your closest friend."  St. Dominic Savio once said, "Joy is the unmistakable sign of the presence of God."  I think the quest for joy is a universal one.  Most people would say the quest for happiness is the one that is universal, but joy, to me, goes deeper than happiness.  Happiness depends on circumstances; joy does not.    The night before He dies, Jesus tells the disciples, "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love....I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete" (John 15).

We thirst for this deep joy, but where can we find it?  Someone once told me, "You cannot give yourself joy!"  Why that should have been such a revelation to me, I cannot say, but it hit me between the eyes!  I had been trying to "manufacture" joy for some time -- transcendental meditation, no; positive thinking, no; yoga, no.  None of these worked for me; they gave me a modicum of peace for the moment, but life always intruded on that temporary "fix."  When someone prayed for me to receive the Holy Spirit, however, I discovered that I did not have to "do" joy -- it was a gift from Above!  

Psalm 16 is one of my favorites:

Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;

You have made my lot secure.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

surely I have a delightful inheritance.

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;

even at night my heart instructs me.

I have set the Lord always before me.

Because he is at my right hand,

I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

my body also will rest secure,

because you will not abandon me to grave,

nor will you let your faithful one see decay.

You have made known to me the path of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence,

with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

If we connect the words of  this Psalm with the words of Jesus at the Last Supper, we better understand His Gift of Joy to the disciples.  Joy is to be found in the Presence of God, and His Presence remains with us; it is up to us to tap into that Presence, as Rabbi Nachman advised -- talking to God daily as if He were our closest friend.  He doesn't always "answer" us, but He always bestows joy!

Mystical Experience and Everyday People

 Sometimes things come together in just the right way to make us catch our breath.  This morning was one of those moments.  I had just read an article by Father Ron Rolheiser, who has a way of always hitting the nail on the head.  The title of his article was "Mystical Experience and Everyday People."  In it, he said, Mysticism...normally has nothing to do with visions, altered states of consciousness, or states of ecstasy.  Rather it has to do with a searing clarity of mind and heart....Rarely are we ever in touch with our deepest center, without filters, purely; but when we are, that's what makes for a mystical experience."

Following Rolheiser's article, I picked up my morning meditation book, in which I read a reflection on a portion of the Rule of  St. Benedict:  Let us consider how we ought to behave in the presence of God and God's angels.  (Today is the feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.)  The reflection begins with a quote from Minnesota poet Tom Hennen:

There are no creatures you cannot love.

 A frog calling at God
From the moon-filled ditch
As you stand on the country road in the June night.
The sound is enough to make the stars weep
With happiness.

 

And then the writer goes on to say:

 To sense each creature singing the hymn of its existence is to live joyfully in God's presence -- and in the presence of God's angels.  God's creation sings in the ordinary experiences of each day, each part of creation a voice in the chorus of worship of our Creator.  Every tree, every fish, every deer, every eagle is given a unique voice that harmonizes with that of the moon, the sun, the stars ---and with the angels and archangels and all the hosts and powers of heaven.  Let us sing the hymn of God's glory, as without end we acclaim, "Holy! Holy !Holy!"   (Father Michael Peterson, OSB)

Now that's what I'd call a mystical experience!   

Fresh From the Grave

 On the road to Emmaus, on the third day after the Crucifixion, two of the disciples meet a stranger.  What are you discussing together as you walk along? He asks.

They stand still, their faces downcast.  Are you the only one living in Jerusalem who doesn't know the things that have happened there in these days? And they relate to Him the events, including the report of the women who went to the tomb and did not find the body.

How slow of heart you are to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ...and beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.

Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us? they later asked themselves after they had recognized Him in the breaking of the bread.

*********************************

Fresh from the grave, the only one He has met up to the moment has been Mary Magdalene.  Later that evening, He is to appear to His brothers, the Apostles.  But now, here are two "disciples," one of them by the name of Cleopas -- not mentioned in the Gospels up to now.  Let's, for the sake of argument here, call them ordinary "sinners," -- not because they are like Mary Magdalene or even like Peter.  Not because they have done anything wrong that we know of.  But only because they are like the rest of us, not yet transformed by grace. The Holy Spirit has not yet been poured out on all flesh, as He will be on the day of Pentecost fifty days from now.  As far as we know, they are good Jews; they had been hoping "that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel."

But "sinners" only because in their natural state, under the ministry of the "law," their minds were made "dull," according to 2 Cor. 3.  Paul writes:

Now if the ministry that ...was engraved in letters on stone came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?....We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away.  But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read.  It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.  Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.  But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away...And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

The grave clothes are barely off the Christ; it is as if He cannot wait to begin the "ministry of the Spirit," which is to open the Scriptures to His disciples.  He wants us to understand all that Scriptures have spoken of Him.  He wants to open our minds so that our hearts are burning within us!  He wants to make our joy complete.  He wants to come close to us on the road, as we are discussing the events of the day!  At first, we don't recognize Him as he walks with us, but in further conversation, we begin to feel that something is different.  And slowly, like the dawn of creation, the Light begins to dawn in our hearts:

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God...For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ (2 Cor. 3). 

It is only in the power of the Resurrection that Jesus was able to open minds and hearts.  Up to that moment, he could only speak in parables and in ordinary language.  He could teach and explain the parables to those who came to Him later, asking for an explanation.  But now, in the power of the Resurrection, He can enter behind closed doors, whether physically or spiritually.  And in the ordinary conversation on the road, He can begin to open the Scriptures to His disciples.  He cannot wait for Pentecost; to those close to Him, He must begin the ministry of glory.  He must begin to open their minds to understand all that He is, all that He has gone through.

What are you thinking about? He asks us.  And if we are willing to unfold to Him our thoughts, He is ready to enter into conversation with us.  And we must be aware of how we are feeling if we are to believe that He is indeed opening to us the meaning of all that has gone before.