Greetings fellow Network of Love Lovers,
It's a dreary, mopey Monday weather-wise. But I hope the Spirit fills you with good things today, with sunshine and hopes of pleasant journeys.
Reflection:
"As they prayed, the place where they were gathered SHOOK, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness" (Acts of the Apostles-ch. 4, verse 31).
I read this line this morning while reading the daily readings before our seminary community celebrated mass. It struck me...it hit me...it SHOOK me. It made me reflect on times in my life when I have been shook while gathered with people in prayer.
Recently, a member of my student prayer group here on Loyola's campus, shared an absolutely moving account of how she, only two years ago, had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. The diagnosis made her uncertain of her future on this earth–––but it made her all the more certain of her faith in God. She told our group that the tumor went away and that she has been tumor free for two years. Thank God! She said that that moment of her life, amidst a struggle that many of us cannot imagine enduring at the age of sixteen, she realized that she had a calling to fulfill. Her faith has led her to believe that she walks with Christ, every day of her life. Indeed, her story inspired both myself and the other member of the prayer group that night. I was shocked, taken aback, SHOOK by her story. It made that moment of prayer a window into the depths of not only my friend's soul, but the heart of faith–––our shared, communal faith.
A second moment that always SHOOK me when I was a kid (quite literally) was the organ at my home parish on special celebrations. Our organist Joe (he is still playing at our parish–––has been for something like 30 years–––is never shy when it comes to cranking out the sound on the organ. And I love that. Music has always been one of my passions–––so, as a little kid, I thought it was so radical and "cool" that music could be played loud and proud in church. Alleluia! Amen! Praise, praise, praise. The music SHOOK me.
And there are times in our life, moments of great sadness, that shake us. A close friend of mine just lost his father. While he seems to becoping with the loss much better than I feel that I could, I can only imagine the inner struggles he faces as he mourns the loss of someone who helped give him life. Hearing that, on Easter Sunday morning, his father had passed away in Kenya and that my friend would not be able to return for the funeral, all of that really SHOOK me. But hearing my friend's words about his father...that the man has discovered the "absolute healing" shook me with its beautiful boldness and total faith in God. Amen.
We gather together to pray, whether in church or at a table or at a special ceremony or event, because we crave that community that brings us closer to each other. In the Acts of the Apostles, we hear of a young community, with struggles, with joys, with hopes, with dreams and IN prayer. Living together in prayer, the place where they are becomes sacred. It is transformed by the Spirit of God. And each member of that community is "filled with the Holy Spirit" and is able to "speak the word of God with boldness."
peace and blessings~
with love,
your friend bob : )
Monday, April 20, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
To serve, to be served
Greetings fellow Network of Love Lovers!
Happy Easter to all of you! We celebrate five more weeks of the Easter Season, as we all also usher in the coming of spring. And here in the Midwest, we surely need a spring pick-me-up to set our sights toward summer.
Reflection:
I want to talk briefly about service. What it means to serve. I propose that there are two ways to serve. The first way would be what tends to come to mind when someone suggests that they are going to serve in some capacity–––to give you, to give your time, talents, and effort and expect little to nothing in return. An example I would draw from Christian scripture: Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. After he presents this “model” to his disciples, he urges them to do the same for one another. “So that as I have done for you, you should also do” (John, chapter 13, verse 15). The basic interpretation of this verse is that if your Lord can wash your feet, then you should be able to wash anyone’s feet. No one is too important to not serve a friend in need. Likewise, no one is unworthy of being served, of having his or her feet metaphorically washed. Whether we heal someone physically, spiritually or emotionally---whether we show them faith in some manner, the presence of God in their live or the presence of hope---we can be of service. And this leads me to a second way to serve.
When I went to El Salvador last year, I struggled with the idea that a family that did not have much in terms of material goods was treating me like royalty. My friend Laura and I were given two chairs at a small table while we ate, while our host family gathered in various places to eat meals. We were given the choicest portions, served first. We were almost like the priests in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, the priests in Ancient Israel who were given the greatest portions during sacrifices. This made us uncomfortable at first. We both struggled in the sense that we felt that we didn’t deserve this type of service. Who were we? What were we DOING for these people? Couldn’t we be doing more? How dare we take what little they have?
These questions took time to be resolved. Sometimes, they still eat away at me. But, just recently, a wise person made me aware of just what I WAS doing for my host family in El Salvador. By being a guest, by trying our best to be humble and grateful guests, we were serving our Salvadorian friends. How could this be? Again, I turn to a Gospel story. From John, chapter 12, we imagine Jesus in Bethany, only days before his crucifixion; Jesus is eating with Martha, Mary and Lazarus. “Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair.” This act of service, of elaborate hospitality troubles Judas. “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?” While Judas might have been asking this question with less than genuine concern for the poor (we are told he was stealing from the disciples’ money bag---further, he betrays Jesus), we can at least consider our own reaction to his question. Sometimes I think to myself…you know, Judas, if he would have been speaking with genuine concern for the poor, might have had a legitimate issue with the lavish oils being poured onto Jesus simply to relieve him or serve him.
However, Jesus’ response is crucial: “Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” Jesus seems to say that it is worth our time to allow others to serve us. And if they care enough about us to do so, to turn down someone’s gift would be to deprive them of something. We might even consider it a form of betrayal. And in this sense, we see Judas’ question, even if it was asked with the most sincere of intentions, is lacking something. It is lacking in gratitude and acceptance of another person’s desire to show you that they care and love for you. To allow someone to serve you is a sincere form of service. It empowers another person and lets them enter into your life in a way that says I am open to your love and your hospitality. You warm my heart with your sign of appreciation. In turn, we then go to another person to serve them, to show that person we care. It is in giving of ourselves that we receive. It is in service that we are sometimes served and sometimes we serve.
May charity and love prevail!
A blessed continued celebration of Easter and Resurrection and Hope in new life to all!
Peace and blessings.
With love,
Your friend bob.
Happy Easter to all of you! We celebrate five more weeks of the Easter Season, as we all also usher in the coming of spring. And here in the Midwest, we surely need a spring pick-me-up to set our sights toward summer.
Reflection:
I want to talk briefly about service. What it means to serve. I propose that there are two ways to serve. The first way would be what tends to come to mind when someone suggests that they are going to serve in some capacity–––to give you, to give your time, talents, and effort and expect little to nothing in return. An example I would draw from Christian scripture: Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. After he presents this “model” to his disciples, he urges them to do the same for one another. “So that as I have done for you, you should also do” (John, chapter 13, verse 15). The basic interpretation of this verse is that if your Lord can wash your feet, then you should be able to wash anyone’s feet. No one is too important to not serve a friend in need. Likewise, no one is unworthy of being served, of having his or her feet metaphorically washed. Whether we heal someone physically, spiritually or emotionally---whether we show them faith in some manner, the presence of God in their live or the presence of hope---we can be of service. And this leads me to a second way to serve.
When I went to El Salvador last year, I struggled with the idea that a family that did not have much in terms of material goods was treating me like royalty. My friend Laura and I were given two chairs at a small table while we ate, while our host family gathered in various places to eat meals. We were given the choicest portions, served first. We were almost like the priests in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, the priests in Ancient Israel who were given the greatest portions during sacrifices. This made us uncomfortable at first. We both struggled in the sense that we felt that we didn’t deserve this type of service. Who were we? What were we DOING for these people? Couldn’t we be doing more? How dare we take what little they have?
These questions took time to be resolved. Sometimes, they still eat away at me. But, just recently, a wise person made me aware of just what I WAS doing for my host family in El Salvador. By being a guest, by trying our best to be humble and grateful guests, we were serving our Salvadorian friends. How could this be? Again, I turn to a Gospel story. From John, chapter 12, we imagine Jesus in Bethany, only days before his crucifixion; Jesus is eating with Martha, Mary and Lazarus. “Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair.” This act of service, of elaborate hospitality troubles Judas. “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?” While Judas might have been asking this question with less than genuine concern for the poor (we are told he was stealing from the disciples’ money bag---further, he betrays Jesus), we can at least consider our own reaction to his question. Sometimes I think to myself…you know, Judas, if he would have been speaking with genuine concern for the poor, might have had a legitimate issue with the lavish oils being poured onto Jesus simply to relieve him or serve him.
However, Jesus’ response is crucial: “Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” Jesus seems to say that it is worth our time to allow others to serve us. And if they care enough about us to do so, to turn down someone’s gift would be to deprive them of something. We might even consider it a form of betrayal. And in this sense, we see Judas’ question, even if it was asked with the most sincere of intentions, is lacking something. It is lacking in gratitude and acceptance of another person’s desire to show you that they care and love for you. To allow someone to serve you is a sincere form of service. It empowers another person and lets them enter into your life in a way that says I am open to your love and your hospitality. You warm my heart with your sign of appreciation. In turn, we then go to another person to serve them, to show that person we care. It is in giving of ourselves that we receive. It is in service that we are sometimes served and sometimes we serve.
May charity and love prevail!
A blessed continued celebration of Easter and Resurrection and Hope in new life to all!
Peace and blessings.
With love,
Your friend bob.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
One of those Connection Moments
Greetings fellow Network of Love Lovers!
I hope your Wednesday is turning out nice. This day has been traditionally nicknamed "spy Wednesday" by some Christians because it is a day where the reading in the Gospel pertains to Judas being the "spy" who will ultimately hand over Jesus to officials to be put to death.
Today I don't have a reflection, just a comment of sorts.
After my Ancient Philosophy course, I was walking and talking with a friend from the class. We were talking briefly about our summer plans; I mentioned that I would be in England this summer for some time. She said in a joking way she was jealous. I said I was jealous of myself too. Anyways, she mentioned her boyfriend had some family in Chelsea, a district or area (I'm not quite sure as to the specifics really) of London. I had mentioned earlier in the conversation that I would be spending some time in Liverpool, staying with some friends. (I can't wait to write while in England staying with my wonderful friend Sheila! You will probably here about her in coming months!). Anyways...finishing my story...here's where it turns sort of interesting. Before we are both ready to go our separate ways, I look up at the TV in our student lounge (we were passing through after class). I noticed there was a soccer game on the television (football by most other country's terminology). This was a rugged football game being played by two teams in England. Can you guess the two clubs? I'll give you a hint...one of the areas begins with the letter "L" while the other begins with the letter "C." Crazy enough, Liverpool and Chelsea were playing each other and were being broadcast on ESPN the moment we mentioned the two places in England. Wow!!! It was one of those "connection moments."
I hope you make plenty of connections with family or friends this weekend if you are taking part in any church celebrations or picnics or dinners or festivities of any kind. And remember, even if people are not with you in person, there is that "connection" that we all don't quite understand, and that makes us step back. To think that we are all not connected by some beautiful, life-giving force is difficult for me to do. I know I am only human. But those signs...when you are least expecting them...those signs point us to think in a certain direction.
peace and blessings on your day!
with love,
your friend bob : )
I hope your Wednesday is turning out nice. This day has been traditionally nicknamed "spy Wednesday" by some Christians because it is a day where the reading in the Gospel pertains to Judas being the "spy" who will ultimately hand over Jesus to officials to be put to death.
Today I don't have a reflection, just a comment of sorts.
After my Ancient Philosophy course, I was walking and talking with a friend from the class. We were talking briefly about our summer plans; I mentioned that I would be in England this summer for some time. She said in a joking way she was jealous. I said I was jealous of myself too. Anyways, she mentioned her boyfriend had some family in Chelsea, a district or area (I'm not quite sure as to the specifics really) of London. I had mentioned earlier in the conversation that I would be spending some time in Liverpool, staying with some friends. (I can't wait to write while in England staying with my wonderful friend Sheila! You will probably here about her in coming months!). Anyways...finishing my story...here's where it turns sort of interesting. Before we are both ready to go our separate ways, I look up at the TV in our student lounge (we were passing through after class). I noticed there was a soccer game on the television (football by most other country's terminology). This was a rugged football game being played by two teams in England. Can you guess the two clubs? I'll give you a hint...one of the areas begins with the letter "L" while the other begins with the letter "C." Crazy enough, Liverpool and Chelsea were playing each other and were being broadcast on ESPN the moment we mentioned the two places in England. Wow!!! It was one of those "connection moments."
I hope you make plenty of connections with family or friends this weekend if you are taking part in any church celebrations or picnics or dinners or festivities of any kind. And remember, even if people are not with you in person, there is that "connection" that we all don't quite understand, and that makes us step back. To think that we are all not connected by some beautiful, life-giving force is difficult for me to do. I know I am only human. But those signs...when you are least expecting them...those signs point us to think in a certain direction.
peace and blessings on your day!
with love,
your friend bob : )
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Greetings fellow Network of Love Lovers!
I am posting a reflection that pertains to the coming week---Holy Week. The pastor at the parish I grew up with, my home parish in West Allis, Wisconsin, mentioned in an e-mail several days ago that he was thinking about what to say for Palm Sunday (today). It got me thinking a little bit...
As we were saying rosary in the house tonight, the fourth sorrowful mystery struck me as something to possibly ponder in light of Palm Sunday. Jesus carries the cross...we each carry a cross---individually and collectively. Whatever that cross may be, it sticks with us for a lifetime.
We each walk the path alongside Jesus, following him to the place of his death. We, as Christians, seek to hoist our crosses on the mountain alongside our Lord, dying where he destroyed our death. We cry in the valley of tears, on top of Mt. Calvary with Jesus as we contemplate his death. We relate his death to the death of someone we hold near and dear. It gives our theology substance and an intimacy that is both beautiful and painful. His suffering on the cross becomes the pains we cannot understand---the emotional, the physical pains we experience individually and collectively. Why does a woman expecting a child miscarry seven months into a pregnancy? Why did I lose my job after 25 years of faithful service to my company? How could a person abuse his own child? What compells a teenager to take her own life?
These kinds of questions are crosses to bear---societal, philosophical, mysterious questions that have no short and easy answer. They are shrouded in mystery and they bring us to despair in actuality. But these questions---these crosses---need not be carried by us alone. And, as we hope and pray, these crosses do have some kind of meaning, a mysterious explanation that, though we may never be able to humanly give, our Lord provides us with the courage to place into his life. When our cross becomes unbearable is presicely the time that we can realize that the burden is light---there is a light. But that light has to experience complete darkness---the light has to be beaten and battered, strip to the core of its very existence, for us to realize that that light cannot be burnt out.
When we feel that our crosses---the individual ones we have trouble admitting of and the societal, group crosses that we sometimes can point out, other times take a part in producing---are too heavy for us to walk with, we might want to turn to Jesus at his time of most painful suffering. Hanging on a cross, ready and willing to die, the Gospel attributes these words to Jesus: "Father, into your hands, I commend my Spirit." Our Spirits, though wounded and broken at times---though we can sometimes feel so much pain that we or our world seem or seems to be on the eve of destruction---can always be redeemed by echoing these Words of Christ. That is what we believe.
We believe that in dying Christ restored our life, and in dying to the message of Christ, we can actively live to carry our cross in a way that becomes a burden with a purpose, a burden with meaning.We all sin---but we are all called to be saints. We all Spiritually starve sometimes---but we are all worthy of the Heavenly banquet. We all were there when they crucified our Lord. We were---are---all there when they nail God to the tree. And we are asked to have no fear in hoisting our own crosses alongside Christ. Jesus of Nazareth, person stripped of everything...dripping of blood and tears and sweat and emotion whispers "it is finished."
And then...
We hoist our cross in the same mountainous valley of tears in confidence that the peaceful valley rains down to wash away all that death could not do to Christ. His life is done but he is miraculously undone. We believe that stones can be rolled away. Away and away and away until the heart of what is meant to be revealed is revealed. As we anticipate Easter Sunday, let's consider making this week a Holy, Passionate week where we are made deeply aware of the crosses we can and can't communicate to others, ultimately bringing them to communion with our Lord and with one another at Supper. We gather at table to be made aware that the crosses we bare can be carried by a Resurrected Jesus. "It is finished." But not really.
peace and blessings!
with love,
your friend bob : )
I am posting a reflection that pertains to the coming week---Holy Week. The pastor at the parish I grew up with, my home parish in West Allis, Wisconsin, mentioned in an e-mail several days ago that he was thinking about what to say for Palm Sunday (today). It got me thinking a little bit...
As we were saying rosary in the house tonight, the fourth sorrowful mystery struck me as something to possibly ponder in light of Palm Sunday. Jesus carries the cross...we each carry a cross---individually and collectively. Whatever that cross may be, it sticks with us for a lifetime.
We each walk the path alongside Jesus, following him to the place of his death. We, as Christians, seek to hoist our crosses on the mountain alongside our Lord, dying where he destroyed our death. We cry in the valley of tears, on top of Mt. Calvary with Jesus as we contemplate his death. We relate his death to the death of someone we hold near and dear. It gives our theology substance and an intimacy that is both beautiful and painful. His suffering on the cross becomes the pains we cannot understand---the emotional, the physical pains we experience individually and collectively. Why does a woman expecting a child miscarry seven months into a pregnancy? Why did I lose my job after 25 years of faithful service to my company? How could a person abuse his own child? What compells a teenager to take her own life?
These kinds of questions are crosses to bear---societal, philosophical, mysterious questions that have no short and easy answer. They are shrouded in mystery and they bring us to despair in actuality. But these questions---these crosses---need not be carried by us alone. And, as we hope and pray, these crosses do have some kind of meaning, a mysterious explanation that, though we may never be able to humanly give, our Lord provides us with the courage to place into his life. When our cross becomes unbearable is presicely the time that we can realize that the burden is light---there is a light. But that light has to experience complete darkness---the light has to be beaten and battered, strip to the core of its very existence, for us to realize that that light cannot be burnt out.
When we feel that our crosses---the individual ones we have trouble admitting of and the societal, group crosses that we sometimes can point out, other times take a part in producing---are too heavy for us to walk with, we might want to turn to Jesus at his time of most painful suffering. Hanging on a cross, ready and willing to die, the Gospel attributes these words to Jesus: "Father, into your hands, I commend my Spirit." Our Spirits, though wounded and broken at times---though we can sometimes feel so much pain that we or our world seem or seems to be on the eve of destruction---can always be redeemed by echoing these Words of Christ. That is what we believe.
We believe that in dying Christ restored our life, and in dying to the message of Christ, we can actively live to carry our cross in a way that becomes a burden with a purpose, a burden with meaning.We all sin---but we are all called to be saints. We all Spiritually starve sometimes---but we are all worthy of the Heavenly banquet. We all were there when they crucified our Lord. We were---are---all there when they nail God to the tree. And we are asked to have no fear in hoisting our own crosses alongside Christ. Jesus of Nazareth, person stripped of everything...dripping of blood and tears and sweat and emotion whispers "it is finished."
And then...
We hoist our cross in the same mountainous valley of tears in confidence that the peaceful valley rains down to wash away all that death could not do to Christ. His life is done but he is miraculously undone. We believe that stones can be rolled away. Away and away and away until the heart of what is meant to be revealed is revealed. As we anticipate Easter Sunday, let's consider making this week a Holy, Passionate week where we are made deeply aware of the crosses we can and can't communicate to others, ultimately bringing them to communion with our Lord and with one another at Supper. We gather at table to be made aware that the crosses we bare can be carried by a Resurrected Jesus. "It is finished." But not really.
peace and blessings!
with love,
your friend bob : )
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Keep the stone on the Ground...Turn our World Upside Down
Greetings fellow Network of Love Lovers!
Hoping your Thursday brings you peace and solitude.
Reflection:
"I am amazed at the sayings of Jesus...[They] turn the world upside down." This quote, said by Katharine Butler Hathaway, is a wonderful way of explaining how Jesus' shocking statement in today's Gospel (John, chapter 8) might have affected his friends followers and enemies.
Jesus says, regarding Abraham, the father of Israel, that he himself came before Abraham. He says "I AM." This is a divine expression in Ancient Hebrew, a rough translation is essentially God. In saying this, Jesus puts himself with God. Such a statement would have been considered blasphemous and in Jesus' time would have condemned a person to death.
Jesus shatter his little world in a really big way with these words. His Word, his claim that he is not only speaking the word of God as a prophet but that, somehow, someway, he is "I AM," is about as bold as a person could ever get. And yet, Jesus emphasizes that he is no liar. He speaks truth, just as the people who have been listening and following him have been led to believe. Jesus has been a teacher that has transfixed people, uttering words and acting in a way that has made them better understand God. But when he says that he knows God in a way that no one else ever has, that he knows God in the most intimate way possible in the sense that he IS, people have a hard time committing themselves to his message.
Following the law, the people with Jesus pick up stones to throw at him. He should be put to death for what he has said, according to the understood law code.
It may be easy for us to think that we might have actually believed this person Jesus as we imagine ourselves in the story. I might think to myself, "I would never throw a stone at this peaceful, Messianic human. He came to save, how dare I help in throwing his life away?
But, pondering on the story a little more deeply, if we really stop and think about it, we might have very well picked up a stone, thinking and believing that THAT was the proper thing to do in the situation. How many times have I honestly picked up the stone to throw at an innocent person?
I pray that we all have the strength to defy the odds and to let Jesus turn our little world upside down in a really, really big way. Keep the stones on the ground and may our hearts be de-stoned in order to be in union with "I AM."
peace and blessings~
with love,
your friend bob : )
Hoping your Thursday brings you peace and solitude.
Reflection:
"I am amazed at the sayings of Jesus...[They] turn the world upside down." This quote, said by Katharine Butler Hathaway, is a wonderful way of explaining how Jesus' shocking statement in today's Gospel (John, chapter 8) might have affected his friends followers and enemies.
Jesus says, regarding Abraham, the father of Israel, that he himself came before Abraham. He says "I AM." This is a divine expression in Ancient Hebrew, a rough translation is essentially God. In saying this, Jesus puts himself with God. Such a statement would have been considered blasphemous and in Jesus' time would have condemned a person to death.
Jesus shatter his little world in a really big way with these words. His Word, his claim that he is not only speaking the word of God as a prophet but that, somehow, someway, he is "I AM," is about as bold as a person could ever get. And yet, Jesus emphasizes that he is no liar. He speaks truth, just as the people who have been listening and following him have been led to believe. Jesus has been a teacher that has transfixed people, uttering words and acting in a way that has made them better understand God. But when he says that he knows God in a way that no one else ever has, that he knows God in the most intimate way possible in the sense that he IS, people have a hard time committing themselves to his message.
Following the law, the people with Jesus pick up stones to throw at him. He should be put to death for what he has said, according to the understood law code.
It may be easy for us to think that we might have actually believed this person Jesus as we imagine ourselves in the story. I might think to myself, "I would never throw a stone at this peaceful, Messianic human. He came to save, how dare I help in throwing his life away?
But, pondering on the story a little more deeply, if we really stop and think about it, we might have very well picked up a stone, thinking and believing that THAT was the proper thing to do in the situation. How many times have I honestly picked up the stone to throw at an innocent person?
I pray that we all have the strength to defy the odds and to let Jesus turn our little world upside down in a really, really big way. Keep the stones on the ground and may our hearts be de-stoned in order to be in union with "I AM."
peace and blessings~
with love,
your friend bob : )
Monday, March 30, 2009
Shamrock Shuffle
Greetings fellow Network of Love Lovers!
Yesterday I completed the Shamrock Shuffle, a run in downtown Chicago that ushers in Spring and finishes St. Patrick's Day celebrations for the city. Well...the weather was cold and snowy and windy. Slush puddles squirted around our feet as us runners pounded our way through the streets of Chicago. But it was a blast! I remember, one woman accidentally bumped into me and apologized for doing so. I turned to her and laughed, saying "don't worry, I'm completely numb right now. You could take an ax to my body and I wouldn't feel a thing!" I thought it was very courteous of her to take the time to apologize for accidentally gently running into me (pun intended). People are awfully nice for the most part during runs...I've found the running culture to be especially positive and upbeat in the races I've run. I think I'll do the Shamrock Shuffle next year...even if the weather is as bad as it was this year!
peace and blessings.
with love,
your friend bob : )
Yesterday I completed the Shamrock Shuffle, a run in downtown Chicago that ushers in Spring and finishes St. Patrick's Day celebrations for the city. Well...the weather was cold and snowy and windy. Slush puddles squirted around our feet as us runners pounded our way through the streets of Chicago. But it was a blast! I remember, one woman accidentally bumped into me and apologized for doing so. I turned to her and laughed, saying "don't worry, I'm completely numb right now. You could take an ax to my body and I wouldn't feel a thing!" I thought it was very courteous of her to take the time to apologize for accidentally gently running into me (pun intended). People are awfully nice for the most part during runs...I've found the running culture to be especially positive and upbeat in the races I've run. I think I'll do the Shamrock Shuffle next year...even if the weather is as bad as it was this year!
peace and blessings.
with love,
your friend bob : )
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Abba
Greetings fellow Network of Love Lovers!
Wishing you serenity this Wednesday. It's sunny here in Chicago and even if it isn't sunny where you are, may you find a little sunshine somewhere today. The picture in my post today is of my nephew A.J. and my brother Bill–––father holding son in his arms.
Reflection:
"Abba"–––the name that Jesus used when he referred to God. Abba was the ancient word that Jesus used and taught us to use when addressing God. Reading my Action Prayer Book this morning, I learned that the literal translation of Abba is "Daddy." Here is Jesuit priest Mark Link's take on the use of Abba. "In other words, Jesus taught us to address God the same way he himself did: with the loving trust of a small child calling out to a loving parent."
I think of nights falling asleep to the singing of my Dad, who was "Daddy" then, singing a lullaby called "Daisy." He would sing to me in this quiet, rough around the edges but smooth and soft voice and I would drift to sleep. I hardly remember these moments, but I know from stories and from the faintest of memory that they were real. And I know they put me to sleep to rest in peace until the time I awoke.
Another Jesuit priest, Mark E. Thibodeaux, in his book Armchair Mystic: Easing into Contemplative Prayer, writes that the way we approach God in prayer is like a small child in the arms of his or her guardian:
"I must always remember that I can no more approach God than an infant can approach its mother. When that baby sees its mother several feet away, he tries to reach her by stretching out his tiny arms toward her. But it is Mom who goes the distance and makes the connection. In the same way, my human capacity to reach across the great divide between the finite and the infinite is eternally inadequate. But from God's perspective, the gap doesn't exist at all. Like a loving mother, our Mother-God is ever present."
My dad, singing me to sleep, was a nurturer who was present at the time when I was trying to relax and drift into slumber. To think of God and ourselves in this kind of way, as caretaker and small child, allows us to be okay with whatever comes out of our prayer. It is okay to be a child in prayer, to call God "Daddy" or "Mommy." In fact, Jesus himself used the term Abba. He was a child, loving God the father in the only way he knew how. And in this sense, in this kind of relationship, Jesus became Son of God. His example of how to pray and live is so simple that it makes us question our own simplicity. Do we see God as ever present, ready to take care of us at all costs, anytime we call on Abba?
We might not always understand God or prayer or get it right, if you will. But the key is that we try our best to foster an intimate, loving hopeful relationship with Daddy.
Thibodeaux continues: "to reach for God IS to reach God....I should trust that God is present to me ANYTIME I stretch out my feeble little spiritual arms."
peace and blessings and have a wonderful day!
with love,
your friend bob : )
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