The week flew by and there are signs of spring everywhere. Today while walking out of the Mother House the Sister waiting for me was staring at a tree. There were Cedar Wax Wings eating last years berries (the picture is included). Last Sunday one of the Sisters pointed out an owl to me (that picture is also included). Things are warming-up in Wisconsin and from what I understand some people have already begun preparing the gardens. This is the mundane at work, and also the great rhythm of life.
Yesterday I attended my first Adopt-A-Highway clean-up activity. While picking up debris I recalled a time when I was unaware of the environment and the impact I had on it. I was immediately focused on the day that helped me to shift toward stewardship. The transition was slow, yet I owe that initial movement to my younger sister Heather. Her awareness and prodding allowed me to change some habits while recognizing the world is here to be cared for, not destroyed by the mindless activity of humans. Last week we celebrated Earth Day and our planet is in need of our love and care. Yesterday during a meeting we watched a video from the late Thomas Barry and I share that with you as an opportunity to reflect as well. Blessings and have a great week!
My heart goes out to the people in Boston, MA and West, Texas as they deal with the tragedies of last week, and all who continue to work toward justice regarding the gun bill. This has been a heavy week and the news media is filled with images of distress and challenge. I wonder how you find yourself in all of this? I am overwhelmed by the imagery and discussion. When saturated by these things I need to step away and breathe while focusing on the other things in life that matter. In an attempt to stay conscious about what is happening in the world I check-in online and try to avoid the news broadcasts. It is easy to become fixated on the story of the day and not see what is being neglected right before my eyes. This occurs even when there is not a tragic tale to be told. I am always curious how other people deal with media overload, or maybe it is news overload? One of the things I do is read Yahoo! News in an attempt to balance out the serious with the sublime. For the most part this works out pretty well. Sometimes if I really need to read the story I will go to the BBC feed and get that perspective.
Onto a less happening topic: I am attempting to once again wean myself off of caffeine. No headache, just feeling a bit tired, cranky and spacey today. In an attempt to help build my energy I rode my bike for 1/2 an hour this morning in the basement, it is still too cold for me to go outside (Can you believe we have snow flakes falling?). Anyway, my guess is this only woke up the dormant muscles that have not been used on the bike since last fall. Hopefully during this time my internal crab will not be experienced by others. Oh, how I despise these days. Well, that is enough from here for now. Have a blessed week.
My Mom posted the above video on Facebook the
other night (Stand By Me, Playing for Change Band) and a few years ago my community used the same video to open up
one of our summer gatherings. It seems to me that this video fits today’s
Gospel reading, which has Jesus asking Peter three times if he loves him only
to command that he feed his sheep. I sit here wondering what it took for Peter
to respond with affirmation to this question about love. Peter already knew that being a friend to
Jesus creates difficulties, and ultimately due to his faithful response in this
love he was martyred. Today it is popular for us Christians to claim our stakes
in loving Jesus. And still, when we are paying attention this is a difficult
response to live out in daily life. What
does it mean when I listen to of Jesus’ call to feed his sheep? This is
something that requires tenacity and relationships. I am willing to walk in
this mystery with others and recognize I cannot do it alone, every time I think
I can it’s a colossal disaster. The love that connects me to Jesus is real, and
at this point in my life I need something concrete to help stay the course in
my commitment to saying, “Yes!” Up until this point it is people, which when I
was young I thought a weakness, today I think it a gift. So, the song fits my
experience thus far in relation to discipleship and service. Have a great week!
I heard a fantastic homily today! The Gospel was from John, "But he [Thomas] said to them, 'Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." The message I heard flipped my usual understanding of this Gospel in it's entirety. Rather than focus on belief and the disciples it was about Jesus' transformation and the inability to comprehend him anew (unfortunately this is not doing justice to what I actually heard). After reflecting on the homily I had a memory that put this into perspective from my own experienced. I recall a friend who moved away when I was young and had experienced transformation. There was hope that his life would be different upon returning to those of us who continued on with our usual things. Many people did not believe this was an actual transformation that occurred, and over time it appeared that the renewal was short lived. The sad thing was that we put him in a box and did not allow time for flourishing, and many said it was just an act that there was not change at all. Of course as an adult it is easy to see that moving back into the old routine, without proper supports in place, never is a good mix for a young person to maintain change, or any person for that matter. The difference in our faith is that Jesus did not need the apostles to support his transformation for the purpose of maintaining his resurrection. Rather they needed to experience him in the old in order to see him anew. For the first time I was not so ashamed of the Doubting Thomas that rises up so often, and realize that when honest about that doubt I can be moved to connect and support transformation in myself and others.
Happy Easter as together we experience the risen Christ. This morning I was reflecting on two things. First, how do I experience Christ in creation? And Second, how do I reveal Christ in the world? Okay, this is a big agenda and, you must know I am writing early so I can get with my family for Easter celebrations. So far the snares of negativity have already entered into my mind and out of my mouth a couple of times with notice. In the moment it seem the reflection needs to continue with an action plan. I have a friend that gave me three criteria for sharing information a couple of years ago, and I add these to this Easter season. They allow for a start in reflecting Christ to others and are easy enough to employ.
1. Is it true?
2. Is it kind?
3. Is it necessary?
Enjoy the video this week, it is one of my Easter favorites by Tracy Chapman!!!!! Blessings!!!
Today, Palm Sunday, marks the 33rd anniversary of Archbishop Oscar Romero's assassination. I recall the first time I learned about Romero and the inspiration of his story. He stood with the people of El Salvador as a man who came to espouse the Gospel while attempting to help his Church find peace. Recently I read somewhere that he would not be considered a Christian martyr, rather he died due to his politics. This perplexed is perplexing and there are layers to this that I will not go into, yet everything I have read about Oscar Romero points to his faith as the guide to his voice. He was witnessed the massacre of El Salvadoran's by the thousands and was moved to speak to the powerful who blocked human rights. There are risks in being a disciple of Jesus Christ and he became a bold force throughout his life. I cannot do justice to his story and am attaching two videos to this feed. The first is a voice-over of speeches from the 1989 film Romero with clips from his actual life (I chose the voice-over because it is in English, Romero spoke in Spanish). The second is a BBC clip that gives a history of who Oscar Romero was, and is to the many people of El Salvador and beyond who love him still and believe in the Gospel he preached (this includes the speech before he was assassinated with translation).
We will be entering Spring in the next week and this causes me to think of change. It has been a weekend of meeting with others at the Motherhouse and I am toast. Not much going on in my head that feels blog-worthy. So, why not go with the theme of change for the sake of the upcoming season?Change is difficult on the personal level, and even more complex when dealing with systems (I am going to leave systems alone for now, much of this can be translated though). We resist change, even when we initiate it...at least this is my experience. For instance, when I get my bike out in a couple of weeks and begin a riding routine it will be fun for the first outing and maybe even the second. There is a guarantee that by the third time I plan on riding my thinking and commitment will become sketchy. I know the pattern and have lived with it since I can remember. This resistance is like attempting to walk through a concrete wall, and I am very skilled at getting myself off course. It usually takes me another week before the third and fourth ride occur. And then eventually, something clicks and I begin riding at a reasonable rate and look forward to the experience again. I always feel awful for giving into the resistance, and still manage to play this little game with myself. Over the years I have become more gentle about this pattern, partly because I see the pattern and know I will follow through with a little coaxing.
Now my thoughts are shifting to the resistance experienced when attempting to deal with the action of systemic change. This is a much bigger deal than getting on a bike. This is about transformation beyond the scope of an individual and it takes dedication and work from a body of people to make it happen. The thing that amazes me is that systems can and do change at an unpredictable pace when we are willing to work through the discord with one another. Resistance occurs on so many levels. This week we experienced the election of Pope Francis. This is a major shift in the Church while we welcome the first Pope from the America's, the first Pope Francis, and many other first's including he has represented himself to the world. My guess is he is experiencing much resistance from insiders at the Vatican, as well as many of us Catholics who believe and work for change in our faith. Sometimes it seems like we want changes based on conditions that they will be what we want, when we want them. Many of us our excited in the mystery of this moment in Church history, and my guess is there will be much support for Pope Francis as he finds his place among us. This does not mean it will be easy for him or any of us, and that is where we will meet our own resistance. So, my hope is that this is similar to the pattern of getting on the bike for the third ride and we are gentle in how we find ourselves in the resistance. This is an exciting time as we witness the changes of our times and I pray for Pope Francis.
