In Our Distress

Meditation: angelus est nomen officii

In my extremity, I called out to the Lord;
I cried out in the congregation in my distress.
I was answered with love;
I was restored and removed to a better place;
With the love of the Lord with me, how can I be cut down?

Place your trust in the Lord;
Seek the Almighty where he waits upon his beloved;
Though your enemies surround you;
Though you find yourself at fault and unworthy;
Though you see no escape, there is help and hope for you;
The Lord is our strength and right arm;
His servants listen for the cry of the oppressed;
They wait upon the word of the Lord.

The Lord is our salvation and our help;
Though we may be chastised,
we are not condemned;
Though we find ourselves in distress;
even at the end of our lives and beyond;
We are enfolded and comforted;
In the Lord we find our true labor;
In the Lord we truly find ourselves.

-distantly after Ps 118

The Other Parts of Our Hearts

Meditation:  We must listen for God speaking through each other


The problem is:
In order to speak to you;
For you to understand;
It seems like I must speak as an adult.

But for me to tell you the truth;
For us to truly communicate;
For your heart to hear me;
I must speak as a child.

And it may very well be
that there are no words at all
that express what we feel.

In which case
I ask that you imagine
the tears in my eyes
and the way my face crumples
and bends.

Somewhere
the other parts of our hearts
are hidden

Today we can only
try and hope
to remember.

Tell Your Story

It has been a while since the passing of Madeline L'Engle, but thoughts of her and her writing keep coming to mind, and so maybe, in this meditative season of Lent, contemplating the following words from this spiritual woman is appropriate:

“Why does anybody tell a story?” Ms. L’Engle once asked, even though she knew the answer.
“It does indeed have something to do with faith,” she said, “faith that the universe has meaning, that our little human lives are not irrelevant, that what we choose or say or do matters, matters cosmically.”

So, my guests and friends, share your stories. It will help us all, more than we can know.

Peace,
LE

All Lenten Thoughts

Giving Thankfully

At some point in relationships
With individuals
With people in general
With the world
And with God
We find it is not enough to accept love, gifts, and support
We want to give back
And often we find that giving
Is the greatest gift of all

I see it in children who find it more important that they give something
A note,
A hug,
A gift,
Than that they receive something.

And with adults who find it affirms who they are and where they are going.

To receive requires only a desire or need, but giving puts you in relationship.

What good are broken vessels?

We are imperfect vessels
For God's love
We cannot encompass it
We cannot hold it
It leaks out
And we lose it

So pour it out
And share it
Be constantly emptying yourself of God's love
And God will keep filling you up
And will live within you
As a constantly flowing spring of living water
That will never ever run dry

What good are leaky, broken vessels?
They are the perfect place to put the love you want the world to share.

Ten for Life

In our dreams we oft can tell;
What from heaven, what from hell;

But in a cloud we have our days;
And oft should curse what garners praise;

Fair is foul and foul is fair;
Lies and half-truths cloud the air.

This world so fickle and so oft wrong;
Honors the glib, the fake, the strong;

Honors false over the true;
Honors words, not those who do.

If we find honors at our feet,
Perhaps we'd best be in retreat;

And seeing people raised up high;
On piles of honors, to the sky;

Hope not that they might fall this day;
But stand well clear and well away.

Tho' honor's given where it should not;
Yet we can judge by what is wrought:

And by their fruit do judge them still-
Doing wrong or naught, then find them ill.

Let God's commandments be your guide;
Mark them well -mark them inside:

Love the Lord and love your foe;
And often to your neighbors go:

And bring them gifts and help in need;
And be to them good friends indeed.

Worship not nor be obsessed
With this world; In God be blessed.

Nor worship any man-made lie.
Worship not the earth or sky;

Don't worship spirits of the air;
They cannot save nor do they care.

Don't make God's name a joke or worse,
Don't use God's name within a curse.

Do six days work, take one day rest;
Give it to heaven- you will be blest.

And let your helpers all rest too;
It is the Godly thing to do.

To your parents give your care;
See they can eat, have clothes to wear;

And give some mind to what they say;
You may be just like them someday.

Do not kill your fellow man;
But seek to save; do what you can.

Don't want or take what is not yours;
But work for that your heart adores.

And as this sin causes so much pain,
Let me emphasize again:

Take not from others save what they share;
Lest you cause them pain and care;

God will hear their suffering call;
May judge you ill, may let you fall.

And if you have ill gotten gain;
Pay it back, and twice again.

God will bless you and forgive;
And in your house the Lord will live.

Do not take another's spouse;
You'll bring a curse down on your house.

Honor your spouse, treat with great care;
Those who love you, and with them share.

Say nothing false, but what is true;
And give your lips a rest or two.

Seek out the good things you can do;
Treating others as they were you.

Keep these precepts in your heart;
If you'd be blessed, they're a good start.

Peace
LE

Joy

You are not yet so joyful as I mean you to be!

So Live-
And live in joy!
And share your joy and love with those you meet-

Be not dauted;
but daunt with love-

Let your heart expand;
Let your love flow;

And live in joy-
Mourn no more;
And regrets leave behind-

But share and give;
And love;
And live!

Let your blood flow;
And let your love grow-

And all you are;
And all you can be;
And all you are with;

Give
And Give;
And Give;
And Give!!!

Be not single and small
But Live
And Live;
And Live;
And Live!!!

For living is about giving;
And giving is about living;
And loving is about living;
And loving is avout giving;

So Give;
And Love;
And Love;
And Live!!!

Joy!

Returning Evil for Good

Why do some;
Shun you when you try to share your plenty with them?
Exclude you when you try to include?
Hate you in your efforts to help?
Return evil for Good?

One reason is that they need you to hate them.
They need you to be evil, angry, to be against them.
Their worldview does not allow for someone like you to be;

Nice,
Friend,
Partner,
Helper,
Companion,
Good,
Pleasant...

And the nicer you are, the more painful the dissonance between how they must see you and reality.

You can't be nicer than their grandma, their family, their spouse, their circle of friends. Your 'goodness' must be a lie, a scam, to lull their alertness, dull their senses so you can take advantage of them. They want no part of that, and need to strike out at you, make you stop, put you back into a steriotype that they can understand.

Don't make it easy for them by hating and excluding them back. It is hard work, but keep them on the spot as much as you can: be nice, be vulnerable, be weak.

Maybe, just maybe, they might start asking questions and come to different conclusions. They might change.

It has happened before.

Let us pray for opened eyes all around.

P.S. I myself am pretty lousy at this

We Are Alike

We are alike
We love
We care
We love beauty
We care for others
We are alike

Our hearts beat
Our blood flows
We can be hurt
We can cry
We are alike

We make friends
We like to share
We like to talk
We like to take food together
We are alike

We can walk
We can walk together
We can help each other
We can help others
We get joy from helping
We are alike

We can give
We can give to the needy
We can share knowledge
We can see justice done
We can comfort the sorrowful
We are alike

Our love can flow
Can flow out from us
Together it can be
It can be a river
A cataract
A torrent
A flood
An ocean
Covering all the earth
Filling every hollow
Rushing into every closed room and cell
Washing out every dark hole and sewer
Flooding the caverns and canyons of the earth with liquid light
We are alike
And together we can do wonderous things

Let us begin

The Testing of Mother Teresa

I am, I think, still mulling the separation from God that Mother Teresa reportedly felt for much of her career, and spiritual dry spells in general. I have read that individuals often, even usually, experience very difficult spiritual dry spells as they advance in faith.

I sometimes wonder if this isn't because these adepts become so close to God, that they lose the sense of God as distinct from theirselves. Or maybe as they graduate from the primary school of faith they should need less direction and encouragement. Or are evil forces blinding them to the presence of God? Or maybe something else is going on... ...but what?

It is sure that these dry times exist for many, and that they are painful. But why do they exist? Are we just too needy, constantly demanding the full attention of our God-parent? Do we forget what brought us here in the first place? Do we lose contact with the love that should be charging us?

I am sorry Mother Teresa apparently felt so very lost for so long, but in the face of that lack of confirmation, that lack of consolation, she fought on in the faith, battling a lonely battle for and alongside us all. She had faith enough for this battle, and carried it to the end.

God Bless Mother Teresa and those who follow in her footsteps. May it be that from now on they find God always at their side.

Peace,
LE

About You

You are goodness
And you do great things

You turn your hands to healing
You turn your heart to helping

You feel for others
You see their pain

You find their needs
And think of solutions

You do not sit and wait to be called
But think to go and do

You are the spirit of the arisen world
And God is with you everywhere

Blessed Be!

A Light in the Darkness

We don't often talk in the waiting places.
Doctor's offices, train stations, elevators...
The places we wait for something to happen.

We just wait and our life spins by.
Some are quiet out of politeness,
Some because they are shy,
And some to keep the peace.

Fate, work, travel, sickness, life... have gathered you together here, but your minds, your hearts are miles away.

But some speak with the spirit, if they know you or not:

"Good Morning!", they say, with an intonation that shows they are wishing it for you all.

And your spirit rises in you, and you say "Good Morning!" back, and suddenly there is a community together in the waiting place;
people together; and sharing a few words.

And the glow from that brief friendly moment colors the next moment, and the next.

Good Morning!
Bless You!
God Be With You!

...Seems as if He arrived while you were speaking; thank you for inviting Him.

God Be With You All!

LE

The Business of Love

Are you awake?
And if you are awake, do you see?
And seeing, do you speak?
And what manner of speech?
Are you welcoming or hard?
Available or distant?
Helpful or not helpful?

Do you note those around you who are hurt?
Those who are regularly put down, insulted, excluded, assaulted? The ones you see being harmed?

And if you did notice, would you offer them a word of comfort? Some direction? A hand of assistance? Or do you stand coldly with those who do the harm?

Remove your steel gauntlets.
Take off your armor.
Put up your barbed helmet.
Pull off your hob-nailed boots.

Wash yourself, cleanse your face, your eyes, your ears, your skin, and be clean;
Annoint yourself with scented oils;
Don soft garments for gentle interactions;
Silken slippers and gloves.

We are about the business of love,
And steel will not serve you today.

Making a Difference:

Two wonderful examples of how to make a difference in the world, from one blogger;
One:
be sharp-eyed and sensitive.
Two:
Be a friend to strangers.

See, that's not so hard, is it?

Heavenly Accounting

The other day
I found myself parking
In a pay lot
With numbered spaces
Where you put money in a slot

But I didn't have exact change
So I had to pay too much

In the evening
I found exact change
Left for me
By the honest parking attendant
Who had carefully accounted for what I had paid

Even so
Maybe in the end
We will find our efforts tallied up
With every good deed accounted for
And learn the true value of goodness

The way things compound
And children grow
And one good deed can lead to another
Our final heavenly net worth may be
Inestimable

* * * * * * *

Dear Lord,

Help us to place something
On deposit with you
Every single day
And may our investments
Grow in love
Benefiting many

Amen

Better Living Thru Chaomistry

Hilltop gurus don't have children
They mostly don't have wives
They don't labor for their upkeep
They live stark and simple lives

But up upon a pinnacle
Is not where we're called to live
We have work among the masses
We must compromise and give

And nothing is quite perfect
And much is not so great
Few plans are finished early
We often stay up late

Nothing gets our full attention
Our tasks we often won't complete
Somedays we feel successful
If our families can eat

But we make space at our table
For children, friends and foes
We try to provide some comfort
For a multitude of woes

Life's a business of balance
A little 'take' and lots of 'give'
But if we are to be Christian
This is how we're supposed to live

Creation starts with chaos
Love requires a bit of mess
The Light requires us to be sharing
There is injustice to address

So find faith in growth by measures;
joy in clutter and dissaray
And with God's help we'll move forward,
And make a better, brighter day.