Thursday Reflection 1.17.19
Thursday, January 17, 2019
“What is God Calling me to do?”
I think I’ll leave Abby out of this week’s musings! (She is starting to “want a piece of the action,” and I don’t feel like sharing any portion of the “millions” I make in bonus money for writing this column)!
How well do any of you tune out the “noise” around us? As a kid who found it impossible to study if TV or radio were on, it is surprising that as much work gets done at the church office on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. For those who are unaware, on those days, our Early Learning Center’s Two Year Old’s Program takes place in the “classroom” next to my office.
There are many many little two year old humans reacting with joy, sadness, glee, terror and crankiness at the thought of being dropped off by mom (or dad). If you are looking for peace and quiet, time for prayerful meditation, or the pacific journey into some mystical experience, then TRUST ME, you do not want to be near this office on those days. Play time is loud time. Learning time is loud time. I’m sad because mommy is leaving me is very loud time. It is the wonder filled stuff of childhood, and as a priest and grandpa, I marvel at the beauty of what goes down in that room.
But I am also moderately proud of myself for having learned to “tune out” all the action background noise seeping through thin walls. I am learning to laser focus on what needs to be written / read or the person with whom I am speaking. (Spoiler alert: on Friday the Bishop’s assistant [“point person”] who is coming up from NYC to set up the details for the Bishop’s Pastoral Visitation in a few weeks is going to be meeting with me, in this office, with this joyful noise. This is what we call a “teachable moment” – what life is like in the real world)!
But this is all an introduction for me to question: are we still able to tune out the noise that so dominates 21st century USA life? Can you focus on what is important in the midst of the shouting, the anger, the fear, the false assumptions, the lies, the pain that all conspire to distract us from what our life’s journey is really about. “Talk” radio has become “screeching” radio and whether the object is sports or politics, all we hear is noise. Can we tune the racket out and focus on solutions and not scream and blame for the problems.
And, speaking as one who needs the “quiet” (and is the stone thrower living in the glass house), can we make more time to make quiet around us. I think the lyrics of the song went: “all we need is love” and not “all we need is noise.” I know this comes as a shock to many, but not everyone needs to hear my voice or read my thoughts at every moment of every day. There really is need for quiet time – and then maybe some one-to-one conversation. Who knows? Maybe we start to become reflective and gentler in our dealings with the other, and maybe if the background noise that infests life is managed, there will be less need for columns like this. (And then Abby says I can spend more time writing about her).
Fr. Joe
This entry was posted in Uncategorized on January 16, 2019.
Thursday Reflection 1.10.19
“Inspired to make a difference”
January 10, 2019
I long ago had stopped making New Year’s resolutions since I tend to break them so easily. I think this year, I am proposing one for myself and anyone else who has the courage to take the challenge. As often happens in my unusual life as an adoptive Border collie parent, this resolution is born from a conversation we had during one of our cold wet early morning “bathroom” – and – exercise walks!
Dodging rain drops, Abby asked me what “zero sum” means as it refers to politics or economics. Now what I know about either discipline would fit into a thimble, but this I do know: the phrase assumes that there is only a finite and limited about of “x” in the world (and “x” can be food, power, money, love or anything for that matter. Whatever I possess will take away from you. There is no middle ground. If I win, you must lose! If I have authority, you must submit. If they “love” me, they must “hate” you. (I know this is a bit simplistic, and it makes life sound like the one-and-done format of the NFL playoffs, but like I told you, I am no political or economic theorist)
As I tried explaining what I barely understand and do not believe in to my far-too-inquisitive border collie, her theological acuity kicked in. She wanted to know if I believed that God was so limited, eg, if God infinitely loves me, then God must love someone else less. I explained that, to me, that’s what the theory would hold, but I can’t buy that. She then asked me, does this kind of thinking undergird all our politics today: one must never compromise. One must win and this means one must destroy the other. I told her that political practitioners might not express their thoughts so crassly, but it is hard to not see this being played out day after day in the public arena.
Although I am tugging at her to come in out of the rain, she digs in her paws and asks: so is that why some people leave their respective groups (be that group a “family,” a “church” a “club,” etc? If I can’t get my way all the time, then I quit. Again, I tried to explain that this is a rather simplistic way of viewing things, but to be honest, for some, this is exactly why they move on. Others may have tried and tired of compromise. Some must never do so as they deem themselves always right all the time.
So here is my resolution for 2019: I am going to religiously try to avoid “zero sum” thinking! If I do not get my own way, I will be at peace with the final decisions of others. I will not treat my opponent as my enemy. I will try to imitate our beloved Master who wishes us to love others, even our enemies, with the same steadfast love that God always has for us. Now I do have one advantage as I hope to live out this resolution: I know who will be watching me each morning and asking if I am keeping my resolution. Of course, then she’ll more than likely ask me to slip her more food for breakfast as long as mommy doesn’t find out.
Fr. Joe
Thursday Reflection 1.3.19
Thursday January 3, 2019
“What is God Calling me to do?”
In spite of the rain on New Year’s Eve, I have just come off the most wonderful few days away – visiting children and grandchildren. It was the first time in months where I have spent days in utter relaxation and not bothered with emails, writing sermons, following up with insurance companies or reviewing work contracts. I have just had some time with the pure of joy of being irresponsible and silly and eating all sorts of things that I dare not put in print lest either my beloved wife or my cardiologist read this and explode at me!
However, it was still time for prayerful reflections. Abby and I took long walks on unfamiliar turf (the local high school football field and the various tree filled streets behind it) where we raced from (I guess?) smell to smell in spite of cold. Of course being a year away from a heart procedure, I can do far more than I could a year ago, but still I am coming to face an undeniable truth – my body no longer allows me to pretend to be 25 (or even 65), and each step with a racing border collie reminds me that the finish line of my journey is now that much closer.
I walked by unfamiliar and large village church buildings that seemed to me to be filled with as few (maybe fewer) than those who join us in worship each weekend here. Christianity as we know it is changing in terms of those who wish to commit themselves to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I think we will be a much smaller but hopefully more dedicated communion.
I have now seen at family / friendly gatherings that there are now topics (politics / politicians, religion v. spirituality, beliefs about culture and custom that are just so volatile that the topics for intellectual conversation have been reduced to watching the next funky reality based TV cooking show! I am sensing that that the voices of discord and anger are getting so loud that one may not even utter a musing thought without fear of reprimand (or threat of reprisal). And I pray with hope that this coming year the volume gets turned down and we try to listen a bit more – it can’t get worse – but that’s what I was hoping for a year ago! How did that work out?
So I am ready to throw myself back into the “battles” of life. 2019 is here. Let’s not just wistfully hope but truly work at committing ourselves to improving our own lives and the lives of others in 2019. Let us be instruments of peace. Let us make this coming year a year to remember for all the right reasons as we remain open to be vessels of God’s grace to a broken and dark world. Happy New Year!
Fr. Joe