Love is what makes us human and like nothing else. If we fail to practice love we are lost inside of ourselves. We need our neighbors more than we realize because in them is the face of God calling out to us here in the world we live in.
- Seeds of revelation, wisdom and enlightenment
God is relational and always works through our relationships in everyday life. Seeds of revelation, wisdom and enlightenment are all around us as we embody a way of love within us, through us and into our local context of the parish. Just think how decades of rootedness could grow our love over time.
- We are the presence of Jesus where we live
Karen Wilk writes in her wonderful book Don’t Invite Them To Church, “Where we dwell is our primary missional context, as it was for Jesus and his first followers in the young church. We are the presence of Jesus where we live.”
- Finding the wisdom to listen
The place we find ourselves in sharing life with others is where we are called to be an expression of love, grace and humility as the body of Christ together. We have to find the wisdom to listen instead of just preach the gospel. Too much preaching without an embodiment of love has damaged the world in the name of Christianity. We need to return to an embodied way of love in the place we inhabit to reverse the damage.
- The simple but complex act of loving each other
There is a lot of information and words in the world, but not enough love for others. Christ is about silencing our words and leading us to practice the most dignified thing we can do for someone. This is the simple but complex act of loving each other.
- Finding a path of solitude
In the midst of getting centered in our being so that we can love others in the parish, we have to find a path of solitude also. This is the practice of allowing ourselves to cultivate the consciousness of the life of Christ living within us. Christ spent many days away from others in the desert, mountains and other lonely places to just reflect and listen to life.
- Christ felt the need for solitude
Christine Sine states, “In spite of this strong commitment to community Christ also felt the need for solitude.”
- We might feel the temptation to give up
Living within the parish can be difficult at times. Every now and then we might feel the temptation to give up and leave, but we must not leave. We must endure the emotional pain of love at times as we might become rejected, abandoned, misunderstood and mistreated for our desire to live in humility in this life.
- The formation of our spirituality
It is not easy and we must not give up our hope that in the little things of everyday life is our redemption and salvation. This is where we are shaped and learn about the formation of our spirituality within us. When we have lost everything – our strength, our desire, our happiness and think we cannot go on anymore; this is where Christ can live most freely in us as we might sense that God has abandoned us.
- The dark night of the soul
The dark night of the soul as some have called this season in life is where life takes on new meaning in our context. All the techniques are gone. All our perceptions have failed us. We might be weak, miserable and depressed but that is okay.
- Finding rest for our souls
The life within us is saying, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
- Bringing something beautiful to our small part of the world
As we practice solitude and stay rooted in the parish through difficulties, we become tremendously shaped as the temptation of upward mobility is always before us. We receive the strength to stay faithfully present and bring something beautiful to our small part of the world. Focusing on practices of solitude, hospitality, love, grace, humility, relational connection, listening and interdependence are the small beautiful acts that will cultivate life within us.
How has the practice of solitude shaped you in everyday life?
Bio- Mark Votava is a part of the Tacoma Catholic Worker and has been a local practitioner in Downtown Tacoma for over a decade. He is the author of the book The Communal Imagination: Finding a Way to Share Life Together and blogs regularly at markvotava.com.
Advent and the Christmas season are racing towards us at warp speed and the hyper-consumerism that has already invaded our favourite stores is incredible. I hate it. And I find myself wanting to change the culture in which we live. And to do that I think we need to do what The Story of Stuff Project suggests:
What if the goal of our economy wasn’t more, but better — better health, better jobs and a better chance to survive on the planet?
It seems like a very important question to ask ourselves as we get ready to celebrate the coming of Christ. Maybe before we get caught up in the consumer frenzy we need to watch this video.
And now what do we do about it, not just for ourselves but more importantly for our kids. One possibility is helping kids to enjoy the blessing of giving rather than receiving. The list below is adapted from one that I found in Parent Map a few years ago.
1.Support Kids of the World: Helping your children understand that other kids don’t have the privileges they do and need their help can be an enjoyable experience. I love what VIVA, a UK based organization does in sponsoring Christmas parties in poor communities around the world. They are engaged in many ways to help keep children at risk safe and healthy. I have used their child friendly educational prayer resources for years. You may also like to consider organizations like Save the Children and Feed The Children.
2. Buy a livelihood for families. Gifts that provide a livelihood for those who struggle with hunger and poverty can be particularly meaningful as they empower children and make them realize we can all make a difference in this world. World Concern; and Heifer Project are just a couple of the organizations that now provide opportunities for the giving of livestock – from chickens to cattle but as I mentioned in a previous post on Advent resources for Kids, this can sometimes be a little confusing as the chair of our Board found out when he tried to give 1/2 a goat to his parents for Christmas. His mother asked “What will I do with 1/2 a goat?” Tearfund UK has a program where you buy a gift voucher and then the recipient decides what they will give. This might be more fun for some kids.
3. Donate a Bedtime story. This was a new one for me. Many families have few or no age-appropriate books in their home and kids miss out on the important literacy building ritual of bedtime stories. First Book is a non profit that works to distribute new books to low income families in schools in the U.S. and Canada.
4. Hold a Make Something Party. Some years ago Adbusters started a Buy Nothing Day campaign to counteract the Black Friday shopping frenzy of North American Culture. I prefer the Make Something Day idea which places a far more positive spin on the idea. Unfortunately as a movement it seems to have lost momentum but we can still organize a party where your kids can help make gifts for underprivileged kids in your communities. There is something very special about a gift that has been handcrafted. I can guarantee that the recipient will hold onto it for years to come.
5. Make a Loan, help a family. This is a great suggestion for older kids that you not only want to encourage to give but who you also want to learn about investing and financial responsibility. KIVA andHope International are two of the many Christian organization that facilitate micro-lending.
6. Shed a Light on a Brighter Future. One Million LIghts is a non profit that aims to provide sustainable, usable lights to homes without electricity in developing countries through a buy one give one model. Buy solar-charged lanterns and you keep one and a family in need gets the other – a brilliant (pardon the pun) idea.
7. Give Hope for Tomorrow: Plant a Tree, Buy a Stove. In Plant with A Purpose’ alternative gift catalogue, for example, a tree only costs $1 and a fuel efficient stove is $30. I think that this type of gift can be a wonderful educational tool to help children understand the consequences of environmental degradation. Again the fact that we can actually do something to change the situation can be very empowering for young people.
8. Invite International Students Over for Christmas. There are lots of students from around the world that do not have anywhere to go for Christmas. Consider inviting them over on either Christmas eve or Christmas day. Contact your local college or university to find out how to extend this invitation. We have done this for the last couple of years. It has become a real highlight of the Christmas season for us. In conjunction you may like to get your kids to read up on Christmas traditions from around the world. Christmas Around the World has a wonderful description of traditions from a variety of countries that you might like to discuss. The Worldwide Gourmet has a wonderful array of recipes associated with the Advent and Christmas season in many different parts of the world. Just reading through some of these had my mouth watering.
9. Go Fairtrade with all your purchases. There are a growing number of organizations that provide fair traded gift items. Ten Thousand Villages is one one that we have frequented for years. Another possibility is One World Futbol’s smart soccer ball requires no pumping and never goes flat. Each time you purchase one another is donated to a community in need. Or for those that live in the Seattle area take you kids on a tour of Theos Chocolates and end by purchasing gifts for all the family.
10. Protect the World’s Animals. There are many creative ways to help protect the world’s animals. You might like to adopt an animal at your local zoo or contribute to an animal shelter or participate in one of the World Wild Life’s projects. One of my standard Christmas gifts is National Wildlife Federation’s monthly magazines – Ranger Rick and Ranger Rick Jr. It is an award winning educational magazine that provides entertainment and instruction throughout the year.
I have probably said enough but if you want to check out some other ideas:
Momastery – Mastering the Mom has a great suggestion.
And if you are still not sure what to do consider this: What if the goal of our economy wasn’t more, but better — better health, better jobs and a better chance to survive on the planet?
Let us stand with those who have gone before
November 1st is All Saints’ Day, and to be honest I almost forgot. There is so much happening at the moment that All Saints Day hardly registered for me. Which is a shame as remembering those who gone before, and those who continue to impact our lives is very important.
The Episcopal Church website explains:
We step aside from the flow of the propers and celebrate all the saints. We stop. We notice, We are surrounded by a flock of witnesses in our midst – many who have gone before us, some we are just now releasing, and still more with a full life ahead of them.
I cannot think about All Saints Day without reading the words of Hebrews 12:1,2 referenced here.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
This is celebration observed by Christians in many countries and many traditions. In Belgium, Hungary and Italy people bring flowers to the graves of dead relatives. In other parts of Europe, it is customary to light candles on top of visiting graves of deceased relatives. It is also observed in parts of Asia, such as the Philippines, where people visit graves of deceased relatives and clean or repair them. They also lay flowers on the graves and light candles. In France church services in memory of all the saints are held on November 1 but by the evening the focus turns towards the dead. Cemeteries everywhere are crowded with people who come to clean and decorate family graves.
I love the Anglican tradition of renewing our baptismal vows on this day. Reminding ourselves of the journey we have taken personally is a good place to start in remembering the saints of God. In this tradition, all baptized Christians, living and dead known and unknown are considered saints of God. This means everyone including ourselves. Our church also gives us the opportunity to write the names of loved ones who have died on ribbons that decorate the church at the All Saints service. Remembering those who have gone before is an important and faith strengthening exercise.
So as you get ready for All Saints Day think about your own faith journey. Remember the faithfulness of God in your past. Notice the movement of God in the present. Think about your hopes and dreams for the future. Get ready to celebrate all that you are as a saint of God. And pray this prayer with me:
God we are surrounded by a cloud
Faithful witnesses who have gone before
Those who have loved where we would have hated
Those who have healed where we would have hurt
Those who have spoken out when we would have remained silent
God may we walk in their footsteps
Learning courage from their sacrifice
Gaining strength from their faithfulness
May we learn to give so that others may receive
May we learn to love so that others may be set free
May we learn to die to ourselves so that others might live
God may we join that cloud of faithful witnesses
Treading paths of loving obedience
Leaving footprints that others desire to walk in
God may we too lead kingdom lives
Amen
Last week we celebrated the release of A Journey Toward Home . which is available on the MSA website for a special discount price of $11.95 until November 5th. You have no idea how exciting and rewarding it is to put together a book like this, so I thought your would appreciate this short video which Kristin and I made to give you a sense of what went into it.
One of the things we talk about in the video is the O Antiphons, which to be honest I had never heard of until last year. I suspect many of you are unfamiliar with them too so I thought I would provide a little information here.
In the Church’s Liturgy of the Hours, Evening Prayer, also know as Vespers, always includes the Magnificat. Each day, the Magnificat is preceded by a short verse or “antiphon” that links the prayer to the feast of the day or the season of the year. In the last seven days of Advent (December 17-24), the antiphons before the Magnificat are very special. Each begins with the exclamation “O” and ends with a plea for the Messiah to come. As Christmas approaches the cry becomes increasingly urgent.
Most familiar today from the Advent hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” the seven traditional “O Antiphons” are actually more than a thousand years old. They have long been used at the very end of Advent (Dec. 17-23) Each Antiphon highlights a different title of the Messiah and also refers to the prophecy of Isaiah fortelling the coming of the Messiah. The great “O Antiphons” became very popular in the Middle Ages when it became traditional to ring the great bells of the church each evening as they were being sung.
Saying the O Antiphons as a family, whether during grace at meals, in front of the manger scene, or in front of the Christmas tree, is a wonderful Advent devotion. To make this devotion even more fruitful, read and meditate together on the Scripture texts on which the antiphons are based.
December 17th:
O Sapientia (Is. 11:2-3; 28:29): “O Wisdom, you come forth from the mouth of the Most High. You fill the universe and hold all things together in a strong yet gentle manner. O come to teach us the way of truth.”
December 18th:
O Adonai (Is. 11:4-5; 33:22): “O Adonai and leader of Israel, you appeared to Moses in a burning bush and you gave him the Law on Sinai. O come and save us with your mighty power.”
December 19th:
O Radix Jesse (Is. 11:1, 10): “O stock of Jesse, you stand as a signal for the nations; kings fall silent before you whom the peoples acclaim. O come to deliver us, and do not delay.”
December 20th:
O Clavis David (Is. 9:6; 22:22): “O key of David and scepter of Israel, what you open no one else can close again; what you close no one can open. O come to lead the captive from prison; free those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.”
December 21st:
O Oriens (Is. 9:1): “O Rising Sun, you are the splendor of eternal light and the sun of justice. O come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.”
December 22nd:
O Rex Gentium (Is. 2:4; 9:5): “O King whom all the peoples desire, you are the cornerstone which makes all one. O come and save man whom you made from clay.”
December 23rd:
O Emmanuel (Is. 7:14) : “O Emmanuel, you are our king and judge, the One whom the peoples await and their Savior. O come and save us, Lord, our God.”
You might like to download this O Antiphon Prayer Companion to help guide you through your exploration of this important prayers.
A couple of days ago I watched the video below on Facebook. The first time I watched it I held my breath as the mother duck shepherded her chicks across the freeway. The next time I watched it, I found myself reciting Psalm 91. I have always imagined God’s sheltering wings to hold me in a place of warmth and comfort but as I watched the mother duck gather her ducklings as they were blown over in their precarious journey I thought – that is just like God. Not keeping us warm and comfortable but protecting us from the speeding vehicles of everyday life.
Watch the video through several times. Now read Psalm 91.
What imagery or memories come to mind? Sit quietly with those images for a few minutes. How do they make you want to respond? Allow the images to interact with your concerns and anxieties. Open your heart to God and enjoy a conversation with the One who invites you into that protective embrace.
Now watch this video and read Psalm 91 again.
Rest in the still presence of God for a few minutes. Free yourself from your own thoughts. Enjoy the experience of being in the presence of God. What is God saying to you? Write it down. Perhaps a prayer or a poem will rise spontaneously to your lips. Or you may like to draw the image that has formed in your mind. Or go and find a photo or picture of a painting that it evoked for you and meditate on it.
Close with a prayer of gratitude for God’s presence.
This has been a busy but fulfilling week for me. The publishing of A Journey Toward Home, and the videoing of the first two modules of our e-course Reimagining How We Pray, have brought great satisfaction to me. But it still seems as though I am struggling to come up for air. But in the midst I have known the peace of God.
One of the e-course modules we are recording today is on practicing the presence of God. In preparation I reread the section in Return to Our Senses: Reimagining How We Pray, on practicing the presence of God. John of the Cross reminded me that silence is God’s first language, not so much the silence of a place as of the soul. This inner kind of silence, simple gaze toward the One who loves us unshakably, is often expressed in contemplative prayer.
This was a wonderful reminder to me of how even in the busiest times we can find the inner silence of our souls that brings us peace and intimacy with God. The writing of prayers is one way that I express that inner centeredness which this week resulted in the prayer above.
Listening to contemplative music is another centering tool for me. Jeff Johnson, one of my favourite Celtic musicians has just published some beautiful new meditations on the psalms, which have I have found very powerful and enriching this week and thought I would share that with you too.
Do visit the Selah Service website for more information on this refelction and for more of Jeff’s other beautiful reflections
Staff and leaders of mission organizations in the U.S. are overwhelmingly white. Mission conferences, though advertising ethnic diversity do not always represent multicultural or multiethnic expression because the style of the conferences is still monocultural and presented in an Anglo context. This lack of racial diversity and sensitivity hurts the cause of Christ.
So says Leroy Barber in his provocative and heart wrenching book about race and Christian mission. I found myself weeping and rejoicing, repenting and praying as I read Leroy’s accounts of the many times he and other African Americans were slighted and marginalized within mission organizations. The hidden racism that often emerged in subtle ways as African Americans were judged more harshly than their white colleagues or as funding and support dropped off just because an African American was put in charge appalled me. Even our models for raising mission support are geared toward white middle class young people, and we don’t even think about it, except possibly to bemoan the lack of diversity.
Leroy writes out of his own pain and disillusionment as a black serving and leading in ministries dominated by whites, who hold both the decision making and the funding power. He also writes as one who has found the joy of being part of ethnically diverse communities in which whites and people of colour work together to bring about change in order to more authentically reflect God’s image.
Leroy Barber offers practical suggestions on how to diversify mission Boards, mentor people of colour into leadership and sensitize ourselves to the subtle forms of racism that often exclude African Americans, Asians, Native Americans and Latinos from leadership or silence their decision making power. In the process we hurt the cause of Christ and diminish the impact of the gospel.
Red Brown Yellow Black White Who’s More Precious In God’s Sight? is a challenging but must read book for any who want to follow Christ with the intention of seeing glimpses of God’s kingdom coming into being through mission. As Leroy says:
Missions represent God’s kingdom on earth. We need to grow together as Christians to get rid of the prejudice and division that our predecessors have seemingly cemented into our ethos. (15)
He goes on to make this very sobering statement:
Missions is living the way things should be. Missions is a way of life devoted to making justice, equality, and grace prevail in broken lives, including our own. It is making shalom a reality.
What about the church? It would seem to me that the church would hold missions agencies accountable about issues of race and diversity. But sadly, the problem of racism persists within the church; therefore the church is in no position to critique others. Missions organizations that perpetuate racism and dependency are a reflection of the church’s condition. (202)
Unfortunately I know it is true. I look around at our own very white congregation and I suspect that subtle forms of racism and insensitivity to other cultures contributes. I look at my own very white organization and I wonder what subtle cultural insensitivities contribute to that too.
Yet Leroy sees hope and believes missions can help us get rid of the separation as we learn to serve together in new ways with new understandings and attitudes.
Jesus prayed in the garden before his death that we would be one people. We have a lot of work to do to become one heart and one mind. Locked into most churches is a designation or race or culture that separates, that shapes our view of each other and of God, leaving us isolated and divided. We are not the Church. We are at best, thousands of small pieces that contain strands of the Church. The Church does not have walls and designations; it is people from every walk of life pursuing the Kingdom of God here on earth. The Church is one expression of God here on earth. (203).
Leroy concludes by saying “God is at work in the universe” and I believe God is at work through Red Brown Yellow Black White Who’s More Precious In God’s Sight? encouraging all of us to listen deeply to those of other cultures in ways that draws us together into the people of God and community of God we are meant to be. I hope that like me you will not only read this book but be changed by it.
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