The Angel who comforts

One of my favourite stories from the Old Testament is that of Elijah who, threatened with death, fled out into the barren dry desert. Elijah is a strong, forceful character, but after a confrontation with the priests of Baal, he became depressed and frightened. He lost his motivation and courage and lay down in the shade of a tree, wishing he would die. Suddenly an angel touched him gently and gave him bread baked on coals and water, telling him to eat or else he will not be able to continue on his journey. He ate but had only the energy to sleep again. Again the angel gently touched him and encouraged him on his journey. Eventually Elijah rose and walked for forty days and nights to the Mountain of God.

As I have said before, these stories can be read on a number of levels. We can learn general themes about life in the individual story of this man. Elijah is like a lot of us when events or people turn against us. It can lead us to doubt ourselves and the direction we had taken. Sometimes we feel we cannot go on by ourselves. It is at that point, that frequently an "angel" comes to comfort and support us, someone whose encouragement or understanding simply gives us the strength to go on. The angel is gentle and wakes Elijah up slowly. In our lives we notice that often others do not give up on us as easily as we give up on ourselves. They provide the nourishment we need at that time, often simply just by listening. In the story the bread is baken on coals, symbolishing the ashes of the past experience. The angel opens our eyes and shows us what is right beside us to eat, which we had not seen up to that point. Even in the desert there is bread. Encouraged, we move on for forty days, forty being the biblical number for transformation, leaving behind the past, moving on to a deeper sense of self.

Perspective

Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime,
Therefore, we are saved by hope.

Nothing true or beautiful or good
makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; Therefore, we are saved by faith.

Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone. Therefore, we are saved by love.

No virtuous act is quite a virtuous
from the standpoint of our friend or foe as from our own;
Therefore, we are saved by the final form of love
which is forgiveness.

Niebuhr

Forgiveness

Today Holy Week starts, the most significant week in the Christian understanding of the human condition and the understanding in it of how we can be happy. Central to that, and to this week, is the place of forgiveness and reconciliation. Somehow it seems crucial to becoming fully human as this week's story reveals:

Forgiveness does not mean forgetting, but forgiveness changes the way we remember.

When we forgive our parents for their divorce, our children for their lack of attention, our friends for their unfaithfulness in crisis, our doctors for their ill advice, we no longer have to experience ourselves as the victims of events over which we had no control. The only people we can really change are ourselves.

Forgiving is first and foremost the healing of our own hearts.

Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey

St Patrick's Prayer

Beannachtai na Féile Padraig oraibh go léir! Happy Saint Patricks Day

An ancient prayer, attributed to Saint Patrick. It certainly reflects one aspect of his personality - his determination. Once his calling to come to Ireland was made clear, he left all to follow it. We look for that same courage, the strength to take the road that we need to, or make the changes that need to be made, and the perseverence to stick to what we have chosen.

It is better than some of the twee sentimental blessings you will see attributed to Ireland on this day.


I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun
Brilliance of moon
Splendour of fire
Speed of lightning
Swiftness of wind
Depth of sea
Stability of earth
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,

Sabbath

As I said, another reflection, in Irish,
This time, on the Sabbath

Dé bheatha chugainn, a Dhomhnaigh bheannaithe,
lá breá aoibhinn tar éis na seachtaine,
lá breá aoibhinn chun Críost a agallamh.
Corraigh do chos is téire chun an Aifrinn.
Corraigh do chroí agus díbir an ghangaid as.
Corraigh do bhéal chun bréithre beannaithe.

Féach suas ar Mhac na Banaltran,
Mac na hÓighe, ós é a cheannaigh sinn,
gur leis a bhuafar beo agus marbh sinn.


We welcome you here, O happy Sabbath,
a fine pleasant day at the end of the week,
a fine pleasant day to talk to God.

Move your feet and go to Church
Move your heart and drive out bitterness.
Move your lips to happy words.

Look up towards the Son of the Healer,
the Son of the Virgin, for it is he who redeemed us,
that by him in life and in death we may prosper.

Freedom then and freedom now

Last Sunday was the Third Sunday of Lent and the reading told of the story of Moses in the desert. In fact, the 40 days of Lent is really a period of reflection about the desert. The Readings in the Divine Office follow the Book of Exodus, recounting the tale of the People of Israel as they left the familiar place of Egypt to spend 40 years wandering in the desert.

Like all the parts of the Scripture, this can be understood on different levels. The heart of the Judeo-Christian belief is one of escape from slavery to freedom. Originally it had a political sense. However, over the centuries since that story was first told, "Egypt" has ceased to be just a country; indeed, the Hebrew word used - "Mitzraim" - means “a narrow place.”

So getting free from Egypt means moving out from the "narrow places" in our lives, the places where we have gotten stuck, to a wider place, a place where we are have greater freedom and greater potential. So often we get stuck in situations that trap us, and prevent us from reaching our full happiness. Or maybe we repeat narrow emotional patterns learnt in early childhood, which limit our view of our own capabilities. So, when difficulties arise, we adopt a narrow or smaller view of ourselves, and see ourselves as weak or insufficient. We can see ourselves as the cause of the problem or as the weak and vulnerable victim. We quickly feel, when something seems wrong, that the source of wrong is me. And in some circumstances this can lead us to settle for less than what we really deserve and we choose situations which match our narrow sense of what we deserve.

It is significant that the core message of the Judeo tradition is that freedom is possible, that we can more into a more expansive spacious place, that we can move towards a fuller fulfilling of our needs. The starting place is to step out into unfamiliar teritory even if the familiar seems safer. Sadly people often prefer the familiarity of troubled relationships, dispiriting jobs or the script of society, rather than taking the risk when it presents itself. It is also hard to face the inner work required to leave the narrow places of our ideas which worked for one part of our life and risk taking on new ideas which will lead to a wider place. It may involve leaving things that once seemed important to become a more integrated, more fulfilled whole.

Each thing has to transform itself into something better,
and acquire a new destiny.

Paulo Coelho

Speech and silence

In the MBSR Course this week we are looking at relationships and stress. We considered the idea that we sometimes see the other person through the filter of the stories which are going on in our own lives. We see them not as they are, but as we are.

To really relate we need to really listen. This can mean dropping our own narrative for a moment to have space for the other. So mindfulness leads us to reflect on the meaning of silence and space.

Do we have the confidence to stop, to be just with ourselves, and to be content when there?
Or do we need to distract and reassure ourselves with our plans, our projects, our reminders that we are needed?

Yesterday we did together the Retreat Day. We kept an exterior silence in order to look at our interior chatter. Silence has always been part of the world religions and wisdom traditions, as in the life of the Desert Fathers who simplified distractions in order to see what was really important.

A man may seem to be silent,
but if in his heart he is criticizing others,
he is babbling ceaselessly.
But there may be another who talks from morning till night
and yet he is truly silent,
because he says nothing that is not profitable.

The Desert Fathers, Abba Pimen

I am not speaking of the silence of the tongue,
for if someone merely keeps his tongue silent,
without knowing how to be content in mind and spirit,
then he is simply unoccupied and becomes filled with damaging thoughts.

There is a silence of the tongue,
there is a silence of the whole body,
there is a silence of the soul,
there is the silence of the mind,
and there is the silence of the spirit.

The Desert Fathers, John the Solitary

Lent

The word Lent, as I said before, comes perhaps from the Old English and refers to the lengthening of the days in Spring. However, the latin name for this period is quadragesima meaning "forty", and reminds us that one of the inspirations for this period is the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert. So one way we can regard this period is that it reminds us to simplify, in a more focused way, in order to reflect upon the real priorities in our lives. Remove clutter, spand less time in front of the TV or internet, set aside time for reflection, writing, and walking.

“It seems to me that the strangeness and wonder of existence are emphasized here by the comparative sparsity of the flora and fauna: life not crowded upon life as in other places but scattered abroad in spareness and simplicity, with a generous gift of space for each herb and bush and tree, each stem of grass, so that the living organism stands out bold and brave and vivid against the lifeless sand and barren rock. The extreme clarity of the desert light is equaled by the extreme individuation of desert life-forms. Love flowers best in openness and freedom.”

Edward Abby, Desert Solitaire

Talking to God

The grass beneath a tree
is content and silent.

A squirrel holds an acorn
in its praying hands
offering thanks,
it looks like.

The nut tastes sweet;
I bet the prayer added
to its taste somehow.

The broken shells fall on the grass,
the grass looks up
and says
"Hey"

And the squirrel looks down
and says
"Hey"

I have been saying "Hey" lately too,
to God

The formal way was just not working

Rumi

Light

In the Christian Calendar today is the feast of Candlemas. While not as old as the Celtic feast of yesterday, it does date from the 4th Century in Jerusalem, and reflects the same need to mark this period of winter with light and hope. Traditionally it was celebrated by a procession of candles and the blessing of candles for use in the home.

From time to time difficulties occur in our lives which can then seem dark and without hope. Bringing awareness to what is going on inside us at those moments can allow light to shine in the darkness. Simply sitting, seeing what arises and passes away in the mind and body and naming it, allows what we experience to become something known and understood, rather than something shaped entirely by invisible, unconscious conditioning.

Within our darkest night, we kindle a fire that never dies away.

When we meditate, we’re not idly passing time. In following the breath and learning to deal with our thoughts, we’re laying the foundation for a shift in attitude that has the power to change our lives in a truly meaningful way. There’s a lot of darkness and aggression in our world. Developing our best qualities has an immediate effect on ourselves and others. When we apply ourselves in practice, we’re not only doing something very present; we’re also creating the conditions for how our lives can move forward.

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

Bits and pieces

God is not all in one place complete,

God is in the bits and pieces of everyday,

a kiss here, a smile there,

and sometimes tears.

Patrick Kavanagh

Lá Féile Bríde

Today in Ireland is celebrated Lá Féile Bríde, St. Brigid's Day, the second patron of Ireland after Saint Patrick. In Pre-Christian times on this day was celebrated the Celtic festival of Imbolc which announced the beginning of Spring, the beginning of new life. It was connected to the fertility of animals and of the earth and the ancient mother goddess in her maiden aspect. The Irish Church took aspects of the ancient feast and applied them to St. Brigid who was looked for on this day to bless animals and crops. She was renowned for her generosity and hospitality, two of the principal characteristics of the Celtic church. On this day the tradition was to bake fresh food and send some to neighbours who were needy.

Today was celebrated because it is the midway point between the winter and the spring solstice, and was seen as the time when hope begins to stir because Spring will soon be here. You would not think so here this morning when temperatures dropped to minus 10. However the ancient wisdom reminds us that new life is not far away even if the earth or our lives seem barren and cold. It was a day for lighting a fire, for announcing warmth and light in the dark time of winter. Hope returns. An old Irish poem says of this day Anois teacht an Earraigh beidh an lá dul chun síneadh, - Spring is coming back and the days start getting longer. New life, warmer days, growth, hope, hospitality and generosity. An ancient message relevant for us on this day.

Desert Fathers and Mothers

The name Desert Fathers and Mothers is given to those early monks in the Christian Tradition who went into the desert in Egypt in the third century. Even though life then was probably much simpler than now, they were convinced that they could develop their inner life better in the quietness of the desert rather than in the distractions of the city.

Their thoughts on the practice of meditation and prayer have been passed down to us in the form of short sayings and stories. Many of these have strong resonances with the practice of mindfulness meditation. They emphaisize paying attention to thoughts, staying in the one place or the one activity, patience with one's self, compassion for others.

Abba Anthony said:
"When you sit quietly alone,
you escape three sources of distaction,
hearing, speaking and seeing.
The only thing you will fight the whole time
is with your own heart"

Quiet time

St Francis de Sales

Today is the feastday of Saint Francis de Sales. He is the patron of Geneva Diocese and was based in the lovely French town of Annecy. He was known for his gentleness and good humour. Sometimes religious practice can lead to a certain rigidity and severity of attitude. Not so Saint Francis.

I like this quotation from him. Sometimes inner peace is disturbed by one’s own mind, so mindfulness practice, in noticing our thoughts, helps keep an inner balance. It reminds me of the saying from Thich Nhat Hahn, Life is short so we should smile, breath and go slowly.

Never be in a hurry;
do everything quietly and in a calm spirit.
Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever,
even if your whole world seems upset.

Sabbath

When I was a child in New York City in the 1940s there were laws that attempted to legislate the Biblical injunction, “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.” Businesses were closed. Shopping stopped. There were no convenience stores. People needed to remember, in advance of the Sabbath, to provide for the upcoming day of rest and spiritual reflection so that, on that day, they could rest. The community collectively caught its breath. Family members spent time with each other. They renewed connections. They visited neighbors.

I like to imagine that, whether or not people went to religious services, there was the possibility in that period of a pause for reflection. “What am I doing with my life?” “Is what I am doing good for me?” “Is it good for other people?” “Does my life make a difference in the world?” “Could my life make more of a difference in the world?”

All of the important fundamental questions in life seem to be waiting, so to speak, next on line at the top of the mind’s agenda, if only we give them the time and the space to present themselves.

Sylvia Boorstein

Noise and silence

For some people today is the last day of the holidays before the return to work tomorrow. After a period of rest it will be back to the stress and rush of deadlines and meetings, or commuting, and noise. Often the background noise of the city is so pervasive that we can get to a stage that we do not even notice it. As the continual playing of Christmas music in shops over the past few weeks demonstrates, we can't seem to live without some background sound. We have created an acceptance of our noisy world in spite of some evidence that it is making us ill physically and psychologically.

For example, a study by Cornell University published in the Journal of Applied Psychology in 2001 found that low-level office noise increases health risks and lowers task motivation for people who work there. The study found that workers in a noisy office experienced significantly higher levels of stress and made 40 percent fewer attempts to solve an unsolvable puzzle than a similar group in quiet working conditions. The effect of this stress meant that the same workers were less likely to take breaks or make healthy adjustments which would help them in the long term.

As one of the researchers, Gary Evans, an expert on environmental stress, stated: "One possible reason is that under stress, people focus in on their main task or activity. This focusing leads to less flexibility in considering alternatives during decision making, for example. Perhaps if people are working at a task and are under more stress, they become more focused on the task itself, not being as cognizant as they should be to change their posture or take a break."

In many cases we have no control over our external environment of the noise of a city. However we do have choices in our internal environment and in our own homes. Setting aside time for meditation creates an interior silence. However we can support this by reducing some of the noise that surrounds us, turning off the radio in the car or the TV in the house. We can start this slowly, for short periods, gradually increasing the length of time. It may be that soon we will begin to look forward the periods of silence we have built into our day and even want more. Research supports the fact that this is a step towards becoming more relaxed and less tense even in the midst of our noisy world.

How is it possible to reach inner silence? Sometimes we are apparently silent, and yet we have great discussions within, struggling with imaginary partners or with ourselves. Calming our souls requires a kind of simplicity: "I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvellous for me." Silence means recognising that my worries can’t do much. Silence means leaving what is beyond my reach and capacity. A moment of silence, even very short, is like a holy stop, a sabbath rest, a truce from worries.

Taize The Value of Silence

Solitude

One reason we do sitting meditation is to strengthen our capacity to be with ourselves. It is, as has been said, a profound act of gentleness towards ourselves, because we allow ourselves to simply be, without any need to achieve or do. It is a calm moment, touching genuine natural calmness within. This development of our capacity to be alone with ourselves is a key to happiness, growth and to real relationships with others. It is not a surprise that all the major wisdom and religious traditions recommend setting aside time, or a day, to pause, rest and be with ourselves.

No other person will completely feel like we do, think like we do, act like we do. Each of us is unique, and our aloneness is the other side of our uniqueness. The question is whether we let our aloneness become loneliness or whether we allow it to lead us into solitude. Loneliness is painful; solitude is peaceful. Loneliness makes us cling to others in desperation; solitude allows us to respect others in their uniqueness and create community.

Letting our aloneness grow into solitude and not into loneliness is a lifelong struggle. It requires conscious choices about whom to be with, what to study, how to pray, and when to ask for counsel. But wise choices will help us to find the solitude where our hearts can grow in love.

Henri Nouwen

Gaudete

"Rejoice always." 1 Thess 5:16

It is not fitting, when one is in God's service, to have a gloomy face or a chilling look. - St. Francis of Assisi

Today,the third Sunday of Advent, is called Gaudete Sunday from the Latin word Gaudete, "Rejoice". The season of Advent originally was a fast of forty days in preparation for Christmas, starting the day after the feast of St. Martin (12 November), and was called “St. Martin’s Lent” from as early as the fifth century. This Sunday was a break from the penitential atmosphere in that it focused on joy because the coming celebration was near. Originally the reason to be always happy was due to the belief in the immanent return of Jesus. Nowdays the injunction becomes an inner wisdom, directing us to notice what is good and not stay with the mind's habitual tendency to see what is negative. It also points us towards finding true contentment with how our life is actually at this moment.

The Spiritual life can often be seen as a serious business and can become heavy and even oppressive. Joy is not always associated with it. G.K. Chesterton had the right idea on the need to keep a light touch and not take ourselves too seriously:

Angels can fly because they can take themselves lightly. This has been always the instinct of Christendom, and especially the instinct of Christian art. Remember how Fra Angelico represented all his angels, not only as birds, but almost as butterflies. Seriousness is not a virtue. It is really a natural trend or lapse into taking one's self gravely, because it is the easiest thing to do. For solemnity flows out of men naturally; but laughter is a leap. It is easy to be heavy: hard to be light. Satan fell by the force of gravity.

Saint Nicholas and the practice of generosity

Today is the feast of Saint Nicolas, which is at the origins of gift-giving to children around this period. In some countries these gifts are left in childrens' shoes. The tradition is based on his generosity as Bishop of Myra, as he was accustomed to leaving gifts for the poor while they were asleep.


One story tells of a poor man with three daughters. In those times a woman's father had to offer prospective husbands something of value, a dowry. The greater the dowry, the better was the chance that a young woman would find a good husband. Without a dowry, a woman was unlikely to marry and was in danger of poverty, prostitution or slavery. But this man was poor, and so his daughters, without dowries, were destined to be sold into slavery. Mysteriously, on three different occasions, a bag of gold appeared in their home - providing the necessary dowries. The bags of gold, tossed by the Bishop through an open window, - as seen in this exquisite painting by Fra Angelico - landed in stockings or shoes left before the fire to dry, while the girls slept unaware in bed.

There is so much in this tale, about generosity, or awareness of what we have been given, or the real meaning of this period, or about caring for those who are in difficulty at this time.

" In the African understanding of ubuntu, our generosity comes from realizing that we could not be alive, nor could we accomplish anything, without the support, love, and generosity of all the people who have helped us to become the people we are today. Certainly it is from experiencing this generosity of God and the generosity of those in our life that we learn gratitude and to be generous to others."

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

"I think that generosity has many levels. We have to think generously, speak generously, and act generously. Thinking well of others and speaking well of others is the basis for generous giving. It means that we relate to others as part of our 'gen' or 'kin' and treat them as family. Generosity has to come from hearts that are fearless and free and are willing to share abundantly all that is given to us."

Henri Nouwen