The whole point of sacred wisdom is to empower men and women to live as low maintenance, gentle souls in a harsh and bewildering world. This requires a commitment to the spiritual practices of surrender, silence and a settled mind. To surrender - or relinquish control - is to become tender rather than brittle. To nourish silence is to honor both emptiness and insight in their own seasons. And to cultivate a settled mind is to make peace with paradox and trust a love that is greater than self. In a small volume saturated with insight, The Wisdom Way of Knowing, the Rev. Dr. Cynthia Bourgeault writes: Where there is surrender, synchronicity tends to follow, which is one of the most delightful side effects of a surrender practice... (But) the most direct and effective (way to practice this commitment) is simply this: in any situation in life, confronted by an outer threat or opportunity, you can notice yourself responding inwardly in one of two ways. Either you will brace, harden, and resist; or, you will soften, open and yield. If you go with the former gesture, you will be catapulted immediately into your smaller self, with its animal instincts and survival responses. If you stay with the latter regardless of the outer conditions, you will remain in alignment with your innermost being, and through it, divine being can reach you. Spiritual practice at its no-frills simplest is a moment-by-moment learning not to do anything in a state of internal brace. Bracing is never worth the cost. (p. 75)
What Jesus was teaching is how to live in a balanced and awakened state that is deeply aligned with the present moment as well as the fullness of time. Mystics in most traditions speak of this as "seeing with the heart." The heart in the wisdom tradition has nothing to do with being caught up in feelings or emotions, nor is it choosing sentiment over linear, rational thought. "The instrument given to us to participate in the dance (of creative and compassionate living)" writes Bourgeault, "is our heart." The heart synthesizes our thinking and feeling even as it transcends them in the quest for wholeness. It is a way of seeing that goes beyond culture and fads to focus upon our origins. And in doing so, our heart connects us to the essence of creation: to live in the image of God as "artisans of energy."
When we recognize what is authentically loving, creative, and peaceful in our lives - our treasures - we are seeing from the heart. To invert this, however, and claim that whatever we're feeling that makes us happy is our treasure keep us locked within the realm of sentimentality and fickleness. Our feelings are clues, not our hearts, and they never tell us the whole truth. Fr. Ed Hays made this clear: feelings connect us to the wisdom of our wounds - and they usually need us to do the polar opposite of what we feel - in order to become healthy. (See his wonderful novel, St. George and the Dragon, @ https://www.edwardhays.com/st-george-and-the-dragon.html)
As I moved through this quiet day, doing nothing extraordinary, three treasures were revealed. Each encouraged me to trust that this moment and this place is exactly where God wants me to be - and if I yield to this wisdom I will know it from the inside out. The first showed up in the on-line course in Franciscan spirituality that Richard Rohr is leading. In his opening welcoming video Rohr tells the story of a Roman Catholic priest teaching the men of an African tribe about the seven sacraments of the Church. It was clear that the men were increasingly uncomfortable as the lecture ripened. So at the break, the priest asked if there were any questions, to which one soul replied: "Father, I am confused. You speak of the abundant generosity of God yet you tell us there are only seven sacraments. I would have thought your God celebrated 70 thousand!" The wisdom of our experience rather than doctrine, Rohr noted, is at the heart of the alternative orthodoxy of the Franciscan tradition. I thought to myself: at least 70,000!
The second happened while sharing tea with a colleague later in the morning. Not only did I hear, "I LOVE you man" proclaimed as my favorite local jazz drummer entered the cafe, but in the subsequent conversations an idea dear to my soul was suggested. It was completely spontaneous: "What would you think about trying to put together a small jazz ensemble to be a part of a poetry improv during the August poetry festival?" As my eyes widened, my friend added, "I just saw and heard your favorite drummer show up... know any sax players?" We shall see how that takes shape and form over the next few months but it resonates deep within with what I have been sensing for the past year.And third, while flipping through various resources about seeds and plants that are native to New England, I came across some web sites dedicated to this quest. Di and I have been slowly developing plans to go deeper with this in our own small garden. And have amassed a few books to help us sort out what might come next. Last fall our grandson, Louie, helped us kick things off as we planted, "Louie's Milkweed and Butterfly Garden" in our backyard. One of the websites included this quote that stroke a chord: "A garden depicts an enclosed parcel of land which may also symbolize belief systems, the cosmos, and our social status and lifestyle." As I researched the author, Kenneth I. Helphand from the University of Oregon, I found that his book, Defiant Gardens: Making Gardens in Wartime, documents why "people caught up in the horrors of war plant gardens." His conclusion? "The reasons have less to do with raising food (though that is a factor) than with the need for spiritual sustenance-to enjoy the beauty and hope for the future that a garden provides." This is just where we've been going with our garden as a Sanctuary from the madness and a place of renewal for compassionate living.
To be sure, when our hearts are aligned with God's original intent for creation... how did St. Annie Lennox put it? There are a thousand beautiful things and treasures all over the place.
Yes, the inmates are now running the asylum and the barbarians are breaking down the barriers of civil society. Did you see the Barbarian in Chief cynically ridicule the testimony of Jesus at this morning's National Prayer Breakfast? He and his minions have unleashed just the first wave of retribution against those who called him out for his high crimes and misdemeanors. These will become much worse before they get better. I know, too that there is famine and disease taking place to say nothing of Australia's literally scorched earth. There is fear and trembling everywhere. As well there should be and...
We being our day alone: honoring this life with all its potentials and possibilities. We begin our day with trust: knowing we are created for loving encounter. We begin our day with hope: knowing the day can hold love, kindness, forgiveness and justice.
a reading followed by a time of silence
We recall our day yesterday: may we learn, may we love, mat we live on. We make room for the unexpected: may we find wisdom and life in the unexpected. Help us to embrace possibility, respond graciously to disappointment, and hold tenderly those we encounter: help us be fully present to this day...
silence
May we find the wisdom we need: God be with us. May we hear the needs of those we meet: God be with us. May we love the life we have been given: God be with us.
credits:
+https://lifecherish.com/2018/02/11/11-things-to
+ https://www.churchofthetransfiguration.org/art/
+ https://www.residentadvisor.net/events/973958
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