"Your father knows what you need before you ask him."
Matthew 6:8
Jesus' disciples have asked him how they should pray in this passage and Jesus seems to give them reason to question even why they should pray. If God already knows what we need what's the point? Richard Rohr frequently says that we don't pray to change God's mind about us but to change our minds about God. That's sure a good explanation! We pray to be in relationship with God. We pray to connect, converse and convene with God. Maybe we pray less for a specific outcome than for the grace and strength to get through the difficulties of our unfolding lives. A great example for how to pray is Mary, who at the wedding feast at Cana, just stated the problem to Jesus. "They have no wine," she says (John 2:3). That's the deal. She doesn't tell him what to do about it. I try to do the same, with mixed results. "Blaine is flying solo in a small airplane." I state the concern, trying not to add the Yikes! factor. God already knows my mother's heart! Ultimately, no matter how we pray or the why, or what-for, God always just loves hearing from us. Let's spend some time today, thinking about how we can pray to give glory to God and naming our concerns just like we would to a dear, loving friend. And finally, let's try to step back and trust that God's will for us is the best outcome. "Your will be done." (Matthew 6:10). Love, heidi
Thursday, June 20, 2019
Monday, June 17, 2019
Spirit of Christ...
"Jesus said to his disciples, 'I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now...'"
John 16:12
Sometimes I feel this happens on retreat. Jesus has my undivided attention for days in a row and there is just so much for me to learn! This time I even stayed an extra day at the hermitage to get a little bit of the "much more" Jesus had to share. My main study book this time was "The Universal Christ" by Fr. Richard Rohr and it is indeed a doozy! The hermitage was a perfect place to observe the Christ-soaked universe that Fr. Richard describes in the book. Everything and everyone have been breathed into life by our Creator Christ and thus, contain the Spirit of Christ. "Whoa, that!" one would say--really? But looking around the mesa, bathed in spring, it was easy to see. From the tiniest bug to the foliage to the young buck mule deer I saw several times, the spirit of Christ was present. Fr. Rohr calls creation the first Incarnation of God. God came first in creation and we little humans are part of that, too. I felt like I was just another creature in the midst of creation, celebrating the fact that we all are en Christo, alive in Christ. So, today, our nearly-summer Monday, let's look at our world a bit differently, can we? Either the spirit of Christ is in everything or it is in nothing. Let's stretch ourselves and try to see it in everything and everyone we encounter this day! Love, heidi
John 16:12
Sometimes I feel this happens on retreat. Jesus has my undivided attention for days in a row and there is just so much for me to learn! This time I even stayed an extra day at the hermitage to get a little bit of the "much more" Jesus had to share. My main study book this time was "The Universal Christ" by Fr. Richard Rohr and it is indeed a doozy! The hermitage was a perfect place to observe the Christ-soaked universe that Fr. Richard describes in the book. Everything and everyone have been breathed into life by our Creator Christ and thus, contain the Spirit of Christ. "Whoa, that!" one would say--really? But looking around the mesa, bathed in spring, it was easy to see. From the tiniest bug to the foliage to the young buck mule deer I saw several times, the spirit of Christ was present. Fr. Rohr calls creation the first Incarnation of God. God came first in creation and we little humans are part of that, too. I felt like I was just another creature in the midst of creation, celebrating the fact that we all are en Christo, alive in Christ. So, today, our nearly-summer Monday, let's look at our world a bit differently, can we? Either the spirit of Christ is in everything or it is in nothing. Let's stretch ourselves and try to see it in everything and everyone we encounter this day! Love, heidi
Friday, June 7, 2019
Who are the sheep?
"'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' Peter was distressed that (Jesus) had said to him a third time, 'Do you love me?' and he said to him, 'Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep...'"
John 21:17
Peter is getting an opportunity to apologize to Jesus here on the beach, for his three denials the night Jesus was arrested. But, there is so much more to this exchange...stuff for us to read and heed, too. Jesus is telling Peter that loving him requires action. Loving Jesus is much more than simply saying so, it is doing so. And one doesn't have to think too hard to understand who the sheep and lambs are that Jesus is telling Peter to tend, either. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus answers the question "Who is my neighbor?" with the story of a guy who goes out of his way to help another guy--a guy unlike himself. And that is the critical message for us in our day. Our love for Jesus is demonstrated in how we treat others; from our family and loved ones to the people we may feel we share little in common. The "other" guy. The other we may not understand or see as worth getting to know. The other we may disagree with or be on opposing sides of issues. The other we may even fear for some reason. The sheep and lambs Jesus is telling Peter to tend are the "others" we are tempted to cross the street to avoid. But showing love to them is showing love to Jesus. Let's allow that to guide our actions this summer Friday! Love, heidi
(Oh, and I will be on retreat at Marymount next week, so will be praying for all from the porch of St. Helen's hermitage!)
John 21:17
Peter is getting an opportunity to apologize to Jesus here on the beach, for his three denials the night Jesus was arrested. But, there is so much more to this exchange...stuff for us to read and heed, too. Jesus is telling Peter that loving him requires action. Loving Jesus is much more than simply saying so, it is doing so. And one doesn't have to think too hard to understand who the sheep and lambs are that Jesus is telling Peter to tend, either. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus answers the question "Who is my neighbor?" with the story of a guy who goes out of his way to help another guy--a guy unlike himself. And that is the critical message for us in our day. Our love for Jesus is demonstrated in how we treat others; from our family and loved ones to the people we may feel we share little in common. The "other" guy. The other we may not understand or see as worth getting to know. The other we may disagree with or be on opposing sides of issues. The other we may even fear for some reason. The sheep and lambs Jesus is telling Peter to tend are the "others" we are tempted to cross the street to avoid. But showing love to them is showing love to Jesus. Let's allow that to guide our actions this summer Friday! Love, heidi
(Oh, and I will be on retreat at Marymount next week, so will be praying for all from the porch of St. Helen's hermitage!)
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Joy, Joy, Joy...
"But now I am coming to you. I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely."
John 17:11b-19
Pray-As-You-Go posed an interesting question reflecting on this reading today. Do we think of Jesus as joyful? Ponderous, that. I think, growing up with the crucifix being the focal point of the church, one doesn't immediately go to joy when thinking of Jesus. In his book, "Between Heaven and Mirth," Fr. James Martin quotes Teilhard de Chardin: "Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God." So, naturally, connecting the dots that Jesus was God, we can assume that Jesus was joyful. Crowds followed him everywhere, obviously attracted to his miracles and astonishing works, but what about when he called the first followers? There must have been something so attractive about his manner and personality to draw these folks away from their work-a-day lives. I'm suspecting it was joy. Joy draws people. Inner joy, not just thigh-slapping good humor, but deep, inner joy really attracts people. I choose to picture Jesus as loving a good joke, laughing with his friends, smiling as he walks down the road.That joy, joy joy, joy down in his heart! What about you? Can you picture the joy of Jesus? Do you want to share his joy with him? Love, heidi
John 17:11b-19
Pray-As-You-Go posed an interesting question reflecting on this reading today. Do we think of Jesus as joyful? Ponderous, that. I think, growing up with the crucifix being the focal point of the church, one doesn't immediately go to joy when thinking of Jesus. In his book, "Between Heaven and Mirth," Fr. James Martin quotes Teilhard de Chardin: "Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God." So, naturally, connecting the dots that Jesus was God, we can assume that Jesus was joyful. Crowds followed him everywhere, obviously attracted to his miracles and astonishing works, but what about when he called the first followers? There must have been something so attractive about his manner and personality to draw these folks away from their work-a-day lives. I'm suspecting it was joy. Joy draws people. Inner joy, not just thigh-slapping good humor, but deep, inner joy really attracts people. I choose to picture Jesus as loving a good joke, laughing with his friends, smiling as he walks down the road.That joy, joy joy, joy down in his heart! What about you? Can you picture the joy of Jesus? Do you want to share his joy with him? Love, heidi
Thursday, May 30, 2019
Abundant grace...
"May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always with you
May the sunshine warm you always
'Til we meet again."
Irish Blessing (also a beautiful song, link below)
So, the jukebox in my head played this song as I walked my little route this morning. It was sad because I lost my walking buddy this week. Tebow, my 13 year old golden retriever had to be put down due to some neurological event that rendered him not him. I've done this before and it's never easy, believe me. But this time, I felt a powerful swirling of God's grace through the whole thing. My kids were with me the whole time; Tebow cradled in Blaine's lap, gazing at me, through his last breaths. Even my dear young neighbors put flowers and a card outside the door to my apartment. God is showering me with blessings through the love and care of my fellow humans. And that's what God does best...shower us with love and grace through each other. Please listen to this song and think of dear old Tebow, who I'm sure by now, has found his buddy Eiger up yonder...
Irish Blessing
May the wind be always with you
May the sunshine warm you always
'Til we meet again."
Irish Blessing (also a beautiful song, link below)
So, the jukebox in my head played this song as I walked my little route this morning. It was sad because I lost my walking buddy this week. Tebow, my 13 year old golden retriever had to be put down due to some neurological event that rendered him not him. I've done this before and it's never easy, believe me. But this time, I felt a powerful swirling of God's grace through the whole thing. My kids were with me the whole time; Tebow cradled in Blaine's lap, gazing at me, through his last breaths. Even my dear young neighbors put flowers and a card outside the door to my apartment. God is showering me with blessings through the love and care of my fellow humans. And that's what God does best...shower us with love and grace through each other. Please listen to this song and think of dear old Tebow, who I'm sure by now, has found his buddy Eiger up yonder...
Irish Blessing
Wednesday, May 29, 2019
The voice of God...
"It takes so much courage and humility to trust the voice of God."
Richard Rohr, Daily Meditation, 5/28
And how do we even perceive the voice of God? Maybe we should start there...Richard Rohr believes, and I do too, that we can hear the voice of God in our own thoughts. Rather than allow that to run amok, I like to pass thoughts through filters and ask myself if the thoughts sound like God; are they loving, inclusive, life-giving? If not, then it probably isn't the voice of God. Are the thoughts something that God has expressed before? In scripture? Through the mystics? Is God just repeating it for me? I also like to run thoughts-that-seem-like-God past my Spiritual Director or a spiritual companion. Another heart and mind discerning what I think I'm hearing from God is extremely helpful for me. God may speak to us in our thoughts, but God also speaks to us through the wisdom of others. I think of Mary, a young girl, who has a visit from an angel who tells her she will be the mother of the savior. (Luke 1:26-38) Then, the angel leaves her (verse 38--Yikes!) She is left with her courage and humility to trust the voice of God. But she also had supportive people, like her cousin Elizabeth, who helped her along her journey. We, too, have supportive people in our lives and we are called to be supportive people for others. If we have the courage and humility to hear the voice of God, God will show us how to lend support and help. So, today as we go about our Whatever-day-it-is (I don't know, I'm out of school) let's take some quiet time and listen to the voice of God in our own thoughts. What is God saying? Love, heidi
Richard Rohr, Daily Meditation, 5/28
And how do we even perceive the voice of God? Maybe we should start there...Richard Rohr believes, and I do too, that we can hear the voice of God in our own thoughts. Rather than allow that to run amok, I like to pass thoughts through filters and ask myself if the thoughts sound like God; are they loving, inclusive, life-giving? If not, then it probably isn't the voice of God. Are the thoughts something that God has expressed before? In scripture? Through the mystics? Is God just repeating it for me? I also like to run thoughts-that-seem-like-God past my Spiritual Director or a spiritual companion. Another heart and mind discerning what I think I'm hearing from God is extremely helpful for me. God may speak to us in our thoughts, but God also speaks to us through the wisdom of others. I think of Mary, a young girl, who has a visit from an angel who tells her she will be the mother of the savior. (Luke 1:26-38) Then, the angel leaves her (verse 38--Yikes!) She is left with her courage and humility to trust the voice of God. But she also had supportive people, like her cousin Elizabeth, who helped her along her journey. We, too, have supportive people in our lives and we are called to be supportive people for others. If we have the courage and humility to hear the voice of God, God will show us how to lend support and help. So, today as we go about our Whatever-day-it-is (I don't know, I'm out of school) let's take some quiet time and listen to the voice of God in our own thoughts. What is God saying? Love, heidi
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