Wisdom from Dorothy Day...

"So she (Dorothy Day) thought each one of us, with our particular gifts and interests, was good. It's not that we need to change to be holy; we need to live what we are in the consciousness of God."
Judith Gregory, as quoted in "Dorothy Day: Portraits By Those Who Knew Her" by Rosalie G. Riegle

So, I am on a Dorothy Day kick right now and am just fascinated about all I'm learning about her. I sat in the treehouse and pondered the idea of living what we are in the consciousness of God. What does that look like in our everyday lives? Dorothy Day loved music, opera, specifically, and listened to it as much as she could. She didn't restrict her music to Gregorian chants or hymns. She loved opera, and while that isn't my cup of tea, I love that she loved it in all its secular-ness. I think that living what we are in the consciousness of God means that we live our lives, uncovering our True Selves; who we are when we aren't trying to impress anyone or get ahead or make people like us. We are who we are, and God made us that way. As we can appreciate that and be fully aware and present to that means we are living in the consciousness of God. Awareness of God threading through all of our decisions and choices, attitudes and actions means we are living in the consciousness of God. I invite you to pray with the phrase, "we need to live what we are in the consciousness of God." Maybe journal with it or just sit with it for a bit. What does God say to your heart? Love from the treehouse, heidi

The Transfiguration in the iPhone age...

"As they were coming down from the mountain, (Jesus) charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead."
Mark 9:9

If we ever have wondered why Jesus came into the world at the time in history he came, today's Gospel gives us a clue. Can you imagine if Jesus waited until our time to come into the world? Peter, James and John would have had their phones out filming the Transfiguration and it would have been posted on Facebook within seconds. There would be no waiting to share until the Son of Man was risen from the dead! But, even more importantly, I think, the three disciples would have missed the impact of the whole event in the effort to capture it all on their phones. There's no personal interaction when there is a phone filming the event. There was a wonderful video of Paul McCartney on James Cordon's show doing Carpool Karaoke a while back. When Paul and James emerged from Paul's old apartment in Liverpool, many people had gathered on the street to catch a glimpse of Paul. But all Paul could see was a wall of cell phones, filming the event. There were no faces to see and greet, just phones. What if today, our August Monday, we have a chance to be present at an exciting and uplifting event? What if we have a chance to meet someone who touches our hearts? Can we be fully present to the moment and leave our phones tucked away? If we really live the moment fully, we won't need a little film of the event, it will be forever present in our minds and hearts.  Love from the treehouse, heidi

Faith or lack of it...

"And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith."
Matthew 13:58

As I heard this reading this morning, this line jumped out and me and I realized, again, that faith was such an important piece of Jesus' healing ministry. He didn't impose anything on anyone or just go sweeping through the crowd healing all he walked past. The essential elements for healing seem to be the presence of Jesus, someones faith (not even the person being healed, but their friend or relative) and some type of affliction or ailment, whether physical, mental, or emotional. The faith sometimes shows up even before Jesus is aware of the person, such as the woman with the hemorrhage. And the person needing healing may not even be aware of Jesus' involvement, such as the cases where a concerned person sought Jesus out to come or even "only say the words." So, that tells me that we, and our faith, have a huge part to play in the the miracles of God. May we have faith and eyes to see these miracles happening all around us, every day! Blessings on your weekend and watch for the miracles! Love, heidi

The Potter's caress...

"Indeed, like the clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, house of Israel."
Jeremiah 18:6

On Pray-As-You-Go they ask, "Perhaps you'd rather be more free? To shape things your own way?" Good point, right? But, as I am getting older and more spiritually inclined, I'm more than happy to let God, the Potter, shape me.  I worked so hard to shape myself back in my youth. I had plans and ideas and goals, and that was great...then. Now, God knows better than to give me too many choices! I like clear choices or no choice at all--just tell me what to do, please! I can look back and see the tender, loving hand of God gently shaping me into the person I always have been in God's eyes, but not always recognizable to myself.  Today, let's pray and ponder how we feel in the gentle hands of Our Potter, who art in heaven (sorry, couldn't resist!) Do we see ourselves trying to wiggle free from the shaping of the Potter? Or can we just relax and melt into the Potter's caress? Good food for thought on a warm summer day!  Love, heidi

Let go to gain...

"The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."
Matthew 13:44

In pondering this reading, sitting in the treehouse, I'm wondering if I just didn't do that very thing. Find a treasure and sell all that I have to get it, I mean.  I felt very led to let go of so much to move here...my career, my home, my stuff (Lord knows how much!) And what I have found here is, truly, every bit the treasure I desired. Thanks be to God! This reading can carry us through many times of our lives, if we think about it. Years ago, I knew that the treasure I was "selling all" to attain was the Spiritual Direction program I attended. It was a sacrifice of time, resources and energy, and  worth every bit (and more) of what I put into it. It was truly a pearl of great price! Let's ask ourselves, as we turn the calendar to a new month today, what treasure are we seeking at this time in our lives? Is it something we may be asked to sacrifice to gain? That would make it all the more valuable, wouldn't it? Love, heidi

Bigger tables...

"Jesus’ most consistent social action was eating in new ways and with new people, encountering those who were oppressed or excluded from the system. He didn’t please anybody, it seems, always breaking the rules and making a bigger table."
Fr. Richard Rohr, Weekly meditations summary, 7/28/18

I have long struggled with the Catholic church's "requirements" for participation in the Eucharist. Early on, I read Jesus' words at the Last Supper and didn't see any such requirements at all. Jesus just said, "Take and eat..." There were no worthiness qualifiers because no one is truly worthy of the gift of Jesus. That is why it is called a gift; freely and widely given. Jesus offered a table big enough for everyone and the gift of his body and blood should be shared inclusively, with everyone who shows up at the table. The Eucharist is not a reward for the well behaved, but a gift to the hungry, and aren't we all hungry? How can we take this lesson and apply it to our lives? It's easy to point fingers and see others who aren't as inclusive, but are we? Can we be more inclusive in our lives? Can we make our tables bigger? Let's put many "leaves" in our tables and set the table for many! Love, heidi