It is the wisdom- the inner wisdom- I trust. A wideness in God's mercy. An expansion of the soul. A parting of the Red Sea, on the path to freedom and salvation.
These are words I use to mean only this: the here and now. I drink the cup of salvation- not for some fancy afterlife. We are here for the loving to go deeper into this world, to taste and see this life more fully. It's a rich life- and this is the cup of joy and sorrow, this cup of blessing which we bless.
This is my faith. This life, this celebration of life. It is the reason I am a Unitarian Universalist. Though I could be a Sufi whirling, or a Christian on my knees, or a Buddhist meditating-- and I could dive deeply into the richness of each tradition, each practice-- it is the celebration of this Life, this universe, these human faces that saves me. It is the leaning and working toward justice. It is the open search for meaning. And it is the wonder of all of us- full of questions- on this journey together.
Like all religions, there is the institution and there is the faith. I find my faith in that larger vision; institutions are imperfect. Faith is all-encompassing. But the imperfection is community, it is where we do our living. For me, the wideness is there- at the pulpit, in a prayer circle, in a spiritual journeying group, in a moment of spiritual guidance and pastoral care, in the shared work for justice. All is ministry and living out of this great call. We are bound together.
You are already a minister.. the question is whose version of ministry will you follow? said my spiritual director. And my boss said recently- trust your inner wisdom. Tonight I re-read words I'd written in the summer of 2012, words about compassion and salvation. There was wisdom there, and in reading those words I answered my own question. All this anxiety I have been experiencing, all this suffering, is not mine to hold. What does it mean to have compassion for the self? It's not a vacation or a withdrawal from the world. No, it is an opening to the presence that holds us.
And so I ask- can I have compassion without presence? I can be empathetic. I can take action. But only Presence is the antidote to Pride. Presence is the awareness that I am a part of something much larger than myself; it is awe, it is opening to the Spirit, it is true humility. With practice of presence, there is no fatigue. There is only interconnection. It is an essential practice in spiritual direction- not to offer my own wise words, but to listen for the wisdom of another. Today in listening to a woman on the phone, I heard this blessing. The gift of a sacred story shared: wholeness. A reminder that in the midst of great fear, there are angels, there are guides, and we are held.
These are words I use to mean only this: the here and now. I drink the cup of salvation- not for some fancy afterlife. We are here for the loving to go deeper into this world, to taste and see this life more fully. It's a rich life- and this is the cup of joy and sorrow, this cup of blessing which we bless.
This is my faith. This life, this celebration of life. It is the reason I am a Unitarian Universalist. Though I could be a Sufi whirling, or a Christian on my knees, or a Buddhist meditating-- and I could dive deeply into the richness of each tradition, each practice-- it is the celebration of this Life, this universe, these human faces that saves me. It is the leaning and working toward justice. It is the open search for meaning. And it is the wonder of all of us- full of questions- on this journey together.
Like all religions, there is the institution and there is the faith. I find my faith in that larger vision; institutions are imperfect. Faith is all-encompassing. But the imperfection is community, it is where we do our living. For me, the wideness is there- at the pulpit, in a prayer circle, in a spiritual journeying group, in a moment of spiritual guidance and pastoral care, in the shared work for justice. All is ministry and living out of this great call. We are bound together.
You are already a minister.. the question is whose version of ministry will you follow? said my spiritual director. And my boss said recently- trust your inner wisdom. Tonight I re-read words I'd written in the summer of 2012, words about compassion and salvation. There was wisdom there, and in reading those words I answered my own question. All this anxiety I have been experiencing, all this suffering, is not mine to hold. What does it mean to have compassion for the self? It's not a vacation or a withdrawal from the world. No, it is an opening to the presence that holds us.
And so I ask- can I have compassion without presence? I can be empathetic. I can take action. But only Presence is the antidote to Pride. Presence is the awareness that I am a part of something much larger than myself; it is awe, it is opening to the Spirit, it is true humility. With practice of presence, there is no fatigue. There is only interconnection. It is an essential practice in spiritual direction- not to offer my own wise words, but to listen for the wisdom of another. Today in listening to a woman on the phone, I heard this blessing. The gift of a sacred story shared: wholeness. A reminder that in the midst of great fear, there are angels, there are guides, and we are held.
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