I Agree Differently

The ways to be one with God are the spiritual practices of prayer, almsgiving and fasting. As we persist in these practices we turn more and more to God, we become more and more aware of our errors, our sinfulness, and become more and more like little Christs. Through these practices we clear out that space in us that God created for his residence. We clear out all the attachments and addictions and false selves we accumulate during our finite existence and make space for the visions of the infinite life that Christ promises to his faithful.

A Good Offense and a Good Defense in the Spiritual Battle

Our homilist today commented on today's gospel statement (Mt.11:11) that "the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force."  He said that we need a good offense and a good defense to enter into effective combat.

The defense, he said is penance, the offense, mortification.  These are the two basic elements in conversion.  Penance involves saying "I'm sorry," asking for forgiveness, and, most importantly, cleaning up the mess, the collateral damage that sin causes.  Mortification entails preparing oneself not to sin again.  Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are the main components of mortification.  By these means we keep the end (our death and judgment) in mind, and access the strength of grace against our proclivity to sin again.

So there is a force of good that we can invoke against the violence of the dark powers directed against the kingdom: Penance and Mortification. Let's use it!

Advent

To wait for... to hope for ... to anticipate. Not to act, for it is not our doing, this thing we await.  Patience! Quiet! Rest your hands. Sit and in silence ... watch and listen.

Thank You

Why is it, close to my birthday, I want to give You a present, not receive one, since I have already received from You what I can only praise You for giving me, your presence on this day and on every day that I live? And so I do give you my present, myself, in thanks to You, in praise of You, who gave me myself.

Magnus es, Domine, et laudabilis valde

So begins the Confessions of St. Augustine.  According to Jean Luc Marion, the archetypical creaturely action is praise, praise of our creator.  Man, a being who is "tilted" toward God, doesn't regain stature until he rests (leans) against God. Let us praise Him.

O God beyond all praising,
we worship you today
and sing the love amazing
that songs cannot repay;
for we can only wonder
at every gift you send,
at blessings without number
and mercies without end:

We lift our hearts before you
and wait upon your word,
we honor and adore you,
our great and mighty Lord.

(Instrumental)

Then hear, O gracious Savior,
accept the love we bring,
that we who know your favor
may serve you as our king;
and whether our tomorrows
be filled with good or ill,
we’ll triumph through our sorrows
and rise to bless you still:

We lift our hearts before you
and wait upon your word,
we honor and adore you,
our great and mighty Lord.

Does Anything Ever Change?

After reading the following passage from Isaiah I asked myself, "How can I possible comply with the the requirement ' not to hear of bloodshed' or 'not to look on evil'?" 

Isaiah 33:15-16

Whoever walks righteously and speaks honestly,

Who spurns what is gained by 0ppression,

Who waves off contact with a bribe,

Who stops his ears so as not to hear of bloodshed,

Who closes his eyes so as not to look on evil,

That one shall dwell on the heights …

Even if we can be righteous, spurn ill-gotten gains and refuse bribes, who among us can be free of the sound of bloodshed and the visions of evil around us?

Even Jeremiah could not follow Isaiah’s prescription to “dwell on the heights”.

Today’s Canticle from morning prayer, 

Jeremiah 14:17-21

Speak to them this word:

Let my eyes stream with tears night and day, without rest,

Over the great destruction which overwhelms the virgin daughter of my people over her incurable wound.

If I walk out into the field, look! those slain by the sword;

If I enter the city, look! victims of famine.

Both prophet and priest ply their trade in a land they do not know.

Have you really cast Judah off?

Is Zion loathsome to you?

Why have you struck us a blow that cannot be healed?

We wait for peace, to no avail;

For a time of healing,

But terror comes instead.

 But he does not leave us without a remedy for our woes.

He advises admission of our offenses ---

We recognize our wickedness, LORD, the guilt of our ancestors:

we have sinned against you.

and calls on God for mercy ---

Do not reject us, for your name’s sake,

Do not disgrace your glorious throne.

Remember! Do not break your covenant with us.

and recognizes the greatness of the Lord ---

Among the idols of the nations are there any that give rain?

Or can the mere heavens send showers?

Is it not you, LORD, our God, to whom we look? 

You alone do all these things.

GSP - Gross Spiritual Product

Celebration of Discipline is a book written by Richard J. Foster. Since it was recommended to me I have come to learn that it is quite a popular text on Christian spirituality. This is the second book that I've read by this author. Some of the sources for his work were somewhat new to me. One of those sources is a man named D. Elton Trueblood. Like Richard Foster, Elton Trueblood was a Quaker and a theologian.

Following is a quotation from the introduction to Celebration of Discipline written by Elton Trueblood. It speaks to our current cultural condition in which happiness and prosperity are measured by the size of your paycheck and the amount of goods that you consume.

D. Elton Trueblood

‘A genuine cultural Revolution would ensue if considerable numbers were to obey the trenchant command, “De-accumulate.”

The greatest problems of our time are not technological, for these we handle fairly well. They are not even political or economic, because the difficulties in these areas, glaring as they may be, are largely derivative. The greatest problems are moral and spiritual, and unless we can make some progress in these realms, we may not even survive. This is how advanced cultures have declined in the past.'