Sunday March 17-St Patrick’s Day is a wonderful mix of the secular and the sacred. It is an early signal of spring. Anything that draws attention to the breastplate prayer, attributed to him, is fine by me. In his legends we see a wonderful mixture of beliefs being revitalized within Irish sensibilities. Take a look at 2 cross styles associated with St. Patrick. How could the wearingof the green be a symbol of a verdant spiritual life?
Monday-Hypocrisy seems to be high on the list of sinful nature for many of us. I am wondering why? What is it about talking a good game for others and failing to live up to a standard for oneself? Surely, we put up all sorts of false fronts, why does this one garner such antipathy? What annoys you in hypocrisy in others (given that we rarely recognize it in ourselves)? When does it cause a mere shrug?
Tuesday-Buechner quote “To become human-This is the goal that power, success, and security are only forlorn substitutes for. This is the victory that not all our human armory of self-confidence and wisdom and personality can win for us—not simply to be treated as human but to become at last truly human.” What are the important attributes of bieng human, or making the world more human to you? what are some of our biggest vices? do you think we are the crown of creation?
Wednesday-I was reminded of cairns recently.They are collections of stones all over the world to serve as markers for directions, graves, holy sites, or even Kilroy was here types of markers. I have heard a story that warriors would pile stones up and take one away if they survived a battle.In your journeys, where would important mak rkers be left for you or by you? where would some places that were left as unremarkable end up deserving a cairn?
Thursday I came across this piece by Wendell Berry…”In the trust of old love, cultivation shows/a dark and graceful wilderness/at its heart. Wild/in that wilderness, we roam/the distance of our faith;safe beyond the bounds/of what we know. O love,/open. Show me
my country. Take me home.” When is safety and security dangerous for your spiriutal life? Where do you think you need to press the limits a bit?
Friday-As I am writing this, Adam is being so kind as to work on tuning the choir’s piano. It is painstaking work, to try to line up the different notes by frequency. Perhaps, we can look at Lent as a time of spiritual tuning up. It struck me how slight adjustments make a really big difference in the sound. What is too sharp or flat in your spiritual life? What notes make for harmony in life?
Saturday- A prayer by Thomas Merton-”God, we have no idea of where we are going. We do not see the road ahead of us. We cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do we really know ourselves, and the fact that we think we are following your will, does not mean that we are actually doing so.” This great mystic could be candid enough with God to admit to utter confusion. when have you felt that way and how did you work yourself out of that feeling?
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