“Living in a dark world while remaining  in the light”   I use a walker and I am quite afraid to move about my small apartment in the dark. I always have a light on somewhere for reassurance. Otherwise, a fear of falling paralyzes me.  In a similar way, living in this world with its times of darkness and uncertainty can be paralyzing without the light of the divine within

“Heal the wounds you have no words for”. Those of us who practice tai chi chih know that much pain is held in our bodies. To relieve that pain, we sometimes separate ourselves from our bodies. Instead, the practice invites us  to do gentle healing movements that can re-unite body and soul and caress us with loving energy.

Here in Sacramento, we have never seen it like this:  temperatures way over 100 degrees, day after day. We fear for the forest fires that have the potential to race through parched landscape, destroying everything in their paths. Lady Wisdom must be saddened to see the planet she helped create now languishing. We certainly need her courage and steadfastness to change our way of life before it is too late. As we enter into this Season of Creation declared by Pope Francis, let us – like King Solomon – admit our own brokenness and discern what is ours to do.

“The Soup Kitchen Gang”. In the 1980s, I worked for the New York State Division of the Budget. A somewhat prestigious and privileged job. I spent much of my free time with a group of folks I met at the Interfaith  Shelter and the Sunday soup kitchen. We  went to baseball games, had picnics, played miniature golf, celebrated birthdays. It was a delightful contrast to the hierarchy of the workplace. They were some of my best teachers. I often try to listen to the voices that are ignored or silenced – the poor, those with mental illness, those who have no home. What are the questions that need to be asked?  Who do I need to hear?  How will I be changed?

“The trouble with commitment is closing the door on other options”. Years ago, I had a conversation with Sister Clare Graham, a member of our parish. She was observing that I was doing many ministries; my reply was “But, Clare, there is an energy in YES”  And she answered, “But, Sue, there is a grace in NO “. I have said “no” to many things, but usually so that I can say “yes” to something new. Saying “no” requires vision, commitment and focus. I clearly must pray for grace. Again and again.

“For the many villages of belonging, we are grateful. “. Strange, isn’t it?  These electronic villages. And yet, when I join with others in silence, followed by “holy listening and sacred sharing”, I am living in a special village of belonging. Several years ago I would have questioned the reality of such villages, but every Tuesday and Wednesday, I find myself returning, knowing that the villages will welcome me. With awe and gratitude.

“With sure knowledge”  I think that each of us is born knowing our divinity   But we quickly forget. It seems that it takes a life time of remembering to return to that first knowing   The remembering has suffering, confusion, boredom and quite amazing surprises   In a strange way, I am glad that I forgot, just so I could have the experience of remembering

 

A Shift in Presence:  A documentary on the early days of the war in Ukraine showed a father and daughter falling asleep in one of the underground shelters. The lyrics to a kind of lullaby included: “Madness was transformed into tenderness.  With every breath we drew closer together. That’s love’s indescribable tenderness. There’s nothing permanent in this world. But my love is eternal.  “. The people of Ukraine have given us a powerful AND tender example of how to be present to each other in the midst of constant fear and disruption.

“We are born with an egoic operating system”. These words have troubled me all week. I keep thinking of the native peoples of Canada, how their children were sent off to boarding schools to strip them of a different “operating system”, a different way of seeing and being in the world.  The colonization efforts of European settlers included an education into the either/or operating system. I doubt that the Africans, transported to the “new world” chained in slave ships, were born with the same either/or perspective of their captors. Being educated in Catholic schools, I can still remember believing that everyone was either Catholic or non   And only the Catholics were eligible for heaven I don’t think I was born with that either/or belief system   As this week’s message says, whatever perspective we were raised in, spending time in silence can open us to,a wider, deeper view

 

“We will go halfway”. These words reminds me of Pope Francis’ recent trip to Canada. When he was given a traditional headdress, he put it on over his skull cap. One of the native women took offense, noting that -in order to commit to a new law – one must first take off the old law. One cannot live by two laws. One cannot be both a caterpillar and a butterfly. Choosing the butterfly is at once our destiny and our difficulty.

Self-surrender not self-fulfillment:  so clear. So difficult. Sue.

Thank you, Adeline. You have alerted me to the Pope’s “penitential pilgrimage” (his words). Let us be with him as he and we travel to the margins, to meet those we have marginalized and abused, to ask for forgiveness and seek their wisdom that we historically have denied.

To whom do we listen?  There were many voices in Martha’s head as she tried to  offer hospitality to  the Lord as best she could. Did she listen to the most important voice of all?  The voice of silence, that inner voice that is often overlooked.   Those of us who live in Sacramento have heard many voices about the American River Parkway and hospitality. Those among us who are unhoused have been pushed out of Old Sacramento, then downtown Sacramento. They then found hidden places, , camping  along the parkway.  Hospitality towards these campers has become a matter of public policy:  where can they stay?  How can they stay?  Where can they go?  So, to whom do we listen?  The sheriff, city council members, county supervisors ….or to the campers themselves?

From Pope Francis on 10-16-21. ( I found this in a pile of saved letters to the editor):” Do you know what comes to mind when I think of the Good Samaritan?  The protests over the death of George Floyd….in that protest against this death, there was the Collective Samaritan who is no fool!  This movement did not pass on the other side of the road. “

Who is “the person in the ditch” here in Sacramento?  The people living in homeless encampments. The encampments are increasingly visible and have become a matter of community concern and some political posturing.  Sadly, public policy is trending toward making homelessness a crime. Last Sunday’s newspaper presented a balanced description of the situation; however, most quotes were from public officials, not from homeless advocacy/outreach groups or the campers themselves. I wrote a letter to the editor suggesting that these other groups and individuals be given a chance to speak  their truth.  They may have solutions that are creative and life supporting.  I rarely encounter the people in the camps; I suspect my main fear would be my physical limitations in reaching an encampment not what I would find when I got there. (Many camps are along the river where the terrain is uneven and sometimes inaccessible. So, I use my voice as best I can.

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