Wednesday, December 28, 2011

dec 29

Finally, realistic about the self, the mind is free to become full of God.

To be contemplative it is necessaty every day to remember the God within. The posture is a crucial one. Only then can we empty ourselves of the need to play God that day, with anyone, in any way.

- the Illuminated Life


Tuesday, December 27, 2011

dec 28

The fourth level of humility reminds me to receive others kindly. Knowing my own limitations, I can accept theirs. Then I can walk through the world quietly, without bluster, without calling attention to myself and concentrated on the God within.

- the Illuminated Life


Monday, December 26, 2011

dec 27

The third stage of humility requires us to let go of false expectations in daily life. When I am truly aware of my own littleness, I am not driven to spend life satisfying my ego more than my needs. I do not harbor the delusions of grandeur that compel a person to require the best car, the best chair, the best piece of meat on the plate, whatever the effects on others. The person full of God has much more security than any of the baubles of life - the comforts, the trappings, the titles, the symbols - can give.

- the Illuminated Life



dec 26

The second level of humility requires us to accept the gifts of others, their Godself, their wisdom, their experience, even their direction. By revealing our inmost selves to someone else, we recognize the presence of God in others, yes, but we also free ourselves from the masks we wear and the lies which, in the end, are likely even to fool ourselves about us. For a woman it is the ability to realize that she is not nothing. For a man, it is the grace to understand that he is not everything. Open to the gifts of others and the truth of the self, we can see God where God is.

- the Illuminated Life



Thursday, December 22, 2011

dec 23

The Rule of Benedict lays out the four dimensions of humility that lead to contemplation. The first calls us simply to recognize the presence of God in our lives. God, the Rule says quite clearly, simply is. God is with us whether we recognize that presence, that power, or not. God is not bought or gained or won or achieved. God is the ground of life. the point is not that we arrive at God; the point is that we cannot remove ourselves from God. We can only ignore the impact and the meaning of God's presence within us. 'O God, come to my assistance,' we say at the beginning of every prayer period of the day in my community. Even the desire to pray, we acknowledge, comes from the God within us.

- The Illuminated Life



Wednesday, December 21, 2011

dec 22

The Rule of Benedict reminds the monastic to pray with the psalmist, 'I am a worm and not even human.' What may sound to a me-centered generation like the destruction of human dignity is, in fact, its liberating truth. I am not, in other words, everything I could be. I am not even the fullness of myself, let alone a pinnacle for which my family, my friends, my world, the universe should strive. I am only me. I am weak often, struggling always, arrogant sometimes, hiding from myself most of the time, and always in some kind of need. I cover my limitations with flourish, of course, but down deep, where the souls is forced to confront itself, I know who I really am and what, on the other hand, however fine the image, I really am not. Then, the Rule of Benedict says, we are ready for union with God.

It is not when we become perfect - the whole idea of which becomes ever more suspect ina a daily expanding universe - that we can claim God. It is when we accept the callow material that is ourselves that we can come to see beyond ourselves. It is when we cease to be our own god that God can break in.

- the Illuminated Life



Tuesday, December 20, 2011

dec 21

Humility enables me to stand before the world in awe, to receive its gifts and to learn from its lessons. But to be humble is not to be diminished. Indeed, humility and humiliations are not the same thing. Humiliations degrade me as a human being. Humility is the ability to recognize my right place in the universe, both dust and glory, God's glory, indeed, but dust nevertheless.

- the Illuminated Life.


Monday, December 19, 2011

dec 20

Humility and contemplation are the invisible twins of the spiritual life. One without the other is impossible. In the first place, there is no such thing as a contemplative life without the humility that takes us beyond the myth of our own grandeur to the cosmic grandeur of God. In the second, once we know the grandeur of God we get the rest of life - ourselves included - in perspective. Reaching the moon told us how really insignificant we were in the universe. We begin to rethink all our dearly held notions of human consequence. Humility leads directly to contemplation.

- the Illuminated Life


Sunday, December 18, 2011

dec 19

Abba Xanthias said: "A dog is better than I am because a dog has love, but, unlike myself, the dog does not pass judgment."

Abba Sarmatas said: "I prefer a person who has sinned if he knows that he sinned and has repented, over a person who has not sinned and considers himself to be righteous."



Thursday, December 15, 2011

dec 16

Place this over your home, your office, your heart, your mind.

God Bless This House And All Who Enter It Wall Plaque - 2.75 inches - Pewter

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

dec 15

Spend some time here and let the song stick with you all day...


Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.


Joy to the world! the Saviour reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.


No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.


He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

dec 14

Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

luke 15:8-11

there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels...it makes me wonder who else is up there. Then I think, Oh, it's God. God the Almighty, he's the one rejoicing. The angels must think He's crazy. He is crazy...He's crazy in love with you.


Monday, December 12, 2011

dec 13

Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, "Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep." I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over the ninety-nine righteous persons who do note need to repent.

luke 15:3-7

I'm not a shepherd. But I love the way Jesus talks as if all shepherds would leave 99 sheep to the hills for the sake of 1. I don't talk that way. I don't live that way. Thanks be to God we have a Savior who does.





Sunday, December 11, 2011

dec 12

Today, Clyde said that "Repent" was the angels favorite word because it says that they throw a party every time someone does it.

It's true. Check it out: Luke 15:7; Luke 15:10

Thursday, December 8, 2011

dec 9

Luke 15:20

So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

The son moved a little. The father moved a lot.
The son was still far away. The father saw him. He must have been looking. Waiting.
The son was walking. The father came running.
The son was came with an apology. The father came with a kiss.





Wednesday, December 7, 2011

dec 8

Luke 15:11...the Prodigal Son story...

Last night, Clyde told me that the Bedouin people say that the moment of repentance happens when the son receives the love of the father. Not when he decides to leave his life of sin. Not when he turns back home. But when the father runs to him. When the father kisses him and hugs him and he receives his affection and does not turn from it.

Monday, December 5, 2011

dec 6

Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

luke 15:1-2

Is there anything more beautiful than knowing that Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them? I cannot but feel sorry for the Pharisees and teachers. By the way, if you find that you are one...Jesus welcomes you, too.


Sunday, December 4, 2011

dec 5

Of all my fears, the fear of the unknown is one of the most powerful. This may come as a surprise to those of you who know me because adventure is also one of the most powerful impulses in my life. Which is perhaps why when I read this this morning it hit me: the unknown is what makes life adventurous.

What if I approached all my unknowns with a sense of adventure? Now that could be exciting.



Thursday, December 1, 2011

dec 2

verse 32...

In the same way, any one of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

in the same way...

Jesus is saying: just as the builder counts the cost, and the king weighs his chances, we must take account and see if we have what it takes to be a disciple of Christ.

Here's the thing: the builder doesn't have what it takes to build the tower. He only has enough for the foundation. The king doesn't have a big enough army. He's got to hope to make peace. IN THE SAME WAY we don't have what it takes either.

So stop trying. Give up. Give up everything. All your effort. All your merit. It's not enough. That's what Jesus is saying. Pretty sobering news. And yet the greatest news we could ever hope to hear.