11.10.2013

Happiness by Carl Sandburg

I asked the professors who teach the meaning of life to tell
     me what is happiness.
And I went to famous executives who boss the work of
     thousands of men.
They all shook their heads and gave me a smile as though
     I was trying to fool with them
And then one Sunday afternoon I wandered out along
     the Desplaines river
And I saw a crowd of Hungarians under the trees with
     their women and children and a keg of beer and an
     accordion.

“On earth as it is in heaven”

(A meditation on each word(s) 
of the Lord's prayer)

Christian Nation

How will the
people of the Empire
who value
freedom
and 
individual rights
be able to
comprehend
an eternal life 
under
the singular rule 
of a 
King
and 
a world
based on
serving
community
rather than 
self-interests?

"Be done"

(A meditation on each word(s) 
of the Lord's prayer)


Why can't 
Your will
be done 
like mine?

Just
cross off
another
task from
the to do list.

Instead
Your will
is accomplished
by the faithful
doing its best
to follow 
Your path
with their crosses
in an 
eternal march
You lead.

"Thy will"

(A meditation on each word(s) 
of the Lord's prayer)

I hate clichés.

But 
where 
there
is a
will,
there
is a
way.

And
we don't need
to search for direction.

For 
You 
declared:
I AM
the 
Way.

Teaching us Your will 
by
 following You.

Lord,
may we 
fulfill Your will
by 
moving closer
to You
each day
in Word,
Work,
and Worship.

Amen.

11.06.2013

I'll Be Your Mirror

Songwriters: Reed, Lou / Lang, David

I'll be your mirror 
Reflect what you are, in case you don't know 
I'll be the wind, the rain and the sunset 
The light on your door to show that you're home 

When you think the night has seen your mind 
That inside you're twisted and unkind 
Let me stand to show that you are blind 
Please put down your hands 
'Cause I see you 

I find it hard to believe you don't know 
The beauty that you are 
But if you don't let me be your eyes 
A hand in your darkness, so you won't be afraid 

When you think the night has seen your mind 
That inside you're twisted and unkind 
Let me stand to show that you are blind 
Please put down your hands 
'Cause I see you 

I'll be your mirror
I'll be your mirror
I'll be your mirror


"Come"

(A meditation on each word(s)
 of the Lord's prayer)

On the second Christmas,
When He comes.

Not as a baby
But as the King.

No star directing those to see Him
But He who is the Light in the darkness

Not escaping to Egypt
But reclaiming those who kept the faith.

No gifts from the wise men
But reviewing what the faithful and unfaithful
did with theirs.

On the second Christmas,
When He comes.

“Thy Kingdom”

(A meditation on each word(s) 
of the Lord's prayer)

I agree.
This is Your kingdom.

Where Your Presence
permeates the
place like
a mustard tree
annihilates a
garden
or the 
yeast that goes
throughout the 
loaf.

A kingdom that
has a declaration
that every ruler
has dreamed of -
A kingdom that will
never end.

A kingdom
whose citizens are
the ones 
who found the pearl
and knew its
true value.

The ones who 
kept their hand
on the plow
without looking back

Where
good thieves
tax collectors
prostitutes
the childlike
are allowed in.

While the rich 
desperately hope 
for their
advocates
to show up.

10.30.2013

My entry for the Worst Christian Book Cover 2013 contest

Genesis (Japan)


To see the other entries go here.

10.27.2013

"Thy name"

(a meditation on each word(s) 
of the Lord's prayer)

Your Name
which signifies omnipresence
in a land that
stares into 
its self-absorbed screens.

Your Name
which signifies omnipotence
in a land that 
fights over 
scraps of power.

Your Name
which signifies omniscience
in a land that
hung Truth
on a cross.

The Bird With the Human Head

~ Anne Sexton

I went to the bird
with the human head,
and asked,
"Please Sir,
where is God?"

"God is too busy
to be here on earth,
His angels are like one thousand geese assembled
and always flapping.
But I can tell you where the well of God is."

"Is it on earth?"
I asked.
He replied,
"Yes. It was dragged down
from paradise by one of the geese."

I walked many days,
past witches that eat grandmothers knitting booties
as if they were collecting a debt.

Then, in the middle of the desert
I found the well,
it bubbled up and down like a litter of cats
and there was water,
and I drank,
and there was water,
and I drank.

Then the well spoke to me.

It said:  "Abundance is scooped from abundance,
yet abundance remains."

Then I knew.

Irish Folk Tale

Once there was a poor and generous old man from Ballaghaderreen who has a dream.  In it he is told to make a journey at the end of which he will find a pot of gold.  In this case the old man has to leave Balla and travel a good way to Dublin and there, when he crosses one of the bridges over the River Liffy, he will find a pub, and there he will find his treasure.  

The old man follows the dream map and when he sees the pub that was in his dream he looks around but there's no place he can dig for a hidden treasure, so he stands beside the door and waits.  He waits all day and at nightfall the publican comes out and asks,
"What are you standing here for all day long?"

"I had a dream that told me to come here."

"A dream?  I think you must be a daft old man to follow dreams.  I, myself, had a dream a month ago and it told me to go to some poor old sod's cottage on the crossroads from French Park to Ballaghaderreen and if I did, I would find a pot of gold in his front yard.  Do you think I would go traipsing all over the countryside because of a dream?  It's cold.  You should go home."

"Indeed I should and will," said the old man.

And when he got home he dug in his front yard and found the treasure and wasn't he himself and all the others the better for it.  

And if he hasn't given it all away we might share a bit with them.

10.21.2013

The Radical Priest on Luke 18:1-8

(Parable of the Persistent Widow)

Now most of 
my brethren
will preach
that the lesson of
the text is
to be persistent in prayer.
To pray unceasingly 
as St. Paul puts it.

However,
the problem I
have with this
message is
by extension
the unjust judge
is God.

Whom we
can badger
anything out of
Him 
if we are  
relentless in
our petitions.

Allow me
to turn the tables
on this parable.

God is the
widow.

Constantly 
pleading 
to the point of 
being pushy
to get us
to see His way
is the best way.

And I can see
by the look in
some of your eyes
you sense
the implications
of this.

WE ARE THE UNJUST JUDGE!

Do we
don't care
what God thinks?

Do we 
ignore
what God is pleading with
us about?

Do we worry
about 
God upsetting 
our apple cart
or worse?

(Aside: I never before noticed 
in the  text
that judge was afraid
of physical harm 
by his continual
rejecting of her claims.)

So the 
message I have for 
you this
Sabbath 
is this:
Yes,
be faithful in prayer.
Pray in the Spirit.
Pray in love and truth
and unceasingly.

But also
listen to
and contemplate
on the Father's
continual
prayers for you.

Buddha on Matthew 6:25-34

An old farmer went to the Buddha 
seeking help for his problems. 

First, he had professional problems. 
In his part of the world, 
farming was extremely difficult 
and his work completely vulnerable to weather. 

Even though he loved his wife, 
there were certain things 
about her he wanted to change. 

Similarly, he loved his children, 
but they weren’t evolving 
the way he had hoped and anticipated. 

Listening carefully
as the man explained his frustrations with life, 
the Buddha responded, 
“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.”

“What do you mean?” 
questioned the farmer. 
“You’re a highly regarded great teacher 
who has insight into all of life’s problems.”

“All human beings have eighty-three problems,” 
the Buddha explained. 
“A few problems may go away, 
but soon enough others will arise. 
So we’ll always have eighty-three problems.”

The farmer, both indignant and frustrated, asked, 
“So what good is all of your teaching?”

To which the Buddha replied, 
“My teaching can’t help with the eighty-three problems, 
but perhaps it can help with the eighty-fourth problem.”

“What’s that?” the farmer asked with great curiosity.

“The eighty-fourth problem is that 
we don’t want to have any problems.”

“Hallowed be”

(a meditation on each word(s) 
of the Lord's prayer)

I

Lord,
when I'm in a
church 
that is in 
more awe 
of the preacher
than You,
I believe 
I hear them
pray:
“...hollowed be thy Name”

II
The Beauty of His Holiness

You are 
holy.

Compassionate before a person sins,
Compassionate after a person has sinned,
and
mighty in compassion 
to give all creatures according to their need.

Merciful, that humankind may not be distressed;
Gracious if humankind is already in distress.

You are
slow to anger;
plenteous in mercy;
speaking in truth;
keeping mercy unto thousands;
forgiving
iniquity;
transgression;
and sin;
and pardoning
because
You are 
holy.


10.13.2013

"in Heaven"

(a meditation on each word(s) of the Lord's prayer)

Your eternal address.

You
once sublet
the place
to that
nice couple
You created.

Unfortunately,
 You had to 
evict them
because they
broke
the 
Lease.

And for 
a long time
you let 
the place go vacant.

Then
You decided
to 
advertise
Kingdom Properties.

First
the prophets.

Then
Your Son.

Telling
all who 
would listen
about
the new terms
of the Lease. 1

And revealing to people 
the new name of the estate --
Graceland.


Note 1  - John 1:17

"Who Art"

(a meditation on each word(s) of the Lord's prayer)

I
A Mystery.

All
of the modern 
versions of
the Book
have dropped 
this line,
so why
do we pray
as if 
Jesus
proclaimed
the Good News
in 
Old English? 

II
Jehovah-Shammah

"You are"
Jesus insists.

No ancestor 
worship
of
Abraham,
Isaac,
and Jacob.

You 
are
the God
of the living.

You are 
Presence.


Benediction

Rabindranath Tagore

Bless this little heart, 
this white soul that has won the kiss of
heaven for our earth.

He loves the light of the sun, 
he loves the sight of his
mother's face.

He has not learned to despise the dust, 
and to hanker after gold.
Clasp him to your heart and bless him.

He has come into this land of an hundred cross-roads.
I know not how he chose you from the crowd, came to your door,
and grasped your hand to ask his way.

He will follow you, laughing while talking, 
and not a doubt in his heart.
Keep his trust, lead him straight and bless him.

Lay your hand on his head, and pray that though the waves
underneath grow threatening, yet the breath from above may come 
and fill his sails and waft him to the heaven of peace.

Forget him not in your hurry, 
let him come to your heart and
bless him. 

10.06.2013

Our

(meditation on each word(s) of the Lord's prayer)

You made us.

I can understand
why You call us 
Yours.

But it’s only through
Your gift of 
grace
that we can begin
in prayer with 
“Our”

Father

(meditation on each word(s) of the Lord's prayer)

You love us
unconditionally.

You desire 
relationship.

Yet,
You allow us to wander
away.

No Amber alert.
No pictures on a milk carton.

Just
the confidence
that Your children will
 repent their sins
and understand
there is no place like Home.

Meal Blessing

(From a prayer book)

Blessed are you, Father
who gives us
our daily bread.

Blessed is your only begotten Son,
who continually feeds us
with the word of life.

Blessed is the Holy Spirit,
who brings us together
at this table of love.

Blessed be God
now and forever.
Amen.

9.30.2013

Avarice and Usury and Precaution


When the accumulation of wealth
 is no longer of high social importance, 
there will be great changes in the code of morals. 

We shall be able to rid ourselves
 of many of the pseudo-moral principles
 which have hag-ridden us for two hundred years, 
by which we have exalted
 some of the most distasteful of human qualities
 into the position of the highest virtues. 

We shall be able to afford
 to dare to assess the money-motive
 at its true value. 

The love of money as a possession — 
as distinguished from the love of money
 as a means to the enjoyments and realities of life — 
will be recognized for what it is, 
a somewhat disgusting morbidity, 
one of those semi-criminal, 
semi-pathological propensities 
which one hands over with a shudder
 to the specialists in mental disease.

 But beware! 
The time for all this is not yet. 
For at least another hundred years
 we must pretend to ourselves
 and to everyone
 that fair is foul
 and foul is fair; 
for foul is useful and fair is not. 

Avarice and usury and precaution
 must be our gods for a little longer still. 

For only they can lead us out of the tunnel of economic necessity into daylight.

John Maynard Keynes (1931)

The Radical Priest on Luke 16:19-31


Sometimes,
when I think of the afterlife
the question I have is:
“Will it be much different than now?”
(In other words: on earth as it is heaven (really?))

Consider this as
we read this parable of the
one percenter.

Does his world view change
with fires of Hades
lapping him?

To start, he still treats
those in power 
with respect.
(Father Abraham)

And as usual,
 the conversation
of the powerful turns to 
how the 99ers can do their will.
(Send Lazarus to cool my tongue)

Next, there we hear
of a chasm.

Except the tables are turned.

The earthly who 
amassed and stockpiled
the gains of the economy
and separated themselves
from the rest of society
now live in a gated community
that eternally faces an abyss.
(A physical and spiritual one)

And the last aspect of
this parable is the benefit
of those who have
power and influence:
inside information.

He pleads with
Father Abraham
to let his family know
to tell them 
his story 
of Breaking Bad
by sending Lazarus.

And Abraham 
tells him,
“They just need to listen
to Moses and the Prophets.
They told the truth."

And the Patriarch concludes:
"Anyway, remember 
where you came from!
Do you really think 
Lazarus would be able to
ring your door bell?"


The Powwow at the End of the World

BY SHERMAN ALEXIE

I am told by many of you that I must forgive and so I shall   
after an Indian woman puts her shoulder to the Grand Coulee Dam   
and topples it. 

I am told by many of you that I must forgive and so I shall 
after the floodwaters burst each successive dam   
downriver from the Grand Coulee. 

I am told by many of you that I must forgive and so I shall 
after the floodwaters find their way to the mouth of the Columbia River 
as it enters the Pacific and causes all of it to rise. 

I am told by many of you that I must forgive and so I shall 
after the first drop of floodwater is swallowed 
by that salmon waiting in the Pacific. 

I am told by many of you that I must forgive and so I shall   
after that salmon swims upstream, through the mouth of the Columbia   
and then past the flooded cities, broken dams and abandoned reactors   
of Hanford. 

I am told by many of you that I must forgive and so I shall   
after that salmon swims through the mouth of the Spokane River   
as it meets the Columbia, then upstream, until it arrives   
in the shallows of a secret bay on the reservation where I wait alone.   

I am told by many of you that I must forgive and so I shall 
after that salmon leaps into the night air above the water, throws   
a lightning bolt at the brush near my feet, and starts the fire   
which will lead all of the lost Indians home. 

I am told by many of you that I must forgive and so I shall   
after we Indians have gathered around the fire with that salmon   
who has three stories it must tell before sunrise: 
one story will teach us how to pray; 
another story will make us laugh for hours;   
the third story will give us reason to dance. 

I am told by many of you that I must forgive and so I shall 
when I am dancing with my tribe 
during the powwow at the end of the world.

9.22.2013

A Sham Argument



Someone will say: "You have faith, I have works." (Vs 18)

This unidentified person
has wasted so much time
for Christians.

Debating whether 
the gift of
eternal life rests on 
faith,
works,
or both.

Yes,
God grants 
all who believe
in the saving power
of the Cross
and Resurrection 
eternal life.

But
Jesus gives
to all
who are
born from above,
born again,
saved,
slain in the Lamb
another gift.

The gift of the Holy Spirit.

And that gift 
working 
in a transformed life
will be evidence of  
those who
  will receive the 
reward of
eternal life. 

The sola fide
people
give the impression
 that works 
are a 
checklist to go to heaven.

Instead, it is
God
(in the third person of the Trinity)
working
through
your weaknesses 
so you 
can do His will
on earth. 

The works alone assembly
(a much smaller crowd)
work on their projects
as if they were going submit
their resume 
to the Almighty.

All this talk
of work
and deeds
is making me tired.

Lord,
Thank you for
Your yoke is light.

Walk with me
the rest of 
my days
as I do Your will.
Today on earth
and for eternity
in Paradise. Amen.

“The Vacation”

Wendell Berry

Once there was a man who filmed his vacation.
He went flying down the river in his boat
with his video camera to his eye, making
a moving picture of the moving river
upon which his sleek boat moved swiftly
toward the end of his vacation. He showed
his vacation to his camera, which pictured it,
preserving it forever: the river, the trees,
the sky, the light, the bow of his rushing boat
behind which he stood with his camera
preserving his vacation even as he was having it
so that after he had had it he would still
have it. It would be there. With a flick
of a switch, there it would be. But he
would not be in it. He would never be in it.

9.21.2013

That’s what Easter’s all about, Charlie Brown.


Believing in the resurrection 
does not just mean 
assenting to a dogma 
and noting a historical fact. 

It means participating 
in God’s
creative act.

If it were merely 
a historical circumstance, 
we should simply say: 
‘Oh really?’, 
register the fact, 
and go on living 
as we did before.

But if it is a creative act of God’s, then – 
if we really know and understand 
what it is about – 
we shall be born again to a new life. 
A faith like this is the beginning of freedom

Resurrection is not a consoling opium, 
soothing us
with the promise of a better world 
in the hereafter. 

It is the energy 
for a rebirth 
of this life. 

The hope doesn’t point to another world. 
It is focused on the redemption of this one.  

Jurgen Moltmann (Jesus Christ for Today’s World)

The Cast of Christmas Reassembles For Easter


Take the wise men to the Emperor's palace.
Wash their hands in water.  
Get them to say something about truth.

Does anyone know any good Jewish jokes?
The one about a carpenter
who thought he was a King?
The one about the Savior 
who couldn't save himself?

The shepherds should stand with the chorus.
They have a big production number -
'Barabbas, We Love You Baby'.

Mary? She can move to the front.
We have a special section reserved
for family and close friends.
Tell her that we had to cut the manger up.
We needed the wood for something else.

The star I'm afraid I can't use.
There are no stars in this show.
The sky turns black with sorrow.
The earth shakes with terror.

Hold on to the frankincense.
We'll need that for the garden scene.

Angels? He could do with some angels.
Avenging angels.
Merciful angels.
He could really do with some angels.

Baby Jesus.
Step this way please.
My! How you've grown! 

**Steve Turner

A blessing for one who holds power

May the gift of leadership awaken in you as a vocation,
Keep you mindful of the providence that calls you to serve.

As high over the mountains the eagle spreads its wings,
May your perspective be larger than the view from the foothills.

When the way is flat and dull in times of grey endurance,
May your imagination continue to evoke horizons.

When thirst burns in times of drought,
May you be blessed to find the wells.

May you have the wisdom to read time clearly
And to know when the seed of change will flourish.

In your heart may there be sanctuary
for the stillness where clarity is born.

May your work be infused with passion and creativity
And have the wisdom to balance compassion and challenge.

May your soul find the graciousness
To rise above the fester of small mediocrities.

May your power never become a shell
wherein your heart would silently atrophy.

May you welcome your own vulnerability
as the ground where healing and truth join.

May the integrity of soul be your first ideal,
the source that will guide and bless your work.

John O'Donohue,  Benedictus, a Book of Blessings.