Holy Family

Today’s feast caused me to pause and ponder that God would want to live in a human family. Plenty of perils in that choice… I’m just trying to imagine what Mary must have felt after giving birth in a stable, and then having to flee quickly to Egypt to avoid those who wanted to murder her son.

I imagine the Holy Family living for some time in a refugee camp, and it makes me think of the many refugees who today struggle to survive in strange lands all over the world.

There are other kinds of refugees that come to mind also. I know of many people who could be called spiritual refugees who, in some way, have been alienated from organized religion. Or those who have been estranged from their families – a tough time of the year for such folks…

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Does Saddam’s death make us safer?

I was heading to bed last night when the news that Saddam had been executed came out. Of course, that was right at the top of today’s paper this morning. I feel ill thinking about it. Don’t get me wrong…this man did a lot of evil things, and it was a good thing to have him off the streets, unable to cause others harm. But once captured and incarcerated, what purpose does executing him serve? Research has shown that the death penalty does not provide an effective deterrent against other offenses.

What is it about us that needs to have revenge in order to move on? And will the death of this man truly help the Iraqi people to move on?

It occurred to me to reflect on some of the arguments by “Christians” in defense of things like the death penalty and violence against LGBT people. The Bible quotes proffered usually come from the Hebrew scripture, ignoring that in the Gospels, Jesus often says nothing or even says the opposite.  (See Matthew 5:38-39 for the most obvious example.)

Anyway, that’s all that comes to mind today…just a sadness that so many seem to be rejoicing over the killing of this man.

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Wisdom and knowledge and humility

I’ve been pondering the difference between wisdom and knowledge lately. I was reflecting on recent recruiting visits to a couple of area high schools, and was noticing the difference between the juniors and the seniors. It seemed to me that in at least one of the schools, the juniors seemed to be more receptive and attentive. I noticed a similar difference years ago between 8th graders and the 5th-6th-7th graders in my valiant attempt (I lasted until Thanksgiving – that’s a whole other story) to teach middle school science.

It seemed to me that the students “at the top of the heap” – seniors in high school or 8th graders in middle school – had a bit of an attitude that said something like, “tell me something I don’t already know.”

Oh, how that reminds me of myself sometimes… I have certainly acquired more knowledge on my life journey. For example, today I learned a few things while figuring out how to fix my housemate’s computer and work out some problems with my wireless router.

However, I’ve come to define wisdom for myself as, “knowing what it is that I DON’T know.” Probably not quite as simple as that, but the gist is that I find that the older I get, the more I realize I don’t know, and you know what? I’m actually ok with that! It occurs to me that wisdom and humility are likely two sides of the same coin.

Rather than getting discouraged about the realization that I know less than I previously thought I did, I thank God that I am more open to surprises and more able to give the people in my life room to be who they are instead of telling them how they “ought” to be or act.

I’d be curious to know what you think about the relationship between knowledge and wisdom, or the relationship between wisdom and humility…

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Happy Christmas!

Yesterday I was telling my housemate that Advent was my favorite time of the liturgical year, and she asked me why. You know, no one ever asked me that before…for me, I think that Advent is so special because I’m attracted to the notion of it being a time of invitation to prepare myself to give birth to divinity – God’s life – for a world in need of healing.

In reflecting on the event that gave us this feast to celebrate, I couldn’t help but think that we tend to romanticize the whole stable scene. I imagine that before Joseph could settle Mary in the stable, he first had to muck it out, leaving him dirty and exhausted.

It seems to me that Jesus comes to a world in need of mucking out. No four-star hotel for him! So what is our response to this great gift? I share with you an excerpt of a prayer by Ann Lewin, found in a volume called Celebrating Women.

Could we be midwives for the love of God,
Cradling that strength born in fragility,
Delivering healing to a crying world?

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Living…

I thought I’d share the above needlepoint with you. It’s kind of an expression of how I try to live. And the story of how it came to me is pretty cool also. One of our sisters made it and gave it to another sister, Carleen Lynch, who was my spiritual director and good friend. Carleen died suddenly 9 years ago, and I (along with many others) was devastated. I still miss her very much.

Anyway, fast-forward to 2001…I was in Washington, DC doing some committee work, and my birthday happened to fall on that weekend. I had come early and spent some time with Sr. Janet Mock, one of Carleen’s best friends. Janet had dropped me off at the house of studies where the committee was staying. The next day I came back to my room and found a rose, this framed needlepoint, and a birthday card from Janet saying that she and Carleen had had a talk that morning, and they both agreed that I should have this.

So, anyway, this is what I see on my way out of my bedroom every morning. It reminds me of both of these good women.

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Leaping for joy yet?

I’ll keep this short, considering that this is the shortest day of the year (or is that tomorrow?)

Anyway, both of today’s readings contain the image of leaping. In the Song of Songs, Solomon refers to his Lover as a gazelle or young stag, leaping across the hills. In the Gospel, Elizabeth feels the infant in her womb leaping for joy at the sound of Mary’s greeting.

So as I prepare to let go of the busyness of the day, I ask myself where did I seek joy today, and where did I find it? To be honest about my day, my work had me scrambling, feverishly trying to pound out a draft of a conference paper before the university closes for the holiday, needing to use library databases that are only available on campus, working in my office where the heat had already been lowered for the Christmas break, wondering at 3:00 why I was so cold and hungry and then realizing that I had forgotten to eat the lunch I had packed…

So, I missed the mark a little today. Not the end of the world by a long shot, especially when I look at the alternate first reading from Zephaniah and imagine God dancing for joy because of me!

Where is the joy in your life?

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What are you reading these days?

No, it’s not a rhetorical question…I invite you to share what it is you might be reading (or have read) that makes your heart glad and/or your soul sing. Perhaps I’ll make a sidebar item listing your suggestions…

The sun was shining today, and I decided to spend a little time outside. I also wanted to get to the Royal Oak Library to pick up a book, so I decided to walk…about a 5-mile round trip. Gave me some exercise AND some time to reflect.

The book I was going to borrow is one that has been around a while, but I had never read it. It’s called “The Spirituality of Imperfection.” I haven’t read past the introduction yet, but it promises to be a great read with which to end the year and start a new one. The authors give credit to the founders and members of Alcoholics Anonymous for bringing this age-old approach to living a spiritual life an articulation for modern times. Perhaps one of the greatest afflictions many of us suffer is the inexorable striving for perfection, the shame that comes when we discover we fall short, the inability to admit to a mistake, etc.

Yesterday I was reading a journal article that mentioned a study of professors at the University of Nebraska. When asked about the quality of their teaching, 96% considered themselves to be “above average.” I can certainly understand why this distorted perception exists. It’s a little disconcerting to think I might be “only” an average teacher when I put so much passion, effort, so much of myself into the preparation and the actual encounter with my students. It’s a little easier to consider when I recognize that many professors are trying as hard as I am to be great teachers, and being average in a crowd of superachievers isn’t so bad after all. The other thing I need to consider is that if I see myself as better than the majority of teachers, there’s not as much motivation to improve, and God knows, there’s always room for improvement.

The problem is that it seems to me that we live in a society that is constantly telling us: “put your best foot forward,” “keep a stiff upper lip,” “don’t let anyone see your weaknesses,” etc. To even admit that there might be something about my teaching that could stand some improvement can be pretty scary if everyone else around me is trying to make their case for being named “professor of the year.” The good news is that I have some colleagues who care deeply about teaching and who aren’t afraid to admit that they could be better. So no need to go it alone…

No wonder that the first word of the first step of AA is “WE”.

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The angels in your life

I couldn’t help but notice that angels played key roles in both of the readings for today. Both were announcing births, and both chose to deliver their message to the mothers of these children. Seems a little odd that in the patriarchal cultures in which Samson’s mother (she’s not even named in the reading!) and then Mary lived, that the stories tell of God’s messenger appearing directly to them rather than through their husbands or fathers. I’m not a scripture scholar, but it seems that this might have some significance.

Then I got to asking myself, how does God’s message come to me? Am I open to it when the messenger may not be who I would expect? I really encourage you to read Ryan Duns, SJ’s post from Sunday…here’s an excerpt:

The season of Advent intends to prepare us for the coming of Emmanuel, for “God with us.” This is not a one-day-per-year event: God is still with us, still being revealed in our day-to-day lives. We meet this God in the utter potentiality and promise of newborn babies, in the boundless enthusiasm of youth, and in the wisdom of our elderly. But as Christians, we know that our faith is messy, that it we are disciples of the crucified one…and this God, the God of the broken and maimed, we still encounter. Pierced not by nails but by track marks from drugs, scourged not with whips but with harsh words, abandoned not by disciples but by society, labeled not “traitor” but “problem”, the presence of the crucified poor, particularly the homeless, bespeaks the silent voice of God. We need not look far to see this face of Christ, the despised and broken Lord who continues to call us into service.

What a powerful and challenging Advent reflection. Thank you, Ryan!

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Connections in blogosphere

It’s really quite amazing to find so many other people I know who maintain blogs. I found the blog of someone I met in grad school who has since become a Holy Cross sister, Amy Cavender. I also found the blogs of some Jesuits who I know from their time here in Detroit as novices, Ryan Duns, in particular. I’m sure I’ll come across more.

It seems to me that as more women religious start doing this, the stereotypes about nuns that are out there in popular culture will begin to fade somewhat. That’s a good thing.

Speaking of connections, I must say that I see this as a way of embodying the CSJ charism, which is all about “union with God and the dear neighbor.” A beautiful expression of this is contained in the Consensus Statement I referred to in an earlier post. There it says, “The Sister of Saint Joseph moves always towards profound love of God and love of neighbor without distinction.”

That’s a pretty tall order, at least the last part of that quote. Sometimes it’s hard to love… What about the man who broke into the house and robbed us? What about the homeless woman who suffers from mental illness? What about politicians who lie to keep getting re-elected? What I know for sure is that I have not arrived at a point where I can say I truly love all neighbors without distinction. What I hope is that I’m moving towards that ideal “little by little, as much as I am able.”

I wonder what would happen if we as a society could focus a little less on who we’re “supposed” to love and focus a little more on loving those who need it most?

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Really been to Church today!

I was all set to share a little reflection on today’s Scripture, but I just have to tell you about the parish where I worship on Sundays. Gesu rocks!

And now, words fail me. Today was one of those days when the presence of the Spirit was palpable. We are blessed to have a music director who is tuned into how the Spirit moves among us and can get all of us right there with a spontaneous choice of music, key change, repeat of a refrain, etc. It’s really amazing!

I think what I like best about doing music ministry at Gesu, is that my playing (sax and clarinet) really is prayer. I really don’t worry about making mistakes, I just play from my heart and trust that I will be guided in my listening and creativity as I try to add my small piece to the prayer of the congregation.

Today it was the simple refrain from the song, “Awesome God.” The repetition of this refrain, like a mantra, building in energy, intensity, tempo really took us to a place that transcended the here and now. You kind of had to be there to really know what I’m talking about.

So today, I’m grateful for a vibrant, welcoming, praying parish community to help me start my week off right…

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