Lord, that I might see your presence presencing itself and giving itself away as the intimate immediacy of the grace and miracle of our very presence. Help us to understand that the generosity of the Infinite is infinite and that we are the generosity of God. We are the song you sing.
—James Finley
From one of my favourite podcasts, Kate Bowler born in Winnipeg!
A professor, podcaster, and author with a single mission: giving you permission to feel human
Our culture often equates love with happiness.
If you watch The Bachelor on TV, or indulge in a summer beach read about an idyllic romance, you know what I mean. The truth is, we can get so obsessed with the idea of love as something or someone who sweeps us off our feet, that we risk missing the bigger picture: that love is more than happiness. It’s a sense of belonging.
This week in my seventh session of Words to Live By, we explore love through a lens of both knowing and being known, holding another and and being held.
Here is a blessing for loving and being loved:
Blessed are we with eyes to see the person right in front of us.
Not solely their faults or some future version of themselves
or the way they always do that thing that drives you nuts.
But as poetry incarnate, as treasures to be beheld.
Blessed are you who notice the light in their eyes,
or when the light dims.
You who scoot up close to their suffering,
though you might not have the right words to say.
This week in my seventh session of Words to Live By, we explore love through a lens of both knowing and being known, holding another and and being held.
Here is a blessing for loving and being loved:
Blessed are we with eyes to see the person right in front of us.
Not solely their faults or some future version of themselves
or the way they always do that thing that drives you nuts.
But as poetry incarnate, as treasures to be beheld.
Blessed are you who notice the light in their eyes,
or when the light dims.
You who scoot up close to their suffering,
though you might not have the right words to say.
You who bear witness to their life in its entirety.
The joys, the sorrows, the unfinished-ness of it all.
The joys, the sorrows, the unfinished-ness of it all.
You who cherish every story,
even if you’ve heard it before.
Listening without judgment and without haste.
even if you’ve heard it before.
Listening without judgment and without haste.
May your careful attention be met with others
who see you as the same bright light and wonder that you are.
who see you as the same bright light and wonder that you are.
As you practice seeing and being seen, loving and being loved,
may you remember that you, too,
are a blessing to all who have the great privilege to know you
may you remember that you, too,
are a blessing to all who have the great privilege to know you
Richard Rohr's Daily Meditations
From the Center for Action and Contemplation
Week Twenty-One: Life in the Spirit
A Further Baptism
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
—Acts 2:1–4
—Acts 2:1–4
In this Pentecost homily, Father Richard Rohr encourages Christians to recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit, a gift God has already given us!
It’s a shame that the Holy Spirit tends to be an afterthought for many Christians. We don’t really “have the Spirit.” We tend, I’m afraid, to simply go through the motions. We formally believe, but honestly, there isn’t much fire to it. There isn’t much conviction. There isn’t much service. We just sort of believe. That’s why in the Gospels there are two clearly distinguished baptisms. There’s the baptism with water that most of us are used to, and then there’s the baptism “with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11); that’s the one that really matters.
The water baptism that many of us received as children demands little conviction or understanding. Some parents simply do it to make their parents or grandparents happy. Until this baptism by water becomes real, until we know Jesus, and we rely on Jesus, call upon Jesus, share and love Jesus, we’re just going along for the ride.
We can recognize people who have had a second baptism in the Holy Spirit. They tend to be loving. They tend to be exciting. They want to serve others, and not just be served themselves. They forgive life itself for not being everything they once hoped for. They forgive their neighbors. They forgive themselves for not being as perfect as they would like to be.
Even though we so often pray, “Come, Holy Spirit,” the gift of the Spirit is already given. The Holy Spirit has already come. We all are temples of the Holy Spirit, equally, objectively, and forever! The only difference is the degree that we know it, draw upon it, and consciously believe it. All the scriptural images of the Spirit are dynamic—flowing water, descending dove or fire, and rushing wind. If there’s never any movement, energy, excitement, deep love, service, forgiveness, or surrender, we can be pretty sure we aren’t living out of the Spirit. If our whole lives are just going through the motions, if there’s never any deep conviction, we aren’t connected to the Spirit. We would do well to fan into flame the gift that we already have.
God doesn’t give God’s Spirit to those of us who are worthy, because none of us are worthy. God gives God’s Spirit in this awakened way to those who want it. On this Feast of Pentecost, quite simply, want it! Rely upon it. Know that it has already been given
Wow! So much to celebrate in June! So many milestone birthdays! A wonderful Chinese food feast to end the year. Congratulations to Sharon Dugard as the recipient of The Maple Leaf pin for exemplary social justice and service for many decades.
Have a wonderful summer filled with Faith, Family, and Fun.🌸🌷🌸🌷🌸🌷🌸🌷🌸😡🌸🌷🌸