Spirit Mystery in the Wind

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today contains texts which refer to the Holy Spirit and the role of the unseen and most mysterious aspect of the Divine in the lives of believers. The Holy Spirit has inspired the wisdom and prophesies of the ancients. Through the truth revealed by the Holy Spirit and the courage given to the Apostles, the mission of Jesus is accomplished by the Body of Christ. The destiny of Israel as the people of God is affirmed in the Spirit proclaimed by the psalmist. This Spirit is shared by Jesus with Nicodemus as the latter seeks to understand, as we all do, the movement of the Divine in the Life of the universe. We perhaps seek the wind. Too often, our goal is control yet people ancient and modern, like Richard Holloway , who talked to Mary Hynes, on CBC Tapestry, about his most recent book "Between the Monster and the Saint: Reflections on the Human Condition" have a sense of the uniqueness of the universe and the “X” factors in the life about us which defy our rational explanations. We remain where we must exist, in the time, and in the Mystery with glimpse of the infinite and timeless.

Invitation to Inclusion

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today marks the start of “Ordinary Time”. The liturgical colour for this time is green. It is not “ordinary” time as compared to special times like Christmas or Easter. It is “ordinary” because it is “numbered” or “ordinal”. The weeks of ordinary time begin at 1 and will continue through the liturgical year to the high twenties or low thirties (in Nov). The count will be interrupted by seasons of Lent and Easter. Mark relates the beginning of Jesus public ministry in the event of the calling of his first disciples. This call is not presented as a lengthy discernment by religious scholars, but as a motion of fishermen from their daily work to new work with Jesus in becoming fishers of people. The attractiveness of Jesus is implied in this story. The great fear of humans, according to Rabbi Harold Kushner who was Mary Hynes's guest on CBC Tapestry, is the fear of rejection. (his new book is Conquering Fear: Living Boldly in an Uncertain World). The acceptance of Jesus of these disciples speaks to us of how we are to view and encounter the people around us. “Follow Me” is an extremely powerful and simple command and invitation to inclusion.

Non Dual searching for Presence

The psalmist writes in today’s Roman Catholic Lectionary, that his soul is calmed like a child with its mother. The psalmist seems to be experiencing Presence. I hope today to continue reading in “The Naked Now” by Richard Rohr. At the same time, I am thinking about an interview, after his latest book, with Bishop John Shelby Spong who ponders the question of the ultimate mystery; death and what happens next. This interview is available as a podcast from CBC Tapestry. Psalmist, Franciscan seer and Episcopal Bishop all identify a living state which, when it is in contact with the Divine resonates with life and will be seen as a life with the “Marks of the True Christian” cited today by Paul in his letter to the Romans. Luke tells the “The Parable of the Great Dinner” where Jesus shares that those who are expected and invited to live in this Presence may decline the invitation. The grace will have its effect of bringing many, the unexpected, to the Banquet.

Resonance and the sense of intense understanding

I just finished ordering Richard Rohr's new book, The Naked Now, after hearing an interview with him on the CBC Program, Tapestry. Rohr is a Franciscan priest who talks eloquently about the life of St. Francis, as a man who "got it". He formulates an approach to avoiding dual thinking. This non dual thinking is, in Rohr's opinion, the thinking and action of Jesus. The interview and the web searching I have done since listening to the radio program resonate with my search. The The Enneagram: A Typology of Personality, used by Rohr to explore the ego and psychology of believers also identified well my personality type. How satisfying it is to encounter ideas and techniques which resonate with your spirit!