Celebrating The Feast of the Immaculate Conception

May you be blessed on this day that honors the divine feminine among us and looks toward the proclamation of "God with us." May we see it as a day to welcome the divine, and not to cower in fear of not being worthy.

The following is a post from my archives (December 8, 2011). It was good for me to be reminded of this message on this day. ~ CK 

I stated in my blog post, A Jungian Appreciation of Mary, that I saw no need for the idea of the Immaculate Conception (whereby Mary was born free from original sin). As a practicing Catholic, however, today I will attend the Mass of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The primary reason for my participation will be that I see the importance of honoring the feminine within our sacred spaces.

This week, Richard Rohr has been offering a series of meditations on “Mary, the Prepared One.” A couple of days ago he said something I had never thought about.  When the angel Gabriel appeared to her to inform her that she had found favor with God to bring the savior into the world, Mary “refuses to play the ‘Lord, I am not worthy’ card that had become normative in most biblical theophanies. She simply states, ‘Let it be done unto me.’  She lets God do all the giving. Her job is to receive such perfect giving.”

Mary refuses to play the “Lord I am not worthy” card!  I like that image of Mary on this day set aside in her honor. I am not one who thinks we need to wallow in all of this rigmarole of Original Sin.  The blessings of Life are around us for us to take part in as we will.

Rohr also states in his meditation on Mary that “The word favor doesn’t say anything about the recipient. Favor says something about the one who is doing the favoring.” And that “God does not love you because you are good; God loves you because God is good. God does not love you because you are good; you are good because God loves you.” 

May you be blessed on this day that honors the divine feminine among us and looks toward the proclamation of "God with us." May we see it as a day to welcome the divine, and not to cower in fear of not being worthy.

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Remembering Thomas Keating

(Photo from the Tribute page of Contemplative Outreach San Diego)

I was sad to learn of Father Keating's passing two weeks ago, but only joy springs to mind when I think of him. He taught many modern pilgrims the concept of apophatic prayer and meditation with his centering prayer retreats and writings. He ushered many into the profound beauty of resting in silence and emptiness before God.

At the website for the Center for Action and Contemplation are three short remembrances of Fr. Thomas Keating from Cynthia Bourgeault, James Finley, and Richard Rohr. There is also a link at that site where you can view the memorial service on Nov. 16.

For Further Reading:

• “Thomas Keating, pioneer in centering prayer, interfaith dialogue, dies at 95,” an extensive article in the National Catholic Reporter about Father Keating which also includes a couple of brief words of his from video recordings.
• “Father Thomas Keating Is a Rebel with a Cause,” a cover story in 5280 Denver’s Mile High Magazine, March 2018.

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The Feast of the Immaculate Conception

I stated last August in my blog post, A Jungian Appreciation of Mary, that I saw no need for the idea of the Immaculate Conception (whereby Mary was born free from original sin). As a practicing Catholic, however, today I will attend the Mass of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The primary reason for my participation will be that I see the importance of honoring the feminine within our sacred spaces.

This week, Richard Rohr has been offering a series of meditations on “Mary, the Prepared One.” A couple of days ago he said something I had never thought about.  When the angel Gabriel appeared to her to inform her that she had found favor with God to bring the savior into the world, Mary “refuses to play the ‘Lord, I am not worthy’ card that had become normative in most biblical theophanies. She simply states, ‘Let it be done unto me.’  She lets God do all the giving. Her job is to receive such perfect giving.”

Mary refuses to play the “Lord I am not worthy” card!  I like that image of Mary on this day set aside in her honor. I am not one who thinks we need to wallow in all of this rigmarole of Original Sin.  The blessings of Life are around us for us to take part in as we will.

Rohr also states in his meditation on Mary that “The word favor doesn’t say anything about the recipient. Favor says something about the one who is doing the favoring.” And that “God does not love you because you are good; God loves you because God is good. God does not love you because you are good; you are good because God loves you.” 

May you be blessed on this day that honors the divine feminine among us and looks toward the proclamation of "God with us." May we see it as a day to welcome the divine, and not to cower in fear of not being worthy.

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A Time to Stop and Reflect: Looking at the Tragedy in Tucson

The attempted assassination of Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford, and the senseless murder of six others, initially left me shocked and angry. I was angry with certain right wing politicians and commentators who have been ratcheting up the rhetoric and using gun metaphors. I said to myself that THEY need to stop and re-think. These are no longer “cutesy catch phrases.” THEY need to take responsibility for the images THEY are promoting. I was also angry with the gun lobbyists and legislators who think that private citizens need to own semi-automatic rifles and assault weapons.That was my initial reaction. Many times at work, I have told people, “there is no need to assign blame, we just need to assess the problem and do our best to correct it.” But here I was, outraged and ready to assign blame.

My friend, Ralph Starling, posted a much more healing response on his blog. He brings some insight as one who has travelled abroad and who works in a multicultural environment. Ralph speaks of the need to look within one's self during crucial times. He also quotes Franciscan priest Richard Rohr who has advocated time spent in quiet contemplation to get a wider view by tapping into what he calls the “Christ consciousness.” You can read Ralph’s excellent advice here.

Then our President offered wise counsel to the nation at the memorial service in Tucson. He cautioned against falling into the blame game, saying that we need to offer words that heal rather than divide, that there is more that unites us than divides us. ‎"In the fleeting time we have on this earth,” President Obama said, “ what matters is not wealth or status or power or fame, but rather how much we have loved and what small part we have played in making the lives of other people better."

The President also made reference to the youngest victim of that tragic shooting, the nine year old student council president, and offered these challenging words: “I want to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as Christina imagined it. I want America to be as good as she imagined it. All of us -- we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children's expectations.”

You can read (or hear) the full speech at http://www.nowpublic.com/world/barack-obama-tucson-speech-transcript-video-arizona-memorial-2747009.html

It is truly a time of grief - not the first time we have known it and surely not the last. May we use this time to step back, rethink and reevaluate. May we use this time to assess what truly matters to our lives as individuals, as communities, and as a nation.

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