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Saturday, June 29, 2019

Saturday Haiku: Crescent Moon

[In celebration of the upcoming 50th anniversary of the first manned lunar landing (July 20, 1969), I am re-posting this entry which speaks to our age-old fascination with the moon ~ CK]


 one small arc of light
shines from a thin crescent moon
like a door ajar



_______________________

Photo: Venus and the Crescent Moon by David Lee

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Wednesday, June 26, 2019

The One Being: Our Part within the Whole

From my archives, reflections from one Sunday morning many years ago:



“The knitting together of God and the world has just taken place under our eyes in the domain of action.”
            ~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (from The Divine Milieu)







Sometimes my mind wanders in church, and sometimes it explores. One Sunday morning there was a visiting priest at our church. He mentioned in his homily that he taught theology to the ninth graders at a college preparatory school. His custom, he told us, is to use Wednesday class time to discuss the scripture passages from the lectionary on the upcoming Sunday. As he delivered the homily, the priest came across as intelligent and genuine. I thought about how fortunate those students were to have such a gifted and knowledgeable teacher. I had the impression that this priest sees the importance of his task in teaching those young students. Surely, he sees his endeavors in light of the big picture, a great attribute for one in the teaching profession.

From there, my mind went from the teaching profession to other professions and jobs that we all go back to on Monday morning. I wondered how many people are able to grasp the vision of being a part of a great unified whole. How many of us in society are able to see our work, as Teilhard elaborates in The Divine Milieu, as contributing to the manifestation of God in the universe? Christianity can offer a picture of this unified whole of which we are all a part, and can help us make sense of it all. Such a view gives meaning to our individual endeavors within the corporate whole. Indeed, Teilhard’s spiritual classic presents such a picture.

Christianity, however, is not the only place to find that larger a view. The other major religions also give people a concept of the whole. Hassidic Judaism gives us the concept of tikkun olam (repair of the world), that we can be instruments to build up and to bring good into the world. Buddhism teaches that we are all part of one great phenomenon. Islam tells us that we all find completion and peace in submission to Allah, the Omnipotent and All Merciful. Indigenous earth-based religions affirm that we are all part of creation. Taoism teaches that everything occurs within the all-encompassing Tao – the essence, source and reason of all that is (Cf. the Greek logos [reason], translated “Word” in the New Testament: “In the beginning was the Word…, In the beginning was the Logos…, In the beginning was the Tao, and the Tao was with God, and the Tao was God”).

My mind continued to explore, that Sunday morning, as the order of service moved from homily to Eucharist. I observed how our worship can celebrate the oneness of all, and can demonstrate our role in building the world. In our church, we say the Nicene Creed affirming Christ’s “one being with the Father,” which is how we happen to express the Greek term homoousias, meaning “one substance.” The deeper truth is that there is, of course, only one substance in the universe. In the Eucharist, we dramatize the truth that the divine logos is spread throughout creation as we receive the “logos” and carry that realization into the world. When the service is ended, we are exhorted to “Go into the world in peace to do the work that God has given us to do.” Indeed, it is in that everyday work that we see “the knitting together of God and the world.”

Whatever your background, whatever traditions you hold, look to the wisdom you have inherited to see the one being, the one substance of the universe, the one world and your part in the whole.








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Monday, June 24, 2019

Oh What a Beautiful Morning (Ray Charles)

Here is a rendition of "Oh What a Beautiful Morning'" sung by Ray Charles, accompanied by the Count Basie Orchestra. Roger Neumann did the wonderful arrangement of the Rogers & Hammerstein tune.





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Sunday, June 23, 2019

Broken Glass, Shattered Dreams

[Author's Note: The following poem was written yesterday morning in response to the news of the proposed ICE raids to take place today. The President subsequently announced a two-week delay in those raids. Thankfully, there are groups protesting (see below) yet our country remains on a course that can only be described as evil and inhumane in its treatment of immigrants and asylum seekers along our southern border.]


“ICE set to begin immigration raids in 10 cities on Sunday”


Broken Glass, Shattered Dreams

Kristallnacht, “the night of broken glass,”
When paramilitary forces  enforced a pogrom against the Jews
Confirming the moral blight upon the regime
Of a civilized nation.

No one spoke out.
The white Christian majority
Dared not question the authorities.
Whether in fear
Or in tacit approval,
Unspeakable atrocities
Were unleashed.

Today
In the land of the free
Paramilitary forces are set in place
To enforce a pogrom against immigrants of color.
We wanted those Hispanic immigrants to tend out yards,
Clean out hotels,
Pick our crops,
And to do those jobs that are beneath our lot.
Yet how many will speak out?
Who will affirm “freedom and justice for all?”

Keeping silent is easier –
Less trouble on the part of the comfortable majority.
We already tipped our hand
By allowing concentration camps
Where children are taken from their parents
To face fear
Abuse,
And death.

But we tipped our hand before
With the Indian Removal Act
And the Dred Scott Decision.
We speak noble words
While plotting evil deeds.
Whether in fear
Or in tacit approval,
Unspeakable atrocities 
Were unleashed.

Our progress comes
By stepping over broken glass
And trampling upon shattered dreams.
We could be better than this.

                                                             ~ CK


Photo by Grace Carson)

Denver immigrant groups blast Sunday ICE raids as ‘terror’ tactic”
(Headline from The Colorado Independent)

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Saturday, June 22, 2019

Saturday Haiku: Above the Mist

While I'm on hiatus, here's one from my archives:



above the spring mist
two trees stand upon the ridge
while the forest sleeps



___________________________
Photo: "Two" by Andy Mumford
Taken in Val d’Orcia, Tuscany, Italy



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Friday, June 21, 2019

Friday Funnies: Border Collie

Sometimes you just need someone to be the dog in the room.




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From The Far Side, by Gary Larson
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Thursday, June 20, 2019

It's Still Not Dark Yet



Last week, Not Dark Yet surpassed 500,000 page-views. I am thankful for any visits made to these blog pages and would like to take this moment to highlight some of the more popular posts so far this year. 

My most popular essay this year is “A Place a Place of Gratitude.” In fact, since I posted it in January, it has continued to rank number one on the blog list of “Popular posts.” I don’t think any other post has remained in first place for that long (almost six months in the number one spot, and over 1200 page-views so far).
 
A re-post in February was spurred by our nation’s dealing with refugees. In the poem, “Emigres,” I attempt to
offer some insight from the point-of-view of a refugee family.    


Have We Become a Nation of Day Laborers?” takes a look into the state of work and employment, showing how “From college profs to the loading docks, we're seeing changes in the workplace.”  

Pot Luck Sunday at the Weaker Brethren Community Church” takes a look at how one might approach those who hold stricter religious views.

Opportunity’s Last Call” is a poem inspired by the final transmission of the Mars rover, “Opportunity.”

Helen McNicoll was a Canadian artist of the Impressionist movement. Her work inspired a series of haiku which I wrote for my Saturday Haiku feature. You can see that series listed with links to each haiku at Canadian Artist Helen McNicoll.

Birmingham Bards & Brews” is a spoken word event that happens at the Birmingham Public Library on the first Friday night of each month (except December). I did a blog post about the event last March.

Make a News Road” examines the possible influence of Spanish poet Antonio Machado in an episode of the new Star Trek series, Discovery.

So many of us were affected by the tragic fire that gutted the Notre Dame Cathedral. I composed a Maundy Thursday Prayer for the Notre Dame Cathedral in response to that event.

Remembering Harper Lee” is a re-post in honor of the author’s birthday which looks at Nelle Lee as one who exemplified the classic hero’s journey.

Why Pray?” takes a personal look at how liturgical prayer, as in the 1979 Prayer Book of the Episcopal Church, can shape one’s outlook for the better.

Thank you to all who stop to read some of what this blog has to offer. I have not even touched upon the recipes, music, and humor shared, so there is more to peruse when you have the time. Comments are welcome, and readership is always appreciated.


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Wednesday, June 19, 2019

500,000



Last week, Not Dark Yet surpassed 500,000 page-views. I am thankful for any visits made to these blog pages and would like to take this moment to highlight some of the more popular posts so far this year. 

My most popular essay this year is “A Place a Place of Gratitude.” In fact, since I posted it in January, it has continued to rank number one on the blog list of “Popular posts.” I don’t think any other post has remained in first place for that long (almost six months in the number one spot, and over 1200 page-views so far).
 
A re-post in February was spurred by our nation’s dealing with refugees. In the poem, “Emigres,” I attempt to
offer some insight from the point-of-view of a refugee family.    


Have We Become a Nation of Day Laborers?” takes a look into the state of work and employment, showing how “From college profs to the loading docks, we're seeing changes in the workplace.”  

Pot Luck Sunday at the Weaker Brethren Community Church” takes a look at how one might approach those who hold stricter religious views.

Opportunity’s Last Call” is a poem inspired by the final transmission of the Mars rover, “Opportunity.”

Helen McNicoll was a Canadian artist of the Impressionist movement. Her work inspired a series of haiku which I wrote for my Saturday Haiku feature. You can see that series listed with links to each haiku at Canadian Artist Helen McNicoll.

Birmingham Bards & Brews” is a spoken word event that happens at the Birmingham Public Library on the first Friday night of each month (except December). I did a blog post about the event last March.

Make a News Road” examines the possible influence of Spanish poet Antonio Machado in an episode of the new Star Trek series, Discovery.

So many of us were affected by the tragic fire that gutted the Notre Dame Cathedral. I composed a Maundy Thursday Prayer for the Notre Dame Cathedral in response to that event.

Remembering Harper Lee” is a re-post in honor of the author’s birthday which looks at Nelle Lee as one who exemplified the classic hero’s journey.

Why Pray?” takes a personal look at how liturgical prayer, as in the 1979 Prayer Book of the Episcopal Church, can shape one’s outlook for the better.

Thank you to all who stop to read some of what this blog has to offer. I have not even touched upon the recipes, music, and humor shared, so there is more to peruse when you have the time. Comments are welcome, and readership is always appreciated.


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Monday, June 17, 2019

Monday Music: Foggy Mountain Breakdown

Bluegrass fun on Late Night with David Letterman featuring Steve Martin, the legendary Earl Scruggs, and "Men with Banjos Who Know How to Use Them." "Foggy  Mountain Breakdown" was written by Earl Scruggs and first recorded in 1949 with his friend Lester Flatt by their group, "Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys."






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Sunday, June 16, 2019

A Father's Footsteps

When Dan Fogelberg wrote "Leader of the Band," a song in tribute to his father, he sang. "My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man." When we are blessed to have a father who sets the pace and lives out the example, we often feel that those were mythic steps that we can only hope to aspire to. A few years ago, I wrote the following words in memory of my own father which I re-post today in celebration of Father's Day.

When I was in elementary school, sometimes I would walk places with my father. We might walk down the road to town, or walk down to the fish pond below our house. Sometimes I would look down and see his shadow. I would try to make my steps land within the shadow of his steps as we walked along. Though he died nineteen years ago, I still find myself trying to watch the shadow of his steps, as it were, as I examine my life to see how I’m doing. A couple of years ago, I wrote a poem about my father at 58 as I took time to evaluate my own life at the age of 58. This week I decided to do a similar thing since 60 seems to be a natural time to take stock of one’s life. I am sharing that first poem, “My Father at 58,” followed by a new one, “My Father at 60.”


My Father at 58

At certain times
I stop to check my life.
Where am I going?
How am I doing?
Where might I be headed?
Am I doing okay?

My automatic measure is to ask,
Where was my father at this point in his life?
Just as I walked in his shadow on summer days
Trying to match my steps to his
As we walked down toward the pond,
Even now I tend to automatically measure my steps to his
To see how I’m doing.

I count back the years –
Where was my father when he was 58?

Oh, but that was 1968.
A year of upheaval.
Our small community was frightened
By racial integration.
Our larger community was shocked by assassinations.
My father took one day at a time.
He did his best as teacher
To prepare one school for change.
He did his best
To provide for a family
And to see to our future
During unsettling times.

Turning my eyes to the present day,
I think I can be happy
Taking one day at a time.
I can keep on going
Because he made it through
Those unsettling times.


My Father at 60

The year was 1970.
He had successfully transitioned
From a career in the pastorate
To a career in education
Teaching in the public schools.
He shepherded a new flock
Serving as principle of the black high school
As we all transitioned
From segregation to full integration.
(Well, not all
There was that private school that opened up
To help the whites avoid equality).

He was also shepherding a family
At that late stage in life
With one son in college
One in high school,
And a son and daughter in junior high.
He continued to make his way
In the world
Which meant that he paved the way
For his own children
And for people of his community.
They called him “Preacher”
They called him “Teacher”
One friend always called him “Professor.”
And some called him “Brother Clyde.”

He navigated change throughout his life
And set an example for doing good
While navigating.

As I ask myself’
“How am I doing?”
And I look to see how my father was doing
At this stage in life,
The real questions become clearer:

Am I navigating change?
Am I doing good work?
Am I paving a way for others?


___________________________
Photo by Jamie Grill (Getty Images)


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Saturday, June 15, 2019

Saturday Haiku: Vigilance







ever vigilant,
two deer grazing quietly
hear distant footsteps















______________________

Image: "Deer and Pine in Moonlight" at Boston Museum of Fine Arts
Artist: Ohara Koson  (Japanese, 1878–1945)
Medium: Woodblock print



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Friday, June 14, 2019

Friday Funnies: No Tomorrow

One of my favorite Peanuts comic strips by Charles Schulz




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Wednesday, June 12, 2019

The Spiritual Journey

The following essay was first posted on August 13, 20014 under the title,  "Lead All Souls to Heaven."


Depiction of St. Brenden the Navigator

In a talk that he gave to the novices at Gethsemani Abby, Thomas Merton once compared spirituality to a journey down the river. He talked about the Irish monks who took off in a boat, going where God led them. He said that the image of embarking on a boat and letting the river carry us is a metaphor for how we can abandon ourselves to the guidance of God. It is not an image of being in control, but rather of resting in the boat and trusting the river. Merton speaks of that journey being one of progressive insight that is ultimately fulfilled upon the spiritual pilgrim’s death with full realization in heaven. He went on to say that journey is symbolic of our state on earth we are all going somewhere.*

Spiritual Journey

I like the imagery of embarking upon the river when speaking of the spiritual life. My own view of spirituality is not one that is centered upon life in heaven after death.  I don’t think Thomas Merton made the afterlife his focus either. He referred to heaven in traditional terms as the ultimate destination of the faithful soul after death, but his focus was on how we live in our present life on earth. In my view, we are all on a journey and we can make that journey as spiritual as we want to. By “spiritual,” I refer to that act of understanding the true value and meaning of our existence. That understanding may be enhanced by seeing the work of an artist in a gallery, listening to music in a concert hall, or watching a sunset and realizing that we are connected to creation.

To find our spiritual path, we need not take traditional imagery literally. For example, when I hear or read traditionally religious terms like salvation, heaven, hell, paradise, etc. I find that if I think of these things symbolically rather than as actual places in some afterlife, then that imagery begins to inform my life and to expand my appreciation of what Life has in store. In other words, spirituality is not about life after death, it is about life in the here-and-now. When we begin to see that, then we can let the imagery of traditional religious language inform our journey as we embark upon the river of life.

I wrote in Spirit Work, Soul Work, “True spirituality integrates and connects. In order for spiritual practice to be more than just an opiate or a distraction, it must take into account the whole of life. Work place, family, hobbies and social life each represent opportunities for the implementation of spirituality. Every religious tradition offers methods for spiritual practice, the goal being to eliminate distractions and to pay attention.”

A Universal Hope

We have some powerful archetypes to inform us along our journey. I have an appreciation for Marian spirituality, and I am fascinated by stories of Marian visitations. From a purely psychological standpoint, these stories can be very illuminating in regard to the role of the feminine archetype in our lives (see A Jungian Appreciation of Mary). The reported visions at Fatima in 1917 are most intriguing. There have been books written about the phenomena that occurred there in Portugal, and there was even a movie made about it, “The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima.”

There is a prayer, supposedly requested by the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima, that is now traditionally recited while praying the rosary: O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of your mercy.

Lead all souls to heaven, especially those who have most need of your mercy! I love finding concepts of universalism in faith practices. When I first began to learn to pray the rosary As a Catholic convert, I was already familiar with the story of Fatima, and I was also drawn to the idea of universalism. It was a true joy to find this prayer for all to find their way to heaven, even those we might consider to be far from God’s grace.

The Gate of Heaven Is Everywhere

Thomas Merton
What do we mean when we speak of heaven? What is this universal hope, and how is it apprehended? What does it mean to you? For some, it may be a metaphor for union with the divine, for others it could refer to personal fulfillment or psychological wholeness When the Gospel of Matthew speaks of the kingdom heaven, sometimes it is not referring to life after death but rather the imminent reign of God on earth. The book of Matthew was written for a Jewish community of people who would not have spoken the name of God. The term, Kingdom of heaven, was used rather than Kingdom of God. Unfortunately, many readers of the New Testament text today see heaven only in terms of the afterlife.

We can turn again to Thomas Merton for an image of how we might understand heaven. There is a famous passage in his Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander** in which he describes an epiphany that occurred on a rare trip from Gethsemani Abbey to Louisville, Kentucky:

In Louisville, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers. It was like waking from a dream of separateness, of spurious self-isolation in a special world, the world of renunciation and supposed holiness. The whole illusion of a separate holy existence is a dream.

Merton wrote of how the people he saw on that street corner were just and much a part of God as he and his monastic brothers were. The only difference was that “We just happen to be conscious of it” but that that did not mean he was any better than the rest of the world. As he continued to discuss his epiphany, Merton declared:

It is a glorious destiny to be a member of the human race, though it is a race dedicated to many absurdities and one which makes many terrible mistakes: yet, with all that, God Himself gloried in becoming a member of the human race. A member of the human race! To think that such a commonplace realization should suddenly seem like news that one holds the winning ticket in a cosmic sweepstake.

…It is like a pure diamond, blazing with the invisible light of heaven. It is in everybody…I have no program for this seeing. It is only given. But the gate of heaven is everywhere.


So while that Marian prayer from Our Lady of Fatima is to lead all souls to heaven, Thomas Merton affirms that the gate of heaven is everywhere, if only we will become conscious of it. That is all the more reason to set our craft upon the water, and trust the waters to take us to that destination that we seek on our spiritual journey.

 photo curragh-engraving-edited_zpsc6971b9d.jpg
Irish currach



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References:
* "The Spiritual Journey," lecture given by Thomas Merton on January 16, 1963; from Thomas Merton on Contemplation, audio recordings from the archives of The Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University, Louisville, Kentucky, under the copyright of Know You Know Media.

** Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, by Thomas Merton, 1966, Doubleday, Garden City, NY.

Images: 
St. Brendan from "Irish Monks and the voyage of St. Brenden"
Thomas Merton from Dover Beach blogsite
Irish currach from Kelticos 


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Monday, June 10, 2019

Monday Music: Causeway (Alex de Grassi)

Slow Circle, an early Windham Hill release (1979) by Alex de Grassi, features the guitarist's superb talents. Every track is a gem. Here is the opening track, "Causeway,"





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Saturday, June 8, 2019

Saturday Haiku: Tadpoles

While I'm on hiatus, here is one from my archives:








a six year old child
scooping tadpoles from the pond
pure, messy delight











____________________________

Image: Frog and Tadpoles
Artist: Ohara Koson
Medium: Japanese Woodblock Print



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Friday, June 7, 2019

Friday Funnies: Walking the Dog




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Cartoon by Harry Bliss at www.harrybliss.com



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Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Form and Freedom in Prayer

Last week I wrote about some of my experiences with liturgical prayer. Today's essay in which I talk about public and private prayer was originally posted in 2014. Structured forms for prayer can lead to greater freedom and creativity when one understands the limits of those forms, as in Jesus' words, "The Sabbath was made for humankind, not humankind for the Sabbath."

Photo: "Evolution, Cosmos, and Prayer," by Charles Kinnaird

"Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen."                                                        

The collect (opening prayer) quoted above is one of my favorite prayers from The Book of Common Prayer for the Episcopal Church. The beauty of the prayer is that it welcomes an openness before God. I grew up among Southern Baptists who valued spontaneous impromptu prayers. The good thing about spontaneous prayer is that it encourages a conversational attitude that assumes God’s immediate proximity. The downside of spontaneous prayer is that there is often very little depth and a very narrow range of things expressed in prayer. 

Spontaneous prayers are often a quick “Thank you God for bringing us together, thank you for this lovely day, lead us and guide us, bring healing to my body and spirit, watch over our loved ones, etc.” Sometimes a spontaneous prayer will be one of thanksgiving and praise; often it will be a plea for help. All of these things are elements that belong in the realm of prayer but it is quite easy to remain very superficial and perfunctory with these types of prayers. One can go for years hearing very little variation from a handful of prayers. 

I have heard many fervent spontaneous prayers, and have participated in many such prayers, but I have also learned two other approaches that revolutionized my concept of what happens in prayer. Public liturgical prayer and personal prayer with the Rosary have added new dimensions to my devotional practices.                                                                                                                      
Public Prayer

In my spiritual pilgrimage, I moved on to explore modes of prayer found in Episcopal and Catholic traditions. My first introduction to liturgical worship was at an Anglo-Catholic parish in the Episcopal Church. When I first arrived, my attitude was that I would learn a new language for worship. I soon realized that the act of coming together for corporate prayer broadened my concept of prayer. My prayerful thoughts were turned toward the community and the world, but in specific details that caused me to examine my own life.

I heard prayers for creation, for our wise use of resources, and for justice and equity. I heard prayers for leaders, calling them by their first names (which forced me to see them as vulnerable people in need of prayer, regardless of political issues). I was guided to pray for things I might not have thought of on my own, but all were matters that were vital. Moreover, the process of praying helped me to let go of petty differences and to examine what I was doing to help bring about a more just and equitable world.  

Private Prayer

Another thing that has affected my prayer life for the better is the Rosary. The basic concept of the Rosary is to use a string of beads to count prayers as they are said so that you pray one “Our Father” (the Lord’s Prayer) and ten “Hail Marys” in a series of five “decades,” or five repetitions of ten prayers focused on the Blessed Mother, each cycle separated by the Our Father. It is traditional to begin by reciting the Apostle’s Creed. There is also a series of meditations from the life of Christ called “mysteries” that are attached to the use of the Rosary*.

As I began to learn the Rosary, however, I found it more helpful to focus on the repetitive prayers. I thought at first that I would come back and practice meditating on the mysteries, but the simple use of the Hail Mary and the Our Father were so effective in bringing about a meditative state, I never did get back to contemplating the mysteries or reciting the creed. I kept it at a basic stripped-down form. Years later I would hear Franciscan Priest Richard Rohr affirm my own intuitive take on the Rosary in a recorded talk he gave on “Emotional Sobriety.” He said that the Rosary had the potential for meditative practice, but that it had become so cluttered with other things that its original purpose had been crowded out. I was glad to receive affirmation that my pared-down Rosary practice was not a neglecting of the gift but rather a true doorway to spiritual practice.

Structure Giving Rise to Freedom

The beauty of formally structured liturgical prayer is that it instructs me in things to pray about and it proceeds regardless of whether or not I feel like praying. The beauty of the Rosary is that it can focus me in quiet meditation even when I do not know what to pray or how to pray in a given circumstance. I also think that the interplay between masculine and feminine is a psychologically healthy practice to bring to meditation and prayer.                                          
I have found a freedom and renewed creativity in my spiritual practice through the structured forms of liturgical prayer and the Rosary. They both act as a center, a home base to which I can return. The key is to remember what Jesus said about spiritual structures: “The Sabbath was made for humankind, not humankind for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27, NRSV) If we can remember that spiritual tools are to liberate us, not to enslave us to form, then we can hold the form lightly enough to benefit from it without being bound by it.             

*For information about praying the Rosary, the Dominican Fathers have a good resource at http://www.rosary-center.org/howto.htm



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Monday, June 3, 2019

Monday Music: She Thinks I Still Care (George Jones)

Singer/songwriter Pat Terry said, "I went to Nashville to learn to write country music. When I finally learned how to write it, they stopped recording it."

Indeed, country music has an altogether different flavor from its early days at the Grand Ol' Opry. George Jones' country classic, "She Thinks I Still care," is a good snapshot of what country was all about in the early days. If you want to see what the Grand Ol' Opry was like in 1962 when Jones sang this very song, go here





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Saturday, June 1, 2019

Saturday Haiku: Reaching for the Moon

While I'm on hiatus, here is one from my archives:








no hand may grasp it
who can deny the beauty
of the moon at night














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Image: "Monkey Reaching for Reflection of the Moon"
Artist: Ohara Koson, Japan (1877-1945)
Medium: Woodblock print
Public Domain



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