Parents

We know that we have only one true father. . . God. However, we are also parents, and I don’t mean for our own children. God gives us all the ability to parent others, an extremely remarkable gift. Just as we are called to complete the work of God on Earth, we are called to celebrate the slow, tedious work to bring all of humanity to God’s door and restore goodness to humanity.

The elders of the early church, those who chose to live in the deserts of Iraq and Egypt, formed a community built on the meaning of genuine inner power, genuine Love, exploring the meaning of God’s wish for humanity, all this through the practice of prayer. Jesus, in turn, promised His presence in all we do. As an eternal companion, the Holy Spirit guides us through the difficult times, opening doors beyond human trials which bring us to God’s realm.

Kyrios brings us Love and Wisdom! We are joyful in our communal and singular praise and singing! Through His Love, we have more peace, more Love, and more gentleness than we hold. This grows as we send it to others and as we share prayer together.

God asks that we dig down deep to find the troubles that we must combat; our hands are stained by the filth we have to traverse to aid those in need most; but God does not care about our dirty hands. Each time we parent another, He cleans our hands with His Love and Grace.

I pray that we can fulfill the words of Barbara Glasson and Ale De la Torre as they write, “We are not people who protect our own safety: we are people who protect our neighbors’ safety.” Convert that to parenting and prayer, and we have what God asks.

© Russell Kendall Carter