Author: rkcdlitt

Light in Advent

In the 1970s, Debby Boone sang a song called “You Light up my Life.” Shortly after, stars, such as Johnny Mathis and Kenny Rogers followed suit; Rogers’ version is my personal favorite.

As we approach Christmas, we are again nearing the light; only this light is much more brilliant than anything a songwriter could compose. Christian liturgy teaches us that a candle is a gift consuming itself, reminding us of the prayer of faith. We have vigils imploring intercession. The Paschal Candle is symbolism of the risen Christ Jesus. The biblical readings and prayers at the Easter Vigil reminds us of God’s presence.

Light is very important to us a people of faith. It is our duty to keep this light burning within us, showing our true nature to those we meet, as we progress through our daily drudgery. We must turn this daily drudgery into a walk of faithful gratitude. Gratitude for those around us, no matter how cranky they may seem on a particular morning.

As we project this light to our friends, family, and coworkers, we not only lighten our lives, we lighten theirs also. The kindness projected by this inner light awakens a similar light within those we meet. We may not realize it immediate, and for that fact, others may not appreciate it immediately. As we continue to offer this light to others, the aura, the eminence of this light grows in importance. People look forward to greeting you, because they know that they will be received in kindness.

Advent is so much more than preparing for Christmas. It is a time to remember who we are, who our fellow men and women are, and how we stand together in our Love for God, ourselves, and all others . . . family, friends, and strangers.

Focus in Advent

One of the more difficult tasks we face on a daily basis is focusing on who we are and what we are doing. During Advent, while we await the renewal of our faith in Jesus, our ability to focus is challenged more than any other time of the year. We are distracted by year-end duties at work; we are thinking of taxes and other money matters.

As we think about all society calls us to do, we lose focus as to what we really must do. We must take time from each day to reach our inner persona, the one that belongs to God. If we are trying to live a life faithful to what Jesus taught us, we have to put all mundane chores aside and meditate; focus on who we are and what our spiritual relationship to all aspects of God truly is.

Over millennia ago, God gave us Peace on Earth; we immediately lost it. We are overly primed by society’s rules to prepare for battle, be it war, or conflicts at work, or in the family. It does not have to be this way. When Jesus offers peace, he is referring to eternal peace, peace in our relationship with God, ourselves, and our neighbors. When Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is with you,” he is assuring us that God is with us, no matter where we are, or what we are doing. Perhaps if we put our unnecessary conflicts behind us, focus on the fact that God promises Heaven on Earth for all, not just us, we will be able to truly enjoy and be enriched by this Advent season.

Since this is the season for giving, we have to determine what we must give. I always find it difficult to find the correct gift, when I possess the best gift of all: Love. This takes focus; this take intent; this takes nerve. If we are truly interested in giving a gift that will last, that means the most to its recipients, then Love is the answer. We must focus on why we are giving this gift, realizing that our intent is to improve the eternal lives of our loved ones.

Our gift need not be something of monetary value. Instead of a gift card, or an ugly sweater, or a Christmas tie, our gift should be something that we know will be truly appreciated and accepted by those to whom we give. For example, before my sister died, we exchanged gifts of donations to our favorite charities. By doing things as these, we give Love to our loved ones and Love to those we do not know.

By God’s Grace, we are here; we are here together, needing to boost each other when needed. When we give of ourselves, and not some trinket of marginal monetary value, we spread the Joy of God to all. Our gift creates ripples, ripples that can spread throughout humanity.

Watching & Listening in Advent

Watch and listen; look for surprises. Invitations await you offering something wonderful, unique, and challenging. Love is buried deep inside us; but if left unattended, it can lose its ability to direct our lives. The goodness is inside of us, resisting the challenge by disinterest.

Disinterest destroys our ability to reach out to others and embrace them as equals, as fellow travelers, who face the same trials and indecisions as we do. This causes undo stress in our lives, and in many instances, can turn us into negative, troublesome people, comfortable with spreading discontent.

To defeat this, we must let our gentleness and Love be evident to all. We must put aside all anxieties with prayer and thanksgiving. . . in all situations. We can let our goodness thrive if we listen to that inner voice of God, and thus, allow God to open our hearts and minds to His goodness.

We feel the darkness encroaching all around us; the need for light is prominent. By continuously watching and listening for this light, we surely will fend off hopelessness. If not, we experience despair, unease, unhappiness. And, we project this to all, affecting their opportunities to watch, to listen.

As we watch and listen during this season of Advent, we anticipate the joy of Christmas, the joy of meeting God again for the first time, face to face as one meets a lost friend. 

I love watching the decorations go on all of the houses in my neighborhood. My neighbors really have a variety of ways to celebrate the season. One of my neighbors always construct the nativity in their front yard. The simple light, showing a simple serene setting speaks to me in a renewed way. Although I do not even own a nativity scene, and probably never will, I can sit, watch and listen for meeting Jesus again . . . for the first time.

Journey through Advent

There are times in my life when I just feel like quitting, giving up, letting others do for me.

During our church’s Lectio Divina prayer group, I spoke of how we rejoice when in the presence of God; because, I know that God is with me, God is within me always, during good times or bad. I know that during group sessions, such as during Lectio, my prayers become stronger; I am with other like-minded children of God. The Gospel assures us always that when we bond together in prayer, we create transformational relationships with each other and with God.

On Sunday, I always attend church, knowing that I will not be comfortable physically; I pray to God, hoping beyond hope that spiritually I would improve, while being with others. It works; my mind and soul is close to God’s Love and Compassion when in church. Through the prayers, which I silently recite, the excellent thought-provoking homilies, and the wonderful music, I remain spiritually enriched.

The scheduled healing prayer minister needed a replacement. Asking if if I could step, I agreed. I joined other servers at the Table to celebrate communion. I am always sure that I am spiritually capable of truly passing God’s Blessings to others. After receiving the Sacraments, I positioned myself in the prayer corner, expecting my fellow congregants to stop and pray.

Two parishioners joined me asking for communal prayers to God. I spoke from the heart; I have no idea what the words were that I used. What I do know is that by the time the service was over, my spiritual condition as usual had changed dramatically. The power of two of us praying for God to touch our lives is a wonderful experience.

When we pray, no matter how dire the situation seems, God listens. When we pray, the bond between us, and between God and us strengthens to such a point as to change our very lives. When we ask God for anything, thanksgiving is increased innumerably. When we give thanks to God, something within ourselves returns to its natural state and returns our world to the way God meant for it to be. Prayers are meant to be shared.

In our journey, in our awaiting for the renewal of Christ in our lives this Advent season, may you experience all of the love and understanding offered freely by God.  

Sunrise and a New Day

How would you respond to my belief that each new day is a time for rebirth for all of us? Each morning we rise, we are given a new chance to live our lives and enjoy the peace and love that is in front of us, but rarely taken inside of us.

I went to bed last night with our older cat, Lucy, sleeping between my wife and I, my hand resting on Lucy’s rump. I awoke this morning with Lucy nibbling on my right pinky, telling me it was time to rise and feed all three of our cats. While I was meditating, the other two, Noelle and Sabastian, were sitting on either side of the chair I occupied. (All three cats were adopted by us from our two children, which is not the first time we have inherited grand pets from them.)

This is a loving and comforting way to awaken in the morning surrounded by the love of these three cats. As much as I complain about their boxing several times a day, I do appreciate that God has chosen us as companions for them. Francis of Assisi received sainthood for many reasons, including his belief that all creatures deserved God’s love and caring, and his work to protect animals and their environment; our animal guests in our houses reflect this blessing. And, their love of us is a response to our mutual sharing of God’s blessings.

I love watching the birds flit from feeder to feeder in our backyard. I love how the birds, the squirrels, and the groundhogs, sit side-by-side on the ground eating the sees and corn kernels, without fighting among themselves. (My cats love watching them also, but I think for different reasons.) The enjoyment I receive watching these creatures dine, is wonderful, but I keep reminding myself that what is cute to me is a fight for survival for them. My wife is the keeper of the bird feeders; she always says that she does not pray. I say that her love of the birds and her refilling the feeders daily, shows the power of prayer in her.

So, I rise each day, challenged by a new day, a new world, and a new life. I pray that my actions throughout the day will please God and all of his creatures, including mankind.

   Thanksgiving

As we approach one of our oldest celebrations in the United States, I ask that we try to remember what Thanksgiving represents.

In the past few decades it has become a time for tailgating at football games, stuffing ourselves with more food than we need, and finally, going to the mall to buy that 72” TV that we also really don’t need. Thanksgiving has become a very inconsequential time for gluttony in all respects.

The original Thanksgiving, if we trust recorded history, and I do, was a meal shared by new immigrants to the North American continent, who were saved by the love and sharing of the natives they met on these shores. It was a time of brotherhood and sharing of community . . . without discord or hatred, a time of brotherly love.

Spiritually, I think of Thanksgiving as a time to reflect on the beauty of life, given to us by God, all life. Personally, part our family will join to share several meals over the long weekend. Linda and I will join our daughter, her husband and son, Linda’s brother, and our son. The celebration begins Wednesday night at our house, moves to our daughter’s on Thursday, and ends in a celebration at a local winery on Saturday. Yes, it may be a decadent weekend on the surface. But throughout the weekend, we will take time to thank God for the many blessings he has given all of our family, those with us, and those in separate parts of the world.

We will also reflect on those members of our extended family of mankind who cannot share in the abundance we enjoy in the United States.

I will take time to personally remember that God is at the center of our lives, thank Him for the gifts, and pray that my less fortunate brothers and sisters, suffering in suppressed and oppressed areas of the world, be given His comfort. As I think about all of the pleasures we have in the United States and then think of the suffering around the world, I am reminded that Jesus taught that whatever we do to the poorest, we do to him. This bothers me. As an individual, I cannot do much to assist those suffering, but I can pray. I can work locally to help those in the Fredericksburg area have a more pleasant life, whether it is assisting them to get Medicaid, or teaching others at church meetings that we are all brothers and sisters, regardless of what color or religion we are. Between close family members, in-laws, cousins, nieces, and nephews, I maybe have 40 family relatives, but as a child of God, I have billions. I care just as deeply for them, even if they do not share my bloodline.

I pray that God blesses all in this time of thanksgiving. I also pray that all of us take the time to think of others less fortunate and say a pray, silently or aloud, for them.

Happy Thanksgiving, my brothers and sisters throughout the world. As God does, I love you all.

Inclusion

Do we really know what inclusion means? The first definition in the dictionary say it is the act of being included; not a big help. If we think of synonyms, we might be better off: involvement, embodiment, and embracement. Looking at these words helps us determine what inclusion really means.

Are we willing to allow people of different national origins or religious beliefs into our extended families? If you read the headlines in our daily newspapers, we may think that we are all at each other’s’ throats, because all the news talks about is how many people are killing each other over our differences.

But we must look beyond these headlines and look in our own back yards. I have found great brotherhood in my friendships with people of color, people identifying themselves as various genders, and people of different faith traditions.

There is so much to learn from each group that culturally I am enriched by these friends. Can we all do this? Are we willing to surrender ourselves to get to know people who do not share the same heritage as us? This is God’s will, but He does not force this on us; we are free to choose what path we journey on. I find that opening my hearts to God’s goodness and the goodness of others allows me to become a whole person, enriched by diversity.

Looking at the world, I see a very violent place, a place where peace needs to be nurtured. If we allow peace-nurturing in our hearts, perhaps peace-making will follow. It is God’s will.

  Being Connected

Brother Jonathan Maury of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist recently wrote:

“Our connectedness to one another in God rests on the foundation of all those who have gone before us as believers – a lineage of saints stretching back to Jesus’ first disciples, those without whose witness to God’s mighty deeds we would not ourselves be disciples.”

I am a man of faith, who, as a young man, turned my back on religion because of the innate hypocrisies I saw. As I aged, I began to realize that religion is more than a narrow theological view. The word religion comes from the Latin religio, which means to reconnect, to retie the binds that hold us as a people.  

I also discovered that the message for Christian churches is rooted in the experience of Jesus’ disciples and the first century evangelists, not the Roman leaders of the 4th and 5^th centuries. An open church, meaning one that is willing to view the Gospels and other biblical writings as a means to understand our world today, means that the message spread throughout the ancient world, needs to be re-interpreted for every age.

This is becoming more difficult to do with all of the constant distractions that try to remove us from the good words that the Bible and other religious writings bring us. By this, I mean the writings that religions all over the world use as a basis for their beliefs. Each of these religions interpret the messages in a different voice, but we all pray to one God.

To reconnect with these ancient philosophers can be challenging, but all profess the message of Love that Jesus offered for all who recognized that God is part of our lives, or as Jesus said, the kingdom of God is within us. Loving God is the highest love we can experience, but, this divine love allows us to look at each other, see God in the faces of all we meet and love them for who they are, not what mistakes (sins) they have made.

However, we must go further; if we are truly to Love God, we must love all He created, from all people down to every grain of sand on a beach. We must love the earth itself and the plants and animals that inhabit the earth along side of us. If we can do this, we can truly recognize the re-connection that we so longingly crave to find.

We have not done this. We have missed the chance to be able to experience a truly divine existence, experiencing all that God has given us.

I lament the lost opportunity; none-the-less, I will not stop trying to change my little part of the world. I strongly believe in the ripple effect. I know as a teacher and later as a college professor, I planted seeds in the minds of my students will, eventually, blossom into a greater opportunity to improve how mankind lives on the planet Earth.

One of my favorite folk groups of the 1960s was and still is The Brothers Four. They sang a song called “Well, Well, Well.” The lyrics included the line: “The Lord brought a flood, but a fire next time.”

Now, I am not one who takes all of the biblical stories literally, but occasionally, I reflect on this song. I know God loves us. Otherwise he would not have created us. He gave us free will to do as we saw best.

Will our free will cause the Earth to give up on us because of the way we have spoiled it?

I trust that mankind will learn to reconnect with each other and in doing so reconnect with the beauty and the necessity of a strong vibrant planet.

    Love God with All Your Heart

Love is God

Only I can bring God into my life,

Vigorously I walk in the love of God

Every step I take

Gives me strength to

Open my heart

Discover new family

Without judgement

I walk with others

Taking the path of love

Hear His voice

As I see His

Loving face in yours

Learning

Yearning

Offering

Unending Love and patience

Remembering the euphoria

How exaltation

Engulfs me

As you

Recognize

The face of God to me.

         Gratitude

What am I grateful for?

Let’s start with the fact that God has kept me around for over 75 years; and, I pray that he will continue to allow me to walk his beautiful earth, meeting more of his children.

Next, I am grateful for my family. When I was twenty-three, God opened my eyes and I saw a high school friend in a new light; I realized that she was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with; and so far, that is going well. We also have two children who are very successful in their chosen fields, and are very kind, caring people. God has also blessed me with one dynamic grandson, who just turned sixteen and will be driving in just a few days.

I also have a brother-in-law and two sisters-in-law and a 96-year-old mother-in-law. My own sister and parents have all passed into a world where we all will eventually be.

After years of struggling, I entered the field of education and ended my career as a college professor if writing and literature.

As I look back on my life, I realize that I have been blessed with all the grace that one hopes for. I am also blessed to be a part of a dynamic, faith organization filled with loving, caring people, who have allowed me to be one of its lay leaders. This is a great responsibility, but knowing I have the support of God, I am able to assist in the church’s work to feed the hungry and through my ability to listen, be a prayer minister who hopefully brings the peace of God and His grace into their damaged lives. This is one of my dearest and most loving gifts that God has allowed me to have.

God has also given me the ability to write; and, I pray that my efforts to bring prayerful meditations and poetry to my followers are pleasing to Him and help bring His love to all my friends and followers all around this blue globe we call Earth.

These are just the tip of the iceberg, when it comes to what I am grateful for. Everything I have has been provided by the ability to persevere in attaining the abilities to do all I have done, realizing that I could not have done them alone. The support of my family, particularly my loving wife, and my friends, I have been the backbone to my successes, all under the guidance and direction of a God filled with grace.

I posted this earlier on Facebook:

Gratitude is not a simple emotion or an obvious attitude. It is a difficult discipline to constantly reclaim my whole past as the concrete way in which God has led me to this moment and is sending me into the future. It is hard precisely because it challenges me to face the painful moments – experiences of rejection and abandonment, feelings of loss and failure – and gradually to discover in them the pruning hands of God purifying my heart for deeper love, stronger hope, and broader faith.

My wish today is that this meditation, will spark a desire in all my friends and followers to reflect on their own gifts and how thankful they are for these gifts.