Author: rkcdlitt

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God

The Word provides

know Creation

which is mystery

almost imperceptible.

Abandon arrogance

stand in awe of the Word

recover meditation, prayer

relearn truth, love, and grace

ask and seek.

Allow our hearts to grow

Receive the Word as a newborn

believe in the one

large than self

learn holistic truth.

Seek eternal Love in the Word

renounce popular theories

unworthy of attention.

Seek the mighty something

within the Word

our gifts are of the Word

longing to be shared.

Consider your own call

to truth, to life.

Be vulnerable

expose our weaknesses

to fruitful truth

achieve liberation

from the night sky

filled with the Word’s truth.

Become a prophet

speak Truth

speak the Word

share our natural gift

using the Word.

Look to the Word

when confronted

by fear, disappointment.

The Word unburdens

lights our path

expands our hearts

become inseparable

the quantum knowledge

universal Word

which forgives our debts

and other’s debts to us.

Shake off illusion

step from the shadows

into the light

accept the sacrament of forgiveness

spread the sacrament of forgiveness.

Be in the Word

the Word is in you

from the Giver of the Word

Be a Messenger of Truth

all truth-loving faith traditions engage

fruitful dialogue enriches

both sides open to peace

like a flower blooming in morning sun

spread the good news

join the faithful community

ignore those who denounce

reject mis-interpretive factions

awaken to truth

align life with goodness, mercy

respect all who follow God’s words

His truth is universal, knowing not one religion

seek justice, peace

testify to God’s love

be a messenger of Truth, Love, Grace

walk the lighted path

replace chaos with charity, order, unity

do not follow jealousy, prejudice

allow others to inherit truth

awaken from sleep,

look honestly at self,

await His signs.

Atonement

We dismiss those less fortunate as ourselves to be the other. Fear the other. They are different from us; avoid them, lest they get their affliction on us. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament tell us not to be this way; both sections of our Bible tell us that God’s will is for us to welcome the stranger, the poor, the naked, the homeless, into our home as a long-lost relative, a member of the household.

The prophets write in Deuteronomy, “If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother.” (15:7) Note the word brother; this connotes a close relationship; one we cannot avoid if we are to live in the Grace of God. We are not prone to allowing our biological brother or sister suffer. We would be abhorred by our neighbors and friends if we did so.

This poor, naked, hungry, homeless person is our biological relative. We share ninety-eight percent of our DNA with all humankind. Unfortunately, we can only see how different we are. My philosophy is that we are only different on the outside, so we can recognize each other by name. Imagine what life were to be like if we were stripped of our skin, and all we can see is the naked muscle and bone that keeps us erect. Then, how would we treat the other. There would be no other.

My favorite Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, writes this, “Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?” (58:7) – “Thine own flesh” – think about what this means. We share our God-given flesh with all humankind. As Jesus teaches us: what we do to others, we do to ourselves. We feel the pain. Some of us spend a lifetime trying to hide from it. But we all feel the pain of the poor family sitting on the roadside, begging for a few coins to feed themselves.

When I can, I share a few dollars with them; I feel guilty that I am unwilling to welcome them into my home. I also feel guilty when I am not close enough to give them a few dollars. This is my feeling their pain. This is me, feeling the disgust that we, the richest society history has ever seen, allows part of our own flesh suffer, being naked, homeless, hungry.

Isaiah’s words are an admonition to us. I imagine what a religion would look like that accepts and feeds all of the people we share our flesh with. There are those in our world who try their best to give a helping hand to these poor relatives. Unfortunately, there are more who shunt them. I would love all religions to accept that we are all one body; we suffer when one suffers; we hunger when one hungers. My religion is no better or worse than your religion; both try to live by the word of God, regardless of what name we call Him. If we truly joined to treat all humanity, and all living things, while we are at it, with the love and caring that God wishes, maybe, just maybe, we could be that society stripped of its outer layer of skin, showing that we are all the same.

That’s my sermon of the morning! Share Love, it comes from God.

Spirituality

We can all be spiritually inclined in our lives; but before we do, we have to discover who we really are, deep inside. We need to look at our inner experience, how it joins with our communities. By communities, I mean family, church, and neighborhood. Once we determine that our communion is clear and firm, we can reach deeper inside us to find the beauty in the life that God provides. We no longer have to judge people; we accept them for fellow travelers.

We have nothing in heaven but God; we have nothing on earth except our fellow travelers. God is our spiritual support on our journey, while our fellow travelers support us physically with food water and lodging. We rely on both to be successful; we need both to be spiritual.

Along our journey, we meet many people; we look for the face of God in all those we meet. Our strength comes from God through the people of God we meet during our lifelong voyage. We know that God’s power is always with us; what we sometimes forget is that God’s power does not only come from our inner voice (the presence of God), it also comes from the inner voices of those we meet.

Both are strengthened by the union we form with our fellow travelers. Together, we meet God along the way. Together, we are made whole. Together we become spiritual.

morning hillside

on this cool morning hillside

with dew enchanting my cloths

I gaze at the wonders of my ceiling

watching the kaleidoscope of visions

seeping before my eyes

clouds suggesting childhood images

as a giraffe parades by

my thoughts are far from labor

dreams surviving in my heart

a cute pony cavorting between sunrays

what is the finality of this time

will the fantasy of imagination flee

0n this cool morning hillside

I envision my past, my future

I Sing This Song for You

I sing a song of thanksgiving every morning as God breathes new life into me, awakening me to the wonder of creation. When I arise, I pray that I will share His loving kindness with all whom I meet in my daily journeys. My prayers lead me to a stronger and comfortable relationship with strangers and those I serve with in my various community and church organizations.

I sing a song of happiness knowing that this prayer leads me and those I meet into a closer relationship with our universal Father. I want to be as generous with my treasures as the poor woman placing the only two coins that she had into the alms basket to be used to benefit those in need, even though she was no doubt one of the neediest. I do not want to have the false bravado of  the mighty grace that we all receive from God; I share His loving kindness with all I meet when I rise in the morning and retire in the evening.

I sing a song of love each morning when I awaken to the  sounds of birds outside my window. The melodies are more beautiful than any classical masterpiece, because I know that these songs are the angels of God asking me to care. The birds remind me to share my soul with the poor and hungry who have been left behind by our monied society. I ask God that they too know that they rise with the love that God so freely shares.

I sing a song of sharing when I rise, knowing that I have been blessed with more than my fair share of material goods. As much as I would love the world to run from the heart, I know that society does not allow this. As a participant in this society, I know that I am not following God’s wishes. I am imperfect, but I give what I can of my treasures, my time, and my many talents to help improve the lot of those less fortunate.

I sing a song of wisdom knowing I am not better than my brothers and sisters. I desire to share, even if I go against the strict warnings from the pulpit and the supposed experts. I do give money to the poor man or woman at the intersection leading into the expensive shops in the area. People say that they will only buy drugs or alcohol, and that it is better to send them to the local social agencies for help.

I sign a song of love when I see the look on his face knowing he will use the money for good. He thanks me with a prayer, and I in return pray that the few dollars I give him will give him nourishment. I pray that God will urge this person to use the money to his best advantage. My duty is to give; God’s will is to assist.

I sing a song for you, hoping my prayer leads me to your side, showing me how much we share in God’s creation. I pray that I can be as humble and caring as the woman putting 2 coins in the synagogue plate, which was all she had.

I hurt, O God

Why, O God

My body cannot rest

Torn by pain, my mind

Wandering, wondering

Where are You, Lord

You are Father

You are Mother

Why cannot I find You, loving God

My brain suffers Your abandon

In my sleep I see Your children

Torn from loving parents

Why cannot I see You, O Lord

I see the refugee

Suffering in his cell

Where are you, Lord

My eyes are burnt

By the homeless mother

Begging for a few coins

To feed her children

To feed Your children

To comfort Your children

Why cannot I see you, Holy Spirit

Why cannot I see you

As I suffer in pain

Why cannot I see you

As my mind pictures

Your poor children

Why cannot I see you

You are my savior, loving Jesus

You suffered for us all

But we suffer

But we hurt

But we sorrow

Am I blinded by my birth, O Lord

That I cannot see goodness

In these faces that You created

Why cannot I see You in these faces

That You created

I suffer with my people, Dear God

I suffer with Your children, Loving Father

Why cannot I see you

Why cannot I see you

St. Bonaventure said: “The creator’s supreme power, wisdom, and benevolence shine forth through all created things.”

Although I believe that the bible, as holy and righteous as it is, is merely a blueprint for us to follow in our lives. There is no way that we can equate our lives to the lives of the ancient Israelites or the residents of Israel in the fist and second centuries, current era. That’s why I sometimes refer to the Bible as a metaphor for life. It is my inspiration for living; but I cannot take the Bible literally.

There was not a scribe or a cinematographer in Bethlehem when Jesus was born. The story of the birth comes to us through the ages written and rewritten by men, inspired by God, by merely mortal men. Saying this, and I know I have offended people, I do believe that we can take the words of St. Bonaventure literally. I do believe that God’s light shines in all of His creation. From the lowly slug in my garden, to the eagle soaring in the air, to humanity.

We are the great benefactors and stewards of all that God created. It is our duty to preserve it for those who follow. We have not done so. God did not stop talking after John wrote Revelation. He continues to speak to us today through our prayers, our service to others, and our respect for all of His creation. We have a choice, either we love all of God’s creation, and I mean all, or we have no love at all; we have no capacity to love.

Jesus said that we cannot love Him, if we do not love the poorest of the poor, the refugee, the downtrodden, the mentally ill, the people of different faiths, with different skin tones. God shines his light on all of us.

Our very life,  life with God within us is a communion of love that flows from God to our hearts and continues to shine for all whom we meet. God says yes to all His creation; we cannot say no to any of it and love God.

When I say that I love you, I am saying that I love the fact that you also are a cherished creation of God. I do not know you, where you come from, or how you pray, but you were created by the same creator as I was; therefore, you are perfect in my eyes. And, I am proud to live with you.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.” John 1:1

What a remarkable way to begin a thought, a meditation, or a prayer!! I know that I am very comfortable knowing that God always was, always is, and always will be. I know that my biological parents helped raise me to the man I am today, but I was not created without the will of God. He shined light on my parents, when I was conceived, and continued to shine this light on them and me, as I matured.

John the baptizer lived to spread the Word of the coming God on earth; I believe it is our duty to do the same. We are here because of the grace of God and therefore we should spread his light to those we meet. This chapter of John the disciple continues by saying that the Word became flesh; this was Jesus, God among us, who taught us that God is within us also.

All of His fullness, we also have received; we just do not recognize this within ourselves or within others. I think it about time that we look for this. Our world is so corrupt that many have forgotten his important lesson. We are God’s children, made of Him, conceived by Him. I have many friends who do not believe this, but I pray that someday they will realize this. I did not when I was younger; I was too into myself and my success to think that anyone other than myself created my successes.

John says that no man has seen God; true, but I feel Him in my life. Looking back at my successes, I can now see God’s hand in everything. When I see the trials that were in front of me, I see the hands of God guiding me through to see the light. I have opened my heart to listen to what God says. I agree with the disciple John, when he says: “Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”

Look closely, my brothers and sisters, the angels of God descend on us all, every day.

Jesus said not to assume the He came to bring peace to the earth. He did not come to bring peace, but a sword. What did He mean by that? By reading the Gospels and then the letters of Paul, we learn that Jesus was not on earth to placate the political and religious leaders of the time; he came to bring peace and love to humanity, but these same leaders refused to accept him and put him to death; at least they put him to human death.

Jesus was chosen by God to lead God’s people into the lighted path peace, love, and eternal life, the things that God promised as far back as the Garden. Jesus in turn calls us to lead our people. He asks us to do what is set before us; of course, we must recognize the fact the God and Jesus are inside of us always, talking to us, but we seldom listen.

We should listen to God always; he calls us to do things that sometimes are out of our comfort zone. I was over 50 before I realized that God want me to teach; once I did, I loved it; there was no hesitation. Since then, I have taken advantage of everything that God has placed before me, without reservation. I am not perfect, or even flawless; but with God’s help, I am resilient; God has given me the ability, as He does for all of us, to recover from our failures, reset our direction, and continue in His light.

When we recognize what God had in store for us, we are able to adjust, reboot it that is a better word, to any situation. I trust what God puts on my plate; I know that what is there will benefit all whom I meet. I know that God loves me without reservation; I am faithful to God, and I know He is faithful to me. I know this from the successes I have had since realizing His presence in my life.

Proverbs tells us “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what the day will bring.” Walter Payton put it in his words, “tomorrow is promised to no one.” We do not know, nor do we rally want to know what is going to occur tomorrow; I trust that God will keep my physical body going for a little longer, so that I can continue to write, be a prayer minister, and bring love into everyone’s heart.

That is what God has set before me. I trust that this enlightens those I touch. And, like Jesus, I am rebuffed and scorned by many people. But this is my calling. This is my duty to the people I meet. From the song of the same name, my philosophy is, “For tomorrow may rain, so, I’ll follow the sun.”