Meditating to Heal

Obligation

It is the obligation of all of us as a member of mankind to care for one another. Every living soul is an important link in the success of mankind. Let no one be lost through negligence, ignorance or pride; but let each be continually fortified and strengthened with love to each other.

We must be persistent in this endeavor; otherwise we will fail to nourish ourselves and our earth. We must be bound by the love that God gives us; the love of and for God and the love of and for each other. This, surely, is everlasting strength against those who are more concerned with themselves than with mankind.

Life is not what we make on our own; this is just a form of ego and greed. Life is the contribution that everyone we meet, those who touched us, who looked at us, saw the beauty of God within us.

Those who touch us add to our life-giving and love-giving experiences. Those who we allow in our lives become a permanent part of our lives and have been a permanent influence on our lives. This is the way we love each other; this is the way we love God.

The Bread of Life

Bread has been the staple of life since man first walked on Earth. Wars in Europe have been fought over the shortage of bread. For many people on Earth, bread remains a key staple in feeding themselves and their families.

Jesus sanctified bread during his last supper with his disciples.

In our modern world, the term bread means money; money has become the new irreplaceable staple of life. Bread is the world of cut-throat economies, soaring credit and debt (just look out our national debt), high costs of education, and the high cost of feeding ourselves and one another. Greed has taken over to replace the sanctification of bread.

We have sold our future to the dark side of bread. No longer are we willing to sacrifice our own comforts for the benefits of others. This is too limiting for the future of our country and the future of our own beings.

We cannot be selfish with what God provides. All is meant to be shared.

Life should be open to all; humaneness is something that is possible, only if we are willing to share, share both kinds of bread. We cannot allow greed to withhold life from those in need.

Life is a miracle. We must generate the sharing of this and organize our society to see whether we can indeed eliminate despair and suffer. Sharing is the key; sharing bread is the key; sharing the bread of life is the key. The success of our community demands this effortless deed. This is a simple request of God, simple to do.

It is when we love the most intensely and most humanly that we can recognize how tepid is our love for others. When you love people, you see all the good in them.

Consciousness

Consciousness is defined as the awareness of one’s own existence, one’s own sensations, thoughts, and surroundings. This disregards any awareness of these same factors in others. So, I like to think of consciousness as mindfulness, and not in the philosophical or metaphysical mode. I mean mindfulness in that fact that there are others in this world besides me, or my limited view of the surrounding world.

I read many different types of books and magazines. I cannot understand some of the things that I read, such as a young boy or girl in Africa having to walk miles to get a bucket of fresh water. When I was their age, we were not monetarily rich, but I could walk over to the faucet in the kitchen and get fresh water to drink.

I think I can say that I am aware of the conditions that others live in; but I also like to think that I am mindful of the problems these conditions are for the people. They do not share in the wealth of the European world. The boy or girl fetching water is happy for fresh water, where I am complacent due to the ease of having a drink of water.

Complacency is not happiness. This is am very mindful of. The fact that I am complacent with a cup of fresh water can mean that fresh water is something I deserve. It is my right to have this. And, in current western society, the idea of deserving more is troublesome. If I deserve more, then someone deserves less.

I am mindful; I am conscious of the fact that I do not deserve more just because I live in middle class, western society I am mindful of the fact that my pleasures are achieved by the sacrifice of others. I am also mindful of the fact that this is not the way things should be. This is not the way things can continue. We must do something to change this.

My call is to talk with people with the idea that we can soften our demand for what we deserve and risk a little discomfort on our part for others to benefit from the basics in life. I pray that this is the lighted path.  

One Family  

I attended a meeting on diocesan race and reconciliation this morning. I can never understand how people can look at someone who is slightly different and can automatically assume that he is different, unequal, not worthy. I look at others as member of my family.

I am not an expert on all religions, but I do know that most (all?) of the religions on this planet have a creation story begins with one man, created by a god. Being a product of a Judeo-Christian upbringing, I was raised with the biblical story of Adam in the Garden of Eden.

Although I am not a literalist, I do understand that the message in the story, and those in other religions, is that if we are in fact all descended from one man, then we are one family. That family is the human race.

I cannot judge a person by how he looks, or what color he is, or what religion he practices, or what gender he identifies with. He is my brother, related through the original man.

I call men my brother and women my sister. We are all children of God and therefore are all deserving of whatever this planet Earth can provide. God loves us all.

 

 

The Spirit of God is within us – February 1 2019

When we feel that we are not successful or happy, we have to look inside of ourselves and think about what we do and where we are in life. If we are truly children of God. And I believe we all are, we are led by His Spirit; we just have to recognize this. Jesus often told us that God is within us.

I faltered, was unhappy, and felt that I was a failure. This went on for years before I was asked why I was not a teacher; God opened doors for me and within a short period of time, I was beginning a great career as a teacher and then college professor.

The only thing different? I heard the voice of God within me. I say that God healed me, but in reality, He opened my eyes to what I was not doing. When I saw His Light, my path was clear.

Faith led me to comfort, God’s comfort. I was then able to relate to the love of all mankind. Faith led me to love; love led me to be active in love, which led me to a life of service to other, which I still continue to this day,

My friends, look inside yourself to listen to God. It may take a little time, but it will prove to be a life changer.

 

Lamp Unto My Feet

When I think of the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 with fives loaves of bread and two fish, and after all had eaten, there were twelve baskets of food left uneaten, I wonder at the bounty of God’s earth and the goodness of mankind.

All too often we do not see those who are hungry; when we have our fill, we throw away anything left, unable or unwilling to share. I prefer to think that we are thoughtless; if we remembered those in need, we would share. Isaiah dares us to lift up our eyes and see, see what is around us, see who is around us, see the need in our society.

I remember watching early television in the 1950s with my father. There was a program called “Lamp Unto My Feet.” I now realize that this is the opening line of Psalm 119. The show demonstrated how everyday men and women would seek out those in need, bringing them into the lighted path of God.

Perhaps, we need to revisit this program to revitalize our concern for others. We need to give our free time to helping those in need, and we need to support the organizations that devote their energies to seeking out those in need and sharing God’s bounty with them.

 

 

Love for our Neighbors

I have been thinking a lot about love. Love of God, love for others, love of myself. God loves us all, no matter who we are. He grace and compassion for us are unmatched by anything we may do. We can only try to match our efforts to His will.

We must not only care for the stranger, care for the neighbor, but love him, nurture him as needed. Jesus lived among the poor and oppressed, lifting them up to walk in the light of God. This angered the leaders of Israel; can we dare do the same? I believe it is our duty, to follow Jesus and care for those less fortunate than we are.

Recently, many organizations and individuals stepped up to help feed those locked out of jobs during the government shutdown. This is doing God’s will; but we cannot stop just because the shutdown has ended. More people need our love and kindness.

To be like Jesus, we must look to the peripheries of society to see those our leaders are blind to. We cannot blame the poor for their plight. They are poor because jobs are closed off to them; they cannot get jobs that pay well enough so that they can live.

It is time for us to rise and shine as we walk in God’s light. We must share the glory of god with all people . . . ALL people.

 

Be Joyful in the Lord 

One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 100, which is one of the meditations for today. I love the words, “Be joyful in the Lord;” they have meant so much to me over the past few years. I have entered his gates with thanksgiving and received unbelievable and unexpected blessing.

There is no place in my life that I am without the light of God shining on me. Being a prayer minister, I have been blessed when sharing prayers with people who are struggling in portions of their lives. I have many new friends in the international prayers groups I have joined that have expressed a need for prayer. I have always included these friends, even if I have not responded to their calls directly.

The Spirit of the Lord is within all of us, if we take the time to listen. God teaches us many things in our lives, all of which leads to goodness. I pray that the paths that we all walk will be in the shining light we are blessed with. “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting.”

Living Together as Family – January 28, 2019

Psalm 133 includes the following: “. . . how good and pleasant it is, when brethren live together” and ends with, “For the Lord has ordained the blessing, life for evermore.” These words of King David upon the union of Israel, have great meaning in today’s world.

If we accept God as strength, we need no other defense against those who try to oppress us. He is the only defense we need. If we believe that God’s ways are the ways of truth and grace, then His path is the one we must follow.

I have always said that I love all people, even those I disagree with. I don’t care how obnoxious or evil one is, he is also a child of God, only he has lost his way. He deserves to be loved as much as someone who is kind and loving. He is one that Jesus referred to as the least of these.

We must take the role of complete adoption of this idea, if we want the world to be a better place. Anger and violence only create more anger and violence. Oppression leads to exclusion, poverty, hunger, and a number of other negative factors that we are taught to correct. Only our greed (and fear) keeps us from this.

My wife rebukes me sometimes when I refer to a stranger as dear or brother. But I always am rewarded by a smile and often a hug. Isn’t this God’s way? “Oh, how good and pleasant it is when brethren live together in unity.”

What is our Mission?

Our purpose is to share the glory of God. This is a message that rings throughout the world; if we listen for it. We are one body in our relationship with God. Yet, we are many, sharing our stories and sharing our lives. We are brothers and sisters; we are friends and relatives. All are under the grace of God.

In Luke’s story, Jesus said that the spirit of the Lord was within him and he was with us to bring the glory of God to mankind. We should be able to do as much. We may not have the power and knowledge of Jesus, but we can share God’s glory, just by being friends to all, helping all where needed, feeding each other with the bounty of Earth and the grace of God.

Sarah Bessey, author of Jesus Feminist, said, “Set out, pilgrim. Set out into the freedom and the wandering. Find your people. God is much bigger, wilder, more generous, and more wonderful than you imagined.” This is a similar call; we must go and bring God’s majesty to those we meet, not by being street corner prophets, but by our willingness to help each other, care for each other, and love each other, just a God wishes.