Blessing

Blessing

“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them,

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;

the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

 So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” Numbers 6:22-27

Jeremy Thomas Unsplash

This passage from Numbers is a frequent benediction in so many congregations.  This morning for some reason I stop and listen to the words. We are giving God human characteristics. Using human terms and feelings for God, as you know, is a big word with rolling syllabuses called anthropomorphism. Sometimes this is our only way to express what we would like to say about God. It has its traps, but it can on occasion give us the tiniest glimpses of the magnitude of the love and care we receive from God. How wonderful to pray that God’s face will be directed to us and even more so, God’s face will shine on us and we will receive God’s Grace. We are asking God to look directly at us, look us right in the eye and give us peace. We are indeed asking for a connection, a blessing, an ancient blessing that was given to the Hebrews and now to us many centuries later.

I love knowing that the ancient Hebrews were just people like us, asking for a blessing, a relationship, calling on God to look directly at us and to bring us peace.

What is the face of God? Is it the horizon, the stars, the oceans, the forests, the moon as far as we can see? Is it the solar system, the planets Mars and Jupiter, or is it a multitude of solar systems and beyond? We are full circle back to the word solar which pertains to the sun, a brightness that shines above all others for us.  Yet, we know that the brightness of our sun pales in face of the love of our God which shines on sunny and dark days and nights .

Joanna joannaseibert.com

St. Francis: Hoeing, Gandhi: Dying

St. Francis: Hoeing, Gandhi: Dying

“Saint Francis, hoeing his garden, was asked what he would do if he knew the world would end tomorrow. ‘Continue hoeing my garden,’ said the saint.” Suzanne Guthrie, Synthesis Today, Quote for June 15, 2018, attributed to St. Francis.

my office window

I have heard this phrase attributed to St. Francis often and wondered what I would do as well if I knew I was about to die. I have made writing every day a discipline for over a year. Would I keep on writing? Writing has become one of my best spiritual practices. As I look outside to trees and birds and sky from the floor to ceiling window in my office and my fingers hit the keyboard, I feel a peace that I hope is God’s presence.

 I know I would spend much of the day with my family, actually as much as possible. I might entice my grandchildren to watch a movie with me and then just secretly watch them. I would want to be with my husband as much as possible. I would want to make certain my family and friends knew how much I loved them by my action and words. I would like to have a meal with my family and friends. I would look at old pictures to keep memories with me. I stay surrounded at my desk by family pictures and icons and remembrances of days of joy.  I would ask for prayers from the good pray-ers I know, especially the women in Daughters of the King. I would also spend time in prayer at a sacred space.

Of course, if everyone else knew the world was coming to an end, this would be interesting to see how our paths might cross!

So, what does all this mean?

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever,” is attributed to Mahatma Gandhi.

I try to carry these two quotes by Gandhi and St. Francis with me each day and share them with spiritual friends as well. The quotes are a good daily benchmark as to whether we are doing the practices that bring us closer to God. Gandhi’s quote is a paradox, an anchor metaphor for our life which is a constant ambiguous paradox. Each day I try to spend more of my time doing the things I learn by meditating on these quotes which help me realize what are my best connections to God and myself and my neighbor and my family and friends. Of course, often the connections lead me to other places, and I pray to stay open to these new adventures.

Joanna  joannseibert.com

Earle: Julian

Earle: Julian

“Then, with a glad face, our Lord looked into his side, and gazed rejoicing ; and with his dear gaze he led his creatures’ understanding through the same wound into his side. And then he revealed a beautiful and delightful place which was large enough for all humankind who shall be saved to rest there in peace and love.” Mary Earle,  Long Text 24, p. 69, Julian of Norwich,  Selections  from  Revelations of Divine Love, annotated and explained,   2013 SkyLight Paths.

Episcopal priest and well-known writer, Mary Earle, was the keynote speaker this year at the Community of Hope International meeting at Camp Allen this year. Her topic was “Julian of Norwich and the Oneing Love of God.” Julian was a 14th century English mystic who is perhaps best known for her sayings, “All shall be well. All shall be well”  and her Revelations of Divine Love, her reflections on a series of visions or showings she received when she was near death. The writings are in two parts, Short Text written soon after the visions and Long Text written much later and are thought to be the earliest book written by of  a woman in Middle English.

We know so little of her life and even her name except that in later life she became an anchoress to St. Julian Church in Norwich, living in a walled off cell connected to the church. Julian lived in a difficult time before the Reformation during the 100 Years’ War between England and France as well as three outbreaks of  the deadly Black Plague caused by a bacteria living in the fleas of rats which decreased the population of Europe by probably one half. There also  was a lack of leadership in the church with  Great Western Schism when there were two and sometimes three popes. 

All this is to say that most people must have felt like the world was coming to an end! But in the midst of this comes Julian’s message from her mystical experience not with an angry God who must have retribution, but with the God of love. This God of love comes to her through her relationship and visions with the suffering of Jesus on the cross. Earle believes wherever Julian mentions Jesus she means the Trinity, God in three parts. Through God’s suffering Julian saw and felt God’s love for all mankind. Julian believed that we can enter into a mystical relationship with God through suffering, where like the disciple Thomas we enter into wound in Jesus’ side and find a place large enough for all mankind to rest in peace and love, or like Nicodemus we are born again through pain and suffering.

Earle suggests that instead of our arguing over how Jesus was born of Mary, our energy should be concerned about whether Jesus and God’s deep love is being born in us.

This is our ministry as spiritual friends to help others see not a vengeful, hall monitor God but the God of love calling and caring for us even in the darkest times as we and the loving God of Julian’s understanding stand beside our friends in their pain and suffering that is also so well-known by our God.

Joanna  joannaseibert.com