Movements to Start the Day

Movements to Start the Day

“In the quiet of this morning, I recall the prayer and gestures of the deacon as he or she stands ready at the lectern before reading a gospel narrative each week. I make the sign of the cross on my forehead and say, dear God, may your Word be upon my mind; and then the gesture again on my mouth, may your Word be upon my lips; and then across my chest, may your Word be upon my heart.

I add the sign of the cross on my belly, and I am aware of my feet on the earth. I pray your Word be upon all my body and soul, grounding me in your Spirit, guiding my every step. I begin my day.”—Trish Stefanik in Overlook Retreat House at Dayspring from InwardOutward.org, Church of the Savior, Washington, D.C.

Trish Stefanik reminds us of the meaning of our gestures before reading the gospel. Making the sign of the cross during my more than twenty years as a deacon has become a habit. However, I usually gesture my hands and fingers without thinking about what I am doing. I typically am more concerned about whether I will pronounce words correctly in the gospel.

How wonderful to be reminded why we habitually do things. However, I often count on God to remember the meaning. I am moved when members of the congregation also make these movements before hearing the gospel read by the deacon. They may also be unknowingly praying these same prayers silently for themselves. Perhaps they are also praying for the gospel reader.

Trish Stefanik also adds a fourth movement to her belly, grounding her feet to the earth. Our bodies, especially our feet, ground us to the present moment. God most often meets us in the present moment.

Finally, there is one more gift from the author. She recommends these prayers and gestures to begin our day.

Today’s reading is a rich blessing, reminding us that our liturgical gestures have an even deeper meaning. When we remember why we are doing them, they introduce us to a deeper communion with God. The movements can be even more powerful if done in community. The gestures and prayers can also wake us each day to connect to the God of our understanding, who has been there all along.

Joanna. https://www.joannaseibert.com/

Nouwen:Zero-Sum

Nouwen: Zero-Sum

“Fearful people say: ‘There’s not enough food for everyone, so I better save enough for myself in case of emergency,’ or ‘There’s not enough knowledge for everyone to enjoy; so I’d better keep my knowledge to myself, so no one else will use it’ or ‘There’s not enough love to give to everybody, so I’d better keep my friends for myself to prevent others from taking them away from me.’ This is a scarcity mentality. It involves hoarding whatever we have, fearful that we won’t have enough to survive. The tragedy is what you cling to ends up rotting in your hands.”—Henri Nouwen, “Temptation to Hoard,” Henri Nouwen Society Daily meditation, May 6, 2017. From Bread for the Journey, Henri J. M. Nouwen (HarperSanFrancisco 1997).

Nouwen first describes our life as a zero-sum mentality. We can only do well, win, or succeed if someone else loses, so we will not share because there is so much food, love, and land to go around.  

There is one pie. If someone takes a slice, there is less for the rest. So, one person’s gain is another’s loss. This theory describes situations where total wins and losses add up to zero. Thus, one party benefits at the direct expense of another.

There is only so much and not enough for all. Some must lose for others to gain. It is a competitive scarcity worldview. It leads to a fear-based society.

 The opposite of the scarcity mentality is a positive-sum situation or abundance mentality, which occurs when the total gains and losses are greater than zero. A positive-sum plan occurs when we see resources as abundant. We plan an approach where the desires and needs of all concerned are satisfied.

One example would be when two parties gain financially by participating in a contest, regardless of who wins or loses. Positive-sum outcomes occur in distributive bargaining, where different interests are negotiated to meet everyone’s needs. With an abundance mentality, there is enough for all.

How we view our neighbors, ourselves, and the world is totally different in these two views. A zero-sum lifestyle is isolated and lonely, with our own self-interest guiding us. A positive-sum life sees abundance and gives away food, love, and knowledge to those in need. Consequently, Nouwen reminds us, “There are many leftovers.”

Jesus’ feeding of the 5000, found in all four gospels, is a story of a positive-sum experience.

 My experience is that I live in fear with a zero-sum lifestyle when I compete with others for the love, attention, or support of some entity or person. However, there is peace in my life when I live, knowing there is enough love, support, or attention for all.

Joanna      https://www.joannaseibert.com/

Painting as a Spiritual Practice

Painting as a Spiritual Practice

Guest Writer: Ken Fellows MD

Window and Reflections

   An old, white farmhouse perched on a hill overlooking a large Atlantic Ocean marsh called Brave Boat Harbor resides in our little Maine town. I’ve long wanted to compose the scene, but couldn’t imagine how to incorporate the house and the directly opposed marsh in one effective painting. Then, one day, the solution materialized while exploring the marsh shore, as reproduced in the accompanying watercolor image. But it’s a bit complicated.

     The window displayed in the painting is on one side of a small, marsh-edge shack. The farmhouse is far behind the viewer, who is looking through a weathered window into the old shed. In the lower two rows of window panes, the observer sees the shack’s contents – a patterned table-top supporting dried flowers and a pottery bowl …and beyond them, a window in the far side of the shed through which the water, trees, and marsh islands of Brave Boat Harbor are also visible. Most of the upper two windowpane levels are reflections of the quaint white farmhouse, its surrounding landscaping, and a large tree with crooked branches, all in the back of the viewer.

    I’ve been painting in retirement for over 20 years. I create scenes that are intriguing to me, and I paint for pleasure. My artwork intends no hidden meanings, no messages

     However, when I consider this painting done several years ago, it occurs to me that it contains a subliminal metaphor about life – that whatever we think, imagine, or observe is overlaid by reflections from our past, reflections of things far behind us. These reflections comprise large parts of our emotions, which are a huge part of human decision-making. In varying ways, reflections are part of the human contemplative life.

     All this seems quite involved and more than was ever intended. But ultimately, it’s just a painting, and any meaning or interpretation belongs entirely to the viewer.

Ken Fellows MD  

Joanna   https://www.joannaseibert.com/