Nouwen: Our Twilight Zone

Nouwen: Our Twilight Zone

“There is a twilight zone in our own hearts that we ourselves cannot see. Other people, especially those who love us, can often see our twilight zones better than we ourselves can. The way we are seen and understood by others is different from the way we see and understand ourselves.”—Henri Nouwen in Bread for the Journey (HarperSanFrancisco, 1997).

George West fiddling at Twilight at Camp Mitchell

It is not a coincidence that certain people come into our lives. I remember Catherine Marshall talking about praying for patience, and soon afterward, she hired the slowest housekeeper. As I walked beside them through their struggles, I learned about homosexuality from many gay friends, especially Richard, Terry, and Joe. Likewise, I realized the depth, love, and concern for others of the Muslim faith among my radiology residents and partners, especially Sadaf and her family. 

These are all people I already loved.

Today, I am getting another hint about the people I meet. I also have much to learn from the “difficult” people who come into my path. Over and over, I know they are teaching me about forgiveness. If I cannot forgive the harm they have brought to my life, I will continue to let them hurt me. Slowly, I admit my part: my character defects, my sins, my hubris, and my self-centeredness, which contributed to the troublesome situation.

As I meet with friends for spiritual direction, we often discuss what lessons God is teaching us in our contact with each person with whom our lives intersect—whether it be a joyful or painful experience. Again, this is how we gain the courage to deal with that twilight zone in ourselves and others that Nouwen describes.

The sacred place where God heals us is in our solidarity—especially as we enlarge our community, remove fences and walls, see how alike we are, and simultaneously celebrate the diversity.

Rohr: Messages From Nature

Rohr: Messages From Nature

“If you scale chronological history down to the span of one year, with the Big Bang on January 1, then our species, Homo sapiens, doesn’t appear until 11:59 p. m. on December 31. That means our written Bible and the church appeared in the last nanosecond of December 31. I can’t believe that God had nothing to say until the last nanosecond.”—Richard Rohr, Daily Meditation, Center for Action and Contemplation.

cottenwood leaf

I remember staying at a favorite hotel by the Mississippi River. We watch the sun give its last hurrah of pink and orange as it sets over the churning water, racing to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico. We follow a rare treat of the migration of a super full moon that is brighter and larger, appearing closer to the Earth than usual. It finally sets over the north shore of the Mississippi River and quickly disappears into a cloud bank at early dawn.

A gentle breeze blows the last leaves from their trees near the water’s edge. The cottonwood leaves seem to be the last holdouts. As the wind blows their palm shapes, they appear to be clapping, praising their Creator—in awe of the spectacle we witnessed just before their last flight.

Nature is telling us something. There is still breathtaking beauty in the world. Something more significant than we can ever imagine fashioned it all. All of nature seems to give thanks and honor its Creator. Dare we consider joining the dance and doing the same?

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

 

 

Merton and Third Step Prayer

Merton: Third Step Prayer

“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me... Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does, in fact, please you...And I know if I do this, you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, will I trust you always, though I may seem to be lost.—Thomas Merton in Thoughts in Solitude (1956).

fork in the road. Camp Mc Dowell

I share many prayers with spiritual friends, and this is one of my favorites. I especially love to pray it along with friends, discerning how to become the person God created them to be when deciding on a vocation, making life-changing decisions, or simply trying to live in the present, one day at a time.

This prayer has similarities to the Third Step Prayer (p. 63 in Alcoholics Anonymous: The Big Book): “God, I offer myself to Thee—to build with me and do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of Life. May I do Thy will always.”

These are prayers of surrender to each day, to whatever God puts in front of us for that day. It is a prayer about realizing that trying to be in control of our lives is driving us crazy. It is a prayer about learning that we cannot control our lives, but something greater than ourselves can guide us. When we turn our life and will over to God, “we will know a new freedom and a new happiness,” as we have never known before. (p. 83, “The Promises” in Alcoholics Anonymous: The Big Book).

Joanna https://www.joannaseibert.com/

12-step Eucharist at Saint Mark’s Chapel tonight at 5:30.