Leonard Cohen and Hallelujah

Leonard Cohen

“You let me sing, you lifted me up, you have my soul a beam to travel on. You folded your distance back into my heart. You drew the tears back to my eyes. You hid me in the mountain of your word. You gave the injury a tongue to heal itself. You covered my head with my teacher’s care, you bound my arm with my grandfather’s strength. O beloved speaking, O comfort whispering in the terror, unspeakable explanation of the smoke and cruelty, undo the self-conspiracy, let me dare the boldness of joy.”―Leonard Cohen, “Poem 19,” Book of Mercy, 1984.

My husband and I recently watched an incredible documentary about Leonard Cohen’s song “Hallelujah” and the 80 to 180 verses he wrote throughout his lifetime. Certainly, the music and its lyrics captured the life of the Canadian poet and songwriter. The story behind Hallelujah was equally fascinating. It took Cohen five years to write the song.

Cohen initially released Hallelujah on an album that was rejected by a major record company in this country, and it was only released in England in 1984, where it achieved minimal success. Its widespread popularity truly began when other well-known singers, John Cale and Jeff Buckley, started performing Hallelujah. Remarkably, the version of Cale’s Hallelujah used in the animated movie Shrek in 2001 caused the song's popularity to skyrocket. Then, after Cohen’s death in November 2016, the song gained renewed international recognition. 

I remember being moved by “Hallelujah” when k.d. lang performed it at the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, in 2010. She was dressed in white on a high stage, singing the anthem with all her heart.

Lang described the verses as a battle between human desire and spiritual wisdom. The early lines include biblical references to Samson and Delilah, as well as King David and Bathsheba. Many see the music and lyrics fluctuating between blessings and losses. The history of the anthem and its lyrics appears to serve as a powerful timeline for Cohen’s spiritual autobiography.

What music might each of us compose to share the story of our spiritual journey?

Joanna  https://www.joannaseibert.com/

Nothing Can Separate Us From God's Love

Nothing Can Separate Us

Trinity Cathedral, Pierce Chapel

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”—Romans 8:38-39.

I talk to many people who don’t believe they deserve God’s love. I remember visiting with a very alert, highly educated woman in her 90s, still involved in her successful business, who wanted to start going back to church—but only after she got her life together and felt she was a better person. I told her the famous line, “The church is not a museum for saints, but a hospital for sinners.” But she never returned.

I talk to many people recovering from addiction who feel deep shame for the life they've led. They can't see how God and others can forgive them. Many have been taught to fear a judgmental God watching over their shoulder, ready to catch them in sin. 

I want to tell them there is another way, a belief in resurrection, an Easter that can be redeemed after a Good Friday life or experience. I remind them of Jesus’ disciples who abandoned and denied him if I can. He did not return to them in that upper room on Easter evening and say, “Shame on you.” Instead, he said, “Peace be with you.… When he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven.” (John 20:21-23).

We discuss the difference between shame, “I am a bad person,” and guilt, “I did a wrong thing.” We also discuss addiction as not being a moral failing but a disease. Finally, we look for any sign of God’s love alive and well, working in their lives. We pray that the Holy Spirit will lead both of us to recognize this presence alive in each other so we will both see and be led by Christ in each other.

Sometimes, I tell my story of  God’s presence in my life through many difficulties to see if they recognize similarities between my story and theirs.

Lastly, I may share the above mantra from Romans that I still use because I became aware of the harm I cause to others and myself, and I now seek forgiveness.

Sometimes, I share this image from Trinity Cathedral’s Pierce Chapel of Jesus, the Light of the World, with his bright lantern, constantly calling us to love us.

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

Resurrection: It Takes a Second Look

Resurrection: It Takes a Second Look

Seeing things as they truly are usually takes time. How else can we explain that no one—no one!—noticed the resurrected Jesus right away? Seeing the resurrection requires a second look, another glance. It takes a while for our eyes to adjust to the light of the resurrection, and then everything in life looks radically different… Seeing God’s “new thing” is about perceiving an old thing in a new way through a new lens. 

Such is the miracle of Gospel sight—to see what has always been there in a completely new way that makes it feel like something new. This is always a work of grace, and we can only handle so much of it at one time.—Kris Rocke and Joel Van Dyke in Geography of Grace, Doing Theology from Below from Daily Quote, InwardOutward/ Church of the Saviour, InwardOutward.org, April 30, 2019.

When friends ask what life must be like in the resurrection, I remind them that our only stories are about the resurrected Jesus. After the resurrection, the disciples on the road to Emmaus did not recognize Him. Mary Magdalene did not recognize Him. The disciples meeting Jesus on the beach were unsure of His identity. Jesus came and went through closed doors. The resurrected Jesus gave fishing tips, cooked meals, and ate dinner with His friends. 

The Easter season is the perfect time to read and meditate on the resurrected Jesus’ appearances on Easter Day and throughout the following forty days (Acts 1:3-8).

We are most familiar with several Easter Day accounts of Jesus’ appearances: Mary Magdalene in John, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary in Matthew, Mary Magdalene and the Galilean women in Luke, two disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke, and disciples in the upper room when Thomas is absent and then present in John. 

Caravaggio national gallery London

The resurrected Jesus appears at least 12 times. This Easter Season is an excellent time to practice Ignatian meditative practices, imagining ourselves in more unfamiliar scenes.  

Jesus appeared to the disciples eight days after the resurrection (John 20:24-29), with Thomas present in the upper room. He also appeared to seven disciples at the Sea of Galilee, asking Peter to feed His sheep (John 21). Additionally, Jesus appeared on a hillside in Galilee (Matthew 28:16-20), possibly to over 500 people, as referenced by Paul (1 Corinthians 15:6). Jesus was later seen by His brother James (1 Corinthians 15:7). His final appearance was the Great Commission, after the disciples returned to Jerusalem and were led out to Bethany at the Mount of Olives (Luke 24:50-52, Acts 1:9-11). We also know that Paul encountered Jesus a few years later on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:5, 1 Corinthians 15:8). 

The fact that people struggle to recognize Jesus reveals at least two things. First, the resurrection is so powerful that it's almost impossible to believe at first. Second, Jesus looks different after the resurrection. 

May we, in turn, learn from these stories about the different resurrection life in this life and the next.

1Msgr. Charles Pope, Blog, April 9, 2012, blog.adw.org

From his Native American heritage, Bishop Steven Charleston often reminds us that we got through the pandemic and social and racial unrest with the help of those who love us in the resurrection in the next life. Through them, God prays, walks beside us, and nudges us to care for ourselves and others.

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