“Oh, that today you would listen to God’s voice! Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your ancestors tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.” - Psalm 95:7-9
Our emotional lives move up and down constantly. Sometimes we experience great mood swings; from excitement to depression, from joy to sorrow, from inner harmony to inner chaos. A little event, a word from someone, a disappointment in work, many things can trigger such mood swings. Mostly we have little control over these changes. It seems that they happen to us rather than being created by us.
So it is important to know that our emotional life is not the same as our spiritual life. Our spiritual life is the life of the Spirit of God within us. As we feel our emotions shift, we must connect our spirits with the Spirit of God and remind ourselves that what we feel is not who we are. We are and remain, whatever our moods, God's beloved children.
Although it is very hard to control our moods, we can gradually overcome them by a well-disciplined spiritual life. This can prevent us from acting out our moods. We might not "feel" like getting up in the morning because we "feel" that life is not worth living, that nobody loves us, and that our work in meaningless. But if we get up anyhow, to spend some time reading the Gospels, praying the Psalms, and thanking God for a new day, our moods may lose their power over us. These spiritual exercises help us to be attentive to and live out of that depth of who we are, beneath the barrage of emotions seem to presently rule us.
"Holy Spirit, help me to achieve the discipline I need for a devout life in God."
adapted from Henri Nouwen
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Wednesday, 3rd Week: We Teach Others By Our Actions
"Whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven". – Matthew 5:17-19
There is a saying that gets passed from student to student in medical schools, "see one, do one, teach one". That is, see a technique 1 time and you are ready to do it. Do it 1 time, and you are ready to teach it.
God entrusts us with His commandments: the "techniques" of how to live life fully, as we are meant to live it. He summarizes the lessons down to 2 commandments, making it easy to remember: Love your God. Love your neighbors like yourself.
It may take us our whole life to learn it, these 2 lessons. How are we to teach it to others? Our confidence comes from His love for us. Not like a teacher but like a father is how He guides our halting steps. He takes care of us, as we try to take care of each other.
Letting go of His hands and we will stumble -- falling, and pulling down those who are influenced by us. Whether we want to or not, we are all teachers, influencing friends and strangers by how we live.
Lord, help me to review ... what lesson am I teaching others by my action today?
reflected by Phuong Thanh
There is a saying that gets passed from student to student in medical schools, "see one, do one, teach one". That is, see a technique 1 time and you are ready to do it. Do it 1 time, and you are ready to teach it.
God entrusts us with His commandments: the "techniques" of how to live life fully, as we are meant to live it. He summarizes the lessons down to 2 commandments, making it easy to remember: Love your God. Love your neighbors like yourself.
It may take us our whole life to learn it, these 2 lessons. How are we to teach it to others? Our confidence comes from His love for us. Not like a teacher but like a father is how He guides our halting steps. He takes care of us, as we try to take care of each other.
Letting go of His hands and we will stumble -- falling, and pulling down those who are influenced by us. Whether we want to or not, we are all teachers, influencing friends and strangers by how we live.
Lord, help me to review ... what lesson am I teaching others by my action today?
reflected by Phuong Thanh
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Tuesday, 3rd Week: Forgiveness Is The Way To Freedom
"Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times." - Matthew 18:21-22
Community is not possible without the willingness to forgive one another "seventy-seven times." Forgiveness is the cement of community life. Forgiveness holds us together though good times and bad times, and it allows us to grow in mutual love.
To forgive another person from the heart is an act of liberation. We set that person free from the negative bonds that exist between us. We say, "I no longer hold your offense against you." But there is more. We also free ourselves from the burden of being the "offended one." As long as we do not forgive those who have wounded us, we continue to carry the offense as a poison, as a heavy weight. The great temptation is to cling in anger to our enemies and then define ourselves as being offended and wounded by them. Forgiveness, therefore, liberates not only the other but also ourselves. It is the way to the freedom of the children of God.
"What are the grudges you are clinging to? What poison is still infecting you?"
adapted from Henri Nouwen
Community is not possible without the willingness to forgive one another "seventy-seven times." Forgiveness is the cement of community life. Forgiveness holds us together though good times and bad times, and it allows us to grow in mutual love.
To forgive another person from the heart is an act of liberation. We set that person free from the negative bonds that exist between us. We say, "I no longer hold your offense against you." But there is more. We also free ourselves from the burden of being the "offended one." As long as we do not forgive those who have wounded us, we continue to carry the offense as a poison, as a heavy weight. The great temptation is to cling in anger to our enemies and then define ourselves as being offended and wounded by them. Forgiveness, therefore, liberates not only the other but also ourselves. It is the way to the freedom of the children of God.
"What are the grudges you are clinging to? What poison is still infecting you?"
adapted from Henri Nouwen
Monday, March 8, 2010
Monday, 3rd Week: Asking God for What We Truly Need...
"As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?"- Psalm 42:1-2
We ask God for many things, most of which we do not need, many of which we do not we really want. We are often spiritually lazy: we do not allow ourselves proper time and space to sift through our wants to discover what we truly need.
There is a deep longing in each of us “for the living God” – to experience God’s love in real, personal ways. And God will not refuse when we ask with trust. Yet, we do not ask for it earnestly. We reason away: “God already loves me, how dare I ask for it? I am not good enough, not deserving enough, not holy enough. Moreover, it seems selfish to ask for it. What if God refuses?” Yet, when we earnestly and consistently ask for it, we risk trusting God with what we truly need. We also actively let go of anything that keeps us from experiencing God’s deep and personal love for us. Asking for what we truly need makes our hearts tender toward God and lessens our clutter of obstacles that keep us from God’s embrace.
“Lord, help me to risk asking for what I truly need and letting go of whatever that keeps me from you.”
We ask God for many things, most of which we do not need, many of which we do not we really want. We are often spiritually lazy: we do not allow ourselves proper time and space to sift through our wants to discover what we truly need.
There is a deep longing in each of us “for the living God” – to experience God’s love in real, personal ways. And God will not refuse when we ask with trust. Yet, we do not ask for it earnestly. We reason away: “God already loves me, how dare I ask for it? I am not good enough, not deserving enough, not holy enough. Moreover, it seems selfish to ask for it. What if God refuses?” Yet, when we earnestly and consistently ask for it, we risk trusting God with what we truly need. We also actively let go of anything that keeps us from experiencing God’s deep and personal love for us. Asking for what we truly need makes our hearts tender toward God and lessens our clutter of obstacles that keep us from God’s embrace.
“Lord, help me to risk asking for what I truly need and letting go of whatever that keeps me from you.”
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Sunday, 3rd Week: The Journey Home Begins Where We Are
“God said, ‘Come no nearer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.’ I am the God of your father,” he continued, “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.” – Exodus 3:5-6
Live fully the present moment! While we all find this appealing, many of us usually dwell in the past or worry about the future. It’s very difficult for us to let go of a past mistake or hurt; often we cling nostalgically to the goodness of a past relationship or lifestyle. Thus, we spend much time and energy complaining or comparing. And when planning for the future, as we should, we fret with anxieties and lose sleep because of worries.
Living in the present moment requires of us two disciplines: embracing our vulnerability and acting in trust. Embracing our present condition involves accepting its many unknowns and uncertainties. It can betray our need for certainty or our fear of trust. We are challenged “to let be” the different emotions that flow through us – to listen without judging ourselves to what God may reveal to us through these feelings and inner reactions. As with the burning bush, what we experience currently, however positive or negative, is “holy ground” – where God is present, speaking, and calling us.
Embracing our vulnerability enables us better to ask the question: “What am I going to do now?” That’s what God is about, our next chance to do the right thing. That’s how we know that God is “I am who am.” With God, every new decision is another chance to do the right thing, to love, to trust, to hope. We don’t get that from the other side, which fixates us in fear of repeating past mistakes or paralyzing us with unknown fears. With God, we can take the next step in hope and love, trusting that the next subsequent step will unfold.
We can begin by recalling an experience which grounds us in God’s goodness and care. We can return to a living encounter with God. Then we will have the strength to embrace our vulnerabilities in the present challenges and the grace to take the next step in trust.
"Lord, help me to be vulnerable, to trust you, and understand the present uncertainties in my life."
Live fully the present moment! While we all find this appealing, many of us usually dwell in the past or worry about the future. It’s very difficult for us to let go of a past mistake or hurt; often we cling nostalgically to the goodness of a past relationship or lifestyle. Thus, we spend much time and energy complaining or comparing. And when planning for the future, as we should, we fret with anxieties and lose sleep because of worries.
Living in the present moment requires of us two disciplines: embracing our vulnerability and acting in trust. Embracing our present condition involves accepting its many unknowns and uncertainties. It can betray our need for certainty or our fear of trust. We are challenged “to let be” the different emotions that flow through us – to listen without judging ourselves to what God may reveal to us through these feelings and inner reactions. As with the burning bush, what we experience currently, however positive or negative, is “holy ground” – where God is present, speaking, and calling us.
Embracing our vulnerability enables us better to ask the question: “What am I going to do now?” That’s what God is about, our next chance to do the right thing. That’s how we know that God is “I am who am.” With God, every new decision is another chance to do the right thing, to love, to trust, to hope. We don’t get that from the other side, which fixates us in fear of repeating past mistakes or paralyzing us with unknown fears. With God, we can take the next step in hope and love, trusting that the next subsequent step will unfold.
We can begin by recalling an experience which grounds us in God’s goodness and care. We can return to a living encounter with God. Then we will have the strength to embrace our vulnerabilities in the present challenges and the grace to take the next step in trust.
"Lord, help me to be vulnerable, to trust you, and understand the present uncertainties in my life."
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Saturday, 2nd Week: Spiritual Homecoming Lies Beyond Self-Rejection
“'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.' But his father ordered his servants,'Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast.” – Luke 15:21-23
The spiritual life is essentially a homecoming. It is a coming home to the deepest truth of ourselves as God’s Beloved. That we belong to God, regardless. Whether we have wandered afar in search of life or love beyond our spiritual home in the boundless heart of God (like the younger son) or have been lost in fear without ever going away (like the older son), God’s unconditional love is offered freely and fully. As the father who rushes out of the house to embrace both the errant younger son and the resentful older son home to the banquet, God yearns for us to rejoice in our dignity as Beloved sons and daughters.
Such homecoming involves a most daunting task: allowing ourselves to be seen as we are, without self-condemnation. While we long for such transparency, we harbor secret thoughts, feelings, and fears. We often think, “If people really know what I think or feel, they would run away.” Those guarded secrets can lead us to self-rejection, depression, and even suicidal thoughts and actions. They are the loud voices within that clamor “what you have done is beyond God’s forgiving love” or “you need to be perfect to deserve such love.” They prevent us from the grateful recognition that we are pure gift and precious in God's eyes.
Our homecoming involves allowing the inner voice of love beyond self-rejection to take hold of us and gift us with the courage to live as God’s Beloved children.
"What keeps you from homecoming? What helps you to realize that you are precious in God's eyes"
inspired by Henri Nouwen
The spiritual life is essentially a homecoming. It is a coming home to the deepest truth of ourselves as God’s Beloved. That we belong to God, regardless. Whether we have wandered afar in search of life or love beyond our spiritual home in the boundless heart of God (like the younger son) or have been lost in fear without ever going away (like the older son), God’s unconditional love is offered freely and fully. As the father who rushes out of the house to embrace both the errant younger son and the resentful older son home to the banquet, God yearns for us to rejoice in our dignity as Beloved sons and daughters.
Such homecoming involves a most daunting task: allowing ourselves to be seen as we are, without self-condemnation. While we long for such transparency, we harbor secret thoughts, feelings, and fears. We often think, “If people really know what I think or feel, they would run away.” Those guarded secrets can lead us to self-rejection, depression, and even suicidal thoughts and actions. They are the loud voices within that clamor “what you have done is beyond God’s forgiving love” or “you need to be perfect to deserve such love.” They prevent us from the grateful recognition that we are pure gift and precious in God's eyes.
Our homecoming involves allowing the inner voice of love beyond self-rejection to take hold of us and gift us with the courage to live as God’s Beloved children.
"What keeps you from homecoming? What helps you to realize that you are precious in God's eyes"
inspired by Henri Nouwen
Friday, March 5, 2010
Friday, 2nd Week: Jealousy Betrays Our Belovedness
"Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him. They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him.” – Genesis 37:3-4, 18
Jealousy occurs when a person fears losing a close, self-defining relationship to another, who is often a rival. In the Bible, the older siblings are often jealous of their younger siblings. They resent a younger sibling who seemed more loved by the father. It is true that human parents can show favoritism. Yet, we often project this sentiment into God. We think that there are only a few who are God’s Beloved, and those few do not include us.
What is behind this seductive thinking? It limits God’s love and heart. It yields to the deep fear that we are not holy enough, good enough, deserving enough. Belovedness has nothing to do with our worthiness, sinfulness, frailties, or conduct. It is rooted in God who is extravagant lover, who loves without condition, limit, or end. When we face our jealousy, we unmask our fear and uncover our Belovedness. We become aware that we are precious in God’s eyes, uniquely favored unlike any other person.
Jealousy betrays belief in a God who is too small. Behind jealousy lies our deep longing to become who we already are yet afraid to embrace – God’s Beloved.
"How do you, Lord, look at me? What do you feel in your heart for me?” - John Eagan SJ
Jealousy occurs when a person fears losing a close, self-defining relationship to another, who is often a rival. In the Bible, the older siblings are often jealous of their younger siblings. They resent a younger sibling who seemed more loved by the father. It is true that human parents can show favoritism. Yet, we often project this sentiment into God. We think that there are only a few who are God’s Beloved, and those few do not include us.
What is behind this seductive thinking? It limits God’s love and heart. It yields to the deep fear that we are not holy enough, good enough, deserving enough. Belovedness has nothing to do with our worthiness, sinfulness, frailties, or conduct. It is rooted in God who is extravagant lover, who loves without condition, limit, or end. When we face our jealousy, we unmask our fear and uncover our Belovedness. We become aware that we are precious in God’s eyes, uniquely favored unlike any other person.
Jealousy betrays belief in a God who is too small. Behind jealousy lies our deep longing to become who we already are yet afraid to embrace – God’s Beloved.
"How do you, Lord, look at me? What do you feel in your heart for me?” - John Eagan SJ
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Thursday, 2nd Week: Hoping is Loving in the Moment
“Blessed are they who trust in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD.” – Jeremiah 17:9-10
Optimism and hope are radically different attitudes. Optimism is the expectation that things – the weather, human relationships, the political situation, wars, and so on – will improve. Hope is the trust that God will fulfill God’s promise in a way that leads us to love more deeply and freely. The optimist speaks about changes in the future. The person who hopes lives in the moment and trusts that all of life is in good hands. Optimism is a personality trait; hope is a choice that risks God’s goodness. When we hope, we rely on God’s faithfulness, even though we cannot envision a foreseeable future of optimism.
Hope is essentially an act of faith rooted in love. It involves radical openness and vulnerability to life in the present moment and waiting with endurance, trusting that uncertainty, loneliness, restlessness, loss, confusion, etc… will lead to greater freedom, to a more genuine love. A love that “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:7).
It is not easy to hope when destructive earthquakes ravage our cities and political systems seem to favor special interests of a few rather than the common good for all. But when we hope, we wait in openness for God’s promise to come true, even though we do not know when, where, or how this might happen. We trust in God’s indwelling presence and laboring to bring about good. We embrace ourselves as the Beloved. We love.
"Lord, help me to love more fully today, through moments of hope.”
inspired by Henri Nouwen
Optimism and hope are radically different attitudes. Optimism is the expectation that things – the weather, human relationships, the political situation, wars, and so on – will improve. Hope is the trust that God will fulfill God’s promise in a way that leads us to love more deeply and freely. The optimist speaks about changes in the future. The person who hopes lives in the moment and trusts that all of life is in good hands. Optimism is a personality trait; hope is a choice that risks God’s goodness. When we hope, we rely on God’s faithfulness, even though we cannot envision a foreseeable future of optimism.
Hope is essentially an act of faith rooted in love. It involves radical openness and vulnerability to life in the present moment and waiting with endurance, trusting that uncertainty, loneliness, restlessness, loss, confusion, etc… will lead to greater freedom, to a more genuine love. A love that “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:7).
It is not easy to hope when destructive earthquakes ravage our cities and political systems seem to favor special interests of a few rather than the common good for all. But when we hope, we wait in openness for God’s promise to come true, even though we do not know when, where, or how this might happen. We trust in God’s indwelling presence and laboring to bring about good. We embrace ourselves as the Beloved. We love.
"Lord, help me to love more fully today, through moments of hope.”
inspired by Henri Nouwen
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Wednesday, 2nd Week: Sorrows and Joys Are Pathways to New Life
"But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" – Matthew 20:12
"Are we able to drink the cup?" is a most challenging and radical question we face. The cup is the cup of our humanity – the unique way which we react and respond to people and things. Drinking our cups means allowing persons, things, and events to be, to resonate fully as they are in our lived experience. It involves a consistent openness and vulnerability to life, allowing its full spectrum of sorrows and joys to flow within and over us, without having the control things.
To be honestly and truly ourselves in such an unflinching, undefended way is extremely difficult. We know well the price of such receptive attitudes. Yet, fully drinking the cup of our joys and sorrows becomes a sipping of the cup of salvation. Through his suffering and death, Jesus brings us new life. As we empty our cups to the bottom, we become more united with Christ Crucified while God fills our cups with “water” for eternal life. Our life bears greater meaning; we grow in compassion, especially for ourselves. We not only drink, we grow in intimacy with Jesus. We become the cup of blessing.
"Lord, which sorrows and joys do you I invite me to drink deeply today?”
inspired by Henri Nouwen
"Are we able to drink the cup?" is a most challenging and radical question we face. The cup is the cup of our humanity – the unique way which we react and respond to people and things. Drinking our cups means allowing persons, things, and events to be, to resonate fully as they are in our lived experience. It involves a consistent openness and vulnerability to life, allowing its full spectrum of sorrows and joys to flow within and over us, without having the control things.
To be honestly and truly ourselves in such an unflinching, undefended way is extremely difficult. We know well the price of such receptive attitudes. Yet, fully drinking the cup of our joys and sorrows becomes a sipping of the cup of salvation. Through his suffering and death, Jesus brings us new life. As we empty our cups to the bottom, we become more united with Christ Crucified while God fills our cups with “water” for eternal life. Our life bears greater meaning; we grow in compassion, especially for ourselves. We not only drink, we grow in intimacy with Jesus. We become the cup of blessing.
"Lord, which sorrows and joys do you I invite me to drink deeply today?”
inspired by Henri Nouwen
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Tuesday, 2nd Week: Serving the Least Embraces God’s Reconciling Love
“The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” – Mt 23:12
“Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.” - Is 1:17
Both the Jewish and Christian traditions imagine a God who stands with the poor and the powerless. Jesus shows a clear referential option or love for the poor. Outreach to the marginalized and opposing injustices are not extra expressions of faith, they are integral to our embrace of God’s love.
The Lenten call to repentance consists of reconciliation, a bringing together. Bringing together how we practice and what we preach; closing the gap between “the haves” and the “haves not”; embracing our identity in God’s unconditional love and letting go of a sense of self that comes from possessions, prestige, power, or entitlement; allowing God to heal us and going beyond ourselves to serve the least among us.
While we serve, we realize the Pharisees within each of us: we serve and redress wrong from a place of power and privilege; we “stand over” people; we are often motivated more by the need to be recognized or liked by others than the desire to honor God. At the same time, we realize the call to “stand with” those we serve, to face our illusions of control, to share in our common poverty – our utter need for God’s healing and mercy. Jesus calls us to servant leadership so that we may be embraced by God’s reconciling love as we serve and stand with the poor.
“Lord, help me to concretely embrace your love by standing on the side of the poor and powerless.”
“Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.” - Is 1:17
Both the Jewish and Christian traditions imagine a God who stands with the poor and the powerless. Jesus shows a clear referential option or love for the poor. Outreach to the marginalized and opposing injustices are not extra expressions of faith, they are integral to our embrace of God’s love.
The Lenten call to repentance consists of reconciliation, a bringing together. Bringing together how we practice and what we preach; closing the gap between “the haves” and the “haves not”; embracing our identity in God’s unconditional love and letting go of a sense of self that comes from possessions, prestige, power, or entitlement; allowing God to heal us and going beyond ourselves to serve the least among us.
While we serve, we realize the Pharisees within each of us: we serve and redress wrong from a place of power and privilege; we “stand over” people; we are often motivated more by the need to be recognized or liked by others than the desire to honor God. At the same time, we realize the call to “stand with” those we serve, to face our illusions of control, to share in our common poverty – our utter need for God’s healing and mercy. Jesus calls us to servant leadership so that we may be embraced by God’s reconciling love as we serve and stand with the poor.
“Lord, help me to concretely embrace your love by standing on the side of the poor and powerless.”
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