Five Alternative Ways to Celebrate Valentine's Day

I don’t know about you, but I need another holiday.  

Right now.

I mean, it’s been a really rough ride since November 8^th but then, at least, there was Christmas. I don’t think I’m alone when I say that the speech on Inauguration Day left me stunned and cold.  

Everything we feared is now a reality.

The Women’s March – three million women and our allies marching on the nation’s capitol and in cities around this country and even more around the world – gave me reason to hope.

As I look at the calendar, the only thing we have to buffer the ongoing nightmare that is the opening days and weeks of this new administration and Lent – well, except for St. Paddy’s Day – is St. Valentine’s Day.

The thing about Valentine’s Day is that it’s for “lovers”. Which is fine if you’ve got a lover. Not to diminish the necessity of lovers – I mean, I’d like to think of myself as one – but it seems to me that the times we are in call us to shift the emphasis just a bit. 

It's important to remember the history of St. Valentine. He was ordered beaten and beheaded for performing secret marriages even though the Roman emperor "Claudius the Cruel" had banned all marriages

In this Age of Cruel Trumpism, where hate and bigotry, fear and oppression, and “alternative facts” seem to be around every corner – screaming from every newspaper, every radio, every television program – the one thing everyone needs to celebrate is love.

I'm not talking about 'gushy, chocolate candy kisses' kind of love, lovely as that is. 

I'm talking about the kind of radical love that St. Valentine had, that risks personal safety and security for love. I'm talking about the kind of radical love that changes the familiar and sends us off into the unknown and uncertain. I'm talking about the kind of love that turns things upside down and makes them right again.

Incarnate love. Active love. Loving out loud. 

That's what I'm talking about.

So, I’ve come up with some “alternative ways” to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day which, I hope, will help get us through the darkness of Lent and through to the day when we celebrate The Resurrection.

1. Show some gratitude. Actively thank those who serve. In any spiritual activity, it’s really important to begin with gratitude. It is especially important to make the effort to express gratitude to people who serve who might not otherwise hear a “thank you.” Do you know who takes your trash or recycling? Find out. Get up early in the morning and greet them. Or, leave a thank you note on your trash bin. 

Go to your local police or fire station and thank the men and women who work there. Hate war? Me too. So do many people in the military. That's why they're there. Thank a soldier. 

Try to find the address of your favorite teacher in grade or high school and send them a thank you letter. Have they already passed away? Write a letter to them anyway and say a little prayer of gratitude for what you learned from them. As my grandmother would say, "It’s good for your soul."

Call your mother, if you can. No, really. Call her. She’ll be so happy to hear your voice and so grateful that you called you won’t even have to say anything more than, “Hi, Mom. Just thought I’d call and hear your voice see how you were doing.” Don’t text. Call. Trust me on this. And, if you can’t because she's already passed on or unable to comprehend, write her a letter then put it away in your drawer. Even the worst mother did one thing right. Thank her for that.

My grandmother was right. It really is "good for your soul."

2. Love your neighbor. I know. We church people say that a lot. It’s supposed to be one of the tenants of our faith. Most of us give it little more than lip service. We think it’s a passive thing, that if we don’t actively hurt them or just ignore them, we’re loving them. 

I'm talking about actually showing a little love to a neighbor. 

Don’t know your neighbor? Make it a point to knock on a door and introduce yourself. Bring a small token of love – some cookies, a cupcake, a loaf of bread. See someone in the yard or getting into the car or picking up the mail? Stop by and try to start a conversation that will lay the foundation for a neighborly relationship. 

We’re really going to need each other in the weeks and months ahead. It’s important to know who’s out there. Start right were you are. And then, remember how Rabbi Jesus defined “neighbor” and slowly widen your circle.

3. Consider those who are struggling. Once you’ve warmed up your “love muscles” you can start to stretch them. Who are the people in your community who may need a little help? Is there a single mom or dad? Has there been a layoff at a local factory or a chain store or restaurant closing? 

Is there an elderly person living alone who needs human contact – or a ride to a doctor’s office – or someone to do her grocery shopping? How might you be able to make a small difference in that person, that family’s day? 

Just one random act of kindness can change the world for one moment, one day in a long string of days which seem filled with more moments of cruelty and anxiety than they can tolerate. It also helps you get your mind off your own worries and appreciate your own blessings. 

Remember ancient scripture: “You are blessed to be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:2)

4. Encourage one another. These are dangerous, discouraging times. As this administration is demonstrating daily, we are headed into even darker days. Even on a good day, I don’t know anyone who couldn’t use a little encouragement. 

Well, I know I sure could. I suspect we all need an occasional “atta boy” or “atta girl”. Take the time to do that. Lord knows, we’re surrounded by negativity. Make a decision to look for the positive – a tiny spark of goodness, an ember of hope – and find ways to fan it. 

We are going to need to be strong and clear and bold and summon up every day, ordinary as well as extraordinary courage in order to protect our friends and families and neighbors. In order to do that, it helps to be kind with each other and regularly encourage each other.   

Did you catch that?  “Encourage” in order to HAVE “courage”. That’s not just clever. It works. 

5. Love yourself. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with your whole heart and your whole soul and your whole mind, and second unto it is to love your neighbor as yourself. 

So, it starts with love of God, which is best expressed in gratitude. It also begins with loving yourself. That means taking care of yourself. 

Begin with the basics: Decide to eat less processed foods. More fruits. More vegetables. Laugh more. Tell silly jokes. Decide to turn off all screens – TV, laptop, smart phone – an hour before bed. Exercise – start with five minutes a day and then work up to fifteen. Start with easy stuff. Go for a walk. Eat an apple. Get some sleep. 

Be your own best friend so you can be a good friend to others and cultivate and appreciate good friends for yourself. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Pat yourself on the back every once in a while. 

Stop sabotaging yourself from getting the things you want and need. I have a friend who wistfully sighs, “Oh, I’d really like _____, BUT…..” She does that at least once an hour. If you do that, when you hear yourself say, “Oh, I’d really like _____,” stop yourself before the BUT. Start thinking about how it is you can achieve what it is you really want and need. If you can do that for yourself, you’ll be able to do it for others.

So, there it is. Five ways to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day. Start with love. Be a lover of God’s world – God’s people and creatures and creation. I’m convinced that the only way we’re going to get through these next four years is to concentrate on love. Make love a priority. Let love be your motivating force.

What I’ve learned from my years of activism during the Vietnam years, the years of Nixon corruption, “trickle-down Reagan economics,” and the AIDS crisis is that bold, courageous action on the part of ordinary citizens can stop a war, impeach a president and cause him to resign office; it can change the nation’s economics and transform a terminal disease to one that is still terminal but manageable as a chronic, long-term illness.

The Civil Rights Movement is another example of how ordinary citizens - even those who are sore oppressed - can do what was once thought impossible and turn around an evil system of prejudice and bigotry. At least at the legal level. 

We can do this. It’s going to take ordinary, every day shy people to eat some powdermilk biscuits from Lake Wobegon to find the strength to get up and do what needs to be done. 

The secret ingredient to that recipe is love. 

As Louie Crew Clay would say, "The meek are getting ready."

Love has always been at the center of every successful revolution - and even a few that failed the first time. Love is the seed from which everything grows - people, neighborhoods, communities, change, new life. Even government. 

I think of the Constitution of the United States of America as a legal love letter.

Oh, and by the way, this is what the prophet Micah meant when he said, "Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8). But, I think the order is in reverse. First, you walk humbly (some translations say "attentively") with God. That makes it so much easier to love mercy. And then, if you love mercy, you have no choice but to do justice.

On this St. Valentine's day, let's all declare ourselves "lovers". Let's take time to really celebrate - and incarnate - love. 

PS: Is it too soon to have another Women's March?

The Good and The Right

I'm writing this on the eve of the inauguration of the 45th President of the highly divided United States of America.

My beloved Episcopal Church has also been swept up in the maelstrom of controversy and division surrounding the inauguration of a man who, himself is a walking maelstrom of controversy and division and is entering the office of the presidency with the lowest approval rating - 37% - of any person taking the Oath of Office.

And, with good reason.

The role of the Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, also known as The Washington National Cathedral, is being called into serious question by Episcopalians in particular and people of faith in general.

When it was first built, the Cathedral in DC was envisioned as being a "Westminster Abbey in America" - a place where we could "crown" our duly elected President with the blessings of the church, in much the same way that the Anglican Church, UK, blesses and crowns its royalty.

Oh, we've never said exactly that - we never would - but that's precisely what happens during what has become an Interfaith Service at the Cathedral the day after the inauguration.

We like to think of "our" cathedral as "the spiritual home of the nation". A "great church for national purposes". A "place of worship for all".

In God we Trust.

We have basked in this cozy relationship between state and religion for a long time, well articulated in the book, "The Power of their Glory: America's Ruling Class, the Episcopalians." (There is something sadly ironic - and, perhaps, a tad prophetic - that one can now purchase this book on Amazon in hardcover for $.01).

Money, power and glory have been as traditional in The Episcopal Church as apple pie.

The old joke about Episcopalians asks, "Which Episcopalians will go to Hell?"

Answer: "The ones who don't know a salad fork from add dessert fork."

This has been changing, of course. The Episcopal Church now claims less than two percent of the population in membership.

The diversity of American cultures and religions is one that could never have been imagined when the first cornerstone of the cathedral was set.

The dream of the cathedral being "the spiritual home of the nation" could not have imagined, much less incorporated, the great variety of spiritual expressions and religious beliefs that now make up the rich tapestry of America.

There are those who ask: How are we to incorporate that diversity without sacrificing the richness of our own tradition and identity?

And what of the idea of "the separation of church and state" which Jefferson wrote? Why does the church, in general and The Episcopal Church in particular, need a ceremony to 'bless' the newly inaugurated president's first term of office with scripture readings, prayer and music?

Whatever was once acceptable if not uncomfortable has been seriously challenged by a man whose personal and business habits are predatory and ethically challenged, whose beliefs and behavior are antithetical to the Christianity he claims as his and whose politics and proposed policies are such that would make the founders of this government set their powdered wigs on fire and run screaming from the room.

People of good will are asking how can we associate ourselves in any way with this man and his presidency?

Other people of equal good will are asking how can we not? If the church is a 'house of prayer for ALL people', that means - especially means - people we don't especially like.

Remember? We're the people who said "All means ALL". We're the 'inclusive church'. We are the Episcopal branch of The Jesus Movement.

Isn't it a good thing to do?

Isn't it the right thing to do?

Well, boys and girls, in case you hadn't heard this before, there is a difference between that which is good and that which is right.

See: The Right and The Good by Sr. David Ross.

Something can be intentionally good and still go all wrong.

It is also true that something can be right and bad, both at the same time.  Doing the right thing often pisses people off. Really. Pisses. People. Off.

When British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain set out his diplomatic foreign policy of appeasement with Germany from 1937-1939, it was intended to avoid conflict and the possibility of war.

Which, arguably, is a good thing.

Unfortunately, appeasement with a man like the then Chancellor of Germany only nourished and emboldened his quest for world domination and "ethnic purity". History records the events that unfolded.
 
In the same way, the religious organizations also followed a policy of appeasement. At that time, Germany was about one-third Roman Catholic and two-thirds Protestant. 

The Chancellor of Germany, one Adolph Hitler, signed a concordat with Pope Pius XI in 1933. He promised full religious freedom for the Church. In exchange, the Pope promised that he wouldn’t interfere in political matters.

Sounds like a good deal, right? 

A year later, in 1934, 28 Protestant groups were merged to form the National Reich Church. A member of the Nazi party was elected Bishop of the Church. Non-Aryan ministers were suspended. Church members called themselves German Christians, with the Swastika on their chest and the Cross in their heart.

Shortly after the concordat was signed, the Nazis started to close Catholic churches and monasteries.

In 1937, the Pope protested in a letter which was to be read in every Catholic Church. Not long after that letter was issued, around 400 priests were arrested and sent to the Dachau concentration camp.

In 1934, the Confessing Church was formed by Martin Niemöller with 6,000 ministers, leaving 2,000 behind in the National Reich Church. Shortly thereafter, around 800 ministers were arrested and sent to concentration camps.

Niemöller was arrested in 1937 and sent to Dachau, then Sachsenhausen, until 1945. Dietreich Bonhoeffer, the prolific writer and theologian of the Confessing Church Movement, was imprisoned in 1943 and was later executed.

These are important lessons in history about the difference between "the good" and "the right".

No one questioned the goodness of the Prime Minister or the Pope. I suspect their motives to cooperate with the Chancellor of Germany were nothing but good.

But, were they right?

History reveals that they couldn't have been more wrong. But, did they know it at the time?

Is it a good thing that the Dean of the Cathedral has agreed to hold the Interfaith Inauguration Service on Saturday, January 21st? And, that service includes the performance of the Children's Choir?

Is it any surprise, really, that this question has raised tensions and created controversy in The Episcopal Church?

I appreciate the good intentions of the Dean, who has been supported by the bishop of his decision.

I'm sure they intend to "build bridges" with the man who intends to build walls.

I have no doubt that they want to extend hospitality to a man who wants to deport immigrants.

Who could question their commitment to provide an avenue for reconciliation and unity even to a man who sows bitterness and discord?

Jesus said  love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Aren't they doing just that?

Shouldn't we all?

These are honorable and rational reasons for holding the Interfaith Service at the Cathedral.

If you read the teachings of Jesus, there is no doubt that he stood against the principalities and powers of his day and time and culture.

Jesus was absolutely opposed to imperialism and oppression, and had an undeniable preferential option for the 'anawim', the outcast and the poor, calling them "beloved".

Jesus himself and his parents were once refugees, undocumented, illegal aliens. 

And, you know, even Satan was able to quote scripture for his own purposes.

This PEOTUS is a game changer on every single level in every single arena imaginable in our lives. 

It's time - once again - to rethink the Cathedral's role, the role of the church, the role of religion, in the matters of the state. 

It's a tension that's been with us since Jesus whose life and teachings are filled with navigating that tension. 

Jesus, in fact, was crucified because of that tension. 

He said, "You cannot serve God and mammon." And, he chose the good but bad things happened.

The church, the cathedral, the Body of Christ, is standing in that crucified place once again. 

Which is why it hurts.

In terms of the decision of the Cathedral to hold the Interfaith Inaugural Service, I think it was a wrong decisions with good intentions.

I hope for good results but I fear we have not learned the lessons of appeasement.

We're going to make more of these decisions if we don't get really clear about the difference between "the good" and "the right." 

If you haven't already, it's time to join The Jesus Movement.  For lots of reasons, it's much harder to be part of that movement than being part of an institutional church.

It's the crucible where the differences between "the good" and "the right" are forged and clarified.

To quote Louie Crew Clay, "The meek are getting ready".

UPDATE: See what's happening at St. John's, Lafayette Square "The Church of the Presidents". 

Inflammatory pastor preached to Trump before inauguration

Seven Steps to a Spirituality of Hope

I suppose it should not surprise me, but I am absolutely astounded by the conversations - well, if you use the term very loosely - on Episcopal social media sites over the issue of prayer.

No, seriously. People are crazed about it. Specifically, whether or not to pray for the new President Elect of the (divided) United States of America. 

Well, I think everyone is pretty clear that we should pray for him and for the office. And, we're pretty clear, for various reasons, that if ever there was a person, much less a PEOTUS, who needed prayer it's this one.

The issue is whether or not to say his name. Should we insert his name in the Prayers of the People of the Book of Common Prayer, even though the rubrics don't require it?

Yes, I'm serious.  That's the argument.  We seem to want uniformity on this. Or, approval for whatever choice we make, even if you believe it's the wrong choice for you. The conversation seems to ratchet up a notch in intensity and hysteria whenever an opposing point is made.

Some see the very utterance of his name publicly as a trigger for those with PTSD from sexual assault or rape or a cold-sweat anxiety for "Dreamers" and their families.

Some are insistent. Say his name, damn it. Never let an abuser have that kind of power over you. These folks seem absolutely oblivious to just how abusive it is to insist that someone say the very thing that will trigger a PTSD episode or anxiety attack because THEY think it's what you should do ("They" who have never experienced PTSD or who have and have been "healed").

And, of course, someone always trots out the tried and true, "Well, we've always named the POTUS. We're not going to stop now. If we changed it now, it would be .... " Ready? ".... awkward."

God forbid! Let's not allow ourselves to be compassionate and pastoral! Not if it's going to make things ... awkward! We're Episcopalians, for God's sake! We can't be ... AWKWARD!

And, what's wrong with you, anyway? Don't you know what Jesus said about prayer? About praying for your enemies? And, aren't we The Episcopal Church? Aren't we all about being 'inclusive"? Aren't we part of the Jesus Movement?

Why are you so HATEFUL? Why are you letting your HATE for the PEOTUS get in the way of your CHRISTIANITY??

Haven't you been reading SCRIPTURE? Or, anything our PRESIDING BISHOP has SAID about THE JESUS MOVEMENT?

Here READ IT.  READ IT NOW!!!

Don't say another word until you've read it. Then, READ IT AGAIN!!!

Honestly, the insanity of this election season seems to have broken more than a few brains.

We're also talking about whether or not the Washington National Cathedral ought to sponsor the Inaugural Interfaith Prayer Service. It's been held there several times and, in the tradition of The Episcopal Church, if it's happened more than once, it's a tradition.   

Forget the prophetic tradition. Forget, for example, that in 1973 the Washington National Cathedral held an alternative Inaugural Prayer Service in protest over the re-election of Richard M. Nixon and his complicity in prolonging our engagement in the Vietnam War. 

In those days, we walked among giants.

Besides, it seems the Washington National Cathedral is a bit cash strapped. Hired a Dean with a proven track record in fundraising. That was their priority. Which tells you a lot. And, he put a cash register at the entrance of the Cathedral. $10 for adults. $6 for children. You know. Just like they do at the cathedrals in England. Need to dash in for a quick prayer? Fine! Welcome! Just make your first stop over at the Table of the Moneychangers. Cash and credit cards welcome. And, don't forget to stop at our Gift Shop.

It's become clear, well, at least to me, that the particulars of the conversation are not important. What's clear is that in talking about how to pray and where to pray, we aren't talking about prayer.

We're talking politics. Still.

All the voices and various positions we've heard during the election season are still saying the same things, nuanced now as a conversation - heated and passionate as it is - about prayer.

The anxiety is palpable. On both sides.

This particular President Elect is one who likes to create chaos. Even his wife - in what can only be described as an understatement - said that, "He likes to shake things up, doesn't he?" He obfuscates. He dodges. He says he's going to do something and then doesn't. He refuses to give details. He creates chaos.

It reminds me of a scene from Game of Thrones. In a conversation between the ambitious, power hungry Littlefinger (no, not LittleHAND) and the eunuch monk Varys.

Varys cautions Littlefinger against abandoning or challenging the tradition of the hierarchy of power in the Realm, saying that it will lead to chaos, which is, he says, "a pit".

Littlefinger responds, "Chaos isn’t a pit. Chaos is a ladder. Many who try to climb it fail and never get to try again. The fall breaks them. And some are given a chance to climb, they cling to the realm or the gods or love. Only the ladder is real. The climb is all there is."

You can watch that scene here:



Littlefinger sees the realm's hierarchy of power like that of water... the more calm, rigid, and stable it is the harder it is to elevate his position. Add a little chaos (re: heat) and opportunities for mobility increase. The more chaos/heat there is, the faster he can rise.

And that, my friends, is a great metaphor for the story of the life of the man who will become the 45th President. This is, in fact, why many people voted for him. About 77,000 people in three states which was enough to win the Electoral College. He got neither a majority of the popular vote nor a mandate from the people. See also: chaos.

And, of course, he lies. He's been documented to be a "liar, liar. pants on fire" kind of lying.  He's been awarded a four-Pinocchio nose kind of liar by watchdog fact-finder groups. 

He likes to call it "truthful exaggerations". Which he does do. Except, of course, when he just flat out lies.  He even lies when there's no reason to lie. He lies as easily as he breathes.

I see absolutely no indication that he will change his ways after January 20.

The crucial conversation - the conversation just beneath the surface of the conversation about prayer and The Episcopal Church's role in "the glory of their power" - swirls around questions of uncertainty.

What are we to make of this? What are we to do now? What are we to believe?

How are we to live in the swirling midst of chaos and uncertainty and mistrust?

What can I do to nourish my spirit? To keep hope alive?

What will spirituality look like in the Age of The Donald? 

As you might have guessed, I have some thoughts on that.

I lived through the 70s and 80s as a young adult so I'm old enough to remember two Presidents who were absolute scoundrels: Richard Millhous Nixon and Ronald Wilson Reagan.  

Nixon was known as "Tricky Dicky" and lied about the Vietnam War (and so many other things) that cost thousands of American men and women and innocent Vietnamese men, women and children their lives. He was, of course, impeached for the Watergate Scandal. (It was the 70s equivalent of the Russian hacking of the DNC.)

Reagan was famous for "trickle down economics" which was essentially robbing from the poor to give to the rich. He famously counted ketchup as a fruit AND vegetable for lunches in public schools. I will never forget "Uncle Ronnie's" trucks pulling up to poor neighborhoods handing out #13 cans of peanut butter and huge bricks of processed cheese to people as if in some warn-torn refugee camp. 

And, I personally continue to try to forgive him for the thousands of people who died of his government red tape, which was one of the major complications of death from AIDS. 

If my experience with these two men is any indication, I think we'll see a rise in the need for prayer and spirituality, community and localism in the next four years. 

For those of you who are leaders in your religious communities - ordained or laity - this means you, yourself, have got to cultivate hope in your own lives so that you may lead others to a place of hope. 

As Harvey Milk famously said, "Ya gotta give 'em hope." That's the best spiritual gift we can bring to people who belong to the various groups that will be targeted by the incoming administration: women, the disabled, immigrants, the Dreamers, Mexicans, Muslims, the elderly, the poor, those with pre-existing medical conditions and no health insurance, etc., and all those who love them.

So, how do we cultivate a Spirituality of Hope? I thought you'd never ask. (And you thought I'd never shut up and get to it.)

I have seven steps listed below. There are more but these seven are a good number which summarize the great density of information they represent.

1. Start right where you are. 

Take stock of your own spiritual, emotional and physical resources. Make an inventory of them, Yes, I mean, write them down. Then, look around. Walk around. What do you see? Who do you see? Who is suffering? Who is able? What are the barriers? What can be used as a tool? Take note of all of these so when you need them, you'll be able to find them. Because, you will need them. Eventually.

2. Take one step at a time.

When you start to pick up your head, open your eyes and look around, it can be overwhelming. Someone once asked Mother Theresa how she coped with all the overwhelming poverty and hunger and sickness in the world. Her answer? "One. One. One. One. One." You can't solve all the problems of the world. That's not your job. You need Jesus. You aren't Jesus. Or, you may need Buddha or Mohamed. You aren't Buddha or Mohamed. You are you. Pick one. One task. One attainable goal. Just for that day. Do that thing that one day. Rinse. Repeat. One day, one step. The second day, another step. As you move forward in the journey, even if you're not sure exactly where you are, you'll notice that your steps are just a tad lighter. That's because hope has begun to lift you.

3. Become a global localist

By this I certainly don't mean an exclusive "nationalist". And, I don't mean being an anti-globalist. I mean that old motto of the 70s: "Think globally, act locally." The best way to illustrate this is to tell you a modern parable.

Once, there was a village by a sparkling clean river where the villagers drank, bathed and played. One day, someone noticed some garbage in their river. By the next day, the river was overflowing with garbage. Together, the villagers worked all morning and cleaned out all the garbage but by the next morning, there was more garbage. This went on for a few weeks. People were getting desperate. Some wondered if God was testing them. Others thought God was judging and condemning them. One day, one woman walked up stream. There, she saw a new village of people. She introduced herself and made friends. While she was there, she noticed that people were stacking their garbage near the river's edge. When she asked about it, one of the villagers told her that the river was a marvelous thing. Not only did it provide water for drinking, bathing and playing, it carried their trash away in the middle of the night while they all slept. The woman then asked them to come with her to her village where the people, in horror, saw what their village was doing. Together they worked out a solution so that both villages could continue to enjoy clean water in their lives.

Become a blatant global localist. Think globally, act locally. Got it? Good.

4. Become a disciple: Cultivate a spiritual discipline

The root of the word disciple is discipline. If we are going to make it through the chaos of the next four years, we are going to need discipline. We are going to need to cultivate a spiritual discipline. The soul, I've discovered, while it is invisible it is pretty muscular. It needs exercise. "What you don't use, you lose," applies to the soul, as well. 

Depending on your personal type, your spiritual practice may be to take yourself out to the hills and woods, or the rivers and streams or ocean - alone or with another person or small group of friends.  Or you may practice "mindfulness meditation" and walk the city/town street at the same or different times of the day where you are quite intentional about either quietly paying attention or meeting and greeting the people you pass by. 

You may also find a time in the day that meets your needs and set it aside to read and study and reflect on scripture - feeding on and grounding yourself in The Word. Or, you may prefer to read articles or books by (or about) spiritual community activists like Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, William Stringfellow, Mother Theresa, Steven Biko, Desmond Tutu, Daniel or Phillip Berrigan, Dorothy Sayers, Kenneth Leach, Nelson Mandela, Suzanne Hiatt - to name just a few.  Or, you may want to read poetry - or listen to poetry slams on YouTube - and let those powerful images and metaphors and language lift you and inspire you and inform you. Or, do Yoga. Or sit ZaZen and meditate.

Whatever you decide to do, whatever fits your particular needs, styles, limitations or abilities, do it. Every day. As Jesuit activist Phillip Berrigan (and many others) used to say, "Don't just do something. Stand there." Take a stand. Be a disciple. Do it with intention and discipline.

5. Build relationships and communities.
  
The great Sufi mystic Rumi writes, “There is a secret medicine given only to those who hurt so hard, they cannot hope.” It is this: “Look as long as you can at the friend that you love.” We need companions for the journey of hope. Family. Children. Grandchildren. Neighbors. Friends. Lovers. That's where you will find hope. If you can not find hope alone, relationships and community will work together to find hope. I don't know how that works, I only know that it does.  “Look as long as you can at the friend that you love."   

6. A life of contemplative non-violent prayer is an act of sacred resistance. 

I know what you're thinking. I thought it once, too. Contemplative prayer is pretty middle class. It assumes something that is a luxury for more than half the world: time and space and the ownership of enough of both to close your eyes and escape the crushing realities of the day. Some people think of it as a narcotic or sedative - a harmless alternative to knocking back a couple of beers or shots at the beginning of a daunting morning or end of a difficult day.

If that's what you think - if that's why you engage in Contemplative Prayer - I've got news for you. It's not. Thomas Merton talked about and practiced 'contemplative nonviolence' by which he meant recognizing and studying our inner violence, but not beating ourselves up for it. In prayer, we learn to have compassion toward ourselves and move ahead with nonviolent alternatives so we can have compassion for everyone.

Compassion - com passion, passion with - begins with compassion for ourselves. 

Compassion begins with non-violence to ourselves so we can be non-violent to others.

Fr. Daniel Berrigan, a Jesuit priest, anti-war activist and poet was deeply influenced by Merton.
Berrigan said that if we are serious about contemplative prayer, meditation and worship, sooner or later we have to accept the Gandhian/Kingian framework of nonviolence. 

As people of prayer, we realize and embrace the truth of reality that we are all one human family, one with all creatures, all creation and the Creator, and that our shared unity precludes violence and pushes us toward universal, compassionate, nonviolent love, the love shown by the nonviolent Jesus - as well as other great spiritual leaders like Buddha and Mohamed. Our prayer life imposes boundaries: We cannot be violent to ourselves or others ever again. We must be compassionate to ourselves and others. And it sends us forth on a public mission of disarmament and sacred resistance to the "principals and powers" of the day.

7. Remember: Chaos is not a pit. Chaos is a ladder.

When you do these things: Start where you are, take one step at a time, become a blatant global localist, become a disciple, build relationships and communities, and cultivate a life of contemplative, compassionate, non-violent  prayer, you will throw your life and the dominant social paradigm into chaos. You will feel a slight dislocation. 

That happens when we determine to change ourselves and the world. 

Chaos is what this next POTUS will try to cultivate. He's already doing it. He will use chaos as a tool to keep him in power. Only he has the answers. Only he can lead us to "Make America Great Again." Which, for him, means white nationalism, racism, tribalism and misogyny. It means creating barriers and building walls and personal pockets of wealth at the expense of the poorest and most vulnerable among us. 

In the Spirituality of hope in the Age of The Donald, there is radical, sacred resistance and a subversion of the dominant paradigm. Nationalism becomes localism. Thinking globally leads to more effective local action. The luxury of contemplative prayer becomes a tool of necessity for nonviolent activism. The anxiety of chaos is harnessed to become the energy of transformation and the source of new life.

Chaos is not a pit. Chaos is a ladder. It's what the Spirit brooded over in order to bring forth a new creation.  It is a tool to be used to create a new order to bring about peace. Peace in our hearts. Peace in our lives. Peace in our families. Peace in our places of worship. Peace in our neighborhoods. Peace in the world. 

To quote a group of South African ecumenical theologians who wrote the 1985 Kairos Document in the anti-apartheid struggle: 

"The peace that God wants is based upon truth, repentance, justice and love. The peace that the world offers us is a unity that compromises the truth, covers over injustice and oppression and is totally motivated by selfishness. At this stage, like Jesus, we must expose this false peace, confront our oppressors and sow dissension. As Christians we must say with Jesus: “Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth. No, I tell you, but rather dissension” (Lk 12:51). There can be no real peace without justice and repentance. (3.1)"

So, there it is. That's my best shot. 

The bad news is that I know in the very marrow of my bones that we're headed into certain political chaos and disaster. A whole lot of people are going to be hurt.


The good news is that I think, from this time of chaos, we're being called into a time of spiritual renaissance and renewal. 


I believe this is the absolute best time to be alive and be a spiritual being. And, I believe, we are all inherently spiritual beings.


So, quit squabbling about prayer and how it should be done and put your own prayer into action.  

Pull up your socks, put on your boots, wipe your nose, dry your eyes, and roll up your sleeves. We've got a lot of work to do. 

Join the #Sacred Resistance.

Remember: Chaos is not a pit. It's a ladder.  Only the ladder is real. The climb is all there is.

On being a Hospice Jedi

Note: One of the joys of being a Hospice Chaplain is that, every two weeks, I get to provide an opening meditation for the IDT (Interdisciplinary Team) meeting. I try to find different ways to provide the staff with a way to think about the spirituality of their work. I love using poetry - especially contemporaries like Anne Sexton, Annie Dillard, and May Sarton along with Emily Dickinson, Gerard Manly Hopkins, and John Donne. In the past, I've reflected on what I've learned about Hospice from children's fairy tales as well as Winnie The Pooh. This one is from Yoda. It was well received by my team. I'm happy to share it with you. 

Everything I needed to know about being a Hospice Jedi,

I learned from Yoda in Star Wars

1. “Do or do not. There is no try.”

2. “You will find only what you bring in.”

3. “Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship.”

4. “The fear of loss is a path to the Dark Side.”

5. “The dark side clouds everything. Impossible to see the future is.” 

6. “Always pass on what you have learned.”

7. Yes, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will.

8. “Mind what you have learned. Save you it can.”

9. “A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away… to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph. Adventure. Heh. Excitement. Heh. A Jedi craves not these things.”

10. “Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future.”

11. (Said just before Yoda dies) “Soon will I rest, yes, forever sleep. Earned it I have. Twilight is upon me, soon night must fall.” 

12. “May the Force be with you.”

Chaplain Elizabeth 

January 4, 2017