Uniting Change and Trust

We are “work’s in progress”. Each one.

In a world that celebrates function, efficiency and effectiveness, our inherent evolution of self is a vast contrast. We are all infinitely imperfect, cascading into who we will be, while brushing up against others along the way.

We all have our own path. Trust it. ~ My wise friend, P.

Through many soul sharing conversations this week, one theme kept resonating with my fellow questioners of different backgrounds, ages, accomplishments, and goals in life:

Be mindful of uniting our desire for change with our ability to trust.

While I can focus on what needs to be ‘fixed in my life, or changed to better accept the future, there needs to be a strong balance with trust. Having faith that the road will lead me, that I’ll be ready for the things that I wish for, and able to deal with others, is the key. It’s the old adage of the Serenity prayer, asking for acceptance, courage, and wisdom, while we go about.

One day, I might just get this ‘living’ thing down. Until then, I smile at the revelation that this journey is not over. Nor is our formation. And that’s a most wondrous thing.

Unity not Uniformity.

“We are never going to have unity based on uniformity…”.

My Dad sent me a recording entitled Future Church. A lazy Saturday, already running ‘late’ to cross things off the endless to-do list. But, as I carried my laptop around my apartment, scrubbing my bathroom, mopping my floors, getting ready, I couldn’t stop listening. In fact, I sat down in midst of my spring cleaning, and felt myself listen to faith, connecting more than I have in weeks. Maybe even months.

Why does this message of the future church and the wisdom that “We are never going to have unity based on uniformity…”, speak so vibrantly to me?

Maybe its my calling to work in an interfaith group. Regardless of age, gender, orientation, religion, we come together each day to work for the greater good, as called to by our faiths. I so appreciate those I work with, and recognize that their gifts and talents are so needed. By our coming together, we bring forth greater achievements than we would if we operated alone.

Maybe too its my time spent with people on the street in Syracuse. Remembering Baby Mariah who would run to me and give me the biggest bear hug with her toothless grin. Or Wade, who opened my eyes to the silent struggle of so many and the vast loneliness that can exist in this world.

Confirmed by these experiences, I know that all people are worthy. All people have spiritual dimensions and are invited to connect with the divine.

Admittedly, my life is vastly different than others across the globe. But there is one thing that unites us: We are all humans.

So can’t we come together in a place, in a mindset, in way that uplifts us all, bringing us closer to God? I think so. And I happen to agree with Fr. Vincent’s words: ” We are never going to have unity based on uniformity…”.

Uniformity seeks out what is different, ugly, sinful, disdainful, and asks for us to be the same. To be perfect. To be what we cannot be, but could strive to be. Unity seeks an acceptance that we are all God’s children, that each of us is a welcome sheep into the fold. Uniformity seeks certain habits, where unity seeks communion.

As my soul was scrubbed, my mind cleansed of some anger from recent actions, I felt God. Fr. Vincent’s preaching reminded me that indeed, I am WELCOMED in my HOME of the Church.

I can continue. Today I was renewed. Today I was called to listen. Today I was reminded that I’m loved, welcomed, and needed in my Church. Of course I know I’ll struggle in the future. But on a day that I awoke with a quiet sadness, my soul felt the spark of joy.  Today, I felt the hand of my God.

***
As I’ve mentioned before, Sisters are some of my heroines. This piece below illuminates their great work.

Confirmed

A crisis of faith.

                   An emergency confirmation.

                                             Plenty of faithful struggling.

Two weeks ago, I happily agreed to be my godson’s confirmation sponsor. Due to circumstances, this needed to occur immediately. While I remain honored that he asked me to stand with him and guide him in this sacrament, I worried. Right now, my heart is breaking over faith.

***

After our traditional prayers and liturgy of the word was celebrated, we were asked to restate our baptismal promises with our confirmandi.

Do you reject Satan,  all of his works and empty promises?

I do.

Do you believe in God, the Father almighty,  creator of heaven and earth?

I do. 

Do you believe in Jesus Christ,
his only Son, our Lord,
who was born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered death and was buried,
rose again from the dead,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father?

I do. 

Do you believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting?

…I …do. 

I paused. This question of the Church arouses my sadness in certain actions. Do I believe in this?

Words so simple: I do believe.

Uttered from my heart, I realized that I believe in the church that I see every day as I go to work; in each moment that my young adult group and I conduct a service event or share our faith journeys. I see it in my friend’s new role as father, as he invites me to pray with his baby before putting him to bed, using words said for thousands of years, and ones we grew up professing together. I see it in my Father’s patient position as a caregiver, each day living out the Gospel message. I see it in my friend’s role as a loving, supportive wife. I believe in the goodness of our church, of the opportunity it has to become even more beautiful, diverse, holy, welcoming and honoring of all of God’s people.

 

 

Today was about my wonderful godson. I put my questions aside, and asked him what his were. As we waited over an hour for the service to start, we found ourselves in a great discussion. He has questions and certainly feels that God has not answered all of his prayers. I told him as hard as it is, God’s timing is not always ours. Even more deeply, I found myself saying “Keep praying…I think it is a way to find answers to your questions”.

And so it is. On this day of my godson’s confirmation, I pray that he finds his faith, his peace, and his  connection to the divine. I also ask for the grace and guidance to support him. I pray that he, and all others, know how dearly loved they are, no matter what this world may tell them. Furthermore, I pray that we find answers to our questions, hope in our struggles, and acceptance too.

***

As my godson showed me one of his gifts after the ceremony, I asked “Do you know what this stands for?” Glancing down at the cross with a dove in the center, “Yes, peace.”  he said.  “Oh and love. It stands for peace and love”.

For peace and for love: my faith stands.

Heroines

I am a woman. I’m faithful, curious, spiritual, and blessed. I am a Catholic. 

After reading these two articles, I felt compelled to share with you:

From the National Catholic Reporter and from the New York Times.

I have been surrounded by Catholic women since birth, and am better for it. Sisters were some of my first teachers and coaches. They were also the first modern-day preachers and prophets I encountered and who took time to get to know me personally. Today, I know many sisters who are dynamic leaders and role models. Quite a few have provided profound influence on my life.

My heroines, at the foot of their heroine: Srs. Dolly and JP at soon to be Saint Marianne's Grave

Today, Catholics around the world  heard these words:

“When the court officers had brought the Apostles in
and made them stand before the Sanhedrin,
the high priest questioned them,
“We gave you strict orders did we not,
to stop teaching in that name.
Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching
and want to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
But Peter and the Apostles said in reply,
“We must obey God rather than men.
The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,
though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.
God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior
to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.
We are witnesses of these things,
as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”

When they heard this,
they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death”.

While I wonder about the meaning in the articles above, I do not wonder about these scriptural teachings. Our first Pope proclaims divine wisdom.

I am a woman. I’m faithful, curious, spiritual, and blessed. I am a Catholic. 

Our family’s faith

Ancient Holidays, New Traditions is a beautiful depiction of connecting faith to current action.

I brought information to my family’s Easter celebration on the issue of food and worker’s rights, but with the commotion of travel, plumb forgot to weave it in to our gathering. I’m glad others remembered!

Will I still talk to my family about this issue? You bet. I’ll send them the post above, as Alli captured a fascinating moment that makes my soul sing. For that, right there, is faith. It’s the marriage of the sacrosanct and the sacramental. Calling for the resurrection of the plight of others, while recalling those of long ago. For others, it is being able to celebrate a Hallelujah morn, while remembering (even if it is a few days later) to stand up for others in this one, large family of ours.

To the union of traditional faith and modern action & to drawing on our spirituality in order to show reverence to the world of today, I say yes.I say yes, amen, I do believe.

Fasting from the Good Fight

What a difference twenty-four hours can make! Aspects of my life swung from dissonance to harmony, aggression to acceptance, passivity to passion.

Sometimes, I find myself pushing to run the whole race in one day. It is not enough that we ‘fight the good fight’, I want to touch the finish line. I want to celebrate victory. Now.  Simply put, I want everything: from problems to be solved, to blog posts to be written, and even major issues of injustice, righted.

Yet, our existence doesn’t work as such. Nor, should it. For there is so much more than my version of ‘right’ or ‘desirable’. And is there a lesson in the journey? I’m sure of it. Although I’m no where near the end of my path, I speculate that it has something to do with patience.

So as today begins a new spiritual journey for some, I share lines from a poem entitled: A Lent of Opportunity

Fast from discontent; Feast on gratitude.

Fast from anger; Feast on patience

Fast from worry; Feast on God’s providence.

Fast from unrelenting pressures; Feast on unceasing prayer.

Fast from problems that overwhelm; Feast on prayer that sustains.

As this holy season begins,  I hope to fast from focusing on the work yet to be completed and rather feast on the joy of living a life incomplete.