Faith is the daring.....

Image by Lawrence OP via Flickr

"Faith is the daring of the soul to go farther than it can see"
- William Newton Clarke -

Holy Week Christian for a long time.....I've seen it before......I know the story's hero, villains, traitors, ardent followers and grievers. I could (and probably do) play each role in the story if depicted on stage; except that of the hero. Why does the story still hold the fascination of a mystery? Why do I still wonder what Jesus did every day and every moment of his life, in particular, those last days of his life? Why, why, why?

I haven't lost my faith, no, it seems sturdier than ever but the quote from Mr. Clarke seems to summarize where my soul feels this day in Holy Week - Holy Tuesday. How about you? Does your soul still dare to question farther than it can see - or does your soul not ask questions anymore? I can't see that far in my future to think I will stop asking questions about this profound and holy mystery in which I choose to believe.

A Long Lent

Image by Lawrence OP via Flickr

Yesterday afternoon, Palm Sunday, after a rapid weekend car trip, lots of conversation with new friends, lots of food, too little exercise, and an intense Sunday a.m. in church - at one time crying out, "Hosanna!," and in the next, "Crucify Him!," I reviewed my blogsite and thought - I cannot write another thing about Lent! I'm worn out, I'm spent - what else is there?

At dinner, just my spouse and I, I reflected upon those feelings and had to laugh at myself - let's see, me - alive with knowledge of the resurrection and contemplating it with joy versus Jesus in Gethsemane thinking escape or death, escape or death? ......I think I can talk about Lent and Jesus' and my walk for another few days!!

It does seem to me the season of Lent is a long time to contemplate my journey, my mortal life, my immortality - such serious, concentrated thoughts, study, prayer. Yet, in the scheme of things, as I said, life and my mortal opportunities - the Lenten journey is really a short course - way too short! This week, Holy Week, is the cram course for the final - the plan to more closely study and inwardly digest what Jesus brought into my life with his life, his love, his teachings, his mission.

My "final" studies begin this evening at church on Holy Monday. I pray that I will remember that the time in the garden for Jesus must have felt like a lifetime, not just a night of prayer. His wrestling with God's plan, even being God, must have been serious to the point of deserting. Why, why, does this have to be done?

I'm still working through the solution that Jesus' followed and believed would save my life and of course, his as well. But Lent in the wilderness, and Holy Week for Jesus - it must have been a time too short, too short to make the decision of one's life.

I have plans to continue this journey, to explore Holy Week, to rest in it, to be a part of the final journey to resurrection - how about you?

Will you be the light?

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Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. -Matthew 10:29-31-

From the Episcopal Relief and Development Organization readings for Lent, the verses from Matthew and the thought for the day below came across my computer screen one day this past week -

"We are treasured, each of us, by the God who made us each unique, and we treasure our own uniqueness. But we also are part of a community, each of us, and the meaning of why we're here is found in others. The answering light in another's eyes brings us each to life."

My questions for me and for you on this Palm Sunday are these - Will I, will you be the answering light in another's eyes? Will I, will you be the one that gives another person hope, comfort or aid today - it may only be our eyes, our ears, or our smiles that is needed. I'm praying that God will remind me of thess questions to myself today and that I will offer the gift that is most needed to another one of God's children freely, automatically, without a doubt.

Happy Palm Sunday!

Care of the Soul

Getting my hands on a copy of Thomas Moore's, Care of the Soul, I flipped it open to discover, as often happens when I purchase a used book, interesting underlining from the last book owner. In this case, the underlining begins in the author's Introduction to his book. A brief sharing here -

"Therefore, this book, my own imagination of what a self-help manual could be, is a guide offering a philosophy of soulful living and techniques for dealing with everyday problems without striving for perfection or salvation."

The author continues, "The emotional complaints of our time, complaints we therapists hear every day in our practice, include -

emptiness, meaninglessness, vague depression, disillusionment about marriage, family, and relationship, a loss of values, yearning for personal fulfillment, a hunger for spirituality

All of these symptoms reflect a loss of soul and let us know what the soul craves. We yearn excessively for entertainment, power, intimacy, sexual fulfillment, and material things, and we think we can find these things if we discover the right relationship or job, the right church or therapy. But without soul, whatever we find will be unsatisfying, for what we truly long for is the soul in each of these areas. Lacking that soulfulness, we attempt to gather these alluring satisfactions to us in great masses, thinking apparently that quantity will make up for lack of quality."

I am eager to dive further into the book's text and if you're a regular reader of MindSieve, you know you'll receive a quote here and there, along with my questions - always my questions, probably never my answers!

The brief sentences that I've shared with you make me wonder about our world population's yearning for its collective soul in this time in global history that those "things" we've gathered to feed our souls are obviously NOT feeding our souls. Regrettably in many cases, our grasping for things has robbed us of even an ability to feed our bodies, or care for them healthwise personally, or healthwise globally. The poorest of our poor globally do not have the time that I do to ponder whether they can care for their soul or not - to care for their soul in order to escape the emptiness of their daily struggle for existence probably does not rate as highly as whether they will have a drink of clean water today or a bowl of watered-down something or another to eat. But for those of us, including me in that us, who have "everything" - homes, cars, pets, clothing, jewelry, computers, and more gadgets to play music than there is music - do I, do we do enough to protect, to feed our souls? It's a question I'm going to explore with Thomas Moore in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, I think I can count the ways that I currently feed my soul. Are there enough ways for me? Can you, do you, do I, find our bodies better fed than our souls? Should we be stepping on the scales? What kind of scales can I, can we use for this measurement? I've got some good questions brewing for myself - how about you - hungry?

Lent - Holy Week - The Time In Between

Over at Diamonds in the Sky with Lucy this week, Lucy posted a comment about "the place in-between" and what it means to her right now. I found that I had some feelings about what that "in-between" time is for me right now that I wanted to share here.

The in-between time definition for me is the space between the end of Lent, the beginning of Holy Week.....Lent seems like a long journey and yet it is almost complete and now I must, I have to, it's required if I believe in Jesus Christ, step into the crowd singing hosannas on Palm Sunday and before the week is over, screeching 'crucify him' - it is indeed an in between time.

I would prefer the happily ever after ending/the Resurrection without all of the mess in-between but for me, I don't believe I can skip all the in-between and understand the Resurrection. God chooses such an interesting crowd of workers to deliver the good news!

Holiness - what and where is it?

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

After a morning walk with Riley yesterday, I checked in over at Abbey of the Arts and found Christine's beautiful post; in it she asked the question - "what has revealed the holiness of this day to you?"

Usually a question from Christine, and she asks some good ones, deserves a bit of contemplative and reflective thought prior to my answering. These thoughts however popped right into my head.....

My walk with Riley this a.m. was cold, very cold, wind was biting and I needed a heavier jacket than the one I had worn. I knew the benefits of the exercise for him and for me but I wanted to turn around so many times, thought of short-cutting the track part of the walk and didn't, just kept putting one foot in front of the other and 40 minutes later we were back in our nice warm home with the walk only a memory.....until Christine's question.

Then I ask myself, "How has Lent been like this morning's cold walk?" Entering Lent, as an Episcopalian, is meaningful, a somewhat painless reminder of mortality with the imposition of ashes, and the somber invitation to enter into the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance, etc.

But, the walk, ah the journey through Lent. For me rest and recreation was on the menu at the time Lent began this year so there was time for reflection about how my journey should proceed. Some moderation in my health habits surrounding eating seems always in order, no real hope of increasing the exercise because I'm already a little nutty about that, a definite plan of worship, reading and study, along with the beginning stages of a little reflective 'zine to be published prior to next year's Lent - to be marketed to bloggers, friends, family, acquaintances, whomever would enjoy some hand-holding inspirational reading during their own Lenten journey. The plan solid - proceed!

Whoops, I forgot to wear the right coat, it was too cold, the planned walk was too long, what was I thinking - maybe a shortcut is in order, stay the path, yes, it's good for me but couldn't the sun cooperate with me a little - I mean it looked like snow again! Which walk - the dog or the God path?

I could go on but I think you get my point. The walk today for me with the dog AND with God are good things - they are sacred reminders of my place on God's path. It seems too long, too cold, can I go the extra steps, should I, would I, will I, am I? The "planned for" warm place at the end of the walk is in sight..............oh, I hope it doesn't snow on Palm Sunday!!!

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The Word

For yesterday's lessons, these words were sort of "in the middle" of the a.m. readings in Romans 10:1-13. They've stayed in my mind - who knows, they might be important to you also.

"The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart"

So the word is near-do I hear it, do I express it, am I confused or enlightened by it? All of these questions might be pondered, but for now, the simple words are enough for this day of Lent.

Photo - 8"x8" Mixed Media Collage - "Postage Stamps"