I woke up this morning ready to run. As I scanned the available podcasts for the 40+ minutes of my run, I decided to listen to Krista Tippett's interview "On Being" with Father Greg Boyle from the summer of 2012.
Find it here (or free at the iTunes store):
http://www.onbeing.org/blog/jesuit-priest-takes-la-gang-members-and-provides-jobs-and-hope-homeboy-industries/4766
Boyle is a Jesuit priest who has run a remarkable operation called HomeBoy Industries, a collection of businesses and social services that provide resources for people affected by the reality of gangs in Los Angeles, since the early 1990s. He has written a well-received book called Tattoos on the Heart, a book that has deeply affected my friend and pastor, Ruth Boven, who regular quotes from it in her sermons at Neland Church.
So while I was out on my run listening to the podcast interview from last summer at the Chautauqua Institute, I heard remarkable statements from Father G, including, "anything worth doing is worth failing at," and something to the effect that "service must lead to kinship." So imagine my surprise when I opened my liturgy this morning at Neland Church and found that Pastor Ruth was preaching this morning, and her topic was from Amos, the prophet, on "Just Worship." And one of her main sources for the sermon was from an interview Krista Tippett did with Father Greg Boyle on "The Calling of Delight: Gangs, Service, Kinship." More than a coincidence, I think.
The passage in Amos that Pastor Ruth focused her sermon on was from chapter 5:18-24, subtitled "The Day of the Lord." In this little passage, something strange happens - we are warned that this "Day of the Lord" that Christians think they are waiting for might not be so awesome and wonderful as they think. It might be like while we are running away from a lion, we meet a bear instead. And Amos tells us that our religious festivals and activities are not the point, not at all, especially if we don't get the main point, which is to "Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like an ever-flowing stream!" I have heard it suggested that our translation of "righteousness" in the New Testament should actually usually be "justice," so I would be interested in a language scholar's explanation of the two different words here. In any case, Amos seems to be saying quite clearly that worship of God is meaningless, and even offensive, if it isn't accompanied by careful thought and action toward justice. This will be hard, and require sacrifice.
Perhaps the most interesting point of both Pastor Ruth's sermon on Just Worship, and Greg Boyle's interview with Krista Tippett revolves around the question of the relationship that develops in the act of service - something Boyle refers to as "kinship." If we can't name people who are poor when we are asked to think of people in our close circle of family and friends, then our circles are probably too small. This is a deeply challenging and disturbing suggestion to me, and I hope, to you. Fits with the idea that a good sermon (church, Christian life etc) will "comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable."
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Paying attention as prayer, as paying attention
For our first staff meeting of the summer, I chose to read aloud from a couple of influential sources to set a tone for our work. I first read a short passage from Peter Kreeft's little book, Prayer for Beginners, the piece was entitled "Work: Praying Always." Kreeft suggests in this little piece that the New Testament mandate that we "pray constantly" can only make sense if we understand that our actions can be prayer. "Therefore we can pray even in working (not just as we work); we can make our works prayers."
We then read aloud from Simone Weil's well-known essay, "Reflections on the Right Use of School Studies with a View to the Love of God." Here, Weil makes a case that the point of learning, of work, of school studies, is not mastery of content, but rather the ability to pay attention. And paying attention, really paying attention, by bringing "more light to the soul," will eventually bear its fruit in prayer. "Students must therefore work without any wish to gain good marks, to pass examinations, to win school successes; without any reference to their natural abilities and tastes; applying themselves equally to all their tasks, with the idea that each one will help to form in them the habit of paying attention which is the substance of prayer." In an age of increasing distraction, and what appears to be decreasing abilities to paying attention, Weil's suggestion, for those who seek to understand the mysteries of prayer, is constructive. Keep reading books, keep learning new things, keep exercising the muscles of attention.
But she warns that it won't be will power that enables the kind of attention we need to develop. "Will power, the kind that, if need be, makes us set our teeth and endure suffering, is the principal weapon of the apprentice engaged in manual work. But, contrary to the usual belief, it has practically no place in study. The intelligence can only be led by desire. For there to be desire, there must be pleasure and joy in the work. The intelligence only grows and bears fruit in joy. The joy of learning is as indispensable in study as breathing is in running."
And finally, Weil broadens her definition of "love of God," to include neighbor-love. She writes, "The love of our neighbor in all its fullness simply means being able to say to him: "What are you going through?" ... This way of looking is first of all attentive. The soul empties itself of all its own contents in order to receive into itself the being it is looking at, just as he is, in all his truth. Only he who is capable of attention can do this.
"So it comes about that, paradoxical as it may seem, a Latin prose or a geometry problem, even though they are done wrong, may be of great service one day, provided we devote the right kind of effort to them. Should the occasion arise, they can one day make us better able to give someone in affliction exactly the help required to save him, at the supreme moment of his need."
And we finished with a poem from Wendell Berry, titled, "Some further words." The poem explores the meaning of identity, of living "fully human" lives, and the goodness of "the domestic world of humans, so long as it pays its debts to the natural world, and keeps its bounds."
We were reminded in these readings, (and the tone was set for our summer together), that we can learn from prophets and teachers at the margins of many faith traditions, and that the relationship between the material and the spiritual is a many-splendored, inexplicable, and wonderful mystery.
We then read aloud from Simone Weil's well-known essay, "Reflections on the Right Use of School Studies with a View to the Love of God." Here, Weil makes a case that the point of learning, of work, of school studies, is not mastery of content, but rather the ability to pay attention. And paying attention, really paying attention, by bringing "more light to the soul," will eventually bear its fruit in prayer. "Students must therefore work without any wish to gain good marks, to pass examinations, to win school successes; without any reference to their natural abilities and tastes; applying themselves equally to all their tasks, with the idea that each one will help to form in them the habit of paying attention which is the substance of prayer." In an age of increasing distraction, and what appears to be decreasing abilities to paying attention, Weil's suggestion, for those who seek to understand the mysteries of prayer, is constructive. Keep reading books, keep learning new things, keep exercising the muscles of attention.
But she warns that it won't be will power that enables the kind of attention we need to develop. "Will power, the kind that, if need be, makes us set our teeth and endure suffering, is the principal weapon of the apprentice engaged in manual work. But, contrary to the usual belief, it has practically no place in study. The intelligence can only be led by desire. For there to be desire, there must be pleasure and joy in the work. The intelligence only grows and bears fruit in joy. The joy of learning is as indispensable in study as breathing is in running."
And finally, Weil broadens her definition of "love of God," to include neighbor-love. She writes, "The love of our neighbor in all its fullness simply means being able to say to him: "What are you going through?" ... This way of looking is first of all attentive. The soul empties itself of all its own contents in order to receive into itself the being it is looking at, just as he is, in all his truth. Only he who is capable of attention can do this.
"So it comes about that, paradoxical as it may seem, a Latin prose or a geometry problem, even though they are done wrong, may be of great service one day, provided we devote the right kind of effort to them. Should the occasion arise, they can one day make us better able to give someone in affliction exactly the help required to save him, at the supreme moment of his need."
And we finished with a poem from Wendell Berry, titled, "Some further words." The poem explores the meaning of identity, of living "fully human" lives, and the goodness of "the domestic world of humans, so long as it pays its debts to the natural world, and keeps its bounds."
We were reminded in these readings, (and the tone was set for our summer together), that we can learn from prophets and teachers at the margins of many faith traditions, and that the relationship between the material and the spiritual is a many-splendored, inexplicable, and wonderful mystery.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Celebrating 52 years together
I just turned 48 two weeks ago. And tonight Julie and I celebrated with my parents their 52nd anniversary of their wedding, on June 1, 1961.
We celebrated in style, with a three course gourmet meal in the home of a very long-time friend, Scott Hoezee, with able assistance from his son, Graham. Bought at church a few months ago, the dinner was a "service auction" item, and at this dinner we were treated with a foretaste of God's good kingdom through Scott and Graham's skill, affection, and hospitality. From champagne with Mushroom Gratin with French Baguette Slices as an appetizer; we moved to our first course from Asia: Sesame-crusted Sashimi Tuna, Thai slaw, ginger and wasabi, and sesame dipping sauce. After that our second course was Persian: Lamb Osso Bucco in a Moroccan tomato sauce, served with lamb Megueyez sausage and saffron risotto. Then third course came from France: Seared breast of duck in a morel mushroom sauce, and confit of duck and truffled mashed potatoes. All topped off with orange and cinnamon creme brulee served with fresh raspberries and blackberries. All accompanied by red, and white wine along the way. My comment halfway through dinner was that Scott was preparing us for the tastes of heaven, and he was.
Fifty-two years of marriage is something worth celebrating. Congratulations, Mom and Dad.
We celebrated in style, with a three course gourmet meal in the home of a very long-time friend, Scott Hoezee, with able assistance from his son, Graham. Bought at church a few months ago, the dinner was a "service auction" item, and at this dinner we were treated with a foretaste of God's good kingdom through Scott and Graham's skill, affection, and hospitality. From champagne with Mushroom Gratin with French Baguette Slices as an appetizer; we moved to our first course from Asia: Sesame-crusted Sashimi Tuna, Thai slaw, ginger and wasabi, and sesame dipping sauce. After that our second course was Persian: Lamb Osso Bucco in a Moroccan tomato sauce, served with lamb Megueyez sausage and saffron risotto. Then third course came from France: Seared breast of duck in a morel mushroom sauce, and confit of duck and truffled mashed potatoes. All topped off with orange and cinnamon creme brulee served with fresh raspberries and blackberries. All accompanied by red, and white wine along the way. My comment halfway through dinner was that Scott was preparing us for the tastes of heaven, and he was.
Fifty-two years of marriage is something worth celebrating. Congratulations, Mom and Dad.
This is the second course, mmm.
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