Today I write to share just a couple video resources that have informed my reflection in recent weeks. I highly recommend investing the time to listen/watch the interview with U2’s Bono- I find his insights into faith and community to be compelling. Also this Sheryl Crow song was new to me, although it is a few years old by now. I hope you enjoy them both.
Otherwise a highlight for me of this past week was watching Forrest Gump the other night with my kids. I introduced the movie to them in the context of exploring civil rights as we prepare to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. next week. It was a great experience to field their questions and learn from their observations. I encourage you to watch it (again) if you have the time, I found it particularly relevant in light of the past several years.
In the Catholic tradition, today marks the feast of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, who in the United States is celebrated as one of the Founders of the Daughters of Charity. I have had the great fortune to be formed by, and to walk alongside, the Daughters here in California for over two decades. They have modeled courage, resilience and an unwavering heart for those on the margins. Elizabeth Ann’s own journey of perseverence, faith and commitment to children is as awe-inspiring. Pat Marrin’s reflection, “Know Thyself,” provides a thoughtful take on how Elizabeth Ann, as educator, illustrated how discipleship embodies how Jesus himself knew, loved and accompanied those who followed him. As people of faith or even simply as people of good will, this is our calling as well.
Weather patterns across our country in recent weeks have wreaked havoc on holiday travel. For those who are unhoused or who face housing insecurity, I pray that they safely find shelter during this time. In appreciation of the rain that our earth is welcoming to California, I share “Buckets of Rain,” by a favorite of my artists, Bob Dylan.
As I write this post, my children are in the room next to my home office, playing Pictionary together after a relaxing morning of art, backyard basketball, practicing guitars and plenty of time on the phone for our oldest child. It’s great for them to have a break from school and sports’ practices, and I look forward to joining them at the end of this week for our upcoming “staycation.”
Last night we rode the cable cars to the handmade gingerbread house at the Fairmount Hotel, one of our favorite Christmas-time traditions. This and other recent activities mark the first time in three years that as a family we have re-engaged with some revered local customs that were interrupted by the pandemic. I am reminded of how much I love where we live and how fortunate I feel for our family to once again be celebrating Christmas in San Francisco. And we work hard not to rush into the season ahead without proper recognition of this special time of Advent.
Personally, the example of Joseph, the father of Jesus, is one that grounds me in my reflection upon Advent. In her Transforming Center blog, Ruth Haley Barton describes Joseph’s discernment and decision-making as a “walk of faith.” I couldn’t agree more.
Enjoy this inspiring rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” to assist our moment of reflection. May we each walk in faith throughout these concluding Advent steps ahead!
Advent is a time of waiting, and I am enjoying this reflective season. Being intentional, spending time outdoors, pacing myself amidst a flurry of activities (both personal and professional) and keeping my daily reflective practice routines have been essential. As I’ve previously referenced, one of these disciplines is an “Advent Attitudes” email from Loyola Press – I am pleased to share this below excerpt on “Patience.”
Patient people are more flexible with time than impatient people. Impatient people exist in only one time frame—their own. They are comfortable with only one schedule—theirs. They want things done when they want things done. And they expect the rest of the world to adapt to their schedule. If they want their child to be potty trained by twenty-four months and he is not by twenty-six, they get angry. If they have to stand in line at the store while an elderly lady ahead of them carries on a brief conversation with the cashier, they get upset because that lady is disrupting their schedule.
Patient people, on the other hand, can flow back and forth between different time frames. They know, for example, that potty training a child may necessitate entering a time frame other than their own. Waiting in line for a few extra moments while an elderly lady chats with a cashier invites patient people to momentarily set aside their own schedule. They enter with compassion the schedule of another, someone who is lonely and who may have more time than she knows what to do with.
Recently I did some creative imagining and took a walk with Patience. When I asked her, “What can I do to become more like you?” she thought for a moment, smiled warmly, and said, “Plant an acorn. . . .Befriend a turtle. . . .Teach a child.”
This week I also came across this wonderful show from the sacred space of Preservation Hall in New Orleans, LA (one of my favorite towns). The band, Rising Appalachia, provides a soulful and soul-filled virtual experience. I have listened to this while I worked, shared it with friends, and I hope you find it a helpful resource as well. Blessings on your week ahead!
This Advent season I am enjoying daily email reflections from Loyola Press. Apparently author Joe Paprocki contributes to these reflections with excerpts from his book, Under the Influence of Jesus: The Transforming Experience of Encountering Christ. Enhancing my daily prayer practice during the season of Advent is helpful in grounding me throughout these hectic weeks.
In the midst of holiday business, I attempt to “take it all in” in terms of my family. We’ve started new seasons in CYO basketball and soccer, and my wife and I attempt to tri-locate on one evening each week when all three of our kids practice at the same time in different locations. We haven’t quite figured that one out yet but we are continually learning patience and flexibility.
I came across this quote recently and it spoke to my understanding of a faith that does justice. This concept, too, brings me joy. May we each be inspired to work toward justice during this Advent time. Blesssings on your week ahead!
Our faith has been about the communities faithfully modeling a way of being in the world, of being in relationship with each other and with the prisoner and the hungry. It has been about Amos, standing up to the establishment in the name of God and in the name of justice. So, I believe that the future of Christianity is indeed its past and present. —Nontombi Naomi Tutu
I hope that this Thanksgiving week affords each of us some time to reflect and discern how we can give back, in appreciation for the gifts God affords us. In particular I pray that our common humanity may inspire us to prioritize those in our society in greatest need. As for me, I am most excited about being home after several months filled with much travel; I look forward to the time with my family! Some of our upcoming annual holiday activities will be coordinating our family charitable giving and also designing our ADVENT-ure calendar activities for the month ahead.
“To become fully human means learning to turn my gratitude for being alive into some concrete common good. It means growing gentler toward human weakness. It means practicing forgiveness of my and everyone else’s hourly failures to live up to divine standards. It means learning to forget myself on a regular basis in order to attend to the other selves in my vicinity. It means living so that ‘ I’m only human ’ does not become an excuse for anything. It means receiving the human condition as blessing and not curse, in all its achingly frail and redemptive reality.” – Brené Brown
I read this brief reflection at the start to my week: Finding Your Perfect Point of Gratitude. It has framed my attempt to approach this week with increased awareness of the everyday blessings that God affords me – and yes, even those which are wrapped up as challenges. Noteworthy experiences include an alternate route through San Francisco on my ride home from the office that took me through the Presidio (depicted)…to my daughter’s enthusiasm for the eco-challenge at her school which inspired her to go completely waste-free (a.k.a. wrapper-less) in packing her lunch. Yesterday’s contrasts included my oldest son’s excitement at the receipt of his 8th grade sweatshirt at school, a rite of passage of sorts for his classmates and him….to the long, quiet ride I enjoyed through the city with my other (more introverted) son as together we enjoyed some calm music and breathtaking views throughout a crisp, clear and beautiful city afternoon (en route to the orthodontist, of all places!).
Mercy in a World Becoming – Madeline Ducket RSM
Blessed be the mercy we hold deep in our hearts.
Blessed be the boots that carry us to action
for mercy´s sake in our world.
Blessed be rest times when boots are taken off.
Blessed be the prayer that rises in our boots off resting.
Blessed be the sacred balance of rest and contemplation.
Blessed be mercy received from others
And mercy given to all we meet
Blessed be the mercy journey
That beckons us forward to need.
Blessed be the journey´s end
When we take the final step into eternity.
Blessed be God, The Source,
Centre and End of all our mercy walking.
Amen
From Boots Cracked Pot and a Place at the Table.
I loved this poem above shared at a meeting I logged into this morning. It reminds me of November serving as a “Month of Remembrance” whereby we recall those loved ones- family, friends and colleagues – who have gone before us. In that spirit, I am also happy to share a moving rendition of a classic song, “Wish You Were Here” that acknowledges the emotion involved in the process of of healing.
May God continue to empower us to embrace the mercy we receive from God, ourselves and others. Blessings on your week ahead!
Tomorrow night I am providing a reflection at the parent meeting for our son’s school on “The Power of Gratitude.” I am pleased to share some of the resources that I am considering. For me it’s all about relationships, rooted in joy, happiness and love. I remain grateful for my mentors along the way, and for the gifts that God continues to bless with me through the people and experiences in my life.
On Joy
“Our greatest joy is when we seek to do good for others…
being created by [this] God, we are created to flourish.
And we flourish in community.”
(Archbishop Desmond Tutu, The Book of Joy, p. 61-62)
On Happiness
“[The] recognition that we are all connected- whether Tibetan Buddhists or Hui Muslims – is the birth of empathy and compassion…
A compassionate concern for others’ well-being is the source of happiness.”
(The Dalai Lama, The Book of Joy, p. 37 and 47)
On Love
“Our greatest danger is not our sins but our indifference. We must be in love with God.
It is not so much to change what we are doing, but our intention, our motive.
It is not sufficient that we refrain from insulting a person; we must love…
When we say that we love God with our whole heart, it means whole.
We must love only God. And that sets up the triangle – God, the soul, the world.”
(Dorothy Day, The Reckless Way of Love, p. 33)
Prayer For Our Community- Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM
God, Lord of all creation, lover of life and of everything, please help us to love in our very small way what You love infinitely and everywhere. We thank You that we can offer just this one prayer and that will be more than enough, because in reality every thing and every one is connected, and nothing stands alone. To pray for one part is really to pray for the whole, and so we do. Help us each day to stand for love, for healing, for the good, for the diverse unity of the Body of Christ and all creation, because we know this is what You desire: as Jesus prayed, that all may be one. We offer our prayer together with all the holy names of God, we offer our prayer together with Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Keeping the Faith 