I think this is a powerful piece by Thomas Merton - a good way to end the week.
All forms of necessity can contribute to man's freedom. There is material and economic need. There is spiritual need. The greatest of man's spiritual needs is the need to be delivered from evil and falsity that are in himself and in his society. Tyranny, which makes a sagacious use of every human need and indeed artificially creates more of them in order to exploit them all to the limit, recognizes the importance of guilt. And modern tyrannies have all explicitly or implicitly in one way or another emphasized the irreversibility of evil in order to build their power upon it.
Point the finger at another evil and we are able to build a greater evil as we think we are creating something new and better. We have this great need to be delivered from "evil and falsity" and yet, as we can see within the campaigns that are going on right now in our country...it is so very easy to slip into the ways of that which we do not want to be the way. Another item to look at is the conflict we face in Iraq and surrounding countries. We know that evil will continue. And yet, we use such an understanding to validate evil from our side. What an interesting way to play in the world! Rather than be a part of something radically new (I know if you use the word radical people get afraid), we use the evil of another to help us bring forth what is evil in us. Nothing changes and the only model for life that we have from all sides is that of violence and untruth - sounds like tyranny to me.
Connection: It is too easy to wage war. It is too easy to frame the day in violence. Then again, we are not called into something that is comes easy. We are called into a complete turn around that involves risk and rest.
Come, Spirit of Life. Come and remind us of how easy it is to become a part of a tyranny of hopelessness and fear. Continue to life up our eyes to your promise of new life within your peaceable Reign. Amen.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Thursday 31 January 2008
The journey continues.
Gandhi knew the reality of hatred and untruth because he had felt them in his own flesh: indeed he succumbed to them when he was assassinated on January 30, 1948. Gandhi's non-violence was therefore not a sentimental evasion or denial of the reality of evil. It was a clearsighted acceptance of the necessity to use the force and the presence of evil as a fulcrum for good and for liberation.
This falls so in line with Walter Wink's definition of a Martyr. He notes that "martyrs are not victims overtaken by evil but hunters who stalk evil into the open by offering as bait their own bodies." The martyr or witness or saint will be who s/he will be. In a violent world like ours, that means that there will be a witness that does not fit in with the prevailing powers. So to live brightly and fully and with a sense of purpose and truth and love, a witness to this Reign will find that there are powers that come out to stop what is unfolding. Gandhi knew the dangers of the world. Gandhi also knew the life that can be available to us even when there is threat abounding. Nothing can take away that life, even when violence and evil think they have done it on one level. There will always be people who are willing to dance out in the open within a life that is free from the powers of violence. It must also be noted that there will also be those who cannot allow such dancing. But in the meantime, there are those of violence and evil who are turned around and transformed by the power of love and truthfulness and joy.
Connection: Keep it up...keep it up.
Though the powers and principalities are aways looking at ways to control the day, you, O God, continue to whisper to us about life that cannot be controlled. Continue to bless us with that gentle and power word of life that you offer to us as our foundation and strength. Amen.
Gandhi knew the reality of hatred and untruth because he had felt them in his own flesh: indeed he succumbed to them when he was assassinated on January 30, 1948. Gandhi's non-violence was therefore not a sentimental evasion or denial of the reality of evil. It was a clearsighted acceptance of the necessity to use the force and the presence of evil as a fulcrum for good and for liberation.
This falls so in line with Walter Wink's definition of a Martyr. He notes that "martyrs are not victims overtaken by evil but hunters who stalk evil into the open by offering as bait their own bodies." The martyr or witness or saint will be who s/he will be. In a violent world like ours, that means that there will be a witness that does not fit in with the prevailing powers. So to live brightly and fully and with a sense of purpose and truth and love, a witness to this Reign will find that there are powers that come out to stop what is unfolding. Gandhi knew the dangers of the world. Gandhi also knew the life that can be available to us even when there is threat abounding. Nothing can take away that life, even when violence and evil think they have done it on one level. There will always be people who are willing to dance out in the open within a life that is free from the powers of violence. It must also be noted that there will also be those who cannot allow such dancing. But in the meantime, there are those of violence and evil who are turned around and transformed by the power of love and truthfulness and joy.
Connection: Keep it up...keep it up.
Though the powers and principalities are aways looking at ways to control the day, you, O God, continue to whisper to us about life that cannot be controlled. Continue to bless us with that gentle and power word of life that you offer to us as our foundation and strength. Amen.
Wednesday 30 January 2008
More of Gandhi and that which is at the center of his life and thought.
...the cornerstone of all Gandhi's life, action, and thought was the respect for the sacredness of life and the conviction that "love is the law of our being." For he said, "If love or non-violence be not the law of our being, the whole of my argument falls to pieces." Note he also says that "Truth is the law of our being." But obviously Gandhi's life was without meaning unless we take into account the fact that it was lived in the face of untruth and hatred, the persistent and flagrant denial of love.
Even though it can be difficult to hear words of truth, isn't it a wonderful gift if that truth is offered within the never-failing embrace of love. Isn't the "love that will not let us go" a love of utter truthfulness because it is an affirmation of each person....no matter what? It seems that a person of such devotion to this love and non-violence and truth must be always alert to how we are entering the moments of the day and how we interact within them. That can sound like an introspective nightmare of self-reflection without end...but it need not be that. Rather, I think it really demands a sense of forgiveness and grace. Part of the truthfulness is that we fall short and become nothing more than people who stumble over one another without really knowing why and how it happens most of the time. This, I think, gives all of us a bit more room to breathe and laugh and sigh and continue this journey of wonder and newness.
Connection: When we are available to one another and vulnerable with one another, isn't that the beginning of the promise of a new day?!?
You, O God, bring us into what is yet to be - the beloved community. We do not often stay there because we are busy pursuing what we want in our own lives. And yet, your Spirit continues to touch us and bid us to come and dance to the songs of a people utterly aware of one another and ready to take part in your gift of life and life together. Amen.
Tuesday 29 January 2008
There seems to always be a tie between inner and outer life. (You have probably noticed that I do not change Merton's or Gandhi's masculine language for humanity. Sorry for that - the first quote here is one reason I have been ignoring it.
"(People) cannot be free if (s/he) does not know that (s/he) is subject to necessity, because (his/her) freedom is always won in (his/her) never wholly successful attempts to liberate (him/herself) from necessity."
We have seen that Gandhi's political philosophy was based on this principle, because his religious intuition of the Hindu dharma (religion, duty) saw all life as one in a sacred cosmic family in which each member helped to elevate that whole from a selfish and destructive to a spiritual and productive level through sacrificial participation in the common needs and struggles of all.
I am often overwhelmed when I attempt to see the common needs and struggles of all. That is just the "seeing" of them! It is too much to consider...too grand a vision to take in and absorb. Then again, there is something miraculous and healing about taking a step and making a movement to move out of my sense of immobility and do something...something that brings me into contact with that vision. We are connected. Unfortunately, in our country and many others, we can stay away from those who are the victims of systems of success and plenty. We can avoid driving down certain streets...we can shop someplace else...we can only listen to only some stories...etc. We can even take part in religious communities that completely ignore the welfare of those other than myself and my own. And yet, each of us is needed to bring transformation. Each dreamer...each person who acts at any level...all who are willing and able to open our eyes and ears and mouths are the instuments that make sure that more and more people face the reality of life around us. It is not always the most rewarding of life tasks at the time it is taking place...but this kind of living is noted by others.
Connection: We are each in the midst of something miraculous. We need not deny it. We are invited to be a part of it...just a part.
Lord of New Life, when we cannot see how the world is to be healed and each person is a treasure in your eyes, slow us down and help us consider how you view all things and how you become within us the power to be a part of your presence today. Amen.
"(People) cannot be free if (s/he) does not know that (s/he) is subject to necessity, because (his/her) freedom is always won in (his/her) never wholly successful attempts to liberate (him/herself) from necessity."
We have seen that Gandhi's political philosophy was based on this principle, because his religious intuition of the Hindu dharma (religion, duty) saw all life as one in a sacred cosmic family in which each member helped to elevate that whole from a selfish and destructive to a spiritual and productive level through sacrificial participation in the common needs and struggles of all.
I am often overwhelmed when I attempt to see the common needs and struggles of all. That is just the "seeing" of them! It is too much to consider...too grand a vision to take in and absorb. Then again, there is something miraculous and healing about taking a step and making a movement to move out of my sense of immobility and do something...something that brings me into contact with that vision. We are connected. Unfortunately, in our country and many others, we can stay away from those who are the victims of systems of success and plenty. We can avoid driving down certain streets...we can shop someplace else...we can only listen to only some stories...etc. We can even take part in religious communities that completely ignore the welfare of those other than myself and my own. And yet, each of us is needed to bring transformation. Each dreamer...each person who acts at any level...all who are willing and able to open our eyes and ears and mouths are the instuments that make sure that more and more people face the reality of life around us. It is not always the most rewarding of life tasks at the time it is taking place...but this kind of living is noted by others.
Connection: We are each in the midst of something miraculous. We need not deny it. We are invited to be a part of it...just a part.
Lord of New Life, when we cannot see how the world is to be healed and each person is a treasure in your eyes, slow us down and help us consider how you view all things and how you become within us the power to be a part of your presence today. Amen.
Monday 28 January 2008
Oops...sorry for the partial send over the weekend. Here's the whole devotion.
We're spending quite a bit of time on Thomas Merton's comments about Gandhi. But Merton does a good making sure we see both the subtle and dramatic aspects of Gandhi's work.
All the political acts of Gandhi were, then, at the same time spiritual and religious acts in fulfillment of the Hindu dharma (religion, duty). They were meaningful on at least three different levels at once: first as acts of religious worship, second as symbolic and educative acts bringing the Indian people to a realization of their true needs and their place in the life of the world, and finally they had a universal import as manifestations of urgent truths, the unmasking of political falsehood, awakening all men to the demands of the time and to the need for renewal and unity on a world scale.
All the political acts of Gandhi were, then, at the same time spiritual and religious acts in fulfillment of the Hindu dharma (religion, duty). They were meaningful on at least three different levels at once: first as acts of religious worship, second as symbolic and educative acts bringing the Indian people to a realization of their true needs and their place in the life of the world, and finally they had a universal import as manifestations of urgent truths, the unmasking of political falsehood, awakening all men to the demands of the time and to the need for renewal and unity on a world scale.
It would do all of us well if we were able to consider the various ways our actions engage the world around us. The process of thought might cause us to slow down what we do and make sure that when we act we take into consideration more than our immediate wants...even needs. I really do think there is a great value in making sure that at some level, our everyday actions are symbolic. Others may or may not see the symbolism...but we do. It may mean that our side doesn't win or we do not make it all the way to the end. Then again, the action is all about the meantime. What is it bringing into the moment at time and what impact is it having on me...and possibly you? Part of a symbolic act may be that it does shake the foundations of the system. I didn't day destroy those foundations. Rather, shake them. It is in that shaking -even like a earthquake that is hardly noticed- that some heads turn and there is a realization that we must not hold too tightly onto the things of our lives. What more might there be...how do we go there...who will benefit?
Connection: Sometimes symbolic acts can get into the way of living among others. Therefore, it is important to act in ways that set us free rather than bind us up. Each of us must find those actions on our own.
As your Spirit seems to encounter us in many ways, O God, our lives become a part of how you act among us. Many times, we do not consider that we are instruments of your Reign and the way we walk through this day may be how your love and compassion and justice and mercy will be experience by another. Make us bold in our lives. Amen.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Friday, 25 January 2008
Today we are simply continuing the piece from yesterday. I will include a portion of the text and move on to a new piece. Again this is from Thomas Merton on Gandhi.
Satyagraha (holding on to truth) is meaningless if it is not based on the awareness of profound inner contradiction in all societies based on force... Hence satyagraha according to Gandhi cannot seriously accept claims advanced by a basically violent society that hopes to preserve order and peace by the threat of maximum destruction and total hate. Satyagraha must begin by putting itself against this claim in order that the seriousness of one's dedication to truth may be put to the test. It is not possible for the truly nonviolent man simply to ignore that inherent falsity and inner contradictions of a violent society. On the contrary, it is for him a religious and human duty to confront the untruth in that society with his own witness in order that the falsity may become evident to everyone. The first job of a satyagrahi is to bring the real situation to light even if he has to suffer and die in order that injustice be unmasked and appear for what it really is.
Sound a bit like Jesus and the way he moved among the established powers of his day. It is risky and it is not the wide open pathway. It is a deliberate stepping so that the the powers of coercion and oppression and violence show themselves when the one of peace is denounce, ridiculed, and, crucified. It would be much easier to "go along" with the way things usually move within a violently oriented society and think that we can make the system change. Unfortunately, once we are sewn into the culture of violence, it is not easy to separate ourselves from its web. And yet, again and again, when we question ourselves and the system as it is, we become a part of the unmasking. This movement helps everyone. It may not bring about the long-awaited Reign of peace, but it will provide us with those sacred glimpses of what is promised. Somehow we must remember that even the mightiest of the violent powers stumble and blunder along when the light of non-violent truthfulness is allow to shine. Remember also that shining that light doesn't mean we will sheltered from the reaction that comes when any of us lets our anxiety turn us into protectors of the status quo.
Connection: Truthfulness comes in such small steps. It is therefore, always a good place to start within the context of this day and every day.
Lord of All Truthfulness, you free us to unmask ourselves and become vulnerable so that we can begin to unmask the powers of this world. And yet, we shake and quake and are unable to make today the day when your truthfulness is our light and our might and our sheer delight. Be with us and be our foundation upon which we will step within your Reign. Amen.
Satyagraha (holding on to truth) is meaningless if it is not based on the awareness of profound inner contradiction in all societies based on force... Hence satyagraha according to Gandhi cannot seriously accept claims advanced by a basically violent society that hopes to preserve order and peace by the threat of maximum destruction and total hate. Satyagraha must begin by putting itself against this claim in order that the seriousness of one's dedication to truth may be put to the test. It is not possible for the truly nonviolent man simply to ignore that inherent falsity and inner contradictions of a violent society. On the contrary, it is for him a religious and human duty to confront the untruth in that society with his own witness in order that the falsity may become evident to everyone. The first job of a satyagrahi is to bring the real situation to light even if he has to suffer and die in order that injustice be unmasked and appear for what it really is.
Sound a bit like Jesus and the way he moved among the established powers of his day. It is risky and it is not the wide open pathway. It is a deliberate stepping so that the the powers of coercion and oppression and violence show themselves when the one of peace is denounce, ridiculed, and, crucified. It would be much easier to "go along" with the way things usually move within a violently oriented society and think that we can make the system change. Unfortunately, once we are sewn into the culture of violence, it is not easy to separate ourselves from its web. And yet, again and again, when we question ourselves and the system as it is, we become a part of the unmasking. This movement helps everyone. It may not bring about the long-awaited Reign of peace, but it will provide us with those sacred glimpses of what is promised. Somehow we must remember that even the mightiest of the violent powers stumble and blunder along when the light of non-violent truthfulness is allow to shine. Remember also that shining that light doesn't mean we will sheltered from the reaction that comes when any of us lets our anxiety turn us into protectors of the status quo.
Connection: Truthfulness comes in such small steps. It is therefore, always a good place to start within the context of this day and every day.
Lord of All Truthfulness, you free us to unmask ourselves and become vulnerable so that we can begin to unmask the powers of this world. And yet, we shake and quake and are unable to make today the day when your truthfulness is our light and our might and our sheer delight. Be with us and be our foundation upon which we will step within your Reign. Amen.
Thursday 24 January 2008
Merton continues to look at the involvement of the seekers of truth in the midst of a violent society.
The first principle of valid political action in such a society then becomes non-cooperation with its disorder, its injustices, and more particularly with its deep commitment to untruth. Satyagraha (holding on to truth) is meaningless if it is not based on the awareness of profound inner contradiction in all societies based on force... Hence satyagraha according to Gandhi cannot seriously accept claims advanced by a basically violent society that hopes to preserve order and peace by the threat of maximum destruction and total hate.
And yet, isn't this what we so often see...we make war in order to bring about peace. And yet, peace never comes in this way - it cannot. We cannot beat up someone and claim that we have brought about peace. We may have brought about silence - like a spouse that is beaten into submission and dares not speak unless another beating is used to "bring peace" again. It is so unfortunate that our anxious hearts lead us so quickly into the abyss of violence and fear mongering. This happens so quickly - like a reflex - that the suggestion of dialogue and negotiations and listening to others becomes known among us as a sheer absurdity. One of the reasons I watch political debates early in the debate season is that we are able to hear the people who raise up ideas that are quickly discounted...and yet they tickle us with a truthfulness that we only let be in our dreams. An example is every time Dennis Kuncinich talks about a Department of Peace - to train people in negotiation and conflict resolution - you can see the eye rolling. At times though, a candidate or two seems to really be listening...but will never go there. Our violent society has little toleration for such risk taking. We would rather fight and say we are right than to listen and entertain the possible that is a part of a promise.
Connection: Sometimes it is good to not have such quick reflexes. We need to remember to take that breath...maybe two...and see if we are able to reflect on possibilities rather than fall back on our quick responses to everything.
Lord of the Peaceable Reign that is always beside us, move us and encourage us to step across the line into that domain you have called the promised land. It is not easy. We are often afraid. And yet, in our hearts, we long for such a life and love and place of rest. Amen.
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