Faith & Life Inspirational Message

               One of the things I most like about the semester ending is the fact we are getting near the end of the various books I use.   For example, in one class I have students read Kathleen Norris’ great book, The Cloister Walk .   The book originally appeared in 1996.   I am not sure when I bought it and read it.   I first became aware of Norris’ work with her book, Dakota .   That book is about landscape and a look at place and space.   I came to appreciate a few things about Norris.             I learned that her educational background was poetry.   She is a published poet.   Even of more interest to me was the fact Norris had spent two lengthy periods in a Benedictine monastery.   Like me, Norris is a Benedictine oblate, which basically means she is a “lay Benedictine.”   That commits us to living as nearly as we can the monastic life.   Both Norris and I are married; I have kids.   Of course, that means we cannot be monks in the traditional sense of the

                 One of the enduring popular media talks is Pope Francis’ TED Talk, filmed in April, 2017.   The Pope is always a compelling figure, so I like to rewatch it occasionally.   I am never disappointed with his message.   Sometimes, I am amazed at how relatable this guy---some would say, old man---really is.   I continue to be intrigued with his message.   As usual, there are many significant sub-themes, but I want to focus on his one major theme.   It is worth noting his overall theme is the future, so let’s center in on one particular place he deals with that.             I center on one particular section or big paragraph.   The opening sentence is very clever.   The Pope says, “ To Christians, the future does have a name, and its name is Hope.”   That is a cool way to introduce the theme of “future.”   For the Christian, Francis claims, to talk about the future is to talk about hope.   Rather than analyze what he means by this, we do well to quote som

                 Parade magazine is not usually my source of revelation!   As you may know, it comes in the Sunday newspapers in many parts of the country.   I admit that I do not always read it.   A couple weeks ago, however, I noticed the front cover had this as part of the headline: “Finding the Origins of the Universe.”   Since I am not a scientific scholar, it struck me this would be a good piece to read.             When I opened to the article, the title was even more interesting: “The Race for the Secret of the Universe!”   Now the story took on the character of a suspense novel.   I was hooked.   The “race,” as it turns out, is between the new research tool being built in Switzerland and our own, older American one, the Fermilab outside of Chicago.   These laboratories don’t fit the usual description of labs according to my high school memory.   The one in Europe is a “17 mile-round-particle accelerator.”   That is three times bigger than “ours.”   So what

                 A theme that is part of the Quaker vocabulary, with which I grew up, is the idea of waiting.   I am sure to most people, the idea of waiting for anything seems pretty boring.   Of course, we do have to wait for things in life, but generally we don’t like it.   I wonder if American culture has not been a race to get faster?   There are many examples that suggest this is true.             So much of the world I inhabit seems to be on a quest to get faster.   The evolution of the internet is a great example.   I was aware of computers coming to be a factor in our world, but did not personally get involved in computers till the mid-1980s.   Of course, that was before the internet had been invented.   In those days all my mail came through the mail!   I finally made my peace with computers and, of course, now can’t imagine not having one.               Then the internet was invented---in the 90s, I think---and at some point my mail started coming throu

                 I enjoy the various opportunities that come my way.   I am grateful for the rather wide-ranging reading I am able to do.   But I also appreciate the daily discipline of using the lectionary to guide some devotional time coupled with reflection time.   As I have mentioned in the past, I use the daily lectionary (fixed readings) from my Benedictine monastic friends.   I like the fact that I am reading the same scripture in the mornings that monks across the land are reading.                 The lectionary keeps my rhythm in place and manages a focus for me that I don’t have to give thought.   As with all discipline, the only issue is whether I do it.   The planning is done for me.   The question is my execution.   A discipline is not meant to be onerous or rigid.   I am convinced most effective disciplines are the ones we choose to take on and live in daily lives.               When I turned to today’s morning readings from the lectionary, there was

                 The opening line from one of David Brooks’ essays is a sobering one.   Brooks says, “ There is some sort of hard-to-define spiritual crisis across the land, which shows up in rising depression rates, rising mental health problems.”   I am willing to take for granted Brooks’ analysis.   It is worth saying he bases that on a recent Pew Research Center study.   I have often used information from the Pew Center and find it very reliable.             Brooks’ line reminds me of the famous one-liner from the nineteenth century observer of American culture, Henry David Thoreau.   In his famous work, Civil Disobedience, Thoreau notes, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.   What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.   From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats.   A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and