I can remember my mother reminding my sister and me that Church was a solemn place and that we were to be quiet and attentive. As if those words were not enough to instill the fear of the Lord, the Dominican Sisters who taught our religious education classes, told us God fearing stories of what would happen to us if we did not turn our entire attention to God and the sacrifice of the Mass.
As many of you can attest, those warnings died hard. For years, many folks have been unable to smile in church yet alone acknowledge the "hello" of another worshipper. Francis teaches us joy in knowing and worshipping God. Of course, we don't want to lose sight of the majesty of God, yet we don't want to be so solemn that we block out a joy-filled and interactive God. How to we balance these opposites?
This question reminds me of the many times that I have stood with family members of the deceased (especially Native American families). They often join me in bathing, dressing, and caring for the hair, nails and make up of the deceased. It doesn't take too long for a joke to begin about the difficulty in dressing the body, or a family member mentioning that "your diet should have started earlier." This banter serves a purpose in remembering the deceased as the loving person she or he once was. Our time together generally ends in family members become much more subdued, holding the hands of a loved one and often speaking comforting and loving words.
Joy does not have to antithetical to solemnity, awe, or respect. We are called to have joy filled hearts and souls, praising God in one another, in and through creation, and in the majesty of all that God shares with us.
When I think back to community prayer over 40 years ago, we 100+ sisters knelt silently in prayer and then entered into the prayer of the Divine Office. The corporate voices of so many sisters was angelic, no one hurried their parts of the Office. We bowed together, spoke together, breathed together. Seminary changed that a bit in that we realized that those of us praying the Office were human beings. We laughed with the lector who forgot to look at the reading before Vespers and could barely pronounce a dozen or more Old Testament names. We were filled with the Spirit as we shared a sign of peace during the celebration of the Eucharist. I had to hold back an outburst of laughter when the Archbishop of Canterbury wiped his hands on my surplice sleeve rather than the lavabo towel and several years ago an Ojibwe priest friend asked me to pray before a community meal and when I finished, she asked gourmand (Ojibwe/Creator) to forgive me for calling her/him Wakan Tanka (Creator God in my Lakota language).
There are times for sadness, tears, and heavy hearts, and times when we will be so filled with joy and gratitude that we must let it out and share it with everyone around us. We will be joy filled when we are grateful to a loving God and for our sisters and brothers, a new day, one more chance to get it right, forgiveness for a mistake, and much, much more.
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Dear Franciscan Family,
ReplyDeleteAs I am unsure if my previous posts have gotten lost on that big-black-blog-hole in outer-space, I will risk some comments again! Faithfully following Francis just might also mean being able to faithfully submit a blog comment! :-)
The thoughts I would like to share with my fellow servants come from the words that our text's authors use on page vii of "To LIve as Francis Lived."
They note that our journey will require three elements: prayer, reflection, and action. It seems to me that, while we might be inclined to at times, favor one over the other, these words are in fact interelated. In other words, as we truly pray, we will act, and as we take action, we will also reflect upon our prayers as they come to life in our experience. The other viewpoints are just as real and simultaneously "co-existent." So, as we take action as secular Franciscans, we will really be giving life to our prayers. As we reflect upon our life, it's depper meaning, and upon our actions, our prayers will become more real to our hearts and more fruitful in our lives.
As we thus begin this Franciscan adventure together, let us keep in mind, in all we say, do, and think, that we will become more like the Christ that Francis and Clare knew, as we pray, reflect, and act.
Pax,
+Ken, osf
We all seem to be striving for some sort of meaning in life - not to mention some sort of deeper meaning! As Servant Franciscans, we are convinced that the way to find this meaning is to follow Sts. Francis & Clare. Certainly there are as many ways to truly find a peaceful and meaningful life as there are people on the planet, yet for us, it is through a life of devotion, discipleship, and service. Our text remarks that following Francis & Clare is meant to "lead [us] into a new relationship with Jesus Christ" (p. viii). May this serve as a standard for us as we embrace the opportunity for growth through this Blog. In other words, may we, each one, come to a deeper love, for and a closer walk with, our Lord Jesus. If we discover that we are not, then let's reach out to our Franciscan family for prayer and support. For without an ever deepening relationship with Jesus, the rest just doesn't matter.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
+Ken, osf