But today I am old enough and have lived in the church long enough to realize that the key to being content is not hard work, nor wealth, nor liturgies, nor the gear that comes with titles – nor titles at all. No, really the way to achieve contentment is to lower one’s standards. I mean, not too terribly low. Just low enough to stave off perpetual exhaustion and ecclesial tantrums.
“Indifference may be the greatest human evil; standing by while someone is being abused or bullied or starved. And Equanimity might be the greatest human tool; living a life that welcomes all of it – aware that suffering will pass. Ecstasy will pass. Everything will pass.”
“Your myths give apple trees a bad reputation.” She says, slowly.
“Today is Sunday. I am planning to make a casserole, bake a homemade apple pie, bake some bread, mix a cocktail in a pitcher and have some friends over, six feet apart, to eat and drink and laugh and weep and make political donations, make the debate into a drinking game and discuss our lives – the successes, the failures. We will share life-advice and courage. And when I do that I will wonder… “what would Jesus do if he saw us doing this instead of going to Church?”
“I wish I had known
How God
Would use my study for my conversion.
I wish I had known how little the scriptures
Would take part.
And how much the walks on beaches would.
And the dogs.”
“Eve, by eating of the apple takes God’s wisdom into her physical body-cells and heart-soul. God entered into each cell of her body in that moment and we have inherited that presence of God in our cells. Eve then leaves the garden because she has wisdom and no longer needs the protection of the garden walls. She leaves being an adolescent and becomes an adult, able to hear God’s voice because God dwells inside her.”
“I am Seraph. I am one of the Seraphim. My name comes from the Hebrew word “seraph” which means “to burn.” When we speak in the temple, it fills with smoke and its timbers shake in the midst of our fire, and our voice.
Our fire is part of all fire and all fire is part of us.
We clean.
We prophesy. We destroy. We create fields ready for new growth. We are fanned by ecclesial arrogance and human greed.
We are not in Manhattan on 9/11, nor are we in California on 9/12.”
“John O’Donohue, my spiritual and writing hero, calls hurt and loss “dark gifts.” And I find that intriguing. In order to metabolize disappointment, we need resilience and what psychologists tell us about resilience is that it is like a muscle. It gets stronger as you use it – as you lift heavier and heavier things. And what we know about muscles is that the lifting rips their fibers – and the ripped fibers are what, when healed, build more muscle.”
“Gather around you kind, honest parishioners. And one effective spiritual director – older, wise women work best. They will keep you honest and humble. They will apply bandages when you fight incompetent authority – for you will be wounded in those fights. But you will also be blessed by the good, honest parishioners, clergy, and bishops whose goodness you will discern out of your spiritual disciplines and who will nurse you back to health.”
“Your savings account is not everything. Your health is not everything. Your possessions and house are not everything. Your resume and your offspring are not everything. Your creeds and your rituals are not everything. Indeed, nothing outside of you is everything. Openness, patience, receptivity, solitude is everything and will get you through this. But beware, for they are hard, internal work. Stop being right, and choose instead to be curious and kind.”