The Communities of New Skete

Scripture Reading: 1 Sam. 19:11-17; 1 Cor. 3:1-10; Mt. 2:19-23

Reflections from a Monk

Christ is born!

St Paul, in today’s reading, is trying to help the Corinthians find a renewed peace, joy, and the mutual support of love for one another.

His description of love is not a wedding cake picture but the true and tested path of right living, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but according to the best of Greek and Hebrew wisdom. If only the wedding couples who use this reading for their ceremony realized the challenge and even ordeal this hymn of love portrays! We know love is not “luv”, or infatuations and being in love, or hoping to find the one true love of my life and living happily ever after. Not just smile and be nice and attractive. Not just put on your best face, which can be deceptive. The best is to realign with what is more deeply human as did Jesus.

This doesn’t work, of course, by either righteous stubbornness or winning conflicts. We are called to leave behind our habitual old selves and ways of thinking and reacting. Why can’t we see how fallible we are just like we so easily see everyone else is. Often this means saying I am sorry a lot and then trying to work things out in a less contentious way.

A doctor’s receptionist once said to me, “Aim for 100%, and be happy if you realize 80%.” Was I being too pessimistic to respond and say “Maybe I’ll be lucky with only 50%!”

The Corinthians’ original conversion has not been enough to carry them through. They are still attached to “my view” of the faith, and fighting for “our way,” and dividing my camp from your camp. Can they move out of their resentment, “I know better” thoughts, and the need for everyone to think and act the same? To discover again the unity of Jesus and the Spirit is like standing before –who, Mandela? — who does everyone respect these days? — maybe the throne of God? Or rather deep in our souls something like the heat and heart of the sun that burns all this stuff away, that warms us with its healing energy. The reading today does just that. Just hearing the words he uses can melt our unconscious resistances.

The instruction is this: Do not just remember what I teach you, but evolve with it and develop it — be thoughtful and inspired; not careless but orderly; not right or wrong but merciful and forgiving; not impatient but tolerant and gentle — with myself as well as with others; not having a bone to pick, confrontational, or controlling but letting go; not callous, guilty, competitive, critical, demanding, upset, and grim, but dropping it and looking ahead, consoling, concerned, calm, diplomatic, pleasant, light-hearted, and yes nice too: Not only in social situations but as a standard and goal of life.

The famous French chef Jacques Pepin was describing the wisdom he has gleaned from his life. He would give his young daughter a taste of his latest creation, and she would say, “This tastes good, Papa´;” or she would say, “This is not good, Papa´.” She had not a trace of sarcasm in her voice. Earlier when standing in her infant’s crib, and when he gave her a tiny piece of toast with caviar (or fish eggs to some!) she didn’t wrinkle her nose but ate it and said, “Encore, Papa´!” Another!

We often feel there is no way to get to this wonderful attitude and place. It is difficult to find love and hold onto it—and we often cannot ourselves love and act lovingly! So often, as T. S. Eliot wrote,

“We had the experience but missed the meaning.”

When we are hurt or feel guilty or somehow lose love and feel hopeless, as St. Paul might say, even the wonderful trumpets and trombones of the Canadian Brass may become tiresome.

Some of you might remember Barbara Streisand singing in the mid-1960’s: “Stop the world, I want to get off.” Generations earlier, the poet Rilke wrote:

“Oh, if only for once, all were completely still,
If all mere happening and chance
Were silenced, and the laughter nearby too;
If all that droning on of my senses
Did not prevent my being wide awake—”

The times we did experience faith, hope, and love — maybe these were life-changing events.

“Whatever it was like
How beautiful it was!” –Goethe

But these memories cannot be held in a picture frame or album. Paul is calling us once again to experience that delight and happiness of love but in a new and sustainable way.

In those days the mirrors manufactured by the Corinthians were only polished copper or brass: Just like trying to see our reflection with these or on a metal door handle, we cannot see things clearly now.

We have to be careful, because even to pursue love might be the wrong thing, “for our love might be love of the wrong thing,” as the poet wrote. And right now we still need faith and hope too: Faith to keep praying and trying and learning; hope for growing in the deeper love and peace Paul describes.

So today we can ask this question: Will our Christmas gifts to and from family and friends near and far, and all our presents from Santa, help the Holy Spirit to bear fruit in our lives this next year?

May the love of Joseph and Mary for each other and for the child Jesus the savior, embrace all of us too: He is no longer in the manger; he has risen and is in our midst!

Christ is born!

Scripture Reading: Gen 15:1-6, Hb 11: 8-12, Mt 1: 1-17

Reflections from a Nun

Today is the feast of the ancestors of Christ which is very fitting since we will be celebrating Christmas, Jesus’ birthday Thursday. When some of his own Nazarean townsmen heard how Jesus was healing the sick and how he spoke they asked one another, where did Jesus come from? We heard this morning in Matthew’s gospel the genealogy of Jesus through 3 sets of 14 generations including some of the women who interestingly enough were not even Hebrews.

This genealogy began with Abraham. Have you ever thought about the incredible faith Abraham had in God’s promise to him? God told Abraham to move to a foreign land and that his progeny would outnumber the stars in the sky and the sands of the earth.

While faith is on one hand simple it is on the other hand, many splendored. It demands adventuresome action, obedience, patience, trust and confidence.

Abraham’s adventuresome action was to leave the land and many people he knew and venture into the unknown. Most of us live cautious lives on the principle of safety first. Sometimes as Christians it is necessary to take the way to which the voice of God seems to be calling us without knowing what the consequences will be. Like Abraham we have to go out not knowing where we are going.

Ishmael was born due to Abraham and Sarah’s impatience but after Abraham questioned God again and was reassured he did wait patiently and trusted God. It is characteristic of most of us that we are in a hurry. To wait is even harder than being adventuresome. When we make a decision there is peace and frequently excitement connected with that decision. When we achieve the goal connected with that decision there is a glow and glory of satisfaction. In the time in between we frequently have to wait and work and watch when nothing seems to be happening. It is tempting to give up our hopes. A person of faith though in strenuous effort continues even in the grey days when there is nothing to do but wait.

I’m not sure when the Hebrew people started believing in only one God but it seems Abraham did. He was also inspired in visions by this God. These he believed without hesitation-Think of his willingness to kill his son Isaac because God spoke to him and told him to do so. There were many other actions Abraham did that he did on his own-like telling the Egyptian Pharaoh Sarah was his sister and not his wife.

Many of us have few visions that assure us what God wishes of us. There are still many decisions we have to make seemingly on our own. Even with advice we are the ones individually responsible for the decisions we make.

There are many controversies in our world today and while we do not have to make decisions on every one, there are some that we will take a stand on. And it is only right to do so. What is our attitude about how to go about the “war on terrorists”? Then also, there are the efforts to stem the plunging economy. There are the questions regarding abortion and gay marriages. Many claim just read the Bible and you will know what to think but many good people have and point out it doesn’t say what others claim it says. And look at what we no longer think is ok. Who today has a slave first of all, and if we did, would we tell the spouse to have a child by my slave? Many of our attitudes are formed by our culture. It does not mean they are accurate or true or even good.

While we cannot look to the Bible as a manual on exactly what to do, we can read it for universal truths as we struggle toward a more just future. It offers inspiration and warning on subjects of love, marriage, family and community. It speaks of the risks to ourselves and to those who follow us if we cease trying to bind ourselves together, remembering that we are one –united with our God.
Jesus taught us to love one another for our own good and for the good of the world. Psalm 139 praises the beauty and the imperfection in all of us. Let us continue to praise God because we are fearfully and wonderfully made!

Jesus taught us to love one another for our own good and for the good of the world. Psalm 139 praises the beauty and the imperfection in all of us. Let us continue to praise God because we are fearfully and wonderfully made!