It is so sad when even families can't find a way to peaceful relationships other than through mutual rejection of others because of jealousy or fear of competition. From the beginning of recorded history, the story is the same. People want whatever it is that they don't have, even if they have no use for it. They destroy relationships to get what their greed dictates, then wonder why they still aren't happy. Humans wanted to control The Infinite and destroyed their relationship to get it. Cain wanted what his brother had, and killed his brother to get it.
Why is it that we seem to be so hard-wired for jealousy and greed. Competition for the most or the best seems to be the rot that ruins relationships with The Infinite Good of The Genesis of Creation and with all creatures. Two-year-old toddlers often attempt to crawl into a sibling's crib and exterminate the competition. Is it that we are born no more compassionate than any other animal, and that it is the responsibility of our families and society to envelop us with enough sense of security that we grow out of the fear of starvation? Where are we failing each other in this regard?
When will we understand that killing the competition doesn't necessarily mean more for us? Whatever another's gifts, conquering or killing the other doesn't automatically make the gifts of the conquered mine. Even eating the competition doesn't imbue me with the strength of my enemy, any more than eating iron-rich foods makes me a muscle man.
We even fight over The Infinite. What is it about Infinity that we don't understand?
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Crazy Cajun Catholic
It’s very important to folks around here that people profess their faith, and they distrust anyone not attending a church. They’re not particular which church you attend (as a ninety-plus-year-old friend says, “It’s all the same Bible,”) as long as it’s a Christian church. I’m not sure how they’d feel about attendance at a synagogue or mosque because we don’t have any in these parts.
The importance of their religion was made very clear to me when I offered my (and by extension my husband’s) services to a recently widowed woman. When she seemed reluctant to take me up on my offer, I told her that, since my husband and I don’t attend church, she could help us to salvation -- not that I think that simply through good works will I be saved. I was just trying to get past the natural reluctance of the independent mountain people to ask for help from outsiders.
She rather quizzically replied, “I don’t know that that’s how it works.” Without stopping to think, I answered, “I’d rather try to live like a follower of Christ than to sit in church and listen to somebody talk about Christianity. But the real truth is I just can’t sit quietly that long. If there was a Black Baptist church with all the shouting of ‘Alleluias’ and ‘Amens’, I might be able to attend that church.” I didn’t mean to imply that all the people sitting in churches weren’t walking the walk of Christianity; I hope she didn’t take it that way. I meant that I'd prefer to celebrate than to sit in silence. It did leave her speechless -- but much that I say and do leaves a lot of people speechless.
I was driving to a doctor's appointment when I found my faith again. I began laughing so hard I had to stop the car and call my most spiritual Roman Catholic soul sister, who wasn’t home – but her husband was. I can’t remember what I said to him, but I knew he wouldn’t “get” my elation. I had been a catholic all along – I wasn’t Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Catholic; I am what catholic by what is the true meaning of the word “catholic,” which is to say, “universal.”
At first I thought it was a Cajun thing, so I labeled myself Cajun Catholic. I wasn’t brought up on the bayou, even though I spent summers there, but I’ve always felt that my nature is very molded by my Cajun family. They are very “live and let live” people.
Now, this isn’t to say that they allow you to do whatever you want in their homes. My Cajun grandma used to make the rules for her home, and then say, “If you don’t like it, there’s the door.” My aunt (my Cajun grandma’s daughter) is much the same way, but much more soft spoken about it. Her husband is the one who shows you the door if you break the house rules.
It’s just that, on some basic level, they have always understood that the church is there to support them in their journey through life, not the other way around. They’ve always had a healthy skepticism for anybody’s teachings that came from books without any life experience to back it up – much like mountain folk. Somehow, I can’t imagine my grandma or aunt going to the parish priest for marriage advice, or advice on raising their children.
I live by words; the words spoken to me affect every aspect of my being. I’m a firm believer in the saying popular with psychiatrists and social workers in the seventies, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can make me crazy.” The words of the creed, “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church” are said in many Christian churches. By the commonly held definition of catholic in Christian churches, catholic means universally Christian. So I looked up the definition and the origins of the word catholic. This is what I found:
catholic adj
1. universal; relating to all men; all-inclusive
2. comprehensive in interests, tastes, etc.; broad-minded; liberal
[from Latin catholicus, from Greek katholikos universal, from katholou in general, from kata- according to + holos whole]
Source: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/catholic
This may not be earth-shaking to most people, but to me it was life-changing. Why did it take me so long to read the dictionary?
The importance of their religion was made very clear to me when I offered my (and by extension my husband’s) services to a recently widowed woman. When she seemed reluctant to take me up on my offer, I told her that, since my husband and I don’t attend church, she could help us to salvation -- not that I think that simply through good works will I be saved. I was just trying to get past the natural reluctance of the independent mountain people to ask for help from outsiders.
She rather quizzically replied, “I don’t know that that’s how it works.” Without stopping to think, I answered, “I’d rather try to live like a follower of Christ than to sit in church and listen to somebody talk about Christianity. But the real truth is I just can’t sit quietly that long. If there was a Black Baptist church with all the shouting of ‘Alleluias’ and ‘Amens’, I might be able to attend that church.” I didn’t mean to imply that all the people sitting in churches weren’t walking the walk of Christianity; I hope she didn’t take it that way. I meant that I'd prefer to celebrate than to sit in silence. It did leave her speechless -- but much that I say and do leaves a lot of people speechless.
I was driving to a doctor's appointment when I found my faith again. I began laughing so hard I had to stop the car and call my most spiritual Roman Catholic soul sister, who wasn’t home – but her husband was. I can’t remember what I said to him, but I knew he wouldn’t “get” my elation. I had been a catholic all along – I wasn’t Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Catholic; I am what catholic by what is the true meaning of the word “catholic,” which is to say, “universal.”
At first I thought it was a Cajun thing, so I labeled myself Cajun Catholic. I wasn’t brought up on the bayou, even though I spent summers there, but I’ve always felt that my nature is very molded by my Cajun family. They are very “live and let live” people.
Now, this isn’t to say that they allow you to do whatever you want in their homes. My Cajun grandma used to make the rules for her home, and then say, “If you don’t like it, there’s the door.” My aunt (my Cajun grandma’s daughter) is much the same way, but much more soft spoken about it. Her husband is the one who shows you the door if you break the house rules.
It’s just that, on some basic level, they have always understood that the church is there to support them in their journey through life, not the other way around. They’ve always had a healthy skepticism for anybody’s teachings that came from books without any life experience to back it up – much like mountain folk. Somehow, I can’t imagine my grandma or aunt going to the parish priest for marriage advice, or advice on raising their children.
I live by words; the words spoken to me affect every aspect of my being. I’m a firm believer in the saying popular with psychiatrists and social workers in the seventies, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can make me crazy.” The words of the creed, “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church” are said in many Christian churches. By the commonly held definition of catholic in Christian churches, catholic means universally Christian. So I looked up the definition and the origins of the word catholic. This is what I found:
catholic adj
1. universal; relating to all men; all-inclusive
2. comprehensive in interests, tastes, etc.; broad-minded; liberal
[from Latin catholicus, from Greek katholikos universal, from katholou in general, from kata- according to + holos whole]
Source: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/catholic
This may not be earth-shaking to most people, but to me it was life-changing. Why did it take me so long to read the dictionary?
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Ask Other Mothers
I’d like to meet some Muslim moms
Because I'm so confused.
I was taught that Christians should kill non-Christians,
And that then included Jews.
We were taught about the Crusades;
We sang homages to war.
We seemed to forget the teachings of the man
Born under the Far Eastern Star.
It seems that even he had a temper
When the temples were selling blessings.
Once throwing out the falsehoods,
He left us with many lessons.
Of how to be good people
And create harmony on this earth,
Listening and speaking carefully
To all who had been given birth.
We want our “just” rewards in a hurry,
And we really don’t want to share.
We spend a lot of time in worry
That there are limits to Almighty care.
Jesus was a Jew traveling in Palestine's land.
He did not ask anyone’s faith;
He held out his loving hands,
And asked us to continue to wait.
He never condemned those considered “other.”
He fed and spoke to all in sight;
Encouraging all to act as brothers --
As a loving family might.
We are frightened and impatient;
Instead of walking in love,
We shout at and curse the others
Though they, too, come from above.
Are we to believe that our Creator
Continues to create others
Who will never also meet their Maker?
I’d like to ask other mothers.
Because I'm so confused.
I was taught that Christians should kill non-Christians,
And that then included Jews.
We were taught about the Crusades;
We sang homages to war.
We seemed to forget the teachings of the man
Born under the Far Eastern Star.
It seems that even he had a temper
When the temples were selling blessings.
Once throwing out the falsehoods,
He left us with many lessons.
Of how to be good people
And create harmony on this earth,
Listening and speaking carefully
To all who had been given birth.
We want our “just” rewards in a hurry,
And we really don’t want to share.
We spend a lot of time in worry
That there are limits to Almighty care.
Jesus was a Jew traveling in Palestine's land.
He did not ask anyone’s faith;
He held out his loving hands,
And asked us to continue to wait.
He never condemned those considered “other.”
He fed and spoke to all in sight;
Encouraging all to act as brothers --
As a loving family might.
We are frightened and impatient;
Instead of walking in love,
We shout at and curse the others
Though they, too, come from above.
Are we to believe that our Creator
Continues to create others
Who will never also meet their Maker?
I’d like to ask other mothers.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Lunch and the Light
A bit of my beliefs for which I'll probably be burned at the stake,
But I'm sure it's not the biggest risk that I'll ever take.
I don't think Jesus was made to die by his dad;
I think people demanded his death to prove the commitment that he had.
He walked along the earth preaching joy and elation,
Instead of concentrating on the negativity in creation.
Many did not like this brash, young Jewish man
Messing with their version of earth's domination plan.
What made his words so scary to those who live in fear,
Is he changed the focus of what we should hold most dear.
He said that we are equal in the glory we were created to be.
And that after death we cease to be counted as he or she.
I believe The Light of Creation shimmered until it broke apart,
And that this Holy Light gave to all creation its start.
I believe we are destined to, once again, become
Part of the Light of Love that we were spun off from.
I believe we destroy this earth and each other with our greed,
Thinking that The Infinite Light and Love won't fill our need.
Like there is only a limited amount of Light and Love to go around,
So we, even in Eternity, want to grab a piece of ground.
Good parents aren't happy as long as one of their children has not;
They seek to distribute evenly every good thing that they've got.
Is our Infinite Creator any less loving than we?
Why would there be more for you and nothing left for me?
Some Christians think that salvation isn't for Muslim or Jew.
Did Our Creator not know what family each life was sent to?
Do we think there's need for more kindling for the fires of hell,
So Our Creator continues creating those who can never in Heaven dwell?
Aren't we all spun off the same Creator's energy,
The final destination, back with Our Creator to be.
If Jesus is my brother and has returned to his roots,
Won't everyone become one again in our glory suits?
All who seek Love and Kindness, it seems to me,
Are parts of salvation as it was meant to be.
Some of us see Our Creator in one manifestation,
While others see The Spirit in many parts of Creation.
So let us stop the argument of which is the true God;
All was created as part of the path to Infinity that we trod.
I'd love to see what you see, and share my vision of God with you
Eye-to-eye we'll sit, rather than sitting in a pew.
I'd like to have a lunch with you that I lovingly prepare;
It's hard to remain angry as we, our blessings, share.
So, come one and come all to my very large dining table;
Let's celebrate our visions of The Light with all that we are able.
But I'm sure it's not the biggest risk that I'll ever take.
I don't think Jesus was made to die by his dad;
I think people demanded his death to prove the commitment that he had.
He walked along the earth preaching joy and elation,
Instead of concentrating on the negativity in creation.
Many did not like this brash, young Jewish man
Messing with their version of earth's domination plan.
What made his words so scary to those who live in fear,
Is he changed the focus of what we should hold most dear.
He said that we are equal in the glory we were created to be.
And that after death we cease to be counted as he or she.
I believe The Light of Creation shimmered until it broke apart,
And that this Holy Light gave to all creation its start.
I believe we are destined to, once again, become
Part of the Light of Love that we were spun off from.
I believe we destroy this earth and each other with our greed,
Thinking that The Infinite Light and Love won't fill our need.
Like there is only a limited amount of Light and Love to go around,
So we, even in Eternity, want to grab a piece of ground.
Good parents aren't happy as long as one of their children has not;
They seek to distribute evenly every good thing that they've got.
Is our Infinite Creator any less loving than we?
Why would there be more for you and nothing left for me?
Some Christians think that salvation isn't for Muslim or Jew.
Did Our Creator not know what family each life was sent to?
Do we think there's need for more kindling for the fires of hell,
So Our Creator continues creating those who can never in Heaven dwell?
Aren't we all spun off the same Creator's energy,
The final destination, back with Our Creator to be.
If Jesus is my brother and has returned to his roots,
Won't everyone become one again in our glory suits?
All who seek Love and Kindness, it seems to me,
Are parts of salvation as it was meant to be.
Some of us see Our Creator in one manifestation,
While others see The Spirit in many parts of Creation.
So let us stop the argument of which is the true God;
All was created as part of the path to Infinity that we trod.
I'd love to see what you see, and share my vision of God with you
Eye-to-eye we'll sit, rather than sitting in a pew.
I'd like to have a lunch with you that I lovingly prepare;
It's hard to remain angry as we, our blessings, share.
So, come one and come all to my very large dining table;
Let's celebrate our visions of The Light with all that we are able.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Sad, Mad, and Glad
I have long known that the way to impart one's values is at the table; didn't Jesus feed people before speaking the sermon on the mount? I figured that I was a good cook, but I wasn't so sure that my values were worth sharing. This is what I had been taught be my teachers, mother, and other mothers, especially my grandmas. Consequently, I've spent my life providing the feasts, but not otherwise participating in the parties. I'm too old to keep up all the labor, and I'm now faced with the next generation, in the course of casual conversation, asking me what I believe. Dare I impart the impressions I have from my experience with life, love and The Light of The Spirit of Wholeness?
One of my best friends recently insisted the I believe in "God". Whether or not I believe in "God" is a question that hes been posed to me since my children were small. You'd think that I'd have a simple "yes" or "no" answer, but that has never been the case with any questions posed to me. My stock answer then was "Yes, but I don't believe everything people say about God." I've amended that to, "I believe in The Spirit of Wholeness (Holiness): my definition of The Holy Spirit."
I believe that man has, over the ages, described "God" as resembling too closely what man is, the good and the bad of humankind. I believe that The Spirit of Light and Love (Positive Energy) is both the male and the female Energy of Life which manifests Itself in many ways to many people. Naming The Almighty limits the scope of The Entity and discredits the many manifestations of The Infinite Light that have been experienced over the ages. Maybe the Native Americans had it right when they spoke of the Great Spirit. Perhaps the Jews are right in pronouncing this spirit as the breath of life (Yah-weh). Maybe the Muslims are correct in pointing toward the goodness in all of us as being manifestations of The Holy Spirit when they refer to the Almighty as "We".
What I believe is that all of creation that comes from The Almighty is part of the plan for Eternal Life. I believe that all of creation is spun from The Almighty Energy and that all of creation will eventually come back into oneness with The Source. I believe that time and space exist only in our minds, and that in The Eternal's scheme of things all energy will be purified and return to the Infinite Power of the Positive.
I feel blessed to have been exposed to the Judeo-Christian path to Eternity; I think it makes my journey on earth more bearable as, through this value system, I have a sense of the peace that comes with embracing The Positive in this life. It is easy for me to see a way toward The Eternally Peaceful Positive in looking at the the many manifestations of the Positive Power in this history that led to the life, and the life of, Jesus. I believe that this quest to come back to oneness with The Spirit of Wholeness continues today, and that each of us is tasked with using our bits of this Positive Energy to help in the process.
While it seems true that some are blessed with more gifts than others, it is my belief that the greater the gifts, the greater the responsibility to share them wisely. To connect with this wisdom, we must pull back and open ourselves to the inflowing of The Spirit. This Spirit will lead us on the path to Perfection in all we do. There is no end to the Positive Energy into which we can tap. This Energy is absent in all jealousy and hatred. We will be led by this Spirit to understand that which we fear instead of destroying the sources of our fears.
The Prayer of Francis of Assisi states this very well: "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."
I didn't know until very recently that the Spirit of Holiness was available to me. Being with my loved ones who have known me through all the thrills and tribulations of my life has renewed me. It is true that I can cuss like a sailor, but those words aren't all of me. I don't curse people, simply situations that seem negative to me.If someone is torturing a dog, most of us would step in to save the animal, but we allow the most brutal treatment of human beings without even a word of protest.There are, after all, some things that shouldn't be silently endured, and we can't always walk away.
I was taught that I had it all wrong, so I simply went away sad. I may not always be glad, and sometimes the meanness of people makes me feel quite mad, but knowing that I can sit at the table of The Almighty and be fed whenever I'm hungry for The Light has made me feel quite glad.
One of my best friends recently insisted the I believe in "God". Whether or not I believe in "God" is a question that hes been posed to me since my children were small. You'd think that I'd have a simple "yes" or "no" answer, but that has never been the case with any questions posed to me. My stock answer then was "Yes, but I don't believe everything people say about God." I've amended that to, "I believe in The Spirit of Wholeness (Holiness): my definition of The Holy Spirit."
I believe that man has, over the ages, described "God" as resembling too closely what man is, the good and the bad of humankind. I believe that The Spirit of Light and Love (Positive Energy) is both the male and the female Energy of Life which manifests Itself in many ways to many people. Naming The Almighty limits the scope of The Entity and discredits the many manifestations of The Infinite Light that have been experienced over the ages. Maybe the Native Americans had it right when they spoke of the Great Spirit. Perhaps the Jews are right in pronouncing this spirit as the breath of life (Yah-weh). Maybe the Muslims are correct in pointing toward the goodness in all of us as being manifestations of The Holy Spirit when they refer to the Almighty as "We".
What I believe is that all of creation that comes from The Almighty is part of the plan for Eternal Life. I believe that all of creation is spun from The Almighty Energy and that all of creation will eventually come back into oneness with The Source. I believe that time and space exist only in our minds, and that in The Eternal's scheme of things all energy will be purified and return to the Infinite Power of the Positive.
I feel blessed to have been exposed to the Judeo-Christian path to Eternity; I think it makes my journey on earth more bearable as, through this value system, I have a sense of the peace that comes with embracing The Positive in this life. It is easy for me to see a way toward The Eternally Peaceful Positive in looking at the the many manifestations of the Positive Power in this history that led to the life, and the life of, Jesus. I believe that this quest to come back to oneness with The Spirit of Wholeness continues today, and that each of us is tasked with using our bits of this Positive Energy to help in the process.
While it seems true that some are blessed with more gifts than others, it is my belief that the greater the gifts, the greater the responsibility to share them wisely. To connect with this wisdom, we must pull back and open ourselves to the inflowing of The Spirit. This Spirit will lead us on the path to Perfection in all we do. There is no end to the Positive Energy into which we can tap. This Energy is absent in all jealousy and hatred. We will be led by this Spirit to understand that which we fear instead of destroying the sources of our fears.
The Prayer of Francis of Assisi states this very well: "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."
I didn't know until very recently that the Spirit of Holiness was available to me. Being with my loved ones who have known me through all the thrills and tribulations of my life has renewed me. It is true that I can cuss like a sailor, but those words aren't all of me. I don't curse people, simply situations that seem negative to me.If someone is torturing a dog, most of us would step in to save the animal, but we allow the most brutal treatment of human beings without even a word of protest.There are, after all, some things that shouldn't be silently endured, and we can't always walk away.
I was taught that I had it all wrong, so I simply went away sad. I may not always be glad, and sometimes the meanness of people makes me feel quite mad, but knowing that I can sit at the table of The Almighty and be fed whenever I'm hungry for The Light has made me feel quite glad.
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