Ash Wednesday

I have decided, with a good deal of nudging from the Spirit, to put this blog on hiatus. I expect to return to it at some point, but that could be months or even years from now. This work has always been an effort to integrate the revelation of "The Book of We Are" with my Catholic faith, but I have long feared that the former took a back seat to the latter. I hear our Parent calling me to return to the gift they have given me, and I must finally respond with every fiber of my heart and soul. I anticipate new posts in the near future to the "TBD" blog, as well as to Twitter, of course. I hope you will continue to share in my journey at those locations. And in the meantime, I pray for a most delightful Lent for us all!

Jl 2:12-18 / 2 Cor 5:20 – 6:2 / Mt 6:1-6, 16-18

Ash Wednesday

"O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise." It sounds like a simple request, but in truth it is my great and constant struggle. Plentiful are the words rattling around inside my brain. So few escape my lips, however. What is it that keeps my mouth closed: fear or righteousness?

"O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise." We live in a target rich environment for a prophet. I feel such a tremendous urgency to speak out on behalf of my brothers and sisters. But does this pressure arise from my having words they need to hear, or am I more worried about missing out on my fifteen minutes of fame? Whose kingdom do my words seek to serve and praise?

"O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise." Why do you delight in saying no to me? Start a new religion? No. Reform an old religion? No. Sell some books? No. Do one little miracle, just one to get some attention? NO! What is the point of opening my lips? No one cares to listen. Am I meant to babble into the void, leaving a trail of words for someone not yet born to follow?

"O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise." Am I crazy to delight in a "yes" to that last question? I remain on Twitter mostly for the photos taken by the residents of the International Space Station. They remind me of the difference between the great and the trivial; and that my Parent plays a very, very long game. I am a fool taking his at-bat. Let Them worry about the score.

"O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise." This shall be my mantra for these next forty days. I do not expect them to be anything other than the great and constant struggle of the many preceding ones. But I do pray that they bring a renewed love for my wonderful cross.

"O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise."

Joel 2:12-18; Psalms 51:3-17; 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2; Matthew 6:1-18

On a side note, today is also Valentine's Day. And so I dedicate this post to my wife. It is my meager attempt at expressing some of the internal dialogue that I have such a hard time sharing, to our great frustration. Thank you for your patience with my very strange calling. I love you!

Ash Wednesday

"Return to me with your whole heart." That is our invitation and our challenge for these forty days: to turn away from power and money and all our worldly concerns, and to turn towards our Parent and our siblings and the kingdom we all share. It is our annual opportunity to remember why we were created and to whom we will return. Lent is a gift. Let us welcome it with open arms and hearts.

Joel 2:12-18; Psalms 51:3-17; 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2; Matthew 6:1-18

Ash Wednesday

Joel 2:12-18; Psalms 51:3-17; Matthew 6:1-18

"Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned." Yes, we have sinned. I have sinned. For these forty days, let us take a reprieve from marching and shouting and agitating about our neighbors' sins, no matter how horrendous they may be. And let us instead expend our outrage on our own sins, no matter how minuscule they seem. Let us dive deep into remorse and be overly generous with our amends. And then perhaps at the end of these forty days, we might actually feel that divine mercy that each of us so desperately craves. Yes, let us be merciful with one another, for we all have sinned.

Ash Wednesday

Joel 2:12-18

I am going to be taking a break from blogging this Lent. I have posted a bit more detail about this at the "Family of the One" blog, but suffice it to say that this choice is my way of returning to God with my whole heart. I will resume writing on Easter Sunday. Have a most delightful Lent!

Ash Wednesday

Matthew 6:1-18

Today, the Church marks us for all to see. And yet, Jesus tells us in the Gospel that we should not wear our faith on our sleeves, or our foreheads for that matter. The Church picked the readings, so why the double message? Perhaps it is to remind us that these ashes are not for our co-workers, our neighbors, or any of the strangers we meet today. They are for ourselves. They are not meant to be worn on our skin for a few hours. They are supposed to reside in our hearts for the next forty days. So you might as well wash them off quickly, for God knows if they truly stuck.

Ash Wednesday

Matthew 6:1-18

You cannot hide from God. They know your desires and motives better than you do. The only choices we have are to bury our heads in the sand and pretend otherwise, or drop all the masks and pretense and stand naked before our Creator. At the end of the day, it really is not about us. My life does not belong to me; it's just on loan from the real owner. What I do in life matters not a bit if I fail to follow God's will. May this Lenten season be a time for that will to glow brighter than ever.

Ash Wednesday

Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18

Style over substance may be a popular approach to modern life, but it does not work with God. Our Parent sees what is real whether we like it or not. Let this Lent be the birth of a new lifestyle: Truth.