michal's musings

In the reflection for today Richard Rohr, ofm challenged me with this idea: “Since these desert monks were often formally uneducated, they told stories instead of using formal theology, much like Jesus did, to teach about essential issues of ego, love, virtue, surrender, peace, divine union, and inner freedom. But later, they also became much more formalized and argumentative, just like the Church in the West. ” I do like to say stories, so this is not the point that I want to emphasize. The point that I need to focus on is to tell stories to myself about my ego or lack of ego, love or lack of love, virtue or lack of virtue, peace and lack of peace, divine union or lack of divine union, inner freedom or lack of inner freedom. Sometimes I put myself so much into different boxes that it is hard to think, feel, desire and be alive. I need to learn about myself. I need to be aware of myself. I need to allow myself to be open and keep myself open to life.   

Thomas Nair, OFM at the Quincy University Commencement Address quoted St. Francis: “Who we are before God; who we are in the very deepest part of our being, that is who we are and nothing more.” Honesty, this is the key of knowing ourselves.  We always have to be honest before ourselves. If we lie to ourselves and pretend to be something or somebody different that who we are, then we don’t live the life but the lie.  To be honest is the key of being able to live the life on this earth without any regrets.  

Fr. Thomas Nairn, OFM gives an interesting view on the Franciscan perspective of economics. His fellow Franciscan brother Jason Welle, OFM summarizes this perspective this way:   “In modern terms, the Franciscan viewpoint is neither capitalist nor socialist, but does contain elements of both.  Similar to capitalism, the Franciscan tradition takes individual responsibility and productivity seriously.  Gratitude for God’s gifts demands that one take personal responsibility in using those gifts prudently.  Like socialism, the Franciscan vision is communitarian in orientation and follows an ethic of sharing.  God intends all persons to be free and equal; human beings have a duty to respond by treating each other as such.  St. Augustine held that God did not wish human beings to have dominion over each other.  Bonaventure and others combined this with the relationality they perceived in the Trinity.  As the   imago Dei , human beings are meant to be in relation with one another; sub

Anthony de Mello was a Jesuit that helped me to look at a sin from a different perspective. He said something like this: to know sin is a grace and experience of God.  Why?  Because I know my weakness and now I can do something with it and improve my life and if I improve than the world will become a better place because I will be better person.  It is such a positive view of something that is negative.  Our sins/mistakes should motivate us to live a better life and not to put us down.  

One of the reasons why I am being fascinated by the Ignatius spirituality is its desire to find the way how we can discover, learn, embrace and accept the will of God. This is one of the things that are very important to me.  Why? Because I want to experience the harmony in my life and in the way how I relate to others and especially to the Higher Power.  Recently I learned that the will of God is the 24 hours that I have.  This is the will of God.  I got that perspective from the book: “He leadeth Me” by the Jesuit by the name of Walter Ciszek.  He discovered that during his time of imprisonment in Siberia during Soviet time.  I took this definition to my heart.  If some theologians and philosopher are correct that God works outside of time and everything is a present time to him than the way how we discover and experience his will is in the present time. So, Ciszek is correct. The 24 hours that I have is his will.  Now, I need to learn how to relate to this.        

Cardinal George is dead.  I don’t feel bad about it.  I think for a priests death is like a wedding.  He is with the One whom he served and imitated. He is with the One who had given meaning into his life and work.  He is with the one whom he represented.  I can only write/say to Cardinal George: Good for you! Congratulations! You stayed faithful to your promises!    There are two things I am grateful to Cardinal George: 1)       He ordained me a priest 2)       He taught me that in the religious life charism and spirituality is more important than community life. Cardinal George, thank you, thank you and thank you! 

"UK church dedicates space for Muslim prayer because mosque too small" This is the Gospel - the Good News: In Scotland there is a Church where Christians and Muslims are able to pray in this same building.  Read this article...  The Rev Isaac Poobalan said: “’I saw people from all religions praying in the hospital chapel,’ he said. ‘It taught me that prayer transcends religion. We all pray to essentially the same God.’ He said Secular India, an ‘educational resource’ devoted to the pledge in the Indian constitution that all faiths are equal, also had a hand in teaching him ‘to look at every religion with equal respect.’ Poobalan trained as a nurse specializing in mental health and worked in Abu Dhabi before studying for the Episcopalian priesthood in Edinburgh, Scotland.” The link to the website:  http://muslimvillage.com/2013/04/11/38194/uk-church-dedicates-space-for-muslim-prayer-because-mosque-too-small/

Today, I attended a Muslim prayer service at UIC.  It was great.  I felt very good. The service was simple. The structure of the service was: individual prayers at the beginning, recitation from the Quran, sermon and short silence, and a prayer done together.  Everything was done in 35 min.  I was very much welcomed there.  It was a very good experience.  I would like to go there again.  They are my brothers. When I prayed there I realized I can pray with them (Muslims) and I can pray with the Jewish people however, Muslims and Jews are not able to pray with Christians.  The break is the Council of Nicaea 325CE – creating, promoting and dogmatizing the doctrine of Trinity – One God in three persons/energies.  That realization made me very sad.  I wish we could overcome this somehow. There is so much that unites Jews, Christians and Muslims.  Why do we emphasize the differences?  I pray with Jews, Christians and Muslim and I pray for all of them.    God is great! 

I like the Anglican/Episcopalian approach to Ecumenism. The Rev. Margaret Rose said that the Ecumenism helps us to know that we are not the only once in this world.  My approach to Ecumenism is not that we all should be this same.  This is not biblical and godly approach to this subject.  God created diversity.  There is diversity among animals, birds, flowers, shapes, water, colors, weather, climate, etc.  Diversity is natural and basic form of existence.  I believe God wants the inclusive diversity.  And this is my approach to Ecumenism.  

"The Heartbeat of the Church is Mission."  the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church I am more and more impressed with the missionary attitude in my life.  I am not comfortable with the established communities.  Why? They not always like to look deeper into what community/church they desire to become.  I want the church to be on the move; always with the people; always looking for new ways of engaging people; always looking for new ways of talking with God, about God and being the community/church.  This is the type of church I want to be part of.  This is a link describing the kind of community the Episcopal Church wants to become.   

It is so sad that some high ranking priests in the Roman Catholic Church use this same language to explain their position/action and how they handled  the abuse done by the priests in Church that have been used by the Nazi German officers: We were doing our duty.  We did what we were asked to do.  We didn't know better.  We didn't have all the information.    Personally, I was hoping for something less and at the same time more: I am very sorry. I didn’t do what I was supposed to do.  I failed it. This is the documentary on the sex abuse scandal in the Irish Catholic Church.   

A good Spirituality is a combination of a feminine and masculine impute. There are few spiritualties like that in the Catholic Church. The examples of them are:   Benedictine: Scholastica and Benedict   Franciscan: Clare and Francis of Assisi Carmelite: Theresa and John of the Cross Vincentian:  Louise de Marillac and Vincent de Paul The one thing that makes me think is that most of them are being called after the male figure of their representation.  There is this masculine aspect of the Catholic Church that likes to keep the feminine secondary.  From the Franciscan studies, it looks like perhaps Clare had a more spiritual and intellectual impact on the Franciscan Order than even Francis himself.  She lived much longer than Francis and after the death of Francis many friars came to ask her for the advice.    In the spirit of Pope Francis, it is time to acknowledge the great contributions of female saints, mystics, theologians, spiritual mothers and founders of gre

Last weekend I took time for myself.  It was good. This year I had only 4,5 days off.  Any other day I was doing ministry.  As ministers we need to learn how to take care of ourselves.  We cannot work, work and work.  This is not healthy. Many of us, ministers, teach balance but we ourselves don’t live a balanced life style. I look at the great spiritual leaders: Buddha, Jesus, Mohomet, Francis of Assisi, Ignatius, John of the Cross, Mahatma Gandhi, Dalai Lama, John Paul II, etc.  They all taught a lot of people but they also spent time with themselves and with some higher reality.  We cannot just give and give and give without receiving and spending time with the things/persons that give us life.  Balance means that I have (1) time to work, (2) time to spend with family and friends, (3) time for being with me, (4) and time for being with God.  Four pillars – an image of chair.