Category: Musings

Mindfulness and Presence

Published by mhelbert on November 21, 2019

I wrote a couple pieces recently that touch on the idea of a person being Mindful or Present to the Spirit of God at various times.
I wrote about being Present in Prayer Here.
Celebrating the Liturgy with Intent Here.

Mindfulness, as I wrote, is nothing new. Nor, is it limited to any one faith or belief system. It’s a way of seeing and interacting with the world around us in a meaningful way. Too often we simply go through the motions of life without any recognition of the fact that we are actually Alive.
And, there are other living beings and a whole Cosmos around us is many times simply missed altogether.

It’s hard work opening our eyes, our minds, and our hearts to the world around us. It’s even harder to sit with that world and appreciate it for what it is At. That. Moment.
So, baby steps are necessary.

“What? Baby steps? I’m a grown adult human being! I don’t need no stinkin’ Baby steps!”

Well, yeah, you do.
So do we all.

I already mentioned a couple areas where we can begin to engage ourselves and practice Presence.
These are ways to take Baby steps.
Little by little we can learn to be Present to God in prayer and Liturgy.
Eventually, with time and practice, maybe we can actually find ourselves immersed in God’s Presence at these times.

Another way to learn to walk in Mindfulness is to pray formulated prayers.
The Daily Office is one such type of prayer.

I must mention here that I spent way too many years in a religious tradition that thought that the only Really Real Prayer was one that the Holy Spirit magically put in your mind at the very moment the prayer was offered.
This was, “Being Led By The Spirit.”
Any other kind of prayer was wooden or rote or the tradition of mere mortals.
That kind of prayer would never “work,” (whatever that means).

However, like I wrote concerning the Liturgy, written prayers were also composed with intent. They were produced under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Just because something has been around for centuries doesn’t make it any less Spiritual.

That said, I was saying Morning Prayer today. Just as I have many, many times over the last decade or so. I read the Introduction and prayed the Confession. I offered the Venite with the antiphons. I prayed the Psalm and the canticles. I prayed through the readings, the Creed, the Our Father, and the other various Collects and prayers for today. I finished the Thanksgiving.

All of this has been part of the Church since the beginning.
All of these prayers and readings are designed to focus our hearts and minds on the Present Moment.
If we are Mindful and Present with the prayers and the Scriptures then we can, as today’s Collect says,
“hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them.”

Of course, we can simply read through them Office like any other text we encounter. Many people do. For them the written prayers are just something that needs to get done, something to check off of their ‘To Do’ list.

But, when these prayers are approached with Mindfulness and an intent to be Present, they can be life giving and transformative.

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What is Justice?

Published by mhelbert on November 20, 2019

If God is not a Cosmic Don Corleone like the Calvinists claim,

then, who is God…Really?

Is it possible that God could actually be the loving Being that so many believe?

If so, what does that do to some of our very favorite pet theologies?

You know, like Original Sin and Hell?

People seem to really like the idea of Hell. That’s HELL, as in an ‘Eternal Conscious Punishment’ kinda hell.

Why?

No, really…why would anyone who has an ounce of compassion wish that on anyone?

According to the folks who accept this idea, the answer is Justice.

Hell is necessary because of all of the Evil Evilness that is at the core of Humanity because of that thing called Original Sin.
Our ancient forebears, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God. So now, the entire Cosmos is steeped in that Original Sin.
Apparently, in order for things to be put back in order, then, the Cosmos, the Whole Shebang, must be destroyed and rebuilt. And, all of humanity must be cast into the Burning Trash Heap called Hell.

That is, except for a chosen few who follow a prescribed formula that will safeguard them from that particular doom.

So, we can’t have all of those evil people receiving any kind of respite or reward. That wouldn’t be fair. Plus, God is a Just God. So, God is compelled to punish evil people because, well, JUSTICE, Dammit!

For those of you who were not a part of this culture of Retributive Justice, what I’m sharing might sound strange. After all, doesn’t the Bible say something about God loving the whole Cosmos so much that God’s own Son gave himself up to death in order to save it?

Well, yeah it does.

But, what about Justice?
Is there a case to be made in support of some kind of payment due for those who follow an evil path in life?

WHAT ABOUT HITLER, DAMMIT?!

Ok. What about Hitler?
Or Stalin or Attila or Nero or Fill in Name of Favorite Villain_______.

Honestly?

I haven’t a clue.

Oh, and neither do you.

God’s justice falls in that space that’s way above our pay grade.
We don’t get to make that call.

Ever.

We don’t get to treat anyone as if they fall outside of God’s love and grace.

And, we certainly don’t get to decide who, if anyone, will find themselves in some kind of Hell.

Oh, that means that we don’t get to give people a choice.
Heaven or Hell?
Repeat this incantation and you will miraculously be granted the former and spared the latter.

No.

We are called, no, Commanded to Love.
Period.

Does that kind of love mean that we must warn people about some pending eternal doom?

No. Sorry, that’s not love.
That’s rendering a judgement.
Not our job.

“But, what if they reject our love?”

What if they do?
We love them anyway.

Anything beyond that can be construed as missing the mark.
Or, Sin.

Don’t miss the mark.

Choose to love.

Leave Justice to God.

Please.

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Fertile Field of the Mind

Published by mhelbert on November 19, 2019

Some days my mind just doesn’t want to work.
I look out across the landscape of my imagination and see swirling dust devils and hard, sun baked rocks reaching out of the ground like the dead fingers of some poor, undead soul reaching from the grave.
I wonder, “Where has the lush green forests where unseen woodland creatures dance and play?”

There is nothing.

Perhaps, somewhere beneath this parched surface there lies a seed; dormant; waiting.
If I should quest to find that River of Creativity that meanders through the Cosmos, could I maybe retrieve a cap full of that Blessed water to wet the uncracked germ that houses the glorious life within?
But, that river is like the Nexus from that Star Trek movie. It moves and wanders through the Cosmos seemingly at will. Where will it appear next?

If I may be able to find it, could I possibly dig a ditch to channel some of that Living Water to irrigate the fertile soil of my Mind?
Just a small bit to moisten the earth that forms the womb for the sleeping embryo of Creativity to germinate.

Then, root and shoot moving away. Action; Reaction garnering strength from the germ of life within the seed.
Root searching for moisture and nutrition. Shoot digging ever upward in search of the light and warmth of the Sun.
Leaf and bud forming to empower and create!

That is where Life is!

But, for now, I wait.

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“It” Revisited

Published by mhelbert on November 18, 2019

I finally finished reading Stephen King’s “It” for the second time over the weekend. It took way longer than I had intended. It supposed to be a Halloween thing.
Oh, well.

Like all of King’s books, this one is not great literature. He’ll be the first one to tell you that.
But, like most of King’s books, it’s a really great story.

There is a lot of gore in the story. But, that’s part of early King.
There is suspense and horror. Again, King’s early M.O.

And, I enjoyed the telling immensely. In fact, as I began the book I saw in my mind’s eye a group of people sitting around a campfire listening as King begins to tell his tale. All of the images of my youth as we sat at night trying to scare each other with whatever “ghost” story we had recently learned.

Remember the one about the escaped psychopathic murderer? Yeah, the one where the kids drove away with a hook dangling from the door of their car? (Click here.)

In rereading this story, I was cast back into the world of youth where you can find a hook hanging from the door. Or, where werewolves and walking mummies truly exist.
That land of Faerie where tales of gingerbread cottages and wolves that have big eyes that are better to see you with, my dear.

But, we’ve all grown out of that. Right?
In the “real world” monsters and faeries and old crones who cook little children don’t really exist.
There is no magic.
Only harsh reality exists for us.

And, that is the theme that I gleaned from this reading of “It.”

That world where the imagination can turn water in an aspirator into battery acid washes away as we “grow up” and “mature.”
Playing cards attached to our bicycles so that they click-clack on the spokes and turn the bike into a motorcycle are, in fact, only paper cards.

Yet, at the end of King’s story, all of the characters, now grown up, find that it is only in becoming like children could they overcome and finally destroy It.
It was the power of imagination and innocence, of memory and childlike friendship, that gave them the ability to see the evil as it was and overcome it once and for all.

I think that we loose that ability at our peril.

I think that when we become too old and ‘grown up’ to believe in the unbelievable part of our core humanity is lost.

I think we need to write and hear tales of Faerie that just might come true.

Because, there are monsters in this world that only child-like belief and faith can overcome.

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Seasons Change, and So Do We

Published by mhelbert on November 15, 2019

I was just thinking about someone who at one time was my best friend in the world.
That was over 5 decades ago. I haven’t seen him since elementary school.
Yet, my heart is warmed by the memories of building tree houses and riding skateboards, (back when they were little more than a board with the steel wheels from roller skates screwed to them.)

With Middle School and High School came new friends and interests. Those, too, have fallen at the wayside of time and life.

I can follow each path that I walked upon in my life. There are people, places, scents, tastes, and sounds that bring each path into bright, colorful focus.
Each stage is, in its own way, good. Each has left its imprint on who I am Now.

And, like flowers that bloom and provide beauty and fresh fragrance, each path is eventually spent and falls to the ground.

I mention this because there is also a part of us, perhaps woven into the very fabric of our humanity, that wants to remain walking the same path. We don’t want to veer left or right. Not even when the path diverges into several.
“I don’t want to hurt their feelings,” we say about a relationship that has run its course.
“What if I’m wrong?” is a question that paralyzes people. We are frozen, unable to move on way or the other. All the while, the sands of time continue to fall into the bottom of the glass.

A Greek philosopher, Heraclitus is credited with saying, “Nothing is permanent except change.”

If true, then perhaps embracing change would help us to flower and flourish.
Yes, some blossoms bloom and die.
They are soon replaced by other blossoms that bloom in their season.

Qoheleth wrote:

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven

Seasons come; Seasons go.
Such is the way of the Cosmos.
Embrace the change.
After all, it is the only permanence we have.

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A Prayer; A Confession

Published by mhelbert on November 14, 2019

Yahweh,
Fear is niggling around the periphery of my consciousness.
It forebodes failure.
Anxious that I will be found false, I hurry to my corner where my blanket lies with the big, fluffy pillow that I wrap my arms around and hold tightly to my heart.

Lord,
I sometimes wish wistfully; waiting; wanting
That I could simply sit and share quietly among the multitudes who call on You.
It would be so much simpler to get lost among those who shine far brighter than I.
Then, perhaps, the dimness of my own light would be covered, drowned and no one would notice me cowering at the edge.

Yeshua,
When I read the stories of how you ran to hide away from the masses in the early hours of the morning, I see a kindred Spirit.
In solitude with Abba we can rest secure.
It is only when the crowds press us into action that the anxiety rises like a tide driven by hurricane force winds. A tidal surge that inundates and drowns.

God,
But, that’s not how I’m wired, is it?
No, for better or worse I have been blessed, (cursed?), with a mind that can see and understand things.
I am given words and music that overflow and must be channeled in order to irrigate and nourish others.

But, I feel so inadequate.

I feel so exposed.

I feel so false.

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Metamorphosis Reprise

Published by mhelbert on November 10, 2019

I love the word ‘Metamorphosis.’
When I was growing up I was amazed when I learned that word.
Besides being really fun to say, c’mon say it with me,
“M-e-t-a-morph-o-s-i-s.”
To me it was another word for “Magic.”

Although there are several different animals that technically go through a metamorphic process in their development, it’s really the Butterfly that catches our imagination.
A caterpillar, a worm for lack of a better term, builds a house and goes to sleep.
In a few weeks, Presto! Changeo! A beautiful winged butterfly emerges!
If that ain’t magic, I don’t know what is.

The change is physical and it is complete. Everything that looked like caterpillar had disappeared. It was transformed into everything Butterfly.

So, imagine my pleasure when I read this,
“Don’t be conformed to this age. But, be metamorphosised in the renewal of your mind.”
(Romans 12:2a trans. mine.)

Most English Bibles translate the Greek word that Paul wrote, “metamorpho’o” with “transformed.” And, while that is an effective translation, I think that it lacks the nuance that Paul was going for.

Once I saw this in the Greek, I decided to look around to see if there were other instances of this language used. For those of us who are kind of geeky about language and stuff, finding other uses helps us put the words into a greater context.

I found two other places that surprised me. But, also made me smile.
These appear in the Gospels according to Mark and Matthew.
In Mk. 9:2 the writer tells us,

Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them.

Matthew 17:2 has,

And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.

In both verses the word “Transfigured” is what translators chose for “metamorpho’o.”

Jesus “metamorphosised” in the presence of his friends.
Paul tells us to be “metamorphosised.”
You can see how this might excite a person!

The whole concept of metamorphosis, though, has to do with an obvious physical change. A crawly caterpillar cocoons and, voilà! Butterfly! Jesus walks up a hill with Peter and Pals and Poof! Transfigured!

But, what was Paul getting at? Because, I’m not seeing how what he said has to do with any physical change.
Truth be told, scholars have spent the better share of two millennia trying to spin this in a way that makes sense. The most acceptable way is to say that Paul was talking about an Inward transformation. A change in character and temperament that, while not as obvious as shining faces and clothes, could still be “seen” by others.
And, I kind of agree with that. For example, I find that anger doesn’t rule me like it once did. So, yeah, I guess that could fit the bill.

But, I was still not convinced that this was what Paul was getting at.
Then, I read the rest of the verse.
” Don’t be conformed to this age.”
Most English Bibles translate this along the lines of,
“Do not be conformed to this world. But…”

Ok, I gotta turn the word nerd loose for a sec.
We could translate this,
“Do not be formed by the pattern and mold of this age.”
Paul seems to view the age, or the culture, or the systems that govern us as some kind of mold that exerts its pressure on us in order to form us.
We see this every day in our lives.
Parents form children. Laws and rules form us into citizens. Cultural mores press us into acceptable players in our lives together.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to say that these are bad things. They may not be. But, Paul did write, “Don’t let the molds of this age form you” for a reason.

Paul wrote this letter to a Church in Rome that had undergone a huge persecution. The people were under tremendous pressure to conform to Roman law and custom. The most important custom, to acknowledge Caesar as Lord and Savior.
Paul encouraged the Church to persevere and to present themselves to God, rather than Caesar, as if they were living sacrifices dedicated to God through Jesus Christ.
They should, therefore, be metamorphosised into something different. That somehow through a renewal of their mind, or thinking, or perception they would actually become a different creature. A physical change would be noticed by those who were molded and formed by the present age. These “New Creations” would stand out like the proverbial sore thumb!

This is my takeaway on this.
God, somehow, I have no idea how, but God is able by God’s Good Grace to cause a renewal of our minds that results in a New Creation being born.
A New Creation that breaks out of the cocoon in which it has been slowly changing; transforming, yes, Transfiguring.
That same Grace and Power is still available to us today. Grace and Power to bring about a true Metamorphosis in our lives.

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Metamorphosis

Published by mhelbert on November 9, 2019

Let Renewing waters, like Breath of God, Flow through you!
All of the dust and grime that has caked itself to your Soul?
Washed away!
Standing naked in the Sun, You are changed.
A Metamorphosis!
A New Creature is Born!

The Apostle wrote that we all must be Metamorphosed
As our Minds are Made New.

Our Head revealed Metamorphosis to His faithful Friends.
He seemed to reveal to them, “This is how you will be!”

Changed!

New!

Everlasting!

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Presence

Published by mhelbert on November 8, 2019

This morning during the quiet time that I devote to spending time with God, I noticed something.
You see, the time I have is somewhat limited. Yeah, I get out of bed early so that I can have any time at all for this. But, there are things to do and places to go.

I usually spend my time split between prayer and journaling. I say journaling, but it’s really a written extension of my prayers. And, it may be my favorite time.

Which brings me to today.

As I sat quietly, I found myself concerned about the time. Was I going to have enough time to write 4 or 5 pages in my journal? Would I be able to get everything done in time to get ready for work?

That’s when, I believe, the Holy One told me to stop.
I was not really ‘Present’ in that moment.
I was looking forward to what ever came next.

And, God wanted to spend time with me Now.

So, I stopped. I changed my course and sat quietly.
Within a moment or two I could feel God’s Presence with me.
No, it wasn’t a profound ‘Ah Ha!’ moment. Nor, was it some ecstatic experience.

I simply became “aware” of the Divine Presence with me At. That. Moment.

Now, I know the theological explanations about how God is always with us. God will never forsake us. And, all that other theology-speak that really doesn’t help.

When God’s Presence is experienced, all of those high sounding words become, well, like clashing cymbals and noisy gongs.
They are meaningless.

The idea of Being Present, or Becoming Aware, is not new. Nor, is it the sole property of folks who follow Jesus.
It is foundational to many religious traditions.

Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, tells a story about thisvery thing that has become transformative in my life.

Memories from the Root Temple: Washing Dishes

” Each thought, each action in the sunlight of awareness becomes sacred. In this light, no boundary exists between the sacred and the profane.”

We can find the time and ability to be Present to God, to others, and to ourselves if we are willing to do the hard work to actually Be Present.

After all, God is.

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God Is Not A Prude

Published by mhelbert on November 7, 2019

I don’t know why this thought popped into my brain.
But, it did.
Yesterday during my quiet time in the morning this showed up.
So, like so many other times, I tried to simply let the thought wash away and got back to prayer.
And, like so many other times, this thought persisted.
I can take a hint.
I let the idea swim around in my mind while I brought it to God.

I’ve known for a long, long time that nothing we humans can do will surprise God.
Especially since the Incarnation, God has had a pretty good handle on the foibles we humans share.

Example?

Ok…

God has heard the word “Shit” before.
God is not shocked at that.
Nor, is God offended by it.
It’s a word.
And, a pretty damned good one, too!
See what I did there?
Yeah, God’s not too concerned about that word, either.

In fact, the more that I’ve gotten to know God, the less I find really does cause offense.
At least, among the things that seem to get people all bent out of shape.

You see, we humans like to set boundaries and elect gatekeepers to keep the inside of our little world all pure and white.
The gatekeepers, then, define what is acceptable and unacceptable.
And then?
Surprise! They tell us that God is the One Who sets the standards for our boundaries.
God is the One Who tells us what is pure and impure.

And, people actually believe that shit!

But, like I said, God is not surprised.
Nor, I think, overly concerned about what we think is boundary-worthy.

Let me get back to that boundary and gatekeeping thing.

If God is not taken by surprise by what we say or do.
And, if God is really intimate with how humans think.
Then, why are we so freaked out by how people dress or act with one another?

I know, that was quite a shift from language to clothing.

But, it all has to do with purity and who sets the boundaries.

And, that’s key.

Who doe set the boundaries?

It doesn’t take too much work to see the answer to that.
Cultural boundaries are set by those who wield the power.
And, those people are almost always men.

Yep, men.
We can narrow that down even more. They are men who are members of the dominant culture.

Now, of course women’s voices have been raised in the past.
The Women’s Temperance Unions of the 19th century are an example.
It’s important to note, though, it was male leadership who put temperance and blue laws into effect. Maybe, just to keep the peace at home?

Anyway…

Men are the ones who have asserted their dominance by setting boundaries that seek to control the culture. That includes things like what women wear; how women decide what’s best for themselves and their bodies; what women are allowed to do and where they can go.

If you noticed a common feature in those examples, go to the head of the class. (For those of you who didn’t…IT’S WOMEN!)

Men have asserted their power and control over women for as long as written history tells us. And then they tell everyone that this is what God wants.
“We have no choice but to obey!”

But, is God concerned about things like this?

I’m gonna say NO.
I really don’t think that God is concerned with our purity laws and rules.

In fact, I think that God is more concerned about the lack of love that the boundary makers and gatekeepers have toward others.
I think that God is concerned about the systems that we humans have developed in order to control others.
I really think that if God can be pissed off, that would do it.

But, I’m not sure that God is angered by our piss-poor treatment of one another.
I truly think that God is saddened by it.
God has tried to get our attention for ever.
God has come right out and Told us what God considers important.
And, guess what?
Our piddly little rules about purity aren’t in there.

What is?

Justice for widows, orphans, and strangers.
Hospitality. Caring for those who get trampled along the way. Using wealth for the benefit of everyone, turning the other cheek.

Oh! And, how about this one…
Do to others what you would want them to do to you!!!

God gave us two things to use in setting boundaries.
1. Love God. And, do it with everything ya got!
2. Love your neighbor as you would love yourself.

That’s not too difficult to understand, is it?
How about let’s allow what God has actually revealed to us as important guide us in how we treat each other and the world around us?

I think those boundaries would work pretty well.
Because, Everyone would be on the inside.

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