"I have come to believe that the true mystics of the quotidian are not those who comtemplate holiness in isolation, reaching godlike illumination in serene silence, but those who manage to find God in a life filled with noise, the demands of other people and relentless daily duties that can consume the self." Kathleen Norris, The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy, and 'Women's Work'" I am a single mother of a son and a daughter who are both adults now. During their junior high and senior high years, we rushed from activity to activity. My son was a swimmer and my daughter played soccer and basketball. In addition to sports, both were involved in numerous other activities at school and church. There were practices, meets, games, and of course, homework. We were always on the run – dinner was often in the car on the way to some activity. Time was the enemy. I noticed a phenomenon that developed during their junior high years. About the time I was turning in for the night, one or both would come into my bedroom, sit down and begin to talk. These conversations were definitely not run of the mill. They generally were serious and reflective in nature. This was the point that they brought up their concerns, fears and questions about life in general. This was the time for the heavy duty stuff of life. … [Read more...]
Clothed in Christ's Humanity
Then let the servant Church arise, A caring Church that longs to be A partner in Christ’s sacrifice, And clothed in Christ’s humanity. (LBW Hymn #433 vs. 3) In pondering the words to the above hymn, I was struck by the phrase 'clothed in Christ's humanity'. What does it mean to be 'clothed in Christ’s humanity'? We live in a culture in which the norm is busyness. The cultural messages that we receive push and prod us to move at a dizzying pace. We have cell phones, PDA’s, laptops, and the like. We are connected at all times – just not necessarily connected to the people and things immediately around us! Our relationship to time is complex at best and chaotic at worst. We exist within a continuous series of moments of time. Unfortunately, however, we are often racing through these moments at maximum speeds – speeds that serve as an amnesiac for the present moment. The present moment is the only time that we live within and quite often we find ourselves disconnected and unavailable in the present. “Time talks. It speaks more plainly than words. The message it conveys comes through loud and clear. Because it is manipulated less consciously, it is subject to less distortion than the spoken language. It can shout the truth where words lie.†… [Read more...]
Befriending Time
“Our busy schedules … [have] diminished our capacity to marvel … in the passage of time as an expression of God’s love for us.†– The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy, and “Women’s†Work, Kathleen Norris TIME 'as an expression of God's love for us' -- it is certainly difficult to see time in a loving context. Time is an entity that we frequently battle, chafing against the time imposed constraints that pop up unbidden to hinder our progress. How do we always end up with more items 'To-Do' on our lists than time available 'To-Do' them in? Instead of 'an expression of love', isn't TIME the enemy? A formidable foe which we daily endeavor to subdue by squeezing the maximum amount of activity into our schedules. Our To-do lists, organizers, and PDA's are the weapons we use to slice and dice time in our valiant attempts to bend it to our will. TIME a scarce resource. Fleeting, ephemeral - steadily moving forward second by second, hour by hour. No container can hold it nor any barrier block it, as time continues its steady, relentless march into the future transforming each moment into history and leaving the present in the past. 'Marveling' in TIME as an expression of God's love for us - surely, a cruel, cosmic joke, right? who really has time for 'marveling' these days? We're just too darn busy... ... ... Oh wait, that's the problem that Kathleen is pointing out to us, isn't it? … [Read more...]
