MOMENTS IN NATURE

 The fact that in Southwestern PA it is simply gorgeous today; the fact that last week we celebrated Earth Day and the fact that, like the breeze, I have blown posting for far too long...I begin yet again.  

One of my favorite stories from Sister Joan Chittister is a person visiting the monastery for the first time asked the Prioress,  "What do you do here all day?" To which the priores replied, "We fall and we get up; we fall and we get up; we fall and we get up......" Consider this my getting up......

My roots and my limbs are centered in the joy and learnings of being outside.  My father loved the outdoors.  At least once a quarter he'd gather his brood and hike us into the woods for a Sunday dinner cookout. Many times I joined him in a hike in the woods to look for edible mushrooms (a South Buffalo truffle) or to plant trees.  The key to hiking with my father was to stay nearby and close to the front. When he stopped to rest and to allow the slackers in the group time to catch up, upon their reaching those in front, he would be off again. 

(this photo is little me and my father trekking up...not a path....a hillside....)

My dad's knowledge of the outdoors was a gift that aided me in ace-ing the assigment of elementary school to collect and name the leaves from indigenous trees.  

Working as a summer program staff/camp counselor, the dean of the camp to which I was assigned asked me to gather a bouquet of tiger lilies so he could present it to the kitchen crew in appreciation.

 A noble act from a grand gentleman. The only problem, was I didn't know a tiger lilly from a cala lilly from an Easter lilly from Lilly of the Munsters. Not wanting to admit my ignorance of the local flora, I replied, "Sure. Where do you think is the best place to get the tiger lillies?" He responded, "I'd go down to the path that leads to the Green Cathedral and there you'll see a whole lot of orange flowers." 

As I walked to the aformentioned path, my fervent prayer was please God don't let there be various types of flowers. Just one orange flower would suffice. Mercifully there was, just as he said, an abundance of orange tiger lillies. The dean, the kitchen staff and myself were most pleased. Ain't nature grand!

Happy BRIGHT WEEK!

In all my years, I had never heard of BRIGHT WEEK.   This is the period of the week after Easter and is a time of celebration, of joy, it is setting our focus upon the “Now, what….” Of Easter and living this amazing news. I look at it as kind of a training camp to get conditioned and on the proverbial same page of being a resurrection people to continue the work of the Risen Christ.  

BRIGHT WEEK is living the lyrics of that, for many, first and greatest hit of Sunday school songs….”This Little Light of Mine.”  Yes, it is shining one’s light and shining the light all over and to keep shining brighter and brighter, even in the face of any threat or attempt to snuff out.  BRIGHT WEEK is brilliant….literally and metaphorically!  I’m envisioning handing out candles as persons leave Easter Sunday worship as a re-minder to continue the story and light the darkness.  

Why had I not known about this previously???  Learning it know, I share the light which is standard fare in living this Jesus way.

You know how you can know in your head a fact, something that you could recall if on JEOPARDY and the category is Christianity.  Now, I know that the Risen Christ stayed around for 40 days (gotta love those Biblical numbers) post Resurrection, appearing, cheering and steering the disciples in what they/we were to continue to build.  Easter is major…the biggie in the Christian faith and, I confess to having had and still having a “Whew….got through that and now I’m going on vacation” mindset. 

The Resurrection is not the end point it is the starting point. So, how am I to live differently post Resurrection?  Has anything changed? How will this be evidenced in my life?

Who would've believed 'em?

The greatest news the world would ever know was messaged on the lips of women.....Who would've believed them??? As we know women didn't carry too much cred nor power in 1st Century Palestine...(we can debate how much things have changed in a later post....) Though the four gospels differ on the number of angels, what was said, who else was there....the one constant are the women....and ain't that always the way....

As the tales are told of that first Resurrection Day, Mary Magdalene tells the disciples that Jesus is risen and they will see him.  For many understandable reasons, the least being the messenger's gender, the disciples need to see it for themselves and sprint off to the tomb, finding it empty, just as the woman said.

The message of Jesus is love.  So in terms of love, how do you know? 

Referencing those whom I love and who love me, there is an energy, there is trust, one wants to be with the person, there is a tenderness, one writes letters (has to be a letter, folks...tweets just don't cut it...#gimme a break), one spends time with, takes walks, goes out to dinner....

With all that said, consider how similar the actions with the followers of the Risen Christ and those times evidenced when the community is gathered. There most definitely is an energy....you feel it and I dare say, if you don't have it nor feel it, it may be time for a pause and a ponder. 

There is trust....I'll go where you send me...gulp...yet, one goes.  Prayer, study groups, readings, retreats, making daily reflection a priority....we spend time and attention. My favorite version of the oft-quoted Micah 6.8 is "What, O, mortal does God require of you, yet to do what is just, to love tenderly and to walk humbly."

Scripture supports the number of letters penned and sent and received. Our witness to those words are our responses. 

We walk our witness...don't tell me...show me by feeding, quenching. advocating, stirring and spicing it up.

We gather at table. Sure, it's nice to eat in house....yet, how much better when we go out?  When we extend the grace of the table to others....

The story is told of persons in prison wanting to celebrate communion. There was no officiant, no bread nor wine.  The people gathered in a circle, turned to one another, opened their arms and hands and said, "This is my body given for you...."   This works for me on a lot of levels, namely being the sacrament is to continue far and wide beyond the end of the table and the doors of the building.  

If Easter is to be more than a day, we must make it so.  Who would've believed Jesus is risen?  A whole lot of folks if we practice resurrection. If we love. If we labor to make the world look as God would've have it to be.  Then, we would hear a whole lot of folks saying, "The church is doing what???? I don't believe it......."