A friend inspired me to look into the sense of mystery that is very often a part of our faith journey. My friend inspired me to reflect on the importance of "The Dark Night of the Soul" and to delve a little more into that mystery.
Inspired, I searched for writings by Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, contemplative monastics of Sixteenth Century Spain. Could not find their writings, but found a book my wife had given me when were in Texas, The Dark Night of the Soul, by Gerald G. May, M.D.
May is a Psychiatrist and a Theologian. May is now Senior Fellow in Contemplative Theology and Psychology at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Bethesda, Maryland.His book is based on John and Teresa and gives a real good insight into their understanding (and some modern misunderstandings) of the Dark Night. He then explorers the connection between Darkness and spiritual growth. Spent some time this morning re-acquanting myself, with Teresa, John and Dr. May. I read the forward and the introduction and the first chapter and want to share some of his insights as well as some of the Poetry of John and Teresa.
Some of these thoughts and quotes will be quite random, but will give a sense of how others see this darkness. I will give page numbers for context.
“At some point I gave up trying to decide what’s ultimately good or bad. I truly do not know. Although not knowing may itself seem like a bad thing, I am convinced it is one of the great gifts of the dark night of the soul. To be immersed in mystery can be verty distressing at first, but over time I have found immense relief in it….There have been many spiritual lessons to be sure, but they’ve been given to me in the course of life; I haven’t had to figure out a single one.”(TDNOTS, p. 2,3)
“One of the biggest lessons is the realization that I’m not as much in control of life as I’d like to be.”(p.3)
“Like not knowing and lack of control, freedom and gratitude are abiding characteristics of the dark night.”(p.3)
According to May, the dark night is much more significant than simple misfortune. “it is a deep transformation, a movement toward indescribable freedom and joy. And in truth, it doesn’t always have to be unpleasant!”(p.4)…..”The dark night is a profoundly good thing. It is an ongoing spiritual process in which we are liberated from attachments and compulsions and empowered to live and love more freely. Sometimes this letting go of old ways is painful, occasionally even devastating. But this is not why the night is called “dark.” The darkness of the night implies nothing sinister, only that the liberation takes place in hidden ways, beneath our knowledge and understanding. It happens mysteriously, in secret, and beyond our conscious control. For that reason it can be disturbing or even scary, but in the end it always works to our benefit.”(p.4,5)
More than anything, I think the dark night of the soul gives meaning to life.”(p.5)
I will end this reflection with a poem by John of the Cross (p.7)
Noche Oscura (The Dark Night)
!OH noche que guiaste! Oh you guiding night!
!Oh noche amable mas Oh night more kindly
que el alborada! than the dawn!
!Oh noche que juntaste Oh you night that united
Amado con amada, Lover with beloved,
amada en el Amado the beloved in the Lover
Transformada! Transformed!
Hope you enjoy this. I will have more reflections on this soon.
Peace,
Ben
Friday, October 29, 2010
Rightousnes, Humility and Exaltation
Luke 18:9-14 records Jesus’ parable of the Pharasee and the Tax Collector, a story of a man who trusted himself and who regarded others with comtempt. The Pharasee was standing by himself praing thusly, God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I give away a tenth of my income. But the Tax Collector, standing far off, would not even look up to haven, but beat his breast and said, God be merciful to me a sinner. Jesus said, I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
What a great message from Jesus. One that is just as relavent today as it was two thousand years ago. The temptation in our culture just as in Jesus’ is to imagine that we are autonomous and self-sufficent, and most likely better than the other. Whoever the other happens to be. Against this idea, the text attests that a good life is a gift from God that is lived back to God. The fact is that self-reliance has acute limitations and that the reliance upon God is a bottomless assurance of a well-being we cannot generate for ourselves.
The Hebrew Prophet, Joel, living and working some five hundred years before Jesus helps us understand the joy and confidence of a life lived in relieance upon God.
O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the LORD your God; for he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before. The threshing floors shall be full of grain, the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent against you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, the LORD, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again be put to shame. Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit. (Joel 2:23-32)
What a wonderful assurance and blessing, to know that God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh, upon all people, so that we might never, ever be put to shame and that we will dream dreams and see visions. Visions of the Kingdom of God to which we are all invited live and to share.
Blessings and Peace,
Ben Alford
What a great message from Jesus. One that is just as relavent today as it was two thousand years ago. The temptation in our culture just as in Jesus’ is to imagine that we are autonomous and self-sufficent, and most likely better than the other. Whoever the other happens to be. Against this idea, the text attests that a good life is a gift from God that is lived back to God. The fact is that self-reliance has acute limitations and that the reliance upon God is a bottomless assurance of a well-being we cannot generate for ourselves.
The Hebrew Prophet, Joel, living and working some five hundred years before Jesus helps us understand the joy and confidence of a life lived in relieance upon God.
O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the LORD your God; for he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before. The threshing floors shall be full of grain, the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent against you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, the LORD, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again be put to shame. Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit. (Joel 2:23-32)
What a wonderful assurance and blessing, to know that God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh, upon all people, so that we might never, ever be put to shame and that we will dream dreams and see visions. Visions of the Kingdom of God to which we are all invited live and to share.
Blessings and Peace,
Ben Alford
Friday, October 15, 2010
Reflections on A Pastoral Letter from the Episcopal House of Bishops
The Bishops of the Episcopal Church met in Phoenix, Arizona in the middle of September. As a part of their time together the traveled to the United States, Mexico border, spending time talking with immigrants, migrants, border patrol personal, local ranchers, business people and Christian Communities. After spending time with the people who are dealing with the very real spiritual, political and economic issues of immigration in our country, they wrote a letter to the church. I am pleased to share with you a portion of that letter as well as a link that will give you more information if you desire.
They began their letter with two readings from Scripture. There shall be for you and the resident alien a single statute, a perpetual statute throughout your generations; you and the alien shall be alike before the Lord. You and the alien who resides with you shall have the same law and the same ordinance (Numbers 15:15-16).
So [Christ] came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God (Ephesians 2:17-19).
A few of their thoughts follow:
”Holy Scripture teaches us that all human beings are made in the image of God, and that Jesus Christ gave his life for all people. Furthermore, both the Old and New Testaments declare the importance of hospitality to resident alien and strangers, a hospitality that rests on our common humanity. All human beings are therefore deserving of dignity and respect, as we affirm in our Baptismal Covenant (Book of Common Prayer, p.305). So our gracious welcome of immigrants, documented or undocumented, is a reflection of God’s grace poured out on us and on all. In this light:
(1) Ours is a migratory world in which many people move across borders to escape poverty, hunger, injustice and violence. We categorically reject efforts to criminalize undocumented migrants and immigrants, and deplore the separation of families and the unnecessary incarceration of undocumented workers. Since, as we are convinced, it is natural to seek gainful employment to sustain oneself and one’s family, we cannot agree that the efforts of undocumented workers to feed and shelter their households through honest labor are criminal.
(2) We profess that inhumane policies directed against undocumented persons (raids, separation of families, denial of health services) are intolerable on religious and humanitarian grounds, as is attested by the consensus of a wide range of religious bodies on this matter.
(3) We call on the government of the United States and all governments to create fair and humane immigration policies that honor the dignity of people on all sides of this issue. In the United States, we seek a reasonable path to citizenship for undocumented workers; a plan to reunite families; and a viable system for receiving temporary or seasonal guest-workers, with clearly identified points of entry. These measures would free the United States border patrol to concentrate its efforts on the apprehension of drug traffickers, terrorists, and other criminals, and not on ordinary people who are simply seeking a better life for themselves and their children.
(4) We acknowledge the duty of governments to protect their people, including the securing of borders. The church has always respected this duty, which is grounded in government’s God-given duty to protect innocent people and punish wrongdoers (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17).
(7) We do not discount the concerns of our fellow citizens regarding the danger uncontrolled immigration poses to our safety and economic well-being. We insist, however, that these concerns be approached within the broader context of a national commitment and covenant to inclusion and fellowship across all lines for the sake of the common good.
(8) We take seriously our commitment to and responsibility for our fellow citizens, as we strive to face the spiritual, moral and economic challenges of life in all sixteen nations represented in The Episcopal Church. We call on our fellow citizens to remember that the good of a nation lies beyond its own self-interest, toward a vision of a humanity restored in Jesus Christ, for in him “you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13).”
For more prayerful reflection you might find the following web link helpful. http://www.episcopalchurch.org/documents/HOB_theological_resource_on_immigration.pdf]
Blessings and Peace,
Ben Alford
They began their letter with two readings from Scripture. There shall be for you and the resident alien a single statute, a perpetual statute throughout your generations; you and the alien shall be alike before the Lord. You and the alien who resides with you shall have the same law and the same ordinance (Numbers 15:15-16).
So [Christ] came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God (Ephesians 2:17-19).
A few of their thoughts follow:
”Holy Scripture teaches us that all human beings are made in the image of God, and that Jesus Christ gave his life for all people. Furthermore, both the Old and New Testaments declare the importance of hospitality to resident alien and strangers, a hospitality that rests on our common humanity. All human beings are therefore deserving of dignity and respect, as we affirm in our Baptismal Covenant (Book of Common Prayer, p.305). So our gracious welcome of immigrants, documented or undocumented, is a reflection of God’s grace poured out on us and on all. In this light:
(1) Ours is a migratory world in which many people move across borders to escape poverty, hunger, injustice and violence. We categorically reject efforts to criminalize undocumented migrants and immigrants, and deplore the separation of families and the unnecessary incarceration of undocumented workers. Since, as we are convinced, it is natural to seek gainful employment to sustain oneself and one’s family, we cannot agree that the efforts of undocumented workers to feed and shelter their households through honest labor are criminal.
(2) We profess that inhumane policies directed against undocumented persons (raids, separation of families, denial of health services) are intolerable on religious and humanitarian grounds, as is attested by the consensus of a wide range of religious bodies on this matter.
(3) We call on the government of the United States and all governments to create fair and humane immigration policies that honor the dignity of people on all sides of this issue. In the United States, we seek a reasonable path to citizenship for undocumented workers; a plan to reunite families; and a viable system for receiving temporary or seasonal guest-workers, with clearly identified points of entry. These measures would free the United States border patrol to concentrate its efforts on the apprehension of drug traffickers, terrorists, and other criminals, and not on ordinary people who are simply seeking a better life for themselves and their children.
(4) We acknowledge the duty of governments to protect their people, including the securing of borders. The church has always respected this duty, which is grounded in government’s God-given duty to protect innocent people and punish wrongdoers (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17).
(7) We do not discount the concerns of our fellow citizens regarding the danger uncontrolled immigration poses to our safety and economic well-being. We insist, however, that these concerns be approached within the broader context of a national commitment and covenant to inclusion and fellowship across all lines for the sake of the common good.
(8) We take seriously our commitment to and responsibility for our fellow citizens, as we strive to face the spiritual, moral and economic challenges of life in all sixteen nations represented in The Episcopal Church. We call on our fellow citizens to remember that the good of a nation lies beyond its own self-interest, toward a vision of a humanity restored in Jesus Christ, for in him “you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13).”
For more prayerful reflection you might find the following web link helpful. http://www.episcopalchurch.org/documents/HOB_theological_resource_on_immigration.pdf]
Blessings and Peace,
Ben Alford
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