The Place of the Wound is the Place of the Gift Part 2

Over the centuries oil has been used to heal, soothe, comfort, and strengthen those suffering from health challenges. It is back big time in these latter years.  Because the Pope calls it the oil of God's mercy we must broaden our understanding to include it's sacramental aspect.  So, now we see the sacrament of the oil of mercy as not only healing, soothing, comforting, and strengthening us but we must add transfiguration and transformation.  So, there is a change.  The old has become new and to add something really mysterious and amazing, our garbage has been transformed into treasure.  Our wounds, our weaknesses, or brokenness have become the place of healing, and giftedness but for ourselves, alone.  We are told in the scriptures that "the gifts and talents we have been given are Not for ourselves, but for the building up of the common good." Stories of deep healing are so healing in turn.  We must be always conscious of the danger of spiritual greed.  What we keep, we lose, what we give away, we keep.

The Place of the Wound is the Place of the Gift

It must be 40 years since I was introduced to the concept of spiritual garbage by my great friend Fr. Tot O'Dea.  We were both ordained in the cathedral in Carlow City, Ireland.  We became neighborhood pastors, and what a blessing that was.  It was at breakfast when Tot broke down garbage into, G-as guilt, A -anger, R -resentment, B-boredom, A-anxiety, G-greed, E-envy.  These next 40 years has been a journey into discovery. Discovering the power of undealt with garbage, and what happens in the recycling of self same garbage, has been one of the greatest gifts that my Gracious Creator has blessed me with.  Then to make this journey more awe-full, and wonder-full along comes Pope Francis and his great message revealing anew our Father's mysterious gift of mercy. The Pope kept referring to the oil of mercy.  By doing so, we were asked to focus our attention our attention on the many properties of oil, and its sacramental significance and understanding. So, for me this focus on similarity between the workings of oil has become an ever deepening conversion experience.  In my wildest dreams I never thought that at the end of my days there would be such a profound ongoing spiritual journey.  This has changed my approach to both preaching and teaching.  Being in the process of conversion, I am able to approach The Sacrament of Reconciliation through a whole different light.  Now, the emphasis is on reconciliation and healing, leading to a new way of living.  Yes! God is the God of surprises.  This one I like.

Gut Honesty and Prayer Part 2

I am sad to say this God, Jesus the carpenter, who came to reveal and teach us, was not the God of my youth.  It has taken many, many journeys into the unacceptable to meet this God of radical acceptance.  I have been converted many times and the conversion continues into this present moment.  This Lent let us journey into our given humanity, and discover the mysterious workings of grace, when we are honest, and honest is essential for conversion. When we are gut honest, we are led to the discovery, and gradual acceptance of the reality, we all have spiritual GARBAGE.  The disposal of garbage is one the great challenges of our present time.  So much of our planetary home is negatively affected by the garbage created by us the inhabitants of Mother Earth.  We have not taken good care, we have not been responsible, now we are paying the price.  You do not go shopping for garbage, but given time that which you brought into your home part of it enters the garbage disposal or take it to the curb where its destiny is the recycling process.  Each Lent we are given, again and again, the opportunity to grow in honesty as regard to how we deal with our spiritual garbage.

Gut Honesty and Prayer

"It is not that I love God, but that God loves me.  Not that I give love but that I accept love" (St. John).  "O god help me to believe the truth about myself no matter how beautiful it is." That would  be the gift to give to myself, to see myself as God sees me.

These are the givens, the building blocks, which must always be kept before us so we can enjoy, and have a sense of celebration on this journey to our God and with our God.  Joy is all about who we are not about what we have that is happiness.  The whole season of Lent is a journey of conversion leading us to the joy of slowly discovering who we really are.  Lent is a journey therefore into change, and what human being among us likes change?  I have come across so very few.  We like the familiar, the present, and want the security of knowing where we are going.  Our faith journey on the other hand is a journey into uncertainty, not certainty.  Our egocentric egos want none of that.  The egocentric self is not our true self, but a self created reality, enabling us to survive, not live.  The true self, created in the image and likeness our Gracious Creator is the one therefore that our God knows, loves.  Praying from our true selves, from our deepest reality, is a prayer that always works. This prayer can also be called "our gut prayer."

In my 57 years of pastoral ministry I have heard some awe-full, wonder-full, stories of fellow human beings who tell of their experience with "gut prayer." This prayer of honesty does not bubble up from the depths, it somehow surfaces when everything else has not worked.   It seems that it also be called the prayer of abandonment.  Our places of abandonment are not places we choose to enter into. Living out of the false self, and all of its demands, brings us to that place.  God does not intend for us to go there, but once we have ended up there, our God reaches out and enfolds us in Her/His loving embracing hug.  In that mysterious encounter courage is given to pray our "gut prayer."  So very often it is a crying out to the unknown.  A crying out from our place of abandonment and desperation for help to do what we by ourselves are unable to handle. This "gut prayer" would not make it into any one of the accepted books of prayer.  So often cursing is involved in this prayer of desperation.  Is God offended by this?  Of course not.  It is people with big egos that get offended.  God has no ego, so to offend the true and living God is NOT possible.