Category: Wednesday Morning Thoughts

Last Sunday was Pledge Consecration Sunday, and I am so very grateful to all who gave so generously. Thank you! And if you are considering making or renewing your pledge, thank you! Let us continue to give of our time, talents, and financial pledges with gratitude, and imagination as to who, and whose we are, and who we are becoming!

Of late I have been wondering; how might telling our stories of Divine generosity and mystery energize our common life at Holy Family? When we have been surprised by joy, how do we give in response to this? As we approach the Advent season with hopeful anticipation, how might we pay attention to even the smallest blessings on our daily walk? This past Sunday I arrived at church in the predawn darkness and sat in silence in the nave of our beautiful parish. I offered a prayer of gratitude for all the lives who would gather that day, and all the Saints who have come before, and are to come.

In his wonderful book “The Embers and the Stars,” Erazim Kohak asks this very question of each of us, and of himself… how might we respond out of gratitude for the gifts we have been given? To speak for example of the gift of the presence of God in nature—and of the creatures who live in it, may at first glance seem challenging. Kohak writes, “Nature appears dead to us in part because we have come to think of God as “super-natural,” absent from nature and not found therein.” This is, he suggests, a product of how far our quest for theory has deviated from the reality of lived experience, how often, that is, we miss the connection between blessing, and gratitude, and the acknowledgement of the sacred in creation all around us. Kohak continues, “The most basic trait of the world that confronts a dweller in the forest clearing is that it is God’s world not ours, and that here God is never far. In lived experience, in the embers and the stars…the heavens declare God’s glory, the creatures of the forest obey God’s law, the human dweller gives thanks for this grace.”

It just happens that Kohak has found deep meaning in the worship of the Anglican communion, and the Episcopal version of it, where he finds what he refers to as “…the great mystery of abiding, its sense, its incarnation, love becoming actual in labor, faith in life and worship.” And in the metaphor of an evening in the New Hampshire woods he finds that our blessing of such experiences, in this moment, does not lead to a conclusion, but to a reflection on the living presence of God. The author Marilynne Robinson sees the sacred in the mystery of blessing the life of a cat, Kohak in the river, and the forest, and the stars, where he writes, “the fulfillment of time is not where we seek it in vain, in its endless future. It is where we find it, in its perennially present eternity.”    

So, where does your sense of wonder and gratitude at the mystery of creation energize the ancient and ever unfolding stories of creation—the Gospel Good News right now, in this moment? Where and when do you bless and give thanks for the sacred in the now, enlarging and co-creating the ongoing unfolding of that narrative?    

We are called to co-participate in the ongoing living out of the Gospel story by adding our stories of co-creation to that one, in conversation with the compassionate movement of the Holy Spirit. The unfolding of creation requires our participation. It asks of us that we tell what we have seen of God’s ever-in-process creation, woven into the stories of who—and whose we are, and are becoming. To embrace God’s blessing is to acknowledge ourselves—and Christ, in each of the blessings we receive. Jesus managed always to blur the boundaries between our notions of neighbor and stranger, and in so doing he set the context for hospitality, and compassion, and gratitude in community. I was reminded of this again last Saturday, as 16 men of our parish gathered and in so doing, came to know one another at deeper levels. Gratitude indeed!  

And here, my long interests in neuroscience and pastoral theology are coming together in fascinating ways. Researchers using MRI and PET scan technology—imagine a kind of Hubble telescope of the brain—have learned that there are areas of the brain that “light up” in relation to emotions associated with giving out of our places of gratitude, and when we share those stories. We are learning that the adult brain is changeable—the scientific word for it is “neuroplasticity”—and that when we give, and when we engage in acts of compassion, we are re-wiring our brains. Some among us attended the Dalai Lama’s conference on compassion and neuroscience held at Emory several years ago, and it was research among Tibetan monks—whom the Harvard trained researcher Richard Davidson called the “Olympic athletes of meditation”—who first demonstrated what happens when we practice compassionate acts of giving, in gratitude.

Vicky and I recently lost our beloved dog Sadie after 18 years. We miss her, and yet, as Rabbi Edwin Friedman so wisely said, “Grief and loss that are not transformed, get transmitted.” And so, we have been seeking to transform our grief largely through gratitude for her, and giving from that place in our hearts. And within the broken spaces created by loss, we remember this affectionate, wise creature of God who appeared in our lives, lost, and in need of a home. Was there a blessing? Is it connected to gratitude? Do we know in a new way the power of acknowledged sacredness, and what Wendell Berry may have meant when he said; “The incarnate word is with us, is still speaking, is present always, yet leaves no sign, but everything that is…” Yes, yes, and yes. Amen.

Diocesan Council, Holy Family, and Quantum Entanglement!

On Friday and Saturday of this past week, a contingent from Holy Family journeyed to Holy Innocents’ parish for our annual Diocesan Council. I am grateful to Jeanine Krenson, Andy Edwards, Terry Nicholson, Jim Braley, and Loran Davis for their willingness to join me and in so doing, representing our beloved parish. The opening worship was lively, engaging, and deeply moving, and it was a joy for each of us to join with others from around the Diocese as we engaged in the collective, good work of being the church.

I was especially interested in the 2023 Vitality Parochial Report overview, citing trends across the Diocese. Among the “markers of vitality” were 1. Identity of Purpose (a clear sense of who you are as a parish, the gifts you have been given to share with the world, your calling); 2. Transformational Experience (spiritual maturity developed at church through worship, formation, and fellowship); 3. Shared Leadership (lay and clergy leaders collaborate and make decisions together 4. Discernment Practices (Intentional practices for listening, experimentation, adaptation) and 5. Neighborliness and Witness (serving and being in relationship with neighbors, sharing the story of the Good News beyond the walls of the church in ways that invite people in).

In each of these areas, I believe we are making good strides at Holy Family, and I am grateful to everyone for the many ways each of you contribute to our congregational vitality. Our Parish Life Committee is working to coordinate the above categories into a synthesis of mindful efforts and to shepherd those activities. Each of our committees is thriving in outward and visible ways, and we are seeing more newcomers each week! Thank you all.

Lately I have been reading more about the idea of “Quantum Entanglement.” Quantum physics, at its core, ventures deep into the enigmatic realms of the universe’s smallest elements. It presents a world that defies logic – particles can not only occupy one position but can exist multiple places simultaneously. The phenomenon of “entanglement,” described by Einstein as “spooky action at a distance,” illustrates the profound interconnection that can exist between particles, regardless of the vastness of space separating them. This interconnectedness challenges our conventional understanding of space and time, hinting at a more profound, unified underpinning of reality. Pioneering work in quantum gravity and cosmology underscores this inherent interconnectedness. What is known as the “holographic principle” suggests that every minute part of the universe embodies the information of the entirety of the cosmos. This perspective not only aligns with spiritual understandings of unity but accentuates them. The infinitesimal and the immense become reflections of one another, intertwining our very existence with the expansive cosmos.

As I run the trails in this season of transition—both at Holy Family, and from late autumn to winter, I am reminded that we are indeed all connected, and science and spirituality are not unrelated to one another.

Authors such as Greg Braden, renowned for his synthesis of ancient spiritual wisdom and modern scientific insight, introduce the concept of a divine energy matrix pervading the cosmos. This matrix isn’t just a passive tapestry; it’s interactive and dynamic. Braden’s research underscores the potent electromagnetic field of the human heart, which significantly eclipses that of the brain. This field can act as an interface between our inner states and the surrounding environment, implying that our emotional and spiritual states can tangibly shape our external world.

Just yesterday a patient asked me if I thought prayer really makes any difference. I thought for a moment, and then borrowing a theme from “quantum entanglement” I said that anything we put out into the universe contributes to the common good. Often this happens in ways unseen. As Mary Oliver said of prayer:

Praying

It doesn’t have to be

the blue iris, it could be

weeds in a vacant lot, or a few

small stones; just

pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try

to make them elaborate, this isn’t

a contest but the doorway

into thank, and a silence in which another voice may speak.

The co-creation of sacred space through our prayers is itself a form of “quantum entanglement” with the Holy Spirit. Here, paying attention, praying, and providing space through our prayers isn’t a passive act; it’s a participatory one, with the prayerful presence determining and co-participating in the observed outcome. As such, in life, our deepest intentions, desires, and beliefs play a similar role, sculpting our experiences and realities in everyday life.

Central to this intersection of science and religion in liminal space is the revelation of our inherent divinity. We aren’t just bystanders in the cosmic play but active participants, channeling the Divine to experience, explore, and express the myriad facets of existence. This divine play, when examined through the lens of quantum understanding, becomes a harmonious resonance, with our individual and collective energy fields vibrating in sync with the cosmos’s vast orchestration. To me, this emphasizes a universe that is alive, conscious, and ever responsive. Every emotion, intent, and action we undertake sends ripples across this universal fabric – influencing, shaping, and co-creating the reality we experience. Do our prayers make a difference? Of course they do, and we can be open to the mystery of how this happens even as we seek to join in this cosmic dance.

As we move from the long, green season of Pentecost into Advent, a season of watchful anticipation, let’s covenant to remember that the Incarnation is to literally “embody in flesh,” and as such we believe that Jesus took on human form and that we too, by participating in Holy Eucharist and as one among many in the Body of Christ that is the church, we too can as Augustine said so well, “become what we receive.”

As leaders—and we are each in our own way a leader—how might we embody the markers of vitality above? How might we participate in the life of Holy Family recognizing that the choices we make, including even the prayers we pray, contribute to the Whole? A deepened awareness of the roles each of us plays can indeed contribute to the common good, and to the vitality of our parish. Now, that’s a quantum entanglement I can understand, and believe in!

Keep in mind the Men’s Retreat this coming Saturday, and all the opportunities for fellowship, leadership, and service in our shared life together at Holy Family. And thank you, one and all for giving of time, talent, and resources of all kinds!

Just this morning as I ran the neighborhood trails, I saw this flock of geese gathered in a remote section of the lake. The early Celtic Christians used the Wild Goose in their legendary descriptions and beautiful art to best describe the presence of The Holy Spirit. 

As Gerard Manly Hopkins said, “The world is charged with the grandeur of God…it goes out like the shining from shook foil.” Indeed, the Holy is all around us, and we, too, can co-participate in that unfolding of Creation!

I’m glad to be on the journey with you all, and I hope to see you in church! I’ll catch you later on down the trail. Bill+

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough. ~Meister Ecka

Friends, These past two weeks at Holy Family have been filled with signs of hope, enthusiasm, and teamwork among so many of you. Thank you!

Our Stewardship Kickoff celebration, the glorious Rutter Requiem on Friday, and the services on Sundays are all outward and visible signs of a vibrant community and remarkable energy. And, I have met several new visitors to our parish, including a former member of the Cathedral who now lives in Big Canoe and will be joining Holy Family. We have now gone “live” with our search, thanks to the tireless efforts of our nominating committee, led by Martha and Steve! Thank you!

This week we will enjoy our monthly Wednesday healing service, and on Friday a contingent of us will journey to Holy Innocents parish for Diocesan Council. This parish is deeply important to me, as it was where I began my journey into the Episcopal Church as a 16-year-old soon-to-be lapsed Presbyterian! On Saturday the 16^th we will host a Men’s Retreat, and I hope some of you can join us to discuss the epidemic of loneliness, and how fellowship among men can have practical applications for wholeness in mind, body, and spirit.  Please keep in mind our Stewardship drive as we move toward the Advent season, and pick up a Holy Family polo shirt, sweatshirt, or hat as we seek to spread the good news about our beloved parish! A deep bow of gratitude to each of you for your good and faithful ministries among us.

Donald Winnicott, one among my mentors in clinical work, once said that he knew his patients were getting better when they recovered or discovered their capacity for imagination. Let’s continue to imagine the future and hope together, shall we?

And Gabriel Marcel, a theologian and philosopher whose work I have long admired, suggests that “creative fidelity” involves giving a part of ourselves to others, which we do by sharing love and friendship, as well as through the creative, performing, and fine arts. Creative fidelity binds us to others (religio…to bind together) recognizing the subjectivity of others…their sacred individuality, while expressing our own. Creative fidelity is the tenacious, constant desire to elaborate who we are—to have a greater sense of being, we need creative fidelity. We become creatively faithful when we bridge the gap between ourselves and others when we make ourselves present to them. 

One of the most famous biblical passages is 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13. In what some authors call a Christian hymn, Paul emphasizes that those at Corinth should seek agape love. He contrasts the value of spiritual gifts, acts of compassion such as donating to the poor, and even martyrdom with agape love. Paul’s clear message is that the members of the community must not simply love each other in the way of philia, but in the way of agape.  

Likewise, hope guarantees fidelity and loving kindness by defeating despair—it gives us the strength to continually create—but it is not the same as optimism. Hope is not passive; it is not resignation or acceptance. Instead, “Hope consists in asserting that there is at the heart of being, beyond all data, beyond all inventories and all calculations, a mysterious principle which is in connivance with me.” 

This implies that hope is an active, hopeful compassion, not a surrender, not only for us, but for and on behalf of others. For Marcel, genuine hope means we cannot depend completely upon ourselves—it derives from humility, not pride. It depends on communities like our own Holy Family.

This photo was taken on our recent trip to Europe, with twin grandchildren Alice and Jack in the foreground. As Victor Hugo said:

“To love or have loved, that is enough. There is nothing like a dream to create the future.”~ Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

I am grateful for the love we share at Holy Family, and for the ability to dream for the future!

Let’s continue to imagine the future and hope together, shall we? I’ll catch you later down the trail, and I hope to see you in church!

Bill+

As I write in the pre-dawn darkness, I am so grateful for this community of Holy Family. The services and festive stewardship kickoff gathering on Sunday were wonderful and were the result of the good and creative work of so many. A deep bow of gratitude to Loran and her team for a fantastic event. I am so very grateful for their energy, vision, and the necessary leadership to see that vision through to reality! As the old song goes, “There’s a sweet, sweet spirit in this place.” Indeed, there is, and I am so very proud of and grateful for each of you. 

And thank you to Jacques and his team (Tony Militello, Terry Nicholson, Bruce Elliot, Andy Edwards, and all who jumped in to help!) for such a bountiful repast, done with excellence, grace, and hospitality! Wow! Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Jim Braley’s stewardship message during the worship services was spot on and set just the right tone for the next phase in our efforts. Thank you, Jim!

In this season of giving at Holy Family, let’s promise, one to another, to remember that we are all leaders by virtue of our Baptismal Covenant. Leaders come in many forms and are based on our awareness of our gifts and graces. Among the most distinguishing characteristics of leaders is a willingness to give of themselves considering these gifts and abilities. Indeed, our own Holy Family has a long history of engagement in the community, I am reminded of this lovely poem by Wendell Berry, appropriate as we approach the Feast of All Saints:

There is No Going Back

– Wendell Berry

No, no, there is no going back.

Less and less you are

that possibility you were.

More and more you have become

those lives and deaths

that have belonged to you.

You have become a sort of grave

containing much that was

and is no more in time, beloved

then, now, and always.

And so you have become a sort of tree

standing over a grave.

Now more than ever you can be

generous toward each day

that comes, young, to disappear

forever, and yet remain

unaging in the mind.

Every day you have less reason

not to give yourself away.

While widely different in expression, the power of giving back is evident in our own community. One need only look around to see the Spirit of giving manifest in so many ways, from so many committees and individual parishioners who are contributing: from shaping our vision moving forward (“Lay led; clergy supported”) and countless individual acts of helping others and contributing to the ongoing life of the parish. These volunteers selflessly share expertise, time and talent to make our congregation all that it is. This connection to purpose and making a difference is rooted in our DNA as leaders…and again, each of us is called to lead!  

Most striking is the effect giving back has on us. One might argue we do this for others and for the good of our community, but as it turns out, it is also good for us. In fact, there is some evidence that links these acts to improved well-being, including better physical and mental health. A recent study found that those who volunteer reported lower blood pressure and stress levels, less depression and higher self-esteem. A separate study found that people 55 and older who volunteered for two or more organizations were 44% less likely to die over a five-year period than those who didn’t volunteer—even accounting for such factors as age, exercise and general health. Research also has shown that generosity provides psychological benefits by stimulating parts of the brain associated with empathy and happiness. Compassion, empathy, and gratitude can be cultivated, and can change our neural pathways and neurochemistry

https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2024/05/22/a-psychologist-explains-how-to-hack-your-brains-gratitude-circuit/

Giving back also encourages others to do the same. Instilling and sharing this part of us connects us and nurtures us as a leadership community. As we approach the season of giving and reflect on the year, let us also reflect on the power of giving back and how it can fuel and inspire us. Fostering this in others may be one of the most meaningful and enduring steps we can take as leaders. Be sure to thank those on the Nominating Committee who, led by Steve Franzen and Martha Power, have worked tirelessly to prepare us to call our next rector. And remember that each prospective candidate will take a close look at our financial well-being!

As such, leadership by giving back is a form of what theologian Merleau-Ponty called “intertwinement“–cultivating and adopting an ‘attentiveness and wonder’ towards the world. And our intertwinement with others extends, equally, to our relationship with the natural world – a theme that theologian Merleau-Ponty was increasingly drawn towards in his later writings. Gabriel Marcel referred to this as disponibilite’ –loosely translated as spiritual “availability”, or an openness to the other, readiness to respond with some measure of specific actions—giving among them.

So, look around Holy Family in the coming weeks, and look for opportunities to give of time, talent, and money. Consider joining a committee, or the choir, and pick up one of the wonderful new Holy Family shirts, hats, and hoodies. Wear them around the community with pride! Join us on Friday evening for the lovely and inspiring Rutter All Saints service. Let these words from 2 Corinthians (9:6-8) inform your own choices about leadership: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” As Jesus reminded us, he came so that we might have life and have it abundantly. I pray that for each of us, giving back can be one measure of abundant life. After all, “every day we have less reason not to give ourselves away”!

As Advent approaches, a season of watching, waiting, and hopeful anticipation, let’s be leaders together toward the common goal of strengthening Holy Family, and co-creating the next chapter of our lives together in this sacred place. Remember this week to exercise your sacred right to vote, keeping in mind our core Baptismal covenant to go in peace, and respect the dignity of every human being.

I’ll catch you later down the trail, and I hope to see you in church!

Blessings, Bill+

Many years ago, while a Postulant at Holy Family, I was invited by Pete Cook to drive to a Dahlonega tree farm for “a few maple seedlings.” Pete knew the owner, who gave us a good price for a particular hybrid maple he admired. Over the next several weeks we planted the trees that now line our parking area, so lovingly cared for by our indomitable grounds crew. Now those trees are turning many lovely shades of red, orange, and yellow. Autumn arrives slowly here in the Southern Appalachians, and I delight in the subtle changes in the woods this time of year. A walk on the trails reveals lovely vistas, but the earth beneath our feet is revelatory as well. An ancient oak, split in half by recent storms, now presents a window on the world of deep fungal connections we seldom see. The forest is indeed alive, and as it turns out, we are more fully alive in the forest:

https://www.outsideonline.com/health/wellness/take-two-hours-pine-forest-and-call-me-morning/

Once we begin to pay attention in relation to this, as in so many things, our perspectives can change. As the poet Robert Frost said,

“We dance round in a ring and suppose,

But the Secret sits in the middle and knows.”

And Carl Jung reminds us that our cathedrals and the Nave of our own lovely Holy Family, are not the only sacred spaces: “Nature is not matter only. She is also spirit.”  

In recent weeks we have begun gathering on the first Wednesday of the month for a healing service in the chapel at noon. We assemble quietly for the Eucharist and the gifts offered there, yes, but to me, relationships are the main reason we gather. I have been so moved by the connections we are creating, both through the liturgy and as we break bread together after the service, with stories, laughter, and even our sacred silences. I am so very grateful for this Holy Family community. And I am grateful that some of those in attendance, unable to be present on Sunday, are able to join us.

Nature, too, understands the mutuality of shared, sacred space, and how communication occurs at levels often unseen. The author Robert Macfarlane writes that the world beneath our feet is also filled with wonder:

The term ‘mycorrhiza’ is made from the Greek words for ‘fungus’ and ‘root’. It is itself a collaboration or entanglement; and as such a reminder of how language has its own sunken system of roots and hyphae, through which meaning is shared and traded. The relationship between mycorrhizal fungi and the plants they connect is ancient – around 450 million years old – and largely one of mutualism. In the case of the tree–fungi mutualism, the fungi siphon off carbon that has been produced in the form of glucose by the trees during photosynthesis, by means of chlorophyll that the fungi do not possess. In turn, the trees obtain nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen that the fungi have acquired from the soil through which they grow, by means of enzymes that the trees lack il through which they grow, by means of enzymes that the trees lack.”

Several years ago, my cohort of graduate school friends read The Overstory, by Richard Powers. A deeper awareness of the life of trees is among the gifts we found in this remarkable novel:

“We found that trees could communicate, over the air and through their roots. Common sense hooted us down. We found that trees take care of each other. Collective science dismissed the idea. Outsiders discovered how seeds remember the seasons of their childhood and set buds accordingly. Outsiders discovered that trees sense the presence of other nearby life. That a tree learns to save water. That trees feed their young and synchronize their masts and bank resources and warn kin and send out signals to wasps to come and save them from attacks. “Here’s a little outsider information, and you can wait for it to be confirmed. A forest knows things. They wire themselves up underground. There are brains down there, ones our own brains aren’t shaped to see. Root plasticity, solving problems and making decisions. Fungal synapses. What else do you want to call it? Link enough trees together, and a forest grows aware.”

~Richard Powers, The Overstory

Recently I arrived at church early on Sunday morning to sit in silence before services began. I was aware of the deep layers of experience we share each morning, both in the liturgy and in the relationships shared each week. Like the trees in Powers’ novel, there is a mystery at profound levels in the coming together to worship, share grace and hospitality, and go back out into the world to love and serve the Lord, respecting the dignity of every human being. Indeed, even the smallest gestures we share having participated in the Eucharist and rejoicing in the power of the Spirit allow us to flourish, even as we inspire others to go and do likewise.

“Trees know when we are close by. The chemistry of their roots and the perfumes of their leaves pump out change when we’re near…when you feel good after a walk in the woods, it may be that certain species are bribing you…What we care for, we will grow to resemble. And what we resemble will hold us, when we are us no longer.” ― Richard Powers, The Overstory

One of the things Jung taught was that the human psyche is the mediation point for God. If God wants to speak to us, God usually speaks in words that first feel like our own thoughts. As Rohr asks, “How else could God come to us? We have to be taught how to honor and allow that, how to give it authority, and to recognize that sometimes our thoughts are God’s thoughts. Contemplation helps train such awareness in us. The dualistic or non-contemplative mind cannot imagine how both could be true at the same time. The contemplative mind sees things in wholes and not in divided parts.”

In an account written several years before his death, Jung described his early sense that ‘Nobody could rob me of the conviction that it was enjoined upon me to do what God wanted and not what I wanted. That gave me the strength to go my own way.’

As Rohr reminds us, we all must find an inner authority that we can trust that is bigger than our own. This way, we know it’s not only us thinking these thoughts. When we can trust God directly, it balances out the almost exclusive reliance on external authority (Scripture for Protestants; Tradition for Catholics). Much of what passes as religion is external to the self, top-down religion, operating from the outside in. Carl Jung wanted to teach people to honor religious symbols, but from the inside out. He wanted people to recognize those numinous voices already in our deepest depths. Without deep contact with one’s in-depth, authentic self, Jung believed one could not know God. That’s not just Jungian psychology. “Wisdom of the Women Mystics,” one among our current Christian Education classes meets Monday evenings from 7 to 8 pm. This is a women’s Christian Education class designed to acquaint us with writings from medieval Christian women who were dedicated to serving God by caring for others and by recording their insights and hopes. And they are doing the very kind of discernment Jung encouraged us to do!

The Adult Education Committee has also begun reading Richard Rohr’s Jesus’ Alternative Plan – The Sermon on the Mount. Rohr writes that Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is “considered the blueprint for the Christian lifestyle.” Rohr believes that the “secret to understanding the Sermon on the mount is to understand what Jesus intended when he preached it.” Rohr’s goal is to “delve into the language of religion and emerge with a clearer understanding of the Sermon on the Mount, the Nazarene rabbi who preached it, and the Gospel writers, especially Matthew, who passed it on to us.” Rohr is a Franciscan priest and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation, and he, too, is engaged in the kind of spiritual discernment Jung encouraged. Similar teachers include Augustine, Thérèse of Lisieux, Lady Julian of Norwich, Meister Eckhart, and Francis of Assisi.

Wherever you are on your spiritual journey I hope you will explore both your own, inner voice, and the community of faith that is Holy Family! Options for doing so are many, and best done with companions on the way. I’ll catch you later down the trail, and I hope to see you in church!

Bill+

“Grief and loss that are not transformed, get transmitted. We need others to walk beside us during time of loss to assist us on that journey of transforming our grief.” ~ Rabbi Edwin Friedman

On Monday of this week, after a challenging session with a patient who has experienced significant losses and is doing sacred, good grief work, I recalled the words of Rabbi Friedman in a lecture at Vanderbilt. He is correct, of course. Sometimes we need to widen the circle of care, and this can take many forms. Indeed, one need not be ordained, or a licensed clinician to sit with another in that liminal space of hospitality, compassion, and relationship. After my session on Monday, I walked into the nave of the Cathedral, sat in the sacred silence, and offered a prayer for my patient and her family. When I rose from the pew and began my trek back to the counseling center, I saw the beautiful light, refracted through the stained glass of the windows, reflected on the cathedral pillars. I was comforted by this, and reminded that the sacred can take many forms, and like the Holy Spirit who can surprise us with the gift of Her presence, sometimes is there all along. And I was reminded that we do not have to do this work alone.

Among the topics I have written about during my years as a professor is “resilience,” of which Fr. Richard Rohr has said, “I believe resilience is the secular word for faith — the ability to trust and let go.” I agree, and resilience can be enhanced in relationships of care, compassion, and intentional acts of grace. We recall these lovely words from 2 Corinthians 4:7:

⁷But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. ⁸We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ⁹persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. ¹¹For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. ¹²So death is at work in us, but life in you. 

We know that resilience, bouncing back from change, adversity, and adapting and flourishing in the “new normal,” through thoughts, behaviors, and actions can be learned, cultivated, and developed. It is an alternative to “pathology based” assessments and theory. Cultivating resilience can change our neural pathways and neurochemistry (neuroplasticity. And resilience transcends disciplines, and has applications in engineering, ecology, medicine, finance, leadership, and religion. Cultivating resilience can change mind, body, and spirit.

Resilience is often born amid adversity, as the poet David Whyte has said so well:

“Disappointment is a friend to transformation, a call to both accuracy and generosity in the assessment of our self and others, a test of sincerity and a catalyst of resilience. It is the initial meeting with the frontier of an evolving life…an invitation to reality… and the measure of our courage.”

Regardless of the source of our disappointment, grief, or loss, we often need others to sit with us in that sacred space, without needing to “fix” whatever has been broken or is hurting. The relationship is what is most important. In the next few weeks, we will be exploring the possibility of creating a Community of Hope lay pastoral care group here at Holy Family. Here’s more about COHI:

“Community of Hope International equips lay people to serve in all forms of pastoral care. Pastoral care is when a person is being “present” in a listening, compassionate, non-controlling manner to an individual or group for the purpose of consciously or unconsciously representing God to them and seeking to respond to their spiritual needs….Through ongoing, spiritual formation and practical lessons on caregiving, members learn to match theological insights and spiritual practices with their experiences of ministering to others and giving spiritual guidance. The fourteen modules used in training cover topics both theoretical and practical, ranging from teaching participants the tenets of Benedictine Spirituality to practical instruction to be used while on a pastoral care visit. It is COHI’s goal that this training awaken participants to God’s call on their lives by discovering and understanding their spiritual gifts for ministry.”  

Increasingly, dear ones, we in the Episcopal Church will need to cultivate a “lay-led, clergy-supported” ethos, with practical applications of how this might be done. I believe that COHI is one way of enhancing lay pastoral care, a topic deeply important to me. Several of you have expressed an interest in participating in this program, and there will be a COHI conference at Montreat Conference Center in 2025. Please do let me know if you have questions about this and if you are interested in learning more! We will need more persons willing to give of themselves in this way as we adjust to changes in mainline Protestantism, and in our own lovely parish.

I returned to my office at the counseling center on Monday renewed in spirit, and reminded of my own calling to a sense of joy and wonder; respect the dignity of every human being; cultivate a spirit to know and love God; have an inquiring and discerning heart; and find the courage to will and to persevere. These are qualities for which we pray in our Baptismal Covenant, and they are also faithful attributes of resilience, or faith in action! They are ways of becoming more fully alive, as we move along on our journey in faith. Transforming grief is sacred work, and best not done alone.

“Don’t ask only what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ~ Howard Thurman

Vicky and I depart for Zurich later this week, and then on to Paris to join family there. I look forward to seeing you in church when we return on the 27^th, and I’ll catch you later on down the trail.

Blessings, Bill+

Dear Friends,

On Sunday, Pentecost +19 we bade farewell to our dear friend, brother, and Chief Verger Ric Sanchez. While we are sad to see him go, we are so very grateful for his time among us, and his years of devoted service, mentoring, good humor, and faithful gifts and graces to Holy Family. Here’s the prayer we prayed together on Sunday:

O God of abundance and light, you have bound us together for a time to work for the advancement of your beloved community in this place. We give you humble and heartfelt thanks for our ministry with this, your faithful servant Ric Sanchez, with whom we have shared in these years, in this sacred space. We give thanks for his good humor, and for his wisdom in all things liturgical; for his compassionate heart; and for his steadfast commitment to this, our Holy Family parish. Especially, we thank you for the loving care that surrounds us on every side, and for the never-failing reminder that you are with us even in our leave-taking of one another, and for the deeper knowledge of you and one another which we have attained in our time together. Thank you! Now, we pray, be with our dear friend Ric as he leaves for his new life in Tampa, and also with those who remain behind, and who will so miss the gift of his presence among us. Grant that each of us, by drawing ever nearer to you, may hold one another in our hearts, in the communion of your saints. Mi hermano Ricardo, vaya con Dios y con la bendicion de nosotros que amamos y que te estamos muy agradecidos. Te llevaremos en nuestros corazones, siempre. Buena suerte! All this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, your son our Lord, and may the blessing of God our Father, Mother, the son, and the Holy Spirit be among us, and remain with us, always!

And, a deep bow of gratitude to the Hospitality Committee and a host of others who made possible the wonderful, festive reception following the service, and for Vicky Harkins’ lovely cake design

Blessings, dear ones. I’ll catch you later on down the trail, and I hope to see you in church!

Bill+

This past Monday, during a break in my clinical schedule at the Cathedral Counseling Center, and in need of some restorative time, I walked outside the front door of the Lanier House and entered the outdoor labyrinth. I walk past it every morning when I arrive at the counseling center, and every evening as I leave for my car and the return trip to Jasper. But I don’t often take the time to walk the labyrinth, an ancient Celtic spiritual practice.

Walking the labyrinth at the Cathedral, similar to the one at Holy Family and those around the world, is a contemplative spiritual discipline. It involves prayerfully walking a marked path based on the ancient practice of pilgrimage. On a pilgrimage, a pilgrim intentionally leaves their ordinary world, journeying away from the distractions and busyness of life. Labyrinths can be used for meditation, prayer, and contemplation, or as a physical expression of a person’s spiritual journey, and are often used as a way to quiet the mind and calm anxiety. They can be used to worship and praise God, or to intercede for others. Walking the labyrinth can help persons enhance their creativity, and integrate body, mind, and spirit toward “wholeness” (or “integritas.”)

The labyrinth is one among many spiritual disciplines available to us on our journey and can be included in a Rule of Life. For many years I served as psychological health faculty for Episcopal CREDO, a wellness program for clergy designed to provide a restorative and healing experience away from the quotidian day to day life of a priest or deacon. Among the components of this week-long program is the creation of a Rule of Life, based on the Benedictine spiritual practice by the same name. 

As Richard Rohr reminds us, “one of the streams of wisdom comes from deep in the Christian tradition—the Wisdom of Benedictine Monasticism. Saint Benedict, in the fifth century, drew from an already well-established stream of transformational wisdom that came out of the deserts of Egypt and Syria via a first generation of people who wanted to practice what it means to put on the mind of Christ. Saint Benedict became heir to this and shaped it into a massive, stable container, which has been the foundation of Christian monasticism and monastic transformational practice in the West for 1,500 years. Its brilliant and stable legacy of “Ora et Labora”: “Prayer and Work,” offers a fundamental rhythm for the balancing and ordering of human life.

Joan Chittister, a vowed religious sister of the Order of Saint Benedict, explains how the Rule of Benedict provides an opportunity for transformation for everyone who chooses to follow its wisdom:

All in all, the Rule of Benedict is designed for ordinary people who live ordinary lives. It was not written for priests or mystics or hermits or ascetics; it was written by a layman for laymen. It was written to provide a model of spiritual development for the average person who intends to live life beyond the superficial or the uncaring. [1] ..

Benedict was quite precise about it all. Time was to be spent in prayer, in sacred reading, in work, and in community participation. In other words, it was to be spent on listening to the Word, on study, on making life better for others, and on community building. It was public as well as private; it was private as well as public. It was balanced. No one thing consumed the monastic’s life. No one thing got exaggerated out of all proportion to the other dimensions of life. No one thing absorbed the human spirit to the exclusion of every other. Life was made up of many facets and only together did they form a whole. Physical labor and mental prayer and social life and study and community concerns were all pieces of the puzzle of life. Life flowed through time, with time as its guardian. [2] At the end of every CREDO week, the participants shared their Rule of Life based on their reflections during the conference and for me, this was among the most moving and important aspects of the CREDO experience. 

Last week at our pastoral care committee meeting, we wondered together about possible opportunities for the ongoing development and growth of this vital area of our parish community, one with a rich history of caring for souls in a variety of ways. Among the possibilities before us is a program already established across the denomination, including in our own Diocese, the Community of Hope, a lay pastoral care based on Benedictine Spiritual traditions. This is increasingly important in a season of the Episcopal Church with increasing emphasis on “Lay led, clergy supported” parishes.

Here is more information about the Community of Hope, and the first weekend in October is the COHI conference at Kanuga. I’ll be gathering more information about how we might connect with this group as we move forward! Our Stewardship campaign indeed encourages each of us to share our many, many gifts and graces in a variety of ways. Perhaps this is one of yours! https://www.cohi.org/2024-annual-conference

I’ll catch you later on down the trail, and I hope to see you in church!

Bill+

References:

[1] Joan D. Chittister, Wisdom Distilled from the Daily: Living the Rule of St. Benedict Today (HarperSanFrancisco: 1991), 4. [2] Chittister, 74­–75. Adapted from Cynthia Bourgeault, An Introductory Wisdom School: Course Transcript and Companion Guide (Wisdom Way of Knowing: 2017), 4. Learn about and register for Cynthia’s online Introductory Wisdom School.

River Sojourns-Life Journeys – Bill Harkins

One of the enduring joys of my youth has been a fondness for rivers, lakes, and streams. Growing up, I especially enjoyed whitewater canoeing and kayaking, and the wild places to which these activities took me. In our beautiful Southern Appalachians, with an abundance of water resources, I felt at home on the Amicalola and the Chestatee, the Chattahoochee, and the Nantahala. In more recent years, I discovered sea kayaking, and I’ve been fortunate to paddle in places as diverse and magical as coastal Maine, Southeast Alaska, and the Boundary Waters of Minnesota. It is a delight to view the world from the perspective of the water. 

One notices the intricacy and beauty of creation in new and remarkable ways. One is for a time both in—and of—the context of the water. The Japanese poet Basho knew this experience well:

The old pond, ah!

A frog jumps in:

The water’s sound!

Like the ripples of my paddle as I navigate the current of the Cartecay, the frog’s presence both disrupts the smooth texture of the world and belongs to it. Yet, in some ways we are different, Basho’s frog and I. We humans cannot fully immerse ourselves in the river world around us. We cannot escape our estrangement in the world, as the theologians Kierkegaard, Tillich, and others have expressed so well. We are wholly in the world, but reflectively so. We are carried along by the current, even as we co-participate in our passage and watch our ripples spread for better or worse. We are at one and the same time travelers, and part of the terrain. We are sojourners in our own home. And as such, we need companions on our journeys. We ask questions about who, and whose we are, where our lives are going, and the meaning of our sojourn here. This is one reason we have created churches: as contexts which bind us together (“religio”) in our quest for meaning. These questions are best asked in community, and we do this so well together at Holy Family!

One of my favorite poets is Gerard Manly Hopkins, an Anglican whose writings were often prompted and inspired by nature. In one of my favorite of his poems he wrote, “The world is charged with the grandeur of God, it goes out like shining from shook foil….” God’s grandeur is particularly evident this time of year. The slant of light and the gentle beginning of cool, crisp days, along with the turning leaves, all conspire to create my favorite season. Many of us seek out more time in nature during autumn. This is in keeping with our sacramental view of God’s creation, sojourners as we are, and of the natural world as outward and visible signs of this expression of God’s love.

During these weeks of shortening days, intense light, and cooler nights, we turn inward. The Celts knew this, and held autumnal equinox bonfires to mark the changing seasons. Liturgically, we do this as well, moving as we do from Pentecost to Advent. And God speaks to us, through the grandeur of nature and in other ways. Listen to what this season, and God in it, might be saying to you. We discover this best through active prayer. Perhaps there are points at which our joy in God’s grandeur brings God joy as well! This week we observed the Feast Day of Hildegard of Bingen, whose work is among those being read and discussed by our own Wisdom of the Women Mystics class:

“The Word is living, being, spirit, all verdant greening, all

creativity. This Word manifests itself in every creature…Like

billowing clouds,

Like the incessant gurgle of the brook,

The longing of the spirit can never be stilled.” ~ Hildegard of Bingen

As some of you know, in addition to teaching for many years, I have continued to see patients at the Cathedral Counseling Center. Those of us who work there do so out of our conviction that it is ultimately relationships that heal what is broken. And relationships provide the best context for asking the deepest spiritual questions about our lives. Theologian Ed Farley, one of my graduate school professors, once described courage as “venturing forth into creation with vitality and wonder.” This is true of both river sojourns, and the many journeys we take over the course of our lives. We often need companions on our journeys. One of my favorite authors, the psychiatrist Donald Winnicott, began his autobiography with these lines: “O God, this is my prayer. My prayer is that I will be fully alive when I die.” Indeed, God fully glorified is a human being fully alive in this sense. Holy Family is a place where we can cultivate relationships, and explore our own opportunities for service in this particular, singularly unique corner of God’s creation. These are opportunities to be more fully alive, in community.

Our wonderful Stewardship theme this year beautifully ties together the past, present, and future: “Rooted in Faith; Growing in Grace; Preparing for Tomorrow.” It’s a lovely invitation to all members of this Beloved Community to reflect on our role in the ongoing story of Holy Family, and how each of us can contribute to its future. In this beautiful season here at our beloved Holy Family, please give some thought to how you might contribute in any way the Holy Spirit may be calling you. Over the next few weeks we will share stories about the various ministries at Holy Family, just as we heard in a heartfelt message from Leamarie this past week. At heart, these are invitations to find deeper ways to get involved, in community, in this sacred place, and to find meaning in the process. And should you need a paddling companion for a time on your journey, please let us know, and grab a paddle—the water’s fine! I hope to see you in church, and I’ll catch you later on down the river!

Bill +