Tired of Talk

When you are tired of talk and debates-
Come.
When you are tired of your endless ramblings of theology-
Come.
When you have gluttoned yourself on your thoughts-
It is time to come.
Come! Come the Beloved calls out!
He longs for you...with panting breaths of desire he cries out your name.
Longing for union he calls out.
Come....set aside your worries...and be with Me.
All the books on love in the world
are nothing compared to the experience of Love.
Come!

To know God

I took a walk through a nature reserve today. It was very hot out, and I headed back after seeing a snake. I am a rainy day kinda guy.

Today is Earth Day. For Gnostics, we take an unusual approach to the earth. On one hand it is filled with God, the pleroma, the kingdom. The Gospel of Thomas (Logion 77) says it quite eloquently: "Jesus said, "I am the light that is over all things. I am all: from me all came forth, and to me all attained. Split a piece of wood; I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there."

The divine spark is in everything. But that does not make everything helpful to us. A tornado, earthquake or rattlesnake bite does not feel good. In a sense it is not helpful at all. Tragedy is like that. Gnostics look upon such events as the activity of the archons...the powers that want to keep us locked in this world. Whether literal or figurative, they are the things that can often cause us to lose our spiritual center. But in those moments can be our greatest opportunity for spiritual growth if we are open to it. God is not a tame God. He is in the beauty of a flower sprouting as in a tornado ripping up a home. But when pursued at a deeper level the dichotomy dissapears. We see through our attachments and see that which can only be called oneness. For those of us who are not affected by these tragedies, we are called as spiritual beings to serve compassionately those in need. This is the sign of one who is spiritual. It is easy to talk about and hard to live.

So the earth is a mixed bag. It is divine or at least the earth covers or hides the divine spark that shines forth in beauty at certain times. It also is a tool of the archons that try and test us to see what we are made of. Jesus the sacred teacher points out that this world is not our home. We are divine and we come from the divine, and if we will wake up we will return home in the fullness.

Until then we should protect the earth, the air, and the water as they are life for us and other creatures. They are ways that many can experience awareness. They when not cared for can have dangerous repercussions towards humanity.

Happy Earth Day!

Jesus as Wisdom Teacher

I follow the way of Jesus. In a sense I am hesitant to use the name Christian simply because of all the baggage that comes with it in this day and age. Images of fundamentalists condemning or evangelizing can turn many people off to Jesus. Sadly, looking at the scriptures, one gets a different picture of who Jesus was than what many churches require belief in. In the gospels, both the canonical and non-canonical-we see the viewpoints of the author. They are writing with an agenda of a Jesus that fits their belief system. That said, one thing stands out in all of them. That is Jesus as a wisdom teacher. In many ways he operated somewhat like a Sufi sheik or a Indian Spiritual Teacher. He takes students, and invites some to a deeper level of relationship with him. He speaks in parables and often in ways to jar the common understandings of the time. Perhaps in that way he is akin to a Zen Master as well. He is one who has attained Gnosis, Enlightenment-however you describe this union with God. He now radiates a vision of God. He challenges those who would seek to know God to constantly move beyond their comfort zones. He is a mystic and expects his followers to be mystics too. He does not advocate the path of righteousness as religious works but rather the path of love. His is the path of lovers. Loving God and loving God in all people. He did not judge any except those who judged and claimed to be religiously right. It is this human Jesus that I follow. I am his student, his disciple.

"A Good Day" With Brother David Steindl-Rast

Final Vows

Today Sr. Betty and I took our final vows in the presence of a few Sikh friends. We chose a lake nearby and it turned out to be a chilly, windy day. But the Spirit of God did move across the face of the waters and heard our vows to the Lord. We were blessed by a few more guests...a couple of geese with its beautiful babies.

Only Breath

The Order of Peace

Tomorrow is the big day. I will take my final vows as a friar. I have been working with two friends in a nearby town in the formation of a religious order called The Brothers and Sisters of the Order of Peace. The Order of Peace is unique in a couple of respects. One is that the OP is an interfaith order. I have to say that this was a challenge to us as we were working on the Rule of Life and the Constitutions. We wanted to honor other faiths without blending them into some crazy mix that watered them down. Three of us will be taking our vows. The other brother is a Christian with a strong Hindu philosophy take to Christianity. A Christian-Hindu, I guess you could say. The sister that will be taking vows is a Hindu. All of us have been friends on the spiritual journey for years. What have attended each others worship gatherings, sat together in silent contemplation, and studied and debated sacred texts together each relating them to his or her own tradition. So we finally are at a place where we feel comfortable practicing deep ecumenicism without watering down our own traditions.
Another interesting aspect of the order is that we are not cloistered nor required to be celibate. We view the world as our monastery..and like the Dominicans or Franciscans we are friars who serve the world. So our members can be married, single, or celibate. Our Rule of Life challenges us to live lives of contemplative prayer and service. When we come together as a community, we will sit in silence as our worship. Isn't that really all that can be said about the Beloved anyway. I think it was John of the Cross who said..."God spoke one word throughout eternity, and this word he spoke in silence." So we sit in silence, and then can discuss spiritual practices that can help one on the path. We do not proselytize.
So tomorrow we do it. I am a bit nervous.