THREE THINGS..... Three concluding thoughts on Mark

As we leave the Liturgical year of Mark I want to review a few of the highlights from our communal study of the proclamation of the Good News in Jesus Christ. 

1. Mark is a war-time document. Many scholars place Mark in or very near the year 70AD, the final year of the Jewish Revolt of 66 that culminated in the destruction of the second temple. 

The destruction of the temple did not come about from some outside invading force but rather was the brutal end of decades of Jewish uprisings against their Roman oppressors. The witness of Mark's Gospel account suggests that the Jewish unrest may have been further agitated by the oppression of the Pharisaic leadership of the time who were almost certainly in allegiance with the Romans. Concessions had to be made to Rome in order to continue the long-standing agreement between the Empire and the Jewish nation: Rome protected the Jews from outside nations who had threatened to annihilate them over the centuries and allowed them to have their temple and live religiously without persecution. But as the decades went by the relationship deteriorated and Rome became a domineering oppressor. A brief historical account is captured here: 

A Jewish diaspora had migrated to Rome and to the territories of Roman Europe from the land of Israel, Anatolia, Babylon and Alexandria in response to economic hardship and incessant warfare over the land of Israel between the Ptolemaic and Seleucid empires from the 4th to the 1st centuries BCE. In Rome, Jewish communities thrived economically. Jews became a significant part of the Roman Empire's population in the first century CE, with some estimates as high as 7 million people.

Roman general Pompey conquered Jerusalem and its surroundings by 63 BCE. The Romans deposed the ruling Hasmonean dynasty of Judaea (in power from c. 140 BCE) and the Roman Senate declared Herod the Great"King of the Jews" in c. 40 BCE. Judea proper, Samaria and Idumea became the Roman province of Iudaea in 6 CE. Jewish–Roman tensions resulted in several Jewish–Roman wars between the years 66 and 135 CE, which resulted in the  destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple and the institution of the Jewish Tax in 70 (those who paid the tax were exempt from the obligation of making sacrifices to the Roman imperial cult). (Wikipedia)

As we read Mark with the knowledge of the history between Rome and the Jewish nation and the timing of the war and its devastating effects on the Jewish people we begin to see the Gospel in a new light. Mark's proclamation of the Messiah was a shining light of hope, a call to redemption in the tradition of Isaiah and the Babylonian exile (and return to their land) in a time of desolation and utter despair. Jesus came upon the scene at a very volatile time in Jewish history; that not one stone would be left standing was a prophetic vision all too real at the time of Mark's writing.

2. Mark calls us to a change of heart and a return to the Lord. If all you know about Mark is this one thing then that is well enough. While all the Gospels call the people of God back to covenantal relationship with God, Mark does it with a shrill voice at breakneck speed. He was living in a world that most of us cannot imagine. The infant Christian community had experienced decades of rebellion that culminated into a full blown war and the widespread public tortures and persecutions of anyone who Rome felt had offended their rule of law. It is clear Mark felt that the end-times were very near, indeed, and by all accounts, the world as he knew it was ending. With the fall of Jerusalem the great diaspora would begin; from death came new life. But it would be a long while before stability began to replace chaos. The call for repentance was given with urgency in the midst of disruption and destruction - the time is now - return to the Lord! In the midst of radical violence there was a call to radical Love. We continue to live in turbulent times - different players, different situations - but the call to return to Love remains and with no less urgency.

3. Mark calls religious establishments to account. The call of Jesus in Mark to the established church of his time is to repent of its transgressions and return to right action, right relationship both with God and with God's people. In verse 12:41 Jesus sits opposite to the treasury and in verse13:3 he sits opposite the temple. That is, given the context, he sits in opposition to both the temple and its treasury; in opposition to its hypocrisy and oppressive practices; its fall out of God's favor.  Throughout Mark, Jesus is in open conflict with the Jewish leaders of his generation.  These religious leaders and Spiritual teachers had a profound responsibility to be honest and to have integrity. But in many cases they were not living up to the responsibilities inherent in their vocational calls and this hypocrisy and corruption infected the entire institution. The sure sign of a failed religious institution: Ambition and struggle replaces faithfulness and ongoing discernment/growth/change. 

When Christian community is living up to its collective vocational and missional call to hear and respond to the Word of God in the time and place it is proclaimed, curiosity and awe replace both ambition and struggle; there exist a counter-cultural reordering of values: Inspiration becomes more important than ambition. Trust in the flow of the Spirit replaces anxiety and strategic planning. Communities who are led by the Spirit are curious to discover the newest next thing and are open to possibilities, knowing that there are an infinite number of possibilities in the field of all possibilities (Dispenza) Spirit-led communities know that they are co-creators with the Divine - and are excited and inspired! Care for the wellbeing of others, that is, discerning how to help others help themselves (building mutually beneficial relationships as opposed to the general gifting of material goods) becomes a core value. Living in a covenantal relationship with the Cosmic Christ (Fox, Rohr) requires both the individual members and the community to take seriously its profound responsibility for integrity and authentic return to Love that Jesus prescribes. 

Can you catch the vision that Jesus casts for God's people in Mark?

Thank you for reading my blog and walking with me in the path of spiritual grace; for your willingness to spend this time with me as together we learn how to see and be Christ in the world. Rowena + 

THREE THINGS... Courage, Curiosity and Experimentation - A Way Forward

If you are a faithful person who belongs to a religious community then you are aware of the challenges that face that institution. I will leave it to you to bring to your mind a few particular items that are the cause of considerable anxiety. This consternation leads inevitably to this sampling of reactions, among others: What do we do...? How will we .. ? What if.....? While ideas and actions are important and necessary it is essential to understand that the work of communal restoration of worshipping communities belongs in the spiritual realm. So as long as we cling to the belief that when the conditions change, that is: When people start coming back to church... When things return to normal... When justice is realized... When conflicts cease.... we are not engaging with the spirit of the Gospels: The Good News. 

Jesus' teachings, however, are not dependent on ideal external conditions. In the Gospels, people almost never did what would seem to be obviously better for the community or for that matter what would have been better for them - especially the religious people! Jesus did not shy from pointing out the sorry state of affairs - but only in as far as it reflected upon the people's broken relationship (covenant) with God. Far from getting stuck in the mire of the details and participating in the anxious wringing of hands, Jesus chose instead to instruct the people on the cultivation of well-being in the here and now, before the conditions on the ground improved - rejoice in all things, do not be afraid, with God all things are possible, do not worry about what tomorrow will bring, or what you will eat or what you will wear, or what you will say, etc., etc. (to paraphrase). My reflections below, focused on three words, are but a minor attempt to assist faith communities through challenging times informed by the spirit of Jesus' guidance in the Gospels. 

1) Courage. The first act of courage, which may be sufficient unto itself, is surrender. There are many ways to surrender, most of them are very simple. Surrender is not a grand act or proclamation, it is as silent as snow falling; occurring moment to moment, private, intentional and practiced. To choose observation without judgment, or observation without taking a position, are forms of surrender. To choose listening instead of speaking, is a form of surrender. To monitor inner reactions and not act on them, is a form of surrender. To chose to pray about a situation before speaking or acting, is a form of surrender. To surrender takes courage because it requires that we consent to transformation. It takes a lot of courage to develop the discipline to be the master of the mind (the ego) and not its servant. The ego does not back down without a struggle. But allowing the ego to run one's life, damaging relationships and communal life, takes no courage at all. 

2) Curiosity. Fearful people are not curious. When we are fearful, we are, at best, angry, defensive, cynical and sarcastic, unkind, and reactionary; and at worst, controlling, presumptuous and arrogant. These are the symptoms of fear. It is good to know them so that when they show up in our lives, and they do show up, we can make decisions about how to behave in the world. For instance, when we are trying to control everyone around us in order to help ourselves feel less afraid, to bring some relief to our mental suffering, there is an abject lack of curiosity. Curiosity requires discipline but not courage. Asking ourselves, "I wonder what would happen if I did not do (whatever it is I usually do)? How can I still be ok in this moment if I simply let things be as they are? When we understand that others are as fearful as we are, we allow for the development of compassion and empathy.

3) Experimentation. Experimentation flows naturally out of the freedom that courage and curiosity open us to. When we are free we want to experiment because we are not tied to an outcome. When we are not tied to expected or desired outcomes our doing becomes playing. We play with ideas because we are curious to see where they will lead. And we enjoying inviting others into that play with us. The "failure" of an experiment leads to a curious response and a willingness to suspend judgment and blame. When we are free we don't hold on to ownership of ideas; what does it matter, after all? When we are free we are not tied to our roles. If you've been in a particular role for a long time, over a couple of years, it might be instructive to ask yourself who you'd be if you weren't in that role anymore? How much of your identity comes from doing as opposed to simply being in the world? When we are creating and playing with ideas we enjoy the process of putting new ideas into action. Experimentation is fun.

These three words invite us to engage in self-reflection and, as the saying goes, be the change we want to see in the world.

Thank you for reading my blog and walking with me in the path of spiritual grace; for your willingness to spend this time with me as together we learn how to see and be Christ in the world. Rowena + 

THREE THINGS.... Three perspectives of the fall season for the spiritual life

The fall season in the eastern, midwestern part of the United States, is a transitory time in which great change happens. The warm, dryness of summer is replaced with blustery, wet and chilly days. The light of day that warmed us in the spring and summer gives way to longer periods of darkness. The splendor of fall color replaces the vibrancy of summer blooms. There is a crispness to fall weather that has a clearing, cleansing effect. The grass which had taken on a subtle dullness under the heat of the summer sun revives and thrives with bright green-ness nourished by frequents rain. The squirrels are busy burying nuts and seeds. The trees release their leaves and their sap runs with the cooler temperatures. All the plants send their energy down into their roots to prepare for winter dormancy. Herbalist know that this is the time to dig for roots because the healing energy is there and no longer expressing itself in the cycle of regeneration and propagation above ground which has not passed. Farmers know this is the time to plant the garlic. Landscapers know this is this time to plant the flowering bulbs to ensure a spring bouquet. The seasonal changes in the external, natural world, reflect the changes that our occurring in our spiritual bodies as well, sometime are subtle, sometime are pronounced. Noticing the changes in the natural world and reflecting on how they might also apply to our spiritual being-ness can be a deeply satisfying and reassuring a practice amidst the chaos, upheaval, uncertainty and fear that dominates the human realm.

1. There is seasonal complexity. Most people in the temperate climates of the west recognize only four seasons in temperate climates. However, in at least two of the worlds most ancient healing traditions, additional seasons are observed to capture the complexity of what is occurring in the natural world in order to assist its practitioners to adapt to the changes with intentionality. In Ayurvedics, the 5000 year old healing science of India, six seasons are observed, namely, Shishira (winter), Vasanta (spring), and Grishma (summer) in Uttarayan and Varsha (monsoon), Sharata (autumn), and Hemanta (late autumn) in Dakshinayana.  Likewise in the Macrobiotic lifestyle which developed out of thousands of years of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Taoist philosophy, six seasons are observed: spring, early summer, late summer, early fall and late fall, and winter. In both of these healing traditions, intentional dietary changes are made to reflect specific and different growing seasons, and for both physical and spiritual reasons. (Neither understand physical/spiritual as separate; the physical continually manifesting the spiritual.) For instance, eating asparagus in late fall, or watermelon in winter, is considered confusing to the body and creates both physical and spiritual imbalance. To habitually eat out of season is to live outside the rhythms of the natural world of which we are a part and from which we cannot be separated. How would you characterize and differentiate the early and late fall seasons? Does the fall season, as a whole, alter your habits of daily living or how you feel? How might you tweak your spiritual practices to reflect/celebrate the changes in the seasons with intentionality? 

2. The trees don't try to hold onto their leaves. I was listening to one of my health and wellness mentors speak about the fall season this week. This elderly, cheerful Indian man was sitting on a bench with warm, layered clothing and a hat. The ground was damp, the morning mist had burned off; yellow, orange and brown leaves were lying all around him with many still on the trees, framing his figure. In speaking of the fall season he noted that the trees don't try to hold onto their leaves. When the time comes each year they release them without fear or hesitation. (I noted to myself that neither do the leaves cling dearly to the tree.) There is no struggle or even surrendering because it is in the nature of the tree (and its parts, the leaves) to be an expression of life in one form and then to transform into another expression of life; to be life, to beget life, and to return to the living soil from where is came. The annual releasing of the leaves can invite us to wonder if being born and dying are simply two parts of a single action. Could it be that death is not an endpoint? How do you define "eternal life?" Would we live differently if we understood our selves as living entities of a boundless cosmos complicit in a continual cycle of death and rebirth? What does this powerfully illustrative fall season teach you about death?

3. Squirrels don't remember where they buried the nuts. It's true. We assume that these cute, little furry guys, so good a scavenging for nuts, recall all the special places they put their winter food supply, but in actuality, they don't. The job of the squirrel in the fall is to find and bury nuts. The work is to provide food for the whole community so that as many squirrels as possible can survive the harsh winter with adequate food. The object is not individual survival, rather, unified cooperation for the good of all. Anyone who has ever watched squirrels knows that they take their work very seriously and that at this moment they are busy, busy, busy stashing away the food that will sustain their community during the lean months. What nuts are you anonymously burying in places you won't remember for the good of all in this preparatory season of transformation?

Thank you for reading my blog and walking with me in the path of spiritual grace; for your willingness to spend this time with me as together we learn how to see and be Christ in the world. Rowena +