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 +
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