Seeking Authentic Voice

  A reflection on Epiphany 4C: Jeremiah 1:4-10, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 In one form or another we all have rituals we engage in. The morning ritual in my house includes a cat who chortles and sings for her breakfast and a herd of dogs scrambling underfoot, excited   for their food. But before anyone gets fed we start the coffee pot, and then while the coffee is brewing the animals are fed. My morning routine always includes a cup of coffee, a quick check of email and Facebook, and then usually some exercise. Other rituals, not just daily ones, mark our lives. Bridal showers and baby showers. High school or college graduation. Weddings. The birth of children. Death and a funeral. And birthday celebrations. When I was young we celebrated our birthdays with just our immediate family. I don’t remember ever having a birthday party with people other than my parents and brothers, in part because we lived far from other family. But our family birthday parties alway...

Knowing how deeply our lives intertwine, We vow not to kill. Knowing how deeply our lives intertwine, We vow not to take what is not given. Knowing how deeply our lives intertwine, We vow not to engage in abusive relationships. Knowing how deeply our lives intertwine, We vow to not speak falsely or deceptively. Knowing how deeply our lives intertwine, We vow to not harm self or other through poisonous thoughts or substance. Knowing how deeply our lives intertwine, We vow to not dwell on past errors. Knowing how deeply our lives intertwine, We vow to not possess any thing or form of life selfishly. Knowing how deeply our lives intertwine, We vow to not harbor ill will toward any plant, animal, or human being. Knowing how deeply our lives intertwine, We vow to not abuse the great truth of Three Treasures.* Stephanie Kaza , Woman Prayers, edited by Mary Ford- Grabowsky : HarperSanFrancisco , 2003 (*In Buddhism the three treasures are, Buddha , the teachings ( dharma ), and community (...

A reflection on 1 Samuel 3:1-20 and John 1:43-51 The rectory at my former parish in the Chicago area had a wooden deck outside the kitchen that over looked 2-1/2 acres of land, bordered by a small section of woods. At one time this deck had surely been the site for family cookouts and fun, but, because the house had been empty for three years, the deck was practically unusable due to a tilt from end to the other. Underneath the deck various animals had built dens and so it had also become a wild life habitat. One day, as we were moving in, my dog stated barking wildly at the sliding glass door that led to the deck. And, there outside, standing on its hind legs, was a woodchuck, baring its big buck teeth. Eventually the woodchuck moved on, finding a better home somewhere in the neighborhood. Over the next few years the various underground dens that resided under the deck, became home to rabbits and an occasional possum. The rabbits we enjoyed, but the possum we evicted, immediate...