Beloved:
Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist,
there is disorder and every foul practice.
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure,
then peaceable, gentle, compliant,
full of mercy and good fruits,
without inconstancy or insincerity.
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace
for those who cultivate peace.
Where do the wars
and where do the conflicts among you come from?
Is it not from your passions
that make war within your members?
You covet but do not possess.
You kill and envy but you cannot obtain;
you fight and wage war.
You do not possess because you do not ask.
You ask but do not receive,
because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
And now some words from Karen. (I kind of wonder if in James' time we would ever have been allowed to hear any words from Karen.)
This is really wonderful, Colleen, many thanks for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteI second Jayden's thanks, Colleen. A wonderful and timely resource (and I've enjoyed listening to K. Armstrong again as the 2012 elections near).
ReplyDeleteCertainly we need to hear inspiring, insightful, and articulate prophets to remind us of the sacred essence of our religious traditions...to remind us how to treat each other on our separate journeys... which is all well and good but these traditions continue and remain irreconcilably divided into opposing camps both within and between each different religious group.....neither the will nor the ability exists within the various traditions to bring about the desired goal.....Muslim jihadis, Christian crusaders, and modern day Jewish sons of the Maccabees all have drawn swords and are allied with right wing politicians in each country..all together they are rushing us toward Armaggedon...the fundamentalist/literalist currents within each of the patriarchal religions rejects, oppresses, and marginalizes women, gays, and liberal members of their own tradition.....power mostly is the game of those in charge....just look at the past pages of this blog to see this in terms of our own Church...the ideal and the real clash head on here....the secular state with liberal or progressive leadership - as precarious as it is - is the only possible venue that I can see that has any chance of keeping these blood thirsty warriors of God in check....in varying degrees each one of these religions sees itself as the one true representative of God here on earth....it comes with the territory - built in so to speak...it's black and white to them...and add to that what's at stake - political power and money - and you see that they have a lot spurring them on.....and just looking within our own traditions how do we expect change there? We are still reluctant to speak up in our parrishes.....mostly we just leave and find personal solutions....the liberals among us are hounded out and the moderates tacitly support the conservatives.....and how and on what basis do we even dialogue with the fundies who take everything literally and historically....and who certainly have no desire to dialogue with us....Karen Armstrong's efforts are symbolic in effect - a children's crusade at best...do any of you out there see a way out?
ReplyDeleteThe verses above are very powerful words. Much to reflect on. The things I've been experiencing of late are a very emotional ride of much coming at me in all directions. I try to take it one day at a time, one step at a time. I've been learning of different religions, cultures, ways of looking at things and people anew on a deeper level and with compassion and it gets overwhelming at times, takes a lot of patience, humility. I know I am amongst some of the brightest people who come here to this blog. Much brighter and more learned than I am. I gladly take the last seat.
ReplyDeleteSo at this very moment it feels as if I am in a war. If it isn't something that I have to work on to change within myself, ask for or pray for, it is also what goes on politically in the Church and in the world that is also at war that stirs my spirit and my soul and my heart aches almost to death at what I witness from the fundamentalist.
Even in music websites there is judgement that is from warring fundamentalist Christians that want to teach me to be silent, not speak up, tell me I'm bitter if I speak up for myself. Tell me I'm sick or without God, that I should listen to a preacher named Joseph Prince and he will change my life. One person I know says that all we need are the scriptures. He is learning Hebrew. He focuses on a few Bible verses from Proverbs and uses the Bible as a weapon, especially from the Old Testament and says that reading Thomas Merton or any of the Mystics or writers such as St Augustine, St Thomas Acquinas, or the brave heroic acts of St Joan and writings of St Theresa of Avila are essentially a waste of time and "crap." He said I was "deceived." This person calls himself a "Christian" and is fighting with me now who admits he was tipsy when writing to me. And he won't write back to me. He doesn't know how to have a conversation, says he comes to my facebook page everyday and yet he never ever has a kind word to say to me.
I'm trying to cultivate peace in the midst of a war and it is very difficult to say the least.
Fran
There are a lot of tricksters on the internet too. Gossipers and liars. I am so sick of it. People with fake names to their avatars. People who friend me who aren't even friends. The Church is a mess and so is everywhere else. Everybody is preaching and nothing changes. You are all warring. Go have your wars.
ReplyDeleteI quit.
Fran
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI've been browsing online more than 4 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It is pretty worth enough for me. In my view, if all web owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the net will be much more useful than ever before.
ReplyDeleteMy web page :: on the main page
Hugs Fran. Keep the faith. I've said it over and over again here and elsewhere - that Christ only gave us two commandments, to love God and to love each other. So over and over again you will be faced with the task of loving the ones who behave like the man you have described, and be howling at God that it's an impossible task. It is an impossible task. Even God-Made-Man in the end found the only way to show love in this world was to die for it.
ReplyDeleteI have the quote from Blessed Julian of Norwich on my wall at home "It behoved that there should be sin; but all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well" - I find her "Revelations of Divine Love" to be amazingly comforting when dealing with people like the man you describe above. Add him to your prayers tonight, and don't let him destroy your peace of soul.
God bless you
It is not the only incident from this one man. One after the other. In each case I was gamed, deceived, lied to by people on the internet. I want to leave the internet. I love making music. I guess they hate it or something. Maybe they are jealous. I don't know what their problem is. I always do as you say here Olivia Cook - love the ones who behave that way. I always do. I can't seem to help grieving their loss and friendship. It's one loss after the other. My heart can't take it anymore. Surely I will die of a broken heart.
ReplyDeleteFran
Betrayal is the hardest thing to deal with, and the natural reaction is to close yourself off from it for fear of being hurt again. I'm so sorry that this is happening to you. I an only say (and I really don't want this to sound trite or patronising) that there is a lot of love out there too. Make your music. Send your love out there. You never know what love does in the end, it isn't always given to us to see the end result, but it is certain that love grows where it's sown even if at the time we don't see it.
DeleteHugs and bless you. Hold onto the love that's there too.
Thank you Olivia for your kind sweet words. I will hold them close to me tonight.
DeleteFran
Olivia, I'm reading Fr Richard Rohr's book, Falling Upward. The first half of my life was not like his or the very smart people here who became doctors and gained some sort of super-ego or badge and could make a living, and who went to Church. I have no badges. I have no degree. I have no certificates of achievement like so many. Yet, my entire life has been about learning and growing and working so many jobs and trying to understand and forgiving people all the time who hurt me. I left some of them off the hook too easily and made excuses for them. I understand those people now. I know how to be merciful & forgiving. I know how to be peaceable. I also am learning to not be silent when one needs to speak up. Am learning when to be silent as well. How many roads must a woman go down before she can be called a child of God?
ReplyDeleteI would love for just once, for those who have hurt me to admit it. Wishful thinking probably. And they are the ones who think they have all the cards and everything all figured out. They are amongst us.
I don't feel accepted by members of the Church. I'm not accepted. I'm excepted. We are not equal in this world.
Fran
To Fran - from the first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians.
Delete"Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brothers, that not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble; but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong; and God chose the lowly things of the world, and the things that are despised, and the things that are not, that he might bring to nothing the things that are."
The fact that those who consider themselves the wise and the strong would prefer to forget this, means little in the eyes of God. You are loved. Do not forget that.
Thank you Olivia.
DeleteFran
There are still those who don't get it, however.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link Dave. Proves once again that Bill Donohue is sixty something going on twelve.
Delete