Theme 9: Holiness as cosmic hospitality: Creation ecstasies shared constitute the holy prayer of thanksgiving and praise.
p. 108 - What is the test that you have indeed undergone this holy birth? Listen carefully. If this birth has truly taken place within you, then every single creature points you toward God - Meister Eckhart
I am not there.. I am making baby steps and learning it is possible to see God in all and desiring that to manifest more fully in my life.
I sense it in the bright sky and sunshine. I sense it in the breeze whispering against my skin. I sense it in the smile of others. I sense it when there is a bonding of eye contact. I sense it when driving around curves in the road. I sense it feeling the rays of the sun against my bare skin. I sense it in the daisies as they dance in the breeze. I sense it in the lightening. I sense it in tornadoes. I sensed it when carrying my unborn children.
p. 110 - a perfection quest is an ego quest and not a deeply spiritual quest of the human person.
I can so relate with that. I have been trapped in narrow, egocentric quest and am grateful that I am coming out to a new spacious place with freedom and light.
p. 110 - The fact is that for people who have truly learned to trust creation one of the first lessons is how beauty and imperfection go together. Every tree is beautiful; but if you approach it closely enough you will see that every tree is imperfect. The same is true of the human body: every human body is beautiful, but every human body is imperfect.
As consumerism increases and my age increase, I really enjoy quotes like that. It helps put things into a more functional perspective.
p. 111 - It is in fact our imperfections that most unites us and makes us a social organism whose parts are busy assisting one another. For it is shared weakness and need that draws from a group its gifts and powers of healing. A perfection-oriented spirituality of holiness is intrinsically privatizing and does not lead to a spirituality for the people.
I like that. I remember a fear of being known as imperfect, weak or struggling and that impacted on hiding who I was from others. Now I can state who I am - hopefully in a way that is dignified to me and dignified without hooks for the other. I am also free to not state who I am and not feel shame or guilt when I am reticent.
p. 111 - how much of the quest for perfection is a look back, a nostalgic quest for a time that never was.
I had to think about that for a while. About the time I thought I understood it, it was fleetingly gone.
p. 111 - There are also deeply serious biblical problems with the understanding of holiness as "perfection." The text invariably invoked for this definition... (Matthew 5:48) simply "does not refer to moral perfection" and "does not have here the later Greek meaning of being totally free of imperfection. The Greek word that has been misleadingly translated as "be you perfect" is teleioi, which means, "be full-grown, be adult, be complete and whole." The text has a parallel in Luke's Gospel which could hardly be more straightforward: "Be you compassionate as your Creator in heaven is compassionate." (Luke 6:36).
I have struggled for decades in trying to be perfect like God. I was not created in the God class - but in the creation class; therefore that type of perfection is closed to me. However, I can understand growing in the type of compassion God has.
p. 112 - Consumerism, like fall/redemption religion, plays on our inferiority complexes, on the fears of guilt or inhibitions we possess from not being perfect. Interestingly enough, the idea that perfection is the meaning for salvation is very much an idea of the Gnostics. The best way to undercut such potent appeals to our weakest sides is to let go of the quest for perfection and to sink more deeply into a spiritual value system that cherishes what is and considers isness holy.
I like that. To me it says accept what is right now as the place God has lead you or chosen for you to be. Not only accept it but like Paul, to even glory in our infirmities (2 Corinthians 12). There is a huge learning curve on that one. Some days I've taken a few baby steps to that freedom and then run back to the comfort of trying to become a new and improved and perfect model of humanity once again. Three steps forward and one back... patterns: changing long-held, knee-jerk reactions to life. I am grateful for the progress.
p. 112 - this banquet we call creation, the human planet. It works for our benefit if we behave toward it as reverent guests.
Since I'm new to nurturing earth (and myself and others and....) I like the idea of thinking not only of the planet as a place to practice being a reverent guest but also to think of others that way.
p. 113 - Hospitality is about a relationship--one cannot be hospitable without guests. God not only plays the host for us and becomes the banquet for us; God also has become guest for us. This is one of the deep meanings of the Incarnation, that God let go of hosting long enough to become guest as well.
What a wonderful example to explain Incarnation, Trinity and Eucharist.
p. 115 - True holiness, full hospitality, leads to gratitude.
In my walk, joy has lead to gratitude; especially when I am overflowing with joy through the hard times. I don't know why God chose to make me a sponge to soak up His joy; but He did and I am grateful. From that joy, other blessings of God flows. It's not something I did or even tried to achieve - it's all a mystery of grace.
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