Devotional Life

VANE OF FASHION

Of fashion, not a thread is new -
Repeat, repeat the fading fad -
For like a windy turn is true -
Once pop was this, now pop is that.

Unlike a spinning vane - timelessness -
East and West must chase the sun -
Yet nothing points above - beyond -
Like never wearing out a thought.

October 29, 2024

CRAZY LAZY LIFE

Deliver me, O Lord,
from all these efficiencies!
My neighbors are texting,
my family is emailing,
my nephews and nieces
all work from their homes.
Every house now awaits
its delivery of boxes,
every phone is a game,
every device a theater.
And I can't find a soul
who will talk on a porch,
or pile leaves with a rake.
Soap and deodorant sell
well online, I've been told.
But what of the aromas,
while walking the aisles,
among colors and sizes
that jump off of the shelves?
No sweating, of course,
on the desktop all day,
but that's why a gym
has a subscription for you.
Yes, there's a subscription
for almost everything now,
and they never stop coming!
So much so that there's
subscriptions for help.
Alas, I'm as guilty as all,
stepping less in a mall,
blowing leaves in seconds,
texting all with my fingers,
in a crazy lazy life I lead!

September 5, 2024

WHEN CALUMNY THRIVES

"Where there is calumny, there is Satan himself" - Pope Francis

Calumny is the slanderous attacks on another so as to crush a person's place or a group's place in society. Calumny, according to the Pope, is a sin straight from Satan. Indeed, it is opposed to love and forgiveness. It is opposed to reason and faith. It is, in my opinion, used primarily for one thing only today - to destroy churches and families.

Unfortunately, it is also the way California has decided to malign and destroy the Christian faith today, specifically in the case of St. Junipero Serra, a Spanish missionary during the 1700s on the west coast. In fact, the state of California is willing to go as far as to call all Christian missions oppressive regimes. Some California legislators are even comparing all Christian missions to N**i death camps and slave plantations. This is calumny; this is evil.

And as I write, the California government has passed legislation already for removing any statue of St. Junipero Serra, despite the fact that he fought against abuses perpetrated on natives under Spanish rule. In fact, he even traveled to Mexico to fight for a bill of rights for natives - and won! But California has chosen to make false accusations and perpetuate them - turning Serra into an oppressor.

If the Pope is to take his own words seriously, he must speak out against this radicalism, similar to the radicalism of the summer of 2020 - when mobs destroyed any statue or icon they believed to be oppressive, no matter if history showed the opposite. He must also speak out against the calumny in society in general that is perpetuated against the church. And, most importantly, all believers (no matter what denomination) must speak out against the evil of our age - against the evil of false accusations and colossal lies about Christianity - of calumny at any level.

September 13, 2021

STARVE THE SERPENT

"I am no longer meat for the serpent, for dust must he eat all the days of his life" - John Donne

I've never been bitten by a snake, and let's hope it stays that way. But unfortunately about 5.4 million humans suffer snake bites every year in the world. Tragically, of these bites, about 100,000 die. Most of these snake bites are triggered out of fear or a protective instinct. And yet there are snakes that have swallowed and eaten humans, such as pythons. But that is much less likely.

In Scriptures, the snake is feared too, earning some of the worst associations. Vipers are used by God to kill the disobedient. In Eden, the serpent is associated with deceit and temptation. Then after sin enters the world, the serpent is doomed to crawl on its belly and eat dust. But as seventeenth-century Anglican preacher and poet John Donne says, if we are part of Christ, we are "no longer meat for the serpent." Dust to dust is a bust.

Alchemists of old attempted to turn base metals into gold, so Christ's death and resurrection turns dust into pure light. But how so? It starts with the incarnate Christ taking on the dust of humanity and then transforming it into the spirit of holiness. It is the alchemy of salvation - washing us in the water and blood of Christ, breathing into us the air of the Holy Spirit.

How then do we live since we are no longer dust put on the plate of the serpent? We live freely for good, hope, love, and grace - not imprisoned by temptations. These gifts of the Holy Spirit wing us hourly as we pray and meditate, give and help. Of course, dust is still all around us, but it is God working through us that gives us the power to sweep the dust away and raise others to His grace and love. And in so doing, we starve the serpent.

August 20, 2021

DEVOTIONAL - TO ENDURE

"Christ’s servants . . . are bidden, if need be, to endure the wickedness of an utterly corrupt world" - St. Augustine

I ran cross-country in eighth grade. Running long distances, I realized quickly that to finish a race meant "to endure." Sometimes a race had hills and rough terrain. Sometimes it came on a day that was cold and rainy. In every case, being able "to endure" got me through. But what does it mean "to endure"?

For the faithful, the act of enduring in a world that is sometimes evil may take more than weathering a situation, even though when we weather a difficult time it tests our faith in that moment. It also takes prayer and hope to ride out difficulties as we struggle with forces that seek to destroy us. Lying, cheating, stealing, abusing, assaulting, killing, etc. - wickedness can increase at any time. And the world will test us daily, monthly, yearly, and throughout our lifetime. According to Augustine, we are called to endure when all else seems lost.

But how so? Strangely, it requires us to both soften our hearts to what is good and harden our resolve against what is evil. Temptations can surround us during these moments. But an enduring faith can increase and sustain us, growing in us grace and love, toughening us in patience to carry on.

The Olympics this summer reminded us how important it is to endure. Olympians in track and field demonstrated the virtues of athleticism after years of practice. As Augustine teaches us, God expects the same endurance in us spiritually, but it requires that we practice daily - through daily worship, constant prayer, and charity for others. These practices can open our hearts and yet harden our discipline so that we in fact endure in Christ.

August 18, 2021