Simple Moodlings \'sim-pѳl 'mϋd-ѳl-ings\ n: 1. modest meanderings of the mind about living simply and with less ecological impact; 2. "long, inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering" (Brenda Ueland) of the written kind; 3. spiritual odds and ends inspired by life, scripture, and the thoughts of others
Because I'm in the thick of garden work these days, I didn't get to my computer yesterday to post something for Monday Music Appreciation. I also missed marking the Feast of Pentecost on Sunday, which is my favourite Christian celebration of the year. So you could call today's moodling a Pentecost music appreciation.
Over the years, my relationship with God has undergone different phases. As a child who loved her dad deeply (still do), I had no problem appreciating God as Father. In my teen years, I spent a lot of time with a youth group connected to a retreat movement for youth known as Christ our Light, and while there, I really fell in love with Jesus.
But as an adult entering into my senior years (I enter my 60th year on Thursday) and connecting more and more with Indigenous spirituality, my prayer now leans toward Creator, the creative and Holy Spirit who enlivens everything in the cosmos. And in the face of all the war in our world, of divisive politics, of the lack of understanding and empathy for those living in poverty or with addictions, of the unforgiveness that exists in society and even within families these days, all I can say is
Breathe in us, Holy Spirit.
When I first heard this music in October of 2016, I was sitting on the floor in the Church of Reconciliation in Taizé, France, and I experienced a major case of goosebumps. Being with several hundred young people in a spirit of deep prayer, it was easy to believe that the Spirit was breathing in us.
Since then, sometimes, when I'm feeling overwhelmed and hopeless, I return to this song and beg the Spirit to help us to help our world to find the common ground that will bring us into compassion for -- and communion with -- all those who are offered judgment instead of love.
Breathe in us, Holy Spirit.
The cadence of the chant is like gentle breathing, and the many languages evoke the Spirit of Pentecost's multilingual celebration. On Sunday evening, our Taizé group prayed this prayer. As Pentecost lasts for 50 days, I invite you to pray it with me here whenever you like.
For today, Pentecost Sunday, my best friend led the online liturgy at her church this morning, and gave a wonderful homily. She gave me permission to share it with you, and at the bottom, I've tacked on a powerful video/prayer that was shared at the end of the liturgy. Enjoy!
Pentecost
Reflection May 31, 2020
by Cathy Coulter
We need a Pentecost in our world. We
need the spirit of compassion and justice to rain down in tongues of flame and
bring us to our senses and repentance with a changing of hearts and minds.
Living in this time, in the news cycle from this week, can fill us with fear and
make us wonder -- how, then shall we live? We are encouraged over and over to
reach out in love. But today, my message will be to reach in with love. To
first reach in to yourself. The Spirit will carry you to a place within, from
which you can emerge healed and strengthened to be a force of love and change
in the world.
I've been spending some time
learning about the saint and mystic, Teresa of Avila, who lived in Spain 500
years ago. In midlife Teresa got serious about the spiritual journey after a
mystical experience and she went on to become a spiritual powerhouse, writing
books and reforming convents. She was smart and charismatic, and had to be to
dodge the Spanish Inquisition of the time because she wrote and taught the
revolutionary idea that people don't need the church or priests to be the
go-between to God, but that everyone has direct access to the Holy One right in
the middle of themselves. That message didn't go over so well with the church
and priests who wanted to maintain power over the people.
Teresa wrote a book called The
Interior Castle which describes the soul as a castle made of diamond or
crystal, and in the very centre lives God, the Beloved, calling us. We already
have it all, right within our souls, all that we were created to be, all the
love and joy and communion that we were created to experience, but of course we
can't always hear God's voice of love, or experience the joy because we are not
awake to it. What prevents us from hearing this voice of love? It seems to be
the traumas and hurts that have made us build walls and keep us distracted and
doubting our own beauty and goodness. We have built these walls to shield our
tender selves from hurt but it's these same walls that prevents me from seeing
the giftedness that I am. God has created me and you so special, as it says in
the reading from 1 Corinthians chapter 12, with each person necessary to the whole. When you
realize the gift that is uniquely you, the sharing of that with the world is a
beautiful thing.
Teresa was a big believer in the
importance of self-knowledge. In fact, she says the three keys to travelling
through our interior castle to the centre are self-knowledge, humility and
contemplation. And that we can't do it ourselves. We rely on the power of the
Holy Spirit who does the work. As it says in Corinthians, “No one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit
[and the gifts that each one of us are given] are activated by one and the same
Spirit.” All we have to do is begin to look within and the Spirit will carry
us, like a river, when we allow ourselves to relax and flow with the current.
The Covid pandemic has shaken us all and turned the whole
world upside down. Our day to day activities have changed. Many have more time
on their hands, some are busier than ever. But everyone has likely had moments
of questioning what is really important. What is it I really want in my life,
if life never goes back to how it used to be when I was going through my days
on automatic pilot? If you have more time or less time in your day, can you
take a moment to stop and be quiet? Call upon the Holy Spirit that is promised
us. Perhaps it won't arrive with tongues of flames but in a small whisper. What
are you learning about yourself in these challenging times? Who is it that you
truly are at your core? Can you remember the bright, beautiful curious child
you were that explored the world and was drawn to certain things, things that
still call to you today that give you a lift of joy? Are there writers or
speakers or music that move you, that make you feel your true self stirring? Those are clues of the beautiful unique voice that you are.
I think of the reading from Acts:“Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among
them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the
Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them
ability. And how is it that we hear [them all], each of us, in our own native
language?”
I think of each of us having a unique voice, or language,
given to us as the Spirit of God chooses and when the Spirit moves within us,
we all start speaking in these unique languages but everyone will be able to
understand us as if we are speaking in their native tongue because we are all
speaking from the source of ourselves, which is Love. Love, the Beloved,
waiting there in the centre of your very soul, calling for you to spend time
with God.
So celebrate your self today. The self that you uniquely
are. Celebrate with humility that we have been given this great gift to be here,
each beautiful one of us, and that we can be together sharing in each other's
language.
The beauty of these middle days of May lends itself perfectly to today's Feast of Pentecost -- it feels like even the trees are rejoicing in the presence of God's creative Spirit! The yellows and purples and pinks are stunning... and the Thunderchild crabapples like the one at the right are showstoppers by themselves!
Every time beauty stops us in our tracks, it is, without question, a spiritual experience. Beauty speaks to us more deeply than mere words because it touches us at a level where head, heart and gut all reside together. A stunning view, a whiff of heavenly fragrance, a haunting melody or a silent stillness, an exquisite flavour, or the caress of a loved one -- all are examples of the Spirit's ability to reach us through our 5 senses and lead us to our spiritual 6th sense where God resides in us.
Tonight, we will celebrate the Feast of Pentecost with music, silence, food and friendship (7 p.m. at Assumption Church, 9040 95 Avenue, and you're most welcome to join us). We will sing the chant below to invite the Spirit to heal our world's heartaches -- and our own. It is one of those haunting melodies that reminds me that God's creative Spirit is always with us; all we need is to ask:
Come, Holy Spirit,
be with me today.
Help me to say
what you want me to say.
Help me to do
what you need me to do.
Let me rest in your love
and let others rest, too.
Please join us for a special event Sunday evening if you're in the neighbourhood...
If you're not able to join us, here's a special Taizé chant to celebrate the day... It's one of the first chants I ever heard, and one that fills me with an inexplicable, deep joy every time I hear it, the Holy Spirit's doing, I'm sure...
I never used to give the Spirit much thought, as relating to the Father and the Son seemed more natural in my younger life... but of late, it's the third person of the Trinity whose name is on my lips the most, the wild and windy Spirit that creates and blesses in unexpected ways... Come, Holy Spirit, has become my favourite prayer. Simple, yet to the point in every situation!
Words from today's prayer on the Taizé website:
Come, Holy Spirit, from heaven shine forth with your radiant
love.
Come, Father of the poor; come, generous
Spirit; come, Light of our hearts.
Perfect Comforter, you make peace to dwell
in our soul:
Come, Holy Spirit.
Wonderful refreshment, in our labor you
offer rest; in our trials, strength:
Come, Holy Spirit.
Kindly Light, enter the inmost depth of
our hearts:
Come, Holy Spirit.
Bend our rigidity, inflame our apathy:
Come, Holy Spirit.
Send rain upon our dry ground, heal our
wounded souls:
Come, Holy Spirit.
Give us lasting joy: Come, Holy Spirit,
from heaven shine forth with your radiant love.
Come, Holy Spirit!
Our L'Arche community is settling into our new digs quite nicely. On Wednesday, while I was at work, an impromptu birthday party underlined how wonderful our new space is. I was in a meeting with Pat, our Community Leader, and there was some noise in the hallway that made us look up to see a birthday cake being carried in procession. Everyone in our part of the building ended up in the office singing Happy Birthday to Pat, and many people were laughing with delight. Pat's old office was about eight by ten feet, so this was the first time ever that the entire community could celebrate in her office! Better yet, even those in wheelchairs could attend!
Monday, the day after Pentecost, the L'Arche Edmonton community held a most unique Pentecost celebration for our first prayer night in our new community centre. We ended up wearing party hats and blowing little roll-out party whistles, and singing "Happy Birthday, dear church..." I don't think I'll experience another Pentecost as long as I live where I don't remember that particular celebration.
I'll also remember it for the prayer time, when one of our core members prayed for her assistant friend who is recently left our community for Vancouver. Stephanie just had to pray for Kara, who wasn't present, though I wish Kara could have seen how Stephanie fanned her face in an effort to chase away the tears that sprang into her eyes. It was a bitter sweet moment, to be sure. Even as we said goodbye to two assistants, we welcomed another, and the circle of L'Arche Edmonton expanded even a little further. The Holy Spirit, Spirit of Pentecost, is always present in loving community, helping it to grow, helping us to celebrate.
