Sunday Reflection: Kaffeeklatsch with God and Lidia

Good morning, 
God.

As you can see, 
Lidia's espresso
is still a part of my Sunday ritual,

so I'm sure you don't mind 
if I invite her to join us

under the pear tree
for this morning's quiet reflection.

Good morning,
Lidia.

I'm so glad you are a member of 
my personal communion of saints
who join God and me
for Sunday morning coffee.

I also welcome my grandmas
and other wise women
who are honourary members 
of my Sunday morning kaffeeklatsch
-- what other than a kaffeeklatsch

that includes espresso --

would my friend Lidia expect from
her "German lady" friend, 

as you always referred to me?

You know how much I loved espresso in your kitchen.

I still miss you,

Lidia,

but your coffee gives me comfort.

In today's Gospel reading,

Jesus calls himself

the Bread of Life.

(Bread and wine were what he had to work with.)

For me, 

bread and wine 

are delicious miracles in themselves.

And so is this good coffee, 

and the shade of the pear tree,

and God's presence in every last thing

right down to the sub-atomic level,

including the ongoing memory-presence

of you, 

Lidia,

and grandmas Eugenia and Dorothea,

and auntie Barbara,

and Aldona and Ruthie,

and all the other good women saints

who have rooms in my heart.

I am grateful.

Thank you,

God,

for this good morning,

and all the good women at our kaffeeklatsch.

Bless all those 

who are missing the kind of love and support

they need in these challenging days.

Bless all your people 

with the love, 

wisdom,

and strength we need

to truly care for one another

and this beautiful earth with which you gift us.

Mmmmm, 

and did I thank you

for the coffee?

+Amen.

A little ecumenical prayer during this week of Laudato Si

I'm in the thick of planting time, so online moodling isn't exactly a priority right now. But I'm still moodling (musing and doodling) about life each day, just not at my computer keyboard. These gorgeous spring days that exhibit the Creator's immeasurable creativity offer an immense collection of beauty to appreciate, and the awe and wonder that nature inspires should be a clear sign to everyone on the planet that we are loved! Unfortunately, we forget to be amazed when we take it all for granted...

Five years ago this week, Pope Francis and his team of encyclical writers published their letter to the world known as Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home -- so that we stop taking our world for granted. It's easily the most important letter ever written by a pope, and calls everyone on earth to a greater awareness of and care for our planet. In these days of COVID-19, it's easy to forget about the environment in our concern for humanity's struggles with this disease. But we can't continue to exist if we don't begin to make some of the different kinds of lifestyle changes we have had to adopt during this pandemic. There are many places on our planet that are experiencing natural rejuvenation because we have slowed down our consumption of resources and reduced our use of fossil fuels. Animals are also breathing a sigh of relief as we have become quieter... have you noticed? I really believe that the way we are living through this pandemic can be the beginning of positive changes that will give us a chance to live in a much healthier place.

But it won't happen without a lot of deep thought, prayer and action. 

We can make the world a better place once the virus has passed us by if we can use the immeasurable creativity shared with us by our Creator to come up with solutions that work for all, but especially for the marginalized members of creation. Can we forgive debts? Live within our needs? Spend love miles rather than airmiles? Share our abundance? Protect nature? Appreciate all that is and recognize that everything is gift? And revisit the wisdom of Laudato Si?

The ecumenical prayer video below was made for this Easter season by the pastor of St. Luke's Anglican church and only three musicans so that appropriate social distance could be maintained. I invite you to take a bit of time to sing some Alleluias with us, and to pray that our entire planet (not only the humans) will emerge from this pandemic with better health, deeper love, and more wisdom. Lyrics are below... to sing is to pray twice!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq-NsJ3vNz0&t

O--- Surrexit Christus, alleluia! O--- Cantate Domino, alleluia! (translation: Christ is risen, alleluia! Sing to God, alleluia!)

Laudate omnes gentes, laudate Dominum. Laudate omnes gentes, laudate Dominum.

(Kiswahili lyrics: Si-fu-ni wa-tu wo-te si-fu-ni Mwen-ye-zi. Si-fu-ni wa-tu wo-te si-fu-ni Mwen-ye-zi.

English lyrics: Sing praises, all you peoples, sing praises to the Lord. Sing praises, all you peoples, sing praises to the Lord.)

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Cantate Domino, alleluia, alleluia! Jubilate Deo! (translation: Sing to the Lord, alleluia, alleluia! Rejoice in God!)

Jésus, le Christ, lumière intérieure, ne laisse pas mes ténèbres me parler. Jésus, le Christ, lumière intérieure, donne moi d’acceuillir ton amour. (English lyrics: Lord Jesus Christ, your light shines within us. Let not my doubts or my darkness speak to me. Lord Jesus Christ, your light shines within us. Let my heart always welcome your love.)

Nada te turbe, nada te_espante; quien a Dios tiene nada le falta. Nada te turbe, nada te_espante: solo Dios basta. (English lyrics: Nothing can trouble, nothing can frighten. Those who seek God shall never go wanting. Nothing can trouble, nothing can frighten. God alone fills us.)

O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord hear my prayer. When I call answer me. O Lord hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer. Come and listen to me.

I am sure I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Yes, I shall see the goodness of our God, hold firm, trust in the Lord.

O—Psallite Deo, psallite! O—Alleluia, alleluia! (English lyrics: This is the day the Lord has made! Alleluia, alleluia!)

Laudato Si Sunday Reflection: Taking nothing for granted

This week's reflection is brought to you by
1 Corinthians 2: 6-10.

O God,
you call us to a different kind of wisdom.

Not one that collects deep thoughts
or has deep pockets,
but the wisdom
that you alone can give,
the wisdom of appreciating
all that you give us.

Before the earth came to be
your wisdom was its glory.

The problem is
and continues to be
that those who speak your wisdom
have been reviled,
humiliated or crucified
figuratively
and
literally.

But you continue to offer
the kind of goodness and glory
that we find hard to realize,
things beyond our sight,
hearing,
and understanding.

Your Spirit
searches your creation
and speaks out
your depths
in the wisdom you give
through the wise ones among us
and the creation you offer to us daily.

Please,
Holy Spirit,
let us appreciate everything,
let us take nothing
for granted.

+Amen.

* * * * * * *

This week we are looking at paragraphs 159-163 of Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home, Pope Francis' letter to the people of the earth, which can be accessed by clicking here and scrolling down. The section is called Justice Between the Generations, and it's not just referring to those of us alive at this moment.

Some Indigenous community members understand this well, considering the next seven generations in their decision making. Do we?

Pope Francis gets it, too, saying, "The notion of the common good also extends to future generations," and reminding us that

Once we start to think about the kind of world we are leaving to future generations, we look at things differently; we realize that the world is a gift which we have freely received and must share with others. Since the world has been given to us, we can no longer view reality in a purely utilitarian way, in which efficiency and productivity are entirely geared to our individual benefit. Intergenerational solidarity is not optional, but rather a basic question of justice, since the world we have received also belongs to those who will follow us (paragraph 159).

There are many big questions raised by Laudato Si, but for me, the one at the beginning of paragraph 160 is the biggest: "What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us...?" Pope Francis notes that this question is tied in to other questions about the meaning of life and why we are here, the goal of our efforts and our value to the earth itself -- questions whose answers speak volumes about our dignity as God's children.

Paragraph 161 deserves to be read in its entirety:

Doomsday predictions can no longer be met with irony or disdain. We may well be leaving to coming generations debris, desolation and filth. The pace of consumption, waste and environmental change has so stretched the planet's capacity that our contemporary lifestyle, unsustainable as it is, can only precipitate catastrophes, such as those which even now periodically occur in different areas of the world. The effects of the present imbalance can only be reduced by our decisive action, here and now. We need to reflect on our accountability before  those who will have to endure the dire consequences.

There have been more environmental catastrophes than I want to think about in the almost five years since Laudato Si was published. The burning of the Amazon and more recently, Australia, the extinction of more species, the Brazil mine tailings dam collapses, the plastic waste that continues to gather in our oceans, flooding, storms... The connection of these problems to our human activity can no longer be denied, and the dire catastrophes Pope Francis is speaking about may arrive sooner than we think.

He and his encyclical writing friends don't mince words in paragraph 162. Our present consumer culture has bred a society of people who are speeding up the earth's decline through our "rampant individualism" and "today's self-centred culture of instant gratification." We need to curb our "impulsive and wasteful consumption" so that we can "broaden the scope of our present interests and... give consideration to those who remain excluded from development" in both "intergenerational" and "intragenerational solidarity" -- the poor of the future, and those we have with us now.

Such solidarity demands the most from those of us who live in the developed world. If everyone on the planet lived like we do, we would probably need another dozen earths to support the present world population. (Check out your ecological footprint by clicking here.) We need to re-examine what we see as essential to our standard of living. How can we live more simply and meaningfully without consuming so many of our planet's resources?

We are told that Mother Earth has enough for all her children, but the problem is that some of us children use up more than our share, which impoverishes those who are living in poverty now, and future generations who may not have enough. It also messes up our planet for all living things. How many species will be extinct when my children are my age? Will future generations ever be able to drink from a mountain stream like I did when I was small?

Laudato Si is the best commercial I know for simple living. Once we build an awareness of where our greed has gotten the better of us, we can begin to appreciate what we already have and live a deeper solidarity with the poor and future generations. In appreciating the gifts God has already given us, we can more easily ignore the way consumer culture leads us to want more than we need.

If we can ask ourselves the four questions on this poster on a regular basis, we can change our way of life to one that is better for all that God has made. Or perhaps you can make your own version with your own awareness-raising questions.

We all need enough to live, but we don't need too much, especially when our greed pollutes our planet, impoverishes creation, and harms the seven generations that come after us. I don't know about you, but I hate feeling greedy. Feeling appreciative is the way to go, the Spirit moving in us all!

Co-gardeners with God

As I did my daily Tai chi in the back yard this morning, I marveled at beauty. Bees buzzing in flowers, robins singing on high, dew on the grass. I found myself thinking about how, in so many cultures of the world, the history of humanity begins in a garden, where humans and God connect.

And I couldn't help but think: if, as a species, we could somehow find our way back to our earth's continuous regeneration in nature, with fewer huge corporations of concrete and steel and smaller, more simple physical labour in harmony with creation, could we dial back climate change, pollution, and disease so that we could live in appreciation of the great beauties that surround us?

God, help us to return to your garden, somehow.

Even when perturbed, Benissez le Seigneur

On Friday night, I had a lot of dishes to wash, so I downloaded the Taizé podcast from www.domradio.de (thanks to my friend, Claudia) and got to work. It was uplifting to hear the community singing -- including two of my favourite frères -- and there was also flute, recorder and oboe, a trio I hadn't yet heard together on a podcast. In February, when pilgrims aren’t so numerous, it seems the musicians come out of the woodwork!

Toward the end of the podcast, the community sang the chant below, and I realized that this week, I was perturbed and weighed down by so many things that I kind of forgot to Benissez le Seigneur (Bless the Lord). Good thing God is compassion and knows exactly where I’m at -- with friends and family who have health issues, an unexpected cat-care regimen, my frustration with politics, and my worry-wart nature...

So I’ve decided to make up for my self-absorption by posting the chant with verses taken straight from the Book of Daniel (3:58 onward), sung in the many languages of the brothers at Taizé. Even if life seems a little bleak for the moment, it’s still important to Benissez le Seigneur – and it lifts the spirits, too. God is good, and continues to hold us and our beautiful world together even in our struggles!

All you peoples, bless the Lord -- benissez le Seigneur... Spirits and souls of the just -- benissez le Seigneur... and have a good week!

Laudato Si: Sunday Reflection #22... BOLD CULTURAL REVOLUTION, anyone?

Over the Christmas break, it was nice to have time to moodle about lighter topics than papal encyclicals. I also had some time to think about these weekly essays on Pope Francis' most important letter, Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home, and to realize what a worthwhile effort they are even though very few folks will ever read what I'm writing. The thing is, even a practitioner of Voluntary Simplicity like myself can become complacent over time, but I find that in rereading Pope Francis' call to action for the sake of our planet and throwing challenges out to my readers, I'm being stirred to action once again. It's all good!

On further reflection, the one thing I wish I could change is that this blog format doesn't really allow people to engage in discussion about what we read -- if only I could invite you all into my living room once a week to chat! But you're too spread out, so instead, I've adjusted some settings to make the comment section more reader friendly, and hope that some of you might be willing to share your thoughts or engage each other (and me) in discussion there, even if it means I end up with spam comments to wade through and delete. Please, feel free to click the Comment link at the bottom of this moodling if you have thoughts or ideas to share, and remember to play nice.

On to our reading for this week: Paragraphs 111-114 of Laudato Si, which can be accessed by clicking here and scrolling down. We'll start the year easy with only the last four paragraphs from the section, The Globalization of the Technocratic Paradigm.

It seems that Pope Francis and friends are calling us to recognize that technology has its good points, but that giving it complete power over the way we live, think, and act is a huge issue that our world needs to face. The two-pronged belief that technology is the answer to our planet's every issue and that technological convenience is essential to every part of our lives has brought us to a place where we are simply using technology's many different facets to entertain ourselves or in "a series of urgent and partial responses to the immediate problems of pollution, environmental decay and the depletion of natural resources" (paragraph 111).

Found at Quotesgram.com

In this way, we are missing the Big Picture -- and too often dealing with the symptoms rather than the original disease that needs to be cured. What's required is "a distinctive way of looking at things, a way of thinking, policies, an educational programme, a lifestyle and a spirituality which together generate resistance to the assault of the technocratic paradigm" (paragraph 111). It's going to take more than scientists to get us out of the mess we're in. I think Franciscan Richard Rohr expresses it well in his quote (to the right).

It's become too easy for us to imagine that technology is running the world, but the last time I checked, it was still human beings who were in charge (though leaning heavily on processes that are more technological than humane). Pope Francis rightly notes that "We have the freedom needed to limit and direct technology; we can put it at the service of another type of progress, one which is healthier, more human, more social, more integral" (paragraph 112).

And I am hopeful that this will happen -- in fact, I am seeing it happening more and more. At the beginning of our family's journey into a life of less consumption and more meaning almost ten years ago, it felt as though we were constantly swimming against a tide of non-essential trends, fashions, possessions and experiences all designed to turn us into the shopaholics that marketers told us we should be for our happiness' sake. But in the last few years, the current seems to be shifting in our favour -- there's been a huge uptick in common sense -- and people are realizing that we can't buy happiness, but it can be found by owning less, living smaller, protecting the planet and enjoying a healthier, more balanced life. My oldest daughter and her friends' desire to ride their bikes everywhere rather than drive is just one example of this kind of thinking. The recent increases in vegetarianism and veganism can also be seen as another kind of rethinking of consumerism. And there are dozens of other examples! Slow food, small homes, permaculture, you-name-it!

I love these lines at the end of paragraph 112, which notes the awareness that is creeping into our world:

An authentic humanity, calling for a new synthesis, seems to dwell in the midst of our technological culture, almost unnoticed, like a mist seeping gently beneath a closed door. Will the promise last, in spite of everything, with all that is authentic rising up in stubborn resistance? 

Yes! I want to shout... But... Technology has offered humanity so many amazing gadgets and gizmos -- the "novelties" mentioned in paragraph 113 -- that we've become distracted from living lives of depth and meaning. The "constant flood of new products" are simply "new forms of escapism to help us endure the emptiness" because, in our distraction, we have forgotten how to deeply appreciate life in all its manifestations. Pope Francis and his encyclical team clearly ask that we get back to authenticity -- that we "refuse to resign ourselves to this [escapism], and continue to wonder about the purpose of life and meaning of everything."

Here is the beginning of the BOLD CULTURAL REVOLUTION (the Pope's words, my uppercase, sorry) that the world needs. It's gotten to the point where it seems we've become a bit blasé about all the technological and scientific wonders in our lives and have let science and technology (dare I say it?) take on God's saving role in the world. But the only saviour for this planet is the God of peace and justice who acts through us -- through our appreciation for creation's wonders and our efforts to improve the lives of every being on earth by reducing our consumption, sharing our riches, and cleaning up after ourselves.

The final line of paragraph 114 says it perfectly:

Nobody is suggesting a return to the Stone Age, but we do need to slow down and look at reality in a different way, to appropriate the positive and sustainable progress which has been made, but also to recover the values and great goals swept away by our unrestrained delusions of grandeur.

"Delusions of grandeur?! But I have no delusions of grandeur," I imagine we are all thinking (I know I am!) So here's the exercise for this week: let's read a short article about the poorest city in the world by clicking here, and note how many things are lacking in Monrovia, Liberia, for which we regularly forget to give thanks. Then let's think about the objects in our home that we'd be hard pressed to find in a home in Monrovia, where many labourers earn less than a dollar a day. And perhaps we can also consider those things that many of us feel entitled to in North America -- our vehicles, possessions, "toys," vacations...

We are blessed with so much, aren't we? Do we truly appreciate our blessings? Can we forget about delusions of grandeur that fill us with a sense of entitlement -- at least until all of creation is cared for? Can we live in harmony and solidarity with creation? Gratitude and the desire for justice for all are where BOLD CULTURAL REVOLUTION begins... and it only begins with us.

*******

A prayer for our earth

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe

and in the smallest of your creatures.

You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.

Pour out upon us the power of your love,

that we may protect life and beauty.

Fill us with peace, that we may live

as brothers and sisters, harming no one.

O God of the poor,

help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,

so precious in your eyes.

Bring healing to our lives,

that we may protect the world and not prey on it,

that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.

Touch the hearts

of those who look only for gain

at the expense of the poor and the earth.

Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,

to be filled with awe and contemplation,

to recognize that we are profoundly united

with every creature

as we journey towards your infinite light.

We thank you for being with us each day.

Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle

for justice, love and peace.

+AMEN.

(A prayer for our earth and all quotations from Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home © Libreria Editrice Vaticana)

Next up: #23... A(nother) shot at Anthropocentrism

August garden update

It's getting to that time of year when the garden is at its peak, the sun is shifting in the sky, and the evenings are a little bit cooler. Harvest is beginning, and I've been a pretty busy woman for the last several days. Today, I spent my time on kale chips, cherry kuchen, and broad beans. Also picked a half pail of cukes and pulled some weeds (a never ending job!!!) So you could say I'm a little tuckered, but oh so grateful for the garden and all the wonderful organic food it gives us.



Here's a picture of a funny little Peter Pan squash like the one growing in the three sisters' corner. We ate one last week, roasted, and it wasn't bad. Julia thought it looked like a hat and wore it on her head for a few minutes.


I've taken plenty of pictures of the garden, which is my favourite place on the planet -- so lucky to have it just outside the back door, where I can take my morning coffee and sit and watch the birds nibbling at the chard or chasing each other through the sunflowers. Last week as I sifted compost, a sparrow bathed in the birdbath right beside me, sheltered by a pumpkin leaf so he didn't see me watching. Our 500 or so sq. feet (45 sq. metres) of growing space don't just give us food, but also our own little nature sanctuary and plenty of good exercise for mind and soul.

Instead of posting a dozen pictures for my garden update this week, here's a five minute tour. Have a lovely weekend!

Simple Suggestions #145 and #188 revisited... Observe Buy Nothing Day

Here it comes again! The day after American Thanksgiving and the consumption of all that turkey has been designated an anti-consumption holiday by many people who are concerned about the health and well being of our planet and its inhabitants -- a day to be grateful for what we already have in our lives rather than to go out and buy more (a.k.a. Christmas shopping). Unfortunately, in most circles, Buy Nothing Day is called Black Friday -- because many companies leave behind the red ink in their yearly ledgers and begin to make profits through holding insane, all out consumption-oriented events that have led to huge door-crashing, people injuring sales frenzies.

(While it's not this bad in Canada, thankfully,
there's increasing emphasis on Black Friday
as Canadian stores jump on the bandwagon
in attempts to boost their sales, too.)

I'd like to think that the world's people are waking up to the understanding that our planet has only so many resources to go around, and that human beings are becoming aware that we need to use less of those resources so that our environment and its endangered species (us included if we keep going at our present rate) stand a chance in the future. I'm doing my part by living as simply as I can, generally avoiding shopping malls, giving necessary or experiential gifts instead of stuff, and encouraging others to do the same (if you're looking for more ideas when it comes to avoiding consumerism, click here, or check out the Simple Christmas Ideas tab under the Simple Moodlings heading).

Really, Buy Nothing Day (November 28th in the U.S. and November 29th everywhere else) is good practice for every other day of the year. If we all gave our purchasing habits serious consideration every day, buying only what we need and gifting people with our presence and perhaps some homemade goodies, our world would be a much healthier place for all living things. Don't you think?

P.S. Looking for more Simple Suggestions? Click here.