A New Religion in Canada According to ChatGPT (2)

 A while ago I delved into the wonderful world of artificial intelligence in my blog with the post, AI, and the Preacher (November 7, 2023).  I have been pondering the possibilities of AI.  The thought came that it would be very interesting to explore a new religion today in Canada, what would it be like if someone was to set out to create one.  I decided that I would pose that question to my friend ChatGPT, the AI phenomenon that has taken the world by storm recently.    I asked ChatGPT a series of questions about such a new religion and would like to share the responses over the next few editions of my blog.  Beyond exploring this, I am interested to see how this new religion proposed by ChatGPT compares with the Anglican Church of Canada.

With that, here is the answer to my first query I posed to Chat GPT, “I would like a 500-word essay on the characteristics of what a new religion in Canada would look like.”  Last week I considered the first part of the response, here is the second part: 

Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation: In a country characterized by religious pluralism, a new religion would likely embrace interfaith dialogue and cooperation as essential components of its ethos. It would seek common ground with other spiritual traditions, emphasizing shared values and mutual respect while acknowledging and honoring differences. Collaborative initiatives aimed at addressing societal challenges and promoting peace could emerge from such interfaith exchanges.

 

Personal Growth and Empowerment: A new religion in Canada would likely prioritize individual spiritual growth and empowerment. Its teachings might encourage self-reflection, mindfulness practices, and the pursuit of inner peace and fulfillment. Rituals and ceremonies could be designed to facilitate personal transformation, fostering resilience, and facilitating emotional healing.

 

Adaptability and Evolution: Given Canada's dynamic and ever-changing cultural landscape, a new religion would need to be adaptable and open to evolution. It would embrace innovation while staying rooted in timeless spiritual principles, continually reinterpreting ancient wisdom in light of contemporary realities. This adaptability would enable the religion to remain relevant and responsive to the evolving needs of its adherents and society at large.

 

As with the first parts of the response, I will consider if these characteristics are reflected in the Anglican Church of Canada today.  Should the Anglican Church be more reflective of these?  Let’s look at the characteristics identified and discussed above:

Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation: The Anglican Church has made efforts in interfaith dialogue and to work cooperatively with other religions, particularly with the other Abrahamic religions - Judaism, and Islam.  It has also worked to incorporate the Indigenous tradition with its religious practices, in recent times creating the position of Indigenous Archbishop to serve as pastoral leader to Indigenous Peoples in the Anglican Church of Canada.  Here is the statement addressing this on the website of the National Church:

Canada is an increasingly pluralistic country, and more and more Canadians are living, working, and socializing side by side with people of other religious traditions. For Christians, there is a growing need not just for dialogue with people of other faiths, but for genuine relationships with them. Increased awareness of religious plurality, the potential role of religion in conflict, and the growing place of religion in public life all present urgent challenges that require greater understanding and cooperation among people of diverse faiths.

The Anglican Church of Canada pursues formal dialogue with people of other faiths together with the other member churches of the Canadian Council of Churches. We also participate in the Canadian Interfaith Conversation, which gathers representatives of different religious groups who believe that people of faith can contribute positively to the benefit of all people in Canadian society.

However, with all these efforts the Anglican Church holds that Christianity is the true religion.  While others may have some truth in their relationship with the divine, Christianity is the one true way. 

Personal Growth and Empowerment: Spiritual practices are upheld and encouraged generally within the Anglican Church.  Personally, I am engaged by Huron University College to offered Spiritual Direction to theology students.   The document Competencies for Ordination to the Priesthood by the Anglican Church includes the following criteria, “Shows evidence of personal and spiritual growth and healthy self-awareness.”  The value of spiritual practices such as meditation and Centring Prayer are recognized and encouraged.

Adaptability and Evolution: This category would be clearer if ChatGPT used “Change” instead of “Evolution”.  Evolution in the scientific meaning could be included in this category which would indicate the acceptance of science as not contradictory to the theology of the Anglican Church.  There is an old belief that Anglicans are resistant to change with the punchline to a joke being, ‘we don’t change, we’re Anglicans.  However, there has been significant change in the modern Anglican Church with the introduction of a new prayer book, The Book of Alternative Services, in 1985.   In addition, there have been new hymn books and supplementary liturgies.  Further, women are eligible for ordination to the priesthood. The blessing of same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage are permitted in many dioceses of the Anglican Church.  These changes have been met with resistance and are not embraced by some practicing Anglicans. It raises the question of what is the core of Anglicanism in Canada.  Are there aspects of what is essential for Anglicanism to still be Anglicanism?  In some cases, the change has been made in the hope that it will enable parishioners to live lives as Christians more fully on the one hand and hopefully attract worshippers to fill the empty pew on Sundays on the other.  However, this has not had a positive effect on the declining numbers of Anglicans who are active in church life.

I will continue to explore aspects of this hypothetical new religion over the next few weeks and how the church that I am part of, stacks up in comparison to this hypothetical one. 

Blessings on your journey.

 

 

A New Religion in Canada According to ChatGPT

A while ago I delved into the wonderful world of artificial intelligence in my blog with the post, AI, and the Preacher (November 7, 2023).  I have been pondering the possibilities of AI.  The thought came that it would be very interesting to explore a new religion today in Canada, what would it be like if someone was to set out to create one.  I decided that I would pose that question to my friend ChatGPT, the AI phenomenon that has taken the world by storm recently.    I asked ChatGPT a series of questions about such a new religion and would like to share the responses over the next few editions of my blog.  Beyond exploring this, I am interested to see how this new religion proposed by ChatGPT compares with the Anglican Church of Canada.

With that, here is the answer to my first query I posed to ChatGPT, “I would like a 500-word essay on the characteristics of what a new religion in Canada would look like.”  I will consider the first part of the response today and the second part next time: 

Introduction: Canada is known for its cultural diversity and tolerance, making it a fertile ground for the emergence of new religious movements. Crafting a hypothetical portrayal of such a religion involves considering the societal context, prevailing values, and evolving spiritual needs of its inhabitants. This essay delves into the characteristics that might typify a new religion in Canada.

1.  Inclusivity and Diversity: A new religion in Canada would likely embrace inclusivity as a core tenet, reflecting the country's multicultural fabric. It would welcome individuals from various ethnicities, backgrounds, and belief systems, fostering a sense of unity amidst diversity. This inclusivity would extend beyond mere tolerance to active celebration and integration of different perspectives, fostering a sense of belonging for all adherents.

2.  Environmental Consciousness: Given Canada's vast natural landscapes and growing environmental awareness, a new religion would likely emphasize stewardship of the Earth. Its teachings might revolve around ecological responsibility, promoting sustainable living practices, and fostering a deep spiritual connection with nature. Rituals and ceremonies could be conducted outdoors, honoring the rhythms of the natural world, and encouraging reverence for all life forms.

3.  Social Justice and Equity: Reflecting Canada's commitment to social justice and human rights, a new religion would advocate for equity and compassion. Its doctrines might prioritize the alleviation of poverty, the eradication of discrimination, and the promotion of equality for marginalized communities. Adherents would be encouraged to actively engage in charitable endeavors, community service, and advocacy efforts aimed at fostering a more just society.

Conclusion: In summary, a hypothetical new religion in Canada would likely embody characteristics such as inclusivity, environmental consciousness, social justice advocacy, interfaith dialogue, personal growth, and adaptability. By reflecting the values and aspirations of Canadian society, such a religion could serve as a source of inspiration, guidance, and community for its adherents, contributing to the rich tapestry of religious diversity in the country.

Are these characteristics reflected in the Anglican Church of Canada today.  Should the Anglican Church be more reflective of these?  Let’s look at the characteristics identified and discussed above:

Inclusivity and Diversity:  Traditionally the Anglican Church has been a white, middle-class church sometimes in the past described as the Conservative Party at prayer. i.e. part of the establishment of Canadian life.   There have been efforts in recent times to be more diverse and inclusive with some success.  The ordination of women and same-sex blessing/marriage has been important steps in this direction.  The introduction of the Book of Alternative Services as the primary liturgy was also an attempt to make the worship liturgy more accessible – a valiant effort which did not match the beauty of the language of the Book of Common Prayer and does not show the power of words to express the power of God to inspire and move people (in my opinion).  As with many changes, these have caused conflict and division within the Church.  Future moves into a more inclusive, less traditional Church would likely cause similar cracks in the foundation but there needs to be consideration of where the Holy Spirit is moving in Canada today.

Environmental Consciousness: In this time of Global Warming and the degradation of the environment, the care of God’s world is a call which the Anglican Church must continue to respond to.  It has done so in many important positive ways but more needs to be done to incorporate environmental action into parish life which is the foundation of the Church.  This needs to be something which is associated with the Anglican Church in the public consciousness.

Social Justice and Equity: Many church signs say that all are welcome.  However, the words often are not reflected in the reality when someone new passes through the doors who does not fit the acceptable truly welcoming church is often not made truly welcome.  As the cliché states, you only have one chance to make a first impression.  There needs to be concrete efforts to welcome the stranger.  In addition, the parish church needs to be a welcoming presence in the larger community; a presence that makes a difference in the life of the community.  In addition, both social justice and equity should be an outward expression of the Great Commandment to love one another as Jesus loves us. 

There is much to consider in this.  I will continue to explore aspects of this hypothetical new religion over the next few weeks and how the church that I am part of, stacks up in comparison to this hypothetical one. 

Blessings on your journey.

 

Tethered or Chained

 I have been reflecting on the difference between being tethered and being chained.  This reflection was inspired by a prayer by Dr. Sylvia Keesmaat:

 

We have become untethered

from the earth that nourishes us,

and from you, O life-giving God, Creator of all.

And untethered, we have lost our roots,

lost our connection to those creatures

that fill us with life and love.

Ground us once more, we pray.

That we may grow ever deeper

in relationship with our creaturely kin and with you.

Amen.

 

If we have become untethered, which I believe we have in many ways, from the world which God created, what does it mean to be tethered to something?  We can be tethered to things.  However, that is different from being chained to things. I associate being tethered in ways that are positive.  There is the wonderful old hymn, Blessed be the Ties that Bind.  To be tethered or tied in that way certainly has the ring of being grounded in something positive in life.  Those things ground us and connect us to the source of our being.  We are on a boat which is tethered or anchored in a safe harbour during a storm as another wonderful hymn exclaims in that cry of hope, Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?

However, being chained has the feeling of being held in captivity.  The chains that held us can be broken and we can be set free.  I can turn to the definition of sin, which is most meaningful for me, those things which chain us to the past and do not allow us to live the life that God intended.  Turning to my favourite song writer, Leonard Cohen, the line says it well, “But there were chains, So I hastened to behave.” 

However, those lyrics are from the song, Show Me the Place.  It is one of Cohen’s last, and it deserves to be better known than it is.  It expresses the conflict between what we are chained to and what we are tethered to.  It expresses the hope that we can break the chains and, instead, become tethered to those same things which will give us the firm foundation in life.  Here are the first two verses which express this hope and challenge:

Show me the place
Where you want your slave to go
Show me the place
I've forgotten, I don't know
Show me the place
For my head is bending low
Show me the place
Where you want your slave to go

Show me the place
Help me roll away the stone
Show me the place
I can't move this thing alone
Show me the place
Where the Word became a man
Show me the place
Where the suffering began

May you be blessed to have your chains transformed to tethers on your journey.

 

Jesus Christ the Ultimate Scapegoat

 Happy April Fools Day and happy birthday to everyone who was born on this special day – as I was.  As my blog is entitled Another Fool for Christ, I want to explore, on this Easter Monday, a view of Jesus Christ that is somewhat different – a look at Jesus Christ through the lens of Rene Girard’s theory of the scapegoat.   I trust that this will not be too foolish. 

Rene Girard, a French philosopher, introduced the groundbreaking concept of the "scapegoat mechanism."  The basis of the theory is the idea that human societies often resort to scapegoating as a mechanism to alleviate social tensions and restore balance.  Girard’s theory holds that societies undergo a process of collective scapegoating, in which a particular individual or group is singled out as the source of a problem or problems in the society. This individual or group scapegoat becomes the target of collective aggression, blamed for the society's woes, and often subjected to punishment or expulsion. By directing hostility towards the scapegoat, society experiences a sense of catharsis, as internal conflicts are externalized onto a convenient target.  However, this equilibrium is only temporary and the cycle of scapegoating resumes.

Girard's theory held that scapegoating serves as a mechanism for social order and cohesion. By sacrificing the scapegoat, societies reaffirm their shared values and norms, reinforcing a sense of solidarity among its members.  Girard's theory sheds light on contemporary phenomena, such as mob mentality, political scapegoating, and ethnic violence. In times of crisis or social upheaval, individuals and groups are often demonized or vilified as scapegoats.  This is reflected in the biblical passage in Leviticus 16:21-22 in which the sins of the people are placed on a literal goat which is sent into the desert relieving the people of collective guilt and restoring equilibrium to the community. 

With this background, let us look at the crucifixion of Jesus as playing out the scapegoat mechanism which may be considered the ultimate example of the scapegoat mechanism.  Girard holds that Jesus' teachings and actions challenged the prevailing social order of his time, exposing the violence and hypocrisy embedded within it. Through his radical message of love, forgiveness, and compassion, Jesus confronted the mechanisms of scapegoating and offered an alternative vision of social relations based on mutual respect and solidarity.  The triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was the ultimate challenge to the religious and Roman authorities.

In Girard's interpretation, the crucifixion of Jesus represents a paradoxical inversion of the scapegoat mechanism. Instead of legitimizing the violence of the mob, Jesus' death exposes its irrationality and injustice, revealing the innocence of the victim and the guilt of those who perpetrate violence in the name of righteousness.

Moreover, Girard suggests that Jesus' resurrection signifies the ultimate triumph over the forces of death and violence, offering hope for redemption and reconciliation. By overcoming death, Jesus breaks the cycle of scapegoating and opens the possibility for a new way of being based on love and forgiveness.

On our journey may we be blessed to recognize where the scapegoat mechanism is playing out in our lives.  

Suffer the Children

Last week in my reflection on the movie The Zone of Interest, I wrote about my experience visiting the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem when I was in the Holy Land in 2008 with other clergy from the Diocese of Huron.  The experience left a lasting impact on me and has been on my mind frequently in the past week especially as I reflect on what is happening in Gaza and the war between Israel and Hamas.

The horror of the attack by Hamas on Israeli citizens on October 7, 2023, was the most devastating for Israel since the horrors which were depicted in the Museum.  It is helpful in understanding the response by Israel to that day.   Here are some of my reflections in response to that visit.

·         Children’s memorial - devastating in its simplicity and stark realization that 1.5 million children died before they could really live.  The building is in the shape of the pyramid.  Inside the stars shine in the sky to represent the children.  The names, age and nationality are recited over the loudspeaker in English and Hebrew.  We are asked to remember one child, Shomo Klien, age 14.

 

·         We are led through exhibits, documentaries, and testimonials of those who survived.  The starkest was the mountain of shoes – a dark testimony to what became of the people who wore them? 

 

·         Lodz Ghetto – Mordeci Run Kowski, the Ghetto President, was forced to choose.  Anyone who could not work lost the right to live.  Anyone under ten lost the right to live.  The elderly and the sick lost the right to live.  They were chosen, thousands demanded by the Nazis.  Mothers are forced to give up their children.  Many didn’t. The agony of having to make such a choice and forcing such choices on parents.  If he did not decide the Nazis would and chose more.

 

·         Dream of Abramek Kaplowics age 14 murdered at Auschwitz:

When I grow up and get to be twenty, I’ll travel and see the world of plenty.  In a bird with an engine, I will set myself down, take off and fly into space, far above the ground.  I’ll fly, I’ll cruise and soar high above the world so lovely in the sky. And so delighted by all the world’s charms, into the heavens I will take off and not have a bother.  The cloud is my sister, the wind my brother.

·         Flames in the Ashes, an excerpt from a film by Chaim Guriand Jaque Erlich.  A carnival with acrobats performing over a beautiful Sunday afternoon outside Auschwitz.

 

With all this that must overwhelm visitors with the impact of that horror, I cannot help but ask, what if another name was added to names of the innocents broadcast at the entrance to the Museum – the name of one of the Palestinian children killed in the war on Hamas: Abdul Rahman Alaa Imad Al-Ajl (age 2 years)? 

May all the innocent who have died in war be remembered and be blessed. 

The Banality of Evil Beyond the Wall

The banality of evil; writer and philosopher Hannah Arendt used this phrase to describe what she witnessed at the end of the trial of Adolf Eichmann, who was one of the leaders of the Nazi regime in Germany and an organizer of the Holocaust. 

That phrase came to mind when I experienced the movie, The Zone of Interest, last week.  To say that I “saw” the movie would not do justice to the experience.  The Zone of interest is an historical drama adapted from the 2014 novel by Martin Amis.   It is based on real events of the protagonist, Rudolph Hoss, the commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp.  The movie opens with a rather mundane scene of family life in what appeared to be the 1940’s in Europe – probably Germany based on the language the family spoke.  As they live their lives there seems to be little out of the ordinary – the very ordinary.  They go about the routine of living ordinary lives in a nice house which is surprisingly sparse – few pictures on the wall or decorations of any kind.  A servant girl who does not speak and goes about her duties without comment by the housewife.  The children go off to school. A family pet, a black dog, wanders around without interacting with the people in the house.  A little peculiar but a life not particularly out of the ordinary. 

Slowly signs creep in that perhaps not all is well.  We see a wall in the well cared for garden which is eventually revealed as the concentration camp.  We hear sounds of what is happening behind those walls; occasional gun shots, cries of pain and anguish, dark smoke pouring out of the many smokestacks.  The father takes the children to play in the river that runs through this landscape.  All is well until the father discovers something in the river and panics and pulls the children out of the water, rushing home to have them sanitized.  This turns out to be a jawbone, apparently of one of the prisoners in the camp who was exterminated.  Reality encroaching on an apparently banal family life.

The experience of watching the movie brought to mind one of the things I saw visiting the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem when I was in the Holy Land in 2008.  There was a short film on continual loop, showing a scene of people enjoying a carnival outside a concentration camp, probably in prewar Germany.  The carnival was typical of the type of carnival that used to be set up for short periods in a local park with rides and carnival music and games of chance.  I spent many happy hours in that carnival enjoying the rides and games to the extent my limited funds would allow.  The film showed people having fun and apparently oblivious to what was happening on the other side of the wall.  The Zone of Interest showed a display of hundreds, if not thousands of pairs of shoes taken from prisoners when they arrived at the camp.  This was similar to a display at the Holocaust Museum which could not fail to move those who saw it as did many other exhibits.

The question we are left with is, how could ordinary people sit by and allow such evil to grow and thrive and infect the world.  To draw on the poet W.B. Yates, do we have eyes to see the “rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?”  Today, there is evidence of that rough beast at work in Ukraine, in Israel, and in Gaza, and who knows where else in the world.  It is easy to not be moved when it is not on the other side of the wall in our back yard and not be moved by the news in the media that inundates our lives.  People can be convinced that it doesn’t matter, that the ones affected are not actually human beings like us. The appearance of evil may be banal but the effect of it is not. 

On our journeys, may we be blessed to have eyes to see what is happening on the other side of the wall. 

 of the wall.

Whose Amazing Grace

I was driving the car last week and listening to a program on CBC Radio 1 – The Next Chapter.  It was an interview with Christina Sharpe the author of Ordinary Notes.  As the on-line material for the program states, the book “explores the everyday complexities of Canadian Black life in her work as a professor and shares those experiences in her new form-defying book.” 

Sharpe provides an interesting and evocative perspective on the ‘black experience’.  One statement that particularly caught my attention was her critique of the song Amazing Grace.  Here is part of Clarke’s critique of this iconic song of redemption discussing Barack Obama singing the song during the eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who was killed in a mass shooting at a Charleston church:

And then, of course, when he sings it’s the opposite of Glover’s tapping. He had to sing “Amazing Grace” because “Amazing Grace” is precisely that unhearable Black suffering. It’s precisely that song of romance and redemption because we know John Newton’s history. We know that he keeps working on the slave ships after his conversion and it’s only later that he writes “Amazing Grace.”

To sing “Amazing Grace” is to mispronounce the song. And it’s always trying to articulate. It is to insist on a romance of salvation in which the grace is for Newton. The grace is not for us. It is to misunderstand the genesis and the subject of the song and the violence that the song never begins to deal with. The song has long elided its origins and attached itself to the fascia of Black spirituality. When we sing this, who is the wretch? Who was lost? Who was found? Who is in need of redemption? It is about Newton’s journey; it has nothing to do with the horrors and terrors of slavery for the enslaved.

Amazing Grace has become the iconic theme for freedom and redemption.  Sharpe’s critique of the song made me figuratively, if not literally, sit up and take note (remember I was driving in my car, so I was already sitting up).  As Sharpe states, the song expressed the redemption of the composer, John Newton who was a slave trader and recognized the wrong he had committed and was redeemed.  It was not about the redemption of black people who had been enslaved.  Sharpe states, the song has “attached itself to the fascia of Black spirituality.”  It has become an iconic ‘spiritual’ anthem in black culture. 

The question that I have when considering this is, can this song be an anthem for black people given that is all about the redemption of the composer who did go on to fight to abolish the slave trade?  That cannot be answered by me, an old white guy.   But it is legitimately for me to ask, is it appropriate for people to use a song which expresses the universal truth of the experience of redemption and forgiveness, if it is written by someone who is expressing experience which is not one you share?  I can think of the Israelites being freed from slavery in Egypt.  I am not Jewish and was never enslaved in Egypt.  Can that story of a people being freed from slavery not be true for me and represent the breaking of metaphorical chains which enslave each of us?  One definition of sin which resonates with me is, the things which chain us to the past.  That is a common experience which people can relate to, and it is, in part, why the story of Moses leading the Israelites to freedom has resonated through the millennia. 

So, was Obama wrong to sing Amazing Grace at the funeral of a black pastor who was murdered in a mass killing?   Can the song legitimately represent the fight against the continuing legacy of slavery in the United States?  It certainly resonated with people and the song, it seems, is the anthem of freedom for black, at least in the United States.  Sharpe gives a thoughtful critique of that event and, by implication, how the song is used more generally.  It is worth deeper reflection on the questions that it poses.

May we be blessed on our journey to have those chains which enslave us broken.

An All-Embracing Perfection (2)

The idea and desire of perfection has been on my mind a lot recently.  This is what I wrote a few years ago about the plague of perfectionism.  This seems, on the surface, to be a noble goal but can lead to many wrong turns and dead ends in life.  It is a candidate for something to give up in Lent. 

Yesterday afternoon I found a copy of a few pages from a book.  I don’t remember making the copies and it doesn’t identify who the author is or the title of the book, so it is a bit of a mystery at this point.  The title of the chapter the pages are taken from is, Jung on the Life of Christ. 

 The author draws on Carl Jung from his work, Psychology and Religion.  The subject of the chapter is addressing our need for perfection.  He addresses the inevitability and value of error:

 

We all must do what Christ did.  We must make our experiment.  We must make mistakes.  We must live our lives out of our own vision of life.  And there will be error. If you avoid error, you do not live; in a sense even, it may be said that every life is a mistake, for no one has found the truth.  When we live this, we know Christ as a brother, and God indeed becomes man. This sounds like a terrible blasphemy, but not so.  For then we can understand Christ as he would want to be understood, as a fellow man; then only does God become man in ourselves. 

 The theological issue of whether Jesus was perfect man in the sense of being without sin, is one which some part ways with Carl Jung.  I believe there may have been times in the Gospel records that indicate that he was close to being in that state.  Perhaps the best example is the record of his despair on the cross.  However, I don’t want to get into that debate today.  The issue that caught my interest is the need that we have for perfection.  As Jung notes, the only way to avoid error is to not live life i.e. live life in a cocoon.  That itself is an error so we cannot win that game either way.

 We inevitably fall into error.  As we state in our baptismal covenant that we will sin; it is part of the human condition.  It is what we do when that happens is the journey that Jesus calls us to travel.  If we are to acknowledge to others and especially ourselves, that we are in error, we can know Christ as a brother as Jung states.  Indeed, we will know that Christ does know this about us as he is fully human as well as fully divine.  To acknowledge that we are not perfect is difficult to accept as it is a defeat for our egos; our egos do not like to admit that.

One of the challenges for Christians is to deal with imperfection.  The teaching of the church has been that we should be perfect as our heavenly father is perfect.  A few years ago, I found a small book in a bookstore, or I should say, it found me. It is entitled A Prayer for the Cosmos by Neil Douglas-Klotz.  This little gem is a translation from Aramaic sources of The Lord’s Prayer and other sayings of Jesus. One of the passages that the book addresses is from the Gospel of Matthew chapter 5 verse 48, that is traditionally translated, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” However, the translation by this author reads, “Be all-embracing, as your heavenly Father is all-embracing.” I felt my discovery of this book and this passage to be a physical gift from the Divine.

To be honest I do not like to acknowledge that I am wrong.  It is easier to acknowledge my mistakes about things that don’t truly matter to me.  However, for these things which are near and dear to my heart―the things I believe define me―I find it a true challenge to face that part of myself. 

However, I believe that is what we are called to do as Christians.  To be as honest with ourselves is the most important part of carrying our cross.  It has been and continues to be a struggle.  When I am honest, I know that I am not perfect in the important things or even the unimportant ones.  However, I know that I can strive to be all-embracing.  Of course, I won’t be perfect in that either. 

 Blessings on your journey and remember it’s okay to run into obstacles and wrong turns along the way.

Souls Lost and Found

I have been rereading Soul Making by Alan Jones and finding it to be good for my soul.  I decided that I would write about the soul for this edition following up on one that I wrote about a year ago.  Seemed to be the right thing to do when I received a Daily Meditation for Richard Rohr which spoke about the soul:

The heart of Rumi’s teaching lies in the Sufi concept of tawhid (or “oneness”). This is a longing for mystical union with the Beloved, with the divine lover from whom one has been separated. In the opening lines of his most famous work, the Masnavi (his “flute songs”), Rumi portrays the soul as a reed cut from the damp reed-bed of God’s own heart. It yearns to return to its source, finding a transient joy in becoming a reed flute through which the divine breath of love’s fire passes. [1] Like a drunken fool, Rumi is smitten by love. He can think of nothing else.  The core of discernment for him, therefore, isn’t a question of “What should I do?” or “What is expected of me?” It is rather “What do I love? 

All was well and all manner of things were well, as Julien of Norwich might say, when I left the book on the Via train to Toronto on Thursday.  So, this seemed to turn into a case of a lost soul.  The question then was, what happens when you lose your soul?  Is that possible or is it just mis-placed?  Perhaps it is a case of a broken reed that needs mending, or a reed flute that is out of tune.   

Well, my plans for this changed again when I was driving to a near-by town of Nairn Sunday morning to be the guest preacher.  I left in what should have been lots of time only to find that the road was closed and there was a detour which took me to my destination by the long way around.  I did manage to make it to the church on time but I was a bit rattled.  The theme of detours seemed to fit well with my thoughts about the soul.  So, I am now wondering about the detours that lead us from the path we are intended to be on in the journey of soul making in our lives? 

I noted in my exploration of the soul a year ago that none of the books I have that deal with the soul, including Soul Making, actually have a definition of soul. I turned to a definition of soul in The Encyclopedia Britannica which defines soul thus:

soul, in religion and philosophy, the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being, that which confers individuality and humanity, often considered to be synonymous with the mind or the self. In theology, the soul is further defined as that part of the individual which partakes of divinity and often is considered to survive the death of the body.

Turning back to the idea of detours in the soul-journey Richard Rohr again addressed this in one of his Daily Meditations while I was away in Toronto:

Falling down and moving up is the most counter-intuitive message in most of the world’s religions, including Christianity. We grow spiritually much more by doing it wrong than by doing it right. That just might be the central message of how spiritual growth happens, yet nothing in us wants to believe it. I actually think it’s the only workable meaning of any remaining notion of “original sin.” There seems to have been a fly in the ointment from the beginning, but the key is recognizing and dealing with the fly rather than throwing out the whole ointment! (Richard Rohr)

It is my natural inclination to avoid detours in my life and unexpected things that throw me off my planned journey.  However, I have to acknowledge that the detours in life are a part of life and the falling down on that journey will lead to places, both physically and spiritually, that may be what I am intended to take.  If not that, at least what will open new possibilities and new awareness of where the spirit is calling me.   So, those detours and even dead ends can lead to unexpected places and in this case tow wrongs may make a right. 

May you be blessed by those detours on your journey and who knows where they may take you.

How Can I Keep from Singing

Music has always been a big part of my life and continues so today.  Yesterday, Lorna and I participated in a “Joyful Noise” service at our parish church of St. John the Evangelist in Strathroy, Ontario.  I can say it was both joyful and noisy in a good way.  Lorna and I are also embarking on a musical journey which will end on Good Friday at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, Ontario, with a performance of Faure’s Requiem.  This latter endeavor is turning out to be something of a challenge as neither of us are as familiar with the piece as we thought we were, having last been involved in a performance more than 25 years ago.  I know the music is buried in my memory somewhere but the excavation has not revealed much so far.  In any case, a bit of a musical challenge never hurts – even for someone of my advanced years.

With these current musical exploits, my thoughts have turned to the part that music can play in our lives.  Whenever I think of music in a religious setting i.e. church choirs and music in worship, I think of the quote by St. Augustine who is famous in choir circles for the quote, “He who sings prays twice.”  One comment I found on this quote suggested that “singing adds to our praise and worship of God—that our voices are gifts, with which we can make music to the Lord.” 

I certainly agree with that as music has been a gift in my life that may have waxed and waned at times but has never left me and I thank God for that gift in my life and for the joy it has brought to the world.  Writing this, I am reminded of a Twilight Zone episode where aliens landed on earth and things looked pretty grim for the human race as the aliens, with their vastly superior technology and weaponry, were deciding if there was any reason why humanity should be spared extinction.  Well, thank God, someone whistled a tune – perhaps whistling in the dark at the dark possibility that lay ahead.  This amazed the aliens who did not have music of any kind in their world.  Well, you can guess the rest - they were enthralled by the rich music that was available and on offering and humanity was saved. 

As with many of the episodes in that wonderful TV series, that edition caught the essence of being human.  Perhaps the lesson is that we need to keep making music to save our world.  I am sure music has saved many human beings literally and metaphorically.  It has certainly been my rock and salvation which has brought me joy and comfort frequently in my life.  I invite you to reflect on the part that music has played in your life.  Do you have a song that resonated with you deeply when you first heard it?  For me it was ‘How Can I Keep from Singing’ by Robert Lowry.  Do you have a song that is connected to a special event in your life? 

In any case, let's keep on singing and making the music of the spheres and may you be blessed with music on your journey. Now, back to relearning the baritone part of the Requiem.