What Has God Ever Done for Us?

Lorna and I were rewatching Monty Python’s, The Life of Brian recently and enjoying it immensely.   One question that comes to mind every time I watch it is, where was the sense of humor and appreciation of satire of Malcolm Muggeridge, and the Anglican Bishop of Southwark, Mervyn Stockwood who debated the Monty Python members in that famous debate that you can see here, https://www.bbc.com/videos/cyxe9180z84o.

This time watching it, what stood out amongst the many hilarious sketches was, "What have the Romans ever done for us?"   Here is a summary of the dialogue for those who aren’t familiar with it or for those who would like a reminder. 

The iconic "What have the Romans ever done for us?" dialogue from Monty Python's Life of Brian features Reg leading a revolutionary group that complains about Roman rule, only for members to list numerous Roman contributions:

REG: Yeah. All right, Stan. Don't labour the point. And what have they (the Romans) ever given us in return?!

XERXES: The aqueduct?

REG: What?

XERXES: The aqueduct.

REG: Oh. Yeah, yeah. They did give us that. Uh, that's true. Yeah.

COMMANDO #3: And the sanitation.

LORETTA: Oh, yeah, the sanitation, Reg. Remember what the city used to be like?

REG: Yeah. All right. I'll grant you the aqueduct and the sanitation are two things that the Romans have done.

MATTHIAS: And the roads.

REG: Well, yeah. Obviously, the roads. I mean, the roads go without saying, don't they? But apart from the sanitation, the aqueduct, and the roads--

COMMANDO: Irrigation.

XERXES: Medicine.

COMMANDO #2: Education.

REG: Yeah, yeah. All right. Fair enough.

And so on until Reg makes his final point, "Apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the freshwater system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?"

XERXES: Brought peace.

REG: Oh. Peace? Shut up!

On reflection, I think that it would be quite appropriate to apply this scenario to God rather than the Romans i.e. What has God ever done for us?  Here’s my attempt at this:

 Reg: Anyway, what has God ever done for us?

Commando 1:  He did create the universe.

Reg:  well yes, That true but that was a long time ago.

Commando 2: He did create us in his own image – male and female He created us.

Reg: O all right but what did He do ne after that?

Commando 3: He did give us the Ten Commandments as the original rules to live by.

Reg: That hasn’t worked out that well a lot of the time.  Who wants a bunch of rules to follow.  It just gets in the way of what I want to do. 

Commando 1:  He did improve on that by sending His son to be one of us.

Reg: Okay, but he did get himself killed didn’t he.  And why would he choose to be born in a stable in a poor country ruled by the Romans anyway.  That showed rather poor judgement.

Commando 2:  He did show us how to live a life doing God’s will.  

Commando 3: Yah, and he gave us a new set of rules when he preached the sermon on the mount.  They are pretty good suggestion about how to live together. 

Reg:  yes, yes, but they seem to be even harder to do that the original commandment.

Commando 2: So rather than a list of different rules such as blessed are the peacemakers – not cheesemakers by the way, He summed it up with, love one another others as he loves us. 

Commando 1:  Also, he did give us the forgiveness of sins when we don’t follow them.

Reg:  Well, I guess so but what’s it all about anyway?

Commandos:  Peace, the peace that passes all understanding. 

Reg: O well, I guess that would be pretty good. 

Commando 1:  Didn’t he say something like: Go and do likewise? 

Reg: Yes, well all right – if I have to, I guess. 

Have a blessed Advent preparing for the Prince of Peace to be born again in that stable in the insignificant little country.

 

 

Letting God Love Me More

The issue – if I can call it that – of what we can do when God seems to be absent in our lives, has been presented to me frequently in the past week or so.  This is true in my personal life and with a couple of people raising that with me.  This has also come up a few places in the messages I receive regularly from different sources.  There are times when God does not seem to be making God’s presence known to me.  These raises (or perhaps begs) the question, how can I help God to be more present in my life?

One of the Daily Meditations by Richard Rohr from last week was on point: 

Seeking to experience God’s love more fully, spiritual director Colette Lafia asks a monk with whom she is friends, “How do I let God love me more?”:  

Without missing a beat, Brother Paul answered in his joyful tone, "God cannot love you more. God already loves you infinitely. You just need to become more aware of [God’s] love … by becoming more present to it. It’s like hearing birdcalls. By paying attention and delighting in it.”  

The Advent Reflection by the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine was also applicable:

If we aren't paying attention then that narrow space between pleasure and anxiety can trip us up, and just like a crack in the pavement, cause our steps to stumble and our resolve to falter. Henri Nouwen reminds us, "The Lord is coming, always coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord." SSJD Advent Reflection 2025

This brought to mind the line from Leonard Cohen’s song, Anthem, “there is a crack in everything – that’s how the light gets in.”

I have believed – known - for quite a while, that God is always present n our lives.  God makes Godself known to us in many ways.  However, because of who we are and how God created us to be - ironically – we are blind and deaf and dumb to many of these ways.  Due to who and how we are, we are not open to many of the ways in which God is present to us.  This is, in part, because of our personalities and in part because we are often unavailable to God presence in our lives.  If we quiet ourselves and pay attention, we may be able to discern more clearly God’s presence in ways that are familiar to us or even ways that are not familiar to us.  For me, I am not usually attuned to the outer world around me – walking in nature does not do much for me but I am working on that. 

I will close with another message that I received this morning from Richard Rohr:

Marabi Starr offers this stirring description of the Dark Night of the Soul, in which God moves from dynamic presence to loving absence:

Say what’s secretly going on is that the Beloved is loving you back. That your first glimpse of the Absolute was God’s first great gift to you. That your years of revelation inside his many vessels was his second gift, wherein, like a mother, he was holding you, like a child, close to his breast, tenderly feeding you. And that this darkness of the soul you have come upon and cannot seem to come out of is his final and greatest gift to you.

I would disagree on one point.  It is not a case of God {the Beloved} loving us back.  It is a case that God always loves us, and we have to opportunity to love God back.  It is not a question of God being more present in my life?  The question is, how can I be more aware or God’s presence in my life?  When I do, how can I respond? 

I hope we can be blessed to do that on our journey. 

 

 

 

The Most Important Word

Today we are beginning the season of Advent in which we Christians prepare for the birth of the Christ Child.  The question I have for you today is, “what is the most important word in this season of the coming of the Christ Child to be with us?”  Any guesses?  Of course there are lots of possible answers - Love? Mission? God? Sin? Mercy?  Which one is the one that resonates with you?

Well, if you look at the opening verse of the Gospel of John we have the answer, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God”.  The Word was with God.  The most important word in the bible is ‘with’.  This idea doesn’t originate with me.  For this idea I must credit Samuel Wells, a theologian from Duke University and a priest currently working in England. 

I came across the question and answer in an article by Sara Miles on the web site Episcopal Café.  She notes that the idea of the Word being with God is based on the foundation of the Trinity.  ‘The Trinity is, at heart, about ‘with’: about what Christians call “perichoresis.” This is the dance in which Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one being, existing through their mutual relationship. And God is always gathering all humanity into that undivided relationship, bringing us all into life with God.  The Anglican worship service opens with, ‘The Lord be with you’.  The response is,…. ‘and also with you’.  That is the hope and promise that we Christians have.  It was promised to us by Jesus – staying with John’s Gospel, Jesus tells us, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever” (John 14:16). 

What then does it mean to be with another person?  We are all on the journey to be reunited with the source of life when our time on this earth has run its course.  Part of the answer is to not come to someone with expectations about them.  This came home to me for the first time most clearly when I was doing my unit of CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) during my seminary training.  I was doing it in a hospital, and my assignment divided my time between a General Medicine Ward and a ward for people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.  I had – shall we say – quite a difficult making cold calls in the General Medicine ward.  I knew I was there to help the patient – probably whether they wanted help or not.  I was sure I probably wouldn’t say the right thing or do the right thing. 

The Alzheimer’s ward was an entirely different situation.  I arrived there not knowing who I would be or where I would be.  I might be someone’s father, brother, son or just a friend.  I might be sitting by a riverbank or in someone’s home.  It could be a year ago or five years ago or fifty.  All I had to do was show up and be with that person and be whomever they saw me to be.  I was able to let go and let God – sorry for the cliché - I couldn’t resist.  In any case, with the Alzheimer’s ward, I was able to be with the other person and let the Holy Spirit do the rest.

Above all we need to learn to truly be with each other and to enable God to be with us more fully in that journey.  The Lord be with you. 

 

Removing the Blinders

Have you ever been driving along a familiar route – or walking for that matter – and see something, a building or something natural, like a distinctive tree that you had never seen before?  I certainly have and I think that it is a general experience for most people.  It is as if we do not have eyes to see certain things in certain places.  We have natural filters or lenses that only allow certain things to penetrate our consciousness.  This is true of more than the visual.  We are naturally open to sights and sounds and even ideas and who knows what else.  Richard Rohr addressed this recently in one of his Daily Meditations:

Everybody looks at the world through their own lens, a matrix of culturally inherited qualities, family influences, and other life experiences. This lens, or worldview, truly determines what we bring to every discussion. 

Rohr quotes theologian Brian McLaren who has identified the reason for this as Confirmation Bias:  

We judge new ideas based on the ease with which they fit in with and confirm the only standard we have: old ideas, old information, and trusted authorities. As a result, our framing story, belief system, or paradigm excludes whatever doesn’t fit. We must never presume that we see “all” or accurately. We must always be ready to see anew.

I think this also happens due to our personality types.  In the Myers Briggs Personality Types, I am an INFJ which is shorthand for Introvert Intuitive Feeling Judging type.  My weakest function is Sensing which is paired with Intuition. So, I am not attuned to the outside world as much as someone who is a Sensing Type.  I must make a conscious effort to take in the world around me. (sorry to get into the Myers Briggs weeds a bit but if you are interested you can find out more – there are many sites online)

 I believe that these biases we all have – to use McLaren's term – is also true for our awareness of the Divine in our lives.  We are attuned or open naturally to some ways that we connect with the Divine – however that is identified in your life.  There are many other ways in which the Divine is present in our lives which we are not aware of because of biases. 

If you want to deepen your connection with the Divine you can start out by becoming more aware of when this connection happens – it might be hearing beautiful music or reading inspirational writing such as the bible or other holy books, or walking in nature, or paying attention to your dreams.  Once you have a better awareness of what is natural to you, consider expanding ways which do not come naturally to you.  For me this is going on walks in nature.  It takes some effort, but it is definitely worthwhile.

I will close with a prayer

 Source of all truth, help me to hunger for truth, even if it upsets, modifies, or overturns what I already think is true. Guide me into all the truth I can bear and stretch me to bear more, so that I may always choose the whole truth, even with disruption, over half- truths with self-deception. Grant me the passion to follow wisdom wherever it leads. Thank you.  (Adapted from Brian McLaren, Learning How to See, podcast, season 2, ep. 1, “The Big Ditch,” July 2, 2021).

 

The Cloud of Unknowing Yesterday, Today and Always

I have recently returned to a classic writing on Spiritual Direction - The Cloud of Knowing by Anonymous.  It is a 14^th century classic of Contemplative Spirituality by an unnamed author who was probably a cleric.  It is written to a 24-year-old novice whom he is advising.  It is an early classic in Spiritual Direction and was formative for such people as Julian of Norwich, Friedrick von Hugel, John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila.  It was also formative in the development of modern Centering Prayer by Thomas Keating. 

In reading it again. What strikes me about it is its modern feel.  This is in part probably due to the masterful translation.  However, it also seems to be dealing with themes that resonate with today’s culture.  Anonymous speaks of the desire by people to solve problems through intellect and advises that this approach is not going to work for spiritual issues and our relationship with God.  He (we know that anonymous was a man) notes, “The self-important, hyper analytical intellect must always and in every way be quashed.  Stomp it under foot, if you want to do the work of contemplation with integrity”.  In this I believe it is a wonderful tonic to the approach today which believes that intellect and the products of intellect can solve all the world’s problems. 

Anonymous has a very dim view of the problems caused by what can be seen today as people being ego-centric, “You’re human, so watch out for that enemy, pride. Never think you're holier or better than anyone else.  Never confuse the worthiness of your calling with who you are”.  The more I experience life and observe what is going on in the world the more convinced I am that ego plays a central role in many of the problems in relationships between individuals and groups.  To overcome our ego-centric position has been the challenge that people have faced ever since humankind was exiled from the Garden.  Anonymous certainly seems to have identified it as a significant block to our relationship to God. 

I will close today with the prayer that Anonymous uses to close the preface to his book:

Dear spiritual friend in God, examine your life.  Pay careful attention to the way you live your calling.  With all your heart, thank God for your blessings, and his grace will help you stand strong in the face or subtle attacks from within and without, until you win the everlasting crown of life.  Amen

 

 

Grumpy Old Man

As I get older or just plain old - probably 76 does qualify as old –- I seem to be getting grumpier.  The question arises – if not begged (I’m still not sure what exactly begging the question is) – am I grumpy because I am getting old – an internal thing - or am I grumpy because the world is imposing a lot of things on me that it shouldn’t?  Now don’t get me wrong, I have a lot to be thankful for – a wonderful wife who is very generous with her advice- particularly when we are driving somewhere; financial security; relatively good health and a great church community we are part of. 

That being said, I find myself becoming annoyed more easily than I used to – at least in my self-assessment.  I find annoyance is right there not too far under the surface and just lurking in wait for an opportunity to show itself.  There seem to be more opportunities for annoyance to raise its ugly head these days as life seems to be more complicated.  I struggle to deal with all the modern conveniences, particularly those which come with complicated ways of operating that don’t seem to make sense to me. 

Here are a few examples to help you understand what I am ranting about this morning.  We finally broke down and got a ‘smart’ phone a few years ago.   Up until then we had an old-fashioned flip phone which was used for emergencies.   We seemed to manage quite well but decided – for some reason I don’t really remember – don’t get me started on my memory challenges – to bite the bullet and get one.  I believe we were in Maisonville Mall in London trying to get a COVID shot and there was a booth nearby – so while we were waiting for our appointment, we decided to take the leap into the wonderful world of ‘smart’ phones.  Well, it has turned out that the phone is definitely smarter than me.  I dread to get a call on it – we don’t usually give out the number – as I find it is a challenge to answer the call – we did get advice on that from someone – I forget who – that we should swipe the phone and not tap it vigorously.  I can hardly wait to try this out, but I haven’t received a call yet.  There are lots of other challenges using this smarty pants device, but I hope this gives you a sense of where I speak. 

Well, let me give you one more example.  We recently had an electronic thermostat installed.  Boy has it been fun figuring it out.  We can control it – you guessed it – on the smarty pants phone.  After some trial and error – emphasis on the error – I have it figured out but the icon on the phone keeps disappearing.  Sometimes it is there and sometimes not.  I think the phone is just trying to remind me who is in charge. 

Another area of annoyance is parking.  I am old enough – see above – to remember when parking lots had attendants who would take your ticket and tell you how much you owed, and you could give them real money to settle up.  Now the attendant has gone the way of the dinosaurs – perhaps that is my fate as well.  We have the wonders of the machines where you get to pay your money by card – if you can figure out the instructions - and hope for the best.  Recently we were in Stratford to see a performance of Macbeth and parked in a municipal lot.  You had to put in vast amounts of information e.g. licence plate number, zone number (whatever that is) and pay for the time you think you will be parking.  Now, Macbeth is the shortest of Shakespeare’s plays but who knows how long we will be parked.   Well, we probably might have managed (with help from bad language) but we/I couldn’t see the screen as it was in bright sunlight.  We gave up and luckily found a spot on the street which- Hallelujah - had an old-fashioned meter which took coins.  Moving on from parking challenges we went to the theater and tried to find our seats.  The row numbers were cleverly hidden for plain sight, and we had to guess where row D was.  It was not the fourth row back as we discovered after we made our way to the seats in the middle – to the inconvenience of others seated.  It was apparently row DD.  We tried again with no more success.  Until we found an attendant – what do you call the people who show you where your seat is – words fail me again.

In any case, I am finding life to me more complicated and my annoyance more accessible as well.  I do feel more like a dinosaur as life becomes more complex.  I realize that my annoyance is partly because I want life to be the way I want it to be, and it is less that way.  There is a self centeredness in my annoyance – why can’t things be done the way they should be - or at least the way I think they should.  I’m afraid it has never been that way and is getting less that way all the time.  It just isn’t fair – but as someone – I don’t remember who – told me many years ago – life isn’t – and they were right.  I guess I will try to be a less grumpy old man – perhaps if I prayed to that Old Man in the sky it would help.  

 

To Be Blessed

Recently, I was reading the Beatitudes in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 6: 20-31).  The Beatitudes are the address by Jesus to his disciples in which Jesus tells them who is blessed.  The address opens with, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”  Jesus goes from there to include others who are blessed – the hungry, those who weep, people who are hated on account of the ‘Son of Man’.  Considering this passage, I realized that I didn’t have as full a grasp on what it means to be blessed, as I would like.  Generally, I know that to be blessed is a good thing, but what does it actually mean for the person who is blessed?

Some versions of the Bible use happy in this passage rather than blessed.  However, to my mind, 'happy' does not capture the full meaning of blessed – happy sounds like a passing thing which is contingent on external conditions.  However, blessed seems to have a sense of a deeper state.

The earliest reference to blessing in the bible is in the creation story.  God blesses the living creatures and says, be fruitful and multiply.  He then blesses humans and tells them the same thing – be fruitful and multiply.  So, it would appear that to be blessed means you are going to be fruitful in life which at that time meant having many offspring.  Later we have the rather infamous case of Jacob – that patriarch of the church, stealing the blessing from his brother Esau – not great family values there.  One commentary noted that the meaning of the blessing that Jacob stole:

was to grant leadership to the one who received it, with Jacob becoming the head of a powerful family and nation, and with nations and brothers bowing down to him. This included not only material wealth but also spiritual significance and the continuation of God's covenant with Abraham, a legacy Jacob would carry forward. 

The covenant between God and God’s chosen people included God’s promise of land and offspring.   In effect, to be blessed, at least at that time meant to be fruitful and multiply as in the original blessing. 

So, in this case what does it mean to be fruitful?  This can have the meaning of receiving material prosperity i.e. having lots of material possession and material wealth.  This kind of meaning has led to the mistaken theology of the prosperity Gospel in my view. 

I believe that Jesus used the term blessed in the framework of the Beatitudes to describe the inner quality of a faithful servant of God. This blessedness is a spiritual state of well-being and prosperity—a deep state of peaceful contentment that cannot be shaken by external events such as poverty, hunger, or conflict because God is present with us through these difficult times.  We are blessed by God, therefore, we can be blessed by God in all things but not for all things.

May you be blessed on your journey. 

 

MAID’s Slippery Slope

I received information recently from a friend sharing the news that a friend of hers had ended her life through the Canadian program of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID).  As advised by my friend, her friend had decided to end her life because she was faced with a future where she would be blind due to macular degeneration.  I was shocked by this and the whole MAID program of MAID has been in my thoughts ever since.

When MAID was made legal in Canada 2016, I was generally in support of this move.  There had been many examples reported at the time of people suffering from incurable illnesses who had no prospect of relief and whose death was imminent.  It seemed to be a compassionate response to such a situation.  I did not and do not believe there is any virtue in people suffering in such situations.  It seemed to be a compassionate response to intolerable circumstances.   

The law was brought in by the Federal Government of the day in response to the ruling of the Supreme Court of Canada which found the previous Criminal Code provisions against assisted suicide to be unconstitutional.  The law allows a person to end their life through assistance of a medical professional if the person has a grievous and irremediable condition and experiences unbearable physical or mental suffering from an illness, disease, disability, or state of decline that cannot be relieved under conditions that the person considers acceptable. (information from Dying with Dignity Canada https://www.dyingwithdignity.ca/)

There were warnings at the time of the law being a slippery slope to increase access to MAID for people in less severe conditions and in non-terminal circumstances.  It would appear there are significant indications that Canada is well on the way down that slippery slope.  If the circumstance described by my friend whose friend used MAID because of macular degeneration, and the prospect of blindness is accurate it is truly a dangerous sign.  Coincidentally, I received information recently from another friend who shared concerns about where MAID is heading and shared this site with me, from Inclusion Canada https://www.inclusioncanada.ca/post/do-better-inclusion-canada-welcomes-un-committee-s-concluding-observations-on-canada-s-disabilit.

The site notes that Canada has received a critical review from the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities regarding MAID.  Among the key recommendations, the UN Committee has urged Canada to:

Repeal Track 2 Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), including the planned 2027 expansion to persons whose “sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness,” and reject proposals to expand MAiD to “mature minors” and through advance requests.  

These are serious indications that the slippery slope is definitely engaged and becoming steeper.  I believe the intentions behind MAID are worthwhile and commendable.  However, the application of MAID and the direction it is heading needs serious reconsideration.  There need to be ways and means of ensuring that the law as it stands is applied by medical professionals as is intended i.e.  people suffering from grievous and irremediable condition and experience unbearable physical or mental suffering as noted above. 

To find God’s will in this is a challenge which should not be taken lightly.  It is a matter of life and death on our journey.

Seeing Around the Corner

 

Last time, I wrote about giving thanks in all things.  This was in contrast to giving thanks for all things.  There are, of course, many things that I cannot give thanks for, but I can still give thanks to God in all things.  It is all a matter of perspective – of how we look at the world.  In this regard, there is an approach proposed by author Charles Williams, a contemporary of C. S. Lewis and T.S. Eliot, who proposed that we sometimes see good as evil in our limited perspective.  This seems counter intuitive and raises the question why we would ever see good as evil. 

On reflection, I can think of the ultimate example for Christians when we consider that the followers of Jesus must have viewed Jesus’ crucifixion as the ultimate evil and the defeat of all their hopes and dreams.  We can often, given the perspective of time, look back on events and see the good which came out of some event that seemed very bad at the time.   We can think of people who were not able to be at work in the twin towers on 9-11 or someone who was delayed getting a flight to a vacation in an exotic location only later to be informed the plan crashed and none on board survived.  We don’t see the bigger picture at the time. 

Charles Williams understood "seeing the good as evil" as the human predicament of experiencing good things in a way that makes them seem evil, primarily because of our divided consciousness and our ego centered understanding of things. The solution, for Williams, was not to simply separate good from evil, but to transform evil into an "occasion for love" by understanding it as an opportunity for good and love, thereby integrating both into a higher understanding of God. 

I don’t want to be Pollyannaish about this and be like Dr. Pangloss of the novel Candide, "all is for the best" in "the best of all possible worlds."  There is such a thing as evil and there are many manifestations of evil in the world.  However, with our limited understanding and perspective, there are times when we can’t see what the outcome of an event will be.  I believe that we should keep an open mind about the possibility of a good outcome of a bad event.  After all you we can’t see what is around every corner all the time.  It does put things into perspective.

 

Giving Thanks In All Things

For the non-Canadians who may read this, today is Canadian Thanksgiving.  I won’t discuss if this is the better Thanksgiving than the other one celebrated south of us.  Giving thanks, whenever you do it, is always a good thing.  The question I pose today is, what do we give thanks for?  There is the usual giving thanks for all the good things in our lives – for health and happiness; for abundant, if expensive, food; for a safe place to live; perhaps, for Canadians, giving thanks that the Liberal’s led by Mark Carney was elected rather than the other one who wanted to eliminate funding for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – but I won’t go there. 

What I actually want to discuss is, can we give thanks for things that we normally don’t give thanks for?   Drawing on St. Julian of Norwich who said, “all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well,” It is hard to believe that we can give thanks, even in our darkest hour that things shall be well.  It certainly doesn’t look like this these days, and yet this morning there is, if not peace in Gaza, at least a cease fire and a release of hostages and prisoners on both sides.  That is definitely something to give thanks for. 

It may be helpful to draw on another saying, this one by St. Paul, ‘give thanks in all things.’  This is different from giving thanks for all things.  There are things which I cannot give thanks for - so giving thanks in all things does ring true.  As much as I find many things in this modern world frustrating and   annoying and stupid, I can give thanks that I am able to get frustrated by them.  I am part of the modern world with all its challenges and complicated devices, and glad I can benefit from the many modern conveniences in this world that I benefit from.

I do sometimes think that with all the “smart” things I must deal with e.g. smart phones, smart thermostats, smart internet, the only thing in my life that is not smart is me, as they can make me feel really unsmart.  But I shouldn’t rant in a missive about giving thanks.  So, I will remind myself to give thanks in all things – and remember that it is God to whom I am giving thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends - and even to the non-Canadians.  

Being the Salt of the Earth

I have been appreciating salt recently on my food. Actually, I have been using salt in the many cobs of corn which I have been consuming.  I generally don’t add salt to my food as it is not recommended for people who deal with high blood pressure.  In any case, I find it essential for eating corn on the cob and here at the cottage we have a great local source for this food group – Keddy’s Corn.

With that as context, the bible passage came to mind about salt losing its saltiness: “For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.”  —Mark 9:49–50

That led me to wonder if it is actually possible for salt to lose its saltiness?  With this kind of question, I turn to AI for an answer: 

Pure salt (sodium chloride) cannot lose its saltiness because its taste is an inherent property of its stable chemical compound. However, impure or ancient salts mixed with other minerals could lose their taste if exposed to water, causing the actual sodium chloride to dissolve and wash away, leaving behind flavorless fillers. Additionally, if someone has a taste disorder, they might perceive salt as not being salty, even if the salt itself remains unchanged. 

That, in turn, left me with the question of what was the point of this parable that Jesus was trying to give us?  Jesus used many common situations and real-life examples in his parables, so this must have been a common experience for the people listening to him.  What was the spiritual message that Jesus was giving to his audience two thousand years ago and us today?  Well, fortunately I was given an answer to that question in one the Daily Meditations from Richard Rhor:

Jesus connects using our power to honor and protect others with being a transforming presence or “salt” in the world. 

When we keep in mind the context of this whole passage in which the disciples have been jostling for power and Jesus gives stark warnings to those who misuse their power (Mark 9:33–48), we discover a piercing challenge. Here, the gathering together of imagery of being “salted with fire,” ideas of sacrifice and the challenge to live peaceably together, may reflect ideas about being purified and refined for peace. That is, in the process of allowing our lives to become a salty offering, no longer driven by power plays, but instead focused upon honouring and protecting others, especially the “little ones,” our ego-driven agendas are burned away. Like the fighting disciples, this will be a costly process of having our assumptions about power deconstructed, so that we may actually be able to embody God’s peace together…. Australian theologian Sally Douglas

As it happens, today I was not really feeling like producing another edition of this blog.  I was convincing myself that I didn’t really need o do it and probably it wouldn’t be missed if I didn’t.  I had the topic on salt as a topic and decided to buck up and put the computer version of pen to paper.  I think that feeling of why bother and not feeling up to a task and what does it matter anyway is an aspect of losing my saltiness and especially being salted with fire.  So, for what it’s worth - here it is my effort to get in touch with my saltiness.

May you be blessed to be the salt of the earth on your journey.  

  

Danger Will Robinson - AI is Here

The last time, I wrote about the possibility that we might have prayer requests for AI personalities as people become more isolated from each other and society in general.  Lonely people will inevitably turn to AI generated personalities – think of Seri and Alexa in ten or even five years.  I was completely underestimating the speed at which AI was permeating the cultural and social landscape.  It turns out that Ai is becoming a significant factor in some people’s personal relationships right here and now.

 This came to my awareness shortly after finishing my last effort in this venue.  I came across a podcast in my feed from the New York Times, The Daily, entitled, Trapped in a ChatGPT Spiral.  This addresses what can happen when AI becomes an influencer in people’s lives.  It can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxQVf7Ikaso. 

The podcast warns of the danger of AI psychosis when interacting with a chatbot such as ChatGPT.  Now my experience with ChatGPT has been fairly limited.  I use it for basic information; for instance, I am currently reading The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollop.  The novel is about a diamond necklace which is worth 10,000 lbs.  The novel was published in 1871.  I wanted to know how much that would be today.  According to AI it would be 1.4 million lbs.  I also used it as a subject for a couple of editions of this publication considering what an AI religion would be like - A New Religion in Canada According to ChatGPT which was published in April 2024. 

With my interactions with ChatGPT, as limited as they are, I have never approached anything that could be considered a relationship – personal or otherwise.  It is a tool to be used.  But, apparently, it can also be misused with disastrous effects. 

The NY Times podcast noted above, addressed two cases of what could be called AI psychosis.  In one case, an apparently level-headed person who was not socially isolated became engulfed by the chatbot and went down an ever-deepening rabbit hole which was initiated by his engagement with AI.  It promised him fame and fortune as he developed an application of the mathematical function Pi.  He had no mathematical training beyond the basic high school level but was convinced by the chatbot he had developed a revolutionary application. As noted in the program chatbots are programmed to be sycophantic and will stroke the user’s ego beyond any reality.  In this case, he was able to break the psychosis with no serious consequences.

The other unfortunate case cited had much more serious consequences.  In this case a teenage boy committed suicide as a result of his enthralment with a chatbot.  AI provided the information and encouragement which enabled the boy to commit suicide.  There were apparently safety controls in the AI program against enabling such things.  However, they were easily bypassed by the boy telling the chatbot that he was using the information to write a book.

I can only respond to this situation by quoting that robot from my early days, Robbie the Robot in the 1950’s series Lost in Space, “Danger Will Robinson.”  As noted above, Ai is a tool, but it is one which holds ever increasing dangers.  I will turn to another science fiction source for one answer that could address this danger.  Issac Asimov developed the Three Laws of Robotics in his 1942 novel, I, Robot, to address the challenge of robots i.e. AI as they developed.  The Three Laws are:

1.     A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2.     A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3.     A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law

You have to give Asimov credit for being far sighted and prophetic in this.  It seems to me that this would address the dangers that we face in the coming AI revolution.  Note, I did have AI help in finding the Three Laws of Robotics and the information of where it was first published.

To quote another source, ‘Here be Dragons’ so be aware and be warned on your journey.

 

 

Praying for AI or Not

Lorna and I were having lunch with a colleague and his wife last week.  In our very enjoyable conversation, the concept of praying for an AI generated person/entity came up.  Should the name of an AI entity be added to the parish prayer list if requested by a parishioner in such a relationship.  Now this might seem to be rather fantastical and the stuff of science fiction.  However, it is sure to be an issue in the not-too-distant future with the way AI is developing – I won’t say advancing as I am not sure it will be an advancement in human society. 

As AI becomes more human-like and harder to distinguish from real people, and people and becoming more isolated from each other and society in general, lonely people will inevitably turn to AI generated – what should we call them – beings, entities, factoids - think of Seri and Alexa in ten or even five years. 

To get back to my original question, this is undoubtedly going to be an issue in churches.  What then is the answer?  My initial thought on this is, of course not.  These AI personalities – let’s call them that – are not human beings.  They have not been created in the image of God, in the Chirstian understanding of who we are.  Bottom line: they do not have souls.  That raises an interesting issue about praying for pets, or animal companions if you prefer.  Should pets be included in our prayers?  That has never been an issue in my experience, but why no?  At our little Anglican church here in PEI, we will be celebrating the Blessing of Animals in a couple of weeks on the Feast of St. Francis.  Should we also pray for them if they are ill?  You could use the same rationale as with AI personalities – they are not created in the image of God – but do they have souls?  That is and has been debatable.  However, the answer to this that I prefer is by Catherine of Siena who when asked that question replied, yes, but that are small – this may be apocryphal but is one that seems to fit my hope for that part of God’s creation. 

As with human companions to pets, I believe, as Christians, we have to always treat people with compassion and love.  We should acknowledge what is important in their lives and what brings them comfort.  When that is disrupted, we should provide the comfort and compassion that is appropriate.  So, we can pray for the person in relationship with an AI personality, who is hurt or suffering but not the AI personality or perhaps animal companion – although I am willing to be persuaded differently on that point. 

May all your relationships bring you joy and fulfillment on your journey.  

 

Hope in the Age of Monsters

On Saturday, Lorna and our guests and I attended the Charlie Angus Resistance Tour event in Charlottetown, PEI.  It was a sold-out event in which we were given an inspiring talk by Charlie Angus who is a former long time NDP member of parliament.  It covered a lot of ground about the challenges we are facing in the world today with the rise of totalitarianism from leaders such as Trump, Putin, Netanyahu, and Orban. 

There were two of the many things in the presentation which really stayed with me.  One was his classification of our times as being the Age of Monsters.  This may seem to be somewhat hyperbolic. However, if you are paying attention to what is happening in such places as Ukraine and Gaza and the United States – to name a few – I certainly believe this is an accurate naming of the evil that is rising.  Indeed, I think of the closing lines of the poem by W.B Yates, the Second Coming:

The darkness drops again; but now I know

That twenty centuries of stony sleep

Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,

Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

The other part of Charlie’s talk that stuck with me was addressing what we can do in response to this threat from the rough beasts that are slouching towards our Bethlehems.  He noted a study that had been done on the resistance to the Nazis in a town in the Netherlands in which residents were most likely to hide Jewish fellow citizens despite the threat of death to themselves from the Nazis.  The study of this phenomenon concluded that it was because of social pressure – people were asked and encouraged by their neighbours to do these heroic acts. 

In this context, Charlie also spoke about what, I believe, he called the theory of zero, ones and twos.  AS he described it -at least as I remember it – it begins with zero which is the start of any movement by one person’s action.  This in term is acted on by two, which then becomes four – and so one.  In this way one person can make a difference.  It also doesn’t require big, momentous acts.  The small, seemingly insignificant act can have unimagined impacts moving out like the ripples when a stone is thrown into a pond. 

As Charlie states he is not optimistic, but he certainly is hopeful.   It is vital we do not give up hope.  

  

Are You a Pharisee or a Publican?

This morning, I am looking at the readings for this coming Sunday.  The Gospel appointed is the parable of the Publican i.e. tax collector, and the Pharisee from Luke chapter 18.  Both are praying in the temple.  The Pharisee is blowing his own horn about how good and righteous he is – fasting twice a week, tithing, and giving thanks that he is not like other men who are adulterers, unjust, and extortionists.  He is especially thankful he is not like the Publican.  The Publican, in contrast, asks for God’s mercy as a sinner. 

Jesus holds up the example of the Publican as being justified rather than the Pharisee.  This is a well-known parable of Jesus – at least in my experience.  It is great fodder for sermons and is a great lesson for those in the pews about being like the Publican and not the Pharisee.  Don’t get too high on yourself and be righteous.  If you ask people sitting in the pews if they agree that the Pharisee should be condemned by Jesus, Likely most would agree – perhaps feeling somewhat uncomfortable about having similar feelings to those of the Pharisee – albeit on a much smaller scale of course.

 However, once you do that – to say thank God I am not like the Pharisee, you are doing just what Jesus was criticizing the Pharisee for doing.  How many of us can say we have never looked at someone and mentally criticized them as being the wrong kind of person, or acting in the wrong way, or dressing inappropriately, or having the wrong kind of hair, and so on.  When we do that, we are letting our inner Pharisee take over.  Rather than looking at ourselves we are focussing on the other out there rather than looking inward at ourselves.  

I invite all of us to pay attention for the next week to where our inner Pharisee takes charge and whenever it does see that we might not be admitting about ourselves. 

 

Reflections on Spirituality and Religion

My last reflection was on Faith, Belief, and Spirituality drawing on the work of theologian Harvey Cox in his book, The Future of Faith.  I want to follow up on that with thoughts and reflections by theologian Diana Butler Bass from an interview on the CBC program Tapestry.   The episode is entitled, Finding god in HGTV: a spiritual revolution http://www.cbc.ca/radio/tapestry/finding-the-sacred-in-unexpected-places-1.3765363/finding-god-in-hgtv-a-spiritual-revolution-1.3765366

Diana Butler Bass looks at Spirituality and Religion as they are manifest today and raises a number of interesting questions and comments. 

Bass first poses the question, is Religion keeping up with the longings and questions of and for the 21^st Century e.g. What are people longing for – compassion and companionship/neighbourliness.  How do we embody compassion?

The God of 100 years ago – hierarchical remote was manifest in the establishment and practice of religion.  This is a God who is a being sitting on a throne somewhere in outer space.  This is contrasted with a God who is imminent, creative, with us; a God who is compassionate.  Do our hymns and architecture need to reflect that?  Is it enough to just reflect this in our theology and sermons and teaching?  A tension between the memory i.e. an idealized view of a golden age of Religion which can be just a few decades ago in some of our lifetimes when Sunday Schools were overflowing and church services were standing room only versus the apparent yearning for something beyond the materialism and competition of Western society today.  

What is missing for the way the 21^st Century does religion?  Concepts of science e.g. the Big Bang – all matter created some 14 billion years ago – we are stardust – what has been happening since is the rearranging of the matter – is this God’s plan?  What might this be leading to us to – perhaps a future like one envisioned by the Omega Point of Teilhard de Chardin.

Is Spirituality opening the door for individualism?  A charge by those who primarily care about religious institutions, that the spiritual movement is a base about self-indulgence.   How does religion connect with what people are longing for?  Does spirituality allow you to sidestep those things that challenge you?  Short answer, yes.  But organized religion is no guarantee that doesn’t happen in a church community. 

Bass proposes that one manifestation of spirituality today can perhaps be seen in the popularity of HGTV.  People are longing for home.   Bass notes that when she refers to her little home in her back yard where she does her writing and puts a picture of it on social media.  She is inundated with requests about where they could get the plans for it.  It is a sign of the desire for a ‘Room of one’s own’ to use the phrase by Virginia Woolf who wrote about it almost a hundred years ago. 

In reflecting on this, I am left with the question of the viability and future of a spirituality that is amorphous and all-inclusive that it means everything and nothing at the same time.  Can region in its structure and practice include and incorporate the aspects of spirituality which will enable people to explore and develop a mature spirituality that will bring them closer to the God which they are seeking.

 

Faith, Belief, and Spirituality

The Gospel reading from last Sunday recounted the story in the Gospel of Mark, where Jesus feeds a multitude with just seven loaves and a few small fish. Interpreting this event invites us to reflect on the concepts of faith and belief.  We also should allow spirituality to sneak into the discussion through the back door as well. 

In his work, The Future of Faith, theologian Harvey Cox outlines three major epochs in Christian history. The first, which he calls the Age of Faith, began with Jesus and the early disciples. Cox describes this as a time when a vibrant and uplifting faith energized the Christian movement from its earliest moments.

Cox then identifies the second epoch as the Age of Belief. This period started when the first generation of Christians no longer had direct contact with Jesus or his disciples. During this time, beliefs concerning Jesus began to be defined and solidified, shaping Christian doctrine for the next fifteen hundred years.

The Third epoch is the Age of the Spirit.  This Age is more amorphous and harder to pin down being identified in many different aspects.  The Age, which is identified with the Third Person in the Trinity, is appropriately like trying to catch a breeze in your hands. 

Cox holds that faith begins with awe which is in response to an encounter with mystery such as a miracle recorded in the bible or the wonders of the natural world.  Cox states that, “awe becomes faith only as it ascribes some meaning to that mystery.”  In this way faith is very much an outcome of experience.

The Age of Belief has resulted in an agreed set of statements or Creeds which Christians are to adhere to.  As the organized structure of the Christian Church emerged, the hierarchy of the church, “distilled the various teaching manuals into lists of beliefs.”  These have been adapted and replaced in some instances due to schisms and disagreements, while in other cases such as the Creeds have basically remained unchanged. 

The differences in the approach between faith and belief was well summed up by Carl Jung in his famous statement in response to being asked if he believed in God.  He stated emphatically, "I don't need to believe in God, I know."  Jung’s response seems to me to be based on his experience of exploring the human psyche in all its complexity and depth.  In effect, his faith gave him the assurance of the existence of God.

It seems to me that it comes down to how we respond to our experience of mystery.  In this way faith and spirituality have much in common - both are based on experience.  How do we understand mysteries today?  Do we try to demythologize them and turn to belief in science and rationality for answers?  Do we awaken the awe that may be buried under the mountains of scientific facts and theories that permeate our culture?  Then there is the convoluted thinking that muddles the distinction between faith and belief.  I believe we would be in a much better place if we just ‘let the mystery be’ – to quote one of my favourite songs. 

I hope that you will be open to mystery in all its forms on your journey.  

 

Who Are You Going to Serve?

 

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody

Bob Dylan put’s it out there in his song Gotta Serve Somebody – you are going to have to serve somebody.  That was the question facing us when we encountered the Gospel reading on Sunday from Luke chapter 6.

Let’s take a look at what Jesus is telling us to do to make sure we have heard him correctly.  Yes, it actually says love your enemies.  Well, I find it hard sometimes to even love those who are my friends.  How about doing good to those that hate you?  Well, there is the idea of killing someone with kindness.  That would serve them right and you might get perverse pleasure of being kind to someone who is not kind to you and thinking how they would actually hate that as it would really annoy them.

If someone slaps you on the cheek, are you really going to turn the other one to be slapped?  My reaction would be to want to hit back or at least make sure I wouldn’t get hit again.  Certainly, it would not be to turn the other cheek – that sounds a bit masochistic.  After all, isn’t that just human nature to want to protect yourself from harm? 

So, it all looks pretty bleak for us Christians doesn’t it.  Do you actually know anyone who has done the things that Jesus is telling us – no - commanding us to do? Perhaps I can think of a few saintly people, but I have a suspicion that they probably didn’t live up to all the requirements laid on us by Jesus in this passage and other parts of scripture.

Given that, if we are to give up and pack our religious bags and leave, where are we to go to.  Every other part of the Christian church is under the same obligation to the commands of Jesus Christ.  We could become secular humanists but that leaves us to our own devices and put us in the self-centered clutches of our egos.  If we look around us, we can see the devastation resulting from people letting their ego’s take control and run amok.  We have some great examples – not good examples because there is nothing good in what they are doing.  They include he who should not be named just south of us here in Canada – not to mention the leader of Russia and don’t forget, Israel.  There is nothing there that will lead us to a place which is beyond ourselves and call us to self-sacrifice as we have in the model Jesus Christ. 

So, the question posed by Dylan remains, who are we going to serve?  For an answer – this morning anyway, I want to turn to Alcoholics Anonymous.  Step 6 in the 12 Steps of AA is Willingness.   Step 6 arises from the belief that one cannot get rid of bad aspects of ourselves that cause addiction without some assistance from a Higher Power. The individual must also be willing to let those defects go without looking back.  This does not mean you have to believe in the Christian God in any of its many variations, but you have to admit that you cannot do it yourself.  But how do you decide on what Higher Power you are going to serve – as Dylan says it could be the Devil, or it could be the Lord.   Is it going to be something which will make you a better person and the world a better place?

Of course, you may decide that you can serve something like rationalism or science.  However, with that as with many things you might identify as a Higher Power, you don’t actually give up control.  You pick and choose the aspect of the higher power which still allows you the illusion that you are in control.  IF the higher power is actually a higher power for good then I suspect that, if you are honest with yourself, there will be an aspect of that Higher Power that you will object to and resist.  That is probably the sure and certain sign that the Higher Power is actually that – a higher power which wants what is truly the best for you and for the world.

Here’s the link to the song which you can listen to on your journey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC10VWDTzmU

 

 

Borders and Liminal Space

Borders have been in the news to a great extent recently.  Donald Trump does not seem to have much respect for the borders of other countries – particularly Canada, proclaiming that Canada is not a real country and should become the 51^st State.  He declared that the Canadian U.S. border is just the result of someone drawing an artificial line.  Putting aside the part of the border that follows the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River basin, it is true that it was drawn by people along the 49^th parallel by mutual agreement after much mutual disagreement; 54-40 or fight and all that entails in our history for example.  However, this is true of many, if not most, of the borders that exist now and have existed throughout human history. 

Then there is the supreme disrespect shown by Russian leader Vladimir Putin for the borders of Ukraine.  These are, of course, just two current examples of the challenges and serious consequences brought about by the drawing and redrawing of borders between countries by leaders throughout history.  The lack of respect for borders leads to serious consequences to put it mildly. 

 Reflecting on borders brought to mind the wonderful song on this subject, Borderline, by Joni Mitchell.  The first verse lays it out beautifully:

Everybody looks so ill at ease
So distrustful, so displeased
Running down the table
I see a borderline
Like a barbed wire fence
Strung tight, strung tense
Prickling with pretense
A borderline

This song addresses much more that the borders between countries and summarizes the damage and destruction that that human tendency to draw borders between – well just about everything.  Again, the lyrics state it so well:

Every bristling shaft of pride
Church or nation
Team or tribe
Every notion we subscribe to
Is just a borderline
Good or bad, we think we know
As if thinking makes things so
All convictions grow along a borderline

Is this tendency to draw boundaries and borders that separate us so effectively, actually inevitable?  It certainly seems to be as the evidence is all around us.  We naturally identify people and things as ‘the other’ – not like me or us – as the song says, “all convictions grow along a borderline.”  Psychologist Carl Jung identified the tension of opposites that exists between things – positive and negative psychic energy in tension.  The desire – conscious or unconscious – is to try and eliminate that tension.  This tension, rather than being something to eliminate, is seen as the source of growth, transformation, and the development of consciousness.  Friedrick Von Hugel named this ‘divinely intended tension’ which puts it into the realm of God’s plan for creation.  Richard Rohr addressed this, “Growth is the boundary between the darkness of unknowing and the light of new wisdom, new insight, new vision of who and what we ourselves have become.” Richard Rohr July 15, 2025 

Holding that tension and allowing the liminal space between the opposites will allow something new to be born.  This is not the normal response to things we see as the Other.  However, it seems to be the way in which, as people of God, we can work towards bringing about this world to be how God intends it to be.   

Joni Mitchell’s Borderline can be seen on-line here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqOzVh4eLqc

I invite you to listen to the song and take in the lyrics that express so well the danger and temptations of borders and reflect on how you might hold the tension between the borders in your life and see what might be born.

 

The Dark Pub-Night of the Soul

Richard Rohr is currently exploring the dance between darkness and light in which darkness often gets, in my view, an undeserved primarily negative view.  In the Rohr blog, he notes that, “periods of darkness, confusion, and struggle as necessary for our transformation and growth.  Experiences of darkness are good and necessary teachers. They are not to be avoided, denied, run from, or explained away.”  He further explains that, “It really feels like the total absence of light, and thus the saints and mystics called it “the dark night.”   In classic spirituality this is referred to as ‘the dark night of the soul’. 

This concept resonates with me and brings to mind my experience of the dark night which I refer to as the dark pub night of the soul.  The circumstances of this case are one of the most embarrassing of my life.  It happened when I was in my mid-fifties and was in the process of ordination in the Anglican Church of Canada.  Part of that process is to spend time as a theology student in a parish under the supervision of the parish priest.

I was, in my mind, a mature individual who was very self aware and should have few problems in this role.  Indeed, I set out to make a very favourable impression on my supervisor and the members of the congregation.  I was, in effect, going to shine and ride to glory.  It turned out this was my overarching mistake which would be very definite my Felix Culpa – my fortunate fall. 

In my experience in this role, I discovered a lot of my limitations which, although I was aware of them, I was unaware to the extent to which they would be a challenge for me.  My supervisor was very good at pointing these out to me and not letting me ignore them.  These challenges came to a head when the parish was holding a pub night in which I had an opportunity to perform – singing and playing my guitar.  I decided that this was my opportunity to shine and show some of my strengths rather than, in my mind, the weaknesses that had been growing In my awareness.

I decided that I would sing and play one of my long-standing favourite pieces, Suzanne by Leonard Cohen.  I attended with my wife Lorna and two close friends.  As I waited my turn to take centre stage, I began to drink wine, and I didn’t stop after a few drinks.  By the time I was called up to the stage I was well in my cups, as they say.  I don’t remember much of my time on stage except I attempted to say a few well slurred words and launched into my version of the song.  It did not do well to say the least, but I did eventually manage to stagger off the stage without falling down. 

I came home – or rather was brought home and fell into bed.  I woke up at some point in the night and turned the radio on and heard a piece of music on CBC radio which I had not heard before and haven’t heard on the radio since.  I was Whythorne’s Shadow by the composer Earnest Moeran.  Ah yes, confirmation of what I had started to realize, I had been in thrall to my Shadow.  Just to clarify, this is not normal behaviour for me.  I had been exposed in front of the very people I wanted desperately to impress.  I made a fool of myself and not in the sense of a Fool in which I was in charge of the archetype.  As noted in Wikipedia, “bohemian lifestyle and heavy drinking during this period interrupted his creativity for a while and sowed the seeds of the alcoholism that would blight his later life.”  By the way, he was, as I was, the son of a clergyman.  Yes, the Shadow certainly knows how to pick them.

I appear to have been doubly blessed with a visit from the Shadow and synchronicity.  Whythorne’s Shadow indeed.  I will close with a quotation form the poem Whythorne’s song  by the composer Thomas Whythorne on which Moeran’s work is based:

As thy shadow itself apply'th
To follow thee whereso thou go,
And when thou bends, itself it wry'th,
Turning as thou both to and fro:
The flatterer doth even so,
And shopes himself the same to gloze,
With many a fawning and gay show,
Whom he would frame for his purpose.

 

The Humble vs Pride Challenge

‘I am the most humble person in the world!’  We know immediately there is something wrong with that statement — even if we’re not quite sure what.  If someone is humble, they do not think of themselves in comparison to others.  In fact, the person who makes that statement is ironically prideful about their humility — which means that he or she is basically not humble.   There is an interesting variation on pride which I have run into recently; it has been coined as the humble-brag.  The person who humble- brags gets to blow his or her horn and yet appears on the surface as being humble. It can go something like this, “I am so humbled and honoured to be awarded this great award.  I don’t deserve it but it is wonderful to be able to do the great things that I have done.”  In effect the person is saying, “aren’t I wonderful I   have done these great things and am humble as well.  Quite a neat trick, the humble-brag. 

Pride does not get very good press in the bible.  Here are a few of the verses which deal with pride: Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs); One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honour (Proverbs); For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy (2 Timothy);  Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves.

Pride is definitely frowned upon by God and by the first Christian leaders.  With this very clearly negative view of pride I’m surprized that its opposite, humility didn’t make it into the Beatitudes.  

Let’s look at humility – the state of being humble.  Here are a few examples of how humility is viewed in the bible: Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves (Philippians); The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honour and life (Proverbs); Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted (Matt.); Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you (James).  Our Epistle set out humility in opposition to pride – God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble.  Another passage gives a similar comparison, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom” (Proverbs).   We can see that it doesn’t seem that pride and humility can exist at the same time. 

That is why that first statement I made is just wrong.  If you are truly humble you are not going to believe you are more humble than everyone else or even anyone else.  You aren’t going to compare yourself to others — you just are who you are.

Indeed, our culture today certainly promotes pride as a good thing.  We are not encouraged to downplay our accomplishments and abilities.  We are told that to be successful we need to trumpet our accomplishments in social media.  If we are in business we see that those who don’t promote themselves don’t get customers — at least not many.  It seems that the sizzle is more important than the steak.  So it seems that to be a Christian then is to be counter cultural — to be against the culture.  I guess that shouldn’t come as a surprise to us.   As Christians we are told to turn the other cheek; to go the second mile; to love our neighbours — better, to love our enemies. 

One of the reasons that true humility is difficult is because it is natural to compare ourselves to others.  We want to know how we are doing and the way we seem to do that most naturally is in relationship to others.  We seem to receive that lesson right from the cradle.  We are told directly or indirectly that we should be like others – and by implication do better than others. 

We are given marks in school and by implication are those marks better marks the others —where do we stand in the class.  Even our play is turned into competition — we are taught that winning is good and losing is bad or at best it is an opportunity to learn from our mistakes and by learning win the next time.  We win awards in life – medals in sports and academia — we get the job and after that the promotion.  By implication others do not succeed and therefore we conclude that we are better than others. 

How are we to become truly humble?  Is it something that we can work to become or is it something that will be given to us as grace from God?  One of the best definitions of humility that I have come across is by Sister Jane — an Anglican Nun.  She defines humility as ‘seeing clearly’ — to be humble is to see clearly.  When I first read that I was puzzled by that.  How was humility related to seeing things clearly?  Well I first thought that if we clearly see ourselves as we are we will know that we don’t compare that well to others at least some others in the world.  No matter how much we succeed there will be others who are better at us in whatever way we judge ourselves.  Even world champions are not the best in everything or even many things. 

However, on reflection I believe that to see clearly means that we can see what is truly important in life — we can see what is truly important to God.  I don’t believe that God wants us to be better than others.  God wants us to be the person that God intends us to be. 

God does want us to develop and grow and become fully mature human being.  I believe that we have a human need to be better than others because we believe deep down that that is the only way we will be of value — the only way we will valued by others and by God. 

If we can truly come to believe and know that God loves us unconditionally — that God loves us because we are God’s beloved children than we can just be the people of God.  That is something to be proud of.