Une réflexion pour l'automne (A Reflection for Fall)

" Il ya un temps pour tout, un temps pour toute chose sous le ciel. " Ecclésiaste 3:01
Cette saison d' automne est une saison à ralentir à partir de l'intensité du reste de l'année . Nous notons que tout dans la nature à sa fin et la préparation pour le calme, le temps de repos qui viendra en hiver. C'est un bon temps pour nous de commencer à tirer vers l'intérieur aussi. C'est le meilleur moment de l'année pour réfléchir à tout ce qui s'est passé au cours de l'année écoulée. C'est aussi un bon moment pour réfléchir à tout ce qui s'est passé dans nos vies et tout le monde qui nous a touché sur le voyage de notre vie.Bien sûr, au cours de Novembre , nous célébrons également le jour de vétéran , alors nous nous souvenons en particulier ceux qui ont servi notre pays et, par extension rendue tellement pour chacun de nous . Comme je l'ai lu les noms de tous ceux qui ont été transférés à Post Everlasting lors de notre dernière réunion , j'ai réfléchi sur chacun des noms que je connaissais et comment sa vie avait touché le mien. Ce processus est souvent vrai pour les personnes importantes dans nos vies. C'est seulement après qu'ils sont partis que nous reconnaissons l'impact réel qu'ils ont et comment ils nous ont touchés . Même si nous sommes séparés d'eux physiquement , leur héritage continuera à vivre dans notre souvenir
Appuyez sur la réalité que votre vie est façonnée par ceux qui vous rejoint sur ​​votre chemin de vie, même brièvement , et reste dans le confort de votre Dieu comme toujours présent aider , peu importe les circonstances . J'encourage tout le monde à la pause du jour de vétéran et rappelle la vie de tous les anciens combattants qui sont morts . L'amour et le souvenir de leur service sont autant d'atouts que la mort ne pourra jamais emporter.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1

This season of Fall is a season to slow down from the intensity of the rest of the year. We note that all in nature is winding down and preparing for the quiet, resting time that will come in the winter. This is a good time for us to begin to pull inward too. It is the best time of year to reflect on everything that has happened during the past year. It is also a good time to reflect on everything that has happened in our lives and everyone who has touched us on our life’s journey.

Of course during November we also celebrate Veteran’s Day, so we especially remember those who served our country, and by extension rendered so much for each one of us. As I read the names of everyone who transferred to Post Everlasting during our last meeting, I reflected on each one of the names that I knew and how his or her life had touched my own. This process is often true for the important people in our lives. It is only after they are gone that we recognize the true impact they had and how they touched us. Even though we are separated from them physically, their legacy will continue to live on in our remembrance  

Press on in the reality that your life is shaped by those who joined you on your journey of life, no matter how briefly, and rest in the comfort of God as your ever present help no matter the circumstance. I encourage everyone to pause this Veteran’s Day and remember the lives of all our veterans who have died. Love and memories of their service are strengths that death can never take away.

Chaplain’s Corner-

I met a Buddhist monk several years ago on a flight from Denver to Nashville. I was on my way back home and he was going to Nashville to become the religious leader at a Thervadan Buddhist community in East Nashville. Seizing my opportunity I asked him to explain Buddhism to me. He explained that Buddhism is centered on detachment. To illustrate he held up the coke bottle he was drinking from. “This is a very beautiful coke bottle,” he stated. “The liquid inside is very delicious. In fact, it is the most wonderful beverage in the whole world. I love it more than anything. Oh, I dropped the bottle. It broke. Now I am inconsolable.”  This simple story sums up the Buddhist principle of detachment, especially as it applies to material things. One Buddhist scholar elaborates that “non-attachment or non-grasping would therefore flow from the awareness that no possession, no relationship, no achievement is permanent or able to give lasting satisfaction” (Harris, 2005). As time went by I am by no means certain how detached this Buddhist monk was from coke because he would often call me up to offer meditation study and then ask if I would bring along a case of cokes with me.

Nevertheless, world religions often agree at least as far as core principles. Jesus Christ often taught about detachment from material things:

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." (Matthew 19:24-25)

It is important to note that Jesus considered that it is the love of money that is the obstacle to faith, not the money itself.  Materialism in our world has eclipsed spirituality especially in our media. Youth, beauty, health and riches are depicted as the means to ultimate happiness. By their nature though all these things are transitory and may pass away in a flash. Jesus says:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  (Matthew 6: 19-21)  

Le Coin-de l'aumônier

J'ai rencontré un moine bouddhiste il ya plusieurs années sur un vol de Denver à destination de Nashville. J'étais sur le chemin du retour et qu'il allait à Nashville pour devenir le leader religieux à une communauté bouddhiste Thervadan à East Nashville. Saisir ma chance, je lui ai demandé d'expliquer le bouddhisme pour moi. Il a expliqué que le bouddhisme est centrée sur le détachement. Pour illustrer qu'il a occupé jusqu'à la bouteille de coke qu'il buvait. «C'est une très belle bouteille de coke», at-il déclaré. «Le liquide à l'intérieur est très délicieux. En fait, c'est la plus merveilleuse boisson dans le monde entier. Je l'aime plus que tout. Oh, j'ai laissé tomber la bouteille. Il s'est cassé. Maintenant, je suis inconsolable. "Cette simple somme de l'histoire le principe bouddhiste de détachement, d'autant qu'elle s'applique aux choses matérielles. Un érudit bouddhiste développe que «le non-attachement ou non-saisie seraient donc résulter de la prise de conscience qu'aucune possession, aucun rapport, aucune réalisation est permanente ou pouvant donner satisfaction durable» (Harris, 2005). Comme le temps passait, je ne suis pas certain comment détaché ce moine bouddhiste a été de coke parce qu'il serait souvent m'appeler pour offrir étude de la méditation et ensuite demander si je voulais apporter un cas de cokes avec moi.Néanmoins, les religions du monde s'accordent souvent au moins autant que les principes de base. Jésus-Christ a souvent enseigné sur le détachement des choses matérielles:Jésus a regardé autour et a dit à ses disciples: «Comme il est difficile aux riches d'entrer dans le royaume de Dieu!" Les disciples étaient stupéfaits de ces paroles. Mais Jésus leur dit encore: «Mes enfants, comme il est difficile d'entrer dans le royaume de Dieu! Il est plus facile pour un chameau de passer par le chas d'une aiguille qu'à un riche d'entrer dans le royaume de Dieu." Les disciples furent encore plus étonnés, et dirent entre eux: «Qui donc peut être sauvé?" Jésus les regarda et dit: «Avec l'homme c'est impossible, mais non à Dieu: car tout est possible à Dieu." (Matthieu 19:24-25)Il est important de noter que Jésus a considéré que c'est l'amour de l'argent qui est l'obstacle à la foi, pas l'argent lui-même. Matérialisme dans notre monde a éclipsé la spiritualité surtout dans nos médias. Jeunesse, beauté, santé et richesse sont dépeints comme des moyens de bonheur ultime. Par leur nature même si toutes ces choses sont transitoires et peuvent passera en un éclair. Jésus dit:Ne vous amassez des trésors sur la terre, où la teigne et la rouille détruisent, et où les voleurs percent et dérobent. Mais amassez-vous des trésors dans le ciel, où la teigne et la rouille ne détruisent point, et où les voleurs ne percent ni ne dérobent. Car là où est votre trésor, là aussi sera votre coeur aussi. (Matthieu 6: 19-21)

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Mister Rogers Remixed | Garden of Your Mind | PBS Digital Studios

The Keeper of the Stream

One of my favorite stories by the late Dr. Peter Marshall, former Chaplain of the United States Senate, is about the “Keeper of the Stream.”  This story is about an old man who lived in an Alpine forest high above a small Austrian village. This man had been hired by the town council to clear away the rubbish from the pools of water up in the mountains that fed the stream that flowed through their town. With faithful regularity, the keeper of the stream moved along the hill slopes and ravines removing leaves, branches and accumulated silt that could contaminate the fresh flow of water. Truly, because the town possessed such a beautiful clear stream, it became a popular attraction for tourists from all over the world.

Years passed and one evening the town council met for its annual meeting. As the council members looked over the budget, one council member began to question the salary being paid to this obscure keeper of the stream. He questioned why they kept the old man year after year. Because of this council member's persistence and a general mood for austerity, the council members voted to cut the old man’s services from the budget and tell him he was no longer needed. Now for several weeks nothing happened, and the members of the town council congratulated themselves on their savings for taxpayers. By early fall though, the trees began to shed their leaves. Small branches snapped off and fell into the pools, impeding the flow of water. Rollicking rapids with sprays of whitewater became stagnant pools. One afternoon someone noticed a slightly yellowish tint in the town water. Within a few weeks, a slimy film covered sections of the water along the banks and a foul odor was detected. Tourists to the little town soon left and many of the residents became sick. The town council was forced to call a special meeting. Realizing their error, they quickly amended the budget and rehired the keeper of the stream. Within a few weeks the stream cleared and the little town returned to normal.

As we take stock of our own lives, we need to review our spiritual budget. Have we made cuts to portions that may have profound implications for our lives? These cuts may not seem to matter much at all in the scheme of our busy lives. We may have cut out devotional time, or church attendance, or just a time for solitary reflection during a daily walk. However, all these moments serve to purge our souls of the spiritual detritus that is constantly building up. Soon our spiritual stream will become so clogged that we will have great difficulty in communicating with the Supreme Keeper of the Moral Stream. The only remedy is never to be this austere in our spiritual budgeting. We always need a Keeper to clean up the moral stream in our own lives so that we can remain God’s chosen vessels, through which His rich blessings will flow to those around us. 

Le gardien du ruisseau

Une de mes histoires préférées par le regretté Dr Peter Marshall, ancien aumônier du Sénat des États-Unis, est sur le "Gardien de la rivière." Cette histoire est un vieil homme qui vivait dans une forêt alpine au-dessus d'un petit village autrichien . Cet homme avait été embauché par le conseil municipal pour déblayer les décombres des flaques d'eau dans les montagnes qui l'ont nourri le ruisseau qui coulait à travers leur ville. Avec une régularité fidèle, le gardien du flux déplacé le long des pentes des collines et ravins enlever les feuilles, les branches et le limon accumulé qui pourraient contaminer l'écoulement de l'eau fraîche. En vérité, parce que la ville possédait un tel beau ruisseau clair, il est devenu une attraction populaire pour les touristes de partout dans le monde.
Les années passèrent et, un soir, le conseil municipal a tenu sa réunion annuelle. Comme les membres du conseil ont examiné sur le budget, un membre du conseil a commencé à remettre en question le salaire étant versé à ce gardien obscure de la rivière. Il a demandé pourquoi ils ont gardé la vieille année de l'homme après année. En raison de sa persistance et une ambiance générale à l'austérité, les membres du conseil ont voté pour couper les services du vieil homme sur le budget et lui dire qu'il n'était plus nécessaire. Maintenant, pendant plusieurs semaines rien ne s'était passé, et les membres du conseil municipal se félicita de leurs économies pour les contribuables. Au début de l'automne cependant, les arbres commencent à perdre leurs feuilles. Les petites branches cassé net et sont tombés dans les piscines, ce qui empêche l'écoulement de l'eau. Rollicking rapides avec des pulvérisations d'eau vive est devenu mares stagnantes. Un après-midi quelqu'un a remarqué une teinte légèrement jaunâtre dans l'eau de ville. Dans quelques semaines, un film visqueux couvert sections de l'eau le long des berges et une odeur nauséabonde a été détectée. Touristes dans la petite ville bientôt gauche et de nombreux habitants sont tombés malades. Le conseil municipal a été contraint de convoquer une assemblée extraordinaire. Réalisant leur erreur, ils ont rapidement modifié le budget et réembauchés le gardien du flux. En quelques semaines, le flux effacée et la petite ville est revenu à la normale.Comme nous faisons le bilan de nos propres vies, nous devons revoir notre budget spirituelle. Avons-nous fait des coupures à des parties qui pourraient avoir de profondes répercussions sur nos vies? Ces réductions peuvent ne pas sembler beaucoup d'importance à tous dans le régime de nos vies trépidantes. Nous avons peut-être découper le temps de dévotion, ou la fréquentation des églises, ou tout simplement un moment de réflexion solitaire au cours d'une promenade quotidienne. Cependant, tous ces moments servent à purger nos âmes des détritus spirituelle qui est constamment s'accumule. Bientôt, notre flux spirituel deviendra si bouché que nous aurons beaucoup de mal à communiquer avec le gardien suprême du ruisseau moral. Le seul remède est de ne jamais être cette austère dans notre budget spirituelle. Nous avons toujours besoin d'un gardien pour nettoyer le flux moral dans nos propres vies afin que nous puissions rester les vaisseaux élu de Dieu, à travers laquelle ses riches bénédictions iront à ceux qui nous entourent.

One of the important "faith questions" we chaplains often hear is: "Has anyone ever seen God?" If in your faith journey you have asked this question, you are not alone. People have asked this question as long as there have been people to ask. One boy I know asked this question in a very direct way- "Has anyone seen God, like I'm looking at and seeing you as we speak?"  I had to admit that I didn’t know anyone who had. In fact even John, the evangelist, admitted as much. In his gospel he writes, "No one has ever seen God" (John 1:18). Indeed, you can make the case that God is expecting a lot from us - to go on believing while at the same time knowing there is little possibility of seeing God this side of the grave. But if God were completely and absolutely hidden from us, belief in God would probably be humanly impossible. I would submit though that God really has given us some clues about His presence. First, there is the Bible, which is the main source of what Christians believe about God. Indeed, year after year, the Bible continues to be the number one selling book, so it is clear men and women are not losing their passion for learning about God. Assuredly, the Bible is only one of the ways God makes his presence known to us. Nature has always been another important indicator and proof of God's presence and majesty. The beauty of nature speaks profoundly of the providence and goodness of God. A Dominican sister that I know says, "there is no shortage of wonders around us, but only a shortage of wonderers." Then there is the story of Edith Stein, a German Jew who had been an atheist in her teenage years, but who later turned to Christianity. Edith became a nun and later died in a German concentration camp. Her heroic example led to her canonization as a saint. In one account she was asked by a young lady, "When shall I see God?" Edith answered simply, "When you open your eyes!" Indeed, I guess we too easily overlook the chance of seeing God in the most obvious place of all - in our fellow human beings. The Book of Genesis clearly says God made the first man and woman in His image. Truly, of all of God's creation, humans are able to reflect God more than anything else. Of course, we are only too aware that humans are not the perfect image of God. There is so much hate and selfishness in the world to show that we are often a murky image.   What if we truly focused on a good image? Most of us have heard the story of Anne Frank, the Jewish girl who lived in hiding in Nazi occupied Holland during World War II. Living in fear in the attic of a Dutch family for most of the war years, she kept a personal diary. We might expect that her diary would contain a lot of hatred for the Nazis who were the cause of her suffering and misery. Instead she wrote, "In spite of everything, I still think that people are good at heart." Maybe if we could see with Anne Frank’s eyes, we could truly say we have seen God. .

 

 

April, 2013 Chaplain's blog

As preachers, we are trained talkers. In fact, if you are like most pastors, you are probably very good at talking. So, it comes as a surprise to some that in pastoral care, talking is not a highly valued skill. It also comes as a surprised to some of us that it is not a highly effective skill in pastoral care either. When someone really needs to get something off their chest and we are too quick to offer platitudes or hope, we can actually stifle that person’s ability to heal. As chaplains to the injured or sick, we are called to the pastoral care ministry, a ministry called "presence." In other words, sometimes we are not called to speak, but to simply "be." Being can be uncomfortable for some of us. We desire to fill the silence with words of hope or humor (by the way, don't make people laugh after surgery, not a good idea). This speaks much more to our needs rather than focusing on the needs of the patient. I recently had an interaction with someone who said something that made me want to respond. I wanted desperately to tell them about healing in Christ, or to offer to pray with them, or to give some sort of encouragement. However, I fought this temptation and simply stood there with them in that moment. When they looked up, I nodded to them (as if to say "go on") and they shared even more of their story.

In theater, there is a phrase that goes like this, "hey, you stepped on my line." It means that you forgot that someone else had a part and that you needed to wait for him or her to make his or her line before you launch into yours. It's one of the worst mistakes an actor can make. Chaplains can be tempted to step on someone’s line as well. Had I given in to my need to fill the air with noise, had I given in to my need to take care of my own discomfort, I would have never heard this person's line. I never would have heard the rest of the story. Yes, the silence was uncomfortable for me, but it allowed this fellow actor to say his/her line and contribute to the play. The story grew richer and as a result, I knew not only that he/she needed comfort, but also how to comfort. You've heard it said, "don't just stand there, do something," but I tell you "Don't just do something, stand there."

A Reflection on Newtown

A Reflection on Newtown-

After all these months I am still haunted by the reality that in our great country such a horrific event as this occurred. If you have moved on to worries about tensions in the Middle East or threats from the Far East, I apologize for being stuck on the date of December 14, 2012, six days before my granddaughter’s seventh birthday. You see she is in the first grade. 

 Nothing compels us to reevaluate our human condition and reexamine our relationships more than a shocking tragedy. We contemplate the unfathomable and senseless loss of lives, the anguish and trauma of the survivors, the sorrow and support of the community, and the initial outpouring of prayers and sympathy from the nation.

However, in the weeks and months after the Sandy Hook tragedy, when we should be engaged in selfless, caring actions such as occurred after 9/11, instead we find ourselves embroiled in a partisan debate over gun control. Addressing the circumstances of Sandy Hook isn't simply a matter of more gun control, whichever side of the gun control debate you are on. The victims of Sandy Hook are not martyrs to the debate on guns. They are our children and they are the innocents that we let slip away in a moment that we all must admit that we have imaged in our worst nightmares and fears.

In their memory we can do these things:

We can remind ourselves what life is all about. Life is about family and spending time with our kids. Our children need to be reminded daily that we love them. We must also remember they are being immediately impacted by events around the globe for truly we live in a global community, and we are affected by world events. Now is the perfect time to have a plan in place to help you and the children you care about cope with traumatic events.

We need to learn more about mental illnesses. It is sadly ironic that Nancy, the shooter's mother, who was so protective of and devoted to her son Adam, was the first to die.  We must talk with friends and family about "warning signs." No, we certainly can't ensure this horror will never happen again, but each of us can become more aware of those closest to us. We can notice changes in personality or other warning signs. Another way to express this - take more time to personally interact with other people whether at work or school or home, so you're more likely to notice drastic changes.

We need to put down the pitch forks and torches and stop trying to look for or chase away the "monster." Instead, as Americans we need to lean on each other for support. Indeed, we look for the light of love that pierces even the darkest of moments such as these.

   

May, 2013 Chaplain's blog

Chaplain’s Corner- May, 2013

People have different theories about when to fill the car with gas. If you ask my wife, she will tell you that I make a habit of coasting into the gas station on fumes.  I know that you have a hard time feeling much sympathy for anyone who runs out of gas because they let the tank get that low. But did you know that people have emotional gas tanks? In fact many adults are suffering from the effects of an empty emotional gas tank. As hard as we might try, we can’t escape the fact that giving and giving without receiving some nurturing ourselves is not possible or healthy. Just like our cars break down or stop without gas and maintenance, so can human beings. Just like many of our cars (or smart phones) have GPS that help us locate gas stations, our emotions are a GPS system that lets us know when we need to refuel. Some of the common signs of running low or on fumes can be increased crabbiness, lack of energy, being short-tempered, eating and drinking more sugary, caffeinated substances to keep going, and losing patience more quickly than usual.

If you are noticing this in yourself, you might wonder if your emotional tank needs some filling. This could be a simple as a few hours to yourself, a long hot bath, some time with your significant other, or some quiet prayer time. It can be as complex as re-evaluating your job, the amount of activities you or your children are involved in, or commitments you are making that you really don’t want to make.

With summer approaching, people are making travel arrangements, and if they are going by car, they are making sure the car has a full tank of gas. At the same time it might be helpful to look at your own emotional tank. What might you need to do to refill it or keep it filled so that you can navigate the expected and unexpected events without running out of emotional gas?

MARCH CHAPLAIN’S CORNER

MARCH CHAPLAIN’S CORNER

Lent, which began on February 13 this year, continues throughout most of March, culminating on Maundy Thursday, March 28. Therefore, Good Friday is March 29 and Easter Sunday is March 31. I have given a good deal of thought this year concerning a possible conversation with my seven-year old granddaughter about Easter. Most of my ruminations are about how to explain and harmonize the two very different Easter traditions: the Easter Bunny and his basketful of eggs, and the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. You might have attempted the same task yourself. If you haven’t been as successful as you might like, or if you haven’t been up to so daunting a task, tag along with me as I first review the history of the two traditions, along with their uneasy synthesis. Consequently, I will attempt to make new sense of the Easter elements, not just for seven year olds, but even more so for those of us who have sought a comprehension that has heretofore eluded us.

Many ancient cultures celebrated the coming of spring, and it is generally thought that Easter got its name from the Anglo-Saxon fertility goddess Eastre (also spelled Eostre, Ostare, Ostara and other variations). This connection was first mentioned by the Christian scholar Bede, who wrote in his book De Ratione Temporum that Easter was named after this goddess. She was the mother goddess of the Saxon people in northern Europe, and she represented spring and fertility, or the life that is reborn every spring after the cold winter. A festival was held each spring in her honor, and she was often shown in the company of a rabbit, which is an enduring symbol of fertility. Some accounts say that the Saxons revered rabbits as the goddess’ earthly incarnation.

Eggs have also been recognized as symbols of fertility and life. There are several myths about Eastre and her rabbits. According to one story, she transformed a pet bird into a rabbit to entertain children, and the rabbit proceeded to lay colored eggs that the goddess then gave to the kids. In another version, a small girl asked the goddess to save a bird. The goddess saved the bird by turning it into a rabbit, which produced colored eggs. Indeed, the tradition of an egg-giving rabbit started in Europe and was later brought to America by German settlers.

 The second tradition of Easter is well known to Christians and it is the most important date of the year to us. It is the morning of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This date lays the foundation for our eternal existence in God’s presence. Christians believe, according to Scripture, that Jesus came back to life, and that He was raised from the dead only three days after His brutal death on the cross. As part of the Easter season, His death by crucifixion is commemorated on Good Friday, always the Friday just before Easter. Therefore, through His death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus paid the penalty for sin, purchasing for all who believe this, eternal life.

How do you harmonize these two traditions? Perhaps the same way that C.S. Lewis harmonized his fondness for Pagan Norse legends with his nascent Christianity. In Surprised by Joy, Lewis explained that although an atheist at the time, he came closer to developing more love and “adoration” for pagan Norse gods, “whom I disbelieved in, than I had ever done about the true God while I believed….I can almost think that I was sent back to false gods, there to acquire some capacity for worship….when the true God should recall me to Himself.” In the same way we too can develop an appreciation for rebirth in nature during springtime, and then develop a fondness for the symbols of that rebirth through the Easter bunny and his eggs.

On a deeper level the primitive symbols of the rabbit and the eggs can foreshadow our hope for our own rebirth. Indeed, the rabbit or hare has been a popular motif for Christians in other times. In ancient times it was widely believed that the hare could reproduce asexually, that is without loss of virginity, leading, of course, to an association with the Virgin Mary for medieval Christians. You may have noticed hares occurring in medieval paintings of the Virgin and Child. They may also have been associated with the Trinity as in the motif of the three hares forming a triangle or three interlocking shapes such as rings, thus symbolizing the Trinity. In England, this motif usually appears in a prominent place in the church, such as the central rib of the roof, or on a central rib of the nave inside the church.

If this rich symbolism nourished Christians in other ages, we should not shun this same enrichment today. Christians of today should seek the recapitulation of the Gospel in nature, in art, in folklore, and in every part of Creation, thereby seeking every form of nourishment of a spiritual thanksgiving for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and our own spiritual rebirth along with Him.

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them

(in company with a bunny and a basketful of eggs).

 

 

 

  

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CHAPLAIN’S CORNER- FEBRUARY, 2013

CHAPLAIN’S CORNER- FEBRUARY, 2013                               

The month of February features two important days that have ties to the Church, Ash Wednesday on February 13, and St. Valentine’s Day on February 14. The former begins a solemn Church season for many Christians that focuses on sacrifice and repentance. The latter is a saint’s day that has been coopted by secular forces, and that highlights romantic love and over indulgence. 

”From dust you have come. To dust you shall return.” This declaration will be repeated countless millions of times on Wednesday, February 13, as people from various Christian denominations around the world receive a unique mark on their foreheads made with ashes. The ashes are burnt palm leaves that are dispensed by ministers and priests, who articulate this Scriptural phrase from Genesis each time they form the ashes as a cross on each forehead. This observance of Ash Wednesday begins the Church season of Lent, a forty day period before Easter. We skip Sundays when we count the forty days, because Sundays commemorate the Resurrection.

In most churches, Lenten liturgical colors are purple or blue, royal colors to prepare for the King. In antiquity, purple dye was very expensive, so purple came to signify wealth, power, and royalty. Therefore purple is the color for the seasons of Advent and Lent, both of which celebrate the coming of the King. Since Christians prepare for our King through reflection and repentance, purple has become a penitential color also. In some traditions cactus or wild plants replace flowers in areas of worship to give the ascetic appearance of the dry and barren desert. Symbolically, we are taken into the desert with Jesus, imitating his humility in depriving himself of his own divinity, and living as man.

In older traditions, all mirrors were covered to prevent someone from being too vain, and music was turned off or lowered in volume to remind folks to be respectful in remembrance of these Holy Days of our Lord. Food in homes became scarce, and hues of clothes darkened, as if in mourning, turning people's attention from themselves to prayer. Bright colors and the color white were only worn during Holy Week and during the Easter season. Celebrations were minimized or left for after the Lenten season. Business functions were minimized during this season, and even closed on Good Friday. You not only sensed, but you also understood that something awesome was transpiring. Undeniably, this time was not like any other time of the year. In our own time the practice of Lent is to encourage people to give up something they enjoy doing a lot, and often to give the time or money spent doing that thing to charitable purposes or organizations. We are also encouraged to share with the less fortunate, depriving ourselves of pleasures so that we can identify with those in need.

Lent then is a time for soul searching and repentance and fasting. Moreover, it is a time when we seek to turn away from the indulgences that our secular society promotes. However, just as we begin a commitment to repentance and fasting on one day this year, the following day, St. Valentine’s Day, invites us to excess all the more.

St. Valentine’s Day began to be an important Church holiday in the early middle Ages to commemorate the martyrdom of a Christian bishop. More than one Bishop Valentinus may have been historically involved, but the narrative usually asserts that this saintly man was arrested initially for performing marriages for people it was unlawful to marry, such as soldiers and Christians. During his captivity he allegedly healed the blind daughter of the judge involved in his case. Though his captors seemed to be captivated by him, this doesn’t seem to have mitigated the ultimate punishment for his offences. Saint Valentine was still clubbed, beaten and beheaded.

The ensuing feast day that celebrates this saint’s unconditional love has evolved to become something else indeed, a kind of secular High Holy Day for romantic love. Through the ages the practice of exchanging notes of love between those smitten also evolved. From the 19th century to modern times, handwritten notes have given way to mass-produced greeting cards. Valentine’s Day has become a tremendous boon for merchants as billions of dollars are spent yearly on cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts. Indeed, jewelers aggressively promote Valentine's Day as an occasion for giving diamonds and other precious stones. The rise of Internet popularity is creating new traditions. An estimated 15 million e-valentines were sent in 2010.

Truly the fact that these two widely disparate days fall next to each other on the calendar this year symbolizes our modern dilemma. How do we create separate space for the holy and the secular when they are so closely intertwined in our culture? Indeed, for many of us the holy or spiritual seems to be a delicate bloom that will be suffocated by the fast growing secular weed if it is not constantly tended. However, it is not such a delicate bloom after all. It just needs to be fertilized and watered at intervals. If these are long intervals the bloom won’t perish; it will just lay dormant waiting for a better season.   

Whatever your faith tradition and whatever your observance of Ash Wednesday is or is not,  I encourage you to spend a few moments assessing your life and the condition of your spiritual bloom. Your Lenten bulbs may be dormant and need some nourishment. Remember that Lent is a prelude to springtime, both figuratively and seasonally, when

 The desert will rejoice, and flowers will bloom in the wastelands. (Isaiah 35:1)

  Then be sure you don’t forget your sweetheart on February 14.