Perhaps a big Willow no longer weeping but sheltering in my branches
or maybe an eternal pine green in the face of Winter's apparent deathly grip
reaching to the canopy and praising the Sun getting washed in the rain covered in snow
so my outer visage feeds four limbs blossom into many branches fingers toes smaller branchlings blue eyes the sky
but in that moment between steam-to-rain-to-ice and back again in there, yes, my sprouted-full Soul sways in the ruach of God
br yossi 2008
Här går det att läsa mer om vad som inspirerade brodern till dikten - en naturlig begravning - utan kistor och valv - man blir bokstavligen till ett träd - tycker det låter sympatiskt: www.honeycreekwoodlands.com
As you can see, I've been here again for another fun cat circus time.... ;-)
Unfortunately it's been raining cats and dogs (mainly cats of course!) ever since I arrived, so I haven't been able to get further out than to the balcony to meow a little bit, except once, more about that time below. I do love to go by bike in my transport box..... So hope for an opportunity during today (my last day here).
Some nights ago I got my early first breakfast as usual since I refused to be silent until then (I have a very strong voice - and it's extra efficient during the nights - think the neighbours can hear me as well - so the hostess HAS to get up and give me something to chew on). And the second breakfast got purrfectly served some hours later. It was worse another day when the second breakfast didn't arrive until 10 am! (Got the first one around 5, or was it 6?)
We got a visit by a painter at lunch time some days ago - he smelled very interestingly - I sniffed at his clothes for quite awhile and then hunted invisible mice back and forth under his painting chair. He enhanced the paint on a small window that got broken previously but has been fixed. He's a kind of colleague to my cat hostess since she's painting too. Cats of course! And some birds too... Too bad one can't eat painted birds! I've seen lots of real ones flying from the balcony lately - even found a grey feather AT the balcony - but haven't been able to catch a single bird - the distance is too far...
The cat hostess has been trying to fix a computer during these days - with less good results - it's even more damaged now, and she had to give up for now.... She's just entered a silent retreat. I'll stay during the first day of the retreat as you probably understand - and will try not to meow so much (that'll be hard!). MEO...ooops!
She's been busy all evening yesterday taking care of rinsing and trying to dry tons of cat hair laundry (and other laundry too, well, all laundry is cat hair stuffed, some more, some less) - because the machines suddenly stopped working in the middle of washing... Nice mice... She'll have to do it all over again in a bit more than a week from now since nothing got cleaned, and there were no unbooked laundry times until then....
The kitchen is my most fun playground nowadays - since both my bag (where I run in and hide) and other toys are gathered there - the cat hostess wished that she had had a video camera some mornings ago to show my highly energetic playing to the world.... But you'll just have to imagine it....
I've had some interesting meetings with a very angry little cat twice now - we hissed at each other, and I sounded like a dog too. But first s/he sat at the stairs outside my hostess door, meowing loudly. And when the hostess opened the door - and I came to see who was there - s/he started hissing. To my big surprise. So I waited awhile (having good cat manners myself) and then finally answered back when s/he didn't stop.
I finally won - since s/he ran down and hid when I was lifted up so I wouldn't run away. But we met again yesterday when I went out for a walk - I heard some meowing from the bushes - and when I passed, I saw something moving there, so I went back - and found him/her there again - hiding. The hostess met that cat again when she went down with laundry. And she had a chat with him/her - who was afraid even though I wasn't with her. S/he's just a scared little one....
But don't know what happened to another really poor and injured little kitten that was found outside the house when I arrived here...
I ran away yesterday - didn't get very far - only one stair - sneaked out when the door was opened...he he... I like adventures...
By the way, haven't gotten a shower this time....but am cleaning my own lovely fur as usual of course. We white or cream white birmas are a bit disadvantaged in that area since we have to get away also all the visible dirt in a way that grey or black ordinary cats don't need to think of.... They just lick themselves where it's absolutely necessary, the lazy little bast....(censured).
Thought I'd have a little cat-echism here some day.... Since I'm a very cat-holic cat. Maybe I'll be allowed to guest blog at a distance some time...? Well, I may do so even if I'm not allowed to... I kneeeow the pass word... ;-)
Got a few thoughts.... Sorry if they aren't well expressed - wanted to scratch them down before I forgot.
Okaaaay.....
If God is genderless (neither male or female) - which most theologians seem to agree about these days - how come Christ's maleness has become so important in our times (regarding the question of women ordinations for example)?
If a specific gender isn't needed for the salvation of all mankind - female and male - why is it suddenly extremely needed in order to say a few prayers over bread and wine or to handle the other sacraments. Doesn't the holy Spirit listen to womens' prayers? Since when?
If gender would be important for salvation - only men can be saved since Christ was a male. Or Christ would have needed to be incarnated twice - once as a man and once as a woman. But God became human - and that was fully enough.
And God created men and women alike and equal to reflect something of God together. Not only men or women. But together.
And God didn't give men and women different cultural or religious tasks depending on their gender. (They got only partly different biological functions.)
Men (mainly males!) constructed society with its roles - different in different cultures. There are also matriarchates... And what men decided about can be changed (contrary to what God created as biological functions which work automatically unless something is wrong).
If both women and men together mirror God in the way they're created - how come only men can mirror God fully and exclusively in the Church? That's the conclusion one has to draw when looking at today's rules. Men can do everything in the Church - while women can't. So what went wrong in the construction of woman? Is it a fatal error by God during the creation of human beings that made the Church officials of today think they have no power to ordain women? Because the copy of the God-part mistakenly got so incomplete in the woman, unlike in the man....?
And why even speak about being called to different Church tasks because of biology? I though Church life was still ruled by theology... Like in those days when women were in fact ordained.... In spite of a surrounding misogynist society (much worse than today). The Church was on the forefront here at that time.... Gave the world an example to follow. But instead finally capitulated - to get worldly advantages by mixing in better?
And if this was true - that biology is what matters most in ministry - it would have been said very clearly by Jesus - in words. He would have repeated them over and over again, as he usually did with important stuff. He would most probably also have given women special Church roles that have no equivalents among men. But there are no such different roles (no, making coffee or cleaning toilets doesn't count...), just a present lack of roles for woman ministry - contrary to male ministry.
It should rather be called human ministry.... Since things were meant to proceed as in the beginning....
A call is given personally to an individual, woman or man - not impersonally to men who eventually don't feel like getting married and are looking for some kind of career to get a better status than by just remaining bachelors. Church careers aren't the worst on the market. In spite of everything that has been revealed lately about what really happened under the perfect surface.
No matter how much one looks at this question from all possible angles - it always boils down to an essence of the necessity of a total equality in God - equality in Christ - not separation because of gender - but unity because of being human beings....
If God is genderless - isn't Christ humanness what matters most?
If it's a crime to be convinced that women may be ordained, then I'm a criminal too, and you'll have to put me in jail, where I'd be accompanied by numerous such convicts.
If it's a crime to attend a woman's ordination, then, please, take me to all such crime scenes in the world, so I may share that heavenly joy, before you put on dogmatic handcuffs and striped chasubles on all the attendants.
I'll then rejoice as an unofficial prisoner chaplain among my partners in crime. We'll attend to those who are innocently imprisoned, by experts on Canon law.
And filled with God's grace we'll sing all night long until the prison gates are opened by angels so we may march out on the bright fields of freedom, still joyfully singing, since God gave us a sign that even the blind could see.
S/He Who Is is walking with us.
Charlotte Thérèse
(The poem is dedicated to Raymond Burke, inspired by his action against Sister Louise Lears.)
Meeeeow.... I was asked to blog in English for once, since I have many readers who don't know Swedish at all. Well, they should learn it quite easily - in a paw's twist (my own kittish' expression)!
I thought I'd emphasize my cat-templative sides a bit today, at least in an image - as I've mainly told about my hilarious and crazy pilgrimage adventures in this guest house and the surroundings so far (I've been visiting for two weeks - and God created me extraordinarily cute so I can have my will through to a high degree if not always). You may think I'm generally quite wild if you've read it all... And that I just sleep from exhaustion when I lie down, having the eyes shut.
But actually I meditate quite a lot - which gives me energy to run around and play (read: hunt exciting toes and skirts and chew on favourite clothes).
It's also quite tiring to meow as much as is needed before I'm served all the many meals I order. Well, I don't get them all (the ten or fifteen daily servings I really do want) - so the service is quite lousy at this cat restaurant. But I usually bite and cuddle myself to a little extra midnight snack so I can run around and hunt a fabric mouse and some other toys and mats while my servant tries to fall asleep. Hardest is to get the 4.30 am breakfast - I have to jump up and down in her bed, walk over her and stand next to her face and scream quite a bit before she gets the hint. Every morning. Such a slow learner. It's a bit easier regarding the second breakfast at 8 am. But not much. By then I at least usually destroyed all chances for her to fall asleep again....
Then it's my turn to take a nap, well, I sleep well until lunch time, then I awake by the lovely scents from the kitchen. Dinner is best - since I sometimes get a little treat from the hostess' plate - a piece of salmon or so. Which is much better than the cat food - although it's really good too - I get energy enough for at least ten cats by it! She uses to say that I'm getting speedy as if going on loads of charged Duracell batteries or some kind of steroids. Ok, I AM quite lively... Like all kittens.... Ok, then, a bit more than other kittens....
While I sleep, she needs to clean the floor and furniture and computer from tons of cat hairs - there's more every day. I have a very thick and fluffy fur. She's sneezing quite a lot when she does this and getting other symptoms as well. She's allergic - to me! Poor thing... Couldn't she have chosen to be allergic to something else instead? Why not the neighbour's cat? Or dogs? Why me....?
I love to sit at the balcony and look down on the grass there, as well as eating grass - and balcony plants of course. We've also made some pic-nic's and visited calves and stuff. I have travelled quite a bit!
I'm quite a musical cat as well. I mean: I wag my red and beautiful tail to the sounds around me - when she sings or says my name or something else that sounds melodious, or when we hear music from the neighbours - I respond to it by wagging the tail - even when I meditate or am half asleep.... She finds that very cute and funny. We'll probably listen to some special music today - as it's my last full day here (I leave tomorrow...sigh...end of the wild days...). I don't really know if we're celebrating that I'm leaving or that I've been such a pleasant company here...? Must be the latter.
This posting is nothing like the Swedish postings - so as I said - learn Swedish - NOW (or use the google translation tool for some rough pigeon English translation)...!
Have a look at this blog of a cat lover. And don't miss this posting (with a quote from our common cat prayer: "give us this day our daily mouse") in another blog, about Larry the famous cat, which has been written about here originally (in Swedish).
And say what you think about this subject: "do animals have a soul?" (almost all the comments are in English).
En las profundidades de mi ser - In the depths of my being
En las profundidades de mi ser, In the depths of my being Un sufrimiento callado se trasmuta A quiet sorrow is being transmuted. Y este dolor And that pain De sentir tu dolor By feeling your pain Se alimenta compasivo. Is compassionately feed. Como cuando baja el sol Like when the sun goes down En el ocaso In the sunset Pintando de colores el cielo. Painting colors in the sky.
Mas, vendra la noche But the night will come Con sus silencios nocturnos With nocturnal silences A conectarnos a la vacuidad del Cosmos. To connect us to the vacuity of the Cosmos.
Y veremos And we will see Reflejada nuestra realidad Our reality reflected En las estrellas. In the stars.
Y una vez mas And, one more time, Emergiendo del silencio de la noche Emerging from the silences of the night Brillara el sol The sun will shine En nuestras vidas In our lives.
Y con el nuevo comienzo de cada dia And, with the new beginning of each day Una nueva esperanza compartida. A new shared hope.
Por que invertir nuestras preciosas energias Why should we invest our precious energies Alimentando el mounstruo de tristeza y de la ira? Feeding the monster of sadness and anger?
Por que seguir llorando Why should we continue crying Y aumentar en la tierra And add to the Earth El dolor profundo que la agobia. Deeper pains
Somos guerreros de luz, We are warriors of light, Canales de amor Channels of love Instrumentos de Dios. Instruments of God.
Trasmutemos nuestros miedos Let's transmute our fears En el oro del Amor Divino y perdonemos. Into the gold of divine love and forgive.
Trasformemos los fantasmas del pasado, Let's transform the ghosts of our past. Desechemos aquello que no nutre nuestro espiritu. To let go to what doesn't nourishes our spirit.
Seamos nosotros el cambio que buscamos. Let's be the change we are looking for.
Hagamos de la compassion Let's make of Compassion Una alquimia cotidiana A daily alchemy.
Donde la vida, nuestra vida Where life, our life Es el amor mismo que tanto anhelamos. Is that same love we are looking for.
Que la busqueda de paz May the search of peace De nuestro silencio sagrado Of our sacred silence. Sea el Puente divino Be a divine bridge Que nos conecte a nuestra verdadera esencia. That will connect us with our true essence.
Observemos nuestro ego, sin juicio y sin culpa Let's observe our ego, without judgment or guilt Dejando que se evapore Allowing him to evaporate En la indiferencia de un alma selctiva Between the indifference of a selective soul Que solo alimenta y engrandece That only feed and help grow
Lo que es bello, puro y perfecto. That what is beautiful, pure and perfect.
Dejemos que nuestro ego se disuelva And, let's allow our ego to get dissolved Y muera de una vez de indiferencia! And finally die of indifference.
Luchemos, Let's fight Una lucha pacifica A pacific war Alimentando la virtud y la paciencia. Feeding virtues and patience.
Y en este fluir entre lo humano y lo divino And, in that place; between the human and the divine Evolucionemos con conciencia Let's evolve, with consciousness De homo sapiens a homo angelicus From homo sapiens to homo angelicus Irradiando la luz Radiating the light De la Unidad Divina. Of Divine Oneness
Written by someone who wishes to stay anonymous - published with permission.
Women priests - different views - possible coexistence?
I read an interesting blog post today by Pamela Dolan, about women priests - from yet another angle.
Here's an excerpt:
"My grandmother died last month. She was one of those matriarchs whose passing can shake a family to its foundation. When I was little I called her my “double mother” because she was more like a parent to me than a grandparent. It was in large part because I didn’t want to risk my relationship with her that I spent more than a decade “soul searching” before I left the Roman Catholic Church and began exploring a vocation to ordained ministry. She was of the generation that sincerely considered it a sin just to set foot in a Protestant church. The disruption in our relationship caused by my choice to become an Episcopalian was a longstanding source of guilt, even anguish.
Her death inevitably reopened many of the wounds I thought I had moved past. My sense of vocation is strong, and has been confirmed a number of times by people and processes I trust. (I’ve mentioned in earlier posts that I’m a postulant to the priesthood.) Nonetheless, when I learned that my grandmother had died, my grief was complicated by anxiety; questions such as “will I be allowed to receive communion at her funeral Mass?” haunted me."
I got the following thoughts which I now invite you all to discuss here.
I wonder what the Church would look like if we could set aside all that prevents Christ from shining through fully. The Christ that doesn't make a difference between women and men when he calls, but who calls the person.
I guess the whole beauty would suddenly be seen, and attract the world...
I've written quite a lot about the subject in my blog through the years.
And somehow come to a conclusion that should work if we see the question as what it really is - not one of faith, as it's often mistaken for - but one of practice (like married priests), which makes it possible to change it back to how it in fact used to be - when women were also allowed to serve in Church ministry - during over 1000 years.
Wouldn't it be possible to have different practices within the same Church also regarding women priests?
Like we already have with the Eastern tradition of married priests - and protestant married priests converting and becoming Roman Catholic priests.
So that those (I among them) who long for Catholic women to be welcomed as priests - and those who don't - could agree on disagreeing - but allow both views and practices to coexist under the same roof.
It could even be a separate rite within the Church - perhaps called "the ancient rite" since it's the oldest tradition we have - but coexisting with later developments.
I may be naïve, but think we'd learn a whole lot from that. And that the Church would blossom in a new and fruitful way....
It's interesting to compare it with the question about reopening the deaconate for women - which is seen as a matter of practice which isn't "finally" decided about yet.
How could there be such a huge difference between two steps of ordination?
Allt fler katoliker vaknar upp till verkligheten.... Och detta gäller inte bara i England/Wales.
Om det kommer in underskrifter från hela välden (sorry, enbart katoliker verkar få skriva under denna gång) ger det en tydlig signal... Den somriga snöbollen är i rullning.
Kom, helige Ande!
***
Thousands of leading Roman Catholics including Lord Patten and Baroness Williams are calling on the Church to allow women and married men into the priesthood.
Senior clergy are also among the 2,000 who have so far signed a petition demanding that action be taken to tackle the "major crisis" of dwindling numbers of Catholic priests.
They claim that there is no real barrier to married men being ordained, despite it being part of the Church's teaching throughout its history, given that married former Anglicans who convert to Catholicism are allowed to become priests.
And in a further controversial move, they also want Catholic leaders in England and Wales to discuss the possibility of women becoming priests, an issue which has already been hugely divisive in the worldwide Anglican Church.
They say training programmes should be set up in colleges and online to "prepare suitable men and women for ministry".
A spokesman for the organisers of the petition said: "The possible ordination of married men has been raised as an urgent matter by bishops worldwide for over 30 years, and is becoming pressing now in this country as the shortage of priests worsens, parishes are merged and the average age of the clergy rises.
Worldwide network challenges Pope on excommunications and sexism in the church
Fick ännu ett uttalande idag angående exkommuniceringarna.
***
Worldwide network challenges Pope on excommunications and sexism in the church
Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW) expresses profound dismay at the recent decree by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, which automatically excommunicates anyone involved in the ordination of women priests. With this decree, the Vatican attempts to reinforce its ban on the discussion of women’s ordination among faithful Catholics who are gravely concerned for the future of pastoral ministry.
In its obstinate refusal to test women's priestly vocations, the Vatican fails in its duty to ensure the faithful receive the sacramental pastoral care to which they are entitled. The conviction of the Church has always been that genuine vocations come from God. Though no one has the right to be ordained, the Vatican persists in its flagrant discrimination against women by refusing even to consider their call to priesthood. The fact that many responsible women, together with their communities, discern vocations to ordained ministry is a sign from the Holy Spirit. Vatican actions which block such a sign show nothing but contempt for the sensus fidelium and demonstrate that the hierarchy is tragically out of touch with the people it is called to serve.
In baptism, women and men share equally in the priesthood of Christ. Baptism implies a fundamental openness to all sacraments, including Holy Orders. The history of the Church documents the ordination of women. Jennifer Stark, coordinator of WOW, commented, ‘This is a global issue. In many countries around the world, the exclusion of women from ordained ministry, and thus from the decision-making structures of a worldwide church, has profound effects for their position and well being, and that of their children. It signals that they are lesser beings in the eyes of God.’
WOW calls on all to act against the unjust laws that exclude women from the sacrament of Holy Orders. We ask Pope Benedict XVI to follow Christ’s gospel imperative by liberating the church from the sin of sexism. We urge bishops throughout the world to recognize and act on their episcopal responsibility to their people. We further urge them to use their voice to challenge the legitimacy of this decree and the ban on discussion of women’s ordination. ________________________________________________________________________ Women’s Ordination Worldwide was established during the First European Women’s Synod in Gmunden, Austria in 1996. It is a network of national and international organisations working for the inclusion of women in all ordained ministries. WOW has hosted two international conferences (Dublin 2001 and Ottawa 2005) and plans to hold a third conference in California in 2010. _________________________________________________________________________
Statement by ICETH – The Interreligious Conference of European Women Theologians concerning the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s Decree on the ordination of women
The Vatican cannot stop the ordination of women
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has on the 29th May 2008 issued a decree that “both the one who attempts to confer a sacred order on a woman, and the woman who attempts to receive a sacred order, incur an excommunication latae sententiae reserved to the Apostolic See”. The decree, which comes to force immediately, is issued “in order to protect the nature and validity of the sacrament of order”.
Apparently, the movement within the Roman-Catholic Church which since 2002 has ordained women as priests and bishops in Europe as well as the USA, has caused great anxiety in the Vatican. That the Hierarchy takes such drastic measures is an indication that this movement is seen as a serious threat.
The Vatican anathema is directed against women who no longer submit to being excluded from holy orders by the male establishment of the church, but pursue their vocation to the priesthood in a time of acute shortage of priests in the Roman-Catholic Church. They do so in fidelity to the words of the Bible that say that the Spirit “blows wherever it pleases” (John 3:8), and gives its gifts “to each one, just as (s)he determines” (1 Cor 12:11), and that among those who are baptised in the name of Jesus Christ, there is “neither male nor female” (Gal 3:28).
In tying the gifts of the Spirit to the male sex, instead of baptism, the Vatican rejects not only the human rights of women, but also the word of the Bible. Thus, the women who have received the vocation to the priesthood cannot defer to a hierarchy that so has forfeited its authority. Accordingly, the ban will not have the desired effect. The movement for women’s access to the interpretation of holy scriptures, as well as leading postions within religious communities, that is growing within all religious traditions, will not be stopped, even in the Roman-Catholic Church.
Så har också de nordamerikanska gammalkatolikerna (som, mycket kortfattat, har en katolsk inriktning, men som inte är i kommunion med Rom) uttalat sig om exkommuniceringsskrivelsen.... Det följande är en pressrelease.
***
Ordaining Women is a Fulfillment of the Gospel
Bishops of this church continue their commitment to the ordination of women.
Washington, DC, June 01, 2008 --(PR.com)-- In response to the decree handed down by the Vatican of the Roman Catholic Church, the Congregation of Bishops of the North American Old Catholic Church issued the following statement:
“We are saddened, but not surprised by the recent statement from the Roman Catholic Church,” said Archbishop Michael Seneco, presiding bishop of the church. “The Roman Catholic Church has a 2,100 year history of the systematic abuse and subjugation of women to a lower, second class status, so this fits in with their long standing modus operandi.”
The Archbishop continued, “The North American Old Catholic Church is just one of the many non-roman Catholic churches throughout the world that not only welcomes, but strongly embraces and encourages women to answer the call given to them by God. The call to be ministers of the Gospel and the Altar is a very strong and powerful experience, and the church needs to be a place where all can answer that call. This church will continue to be a place that embraces our sisters, and we will continue to ordain women to the diaconate, priesthood, and to the episcopacy.”
“Considering the Roman Catholic Church does not currently ordain women, I must wonder exactly whom they are trying to bully with this general decree?” commented Father Hal Barkley, OCSJ. theologian in the church. “Are we to expect that the Roman Catholic Church will issue decrees of excommunications to Anglican and Old Catholic Church bishops and female clergy? Someone really should tell the Vatican that we have already ‘left the building’ and their excommunication decrees won’t stop us from spreading the truth of the Gospel of Christ by utilizing all the tools He has provided for us.”
The body of clergy of The North American Catholic Church currently has one female bishop, four female priests, two female deacons, and three female seminarians, accounting for ¼ of the entire body of clergy of the church.
Jag bad Br. Yossi att berätta lite om de hemlösa han möter i Chicago. Han har medverkat till att starta ett projekt kallat Open Cathedral - Öppen Katedral alltså. Hans text nedan finns även delvis publicerad på deras hemsida.
Jag skulle vilja se något liknande katolskt initiativ även för Sveriges hemlösa... Några som är intresserade av att starta upp det?
***
When Rabbi Jesus spoke to people, he was totally present to them, radiating love and compassion as if the person into whose eyes he looked was the only person in the world at that holy moment. We can do no less. Too many of us simply walk past those without domicile, or, if we do stop to give money, we fail to make any real human contact; we avoid touching or making eye contact, for that might just be too real.
When asking someone if they'd like a bottle of water and a sandwich, the ministry to BE compassion simply happens. When the drink and food is offered and a warm word, a meeting of the eyes, the souls, happens. Communion takes place.
The one doing the preaching is Jerry standing on the corner holding a cup asking for money, singing his heart out, who hugs us because we stop and talk with love. It's Henderson who's got a name, an indentity, and is proud to share that, with a handshake. Ralph's raw honesty in wanting a beer, but who takes the sandwich and water, later walking by, saying thank you, and patting Mary Ann+'s shoulder; it's the homeless Muslim woman and her child sitting in the drenching humidity, simply asking for help. They are all God speaking to us and changing us! This is why we're here. This is Open Cathedral.
Why do we do this?
This is a moral imperative; it's our spiritual heritage. Deuteronomy 16:20 states emphatically: "Justice, justice shalt thou pursue." Jesus calls those who walk The Way to BE the Good News and live the corporal and spiritual works of mercy without litmus tests.
This ministry is, likewise, about honoring people as the unique expressions of God they are. A handshake, a pat on the back, a look straight in the eyes, a sandwich, a drink of water, some gloves and a hat or some socks all help to restore some sense of dignity to our brother or sister. Perhaps in this brief moment or two, he or she realizes his or her own inherent dignity. It is a namaste moment; a thin place, a moment when God becomes even more conscious of God; it is communion.
Doing ministry together does not require the exact same beliefs. It does, however, require a commitment to service, treating the homeless as persons who need our help.
Brother Yossi, Joyful Heart Hermitage, Chicago Co-Founder, Open Cathedral
Open Cathedral is a ministry of presence, not a place. We welcome those who are physically and spiritually homeless, on their own terms, with compassion and open hearts. We are here for those for whom religion as usual leaves one seeking more. We welcome ALL; we are Open Cathedral.
Inte ordagrant så - men på ett ungefär - sa Franciskus. Fågelpredikanten.... Vargvännen.
Den här berättelsen påminde mig om det.
***
A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the preacher decided to visit him.
It was a chilly evening. The preacher found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his preachers visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.
The preacher made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the preacher took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone then he sat back in his chair, still silent.
The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead.
Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. The preacher glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow,once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.
As the preacher reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, 'Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday.'
We live in a world today, which tries to say too much with too little. Consequently, few listen. Sometimes the best sermons are the ones left unspoken.
(Unfortunately I don't know who wrote this story, it's been circulating in mails for awhile - if you recognize it and knows who should have the credit for it - please let me know...)
The following story is a wonderful witness about healing through prayer. Thanks Rose for sharing and for being here to answer to eventual questions in the comments!
***
Ni som har läst om denna undersökning (här finns mer att läsa om studien) och eventuellt drar slutsatsen att förbön inte hjälper - läs följande berättelse av Rose Cholewinski - en katolik som tillhör en östlig rit, och vars man Stan, som detta handlar om är diakon.
Läs den för all del också om ni älskar att läsa om när Gud ingriper... :-)
Hon bad om förbön för sin man på en maillista - och fick det underbara bönesvar hon vittnar om. Jag bad henne att sammanfatta det hon skrev och gästblogga här. Fick nedanstående inlägg igår.
Hon kommer att finnas till hands här för att svara på eventuella frågor - så har ni sådana är ni välkomna att fråga i kommentarerna!
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My husband went into total renal failure. . Prior to bypass surgery he had also been in congestive heart failure, with an aggressive staph infection, which began in Jan 2006, then in Feb.2006, he had a quadruple bypass. Things had not been right for him since he had by-pass surgery; he never regained his strength. Finally in the summer of 2007 he did a pastoral care course, but at the end of it he got sick, and started gradually swelling. There were no signs of problems with his heart – his heart actually carried his body through all of this, and the staph was treated successfully.
When we took him to the hospital on that Monday - he was lucid and pretty clear headed. The hospital chaplain - a priest - met him in the ER (the waiting room even) and gave him Eucharist. By Tuesday, it was pretty clear he was not going to be with us as he was fast slipping away fast. As he entered this time beginning on Monday, in his pain and suffering, when he could not communicate, I heard him say loudly - 'God I told you I can't do this by myself', he was going fast.
After he no longer talked with us, one could see on his lips and hear by listening closely that he was either praying the Our Father, the Jesus Prayer, or he would be praying in tongues. As they moved him to MICU our deacon - my husband is also a deacon - came by and laid a small icon of the Theotokos on him. We could not find it, and somehow, he had gotten it under his gown, and if anyone tried to remove it, he would moan loudly - he could not talk - yet he knew if someone touched his icon.
I got sick during all my running, so I ended up going to get a shot in the ER on Monday morning. My shot in the emergency room ended up in a 9-day stay in the hospital for me. Well, at least we were under the same roof, not room, but same roof, and Jesus was present there in the Eucharist so we were blessed.
I have to share a little, let me see if I can recall the sequence of events...
1. I heard the Lord say on Tuesday 'all for my honor and glory.' I said OK Lord! By Tuesday night, it was clear he was becoming disoriented and could not function on his own. 2. Fr. Deacon Stan got steadily worse; his kidneys shut down completely. The four pints of blood became four more pounds of fluid. He was placed on 24-hr dialysis. 3. He had too much CO2 so they placed a tube in him - innovated him, I guess with a ventilator - to get it out. 4. By then, he was gone, there was no communication from him for four days. 5. They said he was heart was holding strong, pumping 50% of the blood it saw, which was great and keeping his body going, considering two years before he had had bypass surgery (God even prepared that). 6. They said he was there. 7. On the Monday I was in the hospital as noted above, our Lord Jesus Christ, sent three priests to pray with him. a. Fr. Wrigley anointed him in the morning – he slightly opened his eyes, but just as quickly went back out. b. Fr. Isi came in the early afternoon, and he gave him to the Lord that if his life was to be a vegetable then to take him home. If not, then heal him. He pressed on his chest accidentally, and his eyes opened wide, but he went back out. c. Fr. Frank (our priest) came, it was late noon, early evening. He anointed him, used relics I know of St. George, but not certain who else, I think a combination. Prayed with him. Deacon opened his eyes and tried to follow and then went back out.
The kids (our youngest is 23, not really kids) came that evening (I am only going by what I have been told, as I was in the hospital myself, on the next floor). The kids said he opened his eyes, and followed them around the room.
The next morning, the nurse said, he had his eyes opened and was responding to her commands.
Then his blood gases got better. The next day - actually his hands were strapped down - he managed to pull out the ventilator tube from his throat. His fighting spirit was back.
That evening I think it was, they said his kidneys started working. The next day the dialysis machine coagulated, since it was at night, they had to wait till morning to get it back online. HIS KIDNEYS WORKED THE REST OF THE NIGHT!
They put him back on, but his blood gases improved so much they took him off the ventilator. By then they were removing three liters of fluid and hour from his body.
WELL! YOUR FAITHFULNESS TO PRAYER, AS BROUGHT FORTH A MIRACLE.
They removed 65 pounds of fluid from him. He weighed 244 when we took him in, he now weighs 174, about where he was weight wise when this all started.
The first food he received after the ventilator was removed - THE EUCHARIST!
At some point after he was doing somewhat better, he heard the Lord tell him, he would be restored 100%, not just in health, but everything.
Yesterday, they took him off dialysis 20 minutes early. He needs less, they have him on the lowest possible dialysis setting. Also, they have only said he was receiving it because of the inflammation that is in there.
Though during this time, he could not pray out loud, he was always in prayer. Now thanks be to God that we don't have to go through all of that to pray, but to pray in Spirit and in Truth is to always have our mind and souls in an attitude of prayer. If we do, then no matter what the circumstances, the Holy Spirit will pray through us and for us, when we ourselves can no longer pray.
He was in the hospital for a total of seven weeks, including Easter. I took him a bottle of anointing oil from our service we have at Church on Wed. of Holy Week. He then prayed over a few of his nurses, anointing them. From then on, he had a steady stream of hospital employees coming to him for prayer. Then, once in rehab - which he did in the hospital - one of the physical therapists took him to Mass everyday. So even though he was in the hospital for himself, he was ministering to God's people. It makes his training as a 'chaplain' take on a whole different meaning.
He has been home for four weeks now. His lung function is normal, his heart function is normal, and it is all somehow by God's grace everything is becoming normal. He is doing exceedingly well. He is on dialysis, which they say is temporary, with his kidneys working, he still has a lot of inflammation to get rid of.
BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST, IN SO MANY WAYS IT WAS LIKE THE VISITATION OF ABRAHAM! Our Lord sent three priests to pray.
IN SO MANY WAYS IT WAS LIKE LAZARUS WAS CALLED FORTH FROM THE TOMB! As he was there four days.
DANIEL 13: (of Susanna) 35 Through her tears she looked up to heaven, for she trusted in the Lord wholeheartedly. 44 The Lord heard her prayer.
In my tears I trusted, as did so many others friends, loved ones, and many that I will never know until we get to heaven. I could do nothing for my husband, I was in a hospital bed, and I could not even hold his hand. People said they walked away from him in tears, not understanding, but trusting.
I had a lot of time to pray, and I am still processing it all. I especially remembered those who are suffering for our spouse's health. I hope in some small way, my suffering and my testimony as it is right now, can help.
Remember, my testimony, is that God's people were faithful to pray.
2 Chronicles 7: 14 And if my people, upon whom my name has been pronounced, humble themselves and pray, and seek my presence and turn from their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven and pardon their sins and revive their land. 15 Now my eyes shall be open and my ears attentive to the prayer of this place.
Update: as most of the comments are in English - feel free to join in, or read the discussion which you'll find in the comments right below this posting.
Det går naturligtvis även bra att skriva på svenska....!
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Den frågan (ifall även djur har en själ) dök upp som ett sidospår i "utomjordingsdiskussionen" i Monicas blogg.
Så här skrev jag där:
"Vem vet, nästa uttalande från Vatikanen kanske blir att även djur, som Guds skapelser, har själ.
För mig är det självklart och mer än tydligt - man behöver inte vistas bland djur länge för att se att de inte bara är större eller mindre "köttberg" för att uttrycka det lite drastiskt. De är individer, personligheter.
Och vad är det just som utmärker själen?
Jo - det individuella och personliga - som inte kan ersättas av någon annan - och som det inte finns några kopior eller kloner av."
Lustigt nog tar Yahoo nu upp personlighetstest på katter (och hundar) - för att vi ska hitta rätt matchning mellan oss och våra husdjur. Alla katter passar inte vem som helst - så att säga.
***
"All of the types have fun, vivid names and descriptions. Barnaby is "leader of the band." His opposite, a cat low on both scales, is called a "private investigator," who stays out of trouble.
A more middle of the road cat is familiar to many people: the "personal assistant." "You're working on the computer? Let me press the keys. Reading the paper? I'll hold the pages down for you... You'll wonder how you ever managed without me," according to program literature.
Equally important to the Feline-ality program is the fact that people differ, too. Adopters fill out a questionnaire and the results give them a color code, telling them which set of personality types would be best for them to consider.
/.../
Weiss says that people still sometimes fall in love with a cat that isn't a perfect fit, but the program can help in these cases too: People who know what issues to expect are more prepared to deal with them.
But as Monsma says, "There are so many cats out there, why not get one that fits?""
En kvinna jag känner i USA, nyligen prästvigd (inte katolik), med rötter i Afrika, skriver här om sina erfarenheter.
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The energy of the African and African-American Christian stems from a place of being a have-not. This is not unique to the Black, this fervor is found among the poor and other disenfranchised. It is more freely/openly demonstrated amongst Africans and those of African descent. Part of our colorful nature or as the kids say "flava".
Being a have-not means more than finances and that which a solid portfolio and bank account can offer.
We can buy education, staying in the game can be a struggle when the professor admits and acts on a bias against us.
Buying homes, often we are relegated to another's remains or faced with higher interest rates, even for those of us with solid credit ratings.
Our black skin highlights us, giving even the racist immigrant time to grab a shot-gun or round up his buddies before we reach the end of the block (NY). We often talk and yes, laugh about they must have a sign at the airport telling them to hate.
Conversations with Jewish friend explaining they will not know you are Jewish until you open your mouth, see the star of David under your shirt or know your last name. We stand out like a sore thumb (pecking orders). After some time he got it.
Other white friends (Va.) understand it just by being with me and observing the differences in treatment at times bringing them to tears. When I realize this is new to them I can only tell them get used to it, you will see it again. Remember it is not your fault.
In these days racism and anti-Semitism has picked up momentum at an astonishing rate. I've been concerned with the words and actions of clergy, sadly, their are those no different than the ones they shepherd. Check your speech but more closely check your heart.
You meet someone new, they know who you are, you are black, you are perceived less (on a variety of levels). Friends are surprised when they learn yes, we can feel it. You do not have to taunt us with racial slurs, we can FEEL it. White friends do not have to signal with regard to the presence of a known racist, we know (this is part of what is referred to as the "strange dance between whites and blacks in the south', I've come to understand).
I could go on, I will not. Suffice it to say: When you have nothing, you know God is all there is. When the systemic, institutionalized racism, benign neglect and greed, designed to break you, destroy all hope, break the spirit, and beat you down, who is with you, who is for you? Only an unchanging God. We know it.
During the apartheid era I asked a South African neighbor during one of many exchanges, how did you keep standing, not let it beat you down? Her response was simply, "It is an insult against my skin color not me the person." For those unable to get beyond skin color whether it be an individual or continent, we know who we are and we know to whom we belong, we know it will not always be this way. Why? Because He said so (childlike faith) and we don't debate it.
Så har Raymond Burke som jag skrivit om ett par gånger tidigare (sök på hans namn i bloggen så hittar ni inläggen) belönats med en utnämning från Vatikanen för sin exkommuniceringsiver (han har förmodligen slagit nutida katolskt världsrekord genom att exkommunicera fler personer på kortare tid än någon annan - tre, möjligen fyra vigda kvinnor och en polsk manlig präst).
Utnämningen passar honom säkert alldeles perfekt - han ska nämligen arbeta för "the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts". Varför inte återinföra inkvisitionen på samma gång? Och tvångsdop av ickekatoliker?
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Statement of Women's Ordination Conference Executive Director Aisha Taylor on the Appointment of Archbishop Raymond Burke to Vatican Office
Aisha Taylor, Executive Director of the Women's Ordination Conference, issued the following statement about the Vatican's appointment of Archbishop Raymond Burke of Saint Louis to the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts:
The appointment of Archbishop Raymond Burke is an all-too-familiar pattern that we have seen time and again. Church leaders are rewarded for behavior that goes against the main principles of Christianity. Archbishop Burke's appointment comes less than two months after his unnecessary excommunication of three ordained Roman Catholic women. This seems to be nothing more than a pat on the back for his deliberate sexism.
The Women's Ordination Conference is deeply disappointed by this Vatican appointment, especially on the heels of the pope's visit to the US, where on the surface, it seemed to be a pastoral visit that provided some healing for U.S. Catholics. A look deeper shows that women were intentionally excluded when they could have been included, such as during the Papal Masses when only ordained men distributed the Eucharist.
Archbishop Burke has demonstrated callous disregard for his community and he is out of step with his brother bishops in many of his actions. In addition to the excommunications, he has consistently worked to promote his own ultra-conservative agenda. From his unwavering position on actions taken by Catholics who hold public office to his disputes with St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Saint Louis, he has done nothing more than violate every aspect of the spirit of the Second Vatican Council.
The Women's Ordination Conference is proud to represent and advocate for the vast majority of U.S Catholics that support the ordination of women. Together, we will tirelessly work until justice is achieved so Archbishop Burke and other church leaders who go out of their way to disregard women's vital roles in the church no longer receive recognition for their blatant sexism.
Nedanstående citat är hämtat ur en intervju med Karen Hurley, ledare för Catholic Organizations Union (Zenit).
Det är samma gamla utnötta budskap som tuggas om där, mest med referenser till vad påven sa medan han var kardinal - om att kvinnor har jättestor värdighet generellt - och självfallet samma rättigheter som män - underförstått: utom i Kyrkan.
Vi får också till min förvåning lära oss att kvinnors särskilda gåva är att hålla ut under motstånd, fortsätta det dagliga livet i extrema situationer, se an mot framtiden, och under tårar minnas varje människas värde.
Ja - han har faktiskt rätt i det. Mer rätt än han nog anar - men på ett helt annat sätt än han ser.
Sannerligen är det en extremt sjuk situation i Kyrkan idag, där man får hålla ut så gått det går i motvinden, tala om absurditeterna med blicken riktad mot framtiden, och under tårar beskåda hur kvinnor med en prästkallelse bemöts - ovärdigt! Skamligt!
Och den enda ursäkten är att de som har makt att förändra inte inser det.
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Q: Is there a special message for the mission of women that you could learn from this papal trip?
Hurley: Our Holy Father spoke clearly of the dignity of every human person created in the image and likeness of God. His words resonate particularly during this 20th anniversary year of Pope John Paul II's apostolic letter, “Mulieris Dignitatem," On the Dignity and Vocation of Women.
Referring to the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as the role of the United States of America in the international community, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged efforts to build "a world where the God-given dignity and rights of every man, woman and child are cherished, protected and effectively advanced."
For the members of the World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations, this encompasses our mission to work for human rights beginning with the fundamental right to life, the education of women and girls, caring for the poor, the sick and the stranger, and advocating for justice based on God's moral law.
Before his election, then-Cardinal Ratzinger wrote in the “Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Collaboration of Men and Women in the Church and in the World":
“It is women, in the end, who even in very desperate situations, as attested by history past and present, possess a singular capacity to persevere in adversity, to keep life going even in extreme situations, to hold tenaciously to the future, and finally to remember with tears the value of every human life."
Our Holy Father reminded all men and women of our God-given dignity. A reality of the dignity of women is a "capacity for the other," which elicits life and contributes to the growth and protection of all those entrusted to our care.
Fick tips om en unierad kyrka - förmodligen fristående - bestående både av ortodoxer och katoliker, där både den östliga och västliga liturgin firas.
Och de har kvinnliga präster.... :-)
Har bara kikat lite hastigt på länkarna - men det verkar nästan för bra för att vara sant. Är det inte så HÄR Kyrkan borde vara...?
Tyvärr finns de bara i USA. Hm... Än så länge.... Men sånt som är bra brukar ju spridas vidare så småningom.
Läs t.ex. vad de skriver om prästämbetet - här ett utdrag ur det:
"Women are good candidates for Orders and, despite a long history to the contrary, ought to be ordained in the Church. Again, a comment with which we can completely agree. However, some Anglican and most Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Missouri Synod and Southern Baptist authorities would heatedly disagree. This is another core issue concerning ordination that isn't going to easily resolve itself. We in the Orthodox-Catholic Church of America have felt called to step out in faith on this matter, believing that precisely because there is an essential equality among believers by virtue of our common baptism, ordained sacramental leadership draws upon that equality. The principle that motivates our stand is therefore theological, not social or political as such."
I en del kulturer är det männen som genomlider alla graviditetens och barnafödandets plågor - medan kvinnor går mer eller mindre obemärkta igenom det - slutar jobba några timmar innan förlossningen, och sen går direkt tillbaka till arbetet. Medan männen är helt förstörda i flera dar efteråt. Och dessförinnan har gått igenom alla graviditetssymptom.
Det kallar jag medlidande! Och genuin solidaritet. Nu finns det inte längre något att skylla på, hörrni män....! Ni kan uppenbarligen vara nästan lika delaktiga i barnafödandet som kvinnor - och samtidigt lindra det enormt för dem.
Är detta inte som gjort för alla män i vår jämställda kultur? Särskilt katolska män - som ju ofta ser till att det blir ganska så många barn i familjerna. Bör män inte solidariskt ta på sig åtminstone hälften av lidandet? Varannan herrarnas...?
I de beskrivna kulturerna där fenomenet förekommer ses det som självklart att männen ska ta på sig det varje gång - annars är de inga riktiga män utan ynkryggar. Det här var en ny machosymbol som jag verkligen gillar (till skillnad från den rådande).
Fram för fler modiga och till ytterlighet empatifyllda män!
"Consider the phenomenon of Couvade, documented in many places worldwide. In some societies in Micronesia and the Amazon Valley, for example, the mother shows no indication of suffering during delivery. She may break from work a mere two or three hours to give birth, then return to the fields. By all appearances the husband bears the pain: during the delivery and for days afterward he lies in bed, thrashing about and groaning. Indeed, if his travail seems unconvincing, other villagers will question his paternity. A journalist or anthropologist who tried to explain, "Sir, there's no reason for you to feel pain because, after all, it was your wife who bore the child," would doubtless meet a hostile reaction. For months the father has struggled with such symptoms as nausea, weight gain, constipation, headache, and other signs of distress, not to mention the agony of the "delivery" itself. For him, the pain is as real as it is for the Manhattan socialite demanding her epidural."
Är det kanske så finurligt tänkt att vi kan bära varandras plågor mycket konkret - inte bara andligt utan också fysiskt....?
Även om detta skulle vara en placeboeffekt så verkar den ju funka utmärkt - både för kvinnor och män. Och blir lidandet för stort för de medlidande männen så kan man ju ge dem epiduralbedövning istället - så ser de nog till att den blir effektiv. För det är ju så det brukar funka i forskningen - när män lider så hittar man snart botemedel.... Hade män fött barn rent fysiskt hade det nog skett helt smärtfritt vid det här laget.
Även detta som skrivs om religion, och särskilt kristen tro och smärta är intressant:
"Religion, of course, plays a crucial role in ascribing meaning to the pain experience. At the risk of oversimplification, I might suggest the following pattern: acceptance (Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism), mastery (advanced practitioners of Hinduism and Buddhism), and protest (Judaism). Christianity at various points reflects each of these streams. Early in its history martyrs sang in the flames, stylites sat on poles exposed to weather, and desert monks lived on a diet of bread and water. Later, fatalistic Christians argued against inoculations for smallpox, which would interfere with God's will, and warned against relieving the God-given pain of childbirth. Sarah Coakley, one of the editors of this volume, contributes a chapter examining the relationship between pain and contemplation in the spirituality of two 16th-century Carmelites, Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross. She admits that in some ways these two reflect a strand of valorization of pain—a tradition familiar to parochial school students drilled on martyrs' tales. Yet, paradoxically, meditation also offers its own analgesic possibilities, as Dr. Herbert Benson has long maintained. Perhaps most important, the Christian mystics presume that no pain is devoid of spiritual meaning. It can serve a redemptive purpose, and in that sense pain can be transformed."
Katolska stickspår:
Kan män som tar på sig kvinnors graviditets- och barnafödandesmärtor bli präster?
Kan inte detta rent av utvecklas till en ny kyrklig tjänst enbart för män (så att de får ha ett eget unikt revir kvar när kvinnor återför möjligheten till vigningar) - att de tar på sig inte bara sina eventuella fruars smärta men också okända kvinnors lidande? Det vore väl närmast helgonlikt...?!
Hmmm....apropå kvinnlighet och prästerskap: kan medelålders män som får en naturligt ökad östrogenhalt och därmed får kvinnligare former, och även mentalt blir mer lika kvinnor, fortsätta vara präster? Medan kvinnor - som går i motsatta riktningen i medelåldern, mot större testosteronhalter - då borde få bli präster? Om prästämbetet nu ska definieras biologiskt - så som många gör....
