September 19, 2012

Acceptance, Contentment and Rejoicing

Posted by johnmangels under Looking for God | Tags: , , , , |
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It’s been too long since I posted!

Anyway, today (in my supplemental office readings) I read a poem (couldn’t figure out the author, but it’s from Celtic Daily Prayer) part of which goes like this:

Help me to find my happiness
in my acceptance
of what is Your purpose for me …
in the awareness
of Your presence in my spirit.

Then I came across this (from the Tao Te Ching as quoted in Chittister’s The Rule of Benedict):

Be content with what you have;
rejoice in the way things are,
When you realize there is nothing lacking
the whole world belongs to you.

I’m still wrestling with retirement.

I’m doing a lot of (more…)

 

February 10, 2012

“Perfection”?

Posted by johnmangels under Looking for God, Monasticism | Tags: , , , , |
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Maybe, finally, I’m beginning to understand the biblical idea of perfection! (more…)

 

August 6, 2011

The Wealth of Poverty?

Posted by johnmangels under Interfaith, Monasticism | Tags: , , , |
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This is so counter cultural that I simply couldn’t resist.  It comes from Joan Chittister’s The Rule of Benedict:  A Spirituality for the 21st Century:

Rabbi Mordecai said, “If a single coin is left over in my house at bedtime, I cannot fall asleep.  But if totally penniless, I sleep soundly, knowing that when the moment comes to awaken, I must immediately look to the Lord for aid.”  And the rabbi of Porissover taught, “If a person is poor and meek, it is easy for that one to be joyful, inasmuch as there is nothing to guard against losing.”

… We live in a culture that sees having things as the measure of our success.  We strive for a life that sees eliminating things as a measure of internal wealth.  Enough-ness is a value long dead in Western society.