Fr.
Tony’s Midweek Message
Habits
of the Heart
April
25, 2018
We
often hear in Ashland the mantra, “I’m spiritual but not religious.” I
have heard some fellow clergy say that this expression is just a cheap way of
trying to have the benefits of faith and religion without any of its
inconveniences. I am not so sure: I think that what people are
trying to get at in this saying is that they are deeply motivated by wonder at
the world and have profound values, but are reluctant to let these feelings be
co-opted by structures of authority that have proven again and again how flawed
they are. And that surely is something reaching for the loving and
the true, a good thing to be sure.
The
fact is, we need to maintain practices and habits that keep our eyes open to
wonder and our hearts open to love. Love does not come naturally:
it too often is corrupted by selfishness, fear, and a desire to
control. Practices like prayer, meditation, ongoing daily
intentional attentiveness (what Buddhists call mindfulness or being in the
moment), or even singing help open our eyes and our hearts. So do
walking, enjoying the natural world, and service.
Fr.
Richard Rohr put it this way: “Spirituality is whatever it takes to keep your
heart space open. That is daily, constant work because your ego and the events
of life want to close it down. The voices in the dominant culture tell you to
judge, dismiss, hate, and fear. If you don’t have some spiritual practice that
has kept your heart open in hell, I know you’re going to be a grumpy old man or
a hateful old woman, [with] negativity [as] all you have left. You have to work
to live in love, to develop a generosity of spirit, a readiness to smile, a
willingness to serve instead of to take.”
Grace
and Peace,
Fr.
Tony+
Thanks for this. One quote with so much global truth. I just realized I am slipping into becoming hateful...
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