Centering Calm in a Sea of Troubles

 

 

He Qi, Peace Be Still

Centering Calm in a Sea of Troubles

Fr. Tony’s Letter to the Trinitarians

October 2020

 

In Galatians, we read: 

 

“Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the part of you that resists God… [I]f indeed the Spirit is leading you, Law has little to with it.  Now the works of a self that resists God are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.  By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. No Law in the world forbids such things.”  (Gal 5: 16-23) 

 

So “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” are fruits of the Spirit, which Paul elsewhere says is a seal of the sureness of God’s promises, a down payment on the good God intends us all.   This comes not from frenzied efforts to follow rules and expectations; it comes through being grounded in Spirit. 

 

In times of horror, stress, and trouble like these, all of us can be beaten down.  Many of us are not sleeping well.  We are short-tempered, and sometimes snippy or grumpy, if not downright hurtful.   We try to find someone or something to blame, and usually are successful, though there are no winners of blame-games, only losers. 

 

That is why it is some important especially in times like these to take time each day for centering:  quiet contemplation of the beauty of the world (now that the fires are out, the smoke cleared, and rain has fallen), doing an Ignatian Examen of conscience each evening (using imagination to vividly view our successes and failures each day), and, of course, reciting the Daily Office and small hours (Morning and Evening Prayer, Noonday Prayer, and Compline, BCP 75-135, or their abbreviated summary, Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families, BCP pp. 135-140).   

 

Prayer centers us; reading scripture (a big part of the Daily Office) takes us out of ourselves and turns our hearts from the griefs pressing in on us.  It is not about convincing God to do something he otherwise would not have done.  It is not about showing our devotion and proving our worthiness.  It is about re-centering our lives in the One who made us lovingly  and blesses us. 

 

The Talent-Phoenix School District had over 50% of their students lose their family homes.  They are working hard to rehouse and assist the displaced.  As they began planning for a pandemic-threatened school year, well before the fires, they organized a group to assist families unable to provide their kids with the platforms needed for on-line schooling, PTS [Phoenix Talent Schools] Rising!  Their motto sums up their vision and call, and is all the more important today in light of the additional stresses caused by the fire:  Calm, Clarity, Compassion, and Courage.

 

Calm, Clarity, Compassion, and Courage.  It sounds a lot like “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  To make it through all this upbound and without lasting  damage to us and those around us, we need centering.  Prayer is a good start. 

 

Grace and Peace.  Fr. Tony+