Unless your righteousness . . .

I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

                                                                                               --Matthew 5:20

 

How to surpass the scribes and Pharisees in virtue? To begin with, by always being humble, by remembering our own faults and failings and our need for forgiveness, by knowing that anything worthwhile in us is a gift of God, and by seeing all others as better than ourselves in every way.

Non-violence

In the midst of an increasingly violent society and armed conflicts worldwide, I have never been more certain of the importance of promoting non-violence between individuals, groups, and nations. Non-violence begins with seeking justice and equality for all, and not just through symbolic actions but by overcoming the structures that promote racism and prejudice of every kind, as well as the economic inequality that leaves most of humanity, including our fellow citizens, (not to mention our beautiful earth home), struggling every day just to survive. This can--and must--be done with the tools of non-violence, which requires a daily commitment from every one who cares, and a willingness to challenge even those structures that may benefit us personally but contribute to the oppression of others. Non-violent change can be enduring change and can defeat even the most powerful weapons, so long as each of us is willing to do their part.

Poetry

Unsere Sprache ist entweder mechanisch, atomistisch, oder dynamisch. Die echt poetische Sprache soll aber organisch, lebendig sein. Wie oft fühlt man die Armut an Worten, um mehre Ideen mit Einem Schlage zu treffen.                                                                 

Our language is either mechanical, atomistic, or dynamic. But truly poetic language should be organic, alive. How often does one feel the poverty of a words’ ability to express several ideas at once.

                                                                                              --Novalis, Blütenstaub

 

Here lies the difference between nature and everyday language. Nature is all simultaneity. But everyday language uses lists, plots, beginnings and endings. Poetry must express itself in the manner of nature, implying the interconnectedness of all things, all stories, the visible and the invisible. Things are often metaphors for other things, ideas often metaphors for other ideas, the visible for the invisible, but the connection may not be obvious until it is revealed by poetic language, which (as in the Song of Songs, for example) can even express the transcendent.

Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe, 2022

 

Sí, ustedes saldrán gozosamente

y serán conducidos en paz;

al paso de ustedes, las montañas y las colinas prorrumpirán en gritos de alegría,

y aplaudirán todos los árboles del campo.

En lugar de zarzas brotarán cipreses,

y mirtos en lugar de ortigas:

esto dará al Señor un gran renombre,

será una señal eterna, que no se borrará.

                              -- Isaías 55:12-13

  

Yes, in joy you shall go forth,

in peace you shall be brought home;

mountains and hills shall break out in song before you,

all trees of the field shall clap their hands.

In place of the thornbush, the cypress shall grow,

instead of nettles, the myrtle.

This shall be to the Lord’s renown,

as an everlasting sign that shall not fail.  

                            --Isaiah 55:12-13

In Time and Eternity

 

From the gospel of the most sublime of the evangelists: “Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.” These are words for both time and eternity, and embody a life, developing and unfolding, that exists, even with all our troubles and failings, in joy. I would be blind or a liar to deny my experience of this life, because to “know” God, to “know” Jesus, means to be filled with love. And more than that, it means experiencing eternity even within the confines of time.

In his book The World’s Living Religions, the philosopher Archie Bahm (who was a friend of my father) wrote, “Jesus’ message was simple, practical, workable for those willing to give it a fair trial, and unsurpassed in profundity of insight into human nature and its problems of how to overcome unhappiness. Yet, since desire, greed, pride, and fear tend to dominate, and often succeed in dominating, human nature, we often remain blind to the nature and power of love.”

I certainly know desire, greed, pride, and fear, but I also know the power of love. When, in Jesus, God takes on our nature and joins time with eternity, love of neighbor and love of God also become joined as never before, giving us, to quote the evangelist again, the “power to become children of God,” both in this life and eternal life.

Feast of St. Hildegard of Bingen

The hosts of angels praise the good works of humanity and, because of those works, not for one hour, nor for one moment, do they cease from their praise; it sounds forth unceasingly. Now God wants the praise of the angels so that their glory will increase. To him this is pleasing, and in their praise, he wants the angels to make clear and manifest the works of the saints, for the human race is made in the image and likeness of God, and so he wants the angels to praise the works of men and women in his presence. But because the human race is supported by the help of God alone, in the same way also God wishes to be praised by humans and angels together so that their glory may be magnified.

                                                                                                  --St. Hildegard of Bingen

Two stories

I just want to mention that I have had two stories published recently in wonderful literary magazines with exceptional editorial teams, here and here. I am so pleased to actually see these stories appear on-line (and, in the case of MASKS Literary Magazine, in print as well), and not only because they are in such great venues. These stories are also part of a series of stories that I have written about our neighborhood--its people, places, and mysteries. I love sharing the world of our neighborhood, and I hope you enjoy them as well.