12/2/15

At B- tonight, Fr. Michael started out with the idea that we often don't recognize our own poverty, and how being 'poor in spirit' isn't necessarily a physical trait. He said that we have to name our poverty so that we can be open to the gifts God is trying to give us. Spiritual growth really happens when we're cornered and put into a difficult place, a place of darkness, referencing St. John of the Cross. But this darkness is paradoxically full of light, because it's out of this darkness that we gain a stronger sense of the presence of God in our lives. It's a process of death and rebirth, like the parable of the grain of wheat:

Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. (John 12:24-26)

Switching gears somewhat, Fr. Michael talked about combating fundamentalism. He said that we often approach fundamentalists by debating with them when in actuality living a powerful spiritual life is a more effective witness. Then he read the readings from that day and had us reflect on them. He had an interesting take on the first part of the gospel reading from Matthew:

Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. (Mt 15:29-31)

The people in the procession, in offering "the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others" at the feet of Jesus, are offering up their weaknesses. And that's a pretty radical image when you think about it. Rather than offering up sumptuous foods and riches, we offer up our weaknesses and God heals and gives us strength! This led into a discussion about suffering and how a lot of spiritual growth can come out of times of great suffering. I think suffering can help by clearing away our comforts and cutting through our illusions about life, leaving us naked in a sense. And when we're in a place where we can be more mindful and reflective, we can see things as they really are and more easily let go of what isn't skillful/necessary.

It's not the suffering itself that's important but our response to it. Dorothy offered a story about a friend of hers who experienced a lot of misfortunes and suffering in a relatively short span of time, and her prayer/mantra was, "What can I learn from this?" It reflects an openness of heart, a poverty of spirit, non-attachment. It's as if life is screaming, "Let go! It's not that serious! It's not that important!" To develop that kind of attitude, though, we have to confront our greedy tendencies and our self-centredness, not to mention the conditionings of capitalism that compel us to become invested in accumulation, a sense of ownership, individualism, financial and legal responsibilities, etc.

The more we build up and hold onto, the more we invest in and cling to what we have, the harder it is to see through that, to see through the allure of sensual pleasures and the machinations of our ego. We need to put down/let go/lose these things, or at least our clinging in relation to them, to be free to move beyond them and turn within and find God/nibbana in the darkness, silence, emptiness.