Mount Tamalpais viewed from Mare Island (15 March 2005)Nada te turbe;
nada te espante;
todo se pasa;
Dios no se muda,
la pacïencia
todo lo alcanza.
Quien a Dios tiene,
nada le falta.
Solo Dios basta.
Saint Teresa of Ávila
(1515-1582)
Alert readers may have noticed alternation between angry or downcast posts (the political ones) and calming or uplifting ones. I am clearly trying to bring myself back to center but I cannot ignore the atrocities being done in our name (around the world and on the Hill).
--the BB
6 comments:
Paul, I'll tell you what worked for me. I was obsessed with Bush and Cheney to the point where it was really ruining up my life and the lives of those around me. I was seething much of the time.
The best advice I got was, of course, to return to the center - Jesus. The how, for me, was to pray for Bush and Cheney every single day. "Pray for your enemies."
It was extremely difficult at first, but it became easier as time went on, and eventually the obsession eased away.
I'm still outraged, shocked, appalled, incredulous, but I'm no longer obsessed, I'm no longer constantly seething. Thanks be to God.
I don't know if this would work for anyone else, but it worked for me.
Chère Grandmère,
It has also worked for me in the past on several occasions.
I often counsel people to pray as they can and not as they cannot (something learned from a spiritual director). And to be honest. So at this point I have to admit to God and myself that I am not ready to let go of my anger toward Bush and Cheney. I do, from time to time, pray that Bush's very damaged inner child might be healed. But until I can, in my heart, place them in the light of God, all I can do is acknowledge where I am and pray for their victims.
It has often been my experience in the past that simply being honest about the situation, including one's unreadiness and unwillingness to let go, opens the door for all manner of divine grace to operate.
Since anger is energy and it enables us to do what we need to do, I want to see our anger challenged into taking our country back, to stir us up into good democratic action. Sigh. I'd love to see ten million people march through the streets of America demanding impeachment, but I doubt that would get Nancy's attention.
I'll stop now because you can see I only getting riled up.
Paul, I understand. You must be honest about what you can do and what you can't do.
Blessings and peace to you, my friend.
For the non-Spanish-readers among us:
Let nothing disturb you;
nothing affright you;
all things pass;
God does not change;
Patience achieves all things.
Who holds to God
lacks nothing.
God alone suffices.
It was rude of me not to provide a translation. I apologize.
I have loved praying that in the Taize version-- but I had no idea it was from Teresa of Avila!
A prayer that helps me wrassle with outrage and hatred is: "Lord, please give us all kinder hearts, better sense, and the will to do your work. Amen."
Good prayer, Mary Ann!
Confession time: I do pretty well when I finally break down and let go of my fury long enough to pray (just about any prayer will do because they all open my heart to God, even when I'm kvetching). It's letting go of my snit long enough to say, "OK God, have at me."
Ah yes, I remember falling in love with this prayer when I first heard the Taize version beautifully sung. I was quite ensorceled by it. Not sure but that may be what introducted me to the prayer.
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