Friday, March 23, 2018

SOLITUDE


                                                            HOLY WEEK


                                                  We are invited to make a retreat.

                                                  We are invited to go into solitude.

                                                  We are invited to use the sharings

                                                  offered here over the seven days

                                                  of this Holy Week to both

                                                  understand more deeply and

                                                  experience more fully

                                                  the  centrality and richness of

         \                                                   SOLITUDE.

                                                  What follows is crafted

                                                  for a week long, slow, progressive

                                                  prayer and meditation.


                                                  We are invited to find quiet time
                                              
                                                  and space each day

                                                  to consider a portion

                                                  of what is offered here,

                                                  to be in and to savor solitude.

                        
                                                                ******

                                                 

                                                 

Hi There!

So, "solitude" has eight letters to it,

but in our cultural setting,

it's pretty much a dirty, four letter word.

In reality, though, "solitude"

is ever so purifying,

just like its twin, "society."

They are one in different ways,

two ways to be alive in

The Love Who Is God.

        "We need society and we need solitude also  
          as we need summer and winter,
          day and night, exercise and rest."
                                                                             
                                       Philip Gilbert Hamerton

In complementary ways solitude and society

help us find ourselves positioned in the

Center and Source of All,

The One Who Is God.

            "We must become so alone,
              so totally alone,
              that we withdraw into our innermost self.
              It is a way of bitter suffering.
              But then our solitude is overcome,
              we are no longer alone,
              for we find that our innermost
              self is the spirit,
              that it is God,
              the indivisible.
              And suddenly we find ourselves
              in the midst of the world,
              yet undisturbed by its multiplicity,
              for in our innermost soul
              we know ourselves
              to be one with all being.

                                                Hermann Hesse


Solitude and Society.


Jesus thrived on this complementary oneness.

He was out and about with the folks a- plenty;

connecting, caring, healing,

teaching - enlivening!

He urged us to get out as well

in active people love and care,

        "Love each other as I have loved you..."

                                                   John 15:12

        "I was hungry and
         you gave me food,
         I was thirsty and
         you gave me something to drink.
         I was a stranger and
         you welcomed me,
         I was naked and
         you gave me clothing,
         I was sick and
         you took care of me,
         I was in prison and
         you visited me...
         Whatever you did to the least
          you did unto me."

                  Matthew 25: 35-36 & 40

Jesus also went off by himself to a place apart.

          "He got up and slipped away
            to a solitary place to pray."

                                                     Mark1:35

He ventured into solitude

to be immersed in an intense intimacy

with "Abba," his "Daddy."

That's the literal translation.

"Heavenly Father" is a more formal

 and less clear translations.

He encouraged us to go apart into solitude as well:

                "But when you pray,
                  go into your room,
                  close the door and pray
                  to your Father,
                  who is unseen.
                  Then your Father,
                  who sees what is done in secret,
                  will reward you."

                                                         Matthew 6:6

We are God centered and sourced

in the twin oneness of society and solitude.



In our current cultural context, though,

solitude is far from the preferred twin,

frequently feared,

often orphaned.

Let's check out both

the problem and the potential,

and see just where we are with solitude

in our spiritual lives out here

on the street of everyday living.



                             PROBLEM

                           
           "One of the greatest necessities
             in America is to discover
             creative solitude."

                                                  Carl Sandburg

                         
               "What a commentary on civilization,
                 when being alone is suspect,
                 when one has to apologize for it,
                 make excuses,
                 hide the fact that one practices it -
                 like a secret vice."

                                         Anne Morrow Lindbergh


                "Loneliness is such
                  an omnipotent and painful threat
                  to many persons,
                  that they have little conception          
                  of the positive values of solitude,
                  and even at times are frightened
                  at the prospect of being alone.

                                                            Rollo May


                   "We live in a world starved for solitude,
                     silence and the private:
                     and therefore starved  
                     for meditation and friendship."

                                                            C.S. Lewis


                     "All men's miseries
                       derive from not being able
                       to sit still in a quiet room alone."

                                                             Blaise Pascal


                       "How can you hear your soul
                         if everyone is talking?"

                                                   Mary Doria Russell


                        "Solitude is a necessary protest
                          to the incursions and false alarms
                          of society's hysteria,
                          a period of cure and recovery."

                                           Abraham Joshua Heschal


  Check this out.
             Check the day's new's.
                                And get thee to solitude:

                          "When society is made up of men
                            who know no interior solitude
                            it can no longer be held together by love:
                            and consequently it is held together
                            by a violent and abusive authority.
                            But when men are violently deprived
                            of the solitude and freedom
                            which are their due,
                            then society in which they live
                            becomes putrid,
                            it festers with servility,
                            resentment and hate."

                                                               Thomas Merton

Oh yes,
       Get thee to solitude!!

           
We not only have a problem,
                                                               
we are in peril.

Yet, we also have potential

if we will center in solitude.



                       POTENTIAL


       "Your inner voice is the voice of divinity.
         To hear it, we need to be in solitude,
         even in crowed places."

                                                A. R. Rahman

       
          "Then stirs the feeling infinite,
            so felt in solitude,
            when we are least alone."

                                                Lord Byron


           "The happiest of all lives
             is a busy solitude."

                                                      Voltaire


           "A little while alone in your room
            will prove more valuable
            than anything else that could be given you."

                                                         Rumi


           "I am never less alone than when alone."

                                                          Cicero


             "The thoughtful soul to solitude retires."

                                                           Omar Khayyam


              "The reason old souls enjoy spending time alone
                is because they never really are."

                                                                      Unknown


                 "Solitude gives birth to the original in us."

                                                                       Thomas Mann


                   "Solitude is the place of purification."

                                                                         Martin Buber

                    "It is only in solitude that I find my core."

                                                        Anne Morrow Lindbergh


                      "One can be instructed in society,
                       one is inspired only in solitude."

                                                   Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


                        "By waiting and calm you shall be saved,
                         in quiet and trust shall be your strength."

                                                                           Isaiah 30: 15


                          "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone."

                                                                              Psalm 62:5


                            "(Elijah) went into a cave and spent the night.
                             And the word of the Lord came to him...
                             a gentle whisper."

                                                                          1 Kings19:9,12


                              "Come with me by yourselves
                                to a quiet place,
                                and get some rest.
                                So they went away to a solitary place."

                                                                                        Jesus

                                                                                ( Mark 6:31-32)


                                 "For God alone my soul awaits in silence."

                                                                                        Psalm 62:1


                                "Nowhere can man find a quieter
                                  or more untroubled retreat than his own soul."

                                                                               Marcus Aurelius

               
                                 "Be still and know that I am God."

                                                                                      Psalm 46:10



When we take Jesus up on his invite to solitude,

we go to our room and close the door.

our "room" could be a place in our home.

It could be an alone place

on the beach,

or on a mountain top.

It could be in a quiet church,

or in our garden,

or at the local library.

Our "room" is wherever we can be calm and quiet.

We leave phone and texting behind and turned off.

We open the cage and let our monkey mind clear out:

did I pay the mortgage,

wonder if we'll have sex tonight,

can I close that important deal tomorrow,

having sex tonight might de-stress me

for closing that deal tomorrow  !!!  

(couldn't resist that, well, I could have,

but I really didn't want to!!),

I wonder how my spiritual life

shapes up compared to others,

should I get a gym membership

and start working out,

so on and so forth.

We let those jumping monkeys out

as we relax into to calm quiet.

Our "room" is where we can be alone,

so that we won't be alone

because we are in God's embrace.

"Soul Solitude" is what lovers do.

They delight in being naked to each other.

Naked, they can be all wrapped up in each other.

Nothing in between.

Sometimes it pulses with passion.

Other times it is wordless and still oneness.

Yet other times there is a pondering together.

Whatever the moment and mode in our "room,"

 we are loved alive in its solitude.

We then bring that loving aliveness

to others in society with our caring and sharing.

We live a marriage, we raise kids

 and spoil grandkids,

we are single and find ways to spend ourselves

for those who really need what we can be and do,

we car pool our kids soccer team,

we invite left outs to have dinner at our place,

we wrap old times into all our good times,

we do an awesome piece of work on the job,

we are active in our spiritual community

however imperfect it may be.

In a word we do what Jesus did

and wants to do through us, we

               ENLIVEN.

Solitude blends into society.

Society blends into solitude.

Yes, two ways of being one.

Social Solitude.

God Bless us every one and every way.

See you next week.

Holding each and all

this Holiest of Weeks in

God's Dear Love,

    John Frank






















                                                       


                                                     




                                                   
                                                   



                                                                                                                 


                                           
                                   


       
                                                         








           


                             
                             
                     

                       




                 





               















Friday, March 16, 2018

JOY




Hi There !

So, how do you do your dishes?

Hope it's with Joy -

not necessarily the detergent, Joy,

but certainly with the spirit of joy.



Joy is to the spirit

as health is to the body,

as happiness is to the emotions -

the result of being right and real.

Things are right as they are meant to be,

properly in place,

harmonized in foundational reality.



When they are not,

the body experiences dis-ease,

the emotions un-happiness,

the spirit dis-stressed dis-quiet.



Conversely, when things are right and real,

the body is healthy,

the emotions are happy,

the spirit is serene.



Happiness and joy are not the same thing.

Happiness is how we feel emotionally.

Joy is how we are at our core

when we really are there,

rooted real and right in God.

Actually, we can be unhappy

and yet joyful at the same time.

Please permit a personal example

of what on the surface

seems to be different than it is.



As a young man

I went through a period

of vocational confusion

and left the seminary.

Back in those so different days,

the 1950's,

that was just this side of a mortal sin.

I was socially suspect,

a failed soul.

On the train home

I was not a happy camper,

yet there was a steadiness of soul,

a rightness down deep,

a joy of spirit.

As emotionally and socially uncomfortable

as things were,

at my core they were real and right,

rooted in God.

They were what they needed to be

at that moment in my evolving spirit.

That was quite a grace and learning.



Joy is a serene steadiness and strength of spirit.

Joy is a zest and exuberance of spirit.

Joy flows from being rooted right and real in

Being Itself, in Reality Itself, in Existence Itself,

in the Limitless Life and Love Energy

that is God.

"Joy is the infallible sign of God's presence,"

( Leon Bloy in a letter to Jacques Maritain ),

and our presence

rooted real and right in God.

Like all else in the spiritual life,

it comes down to being

as and who and where

we actually and really are -

a being in Being,

a spirit centered in The Source,

endlessly evolving

in The Mystery of God,

in The Mystery of Love/Life.

Our spiritual lives are

a waking up to that,

embracing that,

living that,

and no matter how things are

with the body and emotions,

being exuberantly joyful.



We may or may not like doing the dishes,

but we can always do them

and everything else in life with

              JOY.

 ***************************



     After Thought



Metaphor is the only way

to stammer about the divine.

Here's a simple, plain metaphor

for our spirituality out here

on the street of everyday life.

Consider an engine -

told you the metaphor was

plain and simple!!

When all the parts and processes

of an engine

are arranged right and real,

rooted in the reality

of what an engine

is all about,

the engine hums and purses.

Joy is like the hummimg and purring

of an engine.

(Not sure that even Charles Wesley

 could work that one into a hymn!!).

******************************************************************************


               HOLY WEEK



Next week 's posting here will be both an

                 INVITATION

                        and

                  
                RESOURCES

                        for

       A HOLY WEEK RETREAT

                        on

                 SOLITUDE.



Materials, considerations,

and meditation prompts

will be presented

for a daily time of solitude,

prayer and reflection,

for the entire week.

The posting is not crafted

for a quick or one time exposure.

In other words, it will be

an extensive presentation to be used

part by part for the seven days of Holy Week.



*********************************************************************************





              
Thanks for the blessing of your company.

See you next week.

Oh yes !

If you have time and interest,

there are all sorts of prompts

for prayer and reflection

in this season of lent

offered the Meditation Markers that follow.


Holding each and all in

God's Dear Love,

    John Frank


****************************************



      MEDITATION MARKERS


Suggestions:

  - find a time and place

    where you can  separate

    from the clamor and stimulation of noise

    around you and within you

    "Be still and know that I am God."

     (Psalm 46:10)

   - breath slowly, gently, deeply

   - just be still in The Still Point.

   - in a leisurely manner

     start with the first

     Meditation Marker.

   - if it connects,

     say it to yourself

     a time or two.

   - just sit with it,

     let it speak its truth to your spirit.

  - if that does not happen,

    just move on to the next few

   until one does connect.

 - consider one or two a day

 - do your best not to feel rushed,

    or compelled to

    "cover them all."

         *****



- "The joy of the Lord is your strength."

                                  Nehemiah 8:10


-  In joy we

       - live simply
   
       - behave humbly

       - dress modestly

       - pray freely

       - think wisely

       - worship  communally

       - act kindly

       - smile honestly

       - speak trustfully

       - love sincerely

       - champion justice

       - cherish nature

       - companion the needful

            Adaptation of a piece

            from an unknown author



- "...joy is a key indicator of a healthy spirituality.

  Joy, in the classic sense, is not a synonym for

  happiness, but instead refers to a zest for life.

  You can have an underlying zest for life

  whether you are happy or whether you are sad.

  The opposite of joy is not sorrow,

  the opposite of joy is apathy.

   01-14-11  (new-wood.blogspot.com)

                       David Backes


- "Let your joy be in your journey -

  not in some distant goal."

                        Tim Cook


- "If you  carry joy in your heart,

  you can heal any moment."

                         Carlos Santana


- "I define joy as a sustained sense

   of well being and internal peace -

   a connection to what matters"

                          Oprah Winfrey


- " The prospect of the righteous is joy..."

                           Proverbs 10:28


- "These things I have spoken to you,

   that my joy may be in you,

   and that your joy may be full."

                             Jesus

                       ( John 15:11 )


- "You make known to me the path of life;

   in your presence there is fullness of joy."

                              Psalm 16:11


- "For the Kingdom of God

    is not a matter of eating and drinking,

    but of righteousness, peace,

    and joy in the Holy Spirit."

                                 Romans 14:17


                        *****








 


  



    

   


























Friday, March 9, 2018

" LIGHTEN UP ! "




Hi There!


Come on!

Let's lighten up!

Enough already with the dreary dark of winter.

Let's get into The Spring Thing -

more light and less dark every day,

break out lighter clothing.

diet off winter weight,

lighten up for "Springing."



That sure was the deal last Sunday

during a wonderful high school visit.

It was a bright sunny day outside,

and in a wonderful way

as well inside the beautiful school theater.

In that darkened space the lights paradoxically

went "up" and so did we all.

It was brilliant.

Sixty plus teens upped the amperage

of soul and psyche with their ensemble,

their singing, dancing, acting and stage management,

as they portrayed  the victory of light over dark.

It was a masterful production of

Beauty and the Beast.

They made it so easy to

"Lighten Up!"



My favorite character in that so biblical-like story is

Lumiere, the Beast's kindhearted, independent,

quirkie maitre'd. He and his prince and

the whole household  have come under

an evil spell making the prince a Beast and

the maitre'd a candelabra. Only love will break the spell.

Lumiere, true to his name, works to shed light

for the Beast to see that, to warm wide  his heart

for that love with  beautiful Belle.

Yes, love wins, freeing the Beast and his household

 for human life renewed through love.

Pardon the pastor in me, but what a Christ parallel.



My "hands up" favorite actor in Sunday's

de-"light"-full performance was

a wonderful young man who played,

well of course, Lumiere.

He brought to his role a just right balance of sparkle,

impishness, and an ever so exquisite

and delightful  touch of camp.

What wattage!!

His subtle, focused intensity,

his lightsome manner and twinkle,

was not only an act, it was actual.

It was graced me with an  intense connect to

the Christ experience.

That young man was a true Lumiere,

a luminous gift,

in his role and in himself.

He made Love Light incarnate, present and felt.

In a unique and theatrical setting,

he captured the spirit of Jesus,

Jesus,who defies the dark,

radiating a liberating lightness

("I am the light of the world.

  Whosoever follows me

  will never walk in darkness,

  but will have the light of life."

  John 8:12).

                           The light of life.

            That's what filled my mind and heart

                               Sun Day

     thanks to the young Lumiere at the high school.





Sad to say and see there's a lot of darkness out here

on the street of everyday living.

Happy to say and see Jesus lightens things up

right here where we live in people

 like the young thespian, you and hopefully me,

each a unique Lumiere.

A few radiances of Lightsome Living:

          - being who and how we actually are

            down deep, at our most real

            and beautiful selves

          - encouraging and embracing the same in others

          - relishing diversity in unity

         - being patrons of the truth

         - using our talent and resources

           for  balanced and generous living

        - "lightening" the burden of the poor and overwhelmed

        - championing social and environmental justice

        - welcoming outsiders in

        - respecting and celebrating the various gender blessings

          the Creator delights in evolving

        - supporting school sports and the arts

        -  after all, we are invited to be

          "...children of the light and children of the day.

              We do not belong to the night or the darkness."

                                                      ( 1 Thessalonians 5:5 ).



Lent is well under way

Like Beauty and the Beast,

Lent focuses on living in the light,

overcoming dreadful dark.

This season of enlightenment will culminate

with the Christ Candle on Holy Saturday Night.

It will be carried into the totally dark church

and pierce that darkness.

Its light will be spread to all present,

reminding us to spread it lavishly

out here on the street of every day living.

Holding the Christ Candle high,

he deacon will intone

"Lumen Christi,"

 our call to

                   "Lighten up!!"



A heartfelt welcome to our newest participants

from Indonesia and Egypt.

We are blessed  to be joined with you!



Every goodness be yours.

See you next week.

Holding you in

God's Dear Love,

   John Frank



PS:
    For those new to "frankly speaking":

    if you wish, you can sign on for "frankly speaking"

    to come to you automatically by email each week

    Sign Up is at the top right of the online version.

    Online postings are regularly on Friday.

    The email version usually reaches folks on Saturday.
























Friday, March 2, 2018

BALANCE



Hi There !

So how do we keep our balance 

when so many and so much 

are flipping out all around us:

   - 25 school shootings since Columbine 

     (Shepard Smith, Fox News, 02-15-18 ) 

    - 64,000 drug death in 2016 

      (The latest yearly total now available -

      National Institute on 

      Drug Abuse and the CDC) -

      more deaths in that one year from drugs than

      all the deaths of American military during

      the entire Vietnam War of 58,220 

      (National Archive, Military Records)

      The entire current issue of Time magazine

       (March 5, 2018) is a report on 

       this worst addiction crisis in US history

    - a stock market that threatens to

       "bubble burst"

      (pick your economist)

     - unthinking extremism left and right 

    - "America's boys are broken. And it's killing us"

      (see "The Boys Are Not Alright ", 

      Michael Ian Black, The New York Times,

      02-21-18) on our lost generation of boys

    - hate and fake news outlets

    - expanding fascism and neo-nazism,

      nationally and internationally

    - sinful lying and histrionics across social media 

    - international cooperation unraveling -

      a cold war heating up - 

      check Putin's new nuclear rattling

    - way too many politicians, media and

      financial moguls, lacking 

              clarity, character, moral courage

    - artificial intelligence close to directing 

      much of our living

    - family life fraying

    - a social media that has yet to grow up

    - nuclear threats and brinkmanship

      (make that "brinkboyship") 

    - hacking that steals our privacy and imperils 

      our democratic election process

    - education that doesn't -

      teaching to the test that gets an "F."




It goes on and on.

It's pretty chaotic, quite frightening, 

terribly difficult to keep our balance 

out here on the street of everyday living.

How many will be left standing,

and how long?



Most of us are middle and 

upper middle class people,

and we are having 

the patina of order and safety

ripped off our way of life.

It exposes terrifying flaws and fissures 

in our situation, as well as 

a questionable future. 

We now know and feel that 

we are endangered,

and that on many fronts,

as indeed the poor and marginalized 

among us, and most of the world,

have been for every so painfully long.

A metaphor for our moment

might be that we are like a couple 

that worked hard,

mortgaged themselves to the hilt,

and finally got their own pricey house 

in a pricey place only to find 

it sits on a toxic dump.



A poignant, telling icon of our plight was 

a father sharing

with his pastor friend over lunch

that he dreaded putting his son

on the school bus each morning

and wondering if he would ever see him again 

(Sermon of Rev. Rob Myallis, St. Paul's Church,

Lititz, PA, 02-25-18 ).



So, yes, how do we live out our spiritual life,

keep our balance, 

in this fearsome time out here on the street 

of everyday living?

What do we say 

to that fearful father, and to all of us 

who have had our middle class patina 

of order and safety so perilously pealed away? 



The troubles aren't going away nor can we.

The only way ahead is through and that's 

 going to be a rougher and rougher road.

So, how do we  go ahead and get through

on that rough road ahead?

Buddha and Jesus have been down that road.

They got through and can guide us through.



The Buddha had the patina of privilege ripped off  

his plush, princely life as he encountered 

the harshness of illness, old age and death.

He walked away from the illusions

of comfort and indulgence - literally.

He set out to find enlightenment.

It was a long, painful journey,

but it brought him to a life of compassion:

    - "A generous heart, kind speech and a life

       of service and compassion are 

       the things which renew humanity."

    - "Our sorrows and wounds are healed

       only when we touch them

       with compassion." 



Jesus, the poor man of Nazareth, rich in love,

spent it all in a life of compassion:

    - "Jesus went through all the towns and villages,

       teaching in their synagogues,

       proclaiming the good news of the kingdom

       and healing every disease and sickness.

       When he saw the crowds, 

       he had compassion on them, 

       because they were harassed and helpless,

       like sheep without a shepherd."

       (Matthew 9:35-36)

"Harassed and helpless, 

like sheep without a shepherd."

Try that shoe on the foot of today's walking

out here on the street of everyday living.

Spot on!!!

Jesus' way ahead was through disorder and pain 

and that meant active embrace and support 

as he taught, encouraged, helped and healed

the hurt and needful.

That kind of active compassion

for the the masses brought him

into the crosshairs of the power elite

and they went gunning for him.

Eventually they nailed him - literally.

It broke him, broke him wide open

and let flow a current of reality and power

(aka Grace)

that lifts from deadly entombment,

that soars beyond the shy,

uniting all in the pulsating realness

of love and life without limit. 

What a "Springing" is Resurrection.



Compassion and community.



The Latin root of the word compassion

tell the tale.

"Compati" means "to suffer/feel with."

A life of compassion gets us right and tight

with our true selves,

with every being in creation as it evolves,

with every frightened parent,

with war ravaged Syrians,

with every molecule of every tree,

with every hurt,

with every beauty,

with every potentiality,

with every enemy, 

whether they realize it or not,

with ALL,

so much so that we are one with them.

Yes, that's such a "lift" 

it sure does mean resurrection.

That's what compassion does.



The "lift" of compassion elevates us into unity,

into community with All.

Again, the Latin roots help.

"Cum" meaning "with" and

"Unio" meaning "one" -

Community - one with.

Community means 

        "Other is me otherwise,"

us united and me wise enough 

to embrace and be embraced 

by every other form of

who we are - Love.



A spirituality of compassion and community

means things like:

    - caring about every other driver 

      on the road during rush, 

      and rushed, hour

    - clearing space for a life of 

      lived and actual community 

      with our nuclear and extended families,

      and with our neighbors

    - caring and sharing in 

      our religious or ethical circles,

      really mixing it up into a vibrant 

      community of compassion - truly a 

      Holy Communion

    - in that community, a welcome nurture 

      for the left outs of our sphere:

           - lonely old people

           - overwhelmed single parents 

             and their children

           - querkie oddballs

           - the unemployed

           - the homeless

           - gay children and teens

           - inner city, suburban, rural poor

      one way or fifty to get in close and tight,

      to touch, to more and more find ways

      as a compassionate community 

      to throw block buster parties of

      care, support and unity

    - for fathers to learn how to raise a son

    - for men to mentor boys adrift in their

      fog of nowhere, walking with them 

      into a healthy manhood.  

     - to refocus, reconfigure our life styles

       to be Gospel compatible -

       chemicals aren't the only addiction

       drugging us into soul stupor.

       For those of us in the 

       Christian Tradition and Life,

       Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

       We delight to accept him loving us to life,

       a life of compassion in community,

       one that makes that life and love of Jesus

       present and personal for others through us. 

       We model ourselves and our living on him.

       Of all our current difficulties, this one

       is perhaps the most frightening as many of us 

       in the middle/upper middle classes

       have quiet some miles to go 

       from comfortable religion 

       to catching up with the real Jesus

    - to eschew every vestige of violence,

      violence of thought, attitude, word, 

      action, reaction,e.g. a bumper sticker:

             "Get behind our troops, 

              or get in front of them."

      - as we would never allow liars, predators,

        perverts, the im or amoral, 

        the characterless, valueless deal makers

        to influence our children,

        to do the same for ourselves

        as we carefully discern

              the media we select

              the groups we join

              the leaders we follow in

                   religion

                   career

                   politics

                   fashion

                   finance

                   sports/entertainment

                   life style.



These are days for some really deep meditation

and prayer.Without them we will loose balance, 

fall and fail, careen into ever more chaos.

With them we will be clarified and strengthened

to go "through" the perils and pains

of our vulnerable now and the nows ahead,  

and that by The Source and Center of All. 

That will lead us to compassion and community.

They will give balance.



A few Mediation Markers follow this.

Please use them and the considerations 

offered in above in this posting,

or anything else/other that helps you

over the course of the next lenten week.

Inertia and inaction will take us down 

when so many and much are flipping out

all around us.




Please know this posting has been difficult 

to compose and fashion.

What is offered here is not pleasant or easy,

and let's be honest:

             We want pleasant and easy.

It's not going to be pleasant or easy ahead.

Too much unrealness for too many years

in too many ways has brought us to the edge.

That unrealness has corrupted into the breakdowns 

all around  and underneath.

Our social structures will continue to cave.

Some will stay on top of the pile for a while,

have "nice' a bit longer,

and that may seduce too many into 

more comlpacency and slide.

The hard fact is that 

a lot is falling apart, and more will.

Sit still and we will fall through.

Let The Source draw us into intimacy

through prayer and meditation.

With the clarity and strength that comes 

from that embrace, community and compassion

will germinate and flower.

In small groups of 

genuine community and compassion

we will balance out and help 

our society regain its balance.



I am an old man who loves you

and all of God's Creation rather passionately!!.

Thank you for allowing me to share with you.

Looking forward to seeing you all next week.

Committing all to All, 

holding you and all in

God's Dear Love,

   John Frank


***********************************************************


                            MEDITATION MARKERS



As we pray and ponder over the above and the following, 

let's be sure to ask what does that look like

in the practically of our right now, right here?


*******************************************



- "In compassion lies the world's true strength."

                                                        Buddha



-"Therefore, as God's chosen people, 

   holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves

   with compassion, kindness, humility, 

   gentleness and patience." 

                                            Colossians 3:12




- " They will neither hunger nor thirst,

     nor will the desert heat or the sun

     beat down on them. 

     He who has compassion on them

     will guide them and lead them

     springs of water."

                                          Isaiah 49:10



- "Conquer anger wit non-anger.

   Conquer badness with goodness.

   Conquer meanness with generosity.

   Conquer dishonesty with truth."

                                             Buddha



- "As you know, we count as blessed

   those who have persevered.

   You have heard of Job's perseverance 

   and have seen what the Lord 

   finally brought about. 

   The Lord is full of compassion and mercy."

                                                James 5:11




"In the beginning compassion is like the seed

    without which we cannot have any fruits;

    in the middle compassion is like water

    to nourish the seed you have planted.

    In the end compassion is like the warmth

   the sun that brings the fruit to ripening.

                                               Buddha



- " This we know, all things are connected.

     Like the blood which unites one family,

     all things are connected.

     Our God is the same God,

     whose compassion is the same to all."

                                         Chief Seattle 



- "What sort of religion can it be 

   without compassion?

   You need to show compassion to all living beings.

   Compassion is the root of all religious faith."

                                                                Hindu

                                      Basavanna, Vachana 247



- "In everything, do to others as you would have them

    do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.:

                                                                 Jesus

                                                      Matthew 7:12



- "In this earth,

   in this immaculate field,

  we shall not plant any seeds

  except for compassion,

  except for love."

                               Rumi

                       Sufi Mystic 



- "Radiate boundless love towards the entire world -

   above , below, and across - unhindered,

   without ill will, without enmity."

                                                            Buddha



- " Praise be to the God and Father 

    of our Lord Jesus Christ,

    the Father of compassion 

    and God of all comfort,

    who comforts us in all our troubles,

    so that we can comfort those

    in any trouble with the comfort

    we ourselves receive from God."

                      2 Corinthians 1:3-4


******************************************************