CONTEXT III

                                                 
      THIS IS THE THIRD

  IN A FOUR PART SERIES

                 ON

  CONTEXT CONDITIONS.


IT WOULD BE OPTIMAL

 TO HAVE READ BOTH

         CONTEXT I

              AND

        CONTEXT II

IN PREPARATION FOR

THIS THIRD OFFERING.

       JUST  GO TO

    BLOG ARCHIVE

    TO THE RIGHT

               OR

 SCROLL DOWN HERE.

         THANKS

            *****

  

         

                    


Hi There,

So, how do you

dance a ballet

in a battle field?

In a crazy way that's

the question before us.

How live our spiritual lives

in the current context

of conflict, hostility, turmoil

and various forms of violence?



Given the

times and troubles,

to say nothing of

our basic human

 nature and need

for community,

we cannot go it alone.

Spiritual community -

  com (L) = "with "

  unus (L) = "one"
           
      = community

      is essential.

It is not as a way to hide,

but as a way to live

        unity,

to put into practice

the foundational bedrock

that Jesus offers.

*  "Do unto others
   as you would
   have them
   do unto you."

         and

* "Love your neighbor
    as yourself."

* "What you do to others
     you do to me."




Putting into practice here

means "practical."

Right in our spiritual community

we determine to live out

that foundational bedrock.

We do that in all the

sweaty to sublime instances

of everyday life.

We support, we confess,

we forgive, we share,

we listen, we help,

we encourage, we search,

we pray and worship.

We take care of each other's kids

and of the elderly among us.

We are patient with

the slow and weak.

In one way or many, we

 "build each other's barns."

We pay the rent

when one of us is broke.

We really listen

when a needy one just

talks and talks and talks.

We get around and behind

our young people

as they try to find

their adult footing.

We suffer with

those among us caught in

alcoholism/drug addiction,

loss or grief.

We embrace those of

 a different sexual or

political orientations.

In other words,

we get personal

and practical.

In still other words,

what we do within

our spiritual community

we do for others beyond it.

We reach out individually

and as a community to those in

our wider community.

We participate in,

        or start,

all sorts of community

services and projects.

We welcome and include

the shut outs of our neighborhood,

we have them over for dinner and

to our community celebrations,

we help them figure the system,

we find common ground

with the "other,"

people with "other"

politics, life styles, religions,

ethnic/racial backgrounds,

sexual orientations, incomes.

We work with "others"

(who rally aren't )

to have optimal schools,

libraries, social services,

health care, environmental

responsibility, protection

and support for

the marginalized,

endowment for the arts,

recreational facilities,

in our communities.



Looking to the

wider community,

we do what we can

to positively effect

the national and

international situation

and the makers

and shakers there.

But we don't wait for them

to catch up with us.

We vote with

all the wisdom

we can grow into.

We communicate regularly,

clearly, in a civil manner

with those elected leaders.

We support social justice

organizations and efforts.

We are selective as we invest

in the corporate/financial sector.

We communicate

with the leaders there as

we work for economic

balance and justice.

We adjust our purchases

to our consciences and call.

We let the media moguls

hear our regular reminder

to always reference

The Common Good,

making it a priority

over popularity and profit. 

"We think globally,

    but act locally."



To say it again,

we live out

our commitments

to justice and care in the

"right here, right now"

of our everyday lives.

 We blend and bond

  with others

 ( who really aren't)

in our for real,

sweaty to sublime

spiritual community.

As individuals

and as a community

we connect, care and serve

in our immediate area

and as far out

as humanly possible.

Wherever, however, whenever,

we recognize the "other" as us.

We do unto them as

we sure hope they will to us

and everyone else.

We love them as ourselves

 because they are!!




Like I did with the

hellishly hot attic bedroom

of my long ago youth,

we recognize that

   CONTEXT

         CONDITIONS,

but we won't curl up

in the corner

and settle for a negative one.

That goes for the

hellishly dangerous context

in our country and in

too much of the world

these perilous days that are

more like dark, stormy nights.

    See "The Atlantic,"

    October '18 issue for a series

    of article on our cultural,

    governmental distress).

We are effected.

We will effect.

As I did with that

hellishly hot attic bedroom,

we do all we can to improve the context.

I did it with my bedroom so as to sleep.

We do it with our world so as to live.

After all and always, we are

              One.

One in community, we

    "Do unto others as we
      would have them
      do unto us"
   
because "other" is us

in another way.

We

   " Love our neighbors
      as ourselves"

 because they are we,

 we are they.

 We realize that

  whatever we do

   to others we

   do to God.

God is One and so are we!!

Love God, neighbor, self .

        It makes for a

 
   " ONE"- DER-FULL

RECONDITIONED CONTEXT

                 AND

          COMMUNITY.




       NEXT WEEK:

       WE COMPLETE

THIS CONSIDERATION

            OF HOW

CONTEXT CONDITIONS.

WE WILL FURTHER DETAIL

       OUR CURRENT

 DISTRESSED CONTEXT.

     WE WILL EXPLORE

       WAYS FORWARD

   THROUGH A SERIES OF

   REFLECTIONS PROMPTS.

 



It is a real goodness to be together

in our little community

of sharing and support

    weekly here at

"frankly speaking."

        Thanks!!


   Holding us all in

  God's Dear Love,

      John Frank

        *****


       For those new to us,

       "frankly speaking"

- is posted each Friday online at

    johnfrankshares.blogspot.com

   and can be bookmarked

   for ready access

- is automatically delivered by email

   each Saturday - Sign Up is at

   the top of the online version.

- past postings are available at

  Blog Archive, right column here.


       Please do give a bit

     of time and attention to

   * "What's Going On Here?"

                     and

     "Consider Your Source."

           ( Right column)

Hopefully they we give a sense

          of our soul here.

              THANKS!


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