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This is a blog that I post to several times a week although not necessarily daily. These reflections are triggered by the scripture found in the lectionary used by many Christian denominations. While I am part of the Catholic tradition, these posts are not --or rarely--sectarian. I try to put myself in the space of a of Jesus Christ and listen to words that come to me as I read and pray the scriptures. Each post also includes a photograph. These rarely have any connection to the content of the post but are simply pleasing images that I capture as I make my pilgrimage through life.

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Can it really be that simple?

Fall mushrooms in Mendon Ponds Park
At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,for although you have hidden these thingsfrom the wise and the learnedyou have revealed them to the childlike. Luke 10:21
And exactly what are these "hidden" things that the wise have difficulty accessing but the childlike can easily see and hear?  We know, of course, of those basic prescriptions of Jesus:  Love the Divine One and love your neighbor.  But these two seemingly simple commands become overly elaborated and complicated by rules and practices.  Once that happens, the spirit seems to disappear and we are left with compliance rather than love.

The simple truth is that all we need to do is simply to be...fully who we really are.  Paul writes a lot about the flesh and the spirit.  He makes clear that the spirit of the divine one is at the core of each of us.  We don't have to do anything or be anyone other than who we are.  We just have to let the spirit be fully alive in us.  When that happens, our life unfolds as fruit appears in an orchard:  naturally.  All we have to do is be fully aware of ourselves, others and the world around us.  It appears to be the case that human nature presents roadblocks and distractions to that simple act of being.  It is only by accepting the spirit of the Divine One that those inclinations and obsessions can be muted so that our true nature can emerge.

It is ironic that the more we try to fix things ourselves, the worse they can become.  Relaxing into the reality of the Divine One's love for each of us is the simple truth.


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