Ripple Effects

I have long taken a widening rings approach to engaging with scripture. An early mentor of mine helped me to understand that a most important question to ask about a bible passage is not, “did this really happen?” but “is this really happening?”  If so, how is it happening inside of me?  How is it happening in the parish?  How is it happening in the larger community?  How is it happening nationally and globally?

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St. Augustine prays that our hearts are strained “until they rest in Thee.” He observes that anxiety over what tomorrow may hold is a sign that our hearts are homeless.  

Several years ago, when I was a seminarian busy widening my spiritual rings, I started hanging out with monks. This was not a choice. I was told by teachers to go to the local Order of the Holy Cross to receive spiritual direction while I sought to become ordained in the Episcopal Church. Well, I had never thought that I might need a one on one, “religious therapist.” I hadn’t needed any therapy in the past … although in retrospect, I probably could have used plenty. Couldn’t I just go to church, and then do my schoolwork like all the other work I had done seeking degrees? NO. I needed to be taught how to work on my spirituality, especially while undergoing the challenges and anxieties of seminary and ordination.

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“Book officiant.” That’s what all the bridal magazines told me to do at least nine months before the wedding.

To be honest with a year to plan I’d been more preoccupied with short ribs or halibut, buttercream or fondant, than with deciding who would perform our ceremony. But somewhere between selecting mini crab flautas to be served during cocktail hour and corn bisque for a starter, I realized the menu shouldn’t be my top priority. For the first time, Eric and I would have to explicitly address our different religious backgrounds and decide how Judaism and Christianity would factor into our life together. Continue reading →

During a worship service a while back, the chorus of Emmanuel Music sang a motet “Der Herr denket an uns,” which is #9 in Johann Hermann Schein’s “Israels Brünnlein” collection. The text is from Psalm 115, verses 12–15. I sat there in my usual spot in the third row, soaking up the beauty in my usual way—not following along in the program but watching the singers, players, and John Harbison’s conducting dance. And listening. Listening with a ferocious desire for bigger ears so I could take in this miracle of sound that we call music. I’ve heard that the ears continue to grow throughout one’s life; what a great place for this wish to be coming true!

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