I had another post prepared to share, but a more pressing issue blipped onto my radar screen and I believe this post from a while back is appropriate for today’s religious dialog. 🙏
“Imagine no heaven or hell….and no religion, too. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” JOHN LENNON
“Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.” NELSON MANDELA
“Live simply so that others may simply live.” GANDHI
Some of you are saying, “Larry, what does poverty have to do with a great day?”
Did you wake up from a peaceful sleep in a warm, comfortable bed? Do you have a roof over your head? Have you done your gratitude list for this day? Did you eat a hearty breakfast? Will you probably live this day without threat of gun violence or persecution for your belief system?
Congratulations! Your day has the promise of being a GREAT DAY. A majority of the world’s population does not have that promise. But, many of those people go out and make it a fantastic day regardless of circumstances. That’s the miracle of our species – we are survivors who have an innate desire to thrive.
Does your need to thrive ride on the backs of the less fortunate? Does mine? When was the last time we chose to contribute to our local homeless shelter in lieu of a new addition to our designer clothes or, perhaps, buy that man standing on the corner with a cardboard sign a lunch at Burger King rather than a steak for our dinner tonight? When did we last decide to live more simply so that others in our world would have a dish of rice to eat or a cup of clean water to drink? When?
My friend, it is absolutely a great day because we have so many choices in front of us. We can choose what we will eat rather than if we can afford to eat. We can choose which chair or sofa we will rest upon rather than which overpass we will seek for shelter. We can choose to tidy up our living room rather than rearrange our boxes and tarp. Do we understand that much of the world does not have adequate food, shelter or water and our Western culture of greed and consumption has contributed to that shortage?
Along with substantial blessing comes substantial responsibility. You and I ARE our brothers’ keepers. That is not a suggestion; it is a mandate dictated by all the world’s major religions and belief systems. Hug our loved ones this morning, appreciate all that has been given to us, and then contemplate how we can live more simply and help eradicate poverty.
“Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.” Gilbert K. Chesterton
“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Mohandas Gandhi
What is there to dislike about Christianity? Why would Gandhi publicly say that? He obviously saw something in the practice of Christians which does not emulate the “Christ”; otherwise, he would like Christians. Perhaps Gandhi was having a bad Hindu day when he framed that famous quote.
Or perhaps Gandhi saw the truth of a religion which had become arrogant, self-serving and dominionized since the days when the man from Nazareth said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Undoubtedly, Gandhi was aware of Christian missionary zeal which enslaved indigenous people and slaughtered thousands in the name of God. He would have read about the Christian Crusades from 1095 through 1258 which decimated Muslim and Jewish populations. And surely he, an advocate of non-violence, knew about the violent nature of America’s Christian leaders interacting with other world governments.
Gandhi understood our Christian culture better than we do. Oh, we profess to be seeking the peace of God and goodwill toward men, but our behavior betrays who we are. We cheated Native Americans out of their lands, stole Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War and then abandoned our territory to poverty, and murdered or otherwise deposed international leaders with whom we disagreed. We continue to harbor racist attitudes toward members of minority groups, we demean the LGBT+ community, and we trivialize the importance of immigration. We fear the growth of Islam, the advance of brown and black citizens, the decline of aged, white, Christian America. We harbor outdated ideals of nationalism and isolation. That’s why we, Christian Americans, are hated and distrusted. That is probably why Gandhi liked our Christ but not us.
But it could be different. Jesus, that man from Nazareth who taught the Way to his disciples, is still teaching today. Just read the words, follow the examples, understand the parables and learn what it means to be a Christian. Then follow. Remember the verse about wolves in sheep’s clothing? That’s what Christianity has become. We have become a brood of vipers speaking from both sides of the mouth and miserably missing the message of Jesus, the Christ.
Those of you who disagree with my assessment, please don’t wax eloquent about your concern for my soul. I would sooner see your concerns directed to the homeless, the oppressed, the disenfranchised, the orphans and widows, the millions displaced by war, the children ravaged by human slavery, the thousands standing on our southern border hoping for a better life. I would rather hear your prayers for black and brown brothers and sisters, gays and lesbians, transgenders, Muslims, the poor suffering discrimination, battered women and children; yes, pray for them rather than for my salvation.
Today I am a disturbed Jesus follower. I would be the one standing aside Jesus overturning the tables of the money-changers in the temple. I would be with him challenging the Pharisees over their obtuse obedience to man-made laws. Jesus is our Christ. He is both human and divine teaching us how to conduct lives of humanness and divinity. He is our example showing us how to love unconditionally. Jesus never instructed us to worship him – he only told us to follow him.
I am the way, the truth, the life. John 14:6
This well-known quote attributed to Gandhi was a bumper sticker on the aged and worn automobile of one of my heroes whom I was privileged to know during the 1980s. Father Bond was the priest at the Episcopal Church which hosted 20 AA and NA meetings weekly. While that church social hall witnessed innumerable miracles of recovery, the sanctuary hosted a number of sober marriages. Father Bond ministered faithfully to his parish and to his wayward flock of recovering drunks.
What is it for me to live simply? For many years it meant a personal commitment to reducing material possessions to minimums. It meant being an environmentalist and a steward of God’s creation. In later years it also manifested by minimizing theology and doctrine, bringing it all back to basics.
Father Richard Rohr in today’s comment “BE PEACE AND JUSTICE” writes:
“When you agree to live simply, you do not consider the refugee, the homeless person, or the foreigner as a threat or competition. You have chosen their marginal state for yourself—freely and consciously becoming “visitors and pilgrims” in this world, as Francis put it (quoting 1 Peter 2:11). A simple lifestyle is an act of solidarity with the way most people have lived since the beginnings of humanity.”
Francis (1182-1226) and Clare (1194-1253) of Assisi lived life understanding fully what Jesus the Christ envisioned – a simple lifestyle outside the system of production and consumption (the real meaning of the vow of poverty) Therefore, assuming a vow of poverty does not mean living in filthy hovels with no running water or sewer systems. It does not necessarily mean hunger and starvation. For most of us a vow of poverty would mean a commitment to jump off the insane cycle of incessant material accumulation and depletion of the earth’s resources.
With today’s screaming calls to bring social justice to the world’s oppressed perhaps we can find guidance in these further words of Father Rohr regarding a conscious identification with the marginalized of society:
“In this position we do not do acts of peace and justice as much as our lifestyle itself is peace and justice.” (underlined emphasis are mine)
Like many of you, I would like to fix every single episode of social injustice, but in wanting to do so I will undoubtedly make myself quite insane because that fix is unattainable. Just as Father Bond walked the path of Francis and Clare, we also can be advocates of social justice through simplicity by speaking our truth kindly, by identifying with the marginalized, and by being living examples of Christ’s teachings.
Look at the world around us. Living “marginalized” is the norm, not the exception. We are all in some way a refugee, a foreigner, a visitor and a pilgrim. Our validation as a nation of ethics and values is currently under severe testing because of governmental actions regarding immigration. Our strength and our salvation rests not in our criminalization of those who are marginalized, but rather in our solidarity with them.
“When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19: 33-34
We are encouraged in our faith walks and recovery programs to “walk the talk”. Scriptures and rhetoric flow easily off the tongues of many religious and political leaders only to be sadly contradicted by actions which betray their words. From the pulpits and the podiums flow endless streams of righteousness and exhortation but their eloquence produces no discernible spiritual fruit.
In these tumultuous times of hatred and vitriol spewing forth from politicians, clergy, and fellow citizens, many of us find our spiritual foundations rocked with a gut-wrenching desire to join in the melee of harshness and discord. In a heartbeat, in a moment of anger, I can become as evil and slanderous as the worst of the worst seen in the newspapers or on the viewing screens. In a fit of righteousness I can charge, judge, and condemn the most vocal offenders of my life’s philosophy. I deem myself omnipotent. It is then that I immediately become a part of the problem and not a promoter of the solution.
Talk is cheap. However, walking the talk is a never-ending endeavor which separates men from boys, wise from foolish, sheep from goats. The Buddha attained nirvana following a path of selflessness and principled living. Jesus and his disciples established a kingdom on earth led by the principles of “the Way.” Gandhi won liberation for his people through non-violent dissent. Martin Luther King, Jr. promoted non-violent protest as the vehicle to attain civil rights for African-Americans. They all walked their talk. Each of them was a peacemaker.
That also is my challenge in this life. I shall probably never attain greatness or recognition, but I can always strive to lace my thoughts, speech, and actions with mindfulness and compassion. I want the flowers of my life to be sweetly scented and fruitful. Engaging in and wallowing in hatefulness and vitriol is not an option. Filling my head with the latest scandal from media talking heads does not encourage enlightenment. Ancient wisdom teaches that what blossoms in the mind is who we are as a humanity. Fruit or thorns? Peace or strife? Compassion or oppression? It truly begins within each of us.
larrypaulbrown
Krishna was there,
Yahweh and Buddha watched from above.
They saw and wept;
“the Way”, the great “I AM”, a Savior
hung on a cross.
Man of peace,
messenger of love,
hope for the hopeless,
life for the dead in spirit
nailed to a tree.
Heavens roared in pain,
angels ceased singing,
holy ones prostrated in grief,
skies thundered,
sun, moon and stars hid in horror.
Their Son, their beloved,
shamed and ravaged,
naked and dying,
nails through feet and hands,
mocked and reviled.
“No,” they bellowed,
“this shall not be the end.
Our Prince of Peace will prevail.
He will be Lord of lords
and King of kings. Forever.”
The Way – the truth and life continued,
peace, love, tolerance, justice
revealed through other lives.
Mohammed, Francis of Assisi,
Gandhi, Martin Luther King,
……….you and I.
All of God’s children united
with the spirit of the Way
living in truth and peace,
eternally joined with the Holy Ones.
His Way will not be crushed,
His truth will not be crushed,
His life will not be crushed,
and we shall live forever and ever.
Amen
“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” [Isaiah 53:3]
Often I wonder if the characters who are portrayed as spiritual stalwarts centuries ago could survive in the madness of today. Would they be as courageous in the face of modern-day persecution? Would they be as capable of finding the quietness of contemplation and meditation of which we are so desirous in today’s culture? My answer is always a resounding “yes”. Although the connections of social media and news media were not as immediate as that which we have today, I believe the issues were the same and I know from historical accounts that the persecution was extremely horrendous. The coverage that rolls across our viewing screens continues to depict the unfathomable inhumanity of man against man. It is historical and it continues to be the ungodly force which defines mankind.
But, I don’t have to live that way or be deterred by hatred and violence in my life’s journey. You don’t either. Realizing that the hope for our world lies not in the might of peace enforced by military power or governmental control, but in each individual member of mankind who is determined to live according to the message of ancient and modern mystics by recognizing an indwelling God, some call it Spirit, and God’s directive to love one another as we have been loved. We are called to replace devotion to self with service to neighbor. It’s an attainable solution to a worldwide problem which is leading our species to annihilation.
The message of God’s messengers from Buddha to Jesus to St. Francis to Gandhi to Martin Luther King, Jr. has always been social revolution by peaceful resistance to violence. And that revolution begins with you and with me. It’s a readily available inside solution to an earth-threatening plague.
And it’s not that difficult. Many of us in recovery know the power bestowed upon us when we “came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity,” and then, “made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God.” steps 2 &3, ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
We were lost in the insanity of addiction much as the world today is lost in the insanity of hatred and violence. Addiction and hatred are both soul-killers and the cure for both will be found when we turn to the indwelling divinity which does not need to be sought or discovered from outside sources. It is innate and readily available. Just “be still and know.” Psalm 46:10
This journey of discovery is a life-time process which I will never do perfectly. But, I can travel through this experience as a fearless sojourner who relies upon a Higher Power which wants nothing but goodness and mercy for me and for the world in which I live.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6
We know the Way of Jesus: the Truth and Life; we know the Path of the Buddha. Reality dwells in a space within our bodily temples protected from the clamor of the world. It does not participate in the illusions of the world. It merely observes the noise and allows us to function quietly in fullness of spirit. When challenged by the incessant demands of the noise, our inner self needs only withdraw to the place we know as truth, the place where we will find solace.
And what is that truth? It is knowing that this life is impermanent; it is knowing that this life is suffering; it is knowing that our suffering is a result of the work of the ego; it is knowing that we can ascend to a place of non-suffering through dying to that ego. When we can become self-less we can become free. That is the journey, the Quest.
For a few, enlightenment occurs, but for me, it is a continuing trek through the disappointment, the disillusionment, the sadness, the intolerance, the hatred which defines today’s society. I’m still a work in progress. Thankfully, I also know that it is my choice to participate in a conflicted way within the world’s reality or to merely observe and conduct my life according to my conscience. I will speak as a brother to all humanity, I will think as one who is merely a grain of sand in the sea of humanity, I will uphold the rights of all my brothers and sisters to a life of equality and justice. The truth which I perceive tells me there is no separation of mankind for we are all one within the greatness, the magnificence, the brilliance of the universal One.
The state of being conflicted is counterproductive to the journey. Or is it? When we stand in for a victim of oppression and hatred, when we speak out for those who are being persecuted, when we uphold the laws of our country as prescribed by the Constitution by counter-demonstrating, are we not also subscribing to that which we know to be Truth?
Although I seek quiet and solitude, I cannot be voiceless and uninvolved. Even when I cannot successfully search my memory banks for sound bytes, video clips, and quotes which support my convictions regarding today’s political turmoil, I have an intelligence and awareness which continues to discern right from wrong. For that I am grateful else my state of confliction would be without value or purpose.
I wonder if Gandhi was conflicted, or Martin Luther King, Jr., or Jesus, or the Buddha. Maybe it’s OK. You think?
