CorrectionCloser yet...The Moment, the Stones, the Brothers In Arms- April 28, 2004 One of the most central mysteries of faith, perhaps the central mystery, is the experience of eternity in a single moment. If I devoted my life to cataloging the various expressions on that subtly complex theme, I would never come close to fully documenting it. In some religious, the experience of transcendence, of perceiving the whole of reality--all time, all space, all consciousness--at once is the central and primary goal of practice. In the West, we don't place much emphasis on...http://blogs.salon.com/0003124/2004/04/28.html#a64 A Wonderful Place- April 26, 2004 There are no deserts within easy driving distance of here. But there are hills; big, wide hills covered in scrub trees and wildflowers. When it comes to desert experiences, you take what you can get. A desert is not required for a desert experience. In fact, as I quipped to a friend over lunch recently, oftentimes if you do not have a desert of your own, one will be provided for you. You go into the desert to get away from everything, from the jumble of daily life and the lumber of everyday...http://blogs.salon.com/0003124/2004/04/26.html#a63 Words Spoken Aloud- April 22, 2004 Each of the items below is a direct quote. They were all spoken by the same person: I cannot believe how stupid you act sometimes. Oh my God, look how fat you're getting. You are a complete and total failure. You're not smart enough to go to graduate school. No one is ever going to love you; you're not attractive enough. You're kidding yourself if you think you're going to win at anything. You're worthless. Why did you say that Why couldn't you keep your fucking mouth shut I wish you.http://blogs.salon.com/0003124/2004/04/22.html#a62 How To Steal the Eucharist- April 21, 2004 For a while now, I've had this daydream of going to a Catholic church every day before work and taking communion there. The problem with this notion, of course, is that the Catholic church will not give communion to non-Catholics. Their reasoning for not doing so is perfectly sound within the context of Roman Catholicism, so I don't take it as a slight at all. And I will gladly point out that if you were dying, and your particular breed of Protestant (or Orthodox, I suppose,...http://blogs.salon.com/0003124/2004/04/21.html#a61 The Longing- April 19, 2004 "Prayer is not asking: it is a longing of the soul." --Gandhi "My faith is the grand drama of my life. I&146;m a believer, so I sing words of God to those who have no faith. I give bird songs to those who dwell in cities and have never heard them, make rhythms for those who know only military marches or jazz, and paint colours for those who see none." --Olivier Messiaen, 20th century French composer It occurs to me that faith is a creative process, like painting or writing or...http://blogs.salon.com/0003124/2004/04/19.html#a60 Who Do You Say That I Am- April 15, 2004 (This was written in response to the article "Choose Your Own Savior" on Slate, on another website. Just in case you were interested.) The Slate article has raised some eyebrows, but it would be shrugged at by just about any mainstream seminarian. The search for the historical Jesus v. the Jesus of faith is one that began in earnest in the 19th century, was revived in the early 20th, and now has staged something of a comeback in the so-called "third wave" of historical Christology....http://blogs.salon.com/0003124/2004/04/15.html#a59 My Easter Epistle- April 12, 2004 Dear God, Let's face it--I blew it this year. I went all out for candy and glitter for the girland got nowhere with you. The Easter Bunnyleaving his warrento dispense candy and easy smilesis no match for you and your tomband this nourishmentabout which I know nothing. We tell our kids that:a) it's healthy food that builds you up &b) too much candy makes you puke.And then but c) I ate junk food all day anyway. Because, as you know, there are things I want to avoid. And...http://blogs.salon.com/0003124/2004/04/11.html#a58 |