Here is a river flowing very fast now

I received a copy of a reflection given by Sr. Joanna Burley, OSB, prioress at the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia in Bristow, VA. She gave the reflection on one of the community’s “Silent Sundays,” which I gather is something (maybe like a retreat) the community holds periodically.

In the reflection, Sr. Joanna calls her sisters to look at their “monastic heart,” especially the ways their monastic community is providing safety and support during the pandemic. She shared a letter - more like a poem - written by the Elders of the Hopi Nation that I really like:

Here is a river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid,
who will try to hold on to he shore.
They are being torn apart, and will suffer greatly.
Know that the river has its destination.
The elders say we must let go of the shore.
Push off into the middle of the river, and keep our heads above water.
And I say as well, see who is there with you, and celebrate.

Necessary disclaimer: I have tried to find the origins or context of this poem and have turned up nothing reliable. So I am not endorsing any context here, especially if it is political; just the meaning.

Anyway, the image of a fast-running river feels perfect for our time. It is hard to keep up with what is happening, how quickly life has changed, even what we know we can believe. And we are in it, and moving, for better or worse, and very quickly.

This phrase: know that the river has its destination. What a reminder. In other words, God knows what he is about. This is a phase or a season, and it is not meaningless. There is an end; there will be resolution. This is all moving toward something.

To let go of the shore: stop fighting. Go with the flow. Accept life for what it is. Easier said than done.

See who is there with you, and celebrate. Maybe this is the easiest thing, as we all have the constellation of family and friends we have been speaking with and checking in with over the past few weeks. Have any of your relationships changed as a result of what we’re going through? Did some friendships rise or become surprisingly prominent? Did others you thought you could rely on fall through? Are you celebrating, together? Maybe alone?

It is not on me to say, okay, God, we have all learned the lesson. Whatever it is. Time to ease up on us here. (I wish I could do that with any difficult thing I endure.) I am not sure I know what the lesson is, anyway. I suspect there is more than one, and it varies by individual. We have probably all learned to, at the very least, slow down. But if we have learned the lessons of facing reality for what is and letting go, well, there’s that.

Faith at Work for the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation

Earlier this year at the had pleasure of meeting Brian Grim, President of the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation (RFBF), at RFBF’s Faith@Work conference. RFBF exists to promote the acceptance of faith in the professional setting, and to make the business case for religious freedom in the workplace.

Today, RFBF published a blog post I wrote called Bringing my whole self to work: A Catholic perspective. In it, I describe a few ways my faith, on a daily basis, influences the way I work, from the way I interact with others, to my decision-making processes.

One important point: I could have been more explicit that my faith asks me to do these things, and causes me to strive to, for example, live more virtuously. But we all know the path to sainthood is crooked, and sometimes I fall short. No leader is perfect, and having Christian faith certainly does not make one into a magical genie guru of patience and positivity. My point is, I know by my Catholic faith that I can and should do better, and, with God’s grace, I do strive to see the face of Jesus in others - including at work. My faith informs me, no matter where I am.

Bonus, unrelated things: I am reading Chen Guangcheng’s amazing biography, The Barefoot Lawyer. Today I also came across a 2017 Providence Magazine article, A Pope and a President: John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, and the Collapse of Communism.

I am thinking a lot about communism’s failings as we live through the coronavirus, and looking for more information on how St. John Paul II viewed the fight against communism as a spiritual battle; a battle against an anti-human ideology. I want to understand why Christianity is in opposition to communism. Recommendations?

The author of that article, Paul Kengor, also created a film that came out in the past couple years called The Divine Plan, whose trailer you can view here.

Life Abundantly

It is Sunday - the fourth Sunday of Easter, believe it or not - and this morning I “attended” Bishop Barron’s Mass. At one point he used the phrase, “life abundantly,” as in, that Jesus came so that we may have life, and have it abundantly.

It is a phrase I somewhat understand. In the past I would have connected it to the idea of interior freedom found in relationship with Jesus and knowledge of His love for us; even the idea of dying to self. Life abundantly does not mean material goods in abundance, but an abundance of what really matters. An abundance of love in particular, I think. Especially as reflected in the relationships in our lives. Maybe life abundantly means answering your unique calling.

So anyway, I was struck by the phrase this morning because life does not seem abundant these days. To the contrary, it is mightily repressed. Repressed, because death is rampant. Repressed, because people’s livelihoods are erased, and true relationships are impossible. Virtual life does not equate to abundant life.

Anyone who has experienced some sort of surging interior life right now - I salute you. In the beginning, I understood that, and if our lockdown had only lasted two weeks, I think I’d still be there with you. More time to pray! More time to be in solidarity!

I’m halfway through 7 weeks, though. But I still want to know what an abundant life looks like, even in these conditions. What do you think it is?

It must be: Gratitude. First in all things, give thanks to God. In my experience, making a true, heartfelt expression of thanks to God is the first step to opening up your own heart. To finding gratitude more easily, certainly. But also for laying the groundwork for allowing Him to work in your life - my life. That way, I am not so resistant. What we are enduring feels unfair, on so many levels. But it isn’t the end.

Further, we know that God works all things for the better. An act of gratitude toward him is an act of faith, to say “I believe that you intend abundance for me, even if I cannot feel it right now.” I know I am blessed, I know that you watch my steps, I know that you, God, will be faithful to me. Whether I am faithful or not!

Life abundant is in the illuminated greenness of the trees after soaking up this week’s rain. It is in the trip to the grocery store when I found everything I needed. It is in a laugh-filled call with friends. It is every new day, when I have the opportunity to experience God’s love again. The latter, of course, never changes, no matter what’s going on in the world.