MAKE ALL THINGS NEW
๐ ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ - ๐ ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐น๐น ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐
On Saturday, I led a Lenten retreat at the Morikami Japanese Gardens and Museum. If youโve never been there, it is food to grow your being. I created it as a sort of Stations of the Cross, beginning with a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke โ the Austrian poet โ who starts with,
โ๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ก๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐๐๐ง๐ค๐จ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ก๐. ๐ ๐ข๐๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ก๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐ค๐ฃ๐, ๐๐ช๐ฉ ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ฎ๐จ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ฉ.โ
We moved on to a quantum view of the constellation of the relationships we find ourselves in. Desiring the inner life to meet the outer life as a way to embrace the Alpha and the Omega. We then read the moment when the Trappist monk, Thomas Merton, had a vision while grocery shopping one day that he suddenly realized that he loved all these people, these strangers, and saw them shining like the sun, and realized that we are all, in fact, one.
We were then reminded by Thich Nhat Hahn that
โ๐๐ค ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ช๐ฉ๐๐๐ช๐ก ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง๐จ๐๐ก๐.โ
And how much letting go gives us freedom when we donโt cling anymore. We then dove into the long reading from the Gospel according to Luke of the prodigal son where one son squanders resources and tries to find his way back home while the other son stays and plays by the rules. The father gives the returning son the most lavish of parties because he was lost and now, he is found.
From there, we moved on to a reading from the Dalai Lama about a bloodthirsty Nelson Mandela who was imprisoned for 27 years. The Dalai Lama writes,
โ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ง๐จ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ง๐๐จ๐ค๐ฃ๐๐, ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃโ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ก๐จ๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ก๐โ๐จ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ง๐ฉ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ค๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฉ ๐๐๐ข๐จ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ค๐๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ง".
Next, we read from the renowned Buddhist monk Pema Chodron who wrote this gem:
โ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐โ๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ง ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ก๐ค๐๐๐ก ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ง ๐ ๐๐ค๐ข๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ค, ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ช๐๐ก๐ ๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ค๐ ๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐จ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ก๐ก ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐๐จ. ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฃโ๐ฉ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐๐จ, ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐ข๐ค๐ค๐ฉ๐, ๐๐ฉโ๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉโ๐จ ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ฃ๐๐ก๐ช๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ก ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐๐."
Clarity and decisiveness come from the willingness to slow down, to listen and look at whatโs happening.
Donโt let people pull you into their storm. But instead, pull them into your peace and make all things new.
Blessings,
Fr. Ben+
Please click on the link below to view Father Ben's Sermon from Sunday, February 18, 2024 "๐๐ช๐ง๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฝ๐ง๐๐๐โ.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwEIOg2IHkU&feature=youtu.be