The following was given as a Workshop at the International Council of Community Churches in Indianapolis, Indiana, on July 23, 2010, © The Society of Christ’s Priesthood.
Welcoming Introduction
Good morning everyone. We are gathered here in this circle as a symbol of who we are and what we are really all about in relationship with one another. “God is Love”. (1 Jn. 4:8) We are called to be comfortable in Love’s Presence. What better gift than when someone feels totally safe in our presence without any feeling of intimidation. When we choose to embrace inner peace we say to God, “In Your Presence I am totally O.K!” A familiar description of where God dwells in relationship to us is, up there in Heaven. In this workshop we will be referring to God as our Source and God’s Position to us in daily life as Indwelling within each of our spirits. But, before we begin let’s take some moments to forget all things except that God is Love; and, that Love is our Inner Peace Source and Foundation for a healthy and strong spiritual immune system.
Centering Meditation
Present within each of us is our Source ever calling us to see more than our earthly senses can perceive. Here, there are no past regrets nor future concerns. Here, all turmoil in our minds and hearts of this world is quieted. Each time we consciously enter within this eternal Welcome Center our spirits are given opportunity to soar to the heights and depths of our Indwelling Love Source. Here, this life’s experienced broken ‘parts’ have already been re-created; life’s hopeless situations have already been redeemed; and life’s perceived un-holy moments have already been sanctified. Here, our whole being is bathed with wellness. ‘It is indeed good to be here.’ (Mark 9:5)
In this eternally accessible and stable Presence of our Indwelling Trinitarian Source is our Identity; is our Peace. ‘Heaven is within us.’ (Luke 17:21) Here we are forever held with an unspeakable supportive gentleness. From here, whenever we choose, nothing of this world can interrupt this Love-Peace infusion into our every thought, word, and deed. So, we ask Love’s Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, to awaken our inner awareness of The Spirit’s sole mission of Peace in our lives. Our part is simply to keep remembering that our Love Source is within us as our Peace. (Mi. 5:4) Amen!
Now, we will consider the importance of a healthy spiritual immune system.
Immune System Health
For our bodies a healthy immune system guards us against disease and helps us heal from shocks that might be physically harmful to us. As a two-time breast cancer survivor
I am personally familiar with how cancer cells in one’s body can threaten to take over if its growth is not stopped by nutrition, treatment, and removal. Likewise, our faith needs to have a healthy immune system to protect against the unexpected destruction of our “spiritual cells,” and to replace damaged cells with healthy ones. Greed-control-fear are the three primary destructive ‘cancers’ that ever seek to invade our spirits and weaken our spiritual immune systems. Freedom-Unity-Integrity are the white blood cells of a strong spiritual immune system, which, respectively, impede the growth of, as well as destroy these primary spiritual cancerous cells. As we learn about and share the unlimited applications of this Call for Freedom-Unity-Integrity in every aspect of our daily lives, our spiritual immune system will be strengthened accordingly.
This workshop develops the key role that the universal Call for Freedom-Unity-Integrity plays in healing and strengthening our spiritual immune systems for inner peace.
Viewing life through this threefold Call, no matter our personal Belief System, offers another perspective into our relationship with our Source and with one another. (Eph. 2:14). To this end it is important to first define what it means to be, ‘not of this world’.
Not Of This World
I began by asking us to forget all things except that God is Love. This means that we are to, ‘be in this world but not of it.’ (John 17:15-16) . . . To not be ‘of this world’ simply means that we daily strive to walk in and with our Indwelling Source, by embracing the universal threefold Call to all Peoples. This Call for Freedom-Unity-Integrity is programmed into our humanity’s very core as a spiritual ‘DNA’ coding that connects us all. This code touches the heart of life’s meaning and purpose for our creation. It affirms everyone’s created equality; and is the common denominator for every Belief System and Governance by which all differences can be transcended. By replacing the destructive tendencies of greed-control-fear respectively with the life-giving qualities of Freedom’s generosity, Unity’s availability, and Integrity’s openness, this code-of-life ultimately, leads us to our inner Peace Center. However, spiritual nutrition is needed to support application of this universal Call in the nitty gritty of daily events.
Daily Spiritual Nutrition
As our bodies cannot be sustained without a variety of healthy foods each day; so, too, our spirits need to be daily fed. For our body’s immune system organically grown foods naturally detoxify, feed and strengthen on the cellular level. Our spiritual immune systems need the ‘organic’ basic three ‘food groups’ of Freedom-Unity-Integrity. ‘Superficiality’ is our spirit’s ‘Junk food’ that clogs, starves, and ultimately poisons and compromises our spiritual immune system accordingly. We can read inspirational meditative books, even the Bible, and still not feed our spirits. Effective spiritual reading for strengthening our spiritual immune systems requires a conscious, open, listening connection to and with our Indwelling Source.
The term, ‘reading’ also has a broader meaning of, ‘seeing’. One can also ‘read’ the spiritual message in a sunset; in a misunderstanding; in a friend’s care-filled outreach; in a seed sprouting; and even in a diagnosis of cancer. The whole of this life on earth is our Source’s Book-of-Life to us. This Life-filled Book is eternally filled with all of the spiritual information that we will ever need to ‘read’ as we approach everyone, every event, and every thing in time. As a foundation for inner peace, ‘attitude’ has everything to do with our ability to assimilate this spiritual information.
An Attitude of Gentleness or Attack
The most important way for preparing our minds and hearts to travel deep into our Indwelling Peace Source is to take notice of our ‘attitude-of-being’ from the moment we awaken until we retire. Do we find ourselves more often on the attack regarding things, situations and persons? Or, do we have an over-all attitude of peace-filled gentleness? Every attacking reaction weakens our spiritual immune system; and, every gentle response strengthens it. “A servant of The Lord is gentle to all.” (2 Ti 2:24)
An attitude of attack stems from nursing grievances. A healthy and strong spiritual immune system implies that we maintain a grievance-free ‘attitude-of-being’ which is the meaning of to, for-give, or to give before. Be always prepared ‘beforehand’ to respond with an understanding mind and compassionate heart for the present moment. Love is always ahead of a potential fault in another. In our Love Source, forgiveness is not needed or even known; since, the need to forgive implies that one has a grievance against another in the first place. Love and grievance are contradictory, thus cannot co-exist. Jesus, our Love Source made Flesh, teaches this important lesson through a simple question and response: “Does anyone condemn you? Neither do I.” (Jn. 8:10-11) Taking offense is the seed of grievance. “Love does not take offense.” (1 Cor. 13:5)
To develop a gentle attitude-of-being does not imply that we negate any of the wide variety of feelings our Creator gave to us to use to express ourselves in any given situation. Our task is simply to bring our feelings into a Peace-filled alignment with the situation at hand. Even tough love can be administered without anger. It is important not to equate gentleness with anger repression. Genuine gentleness proceeds directly from our conscious union with our Indwelling Love/Peace Source, ‘which guards our hearts and minds’. (Phil. 4:7) This union, in turn, enables us to ‘let go’ of all else.
Spiritual Foundation for Inner Peace: ‘Letting Go’
The ability to ‘let go’ is the bottom-line requirement for successfully incorporating Freedom-Unity-Integrity into each life situation. To experience the Presence of our Peace Source and, consequentially, experience inner peace, we constantly need to work on ‘letting go’. This is a ‘self’ discipline best begun in earliest childhood through adults not allowing us to get everything we want whenever we want it. When we are habitually ready and able to, ‘let go’, no matter the situation, we have touched the depth of what it means to be spiritually freed, united, and integrated. Freedom enables us to ‘let go’ of greed; Unity enables us to ‘let go’ of control; and, Integrity enables us to ‘let go’ of fear.
Separation From Our SOURCE
We forever ‘live, move and have our being’ within our Indwelling Source. (Acts 7:28) For each earth moment in time we allow our thoughts to, either, dwell in the past or in the future, we have chosen to separate ourselves from conscious presence to our Indwelling Source. The reason for this is because our Source is only in the, Now. Past and future do not exist in our Source; thus, they both are an allusion. The chief consequence of choosing to dwell in the illusory, non-existent past or future is loss of inner peace. Our free will decision to mentally/emotionally leave our inner Peace Source connection can quickly result in chaotic thoughts and feelings. This attitude in turn weakens our spiritual immune system which has been pre-programmed to healthfully cope with our body’s perceived stresses of this world of space and time.
The key bottom line action for our maintaining an alignment of our thoughts and feelings with our Peace Source is to remember who we are and where/how we are in existence. At the very least, living present to Presence (capital P) is far more interesting than living overwhelmed by guilt (past) or terrified of what might be (future). But, at the most, ‘eye has not seen nor ear heard’ what our Source, Which is Love/Peace, has in store for us this Moment, in the Now (1 Cor. 2:9). We need only to remember to re-Center. If we hyphenate the term ‘remember’ after the first two letters of ‘re’, it now reads, ‘re-member’, or to bring back together. We have now moved from the familiar concept of the term remember which is to recall to one of bringing all aspects of our thoughts and feelings into alignment with our One Peace Source . . . It’s like being glued back together when we feel that this life has pulled us apart!
Perceptual Change
Freedom-Unity-integrity is the key ‘enabler’ for transforming or replacing our transitory, earth-directed perceptions with eternally fulfilling, Source-inspired perception. It can at times be a challenge to recognize and distinguish in ourselves between perceiving daily life superficially and ‘seeing’ in and through our Indwelling Source.
We cannot force change of perception upon ourselves nor upon others. This undoing of earth-imprisoned thinking and feeling can only come gently through a gradual growing awareness of our Love/Peace Source. As children this initial awareness comes through the persons in our lives who are genuinely connected with our One Source. Their connection with our Indwelling Source is seen in their own habitual loving outreach to others with a peace-filled spirit. So, parents/guardians, themselves, need to have a strong spiritual base that they can, in turn, teach their children first by example how to acquire a freed-united-integrated mind and heart in relationship with others. Our Love Source has a Dream for us all to be able to have a change of perception through Freedom-Unity-Integrity.
‘God Has A Dream’
First awareness for me, of God having one ‘Dream’ for all Peoples, began when a very devout married woman with children came to the door of the Carmelite Monastery where I was a cloistered Nun. She expressed her desire for holiness as was the call to the nuns who, traditionally, were put on a higher spiritual plain. I questioned putting one group of persons above or below another as being far from God’s Heart! After all, wasn’t being at-one with God’s Will for each of us the key to our holiness; and not our vocation choice or state in life? So, from that point on I searched for the deepest meaning and purpose of Scripture’s instruction to us to, ‘make vows to the Lord your God.’ (Ps. 76:11; Jn. 17:16-17)
Soon it became clear that, indeed, everyone is called to become a consecrated spiritual person wholly dedicated to our Trinitarian Source in Whose Image and Likeness of Love/Peace we are made. And, that the essential meaning of a consecrated life is for us to willingly choose to live out this Call for Freedom-Unity-Integrity in our relationships and works. This Call is a Covenant of Peace with us. (Lev. 11:44; Gen. 1:26; Is. 54 And, from the standpoint of our Indwelling Source, this Covenant with us will never be shaken. However, from our standpoint when we choose to not embrace this universal Call for Freedom-Unity-Integrity, it is we, who shake the effectiveness of this Peace Covenant in our own lives.
After I heard Dr. Martin Luther King’s prophetic, ‘I have a dream’ speech, I realized that the universal threefold Call is an eternal expression of our Love Source’s Dream for all Peoples. This Dream, Love’s goal, is Peace; and, the Threefold Call is the means to achieve this goal. The seed for the development of supportive Community as a vehicle for sharing this threefold universal Call was planted in my heart. However in order to share this Call for Freedom-Unity-Integrity among all of the World’s Peoples, we need to first understand it ourselves and be striving to live it.
A Consecrated Life
In traditional religious life persons make vows of poverty-chastity-obedience. Their practical meaning is exclusive denial of specific personal things, marriage, and one’s will. In a soundbite we could say, ‘no thing; no sex; and no will’! But, the deepest spiritual meaning of the vow of poverty is, ‘poverty of spirit’; of chastity is, ‘singleness of heart’; and of obedience is, ‘hunger and thirst for holiness. (Matt 5:3, 8, 6): The universal inclusive application for all Peoples of traditional vows can be likened to spiritual doors:
‘Poverty of spirit’ opens the door to Freedom by selfless giving. Freedom in turn beckons us to go beyond self seeking to spiritual Wealth. Freedom of spirit enables us to, ‘let go and let God,’ through being content ‘with or without’ in recognition that everything in and of this world is passing. (Phil. 4:12; 1 Cor. 7:31)
‘Singleness of heart’ opens the door to Unity by being all embracing. Unity in turn beckons us to go beyond self centeredness to spiritual Communion. Unity of spirit enables us to love our neighbor as ourselves in our Love Source, and, enables us to be ever ready to even lay down our lives for another(s). (Matt. 22:39; Jn. 15:13)
‘Hunger & thirst for holiness’ opens the door to Integrity by wholeness/holiness. Integrity in turn beckons us to go beyond self will to spiritual Fulfillment. Integrity of spirit enables us to listen to our Source Voice in all aspects of daily life, and to hear The Source Word by reflective prayerful presence. (Mt. 17:05; Col. 4:02)
Through our consecration response to the Call for Freedom-Unity-Integrity, these three opened spiritual doors then reveal to us the fullness of our Source’s Peace Covenant.
Our SOURCE as Trinity; Their Call as Threefold
Over the years, I began to see Each Creating-Redeeming-Sanctifying Cyclical Movement of our Indwelling Trinitarian Source as specializing in one of the three aspects of Their Call to us for Freedom-Unity-Integrity. In Scripture:
For Freedom, our Source Creator as Birther of Eternal Light calls to us: “Let My people go!” (Gen. 1:3; Ex. 5:01);
For Unity, our Source Redeemer as Incarnator of Eternal Love calls to us: “Be one as We are One.” (Jn. 1:4, 14; 17:11, 26); and,
For Integrity, our Source Sanctifier as Mover of Eternal Life calls to us: “Be holy; Be whole.” (Job. 33:4; Lev. 19:2; Matt. 5:48).
Freedom enables us to recognize our Creator as our Wisdom Source; Unity enables us to recognize our Redeemer as our Directional Source (the Way); and Integrity enables us to recognize our Sanctifier as our Fulfillment Source.
Freedom is a life-giving gift through our Creating Source (Father); Unity is a transforming gift through our Redeeming Source (Son); and Integrity is a purifying gift through our Sanctifying Source (Holy Spirit).
Freedom is expressed as selfless presence; Unity is expressed as supportive presence; and Integrity is expressed as prophetic presence.
The intrinsic fruit of Freedom is stewardship for the dedicated conscientious use of all spiritual and material resources; the fruit of Unity is compassion for the committed supportive care of all Peoples and Creatures; and the fruit of Integrity is balance for the developmental growth of personal and communal fulfillment.
As our union continues to deepen within our Trinitarian Source, we become more transparent for The SPIRIT’S Presence and work through us. Our personal Blessings also increase a ‘hundredfold. (Mark 4:20) In the Eternal Cyclical Movements of our Creating-Redeeming-Sanctifying Source, we see an unbroken Circle having no beginning nor ending. As we habitually serve with “poverty-of-spirit”; love with “singleness-of-heart”; and listen with “hunger-for-holiness”, we even begin to lose sight of the threefold Call ‘doors’. When we know that we are One-In-SOURCE, there is no earthly reason to leave this Circle; so, these ‘doors’ are no longer even much noticed. ‘Blest’ are we who have put aside greed-control-fear that these doors of Freedom-Unity-Integrity have been opened for us to enter.” (Matt. 5:9) “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard what our Love/Peace Source has in store for us!” (1 Cor. 2:9)
Understanding Relationship
Through this universal threefold Call our relationship with one another within our Source in every-day life is clear: Freedom inspires us to ‘live justly’; Unity inspires us to ‘love tenderly’; and Integrity inspires us to ‘walk humbly’ with our Indwelling Source. (Deut. 10:12) Our every movement-of-being is called through Freedom-Unity-Integrity to be a reflection of our Love/Peace Source in Which we are sustained. This eternal connectedness is through our spirits which always have been in the Mind/Heart of our Source and will continue to be after the temporary custodianship of this physical vessel is completed. For, I believe that we are not our physical bodies which are given us in ‘time’ that we may freely serve; unitedly love; and integratively listen toward a life and world in Peace.
At the moment I realized how significantly my life effects everyone else’s life, the words attributed to Jesus in Scripture took on new depth of meaning: ‘Whatever you do to others you do to Me.’ (Matt. 25:40 I believe that we are all Members of the One Body in our One Source, which embraces all persons of every Belief System. I also believe that all Peoples on this earth are called to strive together to consciously enter into this Eternal Cyclical Love/Peace Movement with our Source through Freedom-Unity-Integrity. So, I began to look for even the smallest of ways by which I could incorporate Freedom-Unity-Integrity in every encounter and situation.
Once I was given an understanding of the eternal importance of our response to our Love Source’s universal Call to us, I have felt a personal responsibility to learn more and to find ways to share this Call with others. Hope fills my heart that all Peoples will one day recognize the universality of this Call for Freedom-Unity-Integrity; understand the need for all to embrace it; and, see it realized. Consequentially, attack in all forms would cease, as, gratitude replaces grievance. (Heb. 12:28) An era of peace can be ushered in. It is ultimately we, together, who choose war or who choose peace. (2 Cor. 10:13)
We are called to be in relationship with one another in our Indwelling Source through a threefold Creating Freedom; Redeeming Unity; and, Sanctifying Integrity. It is this eternal relationship with one another that is the ultimate, ‘goal of our souls’, for personal and communal up-building. There is hope in my heart that others in every state in life will be lead to offer assistance in translating this universal Call into everyone’s language and culture; for every Belief System and Governance; for every economic level of existence; for every state in life; for every service type rendered, secular and ministerial; and for every age and stage of our lives.
It’s O.K. to Not be ‘Perfect’
Be not discouraged. No one this ‘side’ of Heaven can be perfectly gentle in all circumstances and ‘feeling’ grateful every moment of every day! In our human concept of ‘perfection, no one can perfectly incarnate our Love/Peace Source in every thought-word-action. However, The Spirit of our Source is always perfectly Present in us influencing every aspect of our lives. Our role is to simply ‘let go’. Exchange our attempts to control for transparency that The Spirit of our Love/Peace Source can freely work through our presence, communications and interactive relationships with one another. Remember our Source’s Promise to ‘bring good out of everything’ for those who genuinely are striving to embrace this universal Call for Freedom-Unity-Integrity. (Romans 8:28)
Relationship Application
Practical application of the threefold Call for Freedom-Unity-Integrity is learned with one another in each circumstance. Daily, The Spirit of our Indwelling Love/Peace Source inspires an ever deepening understanding of the meaning of each of the three essential aspects of this universal Call as we need. With our final breath we will then know that the depth and breadth of the spiritual and practical applications of Freedom-Unity-Integrity is truly endless. The relationship we have with our Indwelling Source while in this life reflects through our relationships with one another in community as we embrace Freedom-Unity-Integrity. Embracing this threefold Call is an expansive experience. It becomes more desirable each time the fruit of peace is experienced through the development of the spirit of gentleness in each new circumstance.
Ultimately, this threefold Call is an eternal failsafe for our internal spiritual wars.
After the following concluding summary thoughts and prayer you are invited to stay a while to join in a discussion of practical and spiritual applications of Freedom-Unity-Integrity in our individual lives and in community.
Summary Thoughts
Essential to our individual and communal spiritual health are three fundamental ‘antioxidants’, i.e., Freedom-Unity-Integrity. We have been given the gift of Freedom from this world’s cares to choose Unity with one another from within our Indwelling Love/Peace Source for a life of Integrity, for wholeness and holiness with a gentle spirit. These three fundamental immune strengthening factors is a universal Call for everyone to embrace throughout the world. To the degree that every aspect of our humanness becomes aligned with our Indwelling Source of this universal Call will we, accordingly, experience peace in our thoughts, words and actions. To this end, we are encouraged to help one another to remember that we are not our bodies; that the perceptions of our five senses can either lead us into awareness of our Indwelling Source or imprison us in the passing illusions of this world. Thus, we are called to a personal and communal ‘pass-over’ from greed-control-fear through Freedom-Unity-Integrity to, ‘living justly, loving tenderly, and walking humbly’ with one another in our Trinitarian Source. (Deut. 10:12) This is our response of consecration to Love’s Covenant of Peace with us. (Is. 54:10) As we ‘let go’ of each new grievance, with a grateful heart we can know that our, “God is Love.”
Concluding Prayer
Blessed Trinity, You have called each of us into this ICCC Community to realize Your Dream in our lives for inner and world-wide Peace. You have given us the Way to this Peace by strengthening our spiritual immune systems through, Freedom-Unity-Integrity. (Phil. 4:13) You also call each of us, individually and communally, to share with others this universal threefold Code-of-Life, that through your Covenant of Peace with us Justice for all Peoples can be known. In You, our Trinitarian, Indwelling Source Community, Your Dream of Peace for us is already fulfilled. We need only to choose to be consciously at-one with and in You as our Peace Source. Amen!
ICCC WORKSHOP DISCUSSION SHEETS
Strengthening Our Spiritual Immune System
Introduction
This part of the workshop will now be the fun part! You perhaps thought that I was going to do all of the work! But, we have some discussion questions to hopefully spark dialogue.
a. At what point in your life did you recognize your own inner peace Source?
b. What have you done to strengthen or be more in touch with it?
c. Do you live in the present-the past-the future? How do you succeed in transitioning in between these?
d. Do you describe your own spirit as one with Freedom, Unity and Integrity? Or are there other adjectives more appropriate?
e. Are you satisfied with God's choice of a life's role for you? How have you embraced it? For inner peace have you needed to make some perceptual changes to accept God’s Plan for you?
f. Do you feel that there are moments when your actions affect other lives?
Next we have some specific discernment questions to help us recognize grievance and gratitude in our daily lives:
a. Can I recognize a grievance when one presents itself to me?
b. What physiological signs are manifested when I am in the presence of a grievance? c. How do I generally relate to others at home, at work?
d. Do I consistently receive reactions or responses from others to my words and
actions?
Viewed from a past/future perspective of this world, we have available an endless source of reasons for living in a state of grievance. But, we also have available an eternal Source of reasons for living in a state of gratitude. It is our choice.
a. Since our attitude-of-being is a matter of free choice how do we want to go through our day feeling?
b. Is it possible to be so entrenched in a daily grievance-driven state that one doesn’t even recognize the signs of this destructive attitude? Does everyone else see our entrenchment?
The following are general sign posts of when we are in a grievance or gratitude attitude.
Grievance Reactions (manifested through a bad-for-me rejection attitude)
We can choose to negatively view the experience of this moment as, ‘bad for me’, which results in experienced turmoil . . . an over-all fear-filled, chaotic reaction of mind-heart-body-spirit likened to being tossed around in this life’s storms, outside of our Inner Peace Source Center. Living regretful of the past or anxious about the future imprisons us in this dysfunctional world through greed-control-fear reactions toward one another.
End ‘fruit’: chaotic thoughts and feelings of fear and attack recognized through a retaliatory spirit; feels like, ‘yuck’. Our physical and spiritual immune systems will resent us, accordingly.
*Encourage folks to give some personal examples of common grievance reactions.
Gratitude Responses (manifested through a good-for-me acceptance attitude)
We can choose to positively view the experience of this moment as, ‘good for me’, which results in experienced calm . . . an over-all integral, balanced response of mind-heart body-spirit likened to remaining in the ‘calm eye’ of life’s storms, our Indwelling Peace Source Center. Living gratefully in the timeless moment of the Now in which we can be aware of our LOVE-PEACE SOURCE Eternal Presence releases us from this dysfunctional world through free-united-integrated responses with one another.
End ‘fruit’: ordered thoughts and feelings of love and peace recognized through a gentle spirit, feels like, ‘awe’. Our physical and spiritual immune systems will love us, accordingly.
*Encourage folks to give some personal examples of common gratitude responses.
Importance of Translation
It is vital that we translate Freedom-Unity-Integrity into everyone’s language and understanding, for an example, the following is our Chiropractor’s application of the threefold Call in his health service: To move (Freedom); To stretch (Unity); To strengthen (Integrity). The healing of Chiropractic care comes through the ‘releasing’ or moving of jammed joints; the stretching out of restricted muscles; and the building up of bone and muscle tissue by strengthening exercise. Spiritual applications: free our minds of greedy thoughts by moving away from attachments; unite our hearts against controlling words by stretching past self to others; and integrate our spirits to reject fearful actions by strengthening healthy resolves.
Perhaps a child’s translation might simply be: to share (Freedom); to care (Unity); and to listen (Integrity)
a. How might Freedom-Unity-Integrity be ‘translated’ for a Mother or Father; for a doctor; for a skilled laborer; for a lawyer; for a minister; for each Belief System and its leaders; for every government form and its officials, etc.?
b. Does anyone have thoughts of application of Freedom-Unity-Integrity to your own particular service roles or state in life?
c. How can each of our special gifts be used to take the concept of this universal threefold Call for Freedom-Unity-Integrity around the globe: Are you a musician, a song writer; can you rap? Are you in marketing? Are there opportunities to incorporate the threefold Call into your marketing advertising? Are you a teacher; a counselor? Are you a principal or on the school Board? What opportunities have you in the service of education to present this threefold Call for offsetting our human tendencies to gravitate toward greed-control-fear, which is the bully’s attitude and goal from earliest childhood through all the stages of our adulthood?
Recognizing Greed-Control-Fear,
(The antithesis of Freedom-Unity-Integrity)
Greed directs us to hold on tight to the ‘stuff’ of this life in both material elements as well as the human-made aspects of each of our Belief Systems. Freedom enables us to let go of all inordinate desiring. Freedom is reflected in our expansive, self-less service with one another.
*What stuff do we find our happiness depends upon? Are we joy-filled or resentful givers of our material goods and abilities?
Control directs us to hold on tight to the ‘way’ we think and feel about how others ‘should’ be thinking, feeling, and acting. Unity enables us to let go of all inordinate relational attachments. Unity is reflective in our inviting, compassionate love for one another.
*What way do we think and feel others should be and do? Are we understanding of or biased (prejudiced) of the diversity and differences among all God’s Peoples?
Fear directs us to hold on tight to the passing concepts of what this world considers to be ‘securities’. Integrity enables us to let go of all inordinate spiritual falsehoods. Integrity is reflective in our broadening, open listening to one another.
*What passing securities of this world do we lean on? Are we clinging to our own wills or do we seek to learn and grow by listening to others?
Cyclical inter-relational movements of Freedom-Unity-Integrity
An example of how each one of the three aspects of the universal threefold Call effects the other two:
*Freedom for growth without greed enables Unity;
*Unity for understanding without control enables Integrity;
*Integrity for receptivity without fear enables Freedom . . .
*What practical examples can we give to show how intimately words and acts of Freedom-Unity-Integrity inter-relate with or effect each other?
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Monday, March 1, 2010
12. THREE-FOLD 'CALL' DEVELOPMENT
The following is an Embeddable Blog Spreadsheet to show the personal development of my own understanding of the Universal Three-fold 'CALL' for Freedom-Unity-Integrity, and their SOURCE. The Three-fold 'CALL' expresses the Universal 'Essence' of the three traditional vows of Religious life, Poverty-Chastity-Obedience, which have basically been 'limited' to Monastic, Communal, Ministerial life. However, the 'good news' is that this Three-fold 'CALL', indeed, is to 'ALL' PEOPLES of this World no matter one's life 'state' or 'style'. The Universality of the Three-fold 'Call' for FREEDOM-UNITY-INTEGRITY, the essential meaning of the vows of Poverty-Chastity-Obedience, does not in any way minimize the value and validity of a genuine calling to traditional forms of Relious, Communal/Monastic life.
This spreadsheet is designed to show the 'over-view' relationship of each of the three 'CALL', ASPECTS with each other for FREEDOM (first, right hand column); for UNITY (second, middle column); and for INTEGRIY, (third, left hand column). Read, ACROSS, each line. Also, varying parallel aspects of each individual 'Call' relative to our SOURCE can be viewed by reading DOWN each column.
The Three-fold 'CALL' for FREEDOM-UNITY-INTEGRITY, respectively, touches the 'heart' of our Universally experienced human struggles with, Greed-Control-Fear, the antithesis of LOVE/PEACE which All PEOPLES are 'CALLED' to 'be' in relationship with one another.
May I invite you to both read across each of the lines in the Developmental Chart below, and, also, read down each column. The first column down on the left refers to the 'CALL' for, FREEDOM; the second column in the center refers to the 'CALL' for, Unity; and, the third column on the right refers to the 'CALL' for, Integrity.
Below this Chart will be three summary statements of my understanding of key, 'practical elements’, of each of the three traditional vows for poverty-chastity-obedience. Following each one, will be a summary statement of my understanding of the essential Universal meaning of each paralleled 'Apect' of the Three-fold 'CALL' for FREEDOM-UNITY-INTEGRITY. These latter summary statements were formulated by collating the terms used under each column:
Poverty – ‘Poverty of spirit’ opens the door to, 'FREEDOM', for selfless giving . . . for enablling and encouraging one another in our respective services . . . to get in touch with the gifts, talents, and personal mission our SOURCE has given to each of us . . . to encourage the development of others’ gifts, talents, and personal missions . . . to change what 'can be' changed, for our and other's wellbeing; and, to assist one another in finding ‘where’ we can each use our gifts and talents in service of all Peoples of the World.
FREEDOM: Left column, DOWN, collation: Through responsiveness to God’s ‘Call’, as Creator, to ‘Let My People Go’, we know true ‘Freedom’. By recognizing and receiving the ‘Life-giving’ Gift of ‘generous availability’, as good ‘stewards’, and, by being a selfless-presence for one another, we are enabled to ‘live justly’ in The Divine ‘Light’. Ever striving to be ‘poor in spirit’, ours is the, ‘Kin-dom (Reign) of Heaven’. (In a retreat conference the presenter used the term, ‘Kin-dom, to emphasize the, ‘we’, of all Peoples
instead of the, here 'I' am, and, then there are,'those others', theology.)
Chastity – ‘Singleness of heart’ opens the door to Unity, to be all embracing . . . for enabling and encouraging one another with a supportive, affirming love for one another . . . to get in touch with every aspect of what it means to, ‘love God and our neighbor as ourselves’ . . . to supportively help one another to accept what cannot be changed in life's disasters and hardships; and, to be always ready and willing to love with ‘no greater love than this, than to lay down our lives’ for one another.
UNITY: Middle column, DOWN, collation: Through responsiveness to God’s ‘Call’, as Redeemer, to ‘Be one as They are One’, we know true ‘Unity’. By recognizing and receiving the ‘Transforming-Gift’ of ‘all-embracing’, unconditional 'other- centeredness’, and by being supportive-presence for one another, we are enabled to ‘love tenderly’ in/with our LOVE-SOURCE, our ‘Way’. Ever striving to be ‘single of heart’, we ‘can see God’ in our neighbor.
Obedience – ‘Hunger and thirst for holiness’ opens the door to Integrity, to wholeness and holiness . . . for enabling and encouraging one another to reverently 'listen' as well as to be reverently 'heard' . . . to get in touch with God’s Perfect Plan for each of us . . . to 'discern' together the 'Wisdom' to know the difference of what is to be 'changed' and what is to be 'embraced' . . . to ‘hear’ God’s Word in our hearts through prayer, Scriptures, one another; and, to recognize God’s Voice in all aspects of daily life.
INTEGRITY: Right column, DOWN, collation: Through responsiveness to GOD'S ‘Call’, as Sanctifier, to ‘be holy as God is Holy’ -- to ‘be whole as our CREATOR is WHOLE’, we know true ‘Integrity’. By recognizing and receiving the ‘Purifying-Gift’ of ‘quiet readiness’*, and 'open listening', by being prophetic-presence for one another, we are enabled to ‘walk humbly with GOD’, our ‘FULFILLMENT’. Ever striving to be ‘hungry and thirsty for holiness’, we ‘will be satisfied’. (*‘Quiet readiness’: ‘ego surrendering stillness’ to really ‘hear’ GOD'S internal 'VOICE'.)
NOTE: The lived ‘spirit’ (Beatitudes) of each of the three traditional vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience moves us from ‘exclusivity’ (only for ‘religious’ nuns, priests, sisters, brothers and a ‘few’ lay persons) to a Universal Three-fold 'CALL' to 'ALL' Peoples, for FREEDOM-UNITY-INTEGRITY . . .
This spreadsheet is designed to show the 'over-view' relationship of each of the three 'CALL', ASPECTS with each other for FREEDOM (first, right hand column); for UNITY (second, middle column); and for INTEGRIY, (third, left hand column). Read, ACROSS, each line. Also, varying parallel aspects of each individual 'Call' relative to our SOURCE can be viewed by reading DOWN each column.
The Three-fold 'CALL' for FREEDOM-UNITY-INTEGRITY, respectively, touches the 'heart' of our Universally experienced human struggles with, Greed-Control-Fear, the antithesis of LOVE/PEACE which All PEOPLES are 'CALLED' to 'be' in relationship with one another.
May I invite you to both read across each of the lines in the Developmental Chart below, and, also, read down each column. The first column down on the left refers to the 'CALL' for, FREEDOM; the second column in the center refers to the 'CALL' for, Unity; and, the third column on the right refers to the 'CALL' for, Integrity.
Below this Chart will be three summary statements of my understanding of key, 'practical elements’, of each of the three traditional vows for poverty-chastity-obedience. Following each one, will be a summary statement of my understanding of the essential Universal meaning of each paralleled 'Apect' of the Three-fold 'CALL' for FREEDOM-UNITY-INTEGRITY. These latter summary statements were formulated by collating the terms used under each column:
Poverty – ‘Poverty of spirit’ opens the door to, 'FREEDOM', for selfless giving . . . for enablling and encouraging one another in our respective services . . . to get in touch with the gifts, talents, and personal mission our SOURCE has given to each of us . . . to encourage the development of others’ gifts, talents, and personal missions . . . to change what 'can be' changed, for our and other's wellbeing; and, to assist one another in finding ‘where’ we can each use our gifts and talents in service of all Peoples of the World.
FREEDOM: Left column, DOWN, collation: Through responsiveness to God’s ‘Call’, as Creator, to ‘Let My People Go’, we know true ‘Freedom’. By recognizing and receiving the ‘Life-giving’ Gift of ‘generous availability’, as good ‘stewards’, and, by being a selfless-presence for one another, we are enabled to ‘live justly’ in The Divine ‘Light’. Ever striving to be ‘poor in spirit’, ours is the, ‘Kin-dom (Reign) of Heaven’. (In a retreat conference the presenter used the term, ‘Kin-dom, to emphasize the, ‘we’, of all Peoples
instead of the, here 'I' am, and, then there are,'those others', theology.)
Chastity – ‘Singleness of heart’ opens the door to Unity, to be all embracing . . . for enabling and encouraging one another with a supportive, affirming love for one another . . . to get in touch with every aspect of what it means to, ‘love God and our neighbor as ourselves’ . . . to supportively help one another to accept what cannot be changed in life's disasters and hardships; and, to be always ready and willing to love with ‘no greater love than this, than to lay down our lives’ for one another.
UNITY: Middle column, DOWN, collation: Through responsiveness to God’s ‘Call’, as Redeemer, to ‘Be one as They are One’, we know true ‘Unity’. By recognizing and receiving the ‘Transforming-Gift’ of ‘all-embracing’, unconditional 'other- centeredness’, and by being supportive-presence for one another, we are enabled to ‘love tenderly’ in/with our LOVE-SOURCE, our ‘Way’. Ever striving to be ‘single of heart’, we ‘can see God’ in our neighbor.
Obedience – ‘Hunger and thirst for holiness’ opens the door to Integrity, to wholeness and holiness . . . for enabling and encouraging one another to reverently 'listen' as well as to be reverently 'heard' . . . to get in touch with God’s Perfect Plan for each of us . . . to 'discern' together the 'Wisdom' to know the difference of what is to be 'changed' and what is to be 'embraced' . . . to ‘hear’ God’s Word in our hearts through prayer, Scriptures, one another; and, to recognize God’s Voice in all aspects of daily life.
INTEGRITY: Right column, DOWN, collation: Through responsiveness to GOD'S ‘Call’, as Sanctifier, to ‘be holy as God is Holy’ -- to ‘be whole as our CREATOR is WHOLE’, we know true ‘Integrity’. By recognizing and receiving the ‘Purifying-Gift’ of ‘quiet readiness’*, and 'open listening', by being prophetic-presence for one another, we are enabled to ‘walk humbly with GOD’, our ‘FULFILLMENT’. Ever striving to be ‘hungry and thirsty for holiness’, we ‘will be satisfied’. (*‘Quiet readiness’: ‘ego surrendering stillness’ to really ‘hear’ GOD'S internal 'VOICE'.)
NOTE: The lived ‘spirit’ (Beatitudes) of each of the three traditional vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience moves us from ‘exclusivity’ (only for ‘religious’ nuns, priests, sisters, brothers and a ‘few’ lay persons) to a Universal Three-fold 'CALL' to 'ALL' Peoples, for FREEDOM-UNITY-INTEGRITY . . .
Thursday, February 25, 2010
11. LENTEN 3-FOLD 'CALL' PEACE STATIONS
A Meditation For Our Hearts . . .
The following Stations of the Cross for PEACE were inspired by a booklet that was written by Fr. Gilbert Barth, TOR. The booklet title may have been: "Stations for Peace"? I contacted his community to ask if they had any more of these booklets. But, the title and author were not currently recognized. I have not been able to locate the very old copy that, many years ago, served this personal meditation, in order to give proper 'credits'. I remember that Fr. Barth incorporated Scripture and St. Francis of Assisi's Prayer for Peace in his own meditation. Keeping the end goal in mind of personal 'inner' PEACE as well as World-Wide PEACE, for each Station, I felt lead to meditate specifically on daily applications for God's Threefold 'Call'. Because, only, 'to the degree' that we each strive to embrace and integrate into our lives the deepest meaning of, FREEDOM-UNITY-INTEGRITY, will God's Dream for PEACE, through JUSTICE for ALL, be fulfilled.
May we be strengthened by the example of all of God’s committed, consecrated persons who have gone before us, as was Martin Luther King. Together with all those who work for PEACE in our time, let us pray:
‘Freedom at last!' . . . Let us now ever seek 'Unity' for this common purpose of striving toward the fulfillment of God’s Dream, Peace through Justice, that
'Integrity' may be sought and found by all of God’s People throughout the whole World. Amen!
1. DISCOURSE AT THE LAST SUPPER
Lord, make us instruments of Your Peace.
Let us free our fearful hearts through Your Word.
Let us unite our troubled hearts through Your Presence.
Let us integrate our scattered hearts through Your Peace.
"Peace is My gift to you; . . . not as the world gives peace . . ." (John 14:1, 27-28; 16:32-33)
2. THE GIFT OF EUCHARIST
Where there is hatred, let us sow love.
Let us free our hateful hearts in love.
Let us unite our angry hearts in Eucharist.
Let us integrate our resentful hearts in wholeness.
He said, "this is My body . . . this is My blood . . ." (Matthew 26:26-30)
3. THE AGONY IN GARDEN
Where there is doubt, let us bring faith.
Let us free our busy hearts to be prayerful.
Let us unite our hesitant hearts to experience trust.
Let us integrate our doubtful hearts to know faith.
"My heart is nearly broken with sorrow. Remain here and stay awake with me." (Matthew 26:36-39; Luke 22:43)
4. JESUS IS TAKEN CAPTIVE
Where there is injury, let us bring pardon.
Let us free our betrayed hearts with Christ's Kiss of Peace.
Let us unite our unpardoned hearts with Christ’s Infinite Clemency.
Let us integrate our wounded hearts with Christ’s Anointed Healing.
"Lord, shall we use the sword?" . . . Jesus said in answer . . . "Enough!"
(Luke 22:47-51)
5. JESUS IS BLINDFOLDED AND MOCKED
Where there is darkness, let us bring light.
Let us free our blinded hearts to recognize Christ's Heart.
Let us unite our insulted hearts to give prophetic witness.
Let us integrate our prideful hearts to live with modest humility.
"They . . . questioned Him . . . and they reviled him . . . saying things against Him." (Luke 22:63-66)
6. JUDAS TAKES HIS LIFE
Where there is despair, let us bring hope.
Let us free our despairing hearts with the hope of mercy.
Let us unite our repentant hearts with the reconciliation of forgiveness.
Let us integrate our remorseful hearts with the goodness of life.
"I did wrong to deliver up an innocent man." . . . "What is that to us? It is your affair!" (Matthew 27:3-5)
7. JESUS IS JUDGED BY PILATE
Grant that we may seek not so much to be understood as to understand.
Let us free our introspected hearts to know self worth for service.
Let us unite our powerless hearts to know timing for words or silence.
Let us integrate our controlling hearts to know understanding for others.
"I have the power to release you and . . . to crucify you . . ." (John 19:9-11)
8. BARABBAS IS PREFERRED TO JESUS
Grant that we may seek not so much to be loved as to love.
Let us free our fickle hearts to become faithful through Christ's Love.
Let us unite our selfish hearts to become altruistic with Christ's Love.
Let us integrate our accusing hearts to become committed in Christ's Love.
"What am I to do with Jesus . . .? (Matthew 27:15-17, 21-23, 26)
9. JESUS IS LED TO GOLGATHA AND CRUCIFIED
It is in giving that we receive.
Let us free our self-serving hearts to give without measure.
Let us unite our self-seeking hearts to give without return.
Let us integrate our self-rewarding hearts to give without glory.
"He saved others; let Him save Himself . . . " (Luke 23:26, 33, 35)
10. MARY IS ENTRUSTED TO THE CARE OF THE BELOVED DISCIPLE
Grant that we may seek not so much to be consoled as to console.
Let us free our disappointed hearts from self-concern to express empathy for others.
Let us unite our suffering hearts with Christ's Passion to express compassion for others.
Let us integrate our unfeeling hearts by transforming Grace to express consolation for others.
" . . . There is your son . . . There is your mother." (John 19:25-27)
11. JESUS PARDONS CRUCIFIERS
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
Let us free our conditional hearts to forgive unconditionally.
Let us unite our hurt hearts to forgive without hesitation.
Let us integrate our judgmental hearts to forgive without questioning.
" . . . forgive them; they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)
12. JESUS GIVES UP SPIRIT
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Let us free our material hearts to embrace Divine Purpose.
Let us unite our closed hearts to open to Divine Eclipse.
Let us integrate our dying hearts to surrender to Divine Life.
" . . . Father, into Your hands I commend My Spirit." (Luke 23:44-46)
13. JESUS APPEARS TO MARY MAGDALENE
Where there is sadness, let us bring joy.
Let us free our saddened hearts by acknowledging them as worthy.
Let us unite our joyless hearts by assuring them of meaning.
Let us integrate our weeping hearts by supporting them with purpose.
" . . . why are you weeping?" (John 20:11-16)
14. JESUS APPEARS TO DISCIPLES
Lord, make us instruments of Your peace.
Let us free our locked hearts to welcome in Jesus' Spirit.
Let us unite our disbelieving hearts to recognize our Salvation.
Let us integrate our distressed hearts for the fullness of Christ's Peace.
"Peace be with you." (John 20:19-22)
*We invite all Individuals, Families, Communities, and Nations; all persons of every Lifestyle, Race, Creed, Culture, and Government to embrace this threefold 'Call' for, Freedom-Unity-Integrity.
Donna Amy Podobinski, SCP, Copyright © The Society of Christ's Priesthood, a program of CITI Ministries, Inc.
The following Stations of the Cross for PEACE were inspired by a booklet that was written by Fr. Gilbert Barth, TOR. The booklet title may have been: "Stations for Peace"? I contacted his community to ask if they had any more of these booklets. But, the title and author were not currently recognized. I have not been able to locate the very old copy that, many years ago, served this personal meditation, in order to give proper 'credits'. I remember that Fr. Barth incorporated Scripture and St. Francis of Assisi's Prayer for Peace in his own meditation. Keeping the end goal in mind of personal 'inner' PEACE as well as World-Wide PEACE, for each Station, I felt lead to meditate specifically on daily applications for God's Threefold 'Call'. Because, only, 'to the degree' that we each strive to embrace and integrate into our lives the deepest meaning of, FREEDOM-UNITY-INTEGRITY, will God's Dream for PEACE, through JUSTICE for ALL, be fulfilled.
May we be strengthened by the example of all of God’s committed, consecrated persons who have gone before us, as was Martin Luther King. Together with all those who work for PEACE in our time, let us pray:
‘Freedom at last!' . . . Let us now ever seek 'Unity' for this common purpose of striving toward the fulfillment of God’s Dream, Peace through Justice, that
'Integrity' may be sought and found by all of God’s People throughout the whole World. Amen!
1. DISCOURSE AT THE LAST SUPPER
Lord, make us instruments of Your Peace.
Let us free our fearful hearts through Your Word.
Let us unite our troubled hearts through Your Presence.
Let us integrate our scattered hearts through Your Peace.
"Peace is My gift to you; . . . not as the world gives peace . . ." (John 14:1, 27-28; 16:32-33)
2. THE GIFT OF EUCHARIST
Where there is hatred, let us sow love.
Let us free our hateful hearts in love.
Let us unite our angry hearts in Eucharist.
Let us integrate our resentful hearts in wholeness.
He said, "this is My body . . . this is My blood . . ." (Matthew 26:26-30)
3. THE AGONY IN GARDEN
Where there is doubt, let us bring faith.
Let us free our busy hearts to be prayerful.
Let us unite our hesitant hearts to experience trust.
Let us integrate our doubtful hearts to know faith.
"My heart is nearly broken with sorrow. Remain here and stay awake with me." (Matthew 26:36-39; Luke 22:43)
4. JESUS IS TAKEN CAPTIVE
Where there is injury, let us bring pardon.
Let us free our betrayed hearts with Christ's Kiss of Peace.
Let us unite our unpardoned hearts with Christ’s Infinite Clemency.
Let us integrate our wounded hearts with Christ’s Anointed Healing.
"Lord, shall we use the sword?" . . . Jesus said in answer . . . "Enough!"
(Luke 22:47-51)
5. JESUS IS BLINDFOLDED AND MOCKED
Where there is darkness, let us bring light.
Let us free our blinded hearts to recognize Christ's Heart.
Let us unite our insulted hearts to give prophetic witness.
Let us integrate our prideful hearts to live with modest humility.
"They . . . questioned Him . . . and they reviled him . . . saying things against Him." (Luke 22:63-66)
6. JUDAS TAKES HIS LIFE
Where there is despair, let us bring hope.
Let us free our despairing hearts with the hope of mercy.
Let us unite our repentant hearts with the reconciliation of forgiveness.
Let us integrate our remorseful hearts with the goodness of life.
"I did wrong to deliver up an innocent man." . . . "What is that to us? It is your affair!" (Matthew 27:3-5)
7. JESUS IS JUDGED BY PILATE
Grant that we may seek not so much to be understood as to understand.
Let us free our introspected hearts to know self worth for service.
Let us unite our powerless hearts to know timing for words or silence.
Let us integrate our controlling hearts to know understanding for others.
"I have the power to release you and . . . to crucify you . . ." (John 19:9-11)
8. BARABBAS IS PREFERRED TO JESUS
Grant that we may seek not so much to be loved as to love.
Let us free our fickle hearts to become faithful through Christ's Love.
Let us unite our selfish hearts to become altruistic with Christ's Love.
Let us integrate our accusing hearts to become committed in Christ's Love.
"What am I to do with Jesus . . .? (Matthew 27:15-17, 21-23, 26)
9. JESUS IS LED TO GOLGATHA AND CRUCIFIED
It is in giving that we receive.
Let us free our self-serving hearts to give without measure.
Let us unite our self-seeking hearts to give without return.
Let us integrate our self-rewarding hearts to give without glory.
"He saved others; let Him save Himself . . . " (Luke 23:26, 33, 35)
10. MARY IS ENTRUSTED TO THE CARE OF THE BELOVED DISCIPLE
Grant that we may seek not so much to be consoled as to console.
Let us free our disappointed hearts from self-concern to express empathy for others.
Let us unite our suffering hearts with Christ's Passion to express compassion for others.
Let us integrate our unfeeling hearts by transforming Grace to express consolation for others.
" . . . There is your son . . . There is your mother." (John 19:25-27)
11. JESUS PARDONS CRUCIFIERS
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
Let us free our conditional hearts to forgive unconditionally.
Let us unite our hurt hearts to forgive without hesitation.
Let us integrate our judgmental hearts to forgive without questioning.
" . . . forgive them; they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)
12. JESUS GIVES UP SPIRIT
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Let us free our material hearts to embrace Divine Purpose.
Let us unite our closed hearts to open to Divine Eclipse.
Let us integrate our dying hearts to surrender to Divine Life.
" . . . Father, into Your hands I commend My Spirit." (Luke 23:44-46)
13. JESUS APPEARS TO MARY MAGDALENE
Where there is sadness, let us bring joy.
Let us free our saddened hearts by acknowledging them as worthy.
Let us unite our joyless hearts by assuring them of meaning.
Let us integrate our weeping hearts by supporting them with purpose.
" . . . why are you weeping?" (John 20:11-16)
14. JESUS APPEARS TO DISCIPLES
Lord, make us instruments of Your peace.
Let us free our locked hearts to welcome in Jesus' Spirit.
Let us unite our disbelieving hearts to recognize our Salvation.
Let us integrate our distressed hearts for the fullness of Christ's Peace.
"Peace be with you." (John 20:19-22)
*We invite all Individuals, Families, Communities, and Nations; all persons of every Lifestyle, Race, Creed, Culture, and Government to embrace this threefold 'Call' for, Freedom-Unity-Integrity.
Donna Amy Podobinski, SCP, Copyright © The Society of Christ's Priesthood, a program of CITI Ministries, Inc.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
10. A COMMUNITY PRAYER
TRINITARIAN INDWELLING SOURCE, Eternally CREATING-REDEEMING-SANCTIFYING, our Most Perfect SOURCE COMMUNITY, together, we are Community in Trinity. . . Trinity in Community. You dwell within the center of each of our hearts; and, You dwell within the heart of our Community. We are sustained, individually and communally within Your Heart-Center.
You have a Dream! This Dream is Your ‘Covenant’ with and for us (Is. 42:6-9; 54:10) Your Covenant is offered to every person, and to all Communities of the World. Your Covenant is for all Nations . . . for all Peoples of all Beliefs. Your Covenant is Peace by our living Justly. Thank you for Communicating Your Dream to us through Your Threefold 'Call' for: Freedom-Unity-Integrity, that we may know how to live, 'justly'.
These three 'Calls' are a Spiritual, ‘Way-of-Life’, for living a ‘Just’ and
‘Consecrated’ life. Our Commitment to Your threefold ‘Call’ enables us to, ‘reach for’, the realization of Your Dream.
BELOVED ETERNAL SOURCE, our CREATOR, Your 'Call' for Freedom is:
"Let my People go!" (Exodus 5:01)
DEVOTED INCARNATE WORD, our REDEEMER, Your 'Call' for Unity is:
“May they be one as We are one, that Your Love for Me may live in them as I live in them.” (John 17:11, 26)
BLESSED HOLY SPIRIT, our SANCTIFIER, Your 'Call' for Integrity is:
"Be holy, for I, your SOURCE, Am Holy." (Leviticus 19:2)
“Be whole, as your SOURCE is Whole." (Matthew 5:48)
Together, let us give thanks and praise:
We thank you, BELOVED SOURCE, our Creator, for Calling us to, 'Freedom'. Let us free & enable one another in Your Service. May we strive to use all of our Spirit-given gifts and personal missions to fruitfully build and re-build in Your Light.
We thank you, DEVOTED REDEEMER, Christ Jesus, for Calling us to, ‘Unity’. Let us unite & enable one another in Your Love. May we strive to selflessly reach out to others; recognize your Presence in each person; and embrace All Peoples in Your Way.
We thank you, BLESSED SANCTIFIER, for Calling us to, 'Integrity'. Let us integrate & enable one another in Your Holiness. May we strive to renew Faith and revitalize Spirituality individually, Communally, and World-wide in Your Fulfillment.
Blessed Trinity, You 'Call' each of us, individually, in this Community to realize in each of our own lives Your Dream for Peace by personally embracing Your Threefold ‘Way-of-Life’ for Freedom-Unity-and Integrity.
You 'Call' each of us, individually and communally, to share with others Your Three-fold ‘Way-of-Life’, our active response to your Covenant of Peace that Justice for All Peoples can be known.
In You, our Trinitarian, Indwelling SOURCE-COMMUNITY, Your Dream of Peace for us IS Fulfilled.
Donna Amy Podobinski, SCP; redrafted, A Community Prayer, February 18, 2010; Copyright © The Society of Christ's Priesthood, a program of CITI Ministries, Inc.; Scripture references have been paraphrased to emphasize their essential meaning relative to our Trinitarian SOURCE and ‘Call’ for Freedom-Unity-Integrity.
You have a Dream! This Dream is Your ‘Covenant’ with and for us (Is. 42:6-9; 54:10) Your Covenant is offered to every person, and to all Communities of the World. Your Covenant is for all Nations . . . for all Peoples of all Beliefs. Your Covenant is Peace by our living Justly. Thank you for Communicating Your Dream to us through Your Threefold 'Call' for: Freedom-Unity-Integrity, that we may know how to live, 'justly'.
These three 'Calls' are a Spiritual, ‘Way-of-Life’, for living a ‘Just’ and
‘Consecrated’ life. Our Commitment to Your threefold ‘Call’ enables us to, ‘reach for’, the realization of Your Dream.
BELOVED ETERNAL SOURCE, our CREATOR, Your 'Call' for Freedom is:
"Let my People go!" (Exodus 5:01)
DEVOTED INCARNATE WORD, our REDEEMER, Your 'Call' for Unity is:
“May they be one as We are one, that Your Love for Me may live in them as I live in them.” (John 17:11, 26)
BLESSED HOLY SPIRIT, our SANCTIFIER, Your 'Call' for Integrity is:
"Be holy, for I, your SOURCE, Am Holy." (Leviticus 19:2)
“Be whole, as your SOURCE is Whole." (Matthew 5:48)
Together, let us give thanks and praise:
We thank you, BELOVED SOURCE, our Creator, for Calling us to, 'Freedom'. Let us free & enable one another in Your Service. May we strive to use all of our Spirit-given gifts and personal missions to fruitfully build and re-build in Your Light.
We thank you, DEVOTED REDEEMER, Christ Jesus, for Calling us to, ‘Unity’. Let us unite & enable one another in Your Love. May we strive to selflessly reach out to others; recognize your Presence in each person; and embrace All Peoples in Your Way.
We thank you, BLESSED SANCTIFIER, for Calling us to, 'Integrity'. Let us integrate & enable one another in Your Holiness. May we strive to renew Faith and revitalize Spirituality individually, Communally, and World-wide in Your Fulfillment.
Blessed Trinity, You 'Call' each of us, individually, in this Community to realize in each of our own lives Your Dream for Peace by personally embracing Your Threefold ‘Way-of-Life’ for Freedom-Unity-and Integrity.
You 'Call' each of us, individually and communally, to share with others Your Three-fold ‘Way-of-Life’, our active response to your Covenant of Peace that Justice for All Peoples can be known.
In You, our Trinitarian, Indwelling SOURCE-COMMUNITY, Your Dream of Peace for us IS Fulfilled.
Donna Amy Podobinski, SCP; redrafted, A Community Prayer, February 18, 2010; Copyright © The Society of Christ's Priesthood, a program of CITI Ministries, Inc.; Scripture references have been paraphrased to emphasize their essential meaning relative to our Trinitarian SOURCE and ‘Call’ for Freedom-Unity-Integrity.
9. BIO: “TESTING”
In preparation for entering the Carmelite Monastery, the Community required applicants to be tested by a School Sister of Notre Dame who was a psychologist. It is important that a person is joining a cloistered community for the ‘right’ reasons and has health of mind/body/spirit for the rigors of the stark and simple lifestyle. One part of the testing revealed the degree of, ‘self-motivation’. The second part revealed basic challenges of a person’s temperament. This self knowledge greatly benefited both our spiritual and human developmental processes. My test results were: ‘Self-motivation’, 100%; and, with three temperament challenges of a tendency towards sadness; borderline scrupulosity; and being, ‘over responsible’.
So, you can imagine how I ‘initially’ felt upon becoming ‘aware’ of how even a negative thought ‘negatively’ effected everyone else who ever lived, is now on earth, or is yet to be born! (It is my understanding that our, ‘SOURCE- PERSPECTIVE’, of Creation and of our union in and with all Creation and one another, is, ‘outside-of-time’.) Needless to say, I became very, ‘sad’; ‘scrupulously’ spent much time during our daily, ‘Examination of Conscience’; and, ‘over responsibly’ went out of my way to ‘look’ a second and third time at my fellow Sister’s expressions to be sure that the ‘fruits’ of my thoughts, words, and actions were only LOVE/PEACE. After about two weeks of being mentally, physically, and spiritually ‘worn out’ from this exceedingly, ‘perfection-oriented’, approach to ‘relationships’, I remembered God’s Promise related in Scripture to, ‘bring good out of everything’, (Romans 8:28):
A 'negative' thought offers me an 'exercise-moment' in which I can practice exchanging 'my' perception with the PERCEPTION of the MIND & HEART of my SOURCE.
A word spoken without ‘thoughtfulness’ carries with it the potential to open me to ‘opportunity’ for new ‘redemptive’ communication moments . . . and,
A ‘misplaced’ action or ‘omission’ teaches me how to better ‘edit’ my thoughts that, in turn, can lead me to less-than-loving words and actions . . .
This is the, ‘good’, that is always ‘available’ for us in every situation. Consequently, ‘HOPE’ dispelled my ‘sadness’ allowing, PEACE to, accordingly, relax this borderline scrupulous and over-responsible mind/heart/spirit!
It soon became apparent that ‘I’ couldn’t ‘perfectly’ incarnate LOVE/PEACE in ‘my’ every thought-word-action . . . HOWEVER, The SPIRIT of our SOURCE would PERFECTLY, ‘Be PRESENT’, in and through my thoughts/words/actions in ‘HER’ WAY . . . my ‘role’ was to simply, ‘let go’ of my ‘attempts’ to ‘control’ my ‘self’ that all these energies would be, instead, used ‘by’ The SPIRIT of our SOURCE in the service of others . . . I was then lead to seek out and embrace the, ‘essence’, of the three traditional vows of Religious Life, (poverty-chastity-obedience), over the ‘superficial aspects’ of, ‘having no things’; of ‘denying all sexual desires’; and, of following Mother Superior’s ‘word’ without question, dialogue, or communal discernment processes.
Three of the 8 Beatitudes for me specially corresponded to the vows of poverty-chastity-obedience. They offered meaningful developmental understanding of the deepest ‘spirit’ behind any superficial ‘letter’ of each vow:
‘Poverty of spirit’(poverty); ‘Singleness of heart’ (chastity); and, ‘Hunger & thirst for holiness/wholeness’ (obedience), became my personal cloistered, ‘mantra’ . . .
Along with this ‘threefold’ dedicated consecration of, mind/heart/body/spirit, was a daily growing ‘awareness’ of the Indwelling of our very, SOURCE. And, that, ‘we’, in Community, are called to be, ‘in-relationship-with’, one another in our Indwelling SOURCE through a Threefold Creating Freedom; Redeeming Unity; and, Sanctifying Integrity . . . It is this Eternal Relationship with one another in our Indwelling SOURCE that, clearly became for me the, ‘goal of my soul’ for personal and Communal,
‘Fulfillment’. (See, “A Community Prayer”)
So, you can imagine how I ‘initially’ felt upon becoming ‘aware’ of how even a negative thought ‘negatively’ effected everyone else who ever lived, is now on earth, or is yet to be born! (It is my understanding that our, ‘SOURCE- PERSPECTIVE’, of Creation and of our union in and with all Creation and one another, is, ‘outside-of-time’.) Needless to say, I became very, ‘sad’; ‘scrupulously’ spent much time during our daily, ‘Examination of Conscience’; and, ‘over responsibly’ went out of my way to ‘look’ a second and third time at my fellow Sister’s expressions to be sure that the ‘fruits’ of my thoughts, words, and actions were only LOVE/PEACE. After about two weeks of being mentally, physically, and spiritually ‘worn out’ from this exceedingly, ‘perfection-oriented’, approach to ‘relationships’, I remembered God’s Promise related in Scripture to, ‘bring good out of everything’, (Romans 8:28):
A 'negative' thought offers me an 'exercise-moment' in which I can practice exchanging 'my' perception with the PERCEPTION of the MIND & HEART of my SOURCE.
A word spoken without ‘thoughtfulness’ carries with it the potential to open me to ‘opportunity’ for new ‘redemptive’ communication moments . . . and,
A ‘misplaced’ action or ‘omission’ teaches me how to better ‘edit’ my thoughts that, in turn, can lead me to less-than-loving words and actions . . .
This is the, ‘good’, that is always ‘available’ for us in every situation. Consequently, ‘HOPE’ dispelled my ‘sadness’ allowing, PEACE to, accordingly, relax this borderline scrupulous and over-responsible mind/heart/spirit!
It soon became apparent that ‘I’ couldn’t ‘perfectly’ incarnate LOVE/PEACE in ‘my’ every thought-word-action . . . HOWEVER, The SPIRIT of our SOURCE would PERFECTLY, ‘Be PRESENT’, in and through my thoughts/words/actions in ‘HER’ WAY . . . my ‘role’ was to simply, ‘let go’ of my ‘attempts’ to ‘control’ my ‘self’ that all these energies would be, instead, used ‘by’ The SPIRIT of our SOURCE in the service of others . . . I was then lead to seek out and embrace the, ‘essence’, of the three traditional vows of Religious Life, (poverty-chastity-obedience), over the ‘superficial aspects’ of, ‘having no things’; of ‘denying all sexual desires’; and, of following Mother Superior’s ‘word’ without question, dialogue, or communal discernment processes.
Three of the 8 Beatitudes for me specially corresponded to the vows of poverty-chastity-obedience. They offered meaningful developmental understanding of the deepest ‘spirit’ behind any superficial ‘letter’ of each vow:
‘Poverty of spirit’(poverty); ‘Singleness of heart’ (chastity); and, ‘Hunger & thirst for holiness/wholeness’ (obedience), became my personal cloistered, ‘mantra’ . . .
Along with this ‘threefold’ dedicated consecration of, mind/heart/body/spirit, was a daily growing ‘awareness’ of the Indwelling of our very, SOURCE. And, that, ‘we’, in Community, are called to be, ‘in-relationship-with’, one another in our Indwelling SOURCE through a Threefold Creating Freedom; Redeeming Unity; and, Sanctifying Integrity . . . It is this Eternal Relationship with one another in our Indwelling SOURCE that, clearly became for me the, ‘goal of my soul’ for personal and Communal,
‘Fulfillment’. (See, “A Community Prayer”)
8. "DREAM-BITES"
The following is being created to store 'soundbite' statements relative to the Threefold 'Call' and The Society of Christ's Priesthood. As I re-read through the writings and communications of the past three decades, I'll pick out the short statements that seem to encapsilize relevant concepts and post them here. It has been clearly, 'confirmed-by-Community', that doing a 'soundbite' is definitely not my natural, 'gift'! . . . For 15 years, now, Louise Haggett, founder of CITI Ministries, has been lovingly and gently and encouragingly trying to help me develop a, 'gift-for-bite'. With her own unique gift and experience for 'marketing', from the first day we met she has asked me, 'more than once', to try to, 'say it in fewer words'! The original documents 'explaining' this new service mission Community for the 21st Century,(The Society of Christ's Priesthood), were several 100 pages . . . God definitely 'DESTINED' these writings to 'meet' Louise . . .!
As I work on this blog's 'beginnings', the following are my first three 'official' soundbites! Since, in the original writings in the latter 1970's and early 1980's, I referred to the Threefold 'Call' as, 'GOD'S DREAM' for us, I decided to call this posting, "DREAM-BITES":
"God's Threefold 'Call' for Freedom-Unity-Integrity is simple in Essence; profound in Impact."
"Celebrate God's Threefold Call in the, 'every-dayness', of life, in each event's, 'moment' . . . the only 'place' Freedom-Unity-Integrity can be 'lived'.
"Freedom-Unity-Integrity can most clearly be 'recognized' in the Fruit of Peace."
Donna Amy Podobinski, SCP; Copyright © The Society of Christ's Priesthood, a program of CITI Ministries, Inc.
As I work on this blog's 'beginnings', the following are my first three 'official' soundbites! Since, in the original writings in the latter 1970's and early 1980's, I referred to the Threefold 'Call' as, 'GOD'S DREAM' for us, I decided to call this posting, "DREAM-BITES":
"God's Threefold 'Call' for Freedom-Unity-Integrity is simple in Essence; profound in Impact."
"Celebrate God's Threefold Call in the, 'every-dayness', of life, in each event's, 'moment' . . . the only 'place' Freedom-Unity-Integrity can be 'lived'.
"Freedom-Unity-Integrity can most clearly be 'recognized' in the Fruit of Peace."
Donna Amy Podobinski, SCP; Copyright © The Society of Christ's Priesthood, a program of CITI Ministries, Inc.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
7. DEFINITION OF POSTING TERMS
The following will be a developmental blog 'dictionary' of common terms being used in these postings with their 'meanings':
INDWELLING: The term, 'Indwelling', expresses my belief that my SOURCE is Ever-PRESENT within me, Eternally sustaining my own, 'existence', with or without a body.
LOVE-SOURCE: 'GOD is LOVE'.
SOURCE: To express my personal belief in One CREATOR of us all, or, SUPREME BEING (GOD), I am using the universal term, SOURCE.
THREEFOLD 'CALL': Freedom-Unity-Integrity
TRINITARIAN: Our SOURCE is Trinitarian in, 'BEING', Ever Creating, Redeeming, Sanctifying us EXPRESSED through a Threefold Cyclical 'Call' for Freedom-Unity-Integrity.
INDWELLING: The term, 'Indwelling', expresses my belief that my SOURCE is Ever-PRESENT within me, Eternally sustaining my own, 'existence', with or without a body.
LOVE-SOURCE: 'GOD is LOVE'.
SOURCE: To express my personal belief in One CREATOR of us all, or, SUPREME BEING (GOD), I am using the universal term, SOURCE.
THREEFOLD 'CALL': Freedom-Unity-Integrity
TRINITARIAN: Our SOURCE is Trinitarian in, 'BEING', Ever Creating, Redeeming, Sanctifying us EXPRESSED through a Threefold Cyclical 'Call' for Freedom-Unity-Integrity.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)