“Each of us has a unique "way of being in the world." This 'being in the world' consists of our demeanor, language (both verbal and non-verbal), inflections of language and attitude. Every encounter with another human being leaves an impression, like a footprint in the sand, or like a wake on the lake. As we reflect on "Healing Presence" during this pastoral care week, let us think about our 'way of being in the world', especially with regard to spoken language.
As we all know well, words can hurt or heal. Four young men committed suicide recently due to hurtful words circulated about them on the internet, also known as cyberbullying. Billions of words are spoken and typed daily ( texting, email, blogs), mindlessly, and they destroy careers and destruct lives.
On our part, let us make a conscious effort to ask this question before we speak: "Is what I am going to say, TRUE, NECESSARY and KIND? Notice that I used the word 'and' instead of 'or' in the three choices posed. In other words, "will it hurt or will it heal?"
Let us develop the habit of 'mindful speaking' and help heal the world around us.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Green Lights ... All the Way
After my knee surgery ten days ago, I drove for the first time to my church in Hollywood. It is a 15 mile drive on University Drive with 30 traffic lights. Every stop and go, put extra pressure on my knee and I was not looking forward to that. So prayed for all green lights...and dared to put my car on 'cruise control' after passing Southgate Blvd. "If I could get to Commercial Blvd without stopping, I would he thrilled," I said to myself. Yes!, I went through Commercial, and of course, the next light at Inverrary Blvd is going to be red. It has always turned red on me in the last 22 years I have driven this road. But it was green today...I thought my free ride will surely end at Oakland Park Blvd... but I could not believe I had green light there too...
The miracle of green lights kept happening,and guess what, after going through 20 green lights, I had to break the car for the first time at Broward Bvld. A stretch of 8 miles!!! It has never happened before in all my years of driving on that road. I spoke about it in my sermon yesterday, as proof of God (the Universe) taking care of us when we are in harmony with the Universe.
I posted this experience on facebook yesterday. Today, I received a message from a friend who works for the County: "As the saying goes, the Lord works in mysterious ways, so this month University Drive was one of the first 2 streets to get its signals synchronized (because you needed it now, Paul). See http://www.broward.org/Traffic/GreenLights/Pages/Default.aspx and look at the schedule!
The County website says:
"Broward County is improving traffic flow through our “Green Lights Program,” to coordinate traffic signals along our major streets. We will be re-timing our most frequently traveled roadways over the next several months according to the Green Lights Program schedule. Drivers traveling along streets where signal re-timing is in effect will experience fewer delays and more green lights. When you drive at the posted speed limit, you will you pass through more continuous green lights during your trip."
They just started the program this month, and University Drive was one of the first 2 street to get the benefit. I had the surgery this month. I needed it most this Sunday!! This is how My GOD works....
Be in harmony with the Universe..don't resist life, don't struggle, just go with the flow and and trust in the process and God will show up in what ever form and shape you need...
The miracle of green lights kept happening,and guess what, after going through 20 green lights, I had to break the car for the first time at Broward Bvld. A stretch of 8 miles!!! It has never happened before in all my years of driving on that road. I spoke about it in my sermon yesterday, as proof of God (the Universe) taking care of us when we are in harmony with the Universe.
I posted this experience on facebook yesterday. Today, I received a message from a friend who works for the County: "As the saying goes, the Lord works in mysterious ways, so this month University Drive was one of the first 2 streets to get its signals synchronized (because you needed it now, Paul). See http://www.broward.org/Traffic/GreenLights/Pages/Default.aspx and look at the schedule!
The County website says:
"Broward County is improving traffic flow through our “Green Lights Program,” to coordinate traffic signals along our major streets. We will be re-timing our most frequently traveled roadways over the next several months according to the Green Lights Program schedule. Drivers traveling along streets where signal re-timing is in effect will experience fewer delays and more green lights. When you drive at the posted speed limit, you will you pass through more continuous green lights during your trip."
They just started the program this month, and University Drive was one of the first 2 street to get the benefit. I had the surgery this month. I needed it most this Sunday!! This is how My GOD works....
Be in harmony with the Universe..don't resist life, don't struggle, just go with the flow and and trust in the process and God will show up in what ever form and shape you need...
Friday, September 24, 2010
My Knee Surgery performed by 6 billion people...
Last week, Thurs, I had knee surgery. About six people were directly involved in my surgery that day; that means they played a direct role in my life, but about six billion were indirectly involved to make it all happen that day.
Now what do I mean by that? Let me explain. Early in the morning, I took a shower in the water that was supplied by the city of coral springs. I was thinking of the thousands of people who were involved in the harnessing, production, purification and channeling of that water supply to my house at that particular address. The people who manufactured the pipes that made that water flow safe. The companies that made the water purification chemicals. The people who made the hot water tank in my house; the technicians who installed it. When I think like that, the number of people involved in giving me a hot shower that morning, multiplies by thousands.
Remember, the the day has barely started, and millions are still going to be involved.
I was wearing a shirt that morning which was made in Bangladesh. The label said: Made in B; 100% cotton.” Usually nobody pays attention to these things; but I do, and it has a lot to do with the peace and joy I feel in life.
I thought of the thousands of people who were involved in making that shirt, starting with the poor villagers who produced the cotton, a grandmother who might have woven that cotton in into threads in a small factory in a remote village; Her emotions of fear, and hope or hopelessness have been woven into the threads that made my shirt which is now covering my body. I think of the people who made the machine that stitched my shirt together; the person who folded it, packed it, sealed and placed it on a truck to be exported to the United Sates. The fears, cares and energies of of all those people are part of the fabric I am wearing that day.
Then I think of the train that transported it to the nearest Airport in Bangladesh and off to a cargo plain bound for Arkansas, the headquarters of Walmart. And from there, it is unloaded, coded and re-routed into a truck that goes a 1000 miles to a Walmart in Coral Springs. Think of the thousands of employees whose joint effort made that shirt appear on a rack, and I pick it up, pay for it with a credit card, issued by a bank that has another ten thousand employees, who make sure that Walmart is paid on my behalf. You see the endless connections with people that make it all possible.
The day has barely begun, and I have not gotten to the Surgery Center yet; My wife drives me there in a car that has 2200 different parts. Those 2200 parts of the car have been touched by the energy, imagination, and efforts of another million people, not here, but somewhere in Japan.
Then there is the girl at the front desk, who registers me on a Dell Computer with 5000 parts, that was made in China..and now another billion Chinese people are getting involved in my life that day.
Then I am taken into the prep room, and I am surrounded by half a dozen people, nurses, anesthesiologist, my doctor, recovery room personnel. I am thinking of all the people who are connected to them by extension, their families, friends, the communities they belong to etc. Then they put me under, using this sedation medication that was manufactured in a medical lab in Nebraska, shipped via Fex Ex planes and a Fed Ex driver brings it to the facility. An unknown Fed Ex driver and all the people in his life have now gotten involved in my life.
And then there is this million dollar medical equipment with a zillion parts, lights, camera and laser beams that will make three holes on my knee, will probe the damaged area, and this doctor whom I have seen only twice in my entire life, will scrape it, repair it and and make it all right.
That morning, I was held tenderly and directly in the hands of six human beings, but I was indirectly supported and lovingly sustained by the energy of six billion people. That is how I experience God through my connectedness to people who are created in the image and likeness of God.
And the funny thing is that I was completely unconscious, lying down helplessly, totally at the mercy of a group of strangers. But the reality is that they are not strangers; they are strangers only in a superficial sense. In a deeper sense, on the level of the soul, they are my brothers and sisters, sharing my same humanity, and I know that they will never do anything to hurt me, but try their best to help.
This is just one scenario of a single human interaction. This happens in all of our lives, every day. You don't have to go into surgery to experience it. Where ever there is a human interaction or transaction, this scenario of connectedness and interdependence plays out all the time.
Even if you stay home all day and does not directly come into contact with any one, you are still connected to millions, through the clothes on your body, the TV you watch, the cell phone you use, the food you eat, etc. etc.
And that is my greatest argument for peace. We don't have peace in the world, because we think we are strangers to each other; that one person or one nation has nothing to do with the other; that we are in competition with each other; that other people are our enemies; that other religions are inferior to ours; that enemies need to be destroyed etc. etc.
That kind of separatist thinking will never bring peace in the world. That is why Mother Teresa who won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 19 said it so powerfully: “If we have no peace, it is because, we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
So the way of peace is primarily, an inner process, a changing of our consciousness from the lowest level, which is the level of division, disunity and exclusion to the highest level, of inclusion, unity and wholeness.
So, the ultimate prescription for peace is AWARENESS. Awareness of our interconnection and interdependence!
Now what do I mean by that? Let me explain. Early in the morning, I took a shower in the water that was supplied by the city of coral springs. I was thinking of the thousands of people who were involved in the harnessing, production, purification and channeling of that water supply to my house at that particular address. The people who manufactured the pipes that made that water flow safe. The companies that made the water purification chemicals. The people who made the hot water tank in my house; the technicians who installed it. When I think like that, the number of people involved in giving me a hot shower that morning, multiplies by thousands.
Remember, the the day has barely started, and millions are still going to be involved.
I was wearing a shirt that morning which was made in Bangladesh. The label said: Made in B; 100% cotton.” Usually nobody pays attention to these things; but I do, and it has a lot to do with the peace and joy I feel in life.
I thought of the thousands of people who were involved in making that shirt, starting with the poor villagers who produced the cotton, a grandmother who might have woven that cotton in into threads in a small factory in a remote village; Her emotions of fear, and hope or hopelessness have been woven into the threads that made my shirt which is now covering my body. I think of the people who made the machine that stitched my shirt together; the person who folded it, packed it, sealed and placed it on a truck to be exported to the United Sates. The fears, cares and energies of of all those people are part of the fabric I am wearing that day.
Then I think of the train that transported it to the nearest Airport in Bangladesh and off to a cargo plain bound for Arkansas, the headquarters of Walmart. And from there, it is unloaded, coded and re-routed into a truck that goes a 1000 miles to a Walmart in Coral Springs. Think of the thousands of employees whose joint effort made that shirt appear on a rack, and I pick it up, pay for it with a credit card, issued by a bank that has another ten thousand employees, who make sure that Walmart is paid on my behalf. You see the endless connections with people that make it all possible.
The day has barely begun, and I have not gotten to the Surgery Center yet; My wife drives me there in a car that has 2200 different parts. Those 2200 parts of the car have been touched by the energy, imagination, and efforts of another million people, not here, but somewhere in Japan.
Then there is the girl at the front desk, who registers me on a Dell Computer with 5000 parts, that was made in China..and now another billion Chinese people are getting involved in my life that day.
Then I am taken into the prep room, and I am surrounded by half a dozen people, nurses, anesthesiologist, my doctor, recovery room personnel. I am thinking of all the people who are connected to them by extension, their families, friends, the communities they belong to etc. Then they put me under, using this sedation medication that was manufactured in a medical lab in Nebraska, shipped via Fex Ex planes and a Fed Ex driver brings it to the facility. An unknown Fed Ex driver and all the people in his life have now gotten involved in my life.
And then there is this million dollar medical equipment with a zillion parts, lights, camera and laser beams that will make three holes on my knee, will probe the damaged area, and this doctor whom I have seen only twice in my entire life, will scrape it, repair it and and make it all right.
That morning, I was held tenderly and directly in the hands of six human beings, but I was indirectly supported and lovingly sustained by the energy of six billion people. That is how I experience God through my connectedness to people who are created in the image and likeness of God.
And the funny thing is that I was completely unconscious, lying down helplessly, totally at the mercy of a group of strangers. But the reality is that they are not strangers; they are strangers only in a superficial sense. In a deeper sense, on the level of the soul, they are my brothers and sisters, sharing my same humanity, and I know that they will never do anything to hurt me, but try their best to help.
This is just one scenario of a single human interaction. This happens in all of our lives, every day. You don't have to go into surgery to experience it. Where ever there is a human interaction or transaction, this scenario of connectedness and interdependence plays out all the time.
Even if you stay home all day and does not directly come into contact with any one, you are still connected to millions, through the clothes on your body, the TV you watch, the cell phone you use, the food you eat, etc. etc.
And that is my greatest argument for peace. We don't have peace in the world, because we think we are strangers to each other; that one person or one nation has nothing to do with the other; that we are in competition with each other; that other people are our enemies; that other religions are inferior to ours; that enemies need to be destroyed etc. etc.
That kind of separatist thinking will never bring peace in the world. That is why Mother Teresa who won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 19 said it so powerfully: “If we have no peace, it is because, we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
So the way of peace is primarily, an inner process, a changing of our consciousness from the lowest level, which is the level of division, disunity and exclusion to the highest level, of inclusion, unity and wholeness.
So, the ultimate prescription for peace is AWARENESS. Awareness of our interconnection and interdependence!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Peace IS the Way
This is the speech I delivered at American Heritage School in Plantation,celebrating International Day of Peace (Actual day is 9/21 but celebrated on 9/14)
I am delighted to be with you, this morning, such a vibrant group of young people, to celebrate International Day of Peace. I commend you and congratulate you for taking the time to reflect on the topic of peace because as former UN Sec. Gen. Boutros Boutros Ghali said, “Thinking about peace is already a powerful means to contribute to peace.”
I am passionate about peace, because I am a devotee of Mahatma Gandhi, one the greatest peacemakers of all time. Besides, I am also a follower of Jesus, the prince of Peace. I have been very active in a local organization called One Planet United which was started in Coral Springs a few years ago, by one of my friends Jack Bloomfield.
Wee have been celebrating World Peace Day since it was established by the UN in 1981. The Catholic Church has celebrated Peace Sunday for hundreds of years. Numerous attempts have been made to bring about peace in the middle east. In spite of all that, peace seems to be a mirage?
I am reminded of a story of a journalist assigned to the Jerusalem bureau of CNN. She had an apartment overlooking the wailing wall. Daily, she watched this old man vigorously praying in front of the wall. One day she asked him: “Every day I see you praying at the wall; how long have you done this and what are you praying for?
“I have come here daily for 25 years. I pray for peace between Arabs and Jews. I pray that all hatred in the world end and I pray for all children of God to live in peace and harmony. How does it make you feel that after all these years of praying, your prayers are not answered. The old man looked at her sadly and said: “It is like talking to a wall.”
World Peace seems like such an impossible dream. In the past four decades America's war habit has led us into Iraq. Afghanistan, Kuwait, Somalia, Lebanon, Panama, Grenada, Vietnam, and Cambodia not to mention the more covert military operations into places like Laos, Nicaragua and Colombia.
These are examples of a nation at war with other nations. But there are wars within our nation itself that is going on right now; it is not a military conflict using tanks, bombs and weapons, and there may not be any visible wounds or bleeding bodies; but the conflict is real.
I am talking specifically about the huge conflict going on within our country about the proposed Islamic Cultural Center near Ground Zero. It has bitterly divided our nation. The groups that support the mosque and oppose it are going at each other with such vitriolic force that the wounds they create are much more serious than any weapon could ever inflict.
I am not bringing this up to make you disheartened in your efforts to work for peace. I am saying this to invite you to approach peacemaking with a whole new attitude. Because, traditional methods of achieving peace have failed. You know why? Because, our primary focus was to create peace out there, in the community, in the nation, in the middle east, in the world. It has not worked so far and it will not work, because we are operating from a basic fallacy, and that is peace is something that is out there.
The greatest threat to world peace is not nuclear weapons; but nuclear hearts filled with hatred, jealousy and anger. And how do we develop such a heart? It is developed in our mental laboratory using a pervasive substance called ignorance, and the product that is created is called SEPARATION ILLUSION.
So, if the cause of all the conflict in the world is the misguided belief that we are separate from each other, the solution to that problem is believing that we are all CONNECTED: that the apparent separation between religions, races and nations are just an illusion.
Mother Teresa who won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 19 said it so powerfully: “If we have no peace, it is because, we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
MK Gandhi a great champion of peach and nonviolence understood that we cannot create peace without being peaceful and that is why he said; “There is no way to peace, peace is the way. It compliments another saying of Gandhi: Be the change you want to see in the world.
So the way of peace is primarily, an inner process, a changing of our consciousness about the unity of humanity. So today, I invite to raise your consciousness to a higher level. From the lowest level, which is the level division, disunity and exclusion to the highest level, of inclusion, unity and wholeness.
I like to share with you a story about how I try operate from this higher level of consciousness.
I work as a hospice chaplain. There are 25 chaplains on our team and we have monthly meetings. Every time a new chaplain joins our team, we introduce ourselves. In the interest of time, we just say our name and denomination. So we began introducing ourselves as Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, United Methodist, Baptist, Southern Baptist, United Church of Christ, Disunited Church of Christ, no I just made that up.... You know there are over a 2000 different Christian denominations. Somebody called them, abominations, but that is a different story. So when my turn came, I just said, My name is Paul and I am a human being.
Everyone chuckled; at the end of the meeting, the new chaplain took me aside and said that he was intrigued by my introduction. I told him that I was not trying to be a wise guy. I had thought about it and deeply reflected on it. I really don’t like labels because, labels divide people and put them inseparate camps.
I consciously try to use language that unites rather than divide us. So if I say I am an American which I am by citizenship, I am connected to 300 million people. If I say I an Indian which I am by birth, I am connected to 1.2 billion people. If I say I am Christian, which I am by baptism, I am connected to about 2.7 billion people. I want to acknowledge my connection to the six billion people on this planet and human being is the only label that will fit that bill.
As a matter of fact, my connection is not just to the people, but to the animals, plants, the planets and the whole universe.
Last year, I was watching CNN and there was this story about a national geographic study called the Genographic Project. It is titled: The greatest Journey ever told: the trail of our DNA.
New DNA studies show that all humans descended from an African ancestor who lived about 60 thousand years ago. Population geneticist, Dr. Spencer Wells who is leading this study said: “The human genetic code or genome is 99.9 percent identical throughout the world. What is left, .1% is the DNA responsible for our individual differences; the color of our skin, race, religion etc.”
I fell out of my chair when I heard that. I had thought that 50 percent of the DNA account for similarities and 50 percent for our differences. That is what my friends thought. When I told them about this study, their jaws dropped, their eyes popped out, and they told me: “You cannot be serious.” I told them that I read this in the National Geographic and not the National Inquirer.
I have no intention to prove to you today that we are all connected. It is like gravity; whether you agree or not, it is the reality.
The fact of the matter is that we are the same genetically, 99.9 percent. Only .1 percent of our genes account for our differences. All the anger and jealousy is about the .1 percent? All our divisions and acrimony, is about the .1percent? All our prejudices and fighting, hatred, killings,terrorism and war
are about the .1 percent?
Mind boggling right? It is happening because we are not conscious of our basic identity as human beings and our connectedness to each other. It is happening, because, most of the time, we are just sleep walking through life.
In the Disney movie Lion King one and Half, Timor, a meerkat, leaves home to find a life for himself.On the way, he meets Rafiki, the wise baboon, who asks him where he was going. Timon tells the baboon “I am looking for a life without worries.” The monkey said: “So you are looking for hakuna matada”: Rafiki gave Timon this advice: “If you are looking for a life without worries, look beyond what you see”
All of us are looking for a life without worries; a peaceful life, a harmonious world, a united planet,but it seems to elude us all the time. Looking beyond what we see can be a beneficial exercise in achieving that goal.
We often live superficial lives, at the level of our five senses. The world around us is experienced and interpreted using our five senses. However, our senses can be very deceptive. For example, the senses tell us that the earth is flat, but that is not true; our eyes tell us that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, but when we look beyond what we see, we know that the sun neither rises nor sets.
It is the same with our view of people. On the physical level, people look different: different colors,different races, different religions, different languages, different sexual orientation, but on the level of the soul, they are all the same, members of one human family, each one intimately connected to the destinies and dreams of the other.
You have seen birth announcements on mail boxes. When a child is born you see a balloon tied to a mail box and it will say: “It’s a Boy” or “It is a Girl.” It never says: “It is a white American Catholic Boy” or a “Brown Mexican Methodist Girl”: A week after we are born, we get the birth certificate, it is our first label of nationality, a few months later, we get a baptism certificate which gives the
second label of religion, Later we acquire labels such as conservative, liberal, republican, democrat,etc. Some labels may be necessary for civic purposes, but they should have no place in our enterprise called life.
Few months ago, I received a phone call from a company doing a survey. At the end of the survey, the caller told me that for demographic purposes, she needed three pieces of information: my age, sex and race. And I said: I am 50 years old, I am male and I am human. There was this silence for a moment; And she said: “I only have boxes for White, Black, Asian or Other. I have to put you in one of those boxes.” And I said: “I don’t want to be in a box.” Always remember that God did not create separate boxes; God created the universe.
That is what each one of us need to start saying: “I don’t want to be in a any box created by our limited consciousness and narrow minds”: According to Neal Donald Walsch,all our problems are due to our desire to be in separate boxes:
“Every sadness of the human heart, every indignity of the human condition, every tragedy of the human experience, can be attributed to one human decision: the decision to separate ourselves from each other; all of our rage, all of our disappointments, all of our bitterness, has found its birth, in the death of our greatest joy: the joy of being one.”
Always think of you FIRST as a human being.
I like to conclude by extending to you the traditional Indian greeting, Namaste. Namaste is a Sanskrit word which means: “I bow to the divinity within you”.
Today, I invite you to dream of a world in which the divinity within you is always affirmed and the divinity in others is never denied.
Let your greeting, both now and forever be, Namaste!
I am delighted to be with you, this morning, such a vibrant group of young people, to celebrate International Day of Peace. I commend you and congratulate you for taking the time to reflect on the topic of peace because as former UN Sec. Gen. Boutros Boutros Ghali said, “Thinking about peace is already a powerful means to contribute to peace.”
I am passionate about peace, because I am a devotee of Mahatma Gandhi, one the greatest peacemakers of all time. Besides, I am also a follower of Jesus, the prince of Peace. I have been very active in a local organization called One Planet United which was started in Coral Springs a few years ago, by one of my friends Jack Bloomfield.
Wee have been celebrating World Peace Day since it was established by the UN in 1981. The Catholic Church has celebrated Peace Sunday for hundreds of years. Numerous attempts have been made to bring about peace in the middle east. In spite of all that, peace seems to be a mirage?
I am reminded of a story of a journalist assigned to the Jerusalem bureau of CNN. She had an apartment overlooking the wailing wall. Daily, she watched this old man vigorously praying in front of the wall. One day she asked him: “Every day I see you praying at the wall; how long have you done this and what are you praying for?
“I have come here daily for 25 years. I pray for peace between Arabs and Jews. I pray that all hatred in the world end and I pray for all children of God to live in peace and harmony. How does it make you feel that after all these years of praying, your prayers are not answered. The old man looked at her sadly and said: “It is like talking to a wall.”
World Peace seems like such an impossible dream. In the past four decades America's war habit has led us into Iraq. Afghanistan, Kuwait, Somalia, Lebanon, Panama, Grenada, Vietnam, and Cambodia not to mention the more covert military operations into places like Laos, Nicaragua and Colombia.
These are examples of a nation at war with other nations. But there are wars within our nation itself that is going on right now; it is not a military conflict using tanks, bombs and weapons, and there may not be any visible wounds or bleeding bodies; but the conflict is real.
I am talking specifically about the huge conflict going on within our country about the proposed Islamic Cultural Center near Ground Zero. It has bitterly divided our nation. The groups that support the mosque and oppose it are going at each other with such vitriolic force that the wounds they create are much more serious than any weapon could ever inflict.
I am not bringing this up to make you disheartened in your efforts to work for peace. I am saying this to invite you to approach peacemaking with a whole new attitude. Because, traditional methods of achieving peace have failed. You know why? Because, our primary focus was to create peace out there, in the community, in the nation, in the middle east, in the world. It has not worked so far and it will not work, because we are operating from a basic fallacy, and that is peace is something that is out there.
The greatest threat to world peace is not nuclear weapons; but nuclear hearts filled with hatred, jealousy and anger. And how do we develop such a heart? It is developed in our mental laboratory using a pervasive substance called ignorance, and the product that is created is called SEPARATION ILLUSION.
So, if the cause of all the conflict in the world is the misguided belief that we are separate from each other, the solution to that problem is believing that we are all CONNECTED: that the apparent separation between religions, races and nations are just an illusion.
Mother Teresa who won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 19 said it so powerfully: “If we have no peace, it is because, we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
MK Gandhi a great champion of peach and nonviolence understood that we cannot create peace without being peaceful and that is why he said; “There is no way to peace, peace is the way. It compliments another saying of Gandhi: Be the change you want to see in the world.
So the way of peace is primarily, an inner process, a changing of our consciousness about the unity of humanity. So today, I invite to raise your consciousness to a higher level. From the lowest level, which is the level division, disunity and exclusion to the highest level, of inclusion, unity and wholeness.
I like to share with you a story about how I try operate from this higher level of consciousness.
I work as a hospice chaplain. There are 25 chaplains on our team and we have monthly meetings. Every time a new chaplain joins our team, we introduce ourselves. In the interest of time, we just say our name and denomination. So we began introducing ourselves as Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, United Methodist, Baptist, Southern Baptist, United Church of Christ, Disunited Church of Christ, no I just made that up.... You know there are over a 2000 different Christian denominations. Somebody called them, abominations, but that is a different story. So when my turn came, I just said, My name is Paul and I am a human being.
Everyone chuckled; at the end of the meeting, the new chaplain took me aside and said that he was intrigued by my introduction. I told him that I was not trying to be a wise guy. I had thought about it and deeply reflected on it. I really don’t like labels because, labels divide people and put them inseparate camps.
I consciously try to use language that unites rather than divide us. So if I say I am an American which I am by citizenship, I am connected to 300 million people. If I say I an Indian which I am by birth, I am connected to 1.2 billion people. If I say I am Christian, which I am by baptism, I am connected to about 2.7 billion people. I want to acknowledge my connection to the six billion people on this planet and human being is the only label that will fit that bill.
As a matter of fact, my connection is not just to the people, but to the animals, plants, the planets and the whole universe.
Last year, I was watching CNN and there was this story about a national geographic study called the Genographic Project. It is titled: The greatest Journey ever told: the trail of our DNA.
New DNA studies show that all humans descended from an African ancestor who lived about 60 thousand years ago. Population geneticist, Dr. Spencer Wells who is leading this study said: “The human genetic code or genome is 99.9 percent identical throughout the world. What is left, .1% is the DNA responsible for our individual differences; the color of our skin, race, religion etc.”
I fell out of my chair when I heard that. I had thought that 50 percent of the DNA account for similarities and 50 percent for our differences. That is what my friends thought. When I told them about this study, their jaws dropped, their eyes popped out, and they told me: “You cannot be serious.” I told them that I read this in the National Geographic and not the National Inquirer.
I have no intention to prove to you today that we are all connected. It is like gravity; whether you agree or not, it is the reality.
The fact of the matter is that we are the same genetically, 99.9 percent. Only .1 percent of our genes account for our differences. All the anger and jealousy is about the .1 percent? All our divisions and acrimony, is about the .1percent? All our prejudices and fighting, hatred, killings,terrorism and war
are about the .1 percent?
Mind boggling right? It is happening because we are not conscious of our basic identity as human beings and our connectedness to each other. It is happening, because, most of the time, we are just sleep walking through life.
In the Disney movie Lion King one and Half, Timor, a meerkat, leaves home to find a life for himself.On the way, he meets Rafiki, the wise baboon, who asks him where he was going. Timon tells the baboon “I am looking for a life without worries.” The monkey said: “So you are looking for hakuna matada”: Rafiki gave Timon this advice: “If you are looking for a life without worries, look beyond what you see”
All of us are looking for a life without worries; a peaceful life, a harmonious world, a united planet,but it seems to elude us all the time. Looking beyond what we see can be a beneficial exercise in achieving that goal.
We often live superficial lives, at the level of our five senses. The world around us is experienced and interpreted using our five senses. However, our senses can be very deceptive. For example, the senses tell us that the earth is flat, but that is not true; our eyes tell us that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, but when we look beyond what we see, we know that the sun neither rises nor sets.
It is the same with our view of people. On the physical level, people look different: different colors,different races, different religions, different languages, different sexual orientation, but on the level of the soul, they are all the same, members of one human family, each one intimately connected to the destinies and dreams of the other.
You have seen birth announcements on mail boxes. When a child is born you see a balloon tied to a mail box and it will say: “It’s a Boy” or “It is a Girl.” It never says: “It is a white American Catholic Boy” or a “Brown Mexican Methodist Girl”: A week after we are born, we get the birth certificate, it is our first label of nationality, a few months later, we get a baptism certificate which gives the
second label of religion, Later we acquire labels such as conservative, liberal, republican, democrat,etc. Some labels may be necessary for civic purposes, but they should have no place in our enterprise called life.
Few months ago, I received a phone call from a company doing a survey. At the end of the survey, the caller told me that for demographic purposes, she needed three pieces of information: my age, sex and race. And I said: I am 50 years old, I am male and I am human. There was this silence for a moment; And she said: “I only have boxes for White, Black, Asian or Other. I have to put you in one of those boxes.” And I said: “I don’t want to be in a box.” Always remember that God did not create separate boxes; God created the universe.
That is what each one of us need to start saying: “I don’t want to be in a any box created by our limited consciousness and narrow minds”: According to Neal Donald Walsch,all our problems are due to our desire to be in separate boxes:
“Every sadness of the human heart, every indignity of the human condition, every tragedy of the human experience, can be attributed to one human decision: the decision to separate ourselves from each other; all of our rage, all of our disappointments, all of our bitterness, has found its birth, in the death of our greatest joy: the joy of being one.”
Always think of you FIRST as a human being.
I like to conclude by extending to you the traditional Indian greeting, Namaste. Namaste is a Sanskrit word which means: “I bow to the divinity within you”.
Today, I invite you to dream of a world in which the divinity within you is always affirmed and the divinity in others is never denied.
Let your greeting, both now and forever be, Namaste!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Appalling Ignorance
The fact that a sizable chunk of the American population continues to believe that President Obama is a Muslim is appalling to me. What saddens me more is that sixty million of my fellow-citizens believe everything they hear or read. We claim that we are the greatest nation on earth. How can a nation be the greatest when twenty percent of its citizenry is ignorant?
Now the facts: In his book, The Audacity of Hope, (pp:207-8), Obama says this about his personal faith: "I was able to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death; rather, it was an active, palpable agent in the world. In the day-to-day work of the men and women I met in church each day, in their ability to "make a way of no way" and maintain hope and dignity in the direst of circumstances, I could see the Word made manifest...Faith doesn't mean that you don't have doubts, or that you relinquish your hold on this world... It was because of these new found understandings- that religious commitment did not require me to suspend critical thinking, disengage from the battle for economic and social justice or otherwise retreat from the world I knew and loved - that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity United Church of Christ one day and be baptized. It came about as a choice, and not an epiphany. The questions I had didn't magically disappear. But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side of Chicago, I felt God's spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth."
During an interview with pastor Rick Warren before the election, Obama said this: "I believe Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior; He redeemed me; he gives me the strength to go on." The President actually demonstrates qualities of a mature faith, a faith that was consciously chosen rather than something that was automatically inherited from family of origin or religion.
I heard Bill Bennett, an otherwise intelligent man say on CNN yesterday: "...but his father was a Muslim." First of all, his father was not a practicing Muslim. Secondly, he was more of a sperm donor than a father, who had limited if not zero influence on his son. It is true that, for a few years as a child, Obama lived in Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population. He had no choice but to go there with his mother and step-father who in fact was a Muslim. True religion is not something that you catch like a flu, but an experience that is hatched at the depths of your soul through deep study, reflection and prayer. I think Obama made a conscious choice to be a follower of Christ through such a process. I heard Rush Limbaugh say that the President knows Muslim prayers. Having been born and raised in India, I know some Hindu prayers, but that doesn't make me a Hindu.
As the late New York Senator, Patrick Moynihan said; "Everybody is entitled to his or her opinion, but every body is not entitled to their own facts." In this era of uncensored or unverified data and information, and round the clock multi-channel oral diarrhea by shamelessly partisan pundits, it is extremely hard to sift fact from fiction, and separate reason from emotion. I feel that we need to look beyond what we see, listen beyond what we hear, read between the lines and feel beyond raw emotions.
I am biased because I like President Obama. I was first inspired by him during the Democratic National Convention in 2004 when he said this: "There are no red states, there are no blue states, but there is the United States of America; there is no Black America, there is no White America, there is no Latino America, there is no Asian America, but there is the United States of America." That was a clarion call for peace and national unity, a dream President Obama still has. But the only word he has heard from the opposition party in the last 18 months is 'NO" and the torrent of unfiltered vitriol from his critics are just poisonously uncharitable.
I had the privilege of meeting President Obama and taking a picture with him this week in Miami thanks to the kindness of Senator Bob Graham. While shaking his hands I said: "Mr. President, I pray for you everyday." And he said: "Thank you, I need it." I call upon the whole nation to pray for our president. He is our leader; his task is huge; his responsibilities are burdensome. Heartless criticism based on half truths and lies and unadulterated hate based on negative emotions, are unbecoming of a people who consider themselves civilized and evolved.
_________________________________________________
Now the facts: In his book, The Audacity of Hope, (pp:207-8), Obama says this about his personal faith: "I was able to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death; rather, it was an active, palpable agent in the world. In the day-to-day work of the men and women I met in church each day, in their ability to "make a way of no way" and maintain hope and dignity in the direst of circumstances, I could see the Word made manifest...Faith doesn't mean that you don't have doubts, or that you relinquish your hold on this world... It was because of these new found understandings- that religious commitment did not require me to suspend critical thinking, disengage from the battle for economic and social justice or otherwise retreat from the world I knew and loved - that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity United Church of Christ one day and be baptized. It came about as a choice, and not an epiphany. The questions I had didn't magically disappear. But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side of Chicago, I felt God's spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth."
During an interview with pastor Rick Warren before the election, Obama said this: "I believe Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior; He redeemed me; he gives me the strength to go on." The President actually demonstrates qualities of a mature faith, a faith that was consciously chosen rather than something that was automatically inherited from family of origin or religion.
I heard Bill Bennett, an otherwise intelligent man say on CNN yesterday: "...but his father was a Muslim." First of all, his father was not a practicing Muslim. Secondly, he was more of a sperm donor than a father, who had limited if not zero influence on his son. It is true that, for a few years as a child, Obama lived in Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population. He had no choice but to go there with his mother and step-father who in fact was a Muslim. True religion is not something that you catch like a flu, but an experience that is hatched at the depths of your soul through deep study, reflection and prayer. I think Obama made a conscious choice to be a follower of Christ through such a process. I heard Rush Limbaugh say that the President knows Muslim prayers. Having been born and raised in India, I know some Hindu prayers, but that doesn't make me a Hindu.
As the late New York Senator, Patrick Moynihan said; "Everybody is entitled to his or her opinion, but every body is not entitled to their own facts." In this era of uncensored or unverified data and information, and round the clock multi-channel oral diarrhea by shamelessly partisan pundits, it is extremely hard to sift fact from fiction, and separate reason from emotion. I feel that we need to look beyond what we see, listen beyond what we hear, read between the lines and feel beyond raw emotions.
I am biased because I like President Obama. I was first inspired by him during the Democratic National Convention in 2004 when he said this: "There are no red states, there are no blue states, but there is the United States of America; there is no Black America, there is no White America, there is no Latino America, there is no Asian America, but there is the United States of America." That was a clarion call for peace and national unity, a dream President Obama still has. But the only word he has heard from the opposition party in the last 18 months is 'NO" and the torrent of unfiltered vitriol from his critics are just poisonously uncharitable.
I had the privilege of meeting President Obama and taking a picture with him this week in Miami thanks to the kindness of Senator Bob Graham. While shaking his hands I said: "Mr. President, I pray for you everyday." And he said: "Thank you, I need it." I call upon the whole nation to pray for our president. He is our leader; his task is huge; his responsibilities are burdensome. Heartless criticism based on half truths and lies and unadulterated hate based on negative emotions, are unbecoming of a people who consider themselves civilized and evolved.
_________________________________________________
Friday, August 20, 2010
I Met the President!!
Thursday August 19
"There are no red states; there are no blue states; there is only the United States of America; there is no Black America, there is no White America, there is no Latino America, there is no Asian America, there is only the United States of America." Those inspiring words of Barack Obama during the 2004 Democratic National Convention sent chills through my spine, because it was a courageous call to national unity and peace. Later, I read his book, THE AUDACITY OF HOPE which I highly recommend to all those who love and hate Barack Obama. In it, he lays out a spiritual vision calling for national unity world peace.
Ever since, I had hoped that some day, I would get to meet Obama in person and shake his hand. But when he became President, that hope diminished, because it is almost impossible for a commoner like me to meet the President. However, I was fortunate to meet President Obama and shake his hand, yesterday during a fund raising event at the Fountan Bleu Hotel in Miami. While shaking his hands, I told him: "Mr. President, I pray for you everyday." And he said:"Thank you, I need it." Then I patted his shoulders and he moved on. If you are curious about how I got to meet the leader of the free world in person, read on:
During the past four months, I was interim minister of Miami Lakes Congregational Church. Former Senator Bob Graham is a charter member of that church. During my tenure there, I got to know the Grahams. Mrs. Adele Graham has read my entire book of 52 sermons, GOD IS PLURAL, and she is a fan. Last Sunday, after church, Mrs. Graham suggested that her husband should take me and Pastor Jeff to see the President. When he asked me if I was interested, the answer was obvious. He took my social security number and promised to call me the next day.
Senator Graham called me on Tuesday and told me that I was cleared by the White House (thank God..I don't have a record!!!)to see the president. I was told to meet the Senator in his office in Miami Lakes at 2.30 PM. The Senator's Aide, Chip, drove the Grahams, Jeff and me to the airport. The plan was to welcome the president at the tarmac as he came down Air Force One. I was excited about seeing that plane up close. We were waiting in a holding room to be driven to the tarmac along with the Grahams, Senate Candidate Kendric Meek and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schulz.
Then word came from the Secret Service that Jeff and I could not go to the tarmac. Even though the Senator told that we had clearance from the White House, the Secret Service overruled that. There is no way, the pastors are going to the tarmac!! I was looking forward to ride with the Senator in the motorcade, one ride without stopping at red lights...but that was not to be.
So Jeff and I were driven to Fountain Bleu Hotel where we were promised front row seats next to the Grahams to meet the President.
When we arrived at the hotel we were whisked through the VIP entrance, our names were checked on the list, our hands were stamped, and we went through security check. And we stood at the front of the rope lines with nothing separating us from the podium. All the movers and shakers of the Florida Democratic Party were with us in that enclosed area. Few of them made speeches but I was only interested in seeing and hearing the President.
The President arrived on state at 5.30 and spoke for about 30 minutes. I was fifteen feet away from the President and could see and hear him well.He is charismatic and energetic in person as I had expected. At the end of the speech he came down the rope line to shake hands. While shaking his hands, I told him; "Mr. President, I pray for you everyday." And he said: "Thank you, I need it." It was an electric moment.
As he was moving away, Mrs. Graham who was standing right behind me said: "Mr. President, can I take your picture with my pastors?" The President came back, kissed Mrs. Graham on the cheek and posed. The photo on my Facebook page was taken by Adele Graham. It is the only picture that the President posed for at this event. I was happy.
After the event, we drove to the MSNBC studios on Bayside because the Senator had to appear on COUNTDOWN with Keith Olberman and talk about the troops leaving Iraq. Senator Graham had voted against the Iraq war and they wanted to get his opinion on this historic day. Later, we were driven back to the Senator's Office and I got home around 10 PM. It was a great day.
I am so grateful to Senator Graham for his kindness to make this day possible. Sen. and Mrs. Graham are very kind and down to earth people, always willing to help and I will always value and cherish their kindness and friendship.
Posted by Paul Veliyathil at 4:49 AM 0 comments
"There are no red states; there are no blue states; there is only the United States of America; there is no Black America, there is no White America, there is no Latino America, there is no Asian America, there is only the United States of America." Those inspiring words of Barack Obama during the 2004 Democratic National Convention sent chills through my spine, because it was a courageous call to national unity and peace. Later, I read his book, THE AUDACITY OF HOPE which I highly recommend to all those who love and hate Barack Obama. In it, he lays out a spiritual vision calling for national unity world peace.
Ever since, I had hoped that some day, I would get to meet Obama in person and shake his hand. But when he became President, that hope diminished, because it is almost impossible for a commoner like me to meet the President. However, I was fortunate to meet President Obama and shake his hand, yesterday during a fund raising event at the Fountan Bleu Hotel in Miami. While shaking his hands, I told him: "Mr. President, I pray for you everyday." And he said:"Thank you, I need it." Then I patted his shoulders and he moved on. If you are curious about how I got to meet the leader of the free world in person, read on:
During the past four months, I was interim minister of Miami Lakes Congregational Church. Former Senator Bob Graham is a charter member of that church. During my tenure there, I got to know the Grahams. Mrs. Adele Graham has read my entire book of 52 sermons, GOD IS PLURAL, and she is a fan. Last Sunday, after church, Mrs. Graham suggested that her husband should take me and Pastor Jeff to see the President. When he asked me if I was interested, the answer was obvious. He took my social security number and promised to call me the next day.
Senator Graham called me on Tuesday and told me that I was cleared by the White House (thank God..I don't have a record!!!)to see the president. I was told to meet the Senator in his office in Miami Lakes at 2.30 PM. The Senator's Aide, Chip, drove the Grahams, Jeff and me to the airport. The plan was to welcome the president at the tarmac as he came down Air Force One. I was excited about seeing that plane up close. We were waiting in a holding room to be driven to the tarmac along with the Grahams, Senate Candidate Kendric Meek and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schulz.
Then word came from the Secret Service that Jeff and I could not go to the tarmac. Even though the Senator told that we had clearance from the White House, the Secret Service overruled that. There is no way, the pastors are going to the tarmac!! I was looking forward to ride with the Senator in the motorcade, one ride without stopping at red lights...but that was not to be.
So Jeff and I were driven to Fountain Bleu Hotel where we were promised front row seats next to the Grahams to meet the President.
When we arrived at the hotel we were whisked through the VIP entrance, our names were checked on the list, our hands were stamped, and we went through security check. And we stood at the front of the rope lines with nothing separating us from the podium. All the movers and shakers of the Florida Democratic Party were with us in that enclosed area. Few of them made speeches but I was only interested in seeing and hearing the President.
The President arrived on state at 5.30 and spoke for about 30 minutes. I was fifteen feet away from the President and could see and hear him well.He is charismatic and energetic in person as I had expected. At the end of the speech he came down the rope line to shake hands. While shaking his hands, I told him; "Mr. President, I pray for you everyday." And he said: "Thank you, I need it." It was an electric moment.
As he was moving away, Mrs. Graham who was standing right behind me said: "Mr. President, can I take your picture with my pastors?" The President came back, kissed Mrs. Graham on the cheek and posed. The photo on my Facebook page was taken by Adele Graham. It is the only picture that the President posed for at this event. I was happy.
After the event, we drove to the MSNBC studios on Bayside because the Senator had to appear on COUNTDOWN with Keith Olberman and talk about the troops leaving Iraq. Senator Graham had voted against the Iraq war and they wanted to get his opinion on this historic day. Later, we were driven back to the Senator's Office and I got home around 10 PM. It was a great day.
I am so grateful to Senator Graham for his kindness to make this day possible. Sen. and Mrs. Graham are very kind and down to earth people, always willing to help and I will always value and cherish their kindness and friendship.
Posted by Paul Veliyathil at 4:49 AM 0 comments
Thursday, August 12, 2010
True Christianity
Way to go brother Rowe!
Anne Rice Quits Christianity
Michael Rowe (For the Huffington Post)
Ironically, author Anne Rice may have been more of a Christian yesterday than she ever was, when she announced, on Facebook, that she was quitting Christianity and renouncing any claim to the title "Christian."
"For those who care,"
she wrote, "and I understand if you don't: Today I quit being a Christian. I'm out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being 'Christian' or to being part of Christianity. It's simply impossible for me to 'belong' to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else."
Earlier this week on her public Facebook page, Rice had expressed her horror and revulsion at two different news stories that shared similar themes.
The first was the co-opting of the "Christian" imprimatur by the GOP-linked "Christian punk rock" band You Can Run But You Cannot Hide, supported by Michele Bachmann, who believe that gays should be executed, and who deride America for not being "moral enough" to make homosexuality a capital crime like it is in Iran. The second story was an exposé of a seven-year old boy who had been indoctrinated into Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church, whose sole great commission is virulent hatred.
For a woman who has written extensively about her journey from childhood Catholicism to atheism and back again, her very public announcement came as a surprise to both her Christian and secular fans. At the same time, the raw honesty she exhibited by doing it in the way she did seemed, somehow, entirely Anne Rice.
Rice's own personal trials have been Jobean in scope: the loss of her young daughter, Michelle, to leukemia in 1972; the death of her beloved Dutton editor, William Whitehead; the AIDS-related death of her best friend, gay writer John Preston. And, in 2002, came the cruelest blow of all, the cancer death of her husband of 41 years, poet Stan Rice. Any of us would be forgiven for collapsing -- mentally, emotionally, or spiritually -- in the face of any of these individual tragedies. Rice took them all on her shoulders and bore them courageously over the course of one of the most public and prolific literary careers of the modern age.
In 1998, Rice returned to her faith after years of describing herself as an atheist, and opened her heart to God. If some fans of her vampire, witchcraft, and erotic fiction rolled their eyes at her announcement that she would consecrate her writing talents to the glory of God in future, others did not, and there was still a grudging admiration for her questing determination, as well as an intuitive sense that Rice was on a journey and they could either remain with her or step aside. In 2008, she laid out that journey in a searing, beautifully written memoir, Called Out Of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession.
Rice's decision to leave Christianity carries weight not only as a believer, but a mother.
Her son, bestselling author Christopher Rice, is an outspoken and articulate gay rights activist and crusader.
What must it have been like for Anne Rice to watch and listen as her community of believers spent tens of millions of dollars in California making sure that her son remained a second-class citizen, denouncing LGBT Americans in the vilest, cruelest, ugliest terms, bookended with hearty "Amens?" How could she have listened to the hours and hours of gratuitous cruelty and hatred from the various churches and the politicians they've purchased for forty pieces of silver in adjusted dollars and not wondered who these so-called Christians were, and how it was -- given their bigotry and rage -- that she shared a title with them?
At the same time, how many Christian mothers have turned their backs on their LGBT children and cast them out like tragic mistakes, or, worse, embraced them with a toxic, bloody, pitying, non-affirming love that made it clear to their children that they believed they were damned?
"Love" is a quantifiable commodity, much as "faith" is. Neither, if they're true to their nature, can tolerate darkness. Both will eventually surge, gasping, towards the light.
Still, it is possible to murder faith.
You murder faith same way you murder love: one bruise at a time, with small, daily cuts, with grinding contempt, with neglect. You murder faith by exposing it to bullets inscribed with Bible verses that kill Afghan and Iraqi children. You murder it by separating an elderly lesbian couple in a hospital because their union is considered "unnatural." You murder it by linking it to greed, to the "God wants you to be rich" movement which marinates in loathing for the poor and needy, in defiance of Christ's commission to care for them, then call it "good for America." You murder it by exposing it to any number of atrocities wrapped up in an inviolate nationalism that claims divine authority as its basis, with no room for dissent, and no mercy for dissenters. You murder it with self-righteous, violent militarism, with intolerance, with lack of compassion, with lack of humility and, most importantly, with lack of humanity.
It dies a little bit more every time a gay or lesbian teenager commits suicide because they've been taught to hate themselves because God "loves" them but hates what they are.
While Rice says her faith in God remains intact, her repudiation of Christianity is a threefold clarion call, one that should not be written off as a publicity stunt by a bestselling author, or condescendingly dismissed by the Evangelical establishment.
One one hand, her announcement is a profoundly courageous personal declaration of spiritual intent. On another hand, it's a wakeup call to believers who sit by while unimaginable evils occur in the name of Jesus and say nothing other besides defensively whining that "all Christians aren't like that," or that the person reacting in grief and outrage is simply "persecuting Christians" because he's a "nonbeliever" (whether he's a nonbeliever or not.)
On yet another hand, it's a rallying cry for any of us who have held onto our faith by bloody tendons, only to feel the agony when it finally snaps and breaks on the rack that contemporary, virulently politicized Christianity has become.
Like Rice, our belief in the purity of Christ's teachings has chained us to a body of believers who no longer represent anything of what we believe, and indeed represent the very opposite of what Christ's teachings are. There seems precious little Christ in Christianity as it's understood in America today.
Long accustomed to making excuses, to ourselves and to others, for the actions of our nominal co-religionists, we come to realize that there is no possibility of identifying ourselves as Christians any longer, not because of what we've become, but because of what Christianity itself has become. When the word "Christian" has been so thoroughly co-opted that it means something entirely different than what we believed it meant, from how we had always self-identified, it becomes a moral, ethical, and yes, spiritual, choice whether to continue to cling to "Christian" as a title, or leave it.
At the risk of speaking for her -- and without knowing someone else's heart, one shouldn't -- it seems reasonable to say that, in leaving Christianity and rejecting its contemporary manifestation as codified ignorance, bigotry, and intolerance, Rice has paradoxically moved herself closer to the essence of Christ's teachings than perhaps at any other time in her life.
As she has said, she rejects Christianity in Christ's name, and will follow Christ instead. In the words of John 13:35, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
The title "Christian," in short, is meaningless in and of itself, especially without love.
Whatever backlash Anne Rice might eventually receive from her Christian readers, or from the Evangelical establishment itself, the undeniable fact is that the decision of this sensitive, passionate, and devout woman to leave Christianity is one that Christ himself would likely understand, even applaud, even as He would likely weep at the holocaust of hatred, bigotry, and collateral carnage that has devolved from the grimy, shopworn religion to which His glorious name has been affixed.
Anne Rice Quits Christianity
Michael Rowe (For the Huffington Post)
Ironically, author Anne Rice may have been more of a Christian yesterday than she ever was, when she announced, on Facebook, that she was quitting Christianity and renouncing any claim to the title "Christian."
"For those who care,"
she wrote, "and I understand if you don't: Today I quit being a Christian. I'm out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being 'Christian' or to being part of Christianity. It's simply impossible for me to 'belong' to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else."
Earlier this week on her public Facebook page, Rice had expressed her horror and revulsion at two different news stories that shared similar themes.
The first was the co-opting of the "Christian" imprimatur by the GOP-linked "Christian punk rock" band You Can Run But You Cannot Hide, supported by Michele Bachmann, who believe that gays should be executed, and who deride America for not being "moral enough" to make homosexuality a capital crime like it is in Iran. The second story was an exposé of a seven-year old boy who had been indoctrinated into Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church, whose sole great commission is virulent hatred.
For a woman who has written extensively about her journey from childhood Catholicism to atheism and back again, her very public announcement came as a surprise to both her Christian and secular fans. At the same time, the raw honesty she exhibited by doing it in the way she did seemed, somehow, entirely Anne Rice.
Rice's own personal trials have been Jobean in scope: the loss of her young daughter, Michelle, to leukemia in 1972; the death of her beloved Dutton editor, William Whitehead; the AIDS-related death of her best friend, gay writer John Preston. And, in 2002, came the cruelest blow of all, the cancer death of her husband of 41 years, poet Stan Rice. Any of us would be forgiven for collapsing -- mentally, emotionally, or spiritually -- in the face of any of these individual tragedies. Rice took them all on her shoulders and bore them courageously over the course of one of the most public and prolific literary careers of the modern age.
In 1998, Rice returned to her faith after years of describing herself as an atheist, and opened her heart to God. If some fans of her vampire, witchcraft, and erotic fiction rolled their eyes at her announcement that she would consecrate her writing talents to the glory of God in future, others did not, and there was still a grudging admiration for her questing determination, as well as an intuitive sense that Rice was on a journey and they could either remain with her or step aside. In 2008, she laid out that journey in a searing, beautifully written memoir, Called Out Of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession.
Rice's decision to leave Christianity carries weight not only as a believer, but a mother.
Her son, bestselling author Christopher Rice, is an outspoken and articulate gay rights activist and crusader.
What must it have been like for Anne Rice to watch and listen as her community of believers spent tens of millions of dollars in California making sure that her son remained a second-class citizen, denouncing LGBT Americans in the vilest, cruelest, ugliest terms, bookended with hearty "Amens?" How could she have listened to the hours and hours of gratuitous cruelty and hatred from the various churches and the politicians they've purchased for forty pieces of silver in adjusted dollars and not wondered who these so-called Christians were, and how it was -- given their bigotry and rage -- that she shared a title with them?
At the same time, how many Christian mothers have turned their backs on their LGBT children and cast them out like tragic mistakes, or, worse, embraced them with a toxic, bloody, pitying, non-affirming love that made it clear to their children that they believed they were damned?
"Love" is a quantifiable commodity, much as "faith" is. Neither, if they're true to their nature, can tolerate darkness. Both will eventually surge, gasping, towards the light.
Still, it is possible to murder faith.
You murder faith same way you murder love: one bruise at a time, with small, daily cuts, with grinding contempt, with neglect. You murder faith by exposing it to bullets inscribed with Bible verses that kill Afghan and Iraqi children. You murder it by separating an elderly lesbian couple in a hospital because their union is considered "unnatural." You murder it by linking it to greed, to the "God wants you to be rich" movement which marinates in loathing for the poor and needy, in defiance of Christ's commission to care for them, then call it "good for America." You murder it by exposing it to any number of atrocities wrapped up in an inviolate nationalism that claims divine authority as its basis, with no room for dissent, and no mercy for dissenters. You murder it with self-righteous, violent militarism, with intolerance, with lack of compassion, with lack of humility and, most importantly, with lack of humanity.
It dies a little bit more every time a gay or lesbian teenager commits suicide because they've been taught to hate themselves because God "loves" them but hates what they are.
While Rice says her faith in God remains intact, her repudiation of Christianity is a threefold clarion call, one that should not be written off as a publicity stunt by a bestselling author, or condescendingly dismissed by the Evangelical establishment.
One one hand, her announcement is a profoundly courageous personal declaration of spiritual intent. On another hand, it's a wakeup call to believers who sit by while unimaginable evils occur in the name of Jesus and say nothing other besides defensively whining that "all Christians aren't like that," or that the person reacting in grief and outrage is simply "persecuting Christians" because he's a "nonbeliever" (whether he's a nonbeliever or not.)
On yet another hand, it's a rallying cry for any of us who have held onto our faith by bloody tendons, only to feel the agony when it finally snaps and breaks on the rack that contemporary, virulently politicized Christianity has become.
Like Rice, our belief in the purity of Christ's teachings has chained us to a body of believers who no longer represent anything of what we believe, and indeed represent the very opposite of what Christ's teachings are. There seems precious little Christ in Christianity as it's understood in America today.
Long accustomed to making excuses, to ourselves and to others, for the actions of our nominal co-religionists, we come to realize that there is no possibility of identifying ourselves as Christians any longer, not because of what we've become, but because of what Christianity itself has become. When the word "Christian" has been so thoroughly co-opted that it means something entirely different than what we believed it meant, from how we had always self-identified, it becomes a moral, ethical, and yes, spiritual, choice whether to continue to cling to "Christian" as a title, or leave it.
At the risk of speaking for her -- and without knowing someone else's heart, one shouldn't -- it seems reasonable to say that, in leaving Christianity and rejecting its contemporary manifestation as codified ignorance, bigotry, and intolerance, Rice has paradoxically moved herself closer to the essence of Christ's teachings than perhaps at any other time in her life.
As she has said, she rejects Christianity in Christ's name, and will follow Christ instead. In the words of John 13:35, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
The title "Christian," in short, is meaningless in and of itself, especially without love.
Whatever backlash Anne Rice might eventually receive from her Christian readers, or from the Evangelical establishment itself, the undeniable fact is that the decision of this sensitive, passionate, and devout woman to leave Christianity is one that Christ himself would likely understand, even applaud, even as He would likely weep at the holocaust of hatred, bigotry, and collateral carnage that has devolved from the grimy, shopworn religion to which His glorious name has been affixed.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Heaven On Earth
This is my farewell message to Miami Lakes Congregational Church where I was interim pastor for 4 months
Time flies when you are having fun. I experienced the truth of that saying in the last four months as Interim Minister at Miami Lakes Congregational Church.
When Pastor Jeffrey asked me to consider being the interim minister during his
sabbatical, I was excited because I always had a positive feeling about MLCC and the wonderful people there. However, holding on to my full time job as a hospice chaplain and working at the church for four long months, seemed difficult at the start. But as I got to know the congregation and the wonderful crew that I closely worked with, the weeks and months just flew past. Now here I am, just two weeks away from saying good bye, and anticipatory grief is already setting in.
My heart is filled with gratitude. I thank Pastor Jeffrey Frantz, who has been a good friend from the first time I met him about five years ago. He is like a brother to me, and I hope that I have lived up to the trust he placed in me by entrusting his church to me. Thank you Jeffrey and welcome back!
I had a wonderful 'pastoral crew"- Nancy, Maggie, Mariliz, Ruby, Ed, and the
charmingly efficient Administrative Assistant, Berta Fowler, who helped me so much to make my job smooth and easy. This column is too short to name all the others who have been so loving and welcoming of me. I just want to say: I LOVE YOU ALL.
As far as I am concerned, MLCC is a slice of of heaven on earth. Contrary to popular notion of heaven as a location some where up in the sky, with pearly gates, golden streets and singing angels, I believe that heaven is a dimension of our being where peace is felt, joy is experienced and love is shared. It is interesting that the Catholic Church which used to teach that heaven was a 'place', in its New Revised Catechism, states that "heaven is a state or dimension, not necessarily a place."
As Neale Donald Walsch would say, "Heaven is not a place to go to, but realizing
that you are already there." The key word is, REALIZING. We may be treading on holy
ground without realizing it; we may be beholding saints without being aware of it; we may be in heaven without knowing it.
Heaven is a dimension within you that is calm and peaceful, serene and joyful, a
dimension that permeates your entire being, something that you experience where ever you are, and take it with you where ever you go. You will not wait for it; you will not look for it, but you will FEEL it. That is why Jesus said: "The Kingdom of God is WITHIN you."
So, don't ask: "How do I go to heaven?" which implies traveling somewhere;
don't ask:"Are you in heaven?" which assumes that you have to 'enter' into a
space or location that is outside of you. The right question is: "Is heaven in
you?" If you are interested in learning more about discovering and experiencing the
heaven within you which is your birthright, I encourage you to read my book: 'God is
Plural.'
Every time I walked into Miami Lakes Congregational Church, I felt heaven because I
encountered a community that is permeated with Spirit and emanating God's love. As Bishop N.T. Wright would say, " heaven is not the longed for destination of dying people, but the realm of God that intersects our universe in such a way as to transform the way we live." So, every time our lives intersects with God, there is heaven. Truth is, there is no moment when our lives don't intersect with God. What is important is to become aware of it and be awakened.
I believe that the grounds of Miami Lakes Congregational Church and the hearts of its members are God's intersections!
Again, I THANK YOU ALL for honoring me with your presence, nourishing me with your love and encouraging me with your kind words. I am saying good bye for now, leaving with a grateful heart filled with sweet memories. It is not a final good bye as I will be back any time Pastor Jeffrey wants me back. In the meantime, if I can be of any service to you, feel free to reach me via email, Facebook or my website: www.paulveliyathil.com
NAMASTE!
Time flies when you are having fun. I experienced the truth of that saying in the last four months as Interim Minister at Miami Lakes Congregational Church.
When Pastor Jeffrey asked me to consider being the interim minister during his
sabbatical, I was excited because I always had a positive feeling about MLCC and the wonderful people there. However, holding on to my full time job as a hospice chaplain and working at the church for four long months, seemed difficult at the start. But as I got to know the congregation and the wonderful crew that I closely worked with, the weeks and months just flew past. Now here I am, just two weeks away from saying good bye, and anticipatory grief is already setting in.
My heart is filled with gratitude. I thank Pastor Jeffrey Frantz, who has been a good friend from the first time I met him about five years ago. He is like a brother to me, and I hope that I have lived up to the trust he placed in me by entrusting his church to me. Thank you Jeffrey and welcome back!
I had a wonderful 'pastoral crew"- Nancy, Maggie, Mariliz, Ruby, Ed, and the
charmingly efficient Administrative Assistant, Berta Fowler, who helped me so much to make my job smooth and easy. This column is too short to name all the others who have been so loving and welcoming of me. I just want to say: I LOVE YOU ALL.
As far as I am concerned, MLCC is a slice of of heaven on earth. Contrary to popular notion of heaven as a location some where up in the sky, with pearly gates, golden streets and singing angels, I believe that heaven is a dimension of our being where peace is felt, joy is experienced and love is shared. It is interesting that the Catholic Church which used to teach that heaven was a 'place', in its New Revised Catechism, states that "heaven is a state or dimension, not necessarily a place."
As Neale Donald Walsch would say, "Heaven is not a place to go to, but realizing
that you are already there." The key word is, REALIZING. We may be treading on holy
ground without realizing it; we may be beholding saints without being aware of it; we may be in heaven without knowing it.
Heaven is a dimension within you that is calm and peaceful, serene and joyful, a
dimension that permeates your entire being, something that you experience where ever you are, and take it with you where ever you go. You will not wait for it; you will not look for it, but you will FEEL it. That is why Jesus said: "The Kingdom of God is WITHIN you."
So, don't ask: "How do I go to heaven?" which implies traveling somewhere;
don't ask:"Are you in heaven?" which assumes that you have to 'enter' into a
space or location that is outside of you. The right question is: "Is heaven in
you?" If you are interested in learning more about discovering and experiencing the
heaven within you which is your birthright, I encourage you to read my book: 'God is
Plural.'
Every time I walked into Miami Lakes Congregational Church, I felt heaven because I
encountered a community that is permeated with Spirit and emanating God's love. As Bishop N.T. Wright would say, " heaven is not the longed for destination of dying people, but the realm of God that intersects our universe in such a way as to transform the way we live." So, every time our lives intersects with God, there is heaven. Truth is, there is no moment when our lives don't intersect with God. What is important is to become aware of it and be awakened.
I believe that the grounds of Miami Lakes Congregational Church and the hearts of its members are God's intersections!
Again, I THANK YOU ALL for honoring me with your presence, nourishing me with your love and encouraging me with your kind words. I am saying good bye for now, leaving with a grateful heart filled with sweet memories. It is not a final good bye as I will be back any time Pastor Jeffrey wants me back. In the meantime, if I can be of any service to you, feel free to reach me via email, Facebook or my website: www.paulveliyathil.com
NAMASTE!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
True Freedom
Welcome to Independence day 2010. "Freedom" and "Liberty" are two words that you will hear repeatedly during the July 4th weekend. Ours is a land of the free; that is our brand name internationally.
I have visited fourteen countries and lived in three. India, Canada and the United
States. America is a unique nation on earth. There is no other country on this planet that has people from all other countries living together. It is our freedoms and opportunities to grow and flourish that attract people to this great nation.
Is the liberty that was proclaimed in the declaration of Independence two centuries ago, a mirage for many these days, especially after the events of 9/11, the Patriot Act, the war on terror, the immigration debate etc.? That is a question I leave for another time.
As a Christian,I like to reflect on the nature of true freedom, which is 'inner
freedom.' Jesus was not interested in fighting for political freedom because he knew that unless we are free inside, political freedom does not matter. That is why, during his inaugural speech, he proclaimed: "He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind and release to prisoners" (Lk: 4:18) .The freedom that Jesus is talking about is freedom from fear, guilt, shame, hate, jealousy, and freedom from attachments to stuff and absolutes in life.
One can live in a free country and yet be in bondage to the negative emotions and
attitude mentioned above. I have a 98 year old patient who is deathly afraid of death; he lives in a free country, but he is not 'free.' Then there is a 50 year old woman who hates her younger sister over inheritance issues; she lives in a free country, but she is not truly free. How about the 74 year old man who abandoned his family years ago and now, in deathbed, feels terribly guilty; he too lives in a free country, but he is not truly 'free.' Or take the case of this 65 year old man who thinks members of other religions will not be 'saved' and gays are bound for hell. He is constrained by prejudice and narrow thinking. Or how about those who think that abortion is murder, but capital punishment and war killings are not! They are prisoners of their own truncated views.
All these people live in this country, but they are not truly free; they are in bondage. Bondage is being stuck in one position; It is the loss of ability to be flexible. It is the inability to go beyond boundaries, concepts, ideas, and notions - prisons we have constructed around ourselves.
Freedom is knowing that change is the only constant thing in life. Freedom is the
willingness to let go of the known and have the courage to step into the unknown.
Freedom is the ability to look beyond what you see, to read between lines, to imagine the big picture and to think out side the box. Freedom is to be awakened from the hypnosis of social conditioning. Freedom is knowing that nothing has meaning except the meaning we give. Freedom is to have the openness to consciously unlearn what has been unconsciously learned, especially in matters of faith and religion. Freedom is the capacity to approach life as a mystery and a miracle. Freedom is realizing that separation is an illusion and that everything in the universe is connected and interdependent. Freedom is the humility to say 'I don't know' and the curiosity to explore the edges of infinity.
Freedom comes from the understanding that life is a mysterious co-existence of opposite realities. Deepak Chopra explains it thus: "When a person quietly reconciles himself to all the contradictions life offers, and can comfortably ride out the flow between the banks of pain and pleasure, experiencing both, but getting stuck in neither, then he has attained freedom."
In other words, to be free is to have a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing. Jesus was such a free man. He had no fears; he had no attachments to anything and that is why he was able to say:"Foxes have holes, the birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has no where to lay his head (Lk. 4:58).
On this national Independence day, let us declare personal independence by getting close to Jesus who invites us to follow him!
I have visited fourteen countries and lived in three. India, Canada and the United
States. America is a unique nation on earth. There is no other country on this planet that has people from all other countries living together. It is our freedoms and opportunities to grow and flourish that attract people to this great nation.
Is the liberty that was proclaimed in the declaration of Independence two centuries ago, a mirage for many these days, especially after the events of 9/11, the Patriot Act, the war on terror, the immigration debate etc.? That is a question I leave for another time.
As a Christian,I like to reflect on the nature of true freedom, which is 'inner
freedom.' Jesus was not interested in fighting for political freedom because he knew that unless we are free inside, political freedom does not matter. That is why, during his inaugural speech, he proclaimed: "He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind and release to prisoners" (Lk: 4:18) .The freedom that Jesus is talking about is freedom from fear, guilt, shame, hate, jealousy, and freedom from attachments to stuff and absolutes in life.
One can live in a free country and yet be in bondage to the negative emotions and
attitude mentioned above. I have a 98 year old patient who is deathly afraid of death; he lives in a free country, but he is not 'free.' Then there is a 50 year old woman who hates her younger sister over inheritance issues; she lives in a free country, but she is not truly free. How about the 74 year old man who abandoned his family years ago and now, in deathbed, feels terribly guilty; he too lives in a free country, but he is not truly 'free.' Or take the case of this 65 year old man who thinks members of other religions will not be 'saved' and gays are bound for hell. He is constrained by prejudice and narrow thinking. Or how about those who think that abortion is murder, but capital punishment and war killings are not! They are prisoners of their own truncated views.
All these people live in this country, but they are not truly free; they are in bondage. Bondage is being stuck in one position; It is the loss of ability to be flexible. It is the inability to go beyond boundaries, concepts, ideas, and notions - prisons we have constructed around ourselves.
Freedom is knowing that change is the only constant thing in life. Freedom is the
willingness to let go of the known and have the courage to step into the unknown.
Freedom is the ability to look beyond what you see, to read between lines, to imagine the big picture and to think out side the box. Freedom is to be awakened from the hypnosis of social conditioning. Freedom is knowing that nothing has meaning except the meaning we give. Freedom is to have the openness to consciously unlearn what has been unconsciously learned, especially in matters of faith and religion. Freedom is the capacity to approach life as a mystery and a miracle. Freedom is realizing that separation is an illusion and that everything in the universe is connected and interdependent. Freedom is the humility to say 'I don't know' and the curiosity to explore the edges of infinity.
Freedom comes from the understanding that life is a mysterious co-existence of opposite realities. Deepak Chopra explains it thus: "When a person quietly reconciles himself to all the contradictions life offers, and can comfortably ride out the flow between the banks of pain and pleasure, experiencing both, but getting stuck in neither, then he has attained freedom."
In other words, to be free is to have a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing. Jesus was such a free man. He had no fears; he had no attachments to anything and that is why he was able to say:"Foxes have holes, the birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has no where to lay his head (Lk. 4:58).
On this national Independence day, let us declare personal independence by getting close to Jesus who invites us to follow him!
Monday, July 5, 2010
HAPPINESSISNOWHERE
On July 4th we usually think of the Declaration of Independence. It talks about certain inalienable rights, among them, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.The founding fathers were very clever. Look at how they phrased it. They didn't say, we have the inalienable rights to life, liberty AND happiness. We have the right to life, liberty but when it comes to happiness, you don't have it; you have to PURSUE it, In other words, you have to go after it,or fight for it.
I wish the founding fathers never phrased it like that; The word 'pursuit' implies two things: it means first that we have to work hard to achieve happiness and secondly, it is a future reality; we have to do something NOW to get it LATER.
The title of this piece is a combo word which can be read two ways: HAPPINESS IS NOWHERE or HAPPINESS IS NOW HERE. It depends on you. But remember that happiness is NOW, in the person, place, event and moment right in front of you!
The idea of pursuit of happiness has made us a very unhappy people. According to a recent Gallup poll, only 20 percent of Americans are really happy. I guess the other 80 percent are in a rat race of pursuing happiness, only to find out that it is a mirage.
The pursuit of happiness is essentially the denial of happiness. In fact, the pursuit of happiness must always fail because it is based on a lie that it is outside of us: Happiness is not outside of us; happiness is an inside job.
I think the founding fathers were very smart to use the word inalienable. Notice the word, and you will see that it has the word ALIEN in it. Your life and freedom and happiness truly lies in the ALIEN, the OTHER. Real life and real liberty and real happiness comes from loving and serving the ALIENS among us.
I wish the founding fathers never phrased it like that; The word 'pursuit' implies two things: it means first that we have to work hard to achieve happiness and secondly, it is a future reality; we have to do something NOW to get it LATER.
The title of this piece is a combo word which can be read two ways: HAPPINESS IS NOWHERE or HAPPINESS IS NOW HERE. It depends on you. But remember that happiness is NOW, in the person, place, event and moment right in front of you!
The idea of pursuit of happiness has made us a very unhappy people. According to a recent Gallup poll, only 20 percent of Americans are really happy. I guess the other 80 percent are in a rat race of pursuing happiness, only to find out that it is a mirage.
The pursuit of happiness is essentially the denial of happiness. In fact, the pursuit of happiness must always fail because it is based on a lie that it is outside of us: Happiness is not outside of us; happiness is an inside job.
I think the founding fathers were very smart to use the word inalienable. Notice the word, and you will see that it has the word ALIEN in it. Your life and freedom and happiness truly lies in the ALIEN, the OTHER. Real life and real liberty and real happiness comes from loving and serving the ALIENS among us.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
I am trying MRT
I had heard a lot about MRT (Magnetic Resonance Therapy) but never knew anyone who had tried it. Recently I met two people at work who swear by MRT's positive benefits. So, today, I went to meet "Jim" (not his real name)who is the patent holder and owner of an MRT machine. A soft spoken man of European descent,Jim tells me in clear terms that MRT is not approved by FDA. He believes that MRT has the potential to cure even cancer, but he is afraid to talk about it or write about in public because, "I don't want to end up at the bottom of a lake." He believes that if a cure is found for cancer, thousands of people at the Aemriccan Cancer Society will be aout of a job and they don't want a cure for cancer. Besides, the drug companies that make millions from cancer drugs and chemo therapy don't want a cure for cancer for obvious reasons.
So, Jim helps who seek him out through private referrals. The basic premise of MRT is that there is palque build up in the body, especially in the joints, and removal of the plaque can bring healing. Arthritis,for example is caued by palaque (calcium) build up on the joiunts, resulting in arthritic pain. So, MRT is about exfoliating this calcification (plaque build up) in our body. If these calcium molecules can be broken up, loosened and flushed out of the body through the kidnedy, many diceases of the joints could be reversed.
After 15 minutes of consultation and signing some papers, I lied down on the "magnetic bed" and Jim turned on the machine. I could feel a slight, soothing vibration all around and felt extremely relaxed. I remained in that active magnetic field for 45 minutes. I was told to drink a gallon of water to flush out the toxins that are being broken down in my body. I drank and peed a lot today. I feel no negative effect. In fact, I feel good. Jim said it will take three or for sessions to fully detoxify the body. So, by the end of this month I should definitely feel the difference and will find out if MRT really works.
While some might dismiss it as an exercise in futility, I am willing to try it because, I don't claim to know all there is to know about medicine. I also don't believe that we have explored all our options for healing our body and mind. I have a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing and it helps me explore all avenues of life.
So, Jim helps who seek him out through private referrals. The basic premise of MRT is that there is palque build up in the body, especially in the joints, and removal of the plaque can bring healing. Arthritis,for example is caued by palaque (calcium) build up on the joiunts, resulting in arthritic pain. So, MRT is about exfoliating this calcification (plaque build up) in our body. If these calcium molecules can be broken up, loosened and flushed out of the body through the kidnedy, many diceases of the joints could be reversed.
After 15 minutes of consultation and signing some papers, I lied down on the "magnetic bed" and Jim turned on the machine. I could feel a slight, soothing vibration all around and felt extremely relaxed. I remained in that active magnetic field for 45 minutes. I was told to drink a gallon of water to flush out the toxins that are being broken down in my body. I drank and peed a lot today. I feel no negative effect. In fact, I feel good. Jim said it will take three or for sessions to fully detoxify the body. So, by the end of this month I should definitely feel the difference and will find out if MRT really works.
While some might dismiss it as an exercise in futility, I am willing to try it because, I don't claim to know all there is to know about medicine. I also don't believe that we have explored all our options for healing our body and mind. I have a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing and it helps me explore all avenues of life.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Every Parent's Nightmare
We didn't know where our autistic son Johnny was for 2 hours. It was a horrible feeling of terror and helplessness. Johnny is 17 but he is mentally three.
He is not able to communicate meaningfully. Unsupervised, he can be lost, and the consequence of him ending up in the wrong place,is just unimaginable.
I arrived at Stranahan High School in Fort Lauderdale at 6 PM today. I was supposed to meet Johnny and my wife Judy there. Johnny was to be brought there by the YMCA bus from Taravellah High School for their end of school year party and award ceremony. There were about 60 students and parents gathered, but Johnny was not to be found.
Before I arrived, Judy walked in and around Stranhan High School, frantically calling his name. When I walked into the school, she broke down and began to cry hysterically. "They can't find Johnny" she said,and broke down. She thought that Johnny was snatched by someone. He was in a strange school 22 miles away from home. All kinds of horrible scenarios went through her mind. Four YMCA officials were on the phone frantically calling the bus company, the school and I don't know who else.
I was horrified by their ashen faces. Johnny has not been accounted for since 4 PM and it was now 6.15 PM. In total PANIC, I called 911, a number I never wanted to dial. Watching my wife crying hysterically, I provided the 911 operator, information such as Johnny's age, height, weight, color, hair color and last seen address. It is a horrifying experience that no parent should go through. I am sobbing as I write this.
While I was talking with the 911 operator, word came from Taravellah High School Resource Police Officer that he had found Johnny sitting on the bench in front of the school. He must have been sitting there for an hour and a half, not knowing why every one had left without him and when he is going to be picked up.
I rushed to the school and saw him standing at the door waiting for his mom or dad to pick him up. He was calm and cool as if nothing had happened. I got the feeling that his angels were guarding him and watching over him.
I
He is not able to communicate meaningfully. Unsupervised, he can be lost, and the consequence of him ending up in the wrong place,is just unimaginable.
I arrived at Stranahan High School in Fort Lauderdale at 6 PM today. I was supposed to meet Johnny and my wife Judy there. Johnny was to be brought there by the YMCA bus from Taravellah High School for their end of school year party and award ceremony. There were about 60 students and parents gathered, but Johnny was not to be found.
Before I arrived, Judy walked in and around Stranhan High School, frantically calling his name. When I walked into the school, she broke down and began to cry hysterically. "They can't find Johnny" she said,and broke down. She thought that Johnny was snatched by someone. He was in a strange school 22 miles away from home. All kinds of horrible scenarios went through her mind. Four YMCA officials were on the phone frantically calling the bus company, the school and I don't know who else.
I was horrified by their ashen faces. Johnny has not been accounted for since 4 PM and it was now 6.15 PM. In total PANIC, I called 911, a number I never wanted to dial. Watching my wife crying hysterically, I provided the 911 operator, information such as Johnny's age, height, weight, color, hair color and last seen address. It is a horrifying experience that no parent should go through. I am sobbing as I write this.
While I was talking with the 911 operator, word came from Taravellah High School Resource Police Officer that he had found Johnny sitting on the bench in front of the school. He must have been sitting there for an hour and a half, not knowing why every one had left without him and when he is going to be picked up.
I rushed to the school and saw him standing at the door waiting for his mom or dad to pick him up. He was calm and cool as if nothing had happened. I got the feeling that his angels were guarding him and watching over him.
I
Religious versus Spiritual
During an interview in 1998, Barbara Walters asked Monica Lewinsky: “Are you a religious person? Do you attend any church? She giggled and said: “I am more spiritual than religious.”
“I am more spiritual than religious” has almost become a fashion statement by people who don't want to make the sacrifices necessary to be part of a faith community or attend church. Is being spiritual and religious mutually exclusive? Can a person be religious without being spiritual or spiritual without being religious? Was Jesus religious or spiritual?
First of all let me define terms. Being religious means being part of an organized religion and following its teachings and rituals. Spirituality on the other hand, does not require formal membership in a particular religion. Being spiritual mostly refers to personal piety and private practices such as meditation, contemplation etc.
These days, there is no shortage of religion. Mega churches are everywhere. In my city, there are ten churches in a two mile radius. So, the external symbols of religion are everywhere. Do they make us truly religious or authentically spiritual is another question.
I have a good friend who was a staunch Catholic all his life. Last year, he stopped attending church, because he is “turned off by the hypocrisy of Christians.” He wrote: I could not understand why they would be so vocal against abortion, but not so against the war or the death penalty? I could not understand why they would be such big defenders of capitalism, small government, and survival of the fittest, while ignoring the poor, the widow, and the downtrodden, those Jesus instructed us to care for? I could not understand the way most vocal 'Christian leaders' responded to the events of 9/11 and supported a violent military intervention without asking any serious questions about why they attacked us? I did not see forgiveness and non-violence being taken seriously. In summary, I was turned off by the televangelists and the Heralds of Hate and the conservative talking heads on radio and TV. What I saw was a bunch of extremists, fundamentalists, literalists and radicals, spreading fear and misinformation. This mix of religion and politics really turned me off and unfortunately many people in the Church were embracing those views and so I left the Church.
I think my friend raises many valid points. I also think that he is throwing the baby with the bath water. Yes, organized religion has its flaws and faults. But isolating oneself from a community is not the answer. As disciples of Jesus, we are called to live out our faith in the context of a community. That is why Apostle Paul described Christians as the “body of Christ.” As members of the body of Christ, we have so much to give to others and receive from them. It is in the context of a community that our spirituality is tested, corrected and perfected.
So, it does not have to be an 'either or' position. We don't have to choose between spirituality without church attendance or church attendance without spirituality. We can be both; in fact, we must be both, because, religion without spirituality is empty and spirituality without religion can be self-serving. For many people, when they say “I am spiritual,” it is very often an excuse for not attending church. They don't do much to tend to their spirit at home either.
As disciples of Jesus, we are not meant to be solitary purveyors of individualistic spirituality. We are called to be companions in a journey of faith that is experienced, lived and shared in the context of a community.
“I am more spiritual than religious” has almost become a fashion statement by people who don't want to make the sacrifices necessary to be part of a faith community or attend church. Is being spiritual and religious mutually exclusive? Can a person be religious without being spiritual or spiritual without being religious? Was Jesus religious or spiritual?
First of all let me define terms. Being religious means being part of an organized religion and following its teachings and rituals. Spirituality on the other hand, does not require formal membership in a particular religion. Being spiritual mostly refers to personal piety and private practices such as meditation, contemplation etc.
These days, there is no shortage of religion. Mega churches are everywhere. In my city, there are ten churches in a two mile radius. So, the external symbols of religion are everywhere. Do they make us truly religious or authentically spiritual is another question.
I have a good friend who was a staunch Catholic all his life. Last year, he stopped attending church, because he is “turned off by the hypocrisy of Christians.” He wrote: I could not understand why they would be so vocal against abortion, but not so against the war or the death penalty? I could not understand why they would be such big defenders of capitalism, small government, and survival of the fittest, while ignoring the poor, the widow, and the downtrodden, those Jesus instructed us to care for? I could not understand the way most vocal 'Christian leaders' responded to the events of 9/11 and supported a violent military intervention without asking any serious questions about why they attacked us? I did not see forgiveness and non-violence being taken seriously. In summary, I was turned off by the televangelists and the Heralds of Hate and the conservative talking heads on radio and TV. What I saw was a bunch of extremists, fundamentalists, literalists and radicals, spreading fear and misinformation. This mix of religion and politics really turned me off and unfortunately many people in the Church were embracing those views and so I left the Church.
I think my friend raises many valid points. I also think that he is throwing the baby with the bath water. Yes, organized religion has its flaws and faults. But isolating oneself from a community is not the answer. As disciples of Jesus, we are called to live out our faith in the context of a community. That is why Apostle Paul described Christians as the “body of Christ.” As members of the body of Christ, we have so much to give to others and receive from them. It is in the context of a community that our spirituality is tested, corrected and perfected.
So, it does not have to be an 'either or' position. We don't have to choose between spirituality without church attendance or church attendance without spirituality. We can be both; in fact, we must be both, because, religion without spirituality is empty and spirituality without religion can be self-serving. For many people, when they say “I am spiritual,” it is very often an excuse for not attending church. They don't do much to tend to their spirit at home either.
As disciples of Jesus, we are not meant to be solitary purveyors of individualistic spirituality. We are called to be companions in a journey of faith that is experienced, lived and shared in the context of a community.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Earth Day: A Holy Day
I am writing this on Earth Day 2010. Few years ago, I would not have noticed this day, or paid any attention to it, let alone write about it. So much has changed in my spiritual life that I consider earth day as important as Easter Sunday, Christmas day and many other religious holy days.
It is not because I am a new age guru, or a tree hugger or ardent environmentalist, which are usually used as pejorative terms. But, it is because, I have reflected deeply about the unfathomable beauty, mystery and magnificence of this moving, yes, moving blue dot in space which holds me up as God holds me tenderly in the palm of Her hands.
I have lived on earth 21,170 days and it has never failed to provide for me: air, water and food, the three most basic ingredients needed for my very existence. Thank you holy mother earth. As I walk gently on this holy ground, I join with prophet Isaiah this morning to say: “The whole earth proclaims the glory of God.”
Let us take a closer look at our home planet. We usually experience it as stationary, because that is what our five senses tell us. But if we could stop for a moment and reflect, we will realize that we are moving, rather spinning, and yet staying put...that is a huge mystery worthy of adoration itself.
The earth spins around her axis at the speed of 1,000 miles an hour at the equator. To spin around once takes 24 hours. The spinning makes our days and nights. But as we spin, we are also on another circle journey as we orbit round the sun. Traveling at the speed of 66,600 miles an hour, this second journey takes 365 days to complete. In the annual pilgrimage around the sun, we travel 595 million miles. Such an awareness of distance, speed and order creates a sense of awe and wonder.
Consider what it must have been like for astronaut Edgar Mitchell as he gazed down on the home planet and allowed his feelings to find words: On the return trip home, gazing 240,000 miles of space towards the stars and the planet from which I had come, I suddenly experienced the universe as intelligent, loving and harmonious. My view of the planet was a glimpse of divinity.
Perhaps what most of us need is a pilgrimage to outer space, to have our eyes and hearts opened afresh to see the sacredness behind and above the appearances and to reawaken that inner light buried beneath our limited ways of thinking.
It is worthy of note that Mitchell uses the word 'divinity' but not 'God'. God is a divisive term for many. Religions people fight over their own definitions of God and make declarations like, “My God is bigger than your God.” But, if we can speak of divinity it has an an all embracing quality to it. When we use 'divinity' instead of “God' what is at work here is 'spirituality' not 'religion.' And our goal is to evolve more each day as spiritual beings not merely as religious people.
When we see the earth as a whole, from outer space, we can clearly see the connectedness and interdependence of all of us who live upon this planet. We have created imaginary boundaries, dividing ourselves into countries and states, forgetting that in reality we are all living together, breathing the same air, drinking from the same water, eating food grown from the same earth. We share everything on this planet, whether we are conscious of it or not, with other people, and those people are our brothers and sisters. Seeing earth as a whole brings new meaning into Christian concepts like “Communion of Saints” and “Body of Christ.”
When we realize that any sense of separation we have from one another is truly an illusion, we will naturally begin to make more conscious choices in our daily lives. The simple act of preparing food, or deciding how to dispose of our refuse, can be done with the consciousness that whatever we do will affect all our brothers and sisters, no matter how far away they live, as well as the planet herself.
When we contemplate the earth in her wholeness, we see the bigger picture, which is, every one of us, living on her body. We are connected to one another in the most intimate way, because we literally share our living space. As we become aware of the reality of our interdependency, sins of racism, sexism, and homophobia will disappear and much of the discord that we see now will dissipate and we will live in a more harmonious world.
Let earth day inspire us to become holy and wholesome.
Rev. Dr. Paul Veliyathil
It is not because I am a new age guru, or a tree hugger or ardent environmentalist, which are usually used as pejorative terms. But, it is because, I have reflected deeply about the unfathomable beauty, mystery and magnificence of this moving, yes, moving blue dot in space which holds me up as God holds me tenderly in the palm of Her hands.
I have lived on earth 21,170 days and it has never failed to provide for me: air, water and food, the three most basic ingredients needed for my very existence. Thank you holy mother earth. As I walk gently on this holy ground, I join with prophet Isaiah this morning to say: “The whole earth proclaims the glory of God.”
Let us take a closer look at our home planet. We usually experience it as stationary, because that is what our five senses tell us. But if we could stop for a moment and reflect, we will realize that we are moving, rather spinning, and yet staying put...that is a huge mystery worthy of adoration itself.
The earth spins around her axis at the speed of 1,000 miles an hour at the equator. To spin around once takes 24 hours. The spinning makes our days and nights. But as we spin, we are also on another circle journey as we orbit round the sun. Traveling at the speed of 66,600 miles an hour, this second journey takes 365 days to complete. In the annual pilgrimage around the sun, we travel 595 million miles. Such an awareness of distance, speed and order creates a sense of awe and wonder.
Consider what it must have been like for astronaut Edgar Mitchell as he gazed down on the home planet and allowed his feelings to find words: On the return trip home, gazing 240,000 miles of space towards the stars and the planet from which I had come, I suddenly experienced the universe as intelligent, loving and harmonious. My view of the planet was a glimpse of divinity.
Perhaps what most of us need is a pilgrimage to outer space, to have our eyes and hearts opened afresh to see the sacredness behind and above the appearances and to reawaken that inner light buried beneath our limited ways of thinking.
It is worthy of note that Mitchell uses the word 'divinity' but not 'God'. God is a divisive term for many. Religions people fight over their own definitions of God and make declarations like, “My God is bigger than your God.” But, if we can speak of divinity it has an an all embracing quality to it. When we use 'divinity' instead of “God' what is at work here is 'spirituality' not 'religion.' And our goal is to evolve more each day as spiritual beings not merely as religious people.
When we see the earth as a whole, from outer space, we can clearly see the connectedness and interdependence of all of us who live upon this planet. We have created imaginary boundaries, dividing ourselves into countries and states, forgetting that in reality we are all living together, breathing the same air, drinking from the same water, eating food grown from the same earth. We share everything on this planet, whether we are conscious of it or not, with other people, and those people are our brothers and sisters. Seeing earth as a whole brings new meaning into Christian concepts like “Communion of Saints” and “Body of Christ.”
When we realize that any sense of separation we have from one another is truly an illusion, we will naturally begin to make more conscious choices in our daily lives. The simple act of preparing food, or deciding how to dispose of our refuse, can be done with the consciousness that whatever we do will affect all our brothers and sisters, no matter how far away they live, as well as the planet herself.
When we contemplate the earth in her wholeness, we see the bigger picture, which is, every one of us, living on her body. We are connected to one another in the most intimate way, because we literally share our living space. As we become aware of the reality of our interdependency, sins of racism, sexism, and homophobia will disappear and much of the discord that we see now will dissipate and we will live in a more harmonious world.
Let earth day inspire us to become holy and wholesome.
Rev. Dr. Paul Veliyathil
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Holy Week Vs Disney World!
Tomorrow,I am going to Orlando. The primary purpose is to meet up with my wife's sister and her family from New York, who are visiting the theme parks and have family time. But we will also visit Universal Studios which is going to be a 'lot of fun.'
But as a Catholic and especially as a former priest, having fun at the beginning of the Holy Week, is unthinkable, almost sinful! I grew up in a traditional Catholic family in India. We observed the season of Lent with great austerity and penance. We attended church three days a week. We fasted twice during Lent. No meat was eaten the enitre period of six weeks. Fish was not eaten on Saturdays. But Saturday was market day and fish was purchased and my mom would cook it, but won't serve it. It was a great penance to see fish curry in the kithen, but forbidden to eat. Lent was harsh and no fun was allowed.
As a priest, Holy Week was the busiest time of the year. I heard confessions for endless hours, did adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Holy Thursday, fasted the entire day on Good Friday and spent most of the time in church.
But at the beginning of this Holy Week, I am going to Disney World for fun! How do I deal with the cognitive dissonance of Holy Week and Fun? First of all, I don't belive that the God I experience has anything against clean fun. But more importantly, contrary to popular belief, going to Disney World is NOT fun for me. I hate the long lines, I hate the over prized hot dogs in the theme parks, and I hate the rides. In fact, going to Disney World is 'penance' for me and therefore, this is the best thing I could do to observe Holy Week. And I am not kidding!
But the other side is that I want to be with my family during these days. I think it is holy to be with your spouse and children who really enjoy the theme parks and watch them being happy. I have come to realize that my life is not all about ME. In that sense, what better way to start Holy Week when Jesus gave himself up for others by giving a little of myself?
But as a Catholic and especially as a former priest, having fun at the beginning of the Holy Week, is unthinkable, almost sinful! I grew up in a traditional Catholic family in India. We observed the season of Lent with great austerity and penance. We attended church three days a week. We fasted twice during Lent. No meat was eaten the enitre period of six weeks. Fish was not eaten on Saturdays. But Saturday was market day and fish was purchased and my mom would cook it, but won't serve it. It was a great penance to see fish curry in the kithen, but forbidden to eat. Lent was harsh and no fun was allowed.
As a priest, Holy Week was the busiest time of the year. I heard confessions for endless hours, did adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Holy Thursday, fasted the entire day on Good Friday and spent most of the time in church.
But at the beginning of this Holy Week, I am going to Disney World for fun! How do I deal with the cognitive dissonance of Holy Week and Fun? First of all, I don't belive that the God I experience has anything against clean fun. But more importantly, contrary to popular belief, going to Disney World is NOT fun for me. I hate the long lines, I hate the over prized hot dogs in the theme parks, and I hate the rides. In fact, going to Disney World is 'penance' for me and therefore, this is the best thing I could do to observe Holy Week. And I am not kidding!
But the other side is that I want to be with my family during these days. I think it is holy to be with your spouse and children who really enjoy the theme parks and watch them being happy. I have come to realize that my life is not all about ME. In that sense, what better way to start Holy Week when Jesus gave himself up for others by giving a little of myself?
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
A Historic Day
I am so happy today, the day, the historic health care reform bill was signed into law. About half of the population of this country is very happy about it and the other half is very upset about it. Two opposite reactions to the same reality. The Democratic party leader calls the bill the "best thing to happen to the country in a century" while the Republican leader calls it "armaggedon." Why?
One of the main argument against the bill was that it is too expensive? The same people who call the health care bill "too expensive" did not say a word against it when we spent a trillion dollars on a war of choice! No one complains when we spent 685 billion dollars a year for the military budget alone. So, it is not about the money. It is about priorities.
It is embarrasing for a nation that prides itself to be the most civilized, not to provide affordable health insurance to nearly fifty million of its citizens. For a nation that some describes itself as a "Christian nation", it is blatantly unchristian to stand in the way of providing health care for the least among us. Every legislator who voted against this bill has excellent health insurance. None of them go to bed at nightg worrired about losing their house if they get seriously ill. The corporations and intrest groups that tried so hard to defeat this bill are the wealthiest in the nation. Those who are worried about an increase in their taxes are also among the richest.
What happened to our compassion for others? Why wouldn't we want to share at least one hundredth of the comfort and security that we already enjoy with those who have nothing. The irony is that the people who listen to the propaganda against the bill are cutting the branch they are sitting on. They are listening to talk show hosts who are millionaires. They have great health insurance plans.
People need to wake up and stop listening to propaganda and think for themselves. Please stop voting against your own interests.
One of the main argument against the bill was that it is too expensive? The same people who call the health care bill "too expensive" did not say a word against it when we spent a trillion dollars on a war of choice! No one complains when we spent 685 billion dollars a year for the military budget alone. So, it is not about the money. It is about priorities.
It is embarrasing for a nation that prides itself to be the most civilized, not to provide affordable health insurance to nearly fifty million of its citizens. For a nation that some describes itself as a "Christian nation", it is blatantly unchristian to stand in the way of providing health care for the least among us. Every legislator who voted against this bill has excellent health insurance. None of them go to bed at nightg worrired about losing their house if they get seriously ill. The corporations and intrest groups that tried so hard to defeat this bill are the wealthiest in the nation. Those who are worried about an increase in their taxes are also among the richest.
What happened to our compassion for others? Why wouldn't we want to share at least one hundredth of the comfort and security that we already enjoy with those who have nothing. The irony is that the people who listen to the propaganda against the bill are cutting the branch they are sitting on. They are listening to talk show hosts who are millionaires. They have great health insurance plans.
People need to wake up and stop listening to propaganda and think for themselves. Please stop voting against your own interests.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Orignial Sin or Original Blessing
I am so excited these days as my book "God is Plural: Sermons for an Emerging Church" arrived in my hands two days ago. The experience of holding my book in my hands for the first time, was as thrilling as holding my first child in my hands seventeen years ago. I had promised to myself that I will not write a book, until I had something unique to say, because I refused to add to the destruction of trees. Those who listened to my sermons urged me to put them in writing and after having have done that,I feel really good.
Today was my first outing with the book in hand to attend a palliative care seminar at Broward General Medical Center. I sat next to a registered nurse by the name of "Donna". I had a book in my folder which was transparent. She saw the cover - God is Plural - and was curious."I have never heard that expression before," she said. I urged her to peruse the book and in minutes, she wanted to buy a copy. I was thrilled.
Donna told me that she was especially touched by one line inside the book that said: "No child is born a sinner." She thought that was a "liberating message." All through her life, she had heard from preachers and teachers that we are born in sin.
How could any one look at an innocent baby and call him or her sinner? Original sin is a Christian dogma concocted by St.Augustine based on the fact that children are the products of sexual acts which he considered 'dirty and sinful.' Augustine who led a life of sexual promiscuity and fathered an illegitimate child prior to his conversion,must have been expressing his guilt in formulating the theory of original sin. I don't think that we have to be bound by Augustine's thought as a paradigm to determine our lives today. I belive that, we come into this world, with an original blessing. The fact that he enters a sinful world, does not make the child a sinner.
Attaching the sinner label to an innocent child on the day of her entrance into the world is an insult and injustice to that child. Let us say that we come into this world as a blessing and the purpose and goal of our life is to be a blessing for others.
Today was my first outing with the book in hand to attend a palliative care seminar at Broward General Medical Center. I sat next to a registered nurse by the name of "Donna". I had a book in my folder which was transparent. She saw the cover - God is Plural - and was curious."I have never heard that expression before," she said. I urged her to peruse the book and in minutes, she wanted to buy a copy. I was thrilled.
Donna told me that she was especially touched by one line inside the book that said: "No child is born a sinner." She thought that was a "liberating message." All through her life, she had heard from preachers and teachers that we are born in sin.
How could any one look at an innocent baby and call him or her sinner? Original sin is a Christian dogma concocted by St.Augustine based on the fact that children are the products of sexual acts which he considered 'dirty and sinful.' Augustine who led a life of sexual promiscuity and fathered an illegitimate child prior to his conversion,must have been expressing his guilt in formulating the theory of original sin. I don't think that we have to be bound by Augustine's thought as a paradigm to determine our lives today. I belive that, we come into this world, with an original blessing. The fact that he enters a sinful world, does not make the child a sinner.
Attaching the sinner label to an innocent child on the day of her entrance into the world is an insult and injustice to that child. Let us say that we come into this world as a blessing and the purpose and goal of our life is to be a blessing for others.
Friday, February 5, 2010
What Happened to Character?
Last week 20/20 aired a one hour program interviewing Andrew Young, a trusted Aide to former North Carolina Senator and presidential candidate, John Edwards.It was a sad example of betrayal of trust I have seen on TV recently. The fact that it was not fantasy but reality TV, frightens me.
John Edwards is a flawed man, no question about it. He had an affair with a woman on his staff, Rielle Hunter and fathered her child. He was hormone driven and stupid when he did that, but he was a coward when he tried to hide it from his ailing wife, Elizabeth and the public. He went out of his way to orchestrate an elaborate hoax to hide the affair and the pregnancy from the public.
Enter Andrew Young and his wife. Andrew Young was star-struck by the young Senator that he went to work for him and became his most trusted aide. He was Edwards' alter ego for many years. He knew everything about John Edwards. That information was gathered in the context of a trusted relationship. To turn around and share that information with the public, both in print and on TV is just disgusting. If Andrew Young had any sliver of character left in him, he would not have dished dirty secrets about his boss to the public.
Andrew Young and his wife co-operated with John Edwards and his minions to perpetuate a lie on the public. He took money from them for that favor. Mr. Young and his wife lived in style in exotic locations carrying the 'baggage' of Edwards' sin for nine months. And when things did not work out for him the way he expected, he turned on his boss.
I am not excusing John Edwards for his lying and his cowardice, but I am chastising Andrew Young for his betrayal and hypocrisy.
Character is defined as "behaving in accordance with one's values, regardless of the circumstances." Andrew Young showed no character when he wrote the book about John Edwards and dished the dirt in public.
I don't see any redeeming value in sharing this information with the public at this time, except financial gain for Andrew Young. There is a Zen principle that before we speak, we should ask three questions: Is it true, is it necessary and is it kind?
What Andrew Young is saying may be true, but it is neither necessary nor kind.
John Edwards is a flawed man, no question about it. He had an affair with a woman on his staff, Rielle Hunter and fathered her child. He was hormone driven and stupid when he did that, but he was a coward when he tried to hide it from his ailing wife, Elizabeth and the public. He went out of his way to orchestrate an elaborate hoax to hide the affair and the pregnancy from the public.
Enter Andrew Young and his wife. Andrew Young was star-struck by the young Senator that he went to work for him and became his most trusted aide. He was Edwards' alter ego for many years. He knew everything about John Edwards. That information was gathered in the context of a trusted relationship. To turn around and share that information with the public, both in print and on TV is just disgusting. If Andrew Young had any sliver of character left in him, he would not have dished dirty secrets about his boss to the public.
Andrew Young and his wife co-operated with John Edwards and his minions to perpetuate a lie on the public. He took money from them for that favor. Mr. Young and his wife lived in style in exotic locations carrying the 'baggage' of Edwards' sin for nine months. And when things did not work out for him the way he expected, he turned on his boss.
I am not excusing John Edwards for his lying and his cowardice, but I am chastising Andrew Young for his betrayal and hypocrisy.
Character is defined as "behaving in accordance with one's values, regardless of the circumstances." Andrew Young showed no character when he wrote the book about John Edwards and dished the dirt in public.
I don't see any redeeming value in sharing this information with the public at this time, except financial gain for Andrew Young. There is a Zen principle that before we speak, we should ask three questions: Is it true, is it necessary and is it kind?
What Andrew Young is saying may be true, but it is neither necessary nor kind.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Bible Verses on Guns: Perversion of Christianity
Few nights ago, ABC news reported that a weapons manufacturer in Michigan, Trijicon was encoding references to Bible verses in high profile rifles. Some of the verses are, 2Cor: 4:6 where Jesus is described as light in darkness and John 8: 12 where Jesus is called the Light of the World. The founder of Trijicon,Glyn Bindon, was reportedly a Christian. The pentagon has a multi-year contract with Trijicon for years. Apparently the Pentagon was unaware of this practice of inscribing rifles with Bible verses.
This is wrong on many levels. First of all, it is a breach of the separation of church and state. These rifles used in Iraq and Afghanistan can only help inflame anti-Christian and anti-American feelings. But more importantly, it is a perversion of Christianity. This is done in the name of the Prince of Peace!It is totally contradictory to the message of Jesus who died on the cross.
In an opinion column in the Miami Herald on 1/24/10, Leonard Pitts expressed this perversion so powerfully: "We specialize in cheesy expressions of faith here in God's favorite country. Indeed, you could build a tower unto heaven itself out of all the roadside Jesuses, prayer cloths, Ten Commandments rocks, and other trinkets of a cheap,disposable faith that says nothing, costs nothing, does nothing, risks nothing, that speaks not of God, external and eternal but only of the grubby, temporal perspectives and fears of ground bound women and men.
"Mother Theresa's faith drove her to foreswear material riches and spend half a century working to uplift the wretched poor of Calcutta. Martin Luthter King's faith drove him to gamble his very life in a dangerous campaign to win human and civil rights for African American people. And then there is Glyn Bindon, whose faith led him to inscribe coded Bible verses on his gun sights.
And how sad that is!
This is wrong on many levels. First of all, it is a breach of the separation of church and state. These rifles used in Iraq and Afghanistan can only help inflame anti-Christian and anti-American feelings. But more importantly, it is a perversion of Christianity. This is done in the name of the Prince of Peace!It is totally contradictory to the message of Jesus who died on the cross.
In an opinion column in the Miami Herald on 1/24/10, Leonard Pitts expressed this perversion so powerfully: "We specialize in cheesy expressions of faith here in God's favorite country. Indeed, you could build a tower unto heaven itself out of all the roadside Jesuses, prayer cloths, Ten Commandments rocks, and other trinkets of a cheap,disposable faith that says nothing, costs nothing, does nothing, risks nothing, that speaks not of God, external and eternal but only of the grubby, temporal perspectives and fears of ground bound women and men.
"Mother Theresa's faith drove her to foreswear material riches and spend half a century working to uplift the wretched poor of Calcutta. Martin Luthter King's faith drove him to gamble his very life in a dangerous campaign to win human and civil rights for African American people. And then there is Glyn Bindon, whose faith led him to inscribe coded Bible verses on his gun sights.
And how sad that is!
Friday, January 15, 2010
GOD AND HAITI
The earthquake in Haiti has once again brought God-talk into the fray. During my hospice round, on the day after the quak, I met with several natives of Haiti who are health care workers. My heart broke for them and most of the time words were so inadequate to express my feelings of empathy and compassion for them. But surprisingly, I found them to be calm and collected, with no sense of anger or anxiety. All of them had family members in Haiti and none of them had heard from them. But I detected no anxiety in them. Their trust in God was palpable. They believed that the earthquake was the will of God. They believed that these are signs of the end of times predicted in the Bible. They believed that they would meet their loved ones who may have perished in the quake in heaven.
Even though I did not agree with their interpretation of the Bible or their concept of God, I could not disagree with their faith. I don't believe that this earthquake or any natural disaster for that matter, is a punishment from God. I don't believe in a punishing God. If it is a punishment, there are several other areas of the planet that really deserves it more than poor Haiti.
Why such a disaster happened in Haiti. I don't know. And if anyone gives an answer to that question, I will run so far and fast away from that person. The fact of the matter is, no one knows. Every person who comes up with an answer is just speculating or trying to make sense of the mysterious and the riddle.
The answer is I don't know. What I know for sure is that the God I experience will help the people of Haiti and me to get through this terribly sad time.That God will mobilize the hearts of God's people to bring comfort, and solace to God's people.
In the meantime,I stand in awe before the mystery and unpredictability of life itself.
Even though I did not agree with their interpretation of the Bible or their concept of God, I could not disagree with their faith. I don't believe that this earthquake or any natural disaster for that matter, is a punishment from God. I don't believe in a punishing God. If it is a punishment, there are several other areas of the planet that really deserves it more than poor Haiti.
Why such a disaster happened in Haiti. I don't know. And if anyone gives an answer to that question, I will run so far and fast away from that person. The fact of the matter is, no one knows. Every person who comes up with an answer is just speculating or trying to make sense of the mysterious and the riddle.
The answer is I don't know. What I know for sure is that the God I experience will help the people of Haiti and me to get through this terribly sad time.That God will mobilize the hearts of God's people to bring comfort, and solace to God's people.
In the meantime,I stand in awe before the mystery and unpredictability of life itself.
Friday, January 1, 2010
All in a day's work
After few days of vacation, I returned to work today, the first day of the year. My first visit was to a patient named Bertha who was 100 years old today: She was born on 1/1/1910! She was a lovely lady, still with some of her faculties intact, and we had a nice visit. At the end, I took her fragile hands in mine and told her that she had a graceful face radiating peace and had eyes full of life and light. She was joyfully pleased and thanked me for the good words and told me that all my dreams for 2010 will come true. That was the first blessing of the day.
Then I moved on to my next patient who is 102. He too has his faculties. Morris told me that he stayed up until midnight to watch the ball drop in Time Square, NY,but missed it, because he did not realize that he was watching public television until the "whole thing was over." Poor guy, what do you expect when you are 102 years old.
My next assignment was an excubation, (removing of life support). Abe had a fall two weeks ago, and his brain was without oxygen for 15 minutes. He had pipes and tubes attached all over him. Abe was not conscious or able to respond. I sat down with his sister and our Nurse explaining the process, but his sister was very nervous. She did not want "to kill him." She wanted him to live. She was totally unrealistic about the prognosis, yet she did not have the courage to make that decision. She had to ask her therapist who was on vacation till Tuesday and wanted to do as the therapist suggested. I said to myself: "Why do people mortgage their brains to other people?" Why do they listen to opinions of others who have no stake in the case and consider that more important than their ow opinion? After nearly two hours of talking and and discussion the woman decided to wait.
she thought that both myself and our Nurse had an "aura" because we work in hospice. We told her that it was not about aura but about being realistic about life and embracing death as part of life. Those who fight death have not really understood the meaning of life.
Who said being hospice chaplain is a job? No, it is a vocation, a ministry that I am privileged to have. I thank God for the opportunity to be part of people's life at the end. It is a gift and a privilege indeed.
Then I moved on to my next patient who is 102. He too has his faculties. Morris told me that he stayed up until midnight to watch the ball drop in Time Square, NY,but missed it, because he did not realize that he was watching public television until the "whole thing was over." Poor guy, what do you expect when you are 102 years old.
My next assignment was an excubation, (removing of life support). Abe had a fall two weeks ago, and his brain was without oxygen for 15 minutes. He had pipes and tubes attached all over him. Abe was not conscious or able to respond. I sat down with his sister and our Nurse explaining the process, but his sister was very nervous. She did not want "to kill him." She wanted him to live. She was totally unrealistic about the prognosis, yet she did not have the courage to make that decision. She had to ask her therapist who was on vacation till Tuesday and wanted to do as the therapist suggested. I said to myself: "Why do people mortgage their brains to other people?" Why do they listen to opinions of others who have no stake in the case and consider that more important than their ow opinion? After nearly two hours of talking and and discussion the woman decided to wait.
she thought that both myself and our Nurse had an "aura" because we work in hospice. We told her that it was not about aura but about being realistic about life and embracing death as part of life. Those who fight death have not really understood the meaning of life.
Who said being hospice chaplain is a job? No, it is a vocation, a ministry that I am privileged to have. I thank God for the opportunity to be part of people's life at the end. It is a gift and a privilege indeed.
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