A Shout-Out

Here's a shout-out to Dr Walt Lowe, Professor of Systmeatic Theology, Emeritus from Emory, who taught a four-week seminar at our church this past month. (See the course description below.)

I had several "aha" moments throughout the course, but Dr Lowe's description of "how we know the Messiah has come" [as the 13th Century Jewish scholar said, "the world will smell different."] just spoke to me loud and clear.

One of the final thoughts Dr Lowe left us with was a quotation from Thomas Merton, whose icon I included here, by my favorite religious artist, Robert Lentz:

MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
Thomas Merton, "Thoughts in Solitude"

Here's what the course was about:

The first session begins with a brief introduction to two major revolutions in twentieth century theology. These are the confessional theology of Karl Barth, who drafted the church's statement against Nazism, and the liberation theology of Jurgen Moltmann, many feminist theologians and a variety of other champions of the dispossessed. We sketch the present unfortunate situation in which each of these theologies views the other with considerable suspicion. Finally, to better understand this situation, we focus on how the two movements deal with the problem of evil and the good news of redemption.

The second session takes up the natural question, given the relationship above--namely "Where do we go from here?" The instructor's view is that a situation in which Christian theology constantly finds itself with one hand or the other tied behind its back is simply unacceptable. Fortunately, a new perspective currently in the process of opening up may point beyond the impasse. This is the new scholarly discovery of the formative role played by apocalyptic in the message and ministry of Jesus, and the writings of St. Paul. We will consider how many modern assumptions are challenged and transformed by this new development.

There is always a risk of getting carried away by the latest fad. Therefore the last two weeks will ponder some remarkable parallels between the possibilities just described and the greater orthodox tradition. We will do this through close reading and discussion of portions of Thomas Merton's marvelous summation of the tradition, entitled New Seeds of Contemplation. Members of the class are encouraged to obtain a copy from a library, local bookstore, or an understanding friend. Toward the end of the last session we will draw our thoughts together, with special reference to the life of the church and the presence (or absence) of Jesus.

Weekly Blog Round-Up

Here are some beautiful photos of small African American churches - "cathedrals" in Chicago, by photographer Dave Jordano. Found on Pruned.

A NYT article in the travel section about staying in monasteries in Europe.

"Yes We Carve" Pumpkins for Obama on youtube.

And in the "big picture," a discussion of the visual impact over course of election of Obama posters & design.

"Let them eat cup cake(s)!" - Kirsten Dunst with a cupcake from the fabulous Sofia Coppola film, Marie Antoinette. I loved that she used 80's music to set many of the scenes. Somehow they worked perfectly. Photo from Cupcakes Take the Cake.

Maureen Dowd on Powell's endorsement of Obama, Muslims in America, and I can't believe I agree with her.

Greenspan recants. Great. What a jerk. This is just like McNamara book finally admitting the mistakes made in Vietnam.

Obama votive candle

A new (to me) goddess site.

A hilarious piece from Larry David about how tough to wait out election from HuffPo.

And as a counterpoint to Larry David, I leave you with a note from my guy, Rob Brezsny on how to get through this election:

Dear Readers,

Before the last U.S. presidential election in 2004, What Is Enlightenment? magazine posed the following query to five religious leaders: "Many people argue that the upcoming presidential election is the most important in our lifetime. Do you agree?"

Four of the respondents said, in effect, "Yes, because George Bush is bad for America and the world."

But the fifth religious leader, Zen Buddhist Jan Chozen Roshi, replied, "I don't know. Our existence is so short, it's like a dust mote in the eye of God. To say that the time in which my dust mote existed was the most important is a self-centered view."

Roshi's wisdom reminded me of an anecdote told by Henry Kissinger, an American politician who was Secretary of State in the 1970s. Kissinger once asked Chinese premier Zhou Enlai what he thought of the French Revolution, which had happened two centuries earlier. "Too soon to tell," Chou answered.

I always like to keep these ideas in mind, even in times of relative peace and calm. But I'm especially fond of focusing on the very big picture when divine chaos is whirling around -- like now. It helps keep me humble, and discourages me from any temptation I might have to believe I know the Whole Truth about anything, let alone about the mysterious long-term processes at work in the evolution of the human race.

There's another factor that makes me cautious about getting embroiled in partisan politics and the narrow-minded hostility that fuels it. One of my main goals in life is to love everyone with passionate intensity -- no exceptions. Not just the people I find beautiful and helpful and interesting and attractive. But also the people I don't like and the people who don't like me and the people I disagree with and the people who can't or won't do anything for me.

In order to become the gorgeous genius I aspire to be, in order to fulfill the unique destiny I came to Earth to embody, I have to hold EVERYONE in my heart with compassion and empathy. As I contemplate how every single part of creation is interconnected, I've got to be aware that the creatures I'm allergic to and inclined to feel alienated from are also part of the great web of life.

That's my spiritual goal; it's essential to awakening my best self and cultivating a connection to Spirit. It's also my selfish goal; it's critical to my physical and mental health. Hatred always sickens me. Love always invigorates me.

Icon of Christ Sophia, by Robert Lentz, from Trinity Stores

Afghan Women

I put the women's health donation widget on my blog after reading the blog post on BlogHer about Afghan women and the substandard health care they receive. I had first read about this issue in A Thousand Splendid Suns. The harrowing description of one of the characters' deliveries was truly horrifying. Anything we can do to help these women, families and the Afghan society is worthwhile.

I wasn't the world's biggest fan of the book. I thought it was written for me, and not really in the "true voice" of an Afghan woman. I wished there was a real Afghan woman who could tell her own tale and achieve the acclaim and broad appeal that Khaled Hosseini, a man who has lived in the US for the past 20 or so years, has attained. But I guess, through his work, people like me know the plight of the Afghans.

Speaking of Afghanistan, I have read, and agree, that the image of the young Afghan woman from the cover of National Geographic (back in 1983) MUST have been the inspiration for Robert Lentz' icon of Mary Magdalene. They are visually too similar to be a coincidence. And the photograph stays with you... through the years... just like the icon.

Meme

I found a meme at St Peter's Cross Station posted by Lilysea, that I thought I'd pick up, so:
five things about me that I either never told you or you've forgotten by now:

1) I used to live in Albuquerque, NM. I got to visit the Cathedral in Santa Fe pretty often, and saw more of Robert Lentz' icons there.
2) I like to dissect violets and see the flowers' reproductive systems.
3) I used to drink a lot of coffee, but now I drink tea pretty much exclusively.
4) I have no desire to go to Antarctica.
5) My workplace is the cone of silence.

Alan Johnston's Story

I am so glad Alan Johnston was released from captivity in Gaza. I was so worried about him! I remember him reporting on the BBC, and his voice was in my ears each day when I read the number of days he was held.

He just wrote a (long) description of his ordeal. He's an amazing person. I love it that we both admire Ernest Shackleton! He describes creating his own psychological lifeboat, to make it to his tiny island of sanity. If you read Endurance, the story of how Shackleton saved his crew and himself from freezing to death in Antarctica by navigating to a minuscule island in the Pacific, you can see what I mean. I'm psyched that Alan Johnston and I are both fans of Shackleton's!

Joan of Arc is the Patron Saint of prisoners and captives. The icon above is by Br. Robert Lentz and available through Trinity Stores.

We're All in This Together

Lakshmi turned me on to "Bloglines" and now I'm hooked. I visited Flatbush Gardener, and was reminded of Robert Lentz's icons.... Thanks Lakshmi, thanks, F.G., and thanks Bloglines, for letting me find "The Rev. Mama." Ahh.... the beauty of the interwebs.

The image, above, is named Compassion Mandala, and reminded me of this sermon by the Rev. Mama. "We're all in this together, keep your stick on the ice", and be the mercy and grace you want to see around you.

"... have no fear of human sin. Love people, even in their sin, for that is the semblance of Divine Love and is the highest love on earth. Love all of God's creation. The whole and every grain of sand of it. Love every leaf, every ray of God's light. Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things. Once you perceive it, you will be begin to comprehend it better every day. And you will come at last to live the whole world with an all-embracing love." * (Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov)

* from Trinity Stores, Robert Lentz's Compassion Mandala

Al Gore in the News

Just read about Al Gore's latest honor. As you may have gathered, I think he's on the right track. That we need to do a better job with the environment - but we need to talk about it in terms that are manageable. That it WILL actually make a positive impact if each of us does our part to help the planet. I like that concept.

Upon doing a little research at my favorite Patron Saint site, I found out that St Francis of Assisi (one of my faves) and Kateri are both patron saints for Environmentalists.

I love this image of Kateri by my favorite icon painter, Robert Lentz. She was from New York State, Mohawk Iroquois Nation, adopted by the Turtle Clan - the symbols are all there - the birch trees, the background color (feels like the inside of a forest to me), and the turtle. Apparently,

in her right hand she bears one of the most important symbols of her culture, the tree of peace. By the mid-15th century, blood feuds had almost destroyed her people. A holy man named Dekanawidah appeared, preaching peace and reconciliation. He taught that all people were brothers and sisters and that differences were better resolved by discussion than war. Through his influence, the five Iroquois tribes formed a unified government and stopped fighting among themselves. The symbol of this vision was a huge tree under which all peoples could find peace. When more people would come, the branches of the tree would simply grow longer. An eagle lived at the top of the tree and warned the people whenever peace was threatened. The tree, like all the earth, rode on the back of a giant turtle’s back. *

Keep up the great work, Al!

* Excerpts from Jones, Terry H., "Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha" Patron Saints Index, from Trinity Stores' website all rights reserved.

Mary Magdalene in Robert Lentz's icon

I like that in the Robert Lentz image, Mary Magdalene is wearing a rich red robe. Red, the color of passion, sensuality, over a simple white robe which we can barely see. Do the stories of Magdalene's worldliness get in the way of the "truth" and simplicity of her story?

And the background, behind her, is pitch black. It makes me think of the tomb, death, The Void - what utter darkness. Magdalene is the one who tells us all that Jesus is out of the tomb - and alive! She is the first person he appears to, and each of the Gospels tells the story. See Johns' text (below). She is devastated by the death of Jesus, and now his body is missing. She goes back to his tomb and is crying over her loss.

Jesus speaks to her in such a tender and confiding way. He trusts her to get the message out. In our church this is the Gospel reading on Easter Sunday. And it brings me such comfort.

John 20: 10Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"

"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." 14At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."

16Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).

17Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' "

18Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.

She is the first person to spread the news. And she is the first person to have to let go of the Jesus she knew and accept a new understanding of him. I think of her position and status as a wealthy woman back then, and her role among the disciples, and think she is worthy of such a fabulous icon.

The image that started it all

So, this is the image that started it all for me. I had been talking with my cousin, Anthony, about religious art for a while. He is an iconographer, and he told me all about the style of traditional icons, and why they look the way they do. He explained the method, and practice involved.

That was interesting to me, but I didn't really connect with it. Not like I do with Robert Lentz's work. This is an image of Mary Magdalene. And I was drawn to it immediately. Look at the color. Look how she's looking at you. It's emotional, but don't you want to know what it's all about? Mysterious.

The story goes that Mary Magdalene, after the Ascension, was invited to the home of Tiberius Caesar, because of her high social status. When asked about the resurrection, she used an egg to explain the story of what happened to Jesus. Caesar responded that a human could no more return from the dead, than the egg in her hand turn red. The egg turned red immediately, and is why in the Eastern Church, red eggs have been exchanged at Easter. It makes for a good image.

I also like the story of Mary Magdalene being the first person that Jesus appears to in the garden on Easter morning in Mark's Gospel. It's a powerful moment. But more about that later.

You can find Robert Lentz's images at Trinity Stores.