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"Aware of my desire to love and of the possibility of building Paradise upon this precious blue Planet, I commit my life to this sacred work. I will to live as an agent of transformation. I will help in the building of a new world of justice, equality, peace, and liberation for everyone, everywhere."  Most of those persons who are either in --or seeking -- positions of political, religious, economic, or cultural power seem to be devoid of a "what if" vision of transformation... most seem to be small-minded agents of hidden masters. If you were to give serious, sustained, attention to what these persons are saying and / or writing, I believe that most people of good will would shudder in disgust! These folks have nothing to say! They offer nothing that would even tend us toward our great possibilities!
So why do we keep showing up? Why do we keep dropping our wages into their collection baskets? Why do we keep paying them to trash our planet? Dorothy Day used to say that "perseverance is the greatest of all virtues". I disagree! Sure, it means a whole-heck-of-a-lot to keep showing up in one's daily life and doing one's very best, but this planet is ready for a "whole-lotta-love" to show up as courage! We need, right now, the courage to say a big collective "No" to every single lie or manipulation of the agents of Power. We need, right now, the courage to say a big collective "Yes" to policies and theologies of transformation into peace, justice, equality, sustainability, and beauty all about this precious blue Planet! Your life -- your heart -- is sacred! Only you can give it the wings of courage to join in the One Love transformation of this Planet! Will you? The Vatican Rules  The Vatican has ruled that the Leadership Conference of Women Religious has been "silent on the right to life" and failed to make the "Biblical view of family life and human sexuality"... also accusing the group of promoting "certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith."
The American nuns were also reprimanded for expressing positions on political issues that differed at times from views held by American bishops. Public disagreement with the bishops -- "who are the church's authentic teachers of faith and morals" is unacceptable... Well, there you / I / we have it: "the Vatican has ruled". Ah, but this is the 21st century -- too much information is now available -- and a serious meandering through all of the available information is as a revelation: Power will always say and do anything necessary to maintain its position of dominance. But on the other hand, there is Yeshua the Poet of Nazareth and all of his "You have heard it said... but I say unto you..." And that Yeshua, for certain and for sure, does not reside in the Vatican! He doesn't live in their theologies, neither does he play their games of domination... That Yeshua strides boldly through history on the side of women and children, on the side of the poor and oppressed, and on the side of everyone who suffers -- especially from the actions of empires and every power... that Yeshua is an eternal "Yes!" to every heart -- without discrimination -- searching and hungry for love... that Yeshua is a welcomed guest at every table of the humble, kind, and forgiving... that Yeshua is a blazing Fire in the face of the violent, oppressive, manipulative, destructive, and hateful... that Yeshua stands as a sign of liberation for everyone yearning for the paradise of total transformation into "Only One" and "One Love"... that Yeshua is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life... So what are the nuns to do? I would humbly suggest that they stay united and speak truth to power: and all together: resign: leave the Church as it has left them: join or start New Faith and Action Communities all across this land: let the Vatican rule their empty churches: Yeshua left them a long time ago... "Transcendence refers to the very highest and most inclusive holistic levels of human consciousness, behaving, and relating, as ends rather than means, to one-self, to significant others, to human beings in general, to other species, to nature, and to the cosmos." (Maslow)  Transcendence is "knowing" by "unknowing"... knowing by non-possession... we can never "know" the Original Consciousness because that would imply possession... however, we can become aware of our ontological immersion in the One Love that actualizes our "return" to Original, or Transcendental, Consciousness...
The Holy One is the Only One -- the single Real within which all things exist (or not)... Everything and everyone is a revelation of the One -- every turn to love and to blessing uplifts the entire cosmos into the possibility of Remembrance -- this is the mystic key to unlocking the treasures of 2012 and beyond... this mystic key offers the perfection of relationships between persons, groups, nations, and universe... When the essential divinity of every "other" is remembered, the then obvious beauty in creating policies that enhance equality, justice, reverence for the Earth, and peace will become the steady practice of legislators and governments... this remembrance will inaugurate the "holy competition" of creating health care for all, take-it-to-your-limit education for all, a willing disarmament of people and nations, an absolute equality between women and men, the re-creation of institutions to justly serve and liberate every person, and a radical-to-the-roots commitment to equality, dignity, opportunity, and justice for all... The incredibly small-minded politics of the Right Wing, of predatory corportations, and of dominator paradigm religious institutions, will be overcome through the sacred activism of Transcendence... and 2012 will be remembered as the turning of a very important page in human history and evolution... Practice Beauty  2012: The Year of Transformation... perhaps... but with another viscious season of political campaigns upon us, one cannot help but wonder why it is seemingly impossible for both leaders and would-be leaders to envision very much -- if anything -- beyond more of the same...
Centuries ago, a prophet muttered -- perhaps no one has ever listened -- "Without a vision, the people will perish". Well, we are perishing, and still our leaders cannot offer a vision of transformation... they cannot recognize our collective need for more than cutting advertisements that appeal only to the meanest parts of our minds... they do not understand that without a deep reverence for an all-encompassing Beauty -- without beauty guiding and informing economics, education, culture, politics and religion -- we risk losing everything, including this precious blue Planet... It seems likely that a "1% 'er" will be nominated by the Republicans -- how is it possible that we could seriously consider electing someone building an elevator for his cars at the new castle he's building for himself? But that is just a symbol of the spiritual emptiness -- the vacuum -- at the heart of American politics. We are so empty of vision, we'll suck up anything held before our face... (after all, we've made Rush Limbaugh a millionaire many times over)... But aren't we really better than that? Yes, of course -- but, no at the very same time. Yes: if we truly commit ourselves to the possibility of a vision sufficient for our transformation. No: if we instead hunker down in protestations of "exceptionalism", and the continuing worship of money and guns. Yes: if we summon our better selves to the resurrection of justice for all. Yes: if we recognize the revolutionary power of applied beauty to change everything towards the good, the merciful, the compassionate, and the kind. We each have a fundamental choice to make -- a choice with the responsibility of power -- in this year of potential transformation. Do we step into our destiny as "mirrors of the divine" and finally create paradise on this Planet for all peoples? Do we? Or not? |
AuthorRobert Daniel Smith was privileged to serve the homeless and marginalized for 30 years in California. He is living now almost within shouting distance of the Twin Cities. He is a poet, artist, writer, and long-time Companion of the Way still dreaming... Archives
May 2022
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