Dear Friends,

Last Sunday’s reading from the letter of James, we heard that God takes delight in “bringing us to birth!” We human beings are the “first fruits” of all God’s creatures, and it reminded Ron and I of Irenaeus’ concept that the glory of God is “human beings fully alive.” This Sunday’s excerpt

from James might be a recipe for becoming a “human being fully alive.” In this letter, James speaks of the “fruits” which come from moving beyond “jealousy and selfish ambitions” which are at the root of “disorder and every foul practice.” He urges us to seek wisdom and righteousness and to cultivate peace. We live in a world which places great emphasis on autonomy and independence, making one’s ‘own way’, We are, however, learning ….reluctantly perhaps….how very interdependent we are on one another for security in what is increasingly showing itself to be an uncertain world. Most of us, undoubtedly would self-describe as ‘non-violent’, but how well do we attain and live out in our lives, a level of non-violence which positively influences the lives of others? How often do we “react” rather than “respond” to daily situations which offer the chance to grow in our tenderness and to plant seeds of peace in others?

As a simple example, standing in line, waiting to board an aircraft on our recent trip to Italy offered interesting points to ponder as we experienced the ‘push and shove’ approach of some attempting to board, and the ‘stand by and smile’ approach of others. Basically, we all had a seat on the aircraft….the only question was who would get to sit sooner….and it brought out the best and the worst traits among the travelers. There was a fair amount of “disorder and every foul practice” in that process, as well as opportunities and experiences of ‘cultivating peace’ which Thich Nhat Hanh writes of below. This reflection will be one of our readings today:

Waging Peace

Real strength is not in power, money or weapons, but in deep inner peace.
Practicing mindfulness in each moment of our daily lives,
we can cultivate our own peace.
With clarity, determination and patience – fruits of meditation –
we can sustain a life of action
and be real instruments of peace.

I have seen this peace in people of various religious and cultural backgrounds
who spend their time and energy, protecting the weak, struggling for social justice,
lessening the disparity between rich and poor, stopping the arms race,
fighting against discrimination
and watering the trees of love and understanding throughout the world.

We invite you to come and walk with us in prayer and action at The Spirit of Life! Through our time of prayer and sharing together, we work together to grow in our self-understanding and in our relationships with God and with God’s people. We celebrate the gift of our faith and the responsibility that is ours as followers of Jesus Christ. It is our prayer that what we as a community experience in our praying together will overflow into the rest of our lives, making us more fully human and more ‘whole’….holy! We invite you to join us in this endeavor and journey with us as we seek to grow in our love of God and to grow in our capacity to be living expressions of God’s loving peace and justice in our world.

May you walk in wisdom, and cultivate peace in your path,

Blessings,
Jean & Ron