"We have no choice" is Trump's favorite rational for his particular brand of social and political violences. 

"We have no choice" may also maybe one of the most seductive of Satanic verses, as it denies in the face of it and in our troubles, humanity's greatest abilities to adjust, be creative and imaginative, to be compassionate even, as well as the universal spiritual and philosophical truths which are foundational in the human experience, that we always have a choice. We always have a choice as to which course we will follow, which is the elemental proof of our freedom. To give into the deception that "we have no choice" is to give up our freedom and give in to the darkest possibilities and to begin to lay pathways to the next Inquisition, the next Trail of Tears, the next Dachau, the next blood soaked crusade of your choosing.  

We Always Have A Choice. 

Do we have the courage to choose what is right?

Do we even have the courage to acknowledge what is right?

These are the questions we Christians, and all people whose spirituality calls them to live and lead the way in compassionate civil justice, must confront to realize the greatest power of the incarnation the God Spirit in humanity, compassion. 

This is the beautiful gentle task and happy blessing we are all called to, living in compassion, which is always and forever the experience of our choosing. 

You are one of a cosmos full of God's gifts and blessings. More than that you are blessed, born to love, to be God's loving presence. 

Broken by suffering

Opened by compassion 

To the journey's end

May we also pray for the (Orlando) perpetrator and those like him who regardless of religion wallow in the dark as death worshippers, who follow the idols of despair and violence, of hopelessness and intolerance, who have abandoned the God of many names but of one spirit and compassion, of love, life and light. 

Let us pray that we all be spared the vanity of self assertion that would include taking life or any other form of violence as resolution to our fears and uncertain differences.

The elemental challenge to us from Jesus is to remember the very difficult intention and realization, first and foremost, to love, for its own sake, as being our purpose and end. 

Love is at the heart of all holiness and at the heart of all that is holy is love.

"The darkness is as light to you, O Lord."

There is more light beyond our meager perception than we can begin to perceive. Even the moments we perceive as being in utter darkness is still full of light.

The bread of life has no experation date.

This Memorial Day please also remember the tens of thousands of homeless veterans who have sacrificed the lives and minds they lived before war, and the 22 veterans who commit suicide Every day. 

Remember, these shattered minds, souls, hearts and lives are also casualties of war. 

Find your divine compassion and find a way to help. 

We are called to discipleship to follow Jesus of Nazareth who isn't a "floating Jesus", as Presiding Bishop Curry puts it, but the earthy spiritual and ethical teacher, as the incarnate one, with feet on the ground and hands on the needy.  

Our spirits and souls are lighter than air, yet can move mountains of fear, anger, and sorrow.

Blessed Feast of Corpus Christi!

Body of bodies within us all

Flesh of flesh within the whole of humanity

Being of being filling the whole of creation

Light of light filling all eyes, hearts and minds 

Dwelling still even in the darkest shadows full of light beyond our keen

Great creating gift of creator and creation restoring us still

Host of the great unending feast given for every soul and being

May we always approach the feast with open hearts, open minds and open hands

Forever feeding us, renewing us and restoring us, the whole of our being with your most precious self

For now and always we give you thanks great God and power of love, life and light eternal 

Amen

We the faithful have to step up, get up off our sanctimonious progressive asses and Do Something which actually makes a difference. 

Whining and complaining is no better than judging and condemning if we aren't actually doing something, anything, somewhere, where there is a need of some kind to be met. What "ministry" are you being called to? Go get it and live the joyful testimony, the Good freakin' News!

In light of today's violent protest of Trump...

We MUST MUST MUST be nonviolent as Gospel revolutionaries or else be no different. 

Only love has ever, or ever will, truly change people. Violence is just trading one tyranny for another. 

When one abides in love and acts in compassion one is with God, no matter what name you give the un-namable.  

We don't find our greatest value to each other until we first realize how unimportant we are. 

The road to our great prosperity is then walked together in humble footsteps. 

Poverty is the toxic waste residue of the industry of rampant runaway sociopathic greed. 

It kills. 

It's murderous.

It's not very Jesus.

Wonderful Trinity Sunday to all!

Shortest Trinity homily ever:

What does The Trinity mean?

It means humans have always needed and always will need loving relationships. 

It means to love is to be divine. 

It means we always have access to the vulnerable divine as we access our eternal capacity to love, the greatest gift of all. 

Peace.

If I can't respond from a place of peace and compassion, it is far better for me to hold my tongue, my thoughts even, until I can. 

This, is hard. 

We are 80% water. 

Know it or not, it's holy water...

Not even God plays God.

Why do we think we should?

Ironically to be controlling is to admit to feeling out of control rather than reveling in freedom which desires freedom for all.

The funny thing is that what we perceive as darkness is actually crammed full of light which we simply can't see. Being operates far beyond the spectrum we can see into bandwidths far beyond us, but real, just the same. We can trust in this and know that the light, life and love of Being is always with us, illumining us and penetrating us, even in what seems the darkest times.

Happy Pentecost!

Celebrate the birthday of the Church!

Celebrate the mysterious connection tying all people, things and times together, 

Celebrate the mysterious force which compels us to life, to going forward, to fulfilling all goodness, beauty and love,

Celebrate the great mystery which informs all of the purpose in our DNA and in the unknown forces which hold the cosmos together, from  beyond the smallest quantum quality known, to the infinite dancing orbits of galaxies,

Celebrate that mystery we know in beating hearts, in shimmering eyes, in open hands and embracing arms, that which we call Holy Spirit!

Find the silence

Lose your voice

Embrace and revel in the stillness

Just open your heart to the sacred moment

That

Is

To say I believe in Christ is for me to say I believe in the incarnation, which is also to say I believe in the unlimited possibility of humanity, of people, of you and me, to be loving, compassionate, to be transformative and transcendent as the instruments of our ultimate realization in and with each other. For me to believe in Christ is to believe in the ultimate end of our evolution as good and with purpose beyond mere survival towards a vast flowering of human capability beyond the fears and irrational competitions which drive us today. 

This seems very appropriate in these times. 

"For Jesus is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father."

Ephesians, Morning Office, Sixth Saturday, Easter. 

To follow in the way of Jesus is bringing down walls of division and making ways of inclusion, it is the way of unity, peace and healing; this is the gift Christ is asking us to partake in and to share with the world.

To seek Christ is to pursue a way in the endlessly expanding boundaries of your compassion. 

Even healing requires vulnerability.

I've not posted in a long time. I have cognitive limitations now which make essays difficult, even editing photos has become difficult. For the most part I post little meditations on a Facebook page, The Society of Jesus Compassionate. Going forward I will post them here as well, regardless of how short they are.

I'm grateful for all who have visited this place and hope you've enjoyed it.

Peace...
John-Magdalene