Remembering that human beings are either being loving or asking to be loved, is a simple way of connecting over and over again with LOVE.
When a person is being hurtful that person is surely in personal pain, either conscious or unconscious. Compassion is ultimately a loving response to suffering.
That does not mean that we may not have many human feelings in a challenging relationship, including anger, sadness, distrust, rage.....These feelings are our own and hopefully, we can release them in a safe way both energetically and through talking to a trusted friend or counselor. However, to be truly free, a return to love and understanding is key. This does not mean a return to a relationship which continues
the hurt. Space, boundaries and a letting go of the painful dynamics are important to achieve.
Movement toward learning, growing, maturing, understanding and opening of our hearts in compassion allows us to come home to our peace, love and to our True Nature. We need all of our life’s experiences to help us open our hearts.
Being grateful for our challenges as well as our joys, understanding that Spirit lies in all that is.....beyond polarities.
With all love and respect,
Rev. Supriya Swerdlick Hermenze
Friday, February 25, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Imperfect
I had a friend describe to me the other day why her husband won’t enter a church. Though it was a brief conversation, she conveyed to me a sentiment I have heard many times before: church and religion have done awful things. I don’t want to be a part of that.
I will be the first one to admit that, in the name of religion, and by people who profess a faith in God, atrocities have been committed. The human person is capable of terrible actions and no denomination, faith, church or organization of any kind is immune. Because every denomination, faith, church and organization is made up of people. And people are profoundly imperfect.
Of course people do awful things in the name of politics, love, education and advancement, as well as religion. But we expect more from our religious organizations—and we should. Which is why I can also say with some certainty that much good has come out of church and religion, and in many cases much more good than has come out of politics or education, for example.
Imperfect human beings make up the church. Is that reason enough to throw out the baby with the bathwater?
The Dalai Lama said: “My religion is kindness.” This is such a wonderful teaching. It also helps to articulate a deeper, broader truth. If, according to the Dalai Lama, religion is kindness, when something goes wrong, when a person isn’t kind, would we say kindness has failed? Or would we say the person or people involved have failed to be kind?
So it is with the God of my understanding. My religion is Love. When things appear unloving, this does not mean Love has failed, any more than we would blame kindness when a person shows us unkindness. (We would, of course, find fault with the person or the situation but I’ve yet to hear someone blame kindness itself.)
I don’t care whether people go to church; really, it’s none of my business. But I do hope that people come to know Love, Divine Love, because, I believe, doing so is life’s purpose, as well as life’s reward, and the very thing that makes life worth living. In that way, if someone comes in the doors of a religious organization or stays away matters little. But that the person comes to know kindness, comes to know love, matters much.
Too often, in our humanly imperfection, we might say, “My religion is religion.” Instead, let’s keep our eyes on the Source itself, the Origin of all religious seeking, inquiry, longing, education, and organization, God, or Love, itself. Therein we find healing and the true perfection we seek.
I will be the first one to admit that, in the name of religion, and by people who profess a faith in God, atrocities have been committed. The human person is capable of terrible actions and no denomination, faith, church or organization of any kind is immune. Because every denomination, faith, church and organization is made up of people. And people are profoundly imperfect.
Of course people do awful things in the name of politics, love, education and advancement, as well as religion. But we expect more from our religious organizations—and we should. Which is why I can also say with some certainty that much good has come out of church and religion, and in many cases much more good than has come out of politics or education, for example.
Imperfect human beings make up the church. Is that reason enough to throw out the baby with the bathwater?
The Dalai Lama said: “My religion is kindness.” This is such a wonderful teaching. It also helps to articulate a deeper, broader truth. If, according to the Dalai Lama, religion is kindness, when something goes wrong, when a person isn’t kind, would we say kindness has failed? Or would we say the person or people involved have failed to be kind?
So it is with the God of my understanding. My religion is Love. When things appear unloving, this does not mean Love has failed, any more than we would blame kindness when a person shows us unkindness. (We would, of course, find fault with the person or the situation but I’ve yet to hear someone blame kindness itself.)
I don’t care whether people go to church; really, it’s none of my business. But I do hope that people come to know Love, Divine Love, because, I believe, doing so is life’s purpose, as well as life’s reward, and the very thing that makes life worth living. In that way, if someone comes in the doors of a religious organization or stays away matters little. But that the person comes to know kindness, comes to know love, matters much.
Too often, in our humanly imperfection, we might say, “My religion is religion.” Instead, let’s keep our eyes on the Source itself, the Origin of all religious seeking, inquiry, longing, education, and organization, God, or Love, itself. Therein we find healing and the true perfection we seek.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Endurance
After two exhausting days where my spirit, body, and ability to remain kind felt taxed beyond my limits, I opened the Bible to the Letter from James--not a letter I have read very often. My eyes fell immediately to this passage:
Consider yourself fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is your ability to endure (James 1.2-3, Good News Bible).
I couldn't have needed to hear a message more, and I felt comforted by the thought that my challenges would lead to an expansion within. The passage also directed me to a place of gratitude. Consider yourself fortunate... How often do we feel fortunate when life isn't going our way? Maybe never. I began to pull myself out of my slump by summoning up some gratitude.
I also, on re-reading the passage noted that it is not ME who is overcoming my own woes and hardships, but my FAITH. It is my faith that succeeds in facing the hard times, rather than me as a person, a personality, a limited being who needs more sleep at night or more money or more time (whatever it may be). And faith is something that we grow, day by day, over time. Perhaps, like endurance, it comes as the gift of moving through the rough days with the willingness to--in each breath or with the newly risen sun--try again. Our faith is our ability to believe in the good, sometimes despite all evidence to the contrary, to believe in the God we may occasionally doubt, to believe in the Love we imagine we could run out of--but never do. And the reward, at the end of all this faithful believing, is that blessing of endurance out of which grows a greater spirit, and a stronger heart.
Consider yourself fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is your ability to endure (James 1.2-3, Good News Bible).
I couldn't have needed to hear a message more, and I felt comforted by the thought that my challenges would lead to an expansion within. The passage also directed me to a place of gratitude. Consider yourself fortunate... How often do we feel fortunate when life isn't going our way? Maybe never. I began to pull myself out of my slump by summoning up some gratitude.
I also, on re-reading the passage noted that it is not ME who is overcoming my own woes and hardships, but my FAITH. It is my faith that succeeds in facing the hard times, rather than me as a person, a personality, a limited being who needs more sleep at night or more money or more time (whatever it may be). And faith is something that we grow, day by day, over time. Perhaps, like endurance, it comes as the gift of moving through the rough days with the willingness to--in each breath or with the newly risen sun--try again. Our faith is our ability to believe in the good, sometimes despite all evidence to the contrary, to believe in the God we may occasionally doubt, to believe in the Love we imagine we could run out of--but never do. And the reward, at the end of all this faithful believing, is that blessing of endurance out of which grows a greater spirit, and a stronger heart.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
In the lap of the Buddha
Years ago I heard the expression, "place your head on the lap of the Buddha." I love this comforting, nurturing thought, picturing myself with my head in Buddha's lap and a gentle, motherly hand, stroking my hair away from my face. And while words, and the internet, can be helpful and useful, nothing can compare with putting oneself--through imagination and prayer--into this place of being held. I invite you to take a breath or two in the quiet and place yourself gently into the lap of the Buddha, eyes closed and heart open, to be cared for, cherished, and loved.
--Rev. Sam Wilde
--Rev. Sam Wilde
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