message from Rev. T
Welcome to the Centre for Spiritual Living White Rock!
Andrew Harvey, the great modern American mystic calls Praying Dangerously “a wise, fierce, challenging book to restore to seekers on all paths the art of praying dangerously, and reveal its rewards of sacred passion and naked honesty, of surrender and of the capacity to celebrate fearlessly, even in the darkest fires of personal anguish or public apocalypse.” I would say, in that case, this is truly a book for its time.
As I write this, I’m listening to a report on President Obama’s commencement speech to Notre Dame University and the furor that has been caused by the invitation extended to him to speak there. Whatever one’s personal position on abortion or Health Care or the banking crisis or any of the “hot button issues” in the news today, it is obvious the posturing, taking positions and politicizing are not what we need right now in any sphere of life.
We have just gone through a provincial election and I now find myself living in the most divided riding in the province, South Delta, where two votes separate the candidates. Surely an extraordinary outcome under any circumstances but made more so because the candidates are a Liberal and an Independent. The contentious issues in the riding and the willingness of an independent to address them with “sacred passion and naked honesty” brought out the highest voter turn out in the election.
President Obama ceded no ground on abortion. But his response to those on each side of the debate was “we can still agree that this is a heart-wrenching decision for any woman to make, with both moral and spiritual dimensions. So let’s work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions by reducing unintended pregnancies, and making adoption more available, and providing care and support for women who do carry their child to term.” This is clearly a call to all of us to act “fearlessly, even in the darkest fires of personal anguish or public apocalypse.”
The time for hiding behind empty phrases and partisan postures is over. It is time for truth and justice, fairness and love. It is time to pray that “the Kingdom come.”
Blessings
Rev. Terry