For Sunday June 5th, 2020

Hello to everyone, on a personal level our worlds are only as large as our hearts can embrace. Yes, there are those whose worlds are small, hard, and tightly bound. But, change is coming. The lessons which are intended to open our hearts are as difficult to endure as our unwillingness to learn them. 

The Covid virus shows us the importance of working together, of caring for and taking care of each other by our own personal choices and behavior. 

May we sit this Sunday for the enlargement of our hearts/worlds, and that we may present an invitation to others by example.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday June 28th, 2020

Hello everyone, it's said that you cannot hate someone while praying for them. This would seem to be an effective antidote for the amount of divisive strife currently in the world.

So the challenge is to find someone (and perhaps more) whom you find to be utterly despicable, beyond hope, useless, and/or deserving of scorn. That person(s) is who you pray for. Pray for them honestly, purely, whole-heartedly, with every fiber of your being. 

Due to variations in their free will receptivity there is no guarantee they will be changed, but you will. As the goal of unifying humanity always starts at home, what better way?

May we sit this evening for our larger goal, Oneness. May we respond to our greater guidance and celebrate any positive movement. 

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday June 21st, 2020

Hello to all of you, the most popular prayer in all of Christianity begins with the words, "Our Father..." If you forgive the patriarchal attitudes of the ancient writers you can see they mean, "Our Source..." stated as a lovingly parental relationship.

That parental relationship encodes our greatest gift. As horses give birth to horses and cows give birth to cows we, being the offspring of Divine Spirit, must have the spark of Divinity within us too.

As we grow to spiritual adulthood, with Omnipotent Wisdom as our guide, we come to see that spark of Divine Truth not only within ourselves but more expansively as well.

May we sit this evening with our focus upon this understanding; we are the beloved offspring of Divine Spirit. And; we are growing stumblingly into our spiritual fullness – as is every other human being on Earth.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday June 14th, 2020

Hello to everyone, this calming benediction is welcome in turbulent times, "The sun holds all the planets in orbit, yet it will ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else to do." - Galileo

It is ours to do whatever comes to hand, but we can be at ease with a sense of a greater power overseeing all.

May we sit this evening to open ourselves to that greater power. May it inform our hearts. May we be the ripening grapes.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday June 7th, 2020

Hello everyone, we're getting a front row seat for the unfolding conflict between those who believe in external power belonging in the hands of a few select people or groups and those who are beginning to recognize the emergence of authentic power, the power of the human heart. 

Looting, rioting, para-military groups, and heavy handed police tactics all fall under the heading of 'external power' – the reliance upon any form of force which comes from outside of ourselves, whether it be political, financial, military, material based, or psychological manipulation.

Authentic power is the power of the human heart. Authentic power seeks connection, communication, empathy, understanding, and tolerance. It moves us toward Oneness.

May we sit this evening to see ourselves clearly. May we recognize our own human foibles, have patience with others, find a path to full connection, and finally – realize there are no 'others'.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday May 31st, 2020

Hello to everyone, 2020 is shaping up to be a year of change. In many ways we are being given the opportunity to bring the best of humanity face to face with the worst of humanity. Whether we're facing people's reactions to an impersonal virus or a very personal death, the question remains the same – what can we bring to this?

We may know immediately, or it may take some searching, but the answers are always in the same place, our hearts. Recognizing first, then looking beyond our own psychological responses of anger, sadness, numbness, despair, etc, may bring us to new perspectives. We won't know until we try.

May we sit Sunday evening for further perspectives, greater awareness, and perhaps enlightening insights. May we find out best and bring it forth, that we may be the change.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday May 24th, 2020

Hello to all of you, the pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff said that he could tell if he skipped even one day of practice; if he skipped two days of practice his critics could tell; and if he skipped three days of practice, his audience could tell. It may well be the same with prayer. 

It has been said that prayer consists of four parts, starting with:
Wonder – being in awe, humbled at the greatness, your mind and heart opened
Appreciation – thankfulness, gratitude for lessons and for what is
Forgiveness – humility, the sense of at-one-ment, desire to make things right again
Petition – to request, to ask for, whether for self or others

We focus on Sundays and Tuesdays, but let us also give some time each day to these things. May we be the change we wish to see.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday May 17th, 2020

Hello everyone, here's a story: A young boy sought to trick the 'wise one' of the village. The boy had caught a bird and was holding it in his cupped hands. "I'll ask the wise one if it's alive or dead," planned the boy. "If the answer is 'dead' I'll release it to fly away. If the answer is 'alive' I'll..." The wise one appeared just then. The boy asked his question as the wise one gazed kindly at him. Gently touching the boy's shoulder the wise one answered, "It's life is in your hands."

So it goes with each moment of our lives. Spiritual responsibility is not avoided by clever manipulations. 

May we sit this Sunday to be aware of ourselves, to see how we treat others, and to be as kind as we can be to our very own selves during these challenging times.

With Blessings for all,

Richard

For Sunday May 10th, 2020

Hello everyone, in his book "Living Your Divine Life" Orest Bedrij writes, "...if you are a majestic Giant Sequoia tree you should live the life of a majestic Giant Sequoia tree; if you are a magnificent bald eagle you should live the life of a magnificent bald eagle. Conversely, since "You are the light of the world" (Matt 5:14) you should live and help others to live the life we were all meant to live – as "the light of the world.""

May we sit this evening for us to somehow, someway, sometime, be 'the light of the world' for ourselves and for others as well.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday May 3rd, 2020

Hello everyone, we're told that for most of it's existence humanity has been up against nature. Now however, there is a greater challenge. Given the current state of the world we can now see that humanity is up against it's own nature. Perhaps this will help.

Give me a pure heart – that I may see Thee,
A humble heart – that I may hear Thee,
A heart of love – that I may serve Thee,
A heart of faith – that I may abide in Thee.
- Dag Hammarskjold

May we treat the sicknesses of the world by healing ourselves. May we pray for those who provide us with our greatest challenges. May we forgive ourselves our basic humanness.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday April 26th, 2020

Greetings to all, we are told that God is necessary to us that we may exist, and that we are necessary to God that God may manifest to Itself. We, and the entire wacky journey we are on, are how God knows Itself, proves Itself to Itself.

With this we understand that each and every one of us are part of an expression of God, some more lost, some more found, but all are on a path of the full manifestation of God.

May we sit this Sunday for the realization that everyone we meet has Divinity within them. Everyone single person we meet is showing us some personal facet of The Path. And therefore, everyone we meet is more essential than we can grasp. With this awareness may we find our way through this life as though moving among incomparable jewels.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday April 19th, 2020

Hello to everyone, the lessons which push us into a more heart-felt existence are numerous. And sometimes, when our attachment to material gains and external power is great, the lessons can become quite harsh to endure. 

As lessons go, this virus is merciful. There is much we can do to mitigate it, and to learn from it. It is far less painful than nuclear war or massive geologic upheavals. 

May we take time this evening to review ourselves. What are our attachments? Where are our hearts? How can we make a movement toward the Oneness which calls to us all?

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday April 12th, 2020

Hello to all, in a very timely manner this virus is providing us with a liberation and a rebirth; it forcefully exposes the weaknesses in our society – and beauty shines through with the incredible strength of courage and compassion in individuals. 

In keeping with this season of light overcoming darkness let us see the light in ourselves, recognize the light in others, and take in the incredible beauty still to be found in the world at large.

May we sit this evening with our hearts open. May we be the recipients of spiritual beauty. And from there, may we shine.

Thank you all for all you do,

Richard