For Sunday May 29th, 2016

Hello all, as we honor those who have passed in conflict this Memorial weekend let us recall the words of Gen. Robert E. Lee, "It is well that war is so terrible – otherwise we would grow too fond of it." That was 151 years ago. 

Let us honor the heroes of the past. Let us also pray they are needed less and less in the future, as the willingness with which we make war is a sign of spiritual immaturity. 

May we sit this Sunday for our greater spiritual destiny. Let us remember we are all One. May we find our way out of our heads and into our hearts. 

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday May 22nd, 2016

Hello everyone, as we search for answers and guidance in this life it is well to remember that we may know false prophets by the fruits of their labors. And, Eckhart Tolle says that conflict is a measure of spiritual growth; does conflict arise around you or does conflict tend to resolve in your presence?

It may be difficult to find a political candidate who exudes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control – the fruits of the spirit. But, we may nurture these qualities within ourselves and share them with all we meet.

We might thereby lay a foundation which leads toward a goal which already exists and only needs to be seen more clearly – Oneness.

May we sit this Sunday for the 'Fruits of the Spirit' within ourselves. May we recognize them in others. May they be the bedrock of our lives. 

Thank you,

Richard 

For Sunday May 15, 2016

Hello everyone, it's sad but reasonable to assume that fractious divisions, much as we see between people today, also existed between the 400,000 people who lived in San Francisco in 1900. More than half of those folks were left homeless by a devastating earthquake in April of 1906.

The writer Dorothy Day witnessed the event as a 9 year old child. Seeing the immense compassion offered between total strangers immediately after the catastrophe brought her to remark, "Why can't people live like this all the time?"

Major catastrophes do not occur solely for the purpose of creating a spiritual cleansing, yet it is a deeply human response. Whenever 'push comes to shove' and 'lives are on the line' people quickly drop arbitrary differences and reach out honestly, human to human, heart to heart. 

May we sit this evening for such connections in our own lives today. May we reach out to those who are lost. May we recognize and see beyond our flimsy emotional and thought-based divisions. May the deeper truths of our shared humanity shine through. 

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday May 8th, 2016

Hello all, in 1966 Pete Seeger had the crazy notion that doing one thing would start people on a path to cleaning up the entire Hudson River. He began building a sailboat, the "Clearwater."

https://vimeo.com/85385279

We do not have to work at such grand scales and lofty ideals if they are beyond us. A simple 'thank you' to a store clerk, an honest smile at a passerby, a caring and interested ear lent to a child are also crazy notions that clean up the river of humanity. As these bits of clarity flow through the twists and turns of time they have an amazing collective effect. 

People heal at their own pace. They return to Source at their own pace, too. Those little smiles, thank you's, and cares help light the way for them.

May we sit this Sunday for 'lighting the way.' May we bring our best to all we meet. May we not 'hide under a bushel' with our inner lights.

Thank you all,

Richard