4 May 2013

Nothing

Buen Camino


We left our frigid albergue this morning for what proved to be a long, steady climb up. It turned out to be not a difficult as we imagined. It was a climb, but through breathtaking fields of more rolling hills of barley and terraces on some hillsides for crops. The sky today was a deep, deep blue that made everything even more beautiful. Little opportunity for distraction.

The evening meal before this walk I ate with my second and third encounter of those who have embraced St Francis spirituality. The first gal was a 36 year old from Denmark. Her name was Lanea. The two at table last night made this kind of life style almost alarming, for I never hear of such things much. One was a 28ish yr old gal from Liverpool. She has given everything she owns to live in a covenant community where she works for the community. Everything she has is shared by her community. The third ecounter was a couple from North Carolina. Each of the three has sold all their belongings, committed to a life of simplicity and service. The couple are part of an Episcopal church, but are now 3rd order Franciscans. They sold their home, gave their possessions to their adult children, and now travel and live in their motor home moving from one service project after another. Their names are Mike and Jenny. Mike is retired military and his focus is on helping vets. Jenny is dedicated to helping the deaf. Both are deeply spiritual and speak so fondly of the spiritual life of simplicity. Beautiful people.

Now I have3 encounters with pilgrims who have given it all up to embrace their faith without their arms filled with "stuff"

This dimension of spiritual life has been the engine for my prayer time today. It was around the idea of "nothing." It was quite a challenging meditation. Jesus told the rich man to sell all his things, give to the poor, and then follow him. Other Jesus encounters in the scriptures reference giving up one's life in order to find it. I could go on and on. The opportunity is to surrender all in order to have His all.

That would leave one with, well, "nothing." That was the perturbing single focus of my meditation. What I would have to surrender of 'things' I really enjoy? Of course, they're selfish pleasures. I love our home. My fun little car. My flower garden. Do I dare admit- ice cream treats. Yep. These are among 'things' I really enjoy. I was clear that nothing meant things, not people. Nothing means 'no things.'

After hours of looking at the dirty truth about my attachments to certain things, I was overwhelmed by the first line in 23rd Psalm. "The Lord is my Shepherd, there is "nothing" I shall want. There it is. Having Jesus is all I need. The surrender of the 'things' in my life is a process, and the calling for less of it makes room for more of Jesus. I had to come to grips that is someways, my LDL's of things in my affecting my spiritual life. A good time to consider my spiritual cholestrol figures. It's a process I need to examine.

As the meditation continued, I was drawn to the end of that Psalm, " and I will dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. I remembered from an earlier study regarding this verse that the word, 'dwell' in the Hebrew really is an inadequate word for really three different words/concepts.

Be aware
Be present
Dwell

To me, to be aware is to respect those in faith before me. This can include champions of the faith, the saints, the family of my past who have be strong believers and baton passers of who Jesus is. So many loving people of my childhood taught me as a boy about the church, how to pray, and were examples of His love and mercy.

To me, to be present is to be, well-'present.' This includes sensitizing myself for the Jesus around me. Slowing down, listening- I mean really listening-this brings so much of a presence of Him. Call it a God hunt, God moment, a movement of the Spirit, He is all around us. I just need to shut off all the blabber and noise around me and be 'present.' The camino is a silent, solitary, deeply reflective experience. Jesus is present in these quiet niches. Unlucky for Him, I chatter all day in His ears. At times I can almost hear Him say, " OK, all ready. I know you love me. And I love you."

To me, to 'dwell' is to, in a way, to genuflect before His greatness. Good things, good fortune has occurred in my life. When I consider the treasure my sweet wife is to me, my precious children, and now my grandchildren, I am overwhelmed by the truth that not all can claim these gifts. Life could have gone another way for me. So many different circumstances could have occurred. By the grace of God, I am deeply grateful. In that thankfulness I can 'dwell.'

So true for all of us, friends. Starting a diet of 'things', making more room for Jesus within our heart, and moving from many 'things' to some 'things' to 'No things' is a spiritual journey of simplicity.

The song that rattled along in my head all day said it all. It is sung by Lori True and David Haas.

"You are all I want.
You are all I need.
You are my one desire.
You shepherd me with love
And lead me through the darkness to light
To you, my hands are raised."

Upcoming:
A 250m climb in a 5km distance with a 350m descent. Known for being really dangerous, according guide book.
Prayers would be so appreciated.

Carinosamente,

Deacon Willie