|
John Kuzma
Minister of Music
A Golden Opportunity
Mythology is filled with stories of quests for gold, and in difficult economic times we hear of owning gold as a hedge against the failure of markets. In mythology, I see gold as a symbol of the libido we all need to properly live our lives. Myth, like the Islandic sagas that form the basis of J. R. R. Tolkien's writings and composer Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle, warn that failure to use gold unselfishly carries terrible consequences, and loss of the gold. Taken symbolically, this means that we can lose our life connection if we fail to have the correct attitude in our use of God given energy. Any creative artist knows this, having made this mistake in our human frailty. History is filled with examples of ruined lives and missed chances by artists who thought that talent comes without responsibility. "Before one can command nature, we must first obey it" says William of Baskerville in Umberto Eco's "The Name of the Rose."
In our efforts making musical artifacts, we learn that there is a reward that remains in our spirits after the music ends, which it always does. What remains is what I call "inner gold," and if we know that it belongs to God, it can nourish us for a long time, maybe a life time.
Westminster Choir is accepting new members. Join us, and find out about "inner gold."
Peace
John
"There is in souls a sympathy with sounds:
And as the mind is pitch'd
the ear is pleased
With melting airs, or martial,
brisk or grave;
Some chord in unison with what we hear
Is touch'd within us, and the heart replies."
William Cowper 1731 - 1800
|
|
|
The Rev. Ian Gregory Cummins
Lead Pastor of Spiritual Life
"Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me...When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This teaching is difficult, who can accept it?" But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, "Does this offend you?"
John 6: 56-57, 60-61
Does this offend you? I suspect the reaction from most of us is a resounding, "YES!" On the surface, it's shocking and repugnant and as we read later, Jesus lost a lot of followers because of it. Rather than go into what it might mean (for that you'll have to come on Sunday), I want to point out what a perfect text this is for Lectio Divina.
Why? Because contemplative prayer opens us to different layers of comprehension. What may seem offensive on the surface can prove to be deeply meaningful when we simply "rest" with the words.
Remember, the four stages of Lectio Divina are:
Lectio - read the text
Meditatio - think or ruminate on the text
Oratio - pray about the text (listen for a word from God)
Contemplatio - rest in the text (let the words and the intellectual meaning fall away)
This week, try more than ever to move beyond an intellectual understanding of the words. I'm convinced Jesus is not talking to our minds here. He's not trying to convince of anything. This is the Spirit in him talking directly to the Spirit in us. And that's where it has to be received.
Grace and goodness,
Ian
|
|
