Pauses and Possibilities ~ Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary

By Lucy Strohl OPA ~ September 12, 2008

Readings: 1Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-27,  Psalm.84: 3-6, 12  and Luke 6:39-42

"We get three recesses and if we are good, we get four!"  This was my great-niece, Emma's description--as she smiled broadly and told me about her first days of kindergarten this year.  When we were children, too, perhaps recess at school was our initial pause during the day. I doubt we questioned the value of it; we just enjoyed it.

We’ve all traveled far since our elementary school days. And now we pause in the midst of this day. When we grow up, we seem to have different notions about the idea of recess, of purposeful pauses in our day. Jesus was always trying to get the disciples to stop awhile, to look more attentively at their lives. In the Gospel of Luke, sight is a frequent metaphor for understanding authentic discipleship. Jesus admonishes his companions and us to stop and look, to refrain from criticizing and judging. He reminds us to look at ourselves honestly first--knowing we are only too ready to point out the faults of others.  Blindness has many forms. Could ours be taking on too many projects, getting carried away by too many conflicting concerns, always wanting people and situations to be different?  One author suggests that this is to succumb to violence. In the trance of over-doing and negativity--in thought or work--we take too much for granted. We don't have time to savor life, or to care deeply and gently for ourselves, much less for those around us. Love, joy and contentment have little room at our worktables.

The first reading from Corinthians mentions training and discipline. Usually we are more critical of ourselves than anyone else. Could our discipline today be a commitment to growing in mindfulness. We are tempted at times to berate ourselves because we've not completed everything on our list.  How do we look at our unfinished tasks?  The teacher Joan Halifax suggests we consider equanimity--"the stability of mind that allows us to be present with an open heart, no matter how wonderful or difficult conditions are".  Of course, this takes practice. Whether we were very productive, slightly so, or even if we haven't really gotten started, we are invited to take a deep breath and stand before THIS HOUR with an open heart.

The psalmist reminds us we are here because we yearn for God, that we dwell in God.  Again we might ask ourselves: where is it we REALLY dwell?  In hope? With an I-know-better-than you attitude?  Or do we help each other realize we all dwell in God's tender mercies day by day. Maybe our "work table" is the desk, bedside table, our wheelchair, the dining room table or even our vehicle. Or we can be in  lots of settings throughout the day. Still we can offer a blessing for each another wherever we are.

Today at this table we pray to have eyes to see more clearly. We've been blind in big and small ways; we ask forgiveness. We pray that our hearts and eyes are wide open to all the possibilities waiting in these 24 hours. It's been a long time since our school recess days. Perhaps remembering in prayer that child of long ago--for the weary grownup many of us have become--would be beneficial.  If we are too busy to notice others around us, they escape our blessing and we miss out on theirs. Joan Halifax and Emily Dickinson help us recall: "We stand before WHAT IS with an open heart. And with open hearts we dwell in possibility."  At this liturgy we honor the holy name of Mary.   The name means" beloved".  If we pause long enough, can we hear Jesus and Mary call us beloved? Mary is our model of  trust, risk-taking, patience and unfolding possibilities. Cathy Hilkert, OP, our sister from Akron, Ohio reminds us: "The primary preaching of the Christian community occurs NOT in pulpits but in the sacred space of the encounters of our ordinary daily lives and relationships."  Like Mary, in the ordinariness of this day, may we be open to seeing how we can be living words Hope and Blessing for each other and our world.