Writing a book, SCW thinks it's good...here are some excerpts:
I would tell you that you were nuts. That’s right I still cannot believe where I have wound up in life. Anyone who knew me growing up would be thinking the same and laughing hysterically along with me. Honestly, a monk—me?? A MONK!! (And it’s a four-letter word even). I will admit it gets a bit confusing here, so let’s back up and I’ll try to explain how this all happened. (from the Preamble)
Instruments of peace are a unique prayer coming from someone with my background. It is a hard thing to want to pray for…I am a pacifist by training, not by nature. Growing up due to bullying and seeing injustice in the world I tried to solve the problem with my fists.
After over three thousand fights only ever losing due to fighting multiples at once (i.e. five on one, ten on one, being tossed through a plate glass window when I was at a writer’s retreat in Banff). But did it really ever solve anything?
In Matthew 5:9 Jesus makes a promise, that blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called Children of God. It is many verses like this one; I believe helped St. Francis of Assisi who was a warrior (he grew up wanting to be a knight) and the realization that battles are not won or lost at the point of a sword, or in my case the end of a fist, but rather in the heart of the individual with the hand made into a fist or holding the sword (gun for us). (From Make me an Instrument of your Peace).
Hate that would lead a pastor to try and beat his homosexual son straight.
Hatred that in Rwanda killed close to a million. Ended over thirteen million people’s lives in Nazi Germany. How many died under Stalin? How many have lost their lives in the last fifty years of Chinese occupation of Tibet?Millions of people have died because of hatred. Are human beings inherently evil? I do not believe so, because even though we are fallen, we are still made in the image of God…for us to be inherently evil would then mean that God’s image has inherent evil within it.
What hatred can do though are lead humans to evil actions as noted above. Think of the faith and Christ’s passion. It is an act of hatred. (From Where there is Hatred)
Sowing love begins with a simple assertion for us all, that are actions breed consequences, loving a person does not stop them being responsible for their actions. It is the greatest gift given us by God—Love. The true embodiment of the Law and Christ.
Do not believe so? Think of the cross; Jesus’ words after being tortured, humiliated and mocked: Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do. Forgive us? Again Christ showing us the way to treat those who do harm or wrong to us: Love them.
But what is love? (Sow Love)
Or did we injure? The sad story of the church, regardless of tradition is that like we treated Christ when he walked this earth, we treat the least of these[1]; with injury, and thus treat Christ like wise.
Take a moment and scribble on a piece of paper your reaction to someone you saw who was sick? Or the young person panhandling? The tweaking crack addict on the corner? The criminal in the newspaper headlines?
What were your responses to these people?
Pity. Revulsion. Hatred. Replace each of the above questions, with a simple name: Jesus the sick; Jesus the drunk; Jesus the criminal…for with each response, we have shown our true feelings to our saviour.
[1] Matthew 25:40 (From Where there is Injury)
To be sinned against is grievance because it means that someone has done something to shatter your relationship. Sin goes back to the original sin in the garden, so called not for its creativity (Genesis 3) c’mon? It was eating a fruit? But rather because it shattered the relationship that God intended between Him and his creation, that of parent and child. But what a parent and child relationship was meant to be, not what the fall contorted it into where incest and abuse can reign, but a relationship of unconditional love and raising the child up to follow the call on their heart to follow God.
But are we willing to step out in trust that if we forgive those who have hurt us? That they are still held accountable, yet our own lives are made more Godly. Or to be most blunt, most like Christ.
(From Sow Pardon)
I would tell you that you were nuts. That’s right I still cannot believe where I have wound up in life. Anyone who knew me growing up would be thinking the same and laughing hysterically along with me. Honestly, a monk—me?? A MONK!! (And it’s a four-letter word even). I will admit it gets a bit confusing here, so let’s back up and I’ll try to explain how this all happened. (from the Preamble)
Instruments of peace are a unique prayer coming from someone with my background. It is a hard thing to want to pray for…I am a pacifist by training, not by nature. Growing up due to bullying and seeing injustice in the world I tried to solve the problem with my fists.
After over three thousand fights only ever losing due to fighting multiples at once (i.e. five on one, ten on one, being tossed through a plate glass window when I was at a writer’s retreat in Banff). But did it really ever solve anything?
In Matthew 5:9 Jesus makes a promise, that blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called Children of God. It is many verses like this one; I believe helped St. Francis of Assisi who was a warrior (he grew up wanting to be a knight) and the realization that battles are not won or lost at the point of a sword, or in my case the end of a fist, but rather in the heart of the individual with the hand made into a fist or holding the sword (gun for us). (From Make me an Instrument of your Peace).
Hate that would lead a pastor to try and beat his homosexual son straight.
Hatred that in Rwanda killed close to a million. Ended over thirteen million people’s lives in Nazi Germany. How many died under Stalin? How many have lost their lives in the last fifty years of Chinese occupation of Tibet?Millions of people have died because of hatred. Are human beings inherently evil? I do not believe so, because even though we are fallen, we are still made in the image of God…for us to be inherently evil would then mean that God’s image has inherent evil within it.
What hatred can do though are lead humans to evil actions as noted above. Think of the faith and Christ’s passion. It is an act of hatred. (From Where there is Hatred)
Sowing love begins with a simple assertion for us all, that are actions breed consequences, loving a person does not stop them being responsible for their actions. It is the greatest gift given us by God—Love. The true embodiment of the Law and Christ.
Do not believe so? Think of the cross; Jesus’ words after being tortured, humiliated and mocked: Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do. Forgive us? Again Christ showing us the way to treat those who do harm or wrong to us: Love them.
But what is love? (Sow Love)
Or did we injure? The sad story of the church, regardless of tradition is that like we treated Christ when he walked this earth, we treat the least of these[1]; with injury, and thus treat Christ like wise.
Take a moment and scribble on a piece of paper your reaction to someone you saw who was sick? Or the young person panhandling? The tweaking crack addict on the corner? The criminal in the newspaper headlines?
What were your responses to these people?
Pity. Revulsion. Hatred. Replace each of the above questions, with a simple name: Jesus the sick; Jesus the drunk; Jesus the criminal…for with each response, we have shown our true feelings to our saviour.
[1] Matthew 25:40 (From Where there is Injury)
To be sinned against is grievance because it means that someone has done something to shatter your relationship. Sin goes back to the original sin in the garden, so called not for its creativity (Genesis 3) c’mon? It was eating a fruit? But rather because it shattered the relationship that God intended between Him and his creation, that of parent and child. But what a parent and child relationship was meant to be, not what the fall contorted it into where incest and abuse can reign, but a relationship of unconditional love and raising the child up to follow the call on their heart to follow God.
But are we willing to step out in trust that if we forgive those who have hurt us? That they are still held accountable, yet our own lives are made more Godly. Or to be most blunt, most like Christ.
(From Sow Pardon)
posted by T @ 9:54 AM
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