Blame it on lack of sleep...

I heard yesterday on NPR a story about a study done on "Western" countries and how they spend their leisure time--how much sleep on average each country gets, time spent eating and it's correlation with obesity, etc. One of the questions that was asked had to do with contentment--how satisfied on average people were with their lives. They found that those who were happiest were people in Scandinavian countries--Denmark, Norway, Sweden. The country least content with their lives was Italy. And the US stood somewhere near the bottom with great disparity among responders. They said that in the US people were either very dissatisfied or very satisfied but there were few in the middle.

But what I found most interesting about that was the correlation between happiness and willingness to embrace strangers. They said that the Scandinavian countries were characteristically more welcoming of outsiders while Italy tends to be suspicious of strangers. The more people feared outsiders, the less happy they were and vice versa. Now there are a lot of implications in that for our culture, politics, and church (not the least of which has to do with the point that could be easily made that the fear and rejection of the immigrants is actually a detriment to our own personal happiness) but I immediately went to myself in hearing this. I have always longed to be one of those people who just accepts and loves people right off the bat, but instead I tend to pull back. And somewhere deep down I know when I do it that I'm preventing the fullness of my own satisfaction in life. And now there it is in scientific form that it is true.

I wonder how much of this is taught to us by our culture. We long for connection and yet we push it away for the greater good of individual success, personal privacy, and the need for control. What a mess.

K
May 6, 2009

I'm centering my communion meditation for Maundy Thursday on the image of the crucifix--the suffering Christ. So often we protestants see the crucifix as morbid or as a celebration of violence or as a denial of the resurrection. But I came to see it differently a few years ago. In study and conversation, I came to realize that the crucifix showed a divine savior who not only understood but had experienced pain. For those who no very little but suffering that Jesus is one that they can relate to. God can relate to their pain because has experienced it first hand.

So tonight in communion we will be uniting not only with a suffering Christ but a suffering world. After communion, we'll be staying at the altar for an extended time of prayer--intercessory prayer--on behalf of those who are suffering. I thought I'd share the prayer here:

For those who suffer and those who cry this day, give relief from their burdens, dear Lord. Let them experience Your true peace. Love them, Lord, when others cannot. Hold them, Lord, when human arms fail. Hear their prayers, O Lord, and let them hear Your word of peace in their lives.*

We pray now together for all who suffer:

For the Sick—those with cancer, diabetes, heart problems, chronic pain, depression and other clinical illnesses—those that fill hospitals today all over the world, in our own communities and outside, for those with drug addictions. Hear the prayers of our hearts and our voices, O God of healing.

For those who mourn—people who have lost loved ones since this day last year and for those who are reminded of those that are not with them during this holiday weekend. Hear the prayers of our hearts and our voices, O God of comfort.

For those who experience pain because of broken relationships—for the children of broken homes and broken parents, for those going through divorce, for those with strained family and friend relationships. Hear the prayers of our hearts and our voices, O God of reconciliation.

For victims of violence and injustice—people who experience violence within their own homes, victims of rape, for people along the border who have been victims of drug violence, for those who continue to experience the sting of racial and gender inequality, for victims of sex trade and slavery even today. Hear the prayers of our hearts and our voices, O God of justice.

For all those in war-torn countries—for children who must grow up in environments of fear and death, for those in the military and their families, for Darfur, for Israel, for Palestine, for Iraq and Afganistan, for those who have been forced to seek refuge in the United States and other countries. Hear the prayers of our hearts and our voices, O God of peace.

For the poor and those who are struggling economically—for those living on the streets, for people who have lost their homes because of the economic crisis, for people have been or are now facing layoffs and loss of employment, for those already on unemployment, for people all over the world who are exploited by the rich and governmental policies based upon greed, for all other victims of this world-wide economic crisis. Hear the prayers of our hearts and our voices, O God of a plentiful creation.

Bless those who struggle, eternal God,with the comfort of your lovethat they may face each new day with hopeand the certainty that nothing can destroythe good that has been given. May their memories become joyful,their days enriched with friendship,and their lives encircled by your love. **

And Bless us, O God who experiences pain along with us, to be your presence in the midst of a broken and suffering world. Transform us through Jesus’ cross to be truly his hands and feet in communion with all of creation.

*Traditional Catholic Prayer
**http://letspraydaily.blogspot.com/2008/08/prayer-for-those-who-mourn.html

I have said many times that seminary is very good at creating crises of faith. In my opinion, they try very hard to do so. They take your "Sunday School Faith" and deconstruct it until you are left with very little. And then you must decided whether or not it is worth it to you to rebuild. Well my crisis came over the realization that there is such a thing as civil religion and that it has invaded the Gospel to the point that our churches cannot differentiate between Christianity and the American "religion of the Republic" (as it was named by Sidney Mead). It came while taking Dr. Tim Lee's History of Christianity I and II, where I read books like this one by George E. Tinker, after having heard lectures by Dr Daisy Machado about how Latinos/as have been continually marginalized not only by our country's people but by our church's people. It came after taking Judaism in America where I was forced to examine the arrogant, Christian-centered assumptions and actions of my country and myself. It came when I realized my own privilege, my own comfortable home in the center when the Gospel would call me to the margins, a reality that I (as I go into my parish life, without the constant reminders of seminary) would much more like to forget then to actually act upon. It came when I realized that there is a pervasive piece of the church that would much rather serve country and culture than Christ.



As I watched this election season unfold, I was struck by how persuasive this civil religion is. How is calls us to believe in the centuries-old rhetoric that would place America as the New Israel, the shining City on a Hill for all of humanity. I read a blog today by Dr. Mark Toulouse, albeit a little late, that put words to my many thoughts as I have watched McCain and Obama throughout this race and reflected on our country. You can catch it here.



What do you think? I know I had to resist very hard the temptation of getting carried away by Obama's religious rhetoric. And although I have more than once been overcome by emotion at the hope I have because Barack Obama, a black man, is president of my country, I must remember that even his perspective is a dangerous one for those of us who profess the Gospel as our highest calling. Comments welcome.



Peace,

Katie

November 5, 2008

So I know this stuff is silly but I love the random things that you can come up with. I followed a formula (posted below) and came up with this: my first musical album. The band name is Maes y Dre Recreation Ground, the Album name is You'll Never Find It, and here's the Album cover.