People the world over are anticipating a new something. Change is happening. Change must happen. As Sister Joan Chittister declares in her new book Awakening. Prophetic Reflections: “In the face of every obstacle, I heard the call of God to wake up, to speak out, to leave some melodies behind. Then, perhaps others could sing new songs of the truth within them, too, so that generations to come might also wake up.
IF WE AWAKEN. NOW.”
What kind of a world do I want?
I want a world that places less emphasis on mastery and more on participatory cooperation. My world would be/have:
-less denominational, more relational
-less Christian, more Christ-like
-less partisan, more hospitable
-less preaching, more dialogue
-less assumptions, more asking
-less knowledge, more education
-less reactivity, more communion
-less national, more cosmic
-less denial, more risk
-less hoarding, more sacrifice
-less weeding, more planting
-less mouth, more ear
-less labeling, more accepting
-less hunt, more gather
-less hate, more compassion
-less abortion, more compassion
-less cursing, more blessing
-less sentimentality, more emotional intelligence
-less fear, more gratitude
-less judgment, more prayer
-less despair, more hope
One image for my “world” is a Sycamore Tree—arms of branches embrace, accommodate this planet and ALL inhabitants.
What would I sacrifice for this awakened world?
-My deep affection for Jesus as I see him in prayer and the Bible? Jesus, however, was only one of several great mediators between Creator and created— not the one and only. Jesus’s uniqueness I’d sacrifice.
-My own life? I would risk my life for my closest family, undergo organ donation surgery, for example. But I wouldn’t jump out in front of an oncoming bus, just to prove my love. I’m not suicidal. Nor am I the martyr type.
-Prayer?—not saying prayers but being prayer. I found this connection in early childhood through a book and my mother’s story. It’s probably not unique to me, nor is it magical, mystical, or particularly religious. It is my fuel—ongoing, intimate, introverted, conversational, inaudible, some of it 911 stuff but mostly more like daily “bread”.
What if I were unconscious, demented, a “vegetable” as they say? Then God would pray.
What if 911 doesn’t answer? If I don’t get the outcomes I pray for, you mean? That’s the case, more often than not, and that’s not the point of prayer. I’d cry and rage to God, anyway, but not put God on trial. I’m spiritual, not irrational; nor am I God.
Occasionally, this listening presence of a deity pipes up with some startlingly new idea, like, what the hell are you doing? I listen.
So no, I wouldn’t sacrifice prayer for the sake of a better world. Not because it “works,” nor because it’s spiritually powerful, nor because it’s what the Church does, nor even because I’m so good, or so bad. Prayer is not something I could give up, because it’s not mine alone to give.
