Touch and be touched to experience healing

There is tremendous power in a touch, many people will attest to that, hence the ritual of hand-shaking and the significance of body massage. The Eastern rituals of bowing or clasped hands in greeting are a spiritual form of the hand-shake, conveying connection between two people.

In the Epistle Reading for this Sunday – The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost – Paul urges the Corinthian believers to be intentional “not only to do something but even to desire to do something...now finish doing it” (2 Corinthians 8:1-15). In other words, match desire with action.

Paul was encouraging the Corinthians to make a physical – monetary – contribution to help the poor church in Jerusalem. The significance of this contribution was not the money, but the resultant spiritual  connection between the Gentile Christians and their Jewish brethren in Jerusalem.

There is an equally powerful demonstration of the significance of a touch in the Gospel Reading  from Mark 5:21-43.  By touching Jesus' garment, the woman suffering from unending hemorrhages found healing. Similarly, Jesus touched the dead synagogue leader's daughter by the hand and she came to life.

Think of the joy (a sign of healing) on the faces of those in a nursing home or hospital when they are visited and touched. The healing is on both the visitor and the visited; in fact many who do such visits believe they get healed even more than those they visit.

Be intentional about touching someone and being touched this week-end.

Don't second guess yourself

This appears as number five on Brad's listof 10 Commandments of Happiness, but the order is only arbitrary. Here too, I will give an illustration.

Recently, a friend recounted his experience when he stood in front of people and told of his own story of transformation. He is a young man rebuilding his life after years of addiction. In the process of recovery he has achieved some milestones, even in the eyes of those who know him.

He trained for and participated in this year's Flying Pig Marathon, something he would not have been able to accomplish before the recovery process. He has reconnected and now has relationship with his daughter. Furthermore, he is already taking steps to go back to school and finish his education.

Standing in front of people to tell this story was almost scary to him, but he managed to do it and he was quite happy afterwards.

Ironically, after ballet classes, his six year old daughter performed, for the first time, in front of 200 people. This was the same week he gave his testimony. She told him that she was a little afraid, but not scared.

Children don't second guess themselves and they are happier. We sometimes allow the past to haunt us.. We allow other people – and society in general -  to impose limits on our abilities. None is these will bring one happiness.

Place Importance on the Things that Matter

We live in a society and a culture of materialism and consumerism which value possessions and more possessions. There is therefore a cycle of wanting more and more resulting in dissatisfaction. Appreciating what one has, rather than lusting for what one does not have, is an essential element of what is truly important and what matters.

Here is an illustration.

There was a church group that visited a partner church in the Lake Victoria region of Tanzania. Even by Tanzanian standards, the area is poor. There is no running water – women and children walk a mile or more to water wells. They use firewood to cook on the floor. Most people walk barefoot, a few have shoes for church on Sunday!

The two represented two different worlds.

During the visitors two week stay, what struck them most was not their hosts' poverty but the happiness and joy that filled them. Everywhere they went and every activity they shared, there was just joy and happiness. It was the opposite of what one would expect, given their material condition.

They were puzzled because there was no explanation for the mood.

At the end of their visit, the group's first stop on their way home was Amsterdam. As soon as they landed, the feeling of joy and happiness they carried evaporated; they were filled with sadness. They wanted to go back to the people of the Lake Victoria region.

What are your comments or suggestions? May be you have had a similar experience – or different! You are welcome to share them here.

Next on our list's discussion will be: Don't Second Guess Yourself.

Ten Commandments of Happiness

In his blog InspiredConsciousLiving, Brad lists 10 Commandments of Happiness. Perhaps there are not many people who agree with the German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) that happiness “is not an ideal of reason but of imagination”. Certainly, it is not imagination!

Richard Whately (1787-1863) Archbishop of Dublin, noted that happiness “is no laughing matter”. Even more famously, Thomas Jefferson penned down that happiness is an inalienable right – it's pursuit, that is. There is a movie too, of that title, The Pursuit of Happyness.

Happiness is the goal of life – not pleasure as the English poet, dramatist and critic John Dryden (1631-1700) correctly remarked that “all the happiness mankind can gain is not in pleasure, but in rest from pain”. Ironically, Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918) would later ask: “Doesn't happiness issue from pain?”

What we see here – and when you take a deep breath and think about it - is that happiness is indeed an ideal, but it is also elusive. In the course of pursuing happiness, what is found is often misery. There are numerous examples from relationships, occupations and careers, and lifestyles.

It is worthwhile looking at Brad's 10 Commandments of Happiness and the first one we'll examine is: Place Importance on the Things that Matter – number 2 on his list.

Please join in, comment or make suggestions.

Sometimes transformation and legacy can only be understood in retrospect

During a bible study session, the words in the Collect for The Fourth Sunday After Pentecost prompted some reflection. “...for You never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of Your loving-kindness ...” The puzzle is: How does this prayer reflect on the Jews and the holocaust?

Actually this invites reflection on the entire history of the Jewish people – a history punctuated with suffering and persecution throughout the centuries.

What kind of transformation and what kind of legacy can be seen in this experience? I suggest a look at the whole Judeo-Christian tradition, and by extension, western civilization. Ironically they are the very source and instrument of Jewish persecution and suffering.

Is Judeo-Christian culture or western civilization superior?

Not at all; lest we succumb to the temptation of labels of “us” against “them”.

However, there is a lot of good in Judeo-Christian heritage and western civilization which is a source of pride for some and even envy by others. This explains why the late Pope John Paul II was so dismayed that the European Union constitution did not explicitly acknowledge Europe's Christian heritage. It would similarly explain some politicians' misguided desire to forcibly impose those values on others.

In this reflection, Paul's words in the Epistle Reading for this Sunday, elucidate on how this legacy is forged ahead: “We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited....in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distress; in beatings, imprisonments and riots, in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness...” (2 Corinthians 6:3-13).

That, to me, is the process of transformation and the legacy of centuries of suffering: It can only be understood in hindsight.

                              Centuries of prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem

Through it all

The story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 – this coming Sunday's First Reading – is without doubt one of the most familiar – and famous – of all the biblical stories. It is immortalized in art, music and inspirational tales because of its audacity – whether you look at it from David's or Goliath's or third party perspective.

There is no match whatsoever, between the giant, heavily armored Goliath and the boyish, handsome David.

Yet, that is the real-life picture for everyone of us. There is a Goliath, or many of them, that must be faced every day or at some point in life. They come in the form of debilitating health problems or terminal diseases, if not in one's life, in a relative, family member, friend or loved one. They come in the form of financial, business or career threats or even ruin; and in relationships too. The list is endless.

The reason this story has been immortalized is because Goliath is not all that formidable. Yes, those Goliaths we face in life can be vanquished and we need to be anchored in that affirmation.

In the Second Reading from 2 Corinthians 6:1-13, Paul looks back at some Goliaths encountered and subdued: hunger, persecution, jail, scorn, ridicule and rejection, and, again, the list goes on. Many can identify with this, even at this time.

storms in real life

Another way of looking at all this is the calming of the storm in the Gospel Reading from Mark 4:35-41. Life tosses us face to face with Goliaths and storms. Life also promises a sure foundation to conquer them. Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “If there is a wall there is a door”. And Andrae Crouch wrote, “Through it all, I learned to trust God”.

What exactly is Transformation?

A new book published by Transformation Books, and titled Pebbles in the Pond - 46 real-life stories compiled by Christine Kloser - gives the best answer and illustration of how challenges, struggles and disappointments can be transformational not only to the individual but also the world.

 The title is a vivid picture of what happens when a pebbles falls – or is dropped – into a water pond. A ring forms where the pebble falls then it widens and spreads out in ripples - ring after ring after another, each wider than the previous.

Transformation is about being affected positively and for better from any life experience. What Christine Kloser has done in this book is to compile real life-changing stories from 46 contributors, among them, best selling authors and simply visionaries who faced and even embraced some very big challenges and moments of trial and uncertainty in their lives.

As a result, they discovered their calling in life, a discovery they would not have found without the life experience that initially scared them.

They are telling their stories in this book because of the even larger purpose of transformation. When one life is transformed, it can affect transformation of another life. That is the ripple effect of that one pebble.

Every single story in this book is inspiring and uplifting. The diversity of the contributors and the range of their experiences make Pebbles in the Pond a must-read for anyone seeking to grasp the true meaning of life experiences.

"First woman", "first American woman", "first Chinese woman"

The first time it was simply a woman, without qualification by nationality. In order to retain the distinction of "a first" all subsequent achievements would have to be on the basis of nationality or something equally qualifying. Hence, "first American", "first Chinese", "first Japanese", "first German", and so on.

Here, it is space; and the milestone is almost 20 years to the date: The first time a woman went into space was June 16, 1963 – a Russian named Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova. Almost 20 years later to the day, on June 18, 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. 29 years later, Liu Yang, on June 16, 2012 became the first Chinese woman in space.

One needs only look back over these almost 50 years to appreciate the transformational process. Today, space travel seems almost routine. Indeed, it is fast moving into private commercial enterprise. Fifty years ago, it was still in the dream stage.

That "first woman", the pioneer, had a passion for sky-diving. It is that desire we all have, to do something – gardening, photography, hiking, cooking, reading, writing, and so forth. In her passion for sky-diving, Valentina Tereshkova could not have foreseen or even imagined what space travel is today.

This is precisely what transformation is all about. If only we could grasp the larger picture that emerges from our small, and sometimes routine, daily experiences. Look beyond this lifetime, beyond the tombstone.
Does it matter? That is the ultimate meaning of this life.

A small gesture, but enormous consequences

It was a gesture of conciliation, albeit a small one, but with enormous consequences, when South African president Pieter W. Botha chose to meet with Desmond Tutu on June 13, 1986. Attempts to quell ongoing social unrest by force were unsuccessful and so too were attempts at nominal reforms.

What prospects did a small gesture of conciliation hold? Only in hindsight, for at the time it was deemed to have failed.

Jesus, in this Sunday's Gospel Reading from Mark 4:26-34 tells a parable about a mustard seed, “which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade”.

In hindsight, indeed, that meeting was a mustard seed. Gradually apartheid was dismantled, South Africa became independent and the tremendous work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, chaired by Archbishop Tutu, facilitated healing of the bitterness and hatred of so many decades.

Everyone can be or grow that mustard seed in one's respective community. That is all we are called to be and do.

                                  Small acts of compassion
                                     Picture by Author

Without goodwill, coexistence becomes difficult

When on June 13, 1986 President P. W. Botha of South Africa decided to meet with Desmond Tutu, it was considered only a gesture – actually, a conciliatory one. After all, Desmond Tutu was only dean of St. Mary's Cathedral in Johannesburg. Botha had enormous material resources in addition to a military force.

Injustice was what brought the two men together. Apartheid had been in full force for the past 38 years, protests and civil unrest were common around the country. Leaders of the oppressed – like Nelson Mandela - had been incarcerated in the 1960s. Those who followed on their footsteps in the 1970's – like Steve Biko – had been murdered by the police.

Bogus political reforms – like a new constitution in 1984 – did not address the underlying issues of injustice. Peace, social and economic progress became more and more illusive.

Botha and his government found themselves diverting all their national resources towards efforts to contain the social unrest. But they got no rest. It would take more than military might to achieve peace and co-existence.

Three elements of rejection of divine purpose

This far we have examined three areas of resistance to God. First there is resistance to God's rule, good as it is, in favor of conformity to everybody else. Second, God's care – with manna, heavenly food, is rejected, in preference to toil and slavery. Third, fear and doubt prevail over God's promises.

The spies – the explorers – and the people's reaction to their report in Numbers 13 and 14 provide the best illustration of the third element. In the presence of the whole assembly, the explorers brought back their report: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its proof” (13:27).

Excellent report and with proof of its goodness! It sounds very positive. So what is the problem?

The little conjunction that follows, “but”, is the problem. It reverses what is positive into a negative. They saw giants. Not only that, but they felt like grasshoppers and believed that the giants saw them as such!

Everything positive and God's promise evaporated because of fear. Next, we will see how all these elements adversely affect transformation.

A look at the typical human side: Part 2

The question was raised regarding the perplexing desire for humans to reject God's plans. In the Gospel Reading for the Second Sunday in Pentecost, Jesus' ministry of healing was ridiculed. “By the ruler of the demons he casts out demons” (Mark 3:22). In spite of the good deeds that followed his ministry, there was still suspicion.

Consider what happened in Numbers 14. “Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?...We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt”. This is a good example of desiring to reverse God's plans.

It is to be noted that this desire to reverse divine plan came after doubts were raised by the spies sent to explore the promised land – God's gift to the people. The name of the Torah portion – Shelah – is God's command to Moses in Numbers 13:2 “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan which I am giving to the Israelites”.

There was a promise and certainty - “I am giving (the land) to the Israelites”. All that the explorers – or spies – and the people were being asked to do was to walk into the promise. Could that be the real problem with the human side of things?

There is still more to follow.

A look at the typical human side

The First Reading for this Second Sunday after Pentecost bears interesting parallels with the Torah Reading for Shelah (Numbers 13:1-15:41) and even last week',s portion, Be'ha'alot'cha (Numbers 8:1-13:16). In the lectionary reading from 1 Samuel 8 the Israelites desire a king – like the other nations.

It sounds rather surprising that they would choose a human king rather than God. Despite warnings about the nature of human kings, the Israelites persisted in their demand. "No!", they insisted, "we are determined to have a king over us, so that we also may be like the other nations..."

Kings are prone to do injustice, draft their citizens into armed forces and conflicts, trample on the weak and simply look at their own interests. Strangely enough, people would prefer this situation.

The P'rashot above also show what we may refer to as the typical human side.

How can we explain the people's complaint in Numbers 11:5 that "we remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost – also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic"? Surely, the cost was slavery, of which they were now saying, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?"

How can these contradictions be explained?

Follow the next post.

What is nobody did anything?

What would have happened had Mahatma Gandhi not refused to comply with the racial rule that resulted in his being thrown out of the train in Pietermaritzburg that June 7, 1893? It is erroneous to think nothing would have happened.

It is true that apartheid did take root and flourish in South Africa beyond Gandhi's lifetime. And certainly, racism still flourishes around the globe. Nevertheless, that one act of conscience transformed Mohandas Gandhi – who later became known as Mahatma, meaning “the great soul” - and by his transformation, the world was also transformed.

Indeed, Gandhi saw that experience on that train as a moment of truth for him. That moment of truth spread throughout the world, and still spreads. Even where racism and prejudice still exists today, they are seen as cowardice, shame and ignorance.

Gandhi's moment of reckoning spread beyond South Africa into India and became a transformative force in the civil rights movement in the United States. Who would have thought one man's simple act of response to injustice would have such momentous consequences?

But think of what would have happened had he done nothing. As Edmund Burke once said, “All that is required for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing”.

By choice it becomes or does not become an "aha" moment

The story in Isaiah 6:1-13 – The First Lesson on Trinity Sunday – calls for an exclamation of "wow!". Sitting in the temple in Jerusalem, Isaiah has a vivid experience of the Lord seated on a throne, surrounded by seraphim - the heavenly hosts. It is an overwhelming experience.

Do we ever get experiences like that?

There is an even more detailed similar experience in Ezekiel 1:4- 2:1. Imagine Ezekiel's exclamation of "wow! Wow!"

Isaiah's reaction to his experience was a feeling of unworthiness. "Woe to me for I am sinful!". Ezekiel's was one of complete awe. He fell face down. The other great prophet, Jeremiah, saw his "inadequacies" against the revelation. "Ah, Sovereign Lord. I do not know how to speak; I am only a child" (Jer 1:6).

Even when curiosity leads to revelation, for example, Moses' curiosity and resolve, "I will go over and see this strange sight – why the bush does not burn up" (Ex. 3:3) when the deeper meaning came to him, he resisted it. "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" (Ex. 3:11).

There is still another reaction – refusal to acknowledge – for example Jonah's decision to go directly opposite of where he was being led.

Every experience in life, every happening is a pathway to a revelation of the greater purpose in life. Do you accept and embrace them or do you resist, reject or even defy them?

Everyone has a story to tell

Life consists of stories: happenings, experiences, episodes and the like. Can you think of life without them? It would be bland, boring, "uneventful" with nothing to learn or teach.

We are also uncomfortable with "drama" in life or "soap opera"; nobody likes them and certainly no one welcomes tragedy. Nevertheless, they are all elements of life and living. Many great things have come out of tragedy and we have all been inspired by some families or individuals who have known a good deal of tragedy.

I look at my own life: Ministry in a rural parish on the slopes of Kilimanjaro, seminary years – as a novice and also a professor – and a one time student in an Opus Dei college in Nairobi; in Jerusalem and Jewish-Christian relations, and on and on. These are integral parts of my life.

They have transformed me and continue to influence me even as life and more experiences and events continue. These stories are not just for us. They are part of our collective human experience and transformation.
As I share my life story in these pages, I am experiencing transformation. My hope is that you do too.

Transformation reveals the larger picture

One way of looking at the lessons for Trinity Sunday (June 3) is through the lens of transformation. Transformation is not an end in itself, but a means, or a process, to greater things, whose achievement require the process.

While in the temple, the prophet Isaiah witnesses the heavenly court of the Lord with cherubim and seraphim’s, or angelic attendants (Isa. 6:1 -8). This is a picture beyond the physical experience, it is what some describe as transcendental.

The picture we see of the physical world is only a part of the whole. It is only when we remove ourselves from the sometimes overwhelming daily activities around us that we are able to see the larger, complete picture.

In the Gospel Reading – John 3:1 -17 – Jesus talks to Nicodemus about transformation, or what Christians refer to as conversion. It is all about seeing things – the world – beyond the physical experience.

Look at the things going on in your community. In Cincinnati, it is renovation of downtown, the construction of a casino, preparations for the World Choir Games. And yes, there is feeding of the poor and hungry. All of these are very good things.

But that is not a complete picture. Through transformation, which is beyond the physical, we can see where the whole picture is and how to get there.