Daily Compass

Inspiration:

 

 

How does if feel different to pursue justice for yourself than for another?

Do Justice

People were asking Micah questions about rules and regulations. Their questions were very specific. They were asking, “What do I need to do to get right with my God? What do I need to do in order to lead a meaningful life?” But they were asking in the language of their day: “How many more rams do I have to sacrifice?” Sacrificing in those days was an important part of religious ritual. They wanted to know, “What do we need to do to be in right relationship; what are the rules and regulations of this religion you are asking us to follow?”

Micah responds by saying something that might sound like this today: “Well, I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is, what’s required of you, what life expects out of you, is not nearly as legalistic as you think. It’s not nearly as legalistic as you’ve been used to,” he tells them. “It’s not an issue of how many rams you sacrifice or how many prayers you say. That’s the good news. The bad news is, religion is no longer a private affair. It’s not so pietistic any more. What’s expected of you is to relate to other people. And while that may sound easy, it’s a lot harder than dotting every ‘I’ and crossing every ‘T.’ Your religion is no longer private. You are expected to be public. You are expected to be with other people.” He continues by describing what he means by this and the first thing he says is that they are expected to do justice.

The word for justice in ancient Hebrew is “mishpat.” You lose a lot in the translation. When Micah told the people to “do justice,” they knew exactly what he meant. You see, there are two words that are used in the Hebrew Scriptures for justice. One of them, tzedakah, means “righteousness.” This is almost a state of being in justice. The other, mishpat, means, “to do justice.” It’s active. Everybody listening to Micah understood that.

BY FREDRIC J. MUIR, MINISTER, THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND TO READ MORE

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Inspiration:

 

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

Occupy Religion

If it weren’t for the fact that I am one of the Protest Chaplains I’d have given up on participating in OccupyBoston. More and more in my life I am wanting spiritual grounding to my actions. I don’t want to protest any longer for the sake of protesting, and I don’t want to walk the streets with a sign just to say I was there. I don’t like the idea of getting arrested without a really solid moral backing and I am uncertain about how I feel about chanting slogans like, “Feed the poor, eat the rich!”

I am there because I have to be; because my beliefs instruct me on calling for democracy, equity, dignity, world community, and peace. I’m there because I want to live out democracy, yes, but I also want to live out my faith. I want to be there to hold hands and pray AND to march in the streets for effective and meaningful social change; but I no longer want to do one without the other.

by Andrew Coate TO READ MORE

Inspiration:

 

Notice what is changing around you as spring unfolds.

Spring

How deep our sleep last night in the mountain’s heart, beneath the trees and stars, hushed by solemn-sounding waterfalls and many small soothing voices in sweet accord whispering peace!

And our first pure mountain day, warm, calm, cloudless—how immeasurable it seems, how serenely wild! I can scarcely remember its beginning.  Along the river, over the hills, in the ground, in the sky, spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm, new life, new beauty, unfolding, unrolling in glorious exuberant extravagance—new birds in their nests, new winged creatures in the air, and new leaves, new flowers, spreading, shining, rejoicing everywhere.

by John Muir (1838-1914), American naturalist

 TO READ MORE

Inspiration:

 

Water, ice, and steam are totally different things – other than the fact that they are identical.

Life Unfolding: Transformation

Just as a tree takes on different shapes and sizes throughout its lifespan, from seed to sapling, to sturdy oak, so do we as human beings. We are constantly emerging, growing, and changing shape. For many of us, this includes assuming new roles or taking on new responsibilities. Ideally, I suppose these roles would all converge into one and we would be integrated and whole beings. But that is so difficult sometimes!

Often, our roles conflict with one another, or cause tension in our lives or relationships. But even in those moments, there is a potential for growth and unfolding; there is a chance for transformation. We unfold across our lifespan, and grow more into who we are. In those instances, there is also a possibility of transformation for others’ ideas about us and the many roles we hold. The potential for transformation, for learning, and for understanding lies within us and around us. Perhaps the key to such a discovery or development lies in our ability to live the journey and be open to all of the things (good and bad) that we might realize about ourselves. And perhaps the most effective thing we can do is not strive to become someone or something else, or to change who we are, but to let our lives unfold to exhibit the transformation that has taken place.

by Margaret Weis, Ministerial Intern, First Parish of Watertown, Unitarian Universalist. TO READ MORE

Inspiration:

 

Abba Lot came to Abba Joseph and said: Father, according as I am able, I keep my little rule, and my little fast, my prayer, meditation and contemplative silence; and, according as I am able, I strive to cleanse my heart of thoughts: now what more should I do? The elder rose up in reply and stretched out his hands to heaven, and his fingers became like ten lamps of fire. He said: Why not be changed into fire?

―From The Desert Fathers

Born Again… and Again… and Again

Abbot Joseph is putting the young monk on notice: the religious life, he’s saying, isn’t finally about rituals and prayers and piety, it’s about transformation of ourselves and our world. It’s about your soul catching on fire and burning bright. It’s about giving your life over to the good. Abbot Joseph is trying to say the same thing that C.S. Lewis said about religion. Religion, he said, isn’t about making people nice. That’s just a byproduct of religion. But religion isn’t about making people nice, it’s about making people new. Not nice people, but new people. Born again…and again…and again.

The Greeks had a word for this kind of transformation. They called it metanoia, which means, “to be given a new heart.” To have someone reach in and grab hold of the old one, pull it out and put in a new heart. Not because the old heart was corrupt. Maybe it was just too tired, or had been broken and patched too many times. Maybe we just needed to trade it in for a larger model. To be given a new heart….

But while we can wish, we can’t will or force the kind of transformation I speak of. We can only prepare ourselves. We can only remove barriers to its fulfillment. If being born again is indeed akin to a new heart, then what we can do is try to make sure that our bodies and our souls won’t reject the transplant. To make sure that our usual defenses are removed. So that when transformation comes, we will know it for what it is, and welcome it.

by Robert Hardies, Senior Minister, All Souls Church, Unitarian, Washington, D.C. TO READ MORE