Spiritual Journey First Thursday
OLW – One Little Word for 2019
So far I’m all over the place. I can’t choose. Darn it… why are there so many words out
there? Who could possibly choose? Maybe my word should be “focus.” But… no…
So, I think I’m going to choose the word “alphabet.” No, I’m not trying to be funny. “Alphabet”
gives me a wide range of options, that is true… but there are other
reasons. I’m listening. I’m trying to discern.
And several writings about the word “alphabet” have spoken to me. So I will
share them, and stick with the word “alphabet” for the year. We shall see.
Frederick Buechner is one of my favorite authors. He sees deeply into theological matters, and
writes beautifully. Here is his quote titled: Alphabet of Grace.
Alphabet of Grace
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LIFE ITSELF CAN BE
thought of as an alphabet by which God graciously makes known his presence
and purpose and power among us. Like the Hebrew alphabet, the alphabet of
grace has no vowels, and in that sense his words to us are always veiled, subtle,
cryptic, so that it is left to us to delve their meaning, to fill in the
vowels, for ourselves by means of all the faith and imagination we can
muster. God speaks to us in such a way, presumably, not because he chooses to
be obscure but because, unlike a dictionary word whose meaning is fixed, the
meaning of an incarnate word is the meaning it has for the one it is spoken
to, the meaning that becomes clear and effective in our lives only when we
ferret it out for ourselves.
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Reading Buechner is a blessing to me. I recommend his works.
You can find them at:
Another story, perhaps you know it, speaks to “alphabet:”
There is a story told about a Jewish
farmer who,
through carelessness, did not get
home before sunset
one Sabbath, and was forced to spend
the day in the
field, waiting for sunset the next
day before being able
to return home.
Upon his return home he was met by a
rather
perturbed rabbi who chided him for
his carelessness.
Finally the rabbi asked him: “What
did you do out
there all day in the field? Did you at least pray?”
The farmer answered: “Rabbi, I am
not a clever
man.
I don’t know how to pray properly.
What I did
was simply recite the alphabet all
day and let God
form the words for Himself.”
When we come to celebrate we bring
the alphabet
of our lives. If our hearts and minds are full of
warmth, love, enthusiasm, song and
dance, then these
are the letters we bring. If they are full of tiredness,
despair, blandness, pain and
boredom, then those are
our letters. Bring them.
Celebrate them.
It is God’s task to make the words!
Ronald Rolheiser
With these two ideas in mind, I am listening for God’s
direction, realizing that I have to find my own meaning, allowing God to choose
some words for me as I go forward.
I wish peace and joy to all of you in 2019. May the year
ahead of one of excellent words!
Blessings,
Karen
