THE CHARTER FOR COMPASSION

The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.

We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.

We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.

THE CHARTER FOR COMPASSION

Watch the video!

Charter for Compassion

Charter for Compassion will be unveiled tomorrow!

CHARTER FOR COMPASSION TRAILER from TED Prize on Vimeo.

Dualistic Cartoon!

Richard Rohr writes in The Naked Now:

"With dualistic minds it is always one or the other--it can never be both. The result is that we still think of ourselves as mere humans trying desperately to become 'spiritual,' when the Christian revelation was precisely that you are already spiritual ('in God'), and your difficult but necessary task is to learn how to become human. Jesus came to model the full integration for us and, in effect, told us that Divinity looked just like him--while he looked ordinarily human to everybody!

"It is in our humanity that we are still so wounded, so needy, so unloving, so self-hating, and so in need of enlightenment. We seem to have spawned centuries of people trying to be spiritual and religious, whereas our record on basic humanness is rather pitiful." (69)

Rohr, Richard. The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See. NY: Crossroad Publishing, 2009.

By Bob Seal

The troubled mind cannot decide between "good/bad" or "right/wrong." That's how we automatically think in dualistic terms. It is much harder to observe non-judgmentally, as the dog is thinking in the cartoon.

READ this poem aloud! Beautiful!

The Messenger
by Mary Oliver

My work is loving the world.

Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird—

equal seekers of sweetness.

Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.

Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.

Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?

Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me

keep my mind on what matters,

which is my work,

which is mostly standing still and learning to be

astonished.

The phoebe, the delphinium.

The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture.

Which is mostly rejoicing, since all the ingredients are here,

which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart

and these body-clothes,

a mouth with which to give shouts of joy

to the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug-up clam,

telling them all, over and over how it is

that we live forever.

Oliver, Mary. Thirst. Boston: Beacon Press, 2006.1.

Marine Corps Birthday

During the American Revolution, many important political discussions took place in the inns and taverns of Philadelphia, including the founding of the Marine Corps.

A committee of the Continental Congress met at Tun Tavern to draft a resolution calling for two battalions of Marines able to fight for independence at sea and on shore.

The resolution was approved on November 10, 1775, officially forming the Continental Marines.

As the first order of business, Samuel Nicholas became Commandant of the newly formed Marines. Tun Tavern’s owner and popular patriot, Robert Mullan, became his first captain and recruiter. They began gathering support and were ready for action by early 1776.

Each year, the Marine Corps marks November 10th with a celebration of the brave spirit which compelled these men and thousands since to defend our country as United States Marines.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I always think of the Marine Corps birthday, because I grew up on Marine (and Navy) Bases until I was in 10th grade in high school. My parents would always go to the Marine Corps Birthday Ball, dressed very elegantly.

Hungersite donations

30.1 million cups of food were donated in the first six months of 2009 by individuals clicking on that site every day.

I remember because I signed up on that site to be reminded. Every day I receive an email with a link, which causes me to click. It only takes seconds, and it actually helps.

Consequences of Gay Marriage

Serenity Prayer

Gift of Today!

Brother David Steindl-Rast tells us about the gift of today:

Z end of gratitude of ABC's!

Zambia

I will always be grateful that I spent one month in Zambia in 2006 on a trip sponsored by Oblate School of Theology. In the group of five (four Roman Catholic religious) I was in the minority for being a layperson, a wife and mother, and a Protestant. Otherwise, in Zambia I felt in a minority for being a healthy older person, being white and from America. It was good for me to experience that, as well as to meet the wonderful people of Zambia, especially in the outreaches beyond Lukulu where I saw extreme poverty and much evidence of HIV/AIDS. My heart belongs to the Zambian people and the missionaries there.

zoo

I am expecially grateful for the Seattle Woodland Park Zoo, which has continued to expand its grounds into natural habitats for the animals. As my children grew up, we went there every summer. This past August, we went again!

DC and wife AA with MJ and X-boy friend CS

zippity-do-da

Zippity-do-da, I'm done with the alphabet!

Gratefulness.org

Yes!

As this is posted, I'll be in San Antonio for one of those mystics courses--this time Ronald Rolheiser talking about Therese of Lisieux. That's worth leaving here at 6 am to get to San Antonio in time for the talk's beginning.

So with the gratitude list almost finished, signaled by few comments, I am glad.

Yes

Hearing someone say "yes" or answering that is a positive action to be grateful for. Each breath we take is a "yes" to life and a gift from God.

You

"You" was once my centering prayer holy word. Now that I am sitting in Christ-centered prayer, I no longer use a centering word. However, I am always looking to the Divine You.

yesterday

I am especially grateful for yesterday, which was MJ's 20th birthday.

Meeting you is always a joy.

Pictures from MJ's Birthday

Birthday Girl

On Thursday, Nov. 5 I drove to San Antonio, arriving after MJ's last class at 3:30. We then went shopping and big brother DC joined us. Following the successful trip to DSW, with the purchase of suede low boots and ridiculously high and beautiful pink heels for MJ, we went to dinner at La Fonda, where we ate outside. We learned that La Fonda is owned by Cappy, where we ate for my birthday!

MJ and Jan

MJ, DC, and Jan

All the pictures were taken at La Fonda, the last one by the bartender.

X is almost the end of gratitudes

Although I know gratitude is the way to live and pray, I feel empty at X. Mompriest had little to say about it either.

I am praying "Bless ___________, change me" for someone who seemed dear to our family, but decided not to be. I need to pray this so God will defuse my desire to "X" him from our lives.

Happy Birthday, MJ!!

Today is MJ's birthday. I am baking her a German chocolate cake and then taking it to her in San Antonio. Hopefully our cat Gracie will avoid the cake making process!

MJ is 20 years old today. What a beautiful young woman she is!

Don't hate

Thanks to Ellie.

Who is grateful?

wishing, wishes

I grew up with my mother telling me that old aphorism: "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride." It never made much sense to me, but I like remembering it now because of its truth and the connection with my mother and probably her mother (my Nana).

Trying to live in the present moment eliminates wishes and/or expectations, but it is hard to remain there. I wish all my children to feel happy, but that is not always possible. I love them and pray for them.

water

I am grateful for water, especially the plentiful and clean water here in the USA.

I believe this is something that should be guaranteed for each person on earth and it is not. There is an NGO that works for this: WaterAid.

waffles

I am grateful for waffles and the memories of making them for my family, especially the few times we had them for dinner! Most of my children as they grew up requested waffles with strawberries and whipped cream for their birthday breakfasts.

I discovered a recipe that makes very crispy waffles while we lived in Rhode Island in 1991-1992. It has yeast in it and must be made the night before:

1. The night before, combine:

• 1/2 cup warm water
  
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 tsp. sugar

Let stand 5 minutes for the yeast to dissolve.

2. Add:

• 2 cups lukewarm milk
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups unbleached flour

Stir until completely smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit overnight at room temperature.

3. The next morning heat a waffle iron according to its instructions.
Beat together:

• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• pinch of baking soda

Add to the batter, stirring until well mixed.

Pour enough of the batter onto the hot waffle iron to cover it and cook until crisp and golden. Serve the waffles hot with favorite toppings.

(makes 6 large waffles)

Sarah Leah Chase. Cold-Weather Cooking. NY: Workman Publishing, 1990. 223-224.

A new creed

Today in our EFM class, a member shared her recently re-written creed. It is so beautiful and true that I'd like to make it my own. She said we could share it with others:

Mary Carpenter's Trinitarian Creed

The Love who gathers the cosmos into her bosom
and sends it spewing forth in chaotic rhythms--
This is our Creator.

The one in the garden, recognized by Mary Magdalene as rabouni;
He is the violin strings connecting each of our hearts to one another.
He is singing to us songs of our laughter and weeping tears of our laments.
He is our Redeemer. Through Him we are reclaiming our perfect pitch.

The Whispering of the Wind, continuously breathing each of our names,
is tugging our heart strings to bring forth their sacred melodies.
This is the eternal Holy Spirit.

We are knowing each note.
We are plucking the tune.
We are a Masterpiece; unfinished, yet fully played.

~~Mary Carpenter
November 2009

Very thankful

visits

I am grateful for visits and visitors. Not many people come way down to south TX to visit, except for my children, who are my very favorite guests.

vases

I have various vases that I really like, most of which were given to me by family. My mother gave me Ken Edwards' pottery long ago, which I love.

videos

I must appreciate videos that can be downloaded onto blogs, because I have 69 under that label!

vegetables

I am grateful for the fresh vegetables we can buy in stores now. I would be even more grateful if I lived somewhere like California and Washington State where there are Saturday markets that sell vegetables and fruits.

The Masai Creed

In our EFM class (third year), our leaders gave us copies of Jaroslav Pelikan's address given on December 5, 2003 and entitled "The Will to Believe and the Need for Creed." It is a long article but is well worth the time it takes to read.

In this piece is The Masai Creed which was composed in 1960 by the Maasai people of East Africa in collaboration with missionaries from the Congregation of the Holy Ghost. The creed attempts to express the essentials of the Christian faith within the Maasai culture.

We believe in the one High God, who out of love created the beautiful world and everything good in it. He created Man and wanted Man to be happy in the world. God loves the world and every nation and tribe on the Earth. We have known this High God in darkness, and now we know Him in the light. God promised in the book of His word, the Bible, that He would save the world and all the nations and tribes.

We believe that God made good His promise by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, a man in the flesh, a Jew by tribe, born poor in a little village, who left His home and was always on safari doing good, curing people by the power of God, teaching about God and man, showing the meaning of religion is love. He was rejected by his people, tortured and nailed hands and feet to a cross, and died. He lay buried in the grave, but the hyenas did not touch him, and on the third day, He rose from the grave. He ascended to the skies. He is the Lord.

We believe that all our sins are forgiven through Him. All who have faith in Him must be sorry for their sins, be baptised in the Holy Spirit of God, live the rules of love and share the bread together in love, to announce the Good News to others until Jesus comes again. We are waiting for Him. He is alive. He lives. This we believe. Amen.

Grateful for U!

umbrellas

Umbrellas are useful, especially in south TX for rainfall. I've seen people use them also to keep out of the sun, especially at the beach or at soccer games.

When our children were small and still nursing, I would sit under a big beach umbrella at the beach holding my baby while CB would play with the child (or children) in the sand or water. We used to go to the beach every Sunday, but that was before we started going to church in the 1990's.

upside down pizza

In non-stick skillet heat 1 tsp. oil (or spray with Pam).

Add:

16 oz. ground turkey

½ cup chopped onion

Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender and turkey is no longer pink.

Sprinkle mixture with 1 tbsp. flour and stir quickly to combine.

Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

Gradually stir in:

1 ½ cups tomato sauce (large can)

¼ cup chopped green bell pepper (optional; I don’t but you might want to)

½ tsp. basil

¼ tsp. oregano

½ tsp. garlic salt

some Tabasco sauce

and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and cook, stirring, frequently, for 1 minute.

Preheat oven to 425. Spray casserole dish with Pam and transfer turkey mixture to pan.

Sprinkle with 8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

In a small mixing bowl, using electric mixer, beat

2 eggs.

Add:

¾ cup flour

½ cup milk

½ tsp. salt

and continue beating until smooth.

Pour batter over turkey mixture and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake until loaf is puffed and golden, about 30 minutes.

Unity/ Un-

I am grateful for my understanding of the unity of all life in the One. Here is a quote (Yes, I should have put "quotes" under my Q gratitude!) by Bede Griffiths that describes this unity:

God "cannot be expressed, cannot properly be thought. It is present everywhere, in everything, yet it always escapes our grasp. It is the 'Ground' of all existence, that from which all things come, to which all things return, but which never appears. It is 'within' all things, 'above' all things, 'beyond' all things, but it cannot be identified with anything. Without it nothing could exist, without it nothing can be known, yet it is itself unknown. It is that by everything is known, yet which itself remains unknown. It is 'unseen but seeing, unheard but hearing, unperceived but perceiving, unknown but knowing.' "We speak of 'God' but this also is only a name for this inexpressible Mystery."

(quoted by author Russill Paul in the book Jesus in the Lotus: The Mystical Doorway Between Christianity and Yogic Spirituality on pages ix-x)