"Listening moves us closer, it helps us become more whole, more healthy, more holy. Not listening creates fragmentation, and fragmentation is the root of all suffering." Margaret Wheatley
There are very few places in our lives where we can be listened to deeply without judgement or interruption. Deep listening is about listening from the heart rather than the mind. Some church communities have initiated this practice of indigenous origin to facilitate dealing with difficult or contentious issues. Others have made it a regular spiritual practice where the silence provides a connection that is not felt when questions and words take over.
In my experience personally, and as a pastor, all too often I have seen a person speak up with a need to be seen and heard with their truth and dignity honored, only to be met with quick responses of how they can be "fixed". From a pastoral perspective, as well as a practical approach, what most people are seeking when they share their thoughts and reflections, is connection with their own inner most teacher. It is easy to overlook the healing power of deep listening.
Recently, I experienced a difficult end of employment closure meeting with my supervisor. When I left her office, I needed to debrief, to have a witness to my pain and hurt, someone to listen to me deeply as I began my process. Finding someone who was both available with uninterrupted time, in a private setting, and not distracted by the environment, her cell phone, or other distraction was the initial challenge. Secondly, I needed someone to hold the space with me, to listen deeply in an environment of rest and refuge for my emotional exhaustion. My partner was able to do this for me, but I also needed a colleague to hear me, and ironically, that was the most difficult listener to find.
It appears to me that we need to reclaim the healing power of silence and deep listening. The harder silence is to find, the more we seek it. It is a common human response to expressions of pain and suffering to want to offer an immediate antidote. Having no answer is the answer.
When someone is listening deeply, silently, and not thinking about what to say, you will know it. The profound holiness of such invisible sacred connection can be felt. The Wisdom of the Divine becomes the silent healer.
(submitted by Rev. Dalene Fuller Rogers and does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of other members of the Organ Mountain Institute for Spiritual Growth)
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
What's God Got to do With It?
"...One nation under God..." (from the Pledge of Allegiance) "In God We Trust" (printed on our paper currency) The words, "under God" were not added to the Pledge until 1954. The original, written by Francis Bellamy a self-described Christian socialist, did not include these words. "In God We Trust"
first appeared on our coins in 1864. During the height of the cold war, on July
11, 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed Public Law 140 making it
mandatory that all coinage and paper currency display the motto. There have been many failed attempts to remove the motto and to delete reference to God from the Pledge.
Addendum: In response to those who have asked for more references from the Christian model of love, peace and justice, Jesus Christ, I offer the following annotated references:
The gospels have a theme of Jesus reaching out to the marginalized in his society; the poor, women, Samaritans, children, prostitutes, lepers and tax collectors. He did not reject those who were of higher social status and who were comfortable economically, but he did make it clear that no one was exempt from the need to repent. This is highlighted in the passage where he invites the rich young ruler to sell all of his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor. The richest person in the world is the one who gives it away.
Mark 10:17-30
Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Luke 4: 18-19
Jesus also reinterprets the traditional meaning of the word "neighbor" to include anyone in need, especially social outcasts.
Luke 10: 25-37
In Matthew's gospel, it is clear that Jesus believes God will judge harshly those who have not helped the needy. "Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Matthew 25: 31-46
Although I have strong feelings about the separation of church and state, I'm putting those feelings aside to reflect on what it means to me to be a citizen of a nation that puts its trust in God, and calls for allegiance to it as a nation "under God".
Each one of us, who is not an atheist, has a unique and personal understanding of "God" that may be influenced by our religious affiliation. In my case, I identify as a Christian, ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. But, my personal relationship with "God" and understanding of God's will for our country cannot be separated from my life experiences that reshape and refresh my theology continually, for I believe God is still speaking.
The Judeo-Christian God I have met in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures would surely lament a government that did not include in its interpretation of "liberty and justice for all", helping the poor and correcting injustices that give unfair advantages to certain groups. A biblical "preferential option for the poor" does not reject the privileged, it simply serves to rectify a gross imbalance. Everyone is called to join in correcting the imbalance. No one is exempt or too hard-hearted to be converted, whether from money power like Zaccheus in the Christian gospels, or political power like Nicodemas, or religious power like Paul.
God's covenant with creation includes a special concern for the poor and the vulnerable. Listed below, are several scriptural foundations for this understanding:
Laws protecting "aliens", widows and orphans--
Exodus 22: 20-22
Leviticus 19:33-34
Deuteronomy 24: 17-18
Laws protecting debtors--
Exodus 22:24-26
Leviticus 25:23-28
Deuteronomy 23:20
Deuteronomy 24:6 and 10-13
Laws providing for the poor--
Deuteronomy 14:28-29
Deuteronomy 26:12-13
Judgment of nations--
Matthew 25: 31-46
Jesus mission to the poor/outcast--
Luke 4:16-21
Reaching out to the poor/vulnerable--
Luke 14:12-14
With just these few references in mind, a "nation under God in whom we trust", would surely have a democratic government that creates and supports a system wherein all people can directly and successfully help make decisions that affect them; where the most vulnerable--the poor and marginalized--are protected.
Relief to the afflicted is a response to the effects of abuse, neglect, and evil. Chronic need and emergencies require unrestrained response. Long-term dependency on relief measures may be avoided by addressing the underlying causes of poverty and institutionalized injustice, and by becoming co-creators of the realm of God on earth. God has promised to protect God's people, but God is relying on humanity, created in God's image and likeness, to partner in this transformation.
It's okay with me to identify the United States of America as a "nation under God" only when we actually behave like one; when being "under God" is more than a motto. Until then, we are still in need of redemption.
(submitted by Rev. Dalene Fuller Rogers whose views and opinions expressed here, do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of other members of the Organ Mt. Institute for Spiritual Growth)
The gospels have a theme of Jesus reaching out to the marginalized in his society; the poor, women, Samaritans, children, prostitutes, lepers and tax collectors. He did not reject those who were of higher social status and who were comfortable economically, but he did make it clear that no one was exempt from the need to repent. This is highlighted in the passage where he invites the rich young ruler to sell all of his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor. The richest person in the world is the one who gives it away.
Mark 10:17-30
Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Luke 4: 18-19
Jesus also reinterprets the traditional meaning of the word "neighbor" to include anyone in need, especially social outcasts.
Luke 10: 25-37
In Matthew's gospel, it is clear that Jesus believes God will judge harshly those who have not helped the needy. "Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Matthew 25: 31-46
Thursday, February 2, 2012
The Politics of Healthcare
The Susan B. Komen Foundation announced it will no longer support Planned Parenthood with grant money for breast cancer screening/mammograms for women without health insurance to cover these exams. Apparently, there has been political pressure on the Komen Foundation board to stop funding Planned Parenthood because of a misrepresentation by the conservative forces in American politics that wants us to believe that Planned Parenthood is all about abortions. Reality check from me...
In 1992, I returned to the U.S. after 2 years of parish ministry in Ontario, Canada, where my daughters and I were fortunate enough to receive medical services under the universal healthcare provisions of the province of Ontario. In Vermont, where I was under employed as a pastor, my two school-aged daughters received Vermont medicaid for children. I, however, had no health insurance, and no access to affordable healthcare coverage. So, I turned to Planned Parenthood of the Upper Valley for my health services. They were thorough, efficient, and accepted whatever I could pay. I never felt humiliated by Planned Parenthood due to my inability to pay fully for services, or because I had no insurance. However, when I had to take my daughters for healthcare services under the Medicaid plan, I was frequently treated rudely by healthcare providers, and I learned first hand what it is like to be a part of the American underclass. Since then, and I'm sure, before I utilized Planned Parenthood healthcare services, they have been demonized as abortionists. This is an example of how extreme political views get emphasized in the American media without substantiation, that may lead to a further reduction in access to needed healthcare services to under served, uninsured women in America.
As I reflect on this situation now, older, wiser, and just as passionate, as a Christian leader I feel that the spirituality of women remains an area of concern. We must never let a dominant, patriarchal power structure, diminish the fact that we too are made in the image and likeness of God, and have a right to equal access to healthcare, and to full control over our bodies. God never intended for women to be manipulated and controlled by anyone. We are meant to reflect on our healthcare choices based on our spiritual grounding and personal religious beliefs. It is not the role of government to deny a woman access to any healthcare procedure. Rather it is the government's role to protect a women's access to all healthcare services.
In the current decision by the Komen Foundation, it appears that Planned Parenthood is being punished for providing free or reduced breast cancer screening services to needy women simply because they also offer pregnancy termination services to less than 3% of it's clientele. Who is really being punished? Poor women without insurance, and most of those women are non-white.
This is not simply a political issue, which is why I chose to write about it. This situation is a commentary of the American spiritual identity crisis. What is the meaning and purpose of government? How do we identify who is needy/worthy of access to free or reduced cost healthcare services? And for those who are Christian identified, it is still relevant to ask "What would Jesus do?" Something tells me he would promote healthcare access for all.
(submitted by Rev.Dalene Fuller Rogers whose views and opinions do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the Organ Mt. Institute for Spiritual Growth)
In 1992, I returned to the U.S. after 2 years of parish ministry in Ontario, Canada, where my daughters and I were fortunate enough to receive medical services under the universal healthcare provisions of the province of Ontario. In Vermont, where I was under employed as a pastor, my two school-aged daughters received Vermont medicaid for children. I, however, had no health insurance, and no access to affordable healthcare coverage. So, I turned to Planned Parenthood of the Upper Valley for my health services. They were thorough, efficient, and accepted whatever I could pay. I never felt humiliated by Planned Parenthood due to my inability to pay fully for services, or because I had no insurance. However, when I had to take my daughters for healthcare services under the Medicaid plan, I was frequently treated rudely by healthcare providers, and I learned first hand what it is like to be a part of the American underclass. Since then, and I'm sure, before I utilized Planned Parenthood healthcare services, they have been demonized as abortionists. This is an example of how extreme political views get emphasized in the American media without substantiation, that may lead to a further reduction in access to needed healthcare services to under served, uninsured women in America.
As I reflect on this situation now, older, wiser, and just as passionate, as a Christian leader I feel that the spirituality of women remains an area of concern. We must never let a dominant, patriarchal power structure, diminish the fact that we too are made in the image and likeness of God, and have a right to equal access to healthcare, and to full control over our bodies. God never intended for women to be manipulated and controlled by anyone. We are meant to reflect on our healthcare choices based on our spiritual grounding and personal religious beliefs. It is not the role of government to deny a woman access to any healthcare procedure. Rather it is the government's role to protect a women's access to all healthcare services.
In the current decision by the Komen Foundation, it appears that Planned Parenthood is being punished for providing free or reduced breast cancer screening services to needy women simply because they also offer pregnancy termination services to less than 3% of it's clientele. Who is really being punished? Poor women without insurance, and most of those women are non-white.
This is not simply a political issue, which is why I chose to write about it. This situation is a commentary of the American spiritual identity crisis. What is the meaning and purpose of government? How do we identify who is needy/worthy of access to free or reduced cost healthcare services? And for those who are Christian identified, it is still relevant to ask "What would Jesus do?" Something tells me he would promote healthcare access for all.
(submitted by Rev.Dalene Fuller Rogers whose views and opinions do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the Organ Mt. Institute for Spiritual Growth)
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