The Way of a Pilgrim...

Good morning everyone!   It is good to be back home!  That was a long drive to the SF Bay Area and back!   But not as long as the drive to Minnesota that I know many of you will be making very soon!

In our gospel reading for today, in John, we heard a portion of what is known as The Farewell Discourse.  Jesus is talking to his disciples, and the words of Jesus are not very inspiring.  he says, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."

Hmmm.   We have all known people who talk as though their love for us was conditional. "If you loved me, you would (dot, dot, dot, fill in the blank)”. 

 

What are we to think?  This seems totally opposite from the unconditional love Jesus teaches and lives!   

However, rather than assuming that Jesus requires a “militaristic” (I just had to use that term “militaristic”, as I just came back from military duty!)   …. militaristic obedience with conditional love, what were Jesus’ commandments?

“A new commandment I give you, that you love one another as I have loved you".   And the other, ‘love your neighbor as yourself”.  

It's not complicated!

LOVE!   It’s not complicated!   

That commercial "it's not complicated" pops in my mind here.  You know, where the guy is talking with some kindergarten aged children, he asks them a question and getting all sorts of wild answers from them and says,  "It’s not complicated!"

OK, so it really can be & is complicated...and challenging!  For so many of us!  

One thing for sure, to really live and walk in love take lots and lots & lots of practice.  Years.  A lifetime.  We just can’t take an on line class in this or learn it from reading a book.  It takes doing it, practicing it, living it….until hopefully, it becomes us.

Some days we do pretty good, other days, well not so much.   

Think of your past week, how did you do?    Hmm.  Perhaps we held our temper as someone was rude to us.  Perhaps we did not.

One thing for sure, we will get many opportunities in life to practice living and walking in love! 

Me playing bass, back in the '90s

I thought about bringing my bass guitar in to show you.   I actually have four of them.  So many years of playing bass in bands over the years.  I had long hair back then.   Those were fun times paying music all those years!

For those of you that have ever learned or tried to learn to play a musical instrument, you know it takes lots & lots of PRACTICE.  That first year or two is very trying.   I remember when I was 17 years old, first learning the bass, practicing in my room, so many times I would get frustrated, and throw the bass on my bed and need to walk away for awhile.    Ugh!

The book and story of The Way of a Pilgrim also comes to mind.   Have you ever read it?

The story takes place in Russia in the late 1800ds.  A Russian man (a pilgrim) 

seeks to deepen his spirituality and get closer to God after he hears the words of scripture in the liturgy “to pray without ceasing”.

After wandering to many towns, churches and monasteries, he eventually finds a Starets, a Spiritual Director, who teaches him the Jesus Prayer, (AKA Breath Prayer).  This is what the Startets taught him:

Be alone in silence.  Calm yourself and your mind.  Invite the Holy Spirit to be with you.

Breathe gently, deeply and slowly.  Imagine yourself looking into your own heart.  Carry your mind, that is your thoughts, from your head to your heart. 

As you breathe in, say to yourself “Lord Jesus Christ”.  And as your breathe out, say to yourself  “have mercy on me…a sinner”.  Try to put all other thoughts aside.  Be calm, patient and repeat.

The Starets told the pilgrim to repeat this prayer 3000 times per day!

How many breaths do we breathe in a minute?  Imagine, as we tend to breathe 8 to 14 breaths per minute, how long this actually took!  It would take at least 4 hours of his day!

And so he practiced and practiced, breathing and

praying as he walked and traveled from town to town.   

At first this takes great concentration and labor to do this consciously as he walks & travels.   But he keeps at it.

Months later, when he visits the Starets again, he tells the pilgrim to increase the prayer to 6000 times per day! 

The pilgrim consciously does this in earnest.  Months go by, with many more travels. 

And again when he visits the Starets, he tells him to increase the prayer to 12,000 times per day!  

You do the math here.  It is pretty much the entire waking day!

Small Russian Church

In time, what was once laborious actually becomes the pilgrim.  He transfers from doing this prayer consciously to subconsciously, feeling /thinking of God with every breath he takes!

Of course, this process does not happen overnight, it takes many years and many travels.  But over time, it is he, the pilgrim that becomes a man of deep spirituality.

Have you ever met someone like this?  Their inner peace and spiritual wisdom radiates from them and their very being.   Oh how we wish we could have such peace & wisdom!

And here we are, this Memorial Day weekend, the traditional beginning of summer. 

For so many who have served in the military, have loved ones in the military, and those who have given the ultimate sacrifice, we pause to remember…and give thanks. 

And upon perusing the Internet, I saw that our Commander in Chief has issued a proclamation for tomorrow.  He proclaims that tomorrow, Memorial Day be a day of prayer for permanent peace.   He asks everyone to pray for peace tomorrow at 11 am. 

And so, we pray for peace …in our world, in our nation, in our community here in Casa Grande, in our church community here at St. Peter’s….and within our hearts.  

Seems like an impossible thing, to really have peace on the entire earth. 

How can we ever have peace of earth?   It begins with us.  Right here in our hearts….in every step and breath we take.

Let us pray…

Almighty God, kindle, we beseech thee, in every heart the true love of peace, and guide with thy wisdom those who take counsel for the nations of the earth, that in tranquility thy dominion may increase till the earth is filled with the knowledge of thy love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

___

[This was a sermon given at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Casa Grande, AZ, Sunday MAY 25th, Sixth Sunday of Easter.]