1. PRAYER

A Prayer to See Others Through God's Eyes

"Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for loving me and for creating every person in Your image. Today, I ask that You open the eyes of my heart. Give me Your spiritual vision so I can see others the way You see them. [1, 2, 3, 4]

When I am frustrated, judgmental, or impatient, help me to pause. Remove the lenses of my own biases and replace them with Your grace and mercy. Give me a heart of compassion that notices the pain, brokenness, or loneliness behind their actions. [1]

Remind me that every person I encounter is someone You deeply love and cherish. Use me as a vessel of Your love, peace, and kindness, so that others may feel Your presence when they interact with me. [1, 2]

In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen." [1]

2.  MEDITATION

https://youtu.be/-Tb1lR8Z5oM

3.  SONG

https://youtu.be/1pdnXCVy97I

4.  NARRATIVE

Telling Us How to See

Sunday, November 7, 2021

Telling Us How to See
Sunday, November 7, 2021

This week’s meditations explore what Christians can learn about inner transformation from Buddhism. As Father Richard often says, “If it’s true, it is true all the time and everywhere, and sincere lovers of truth will take it from wherever it comes.” [1] In his book The Universal Christ, he writes: 

I am convinced that in many ways Buddhism and Christianity shadow each other. They reveal each other’s blind spots. In general, Western Christians have not done contemplation very well, and Buddhism has not done action very well. [2] There is a reason that art usually shows Jesus with his eyes open and Buddha with his eyes closed. At the risk of overgeneralization: in the West, we have largely been an extroverted religion, with all the superficiality that represents; and the East has largely produced introverted forms of religion, with little social engagement up to now.

At its best, Western Christianity is dynamic and outflowing. But the downside is that this entrepreneurial instinct may have caused it to be subsumed by culture instead of transforming culture at any deep level. In our arrogance and ignorance, we also totally trampled on the cultures we entered. We became a formal and efficient religion that felt that its job was to tell people what to see instead of how to see. 

I have lived for short periods of time in Buddhist monasteries in Japan, Switzerland, and the United States. They are definitely much more disciplined and serious than most Christian monasteries. The first question a Japanese abbot asked me was “What is your practice?” The first question from a Christian abbot would probably be something like “How was your trip?” or “Do you have everything you need for your stay here?”

Both approaches have their strengths and limitations. Buddhism is more a way of knowing and cleaning the lens of perception than a theistic religion concerned with metaphysical “God” questions. In telling us mostly how to see, Buddhism both appeals to us and challenges us because it demands much more vulnerability and immediate commitment to a practice—more than just “attending” a service, like many Christians do. Buddhism is more a philosophy, a worldview, a set of practices to free us for truth and love than it is a formal belief system in any notion of God. It provides insights and principles that address the how of spiritual practice, with very little concern about what or who is behind it all. That is its strength, and I am not sure why that should threaten any Christian believer.

By contrast, Christians have spent centuries trying to define the what and who of religion. We usually gave folks very little how, beyond “quasi-magical” transactions (sacraments, moral behaviors, and handy Bible verses). And yet these religious elements often seem to have little effect on how the human person actually lives, changes, or grows. Such transactions often tend to keep people on cruise control rather than offer any genuinely new encounter or engagement.

References:
[1] See Richard Rohr, Immortal Diamond: The Search for Our True Self (Jossey-Bass: 2013), 127–138.

[2] In recent decades we are seeing the emergence of what is called “Engaged Buddhism,” which we have learned from teachers Thich Nhat Hanh, the Dalai Lama, Joanna Macy, Joan Halifax, angel Kyodo williams, and many others.

Richard Rohr, The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope for, and Believe (Convergent: 2019), 210–212.

Story from Our Community:
When I signed up for the daily meditations and read about Shamanism, Islam, Taoism, and Buddhism, I was convinced I was connecting with a heretic! I pressed through the confusion with Fr. Richard’s consistency, transparency, and sincerity. What I fought for for years became mine by love, and not fighting at all. The Daily Meditations are a love letter and I am eternally grateful to Fr. Richard for this expression of Love—and THE Love. —Thomas G.

5.  MEDITATION

https://youtu.be/RNeLU-5yR04?si=oHxnXsGKm3v0Vird

6.  SHARING

7. PRAYER

Father, You alone know each heart. Please help us be more patient with others before forming an opinion about them. Father, we know You see our hearts right now. You see what is true about my heart, our hearts. We want our hearts to be pleasing to You. Purify our hearts. Humble our hearts, soften our hearts, make our hearts like Yours. Make us men and women after Your heart and give us Your heart for others.  Help us to see others as You see them. Help us not to see that outward appearance, according to the way the world sees. Father, help us to see hearts, to love hearts, to shepherd hearts, to lead hearts to know You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

8.  SONG

https://youtu.be/Z8h3fvk9wGY

Hunan Chicken

 

This is my favorite chicken dish I savored during my recent trip to China. I particularly liked relishing into the bony small pieces from the chicken backs and necks.  This is my recreation using a few ingredients.  It gave back the same flavorful experience.

Hunan Chicken

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Servings: 6 Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 20 min

Ingredients 

            1/whole chicken, including backs and necks, chopped into small bite-sized pieces 

Marinade

            1/2 cup hoisin sauce 

             2 anise seeds

            1/4 teaspoon five spice powder

            1/8 teaspoon ginger powder

            1/8 teaspoon white pepper

            3 basil leaves, torn

Instructions

1. Add the marinade ingredients to a bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the chopped chicken pieces to marinate for 15 minutes..

2. Heat a skillet to medium-high heat, then add the chicken pieces and marinade to the skillet. Cook till the chicken is done.  .

3. Remove the chicken pieces from the pan. Serve over rice and garnish with fresh basil.

Notes

    Fresh chopped ginger can be used instead of ginger powder.

    Dried basil leaves can be used instead of fresh ones.

Stir Fried Ampalaya

 

Stir Fried Ampalaya

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INGREDIENTS 

I long ampalaya or bitter melon, white flesh inside removed and then sliced thinly
1 large onion or 2 small ones, chopped 
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1- inch ginger, chopped 
1 inch beef, sliced thin
1 tablespoon cornstarch in 2 tablespoons water
1-2 tablespoons soy sauce 
Pinch of salt 
Dash of black pepper 

INSTRUCTIONS 

Add sliced Ampalaya in salted water.  Set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon oil in saute pan and heat at medium high heat.

  Add chopped onion to hot oil and cook then add chopped ginger and garlic.  

When the mixture are cooked, add the sliced beef and saute till beef is cooked through  

Drain water from amplaya and add to the meat and vegetable mixture  

Continue to stir and add 2 tablespoons water and cover  

Mix cornstarch in water and add soy sauce  

When the Ampalaya is cooked but not mushy, add the soy sauce water slurry.  

Stir and serve.  

Nostalgia

Gives me stomach 

ache.  Heart-wrenching. Emotion

drained. My soul traveled.

Quote on grief

 

Silence quote

 

Ah summer

This brings memories 

Of summer gone by. Walks so

Peaceful.  No whats, why’s.  

Joy

 

1.  PRAYER

Dear God...

We ask for joy in our lives. Help us to find happiness in the simple things and to share our joy with others. Let our laughter and smiles be contagious, spreading positivity wherever we go. May we find joy even in the midst of challenges. 

Thank you for the moments of joy that brighten our days. Help us to cherish them and to seek out more opportunities for happiness. May we find joy in our relationships, celebrating the connections we have with family and friends. Help us to recognize the beauty and wonder in the world around us, finding joy in nature and the everyday miracles of life. 

Guide us to be sources of joy for others, bringing light and happiness into their lives. Let us approach each day with a joyful heart, grateful for the opportunities and experiences that come our way. Thank you for the gift of joy. Help us to embrace it fully and to spread it generously to those around us. 

Amen.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice." 

- Philippians 4:4

2.  MEDITATION 

https://youtu.be/FGO8IWiusJo?si=Fep8uz4XilVQawYX

3.  SONG

https://youtu.be/X_hIptF5aCA?si=JGwotryScoq79JMq

4.  NARRATIVE

Awe, Surrender, Joy

Monday, June 16, 2025

Father Richard describes the stunned silence that accompanies moments of awe and surrender:  

The spiritual journey is a constant interplay between moments of awe followed by a general process of surrender to that moment. We must first allow ourselves to be captured by the goodness, truth, or beauty of something beyond and outside ourselves. Then we universalize from that moment to the goodness, truth, and beauty of the rest of reality, until our realization eventually ricochets back to include ourselves! Yet we humans resist both the awe and, even more, the surrender. The ego resists the awe while the will resists the surrender. But both together are vital and necessary. [1] 

As she often did, Dr. Barbara Holmes (1943–2024) expands and strengthens my thinking by her description of “joy unspeakable.” Awe is not always inspired by beauty and goodness. Truth sometimes comes in hard packages. It takes both great love and great suffering to stun us and bring us to our knees. God is there in all of it, using every circumstance of our life, to draw us ever more deeply into the heart of God. [2] 

Dr. Barbara Holmes writes: 

Ultimately, joy unspeakable is a mystery, and because each mystery begets another, it is a daunting task to describe the indescribable. Song, dance, and ritual help. This is how Grant Wacker describes the joy that emerges out of spiritual revival: “And then there was joy—not necessarily happiness, a passing emotion—but joy, the quiet, deep-seated conviction that one’s life made sense.” [3]  

From the beginning, Africana people in the diaspora have defined the sensibility of their lives within the context of struggle and resistance. We have begun to realize that while overt systematic oppression may be removed, we all bear the scars and traces of racism’s collective demonic possession. And yet we must all go on, and we must all go on together as a community.  

Accordingly, our obsession with blame and with the question of who is or is not worthy of God’s full embrace disrupts the journey. For we are not headed toward a single goal: we are on a pilgrimage toward the center of our hearts. It is in this place of prayerful repose that joy unspeakable erupts.  

Joy Unspeakable 
erupts when you least expect it, 
when the burden is greatest, 
when the hope is gone 
after bullets fly. 
It rises 
on the crest of impossibility, 
it sways to the rhythm 
of steadfast hearts, 
and celebrates 
what we cannot see. 

This joy beckons us not as individual monastics but as a community. It is a joy that lives as comfortably in the shout as it does in silence. It is expressed in the diversity of personal spiritual disciplines and liturgical rituals. This joy is our strength, and we need strength because we are well into the twenty-first century, and we are not healed. How shall we negotiate postmodernity without inner strength? [4] 

References: 
[1] Adapted from Richard Rohr, Just This (CAC Publishing, 2017), 10.  

[2] Adapted from Richard Rohr, “Awe and Joy,” Daily Meditations, February 12, 2021.  

[3] Grant Wacker, Heaven Below: Early Pentecostals and American Culture (Harvard University Press, 2001), 67.  

[4] Barbara A. Holmes, Joy Unspeakable: Contemplative Practices of the Black Church, 2nd ed. (Fortress Press, 2017), 199–200. 

QUESTIONS

Have you ever experienced joy in spite of difficult circumstances?

Why does James tell us to “consider it pure joy” when we face trials (James 1:2-4)? How do we maintain this perspective?

If you were Paul in prison, how likely would it be that you could choose joy?

How can you guard your joy? What are some things that steal your ability to access it?

How does the “long view” help us experience joy even during challenging times? [1, 2, 3, 4]

AI Overview

Richard Rohr describes joy as a profound spiritual, "cosmic" experience that is distinct from temporary happiness, often defined as a "surrender" to God's presence. It is a gift that flows through us rather than a personal possession, enabling us to find meaning, connection, and strength even during times of suffering and pain. [1, 2, 3]

Key Aspects of Rohr on Joy:

• Joy vs. Happiness: While happiness is often a fleeting emotion tied to favorable circumstances, spiritual joy is a deep-seated conviction of divine presence that persists regardless of circumstances.
• A Choice and Surrender: True joy is a "life-defining, transformative reservoir" that we choose to tap into. It requires surrendering our need for control and accepting life's limitations and, in doing so, opening our hearts to the "good, the true, and the beautiful".
• Coexistence with Pain: Rohr emphasizes that joy is not separate from suffering; it is often intertwined with it. Joy can be found in the midst of sorrow, and, as in the Franciscan tradition, one can find "perfect joy" even in rejection or hardship by shifting from the ego-driven self to the "True Self".
• Participation in the "Flow": Joy is participatory. It is part of the "general dance" of life where we feel aligned with God and the universe, rather than needing to stand out or dominate.
• Making Room: This joy must be welcomed and allowed; it comes to those who "wait for it, expect it, and make room for it inside themselves,". [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

Key Quotes & Concepts:

• "Joy... is both a decision and a surrender,".
• "The joy that the world cannot give always comes as a gift to those who wait for it, expect it, and make room for it,".
• "Everything seems to hold space. It's not a math equation. It's not really logical. But it feels right and fluid and true,".
• It is described as a "sacred family," "one body—the Body of Christ—moving as a single heartbeat,". [1, 2, 3]

For more in-depth exploration, you can explore the Center for Action and Contemplation's daily 

meditations. [1, 2]

5. MEDITATION

https://youtu.be/RNeLU-5yR04?si=oHxnXsGKm3v0Vird

6.  SHARING

Have you ever experienced joy in spite of difficult circumstances?

Why does James tell us to “consider it pure joy” when we face trials (James 1:2-4)? How do we maintain this perspective?

If you were Paul in prison, how likely would it be that you could choose joy?

How can you guard your joy? What are some things that steal your ability to access it?

How does the “long view” help us experience joy even during challenging times? [1, 2, 3, 4]

7.  PRAYER AND INTENTIONS

Joyce Meyer Ministries 

August 25, 2024 · 

Prayer for Joy: "God, because You are with me and in me, I can have joy in every season of my life. As I go about my day, help me to remember Your love and promises, which are the source of all my joy. The Bible says that Christ came so that I may have life and enjoy it to the fullest. I pray that I would do just that. Lord, lead me into Your presence now so that I may receive an overflow of Your love, enough to be a blessing to those around me. Thank You, God, for loving me. I know that in seeking and serving You, I will find all the peace, joy and fulfillment I mcould ever ask for and more. Let all the glory be Yours, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen."

8. SONG

https://youtu.be/dSVmDKGl2ok?si=NTKc-HQsnvQDS8xH