I was upset to see an article in the Catholic newspaper up here about the pastor of St Charles Boromeo Church. I went to school with Wally. He had so much to offer. He was a role model for Black youth as was his predecessor Rev Emerson Moore. We are all subject to the human condition, so we must be ever vigilant. We must keep our spirituality growing. Growing not status quo. To stand still is to move backward. Prayer, meditation, spiritual reading are essential on a daily basis. Our human condition is always pulling us down, like gravity. Gravity never gets tired, it never takes a rest. It is a constant force pulling us down. So are our human instincts.

The Church, unlike Our Lord, is ready to condemn. Priests who err are cast off. Wouldn’t it be refreshing if the Church would embrace the sinner in loving arms, help the sinner heal his wounds and repair himself? What an example of Christ’s love this would be! But the Church is also subject to the human condition. Such priests are liabilities. They cost millions of dollars in lawsuits. It cannot afford to associate with such sinners. How unlike Jesus.

Simple to say, difficult to live.

Now that multi-tasking is the norm, life is more hectic than it was a generation ago.  We do more things, but don’t get more done.  We might paint the house more often, keep the lawn trimmer, keep up with sports’ scores in many different sports, know the hit songs of the hour, and what celebrities are doing in real time, but do these things matter?  Just so  much noise in the head.

We find a career, grow into love, help raise our children, become who we are, in God’s time.  Humility and patience are necessary for serenity.  This is why serenity is so rare.

Your recent writings have inspired me.  You write as someone truly alive.  Every nerve ending is alive and recording.  You are on the road less travelled.  Most of us can’t take the stimulation.  We look for sedatives to ease the “pain”.  We build a shell around ourselves, an ego of false armor that keeps people (and love and beauty) out.  We go through life pleasing others and doing what is expected.  You are truly alive, making your own path.  Only someone with your strength and determination can do this.  Of course you will make mistakes.  We are human.  The beauty is that you are not afraid to be human.  Humility is a wonderful state of being.  It brings us close to nature, close to the universe, close to God.  I have only recently realized what has been in plain sight my whole life.  We humans are three dimensional and if we don’t nurture all three we are incomplete.  We often seek relationships to try to complete ourselves, but we cannot function well or be happy while we are incomplete and such relationships are doomed.  We are obviously physical beings.  We are definitely intellectual beings.  All that thinking that drives us mad is in this dimension.  And we are spiritual beings.  This dimension is grossly undernourished in many cases.  I used to think this had something to do with going to church.  I was wrong.  God does not live in a building, nor does he need to be worshipped.  (He is definitely not a “he” because that is so limited.)  He doesn’t need anything from us.  We need him.  I finally got to know him.  I am learning to follow his will for me.  Life is joyful.  I am complete.  I have serenity.

Trudi, keep on living life.  Keep on loving.  Keep on searching.