What does forgiveness take?

Today is Ash Wednesday

REFLECTION FOR ASH WEDNESDAY

By Joan Chittister, osb

Joel 2:12-18 | 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2 | Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Jesus' words make short shrift of public wrestling with inner goodness. "When you give alms, keep it a secret. When you pray, do it quietly. When you fast, don't look wan." The religion of Jesus, in other words, is not a religion of show. It is not a religion aimed at public approval. It is not even religion intent on the kind of pious exercise that is called witness. No, Jesus' words make Lent a way of life, rather than a ritual.

The message of Lent is clear: Alms are for self-giving; prayer is for personal growth in the mind of God; fasting is for self-discipline. What you get out of this kind of religion is not simply a change of liturgical cycles. What you get out of this kind of religion is a change of person. But when the person is changed then other actions will show it, and not all of them will be called "religious" by establishment types....

Editor's note:

I don't know how many UUs celebrate Lent and Ash Wednesday, but as a former Roman Catholic, I do. I suspect there are many UUs with a Christian background who also celebrate Lent especially those with more affinity for the Universalist side of the family. The Universalists believed fervently that God is love. The lenten practices are intended to make us more aware so that we will choose the good rather than continue to be distracted by the dramas and ego nonsense of every day life. We give alms and help others because it makes us and them feel good. We pray most often to give thanks because we are grateful and acknowledge the interdependent web of which we are a part. We fast because it alters our consciousness and makes us more alert and we learn to tolerate minor suffering with good cheer.

Jesus constantly reminded us that we are not of this world. He said to be IN the world but not OF the world. The Buddha talk us that the way to peace and to avoid suffering is not to become attached and to recognize the impermanence of life.

The overall message of lent is to remind us to love one another as we Universalists believe God loves us.

The long history of UU distrust of centralized authority

In my research and study to understand better the dynamics that contribute to Unitarian Universalism being such a small denomination when it has so much to offer the world, I stumbled across this paragraph in Richard Trudeau's book, Universalism 101 on page 61:

"Another reason for Universalism's decline had to do with Universalists' fear of centralized authority. In 1792, Universalists in Newport, Rhode Island, were reported to be reluctant even to meet with each other for Sunday worship, for fear of the ecclesiastical structure that they felt would inevitably follow from holding regular meetings. (And some say that Unitarian Universalists today have a problem with authority!) To the every end of its independent existence, the Universalist denomination never allowed its national organization to have significant authority."

This quote appears in Trudeau's book under the section headed "Universalist Decline."

I have encountered this negative attitude toward centralized authority at Pullman Memorial Universalist Church in Albion, NY when I was a member there in the mid 2000s. Some members of the congregation resented and were opposed to paying the member fee to the UUA even though the church gladly requested and utilized UUA services.

The fear of centralized authority has limited the viability of the denomination in the nation and world because its operation is left to local volunteers who are constantly reinventing the wheel trying to create and maintain an effective and efficient and customer satisfying social architecture within which worship, education, and service can occur.

There is a subtle balance  in power and control between local and centralized authority. The UUA and the local churches need to find ways to collaborate and cooperate for the benefit and viability of the denomination. A stronger voluntary accreditation system would be a step in the right direction.

Tuesday night class - The ulitmate paradox is that we have to lose ourselves if we are to attain inherent worth and dignity

What are you doing for lent?

Wednesday, February 18, 2015 is Ash Wednesday and marks the beginning in the Christian Calendar of Lent. Lent is a period of recollection, intensive pensive awareness about the meaning of life. In the Roman Catholic tradition it was a period of voluntary penance, giving something up, and fasting. There is nothing sacred about the ascetic practices of self deprivation in and of themselves, but rather as a means of altering our consciousnesses so we can be aware of ourselves and our place in the Universe. Lent is a time of giving up our hubris and practicing humility and recognizing that we are only a small part of the interdependent web.

Lent can be a time in our Unitarian Universalist tradition of practicing the seventh principle by making small sacrifices for the sake of other living things and our planet as a way of acknowledging our interdependence. Lent is a time for making ourselves small so that we can open space for other human beings and other things which make up the web of life.

If you would, will you share your intentional Lenten practice this year with us on UUAWOL by leaving a comment about what you are intentionally doing to remind yourself and maybe others of our interdependence?

My Kind Of Church Music - Holy Now, Peter Mayer

I went to church yesterday, Sunday, 02/15/15, with my friend Don and it was a wonderful service partly because John Akers played and sang Peter Mayer's great song, Holy Now.


 

Only 15% of the population are Good Samaritans according to this study in Sweden

The modern day Good Samaritan story. How many people would stop and offer help? 15%. How many Unitarian Universalists would stop?



If Unitarian Universalists practice their first principle, to affirm and promote the inherent worth and digntiy of every person, they would definitely stop, wouldn't they?