Gratitude Overflowing!
"A Day of Listening!
(Thanksgiving!
"Gratitude Overflowing!
Luke 17:11-19
Net Translation
The Grateful Leper
11?Now on[a] the way to Jerusalem,[b] Jesus[c] was passing along[d] between Samaria and Galilee. 12?As[e] he was entering[f] a village, ten men with leprosy[g] met him. They[h] stood at a distance, 13?raised their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy[i] on us.” 14?When[j] he saw them he said, “Go[k] and show yourselves to the priests.”[l] And[m] as they went along, they were cleansed. 15?Then one of them, when he saw he was healed, turned back, praising[n] God with a loud voice. 16?He[o] fell with his face to the ground[p] at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.[q] (Now[r] he was a Samaritan.)[s] 17?Then[t] Jesus said,[u] “Were[v] not ten cleansed? Where are the other[w] nine? 18?Was no one found to turn back and give praise to God except this foreigner?”[x] 19?Then[y] he said to the man,[z] “Get up and go your way. Your faith has made you well.”[aa]
????We can see ourselves in the nine lepers who failed to express gratitude. Despite having a balanced prayer life our gratitude may not have deep roots.
??? In the last seven years from having myself crippled for months and on crutches from being beaten, and now having another rotary cuff crushed I have been in shock, and through my prayer life I have found gratitude--gratitude for life itself, and gratitude for an ability to work and serve through being a story catcher, simply listening. Cultivating a deliberate spirit of "falling at the feet of Jesus and thanking him" keeps our spirit in alignment with God and all of creation.
??? Chris Montesano wrote the following word for my 30th Anniversary Celebration which captures my gratitude for ministry and life:
Temenos Catholic Worker 30 Years Celebration??
Christian/ Catholic Worker gone Bad!
The first thing I want to say to each of you gathered here is that each of you brings with you a treasure. You each have a unique gift that makes you who you are. I hope that my comments will help you to recognize that gift.
I first met River probably about 28 years ago. I came from the Catholic Worker Farm in Sheep Ranch California to see what River was doing here in San Francisco. I had heard that what he was doing was controversial especially passing out needles. However that did not seem controversial to me, because one of the works we were doing at our farm was retreats for persons suffering from HIV AIDS and I knew from that work that needles could save lives. So I was intrigued to go out with River and see what he was doing. We went out with duffel bags full of sandwiches, clothes & needles. We went out in the evening and talked with people on the street passing out sandwiches, clothes and River gave out clean needles if people needed them. Then we went back to River’s apartment and I spent the night there because it was late and I had a long ride home which I would do in the morning. I recall that evening River asked me questions about Dorothy Day, one of the founder’s of the Catholic Worker Movement because I had worked with her at the New York Catholic Worker House in 1968 & 69. I shared with him what I recalled from those days. I was impressed by his work.
I think I came back another time or two after that to work with River. However with my demands at the farm and raising a family it became too difficult to continue. I had intermittent contact with River at the farm or in San Francisco over the intervening years and once out at the Nevada Test sight.??However I followed River’s blogs over the internet.
My next contact with River came during the pandemic. I called River when my wife was having surgery at UCSF in San Francisco and River brought me lunch. We visited outside as they had strict protocols for visitors because of COVID. I had not seen River for quite a few years and from his blog I had known that he had been beaten up on the street while doing his ministry. River couldn’t remember where his car was parked. So we went on a walk about looking for his car. As we walked I noticed that River was limping and I could see the toll his ministry had taken on his body. This experience began a new chapter in our relationship. We began talking a few times a month by phone and I continued to pay attention to his blog.?
One posting quite recently told the following story:
“Several nights ago, I received a text asking me to bring food, socks, and clothes. Three young men were outside! So I gathered what they asked for and a blanket. Outside, they were standing in the late-night cold, shivering, so we went across the street and bought them donuts and coffee.
??? One, whom I had never met, blurted out with tears in his eyes:?"Do you mean you are doing something nice for each one of us and expect nothing in return?"
This story reminds me of the following scripture passage:
“You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles
lord it over them,
and their great ones make their authority over them felt.?
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.?
For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."?
领英推荐
In one of our recent conversations I told River about a tshirt one of our AIDS guests had given me that had on it “Catholic Boy Gone Bad.” River liked that and began playing with similar themes to put on a shirt and came up with Christian/ Catholic Worker Gone Bad!
The poet Rumi said “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there”. One of my mentors, Richard Rhor says: “Shaming, accusing, or blaming is simply not how God talks, but sadly, it is too often how?we?talk—to ourselves and to one another. God is supremely nonviolent; I’ve learned that from the saints and mystics that I have read and met and heard about.”
I want to share with you a story from
my life that illustrates what I am trying to say here. When we began doing our AIDS retreats in the late 90’s a story I often herd was that the person we were hosting had had a parter of often 20 years or more who had given him AIDS which in those years was a death sentence. This person because of his love for his partner cared for him until he had to have him hospitalized and he passed away.??It reminded me of a favorite passage of mine: “Love is patience and kind, it bears with all things believers all things, hopes all things and endures all things. It does not take account of wickedness but rejoices in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, to trust and endure whatever comes.” I felt humbled by the love these people lived.?
To put it another way according to Richard Rhor : “The Creator does not come as we expect. The Spirit does not move under our command. When we expect divine intervention in one way, it usually comes in another. We expect the warrior king to set things right, God sends a baby in a manger. We expect wrongs to be punished, God extends grace and mercy to all.”?
When we allow the Spirit to open our eyes we can then see God working where we least expect.
All cultures have creation myths. In the Christian and Jewish tradition we have the story of the Garden of Eden. In this Story the first Humans are told they can eat of the fruits of all of the trees except for the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of Good & Evil and that if they eat of this fruit they will be cast out of the Garden. Father Thomas Berry in his book “The Universe Story” written with Brian Swimme refers to the Earth as “the Garden Planet of the Universe.” What I want you to think about is that when we humans eat of the Fruit of the Knowledge of Good & Evil we are casting ourselves out of the Garden. When we eat of this knowledge we think we know who is good and who is evil and what this leads to is exclusion, violence,??war and scarcity and great human suffering. Someone who suffers from addiction is called a drug addict, some one who is unhoused is called homeless, someone who tries to survive by sex is called a prostitute, and some who has a different form of sexuality is called gay and someone who is our enemy is killed.?
We can not meet on the field that the poet Rumi has invited us to meet on nor can we live on the garden planet of the universe. How then do we escape this difficult situation we find ourselves in? We begin to find a clue in this passage: “You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor?and hate your enemy.” But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children?of your Father in heaven”?
There is another passage a favorite of Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement?
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.
In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it to me."
Also,?In his book?Do I Stay Christian?, Brian McLaren says
“When you embrace solidarity, you embrace humanity, including Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, humanist, and atheist humanity, and including the humanity of those Christians whose behavior consistently prompts you to ask if you can stand staying Christian for even one more second.?“
It is solidarity that allows us to meet in the field the poet Rumi encourages us to find and the path to that field is illuminated by love and compassion. As we walk that path we will discover a gift God has given us that makes us unique and hear a voice telling us “Do not be afraid, You are loved!” That knowledge of being unconditionally loved will give us the courage to share from abundance not scarcity. This path and the field help us to see that we all live on the Garden Planet of the Universe. We are the ones who cast ourselves out of the garden. There is no us or them, there is no good or bad people and there is no one gone bad! We are all just children, gifted LIFE, by the creator of this marvelous Universe. Let us simply love one another as Jesus asked of us. Another one of Dorothy Day’s favorite quotes was from Saint John of the Cross:??"Where there is no love, put love and you will find love," That is our task every day that we are gifted life.
Embodiment teacher and therapist Prentis Hemphill says the following:
“When we are courageous, we can do the unexpected and start to mold the world around a vision bigger than one produced by fear. Every inch of progress, every ounce of love, every truly meaningful action from here on out will happen through courage, not comfort.”
River for 30 years you have walked this path of courage and not comfort and may God grant you the grace to walk this path as long as you are called to continue as a servant. Blessings to you and to all of us gathered around this table. Thank You.
Sent from my iPhone.
????Every day I find people sleeping on the street, abused by others, including the police, without food or family, being grateful for their lives. They are the one out of the ten!
??? Whatever your feelings about the "Thanksgiving Holiday," take this day as a day of listening to others, being Storytellers of their pain, loneliness, and fears, and I can promise you will be filled with gratitude for life! Deo Gratias! Thanks be to God!
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Fr. River Damien Sims, sfw, D.Min., DSW
P.O. Box 642656
San Francisco, CA 94164
415-305-2124