It was on this day in 1536 that Henry VIII ordered an English language Bible be made available in every church in his realm.
The vernacular Bible was, of course, a central feature of the reformation sweeping across so much of Europe.
Today I’m in the midst of a clergy “retreat” (Please forgive the quotes, it is hard for me to consider anything that does not involve nine or ten hours of meditation in a day a retreat). The theme for our gathering is “our spiritual practices.” As religious liberals we are all over the map and I tremble at what some of my friends will be sharing…
But, the truth be told, whether we think our discipline is sitting down, shutting up, and paying attention, or memorizing sacred texts, or gardening, or singing while walking, or whatever, there is, I think, I believe, I hope, a shared intent.
And that is a reformation.
And just like the tyrant Henry ordering on pain of terrible things the placement of a Bible that anyone who can read, can read, in every church, sitting an knitting with an intention of opening the heart and allowing the world to present itself and to shape our lives has to be the real deal.
My deal? No, I think that sitting down, shutting up and paying attention, and doing it regularly and doing it in some intensive way regularly is the secret sauce. But, the knitter, the walker, the jogger, can just like the Zen meditator, put themselves, put ourselves in the way of the currents of life and be just a bit more open to noticing when the still small voice whispers its secrets into our being.
The deal is to throw ourselves into the mess. However we can.
Do I think a stronger and more intensive practice better? Yes. But, do I think it the only way? No, because I’ve lived too long and have seen too much.
What I do know. Our hearts will be broken.
And in that moment we get to decide what to do with the wound. Resent and hate and fear the next hurt? Or, not turn away, and instead allow the light to shine through the wound?
The light shines through the wounds. But it can be awful hard to see it.
Our spiritual practices, done right, done fully, will help us make that call, help us decide what we will do with this life we’re given, with that wound as it is gouged into us…
At that moment if we’re lucky, whatever the practice we’ve taken on, if we really have, we will allow our heart to reform in a useful way, to find a new whole, one that includes it all.
Then Zen meditator or jogger or memorizer of sacred texts we’ll find ourselves in the same camp.
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