#faith – Page 6 – …my temporary assignment.

And life.

“You don’t think your way into a new kind of living. You live your way into a new kind of thinking.”
― Henry Nouwen

Though all is contained in one collective space, the mind, heart, body and soul can vie for preeminence over each other or become independent of one another. At least that has been my experience.

The mind has its intnetions in the right place, but yet, if it cannot interconnect with its teammates, there will be little if any change in course. It can generate great ideas and stimulate a new vision, but if the heart doesn’t buy into it and the spirit is not willing, well, you know how the state of the flesh.

Talking oneself out of great beginnings has been one of this author’s highest acheivements. The sensation is akin to rolling oneself out of a deep snow drift. Rev it up, rock it back, rev it up more, rock it back. You get the gist. Laying out vast schematics within your mind as to why things just won’t work the way you wish. Then avoiding the revision that points out the straightest path.

All the while, your heart retains an unfulfilled emptiness, your soul untested and a body stuck in an idle neutral.

Yet, if you overcome the urge to reinvent and rationalize, and to paraphrase, “do it”, then all heck breaks loose. The heart begins to engage and fill with a sense of joy brought on by the actions. Your soul begins to align and see an incumbent purpose in the undertaking. Your body generates an energy and momentum to carry moment and those to come. And your mind, quips, “why didn’t I think of this?”

When all four work in concert, they collaborate not just to maintain but to elevate their game. Rallying to overcome adversity and challenges that may attack a specific aspect of your being by acting as one. Smarter overcomes harder. Joy inundates sorrows. Purpose replaces purposeless. And a new found stamina energizes the entire enterprise.

Thinking about it does have its place. But that may only serve to restrict you to a highly confined area. Living it invites you to an ever sprawling world. Embracing all there is about you. Open to adventure. Learning. Growth. Connection. Purpose.

And life.

Awake.

“I cannot be awake, for nothing looks to me as it did before, or else I am awake for the first time, and all before has been a mean sleep.”

― Walt Whitman

Well put Mr. Whitman.

Especially that state you describe as “a mean sleep.”

I believe that we all tend to share a common bunk at one time or another in our lives. Where we only see life from one side. Tearing ourselves down but neglecting to enjoin in a rebuilding process. Hearing only the negative, construing honest interactions as disparaging, disregarding the true affirmations born of love and tucking away all of what we are made to be so we can return back to our mean sleep.

Though it entirely contradicts common sense, there is this misperception of comfort to be found under that stifling blanket, albeit unhealthy. Covered by bad habits, we choose to remain. It is known territory. Nothing comes unexpected. We convince ourselves it is all as it should be. Because simply “it is what it is.”

Well there is another side of that bed.

Might appear to be cold and dark at first glance. But if we give it a chance, we will sense a warm and inviting light over there. Perhaps our eyes, ears, head and heart need to get used to the difference present in that glow. But when we roll over and throw off those stifling covers, we begin to hear things in another voice.

Through the light finally penetrating the glass, we can now perceive it as becoming half full. Glimmers of positivity radiate within conversations. Others’ shared expressions of what they see in us bathe us in a warmth we have longed to know for what seemed an eternity. And as our focus sharpens, that figure now facing us is the one we have always known ourselves to be.

Though nothing may look to us like it ever did before, there can be a first time for everything. In a way, that is how an epiphany works.

And finally being awake like this, for the first time, brings us great rest, peace and joy.

For nothing looks like it did before.

Gifted.

“The wise men came to Bethlehem and gave the child their precious gifts. When you come to Christ, break open the very best of yourself and make it a gift for him.

Finally, they returned to their home country by another route. As Fulton Sheen commented so magnificently: “Of course they did; for no one comes to Christ and goes back the same way he came!”

Bishop Barron – Daily Gospel Reflections, Sunday, January 7, 2024.

Some time ago, I got lost on my way towards Bethlehem. Not that I am or ever will be a wiseman. Just that I too saw the guiding warmth in that star. I wanted nothing more than to be there for and with Him. Unfortunately, I got lost. I chose selfish defiance instead of selfless reliance. Since then, I have been working to find my way back ever since.

Sad to say, when I can finally return in full, I will not be able to break open the very best of myself as my gift to Him.

I will only be able to share my utter brokenness.

He deserves better. But for now, that is all I have.

But I know now that He understands the nature of my gift and is ok with that. He simply wishes for a relationship. Friendship. A bond. Love.

He knows for a fact that anyone that comes to Him is most likely broken in some fashion. In need of reassurance. Repair. Redemption. And resurrection. He knows that anyone that comes to Him does not go back the same way. His loving touch changes everything.

His gift to me.

That is exactly what I am counting on.

That is what I desperately need.

That is what I know for a fact will ultimately come to save me.

My journey may have taken me towards Him from one direction.

But I am counting on not going back the same way.

For He knows which way to send me.

Gifted.

“Areté ”

ah-reh-‘tay

In its most basic sense, a word from the ancient Greeks meaning “excellence of any kind”.

Taking a bit of semantic and philosophical license, Areté could be defined as “moral virtue”. And given the nature of that concept – virtue – it stands to reason that excellence is derivative of virtuous thoughts, words and deeds. Of doing the right thing.

For as Plato said, “We do not act rightly because we are excellent, in fact we achieve excellence by acting rightly.” Greek mythology made Areté divinity; the goddess of virtue, excellence, goodness and valour.

“There is a tale that Areté dwells on unclimbable rocks and close to the gods, tending a holy place. She may not be seen by the eyes of all mortals, but only by him on whom distressing sweat comes from within, the one who reaches the peak of manliness.”

An acknowledgement that excellence is a higher standing. A path that is intended to be a struggle. A challenge. A journey to elicit excellence.

Socrates, Plato and Aristotle – the renowned triumvirate of Greek philosophers, teachers and orators – spent their lives in the pursuit of understanding our human condition. Discerning how best to find our rightful place. Here, in the mortal world, and within the universe, among the divine.

Since its earliest appearance in Greek, there is the idea that Areté was ultimately bound up with the notion of the fulfillment of purpose or function: the act of living up to one’s full potential.

Throughout the Homeric poems, Areté is frequently associated with bravery, but more often, with effectiveness. The man or woman of Areté is a person of the highest effectiveness; they use all their faculties: strength, bravery and wit, to achieve real results. In the Homeric world, then, Areté involves all of the abilities and potentialities available to humans.

In the mortal sense, excellence is about making the most of all that we are and all that we have – to become all you were meant to be. In so doing, you endeavor to approach the divine, by acting rightly.

We strive because there is virtue in it. We strive, because it is the right thing to do. More than just a word, motto or mindset. Arete – excellence – is a mandate. A command.

Michaelangelo could also have heard this command. To make the absolute most of his abilities and potential. And by virtue of his actions, become a true renaissance man.

“If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful after all.” he is said to have remarked. Stating what could be a common refrain for those that choose to pursue excellence. For it is work. And only committed, ceaseless effort can render such compelling results.

Michelangelo was not only regarded as the greatest living artist of his lifetime, but is now considered to be one of the greatest artists of all time. A number of his works in painting, sculpture, and architecture rank among the most compelling and famous in existence. His output in every field during his long life was prodigious. When the sheer volume of his correspondence, sketches, and reminiscences that survive are taken into account, he is the best documented artist of the 16th century.”

It may not have dawned on him – as he was putting the finishing touches on that chapel ceiling or inscribing his name on Mary’s sash of marble – that his efforts would some day make him a man with global impact. But then again, he was pursuing excellence. A level of excellence that to this day inspires artisans, architects and others to aspire.

John Uebersax sought to sum it up in this fashion: “No English word or phrase captures the exact meaning of Areté . The nearest equivalents are ‘excellence’ and ‘virtue’. But there is something more to Areté which cannot be expressed in words. There is something of the divine in it.”*

From a mortal perspective; we are commanded to make the most of all that we are and all that we have. To become all we are meant to be. By accepting this edict, we can then endeavor to approach the divine. By virtue of our right thoughts, words and deeds, we can climb those unclimbable rocks.

To that place where Arete dwells. For…” in the moment of excellence, something transcends the mundane and touches the ideal.”

*John Ubersaz – https://www.john-uebersax.com/plato/pdf/greektermsebook.pdf

Manure

We are farmers.

We spend a lifetime occupying our own plot of land. There may be droughts, there might be bumper crops. But in the end, when it comes time to harvest, the yield is entirely on us.

Now of course, every farmer goes about his business as they are made.

Certain ones may find ways to extend their growing season beyond that of their neighbor. Methods will vary from plot to plot. Some automate while others will choose “old school” and harness a horse. An engineered, hybrid approach will suit one while taking an organic, “back to the earth” approach will become a better fit for others. Ultimately, you have to be your own farmer. Be true to yourself. What may flourish for others may be just weeds for you.

Though seasons, methods, crops and yield may differ from field to field, being farmers we all soon share one common trait; expertise at spreading manure.

It may provide a temporary sudden burst of excitement, color and growth. It may assuage fear, anxiety or insincerity. But with the next rain or two, a heat wave or cold spell, it dissipates, burns-out or becomes a stagnant mass, losing both impact and intensity. Continual applications of manure might make you feel better, but can merely distract you from the truth.

And ruin a crop.

To make the things you truly want take root and flourish in your plot requires some discernment. Patience. Courage. And honesty. So get to know every inch of your acreage. Walk the fence lines over and over and over again. Learn the lay of your land. Pry up those rocks that work their way out of the ground. Dig up the stumps. Know the predators. Cut back the brush and pull out weeds that can begin to invade, choke and overtake your land.

And spread less manure.

Embrace the nature of your soil. Its texture, smell and even taste was made for you. Learn what grows well and understand what crops will enrich, invigorate and bring that piece of ground to an uncommon level of abundance. You cannot grow the same thing year after year and expect the same yield. In time, the yield will drop. The soil will become starved. And all of a sudden, what was once your staple – will no longer produce. Your land will become barren.

Spreading more manure won’t bring it back.

So as you begin to blossom, identify the crops that grow with little effort or attention, harvest them religiously, build up your stores and share the abundance with others. Attend to the crops that have been planted with the best of intentions but never seem to take root. Get them to grow. Move things around from season to season. Rotate. Mix. Match. Find ways to make all of them thrive together. Improve your soil, make things truly grow. One bumper crop after another. Season after season.

Then, as any good farmer does, go easy on the manure.