Rumi enjoins upon the reader to serve as a gracious host to each of these guests of the heart.
Welcome grief, allow it to feel at home, and then bid it farewell.
Welcome joy, treat it as a gracious host would, and then kiss it on its way.
Remember, Jesus didn’t become Christ till he was 30. Muhammad did not become the Prophet till he was 40. And you all are not any cooler than them.
It took Jesus and Muhammad a while to figure out who they were, and what they were going to “do.” If you haven’t figured it out by the time you’re 22, it’s alright. Be generous with your selves.
In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon, President Obama stated: “Any time bombs are used to target innocent civilians, it is an act of terror.”
Mr. President, I wonder if you realize how right you are.
Mr. President, I wonder if you realize what that means when we are the ones dropping bombs on civilians in Afghanistan, Yemen, and Pakistan.
Here was a lesson that Martin Richard, the wise 8-year old, had already learned:
If you can, bring joy and love to humanity.
If you cannot, and you can, at least cause no harm.
On days like this, many feel like giving up on humanity.
It is a natural urge, but do not. Don’t.
Some are using this story to perpetuate hatred against this ethnic group or that religious group.
Some are urging us to pray to the One for all of us.
Where do we stand?
Christ taught us: “Blessed are the Peace-Makers.” If Blessed are the Peace-Makers, what do we say about those who not only do not make peace, nor pray for peace, but actually pray for conflict and seek to extend war? These are the unblessed Peace-breakers, the War-makers.
Editor’s Note: This post has been disabled after a review for failing to meet the editorial standards of Religion News Service.
If we were already perfect and beautiful, there would be no need to set out on a path.
When I reflect on the suffering of Christ, I see the connection between the suffering of Christ and the suffering of all of God’s children, all of us who are vessels of the Spirit of God. I seek the Easter of our own spirit, the resurrection of our spirit, long dead, brought back to God through God’s grace. May there be an Easter for the Jesus of our spirit, overcoming every death, every suffering and every affliction.
In this Youtube lecture on the occasion of the Persian New Year, I point out that the poetic tradition of Iran contains powerfully illuminating lessons for how to respond to constant war-mongering against Iran today.
