Dear friends,
I hope you are having a wonderful summer.
I had a good second summer break since I started the ministry at Saint Thomas Church. During summer break, I had a chance to spend more time with my family. We went to San Francisco to look at the majestic Golden Bridge trying to stand firm against the strong wind blowing away our bodies and felt the thrill of the steep hill by riding the famous cable car that has 150 years of history. We breathed in deeply the fresh oxygen from the old trees in the Redwood Forest not far from the city and ate fresh local seafood on the pier.
It sounds like we enjoyed a very leisurely vacation, but all of this was quite a difficult journey for us. It was because a new family member was accompanying us. It is Butters, a 5-month-old puppy that we started raising not too long ago. People who have a special love for dogs may criticize it, but for me and my husband, who are not dog people (at least not yet), this trip was not easy because of this small creature. Many places do not allow pets. We had to give up some great parks and restaurants we wanted to explore, and we had to change our vacation itinerary that we created last Fall. Since he’s still in potty training, we worried about staining the hotel carpets and traveling on a plane with a puppy was quite stressful. Probably we were too concerned about the dog, my husband and I were so tired on our way home. But when I asked the children what they liked most about this trip, they said it was great because it’s our first big trip with Butters. I was speechless in shock! I was amazed how the same event could be experienced so differently. Ironically, what was the biggest stumbling block for parents on this vacation was the one that gave the children the greatest joy. I realized that I was not able to properly enjoy the joy of being with a cute little creature because I felt overwhelmed by the fact that things didn’t go according to my thoughts, my plans. That is why Jesus said,
‘Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it (Mark 10:15).’
We try to control everybody and everything, moment by moment, to be happy, but we can never be happy unless we quit manipulating, controlling, and fixing. We can enter the kingdom of heaven only when our ego, who wants to carry out our will and plan, is like a child. The bigger our ego is, the more God’s grace loses its place in us. The time to be free from my ego and to stay in God’s love heals my distorted image and my distorted eyes to see the world, and eventually makes me realize that the world and I are sisters and brothers rooted together in the great being of love.
A simple definition of contemplation is “loving presence to what is.” The Latin roots of the word, cum (“with”) and templum (“temple”) connote the sacredness of the experience. Brother Lawrence, the 17th century Carmelite friar, called it “the loving gaze that finds God everywhere.” Contemplative Prayer is the prayer of just being.
By the way, we have Contemplative Prayer at STC every Friday at 3 pm. You are always welcome to join.
I hope that the next trip will be a leisurely time for me to fully enjoy with Butters.
Peace of Christ,
Prisca
Associate Priest for Pan-Asian Ministry
