Rock Solid

That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built. Luke 6:48

The Rocky Mountains are full of rocks, and most of us have to dig them up in order to put down a foundation. On the other hand we have a nearby example of an old chapel literally built upon a huge boulder surrounded by marshy terrain. Even the highway department went around it rather than remove it. It'll be there for a long time. The point of the pericope above illustrates the value of a person who has a solid foundation for his or her life of faith, which manifests in good works for the community. When faith comes from the heart which focuses on the Other rather than the Self, the inevitable floods of disappointment or sorrow cannot prevail. Faith based upon early parental guidance or solid conversion forms a foundation for unwavering convictions regarding shifting cultural mores. Without it, the vicissitudes of society deplete our resources of integrity. Keep the Faith. Shalom, Mother BE

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Photo by Ken Brin

The In-Between Faith

We hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works of law. Romans 3:21

This pericope seems to be an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. Justification apart from Law? We talk about our Justice System as something that enforces the Laws of the Land. My dictionary has six uses for the word "justify" ranging from even-spaced print to pardon. The word in the middle, "faith," in the above quote takes us out of the realm of empirical Law affecting our station in life, to the Divine Law that affects our motivation and attitude. The two "Laws" do not contradict each other, but they are complementary. To have Faith does not mean we don't have to keep the Law, but the things we think and say (our works) are also not governed by the Law. If our motivation is Faith oriented, our attitudes will be focused on the well-being of others, which is what the Law intends. The catch-22 encircles us when we suppose that Divine Law reflects Empirical Law. NO WAY. One, Divine Justice, is a Holy gift which cannot be earned by doing the right works. The other, the Legal System, demands right actions, and "right" depends upon the legislature. Let us exercise Faith in mercy one to another. Shalom, Mother BE 

Testimony

On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony; and in the evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. Numbers 9:15

The tabernacle, in the Exodus story, held the stone tablets that Moses brought down from the mountain which were inscribed with the Big Ten Commandments, the testimony of the Presence of the Holy One. The stones were not especially holy, nor were the carefully described boards that made up the conveyance, nor was the goat hair tent above it all. The Exodus tabernacle has long been lost to legend, but the testimony of millennia generations follows us to this day: the cloud by day, the pillar of fire by night to assure the people of the Holy Presence. A child's growth patterns mirror the developmental stages of human insight. For example, the baby wails for nutrition, the toddler smears food from head to toe, the teen auditions taste. Finally the adult relaxes into healthful habits. It's that way with spiritual nourishment too. First we need manifestations of Holy Presence such as visions, warm feelings, or revelations in meaningful scriptures. Then we go overboard with our excitement often putting people on edge. We go through the stage of testing our beliefs with other belief systems until we mature into grace-filled adults. Finally, our testimony becomes the testimony of divine Presence. Whatever your stage of development, may you glow with the testimony of Love. Shalom, Mother BE  

See list of books and articles at www.woodlily.org. order online from Amazon.com