Oh, Happiness!

One of my first-favorite passages of Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov comes at the end of Part 1. I love the joy and peace of it:

"... he laughed again ... softly and happily. He slowly put the note into the little envelope, crossed himself, and lay down. The confusion in his soul suddenly passed. 'Lord, have mercy on them all today, unhappy and stormy as they are, preserve and guide them. All ways are yours: save them according to your ways. You are love, you will send joy to all!' Alyosha murmured, crossing himself and falling into a serene sleep."

I was reminded of this passage as I listened to David Crowder* Band's "Oh, Happiness!" - a similar strain of meaning echoes in the lyrics, "Oh, happiness! There's grace enough for us and the whole human race."

Yesterday was one of those rare days where I spent the good part of it in joy. Peace and joy. Diapers, dishes, sweeping, feeding the baby - it was all joy, because God is. And he is love. I was perfectly at peace yesterday morning - I knew myself to be the worst of sinners and yet would have been happy in hell if I could retain one thing, simply knowing that God, who is love, was and is and will be forever. Nothing was needed beyond that knowing. I could rest there.

I am not a good man. But Glory to Jesus Christ! for God is good, and the lover of mankind.

Today is another day. Pray for me.

Peace and Love, Man

HT: The WØRD

And, and, and let me add, Stephen Colbert was on Fresh Air with Terry Gross today. You can hear that interview here. Or, rather, there. And on Sunday, the 23rd, A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest of All will air at 10 p.m. on the Comedy Channel.

"I know the beauty of our Lord by it." - Hopkins

Summer breaks are short around here and the past few days we've been dragging ourselves around, quietly mourning the fact that soon the Routine will again be the routine. Laura goes back to school on Wednesday.
     So we went to the North Carolina Zoological Park today for a few short minutes before rain and routine rolled in. The park's flowers and flowering bushes are, at the moment, simply stunning. As I walked through a small butterfly garden the zoo has built, I was again surprised at how a small plot of ground, well-tended, can completely untie you from the normalcy of your environment, whether pavement or busyness or loneliness. It's witchery. And it makes me want to be a gardener. Not someone who dabbles in his yard, but someone who takes hold of it, who tends it, who works in the midst of a garden to discover the joy of vocation and creation and Gardener. A gardener creates something good, a temporary beauty that tills eternity.
     It was a peaceful and good day. And the clouds passed and the sun shone brighter and gentler.

Irresistible Revolution

The following quote is from Shane Claiborne's Irresistible Revolution: Living As an Ordinary Radical. In Chapter Seven, he describes an encounter he had with Iraqi Christians while visiting Baghdad:

One of the most beautiful worship services I've ever experienced was just a few days before I headed home. Hundreds and hundreds of Christians from all over the Middle East had gotten together - Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox - they read a statement from the Christian Church directed to the Muslim community declaring that they loved them and believe that they are created in the image of God.

Then we all sang together ... we said the Lord's Prayer in several languages. ... It was a holy time.

Afterward I was able to meet with one of the bishops who had organized the gathering, and I explained to him that I was shocked to find so many Christians in Iraq. He looked at me puzzled, and then gently said, "Yes, my friend. This is where it all began. This is the land of your ancestors. That is the Tigris River and the Euphrates - have you read about them?" And I was floored at my own ignorance, at the fact that the ancient roots of our faith lie here - this is the land of my ancestors. Christianity was not invented in America - How 'bout that?

This bishop went on to tell me that the Church in the Middle East was deeply concerned about the Church in the United States. He said, "Many Americans are for this war." And I nodded. And he asked, "But what are the Christians saying?"

My heart sank. I tried to explain to him that many of the Christians in the United States are confused and hope that this is a way that God could use to liberate the Iraqi people.

He shook his head and said, very humbly, "But, but we Christians don't believe that. We believe Blessed are the peacemakers. We believe if you pick up the sword, you die by the sword. We, we believe in the cross." Tears welled up in his eyes as he said, "We will be praying for you. We will be praying for the Church in the United States to be the Church."