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Religious Life

30/4/2015

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Some time last week it was reported in the news that 45 women had entered convents in England and Wales in 2014.  This was a great leap from 10 a few years ago.  It seems a very unlikely fact to capture the public interest and yet there were a number of reports on it and it even made the national television news. One journalist ( a woman of course) thought the idea quite a good one - no need to look for work, always looked after, enjoying the companionship of chums and an opportunity to make a difference in life. These reports were accompanied by photographs, all of nuns in religious habits which made them look out of touch with modern life.  

I have been a nun, or more accurately a religious sister, for 50 years and no longer wear a habit but I  have often been invited to talk on 'Why I Became Nun'. These  invitations have come mostly from Presbyerian Churches who seem to be a bit intrigued by the life of a nun, though many Catholics still don't understand why sisters changed out of the habit and now appear to be living a very ordinary life -  the answer is that our intention is not to make ourselves different or cut ourselves off from the rest of society but to live a life of service and commitment through the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.  I've also found Muslims baffled by a life that embraces celibacy as procreation for them is  seen as a divine obligation. Recently  I found myself telling an Ayatollah that I was a sister because I felt such  strong attraction to God and things spiritual to the extent that God was the love of my life. I suprised myself with this comment but realise it's true even though I don't know who or what God is. 

This attraction is felt by others who don't have a sense of a personal God but the desire to commit one's only life to whatever is absolute is as much part of a Buddhist nun's life as a Christian's. In dialogue with Buddhist nuns I have felt a real sense of sisterhood and solidarity and while the language and pattern of life might be different the reality at the heart of it seems to be very much the same.  I've not had the same experience in talking with Hindu nuns but I'm sure the experience would be the same. It's this sameness that made monastic interfaith dialogue so fruitful and it's this dialogue that paved the way for more formal dialogue in the Catholic Church. 

While Islam has no formal religious life there have been women who have rebelled against the expectation of marriage and family to dedicate themselves totally to God. A favourite of mine is Rabia. Rabia lived in Iraq in 8th century, close to the beginnings  of Islam, a bit like the desert mothers and fathers in Christianity who chose a committed way of life when Christianity became the religion of the Empire. She was born into a poor family, sold into slavery, lived a life of prayer and asceticism for a time and eventually recognised as a great saint. Miracles were associated with her like the story of a holy man, Ibrahim b, Adham, who spent fourteen years  travelling to the Kaba'ah, praying on every step. When he arrived, the Kaba'ah was not there because it had gone to meet Rabia who was also on her way to Mecca. Rabia's reputed comment was " you  traversed it with ritual prayer but I with personal supplication..........The Kaba'ah which I see has no power over me. What joy does the beauty of the Kaba'ah bring to me?"  For Rabia true religion was not focussed on religious ritual but on a personal relationship with God which would bring about inner and personal transformation. She realised that religion can become an end in itself and block relationships with God. " Sufyan would be a good man if only he did not love the Traditions", she is reported to have said.

 In this way Rabia fits well into the tradition of religious life which is  prophetic in that it challenges religious systems that are always in danger of becoming institutionalised and focussing on their own survival. It points to the heart of religion - human flourishing and well-being. Religions would be the poorer without it and any sign that there's a renewed interest in it is a good thing. 

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The gift of suffering?

23/4/2015

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Last night I took part in an interfaith event at which my friend Ani Lhamo from Samye Ling Tibetan Monastery introduced mostly Christians to the Buddhist scriptures.  This was the last in a series of conversations in which people from different religions had talked about their holy books, their approach to scripture, how it was used at home and in their places of worship.  In all the faiths the scriptures were treated with great respect and obviously loved by those who drew strength from them and followed their guidance.  Perhaps the most touching moment of all the inputs was the sharing of a favourite passage of scripture and the opportunity for all those present to take some time to quietly reflect and share their thoughts on the passage. Not all religions approach their scripture in this way. In Christianity there is a practice called lectio divina which is the slow reading of a passage, allowing any word or phrase to resonate, letting it challenge, encourage or deepen our relationship with God.  Tich Nhat Hanh uses the analogy of listening to the resonance of the bell to describe this listening to the resonance of the word and letting it penetrate deeply into our psyche and soul. 

For some people the similarity to the Christian scriptures was immediately noticeable though sometimes I wondered if noticing similarities was a way of staying with the familiar in the face of new ideas and concepts. Whatever, it was obvious that all the passages we were given contained a wisdom which for believers could be said to be the Word of God. It was wonderful to realise the gift of wisdom that there is in the scriptures of the world's religions - a wisdom that is available to all of us. They all contained good solid advice for living a good life. More than one presenter reflected on how moving it was to have someone of another faith reflect and comment on their scripture - something that is done regularly in scriptural reasoning groups and a great way of entering into the religion of another. 

Last night we heard about the immense number of Buddhist scriptures - the one hundred volumes of the Words of the Buddha and the even larger number of commentaries on this. This was quite different from the Gospels or the Torah or the Qur'an that can be contained in one book and carried around by believers to be read and studied at will.  But Ani Lhamo introduced us to one of her favourite teachings ( interestingly we found that not all religions used the word scripture).  It was a few verses from 'The Thirty-Seven Verses on the Practice of a Bodhisattva' and though based on the words of the Buddha it was written by Gyalse Ngulchu Thogme in the early 14th century.  I love the idea of a Bodhisattva which is someone who vows to stay within the confines of rebirth until all sentient beings are saved. A great Bodhisattva is Avolektishvara whose name means 'he who hears the cries of the world' and this listening to the cries of the world and responding with love and compassion sums up the vocation of a bodhisattva.  


In my reflection I couldn't get beyond the first verse given to us which was in fact verse 11. It said 
                
                      'all suffering without exception arises from desiring happiness for oneself'

I couldn't help wonder about this. For Buddhists desire and grasping lead to suffering and to let go and practise detachment can bring peace of mind and serenity. This sounds lovely but  I can't help thinking that suffering, particularly grief and bereavement are the flip sides of love. Is it possible to have love and commitment without grief and suffering?  Is grief at a death or breakdown of a relationship not an expression of love and is it not something to be lived through. Thomas Moore, a favourite writer of mine, would say that these instances of suffering and other sufferings that come from our personalities are ways of getting in touch with our humanity, that it is these instances that develop our souls, that deepen our understanding of what it means to be human. There is a passage in the Christian scriptures in which Simeon tells Mary the Mother of Jesus that a sword shall pierce her heart. I have often thought that there comes a moment in all our lives when a sword pierces our heart, It is broken open and nothing is quite the same again. But perhaps it is in the breaking open of our heart that we develop compassion and understanding for others. Perhaps it is in the breaking open of our heart that we can make room for others, that we can live a soulful life. In this sense suffering might be a gift - not that this makes it any easier but perhaps a little bit more meaningful.

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Better Together

14/4/2015

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Today is Better Together Day. I just happened to come across it by accident. It's an american idea to help overcome religious tension and violence by encouraging people to talk to someone of another religion or non-religious affiliation about the values that they both share.  Research  shows that even having one friend of a different religious or non-religious background can build understanding and combat ignorance. I didn't talk to anyone of another faith today but I did plenty of it yesterday at a consultation about the place or religion and belief in Scottish society. Hopefully it took us further along the path of understanding.

Better Together has another connotation here in Scotland. It was the mantra of the campaign against Scottish Independence and now that Britain is in the throws of the run up to a general election there's not much sign of better together. Rather there's suspicion between political parties and declarations of who they will not enter into a coalition with. Every day there's promises from the main parties which pander to their constituencies, whether that be the poor or the rich. So many promises, some of which are unlikely to be delivered and some of which have proved unsuccessful in the past. It's as though nothing else in happening in the world. But I came across an interesting idea recently - political mindfulness. There's even an all-Party Parliamentary Group on Mindfulness in the Westminster Parliament

Mindfulness has become very popular, especially in the NHS, and a good practice for stress management. It's used to combat mental illness which in Britain is growing. It means focussing on the present moment, being honest about feelings and anxieties, recognising the context in which one finds oneself. It's about listening not only to our own inner struggles but also to the cries of the world. Is it possible to use it in politics and hopefully bring about  a bit more wisdom and a lot less hot air? 

I heard of the idea of political mindfulness came from an article in Thinking Faith, the on-line journal of the British Jesuits. The author, Rosemary Boyle, suggests that there is a move away from 'quality of life' politics to one which panders to fear and causes anxiety among voters. Mindfulness might be a way of overcoming this.  She suggests : 
   
"Perhaps there could be a new political ‘mindfulness’. This might entail acknowledging and attending to people’s feelings , particularly fears – not stoking them either by repressing fears or working them up into irrational panic; and most of all by not interpreting a fearful feeling as a trigger for action. How you interpret and help people to understand their anxieties and most importantly what you do about those feelings is a moral and practical question.  Playing on people’s fears is not and should not be used as a way of getting elected".

Well this is certainly true but hard to imagine politicians truly listening to people's fears and anxieties and writing a manifesto to answer these, though they might think they are doing just that. I suspect manifestos are more about bolstering the fears of the politicians themselves that they don't get elected. But it's good to know that many MPs have done mindfulness courses to help them face difficult issues and decisions. That it's being taken seriously. That there's a plan to have a Parliamentary Inquiry on how the UK can become a more mindful nation. But mindfulness might be dangerous if it encourages acceptance of the status quo, if it doesn't look at the social problems that militate against human flourishing, if it doesn't have a concern for the common good, if it doesn't have compassion for the marginalised and alienated.

Mindfulness is basically a religious practice, particularly Buddhist, but like any religious practice it doesn't make much sense in isolation and needs both wisdom and compassion to make it meaningful.  

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Paschal Joy

6/4/2015

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Lent is over and I've come across some interesting lenten practices that certainly got me thinking. For example in the USA an American Muslim promoted  the idea of Muslims for Lent and many Muslims took to social media to say what they'd be giving up for lent this year, whether it be chocolate, fried chicken or whatever. The reason for it was to show  solidarity with persecuted Christians, particularly in light of the recent murder of 21 Coptic Christians by Islamic State militants.  The inspiration came from Bassel Riche  who is reported as saying  “Thus far, the reaction from Muslims and Christians alike has been wonderful and overwhelmingly positive........ “Many of my Christian friends have responded showing their support and appreciation for these interfaith efforts. I hope this is just the beginning.”  He told The Independent that he was inspired to start the campaign after non-Muslim students joined in with the Muslim Students Association’s Ramadan Fast-a-Thon at his former college, the University of Houston.

Fast-A-Thon has become an annual event, normally, held during  the month of Ramadan on university campuses all across North America. It's purpose is  to create awareness of the Islamic way of life as well as world hunger.   Students are invited to join their Muslim brothers and sisters in a one day fast, which according to the Islamic tradition is no eating or drinking during the hours of daylight. Students are then encouraged to donate what they have spent on food and drink to be given to charity and are invited to break the fast with other Muslims at the end of the day. The first fast-a-thon took place at the University of Tennessee  in 2001 after 9/11 to help dispel misconceptions about Islam and Muslims.  Since then it has become a national event that includes  a large number of colleges and universities throughout the US but so far I haven't heard of it in Britain. 

I like this idea of fasting in some way or other as an act of solidarity, not only with those who are hungry but also with those who are persecuted for their faith. It helps us enter into the world of another without too much effort.

Another lenten story I read about was   an American woman who decided to wear the hijab for the forty days of lent. According to the BBC report Jessie Eagen, who works in a Church in Illinois said she wanted to put herself in someone else's shoes and hoped that her practice of solidarity and empathy with the Muslim community would foster interfaith dialogue. While the people in her Church were very supportive she had some antagonistic comments on social media that rather shocked her and one Muslim woman's blog I read thought that all she had to do to understand Muslim women was talk to them. At first I wondered if I could do that next lent but don't think I'm inclined to. For one thing I have worn the hijab - on a visit to the Islamic city of Marawi in the Philippines at a time when westerners were being kidnapped and we had to be protected by armed guards. I found it difficult to manage and my attempts were anything but the sophisticated way many Muslim women wear their scarfs.  I've also worn a religious habit so know what it's like to be   pointed at and laughed at and I wouldn't want to go back to that in any way. i like the freedom to express myself as i want. Perhaps though I would join in World Hijab day, especially if I lived in a country like France that wanted to ban it in public. 

But lent is now over and Easter is here. This year the Jewish festival of Pesach happened to be on Good Friday. In the Middle Ages this would have been the cause of violence against Jews and many Jews learned to keep away from public view on the last three days before Easter - days that are specially solemn in the Christian calendar.  Thank God those days are over and Christians are once again recognising the Jewishness of Jesus and their familial relationship with the Jewish community. This year I was particularly blessed in being invited to share the Passover meal with Jewish friends. It was a long affair but a wonderful example of how to celebrate and remember within a family situation. I wish our Christian eucharist was more familial. I was very impressed because the seder ( the order of service that we used) referred constantly 
to injustices in our world. At one point it is customary to dip a finger in wine and drop it on a plate as the ten plagues are recited. We did that but we also followed with naming 10 plagues in our modern society – injustice, poverty, violence, human trafficking etc. We opened the door to welcome Elijah but also the poor and the stranger.  There was no way this was just looking back on a past event. It was also offering inspiration and encouragement for future action. For me this was the highlight of my celebration of Easter. Both festivals are about freedom, remembering past graces, aware of present failures. Both festivals are about claiming our dignity as God's people and knowing that we can make a difference in the world, following in our respective traditions, respecting eachother and strengthened by our common bonds of love and friendship.  This is surely the gift of Pesach and Easter. I am so happy to have experienced it this year.

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    I am  a Catholic nun, involved in interfaith relations for many decades.  For me this has been an exciting and sacred journey which I would like to share with others.

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