Creative Ministry - Week 5
Reading: Chapter 4 and 5
This week we explore two full chapters! In chapter 4 we explore our role as agents of social change and in chapter 5 we are called to a celebration of life. In keeping with the earlier chapters, these two are challenging to digest, but I think we will find it well worth the effort.
1) To begin with, Henri calls us to be agents of social change - to take an honest look at the problems and injustices within the systems that govern our society, and facilitate change.
a) What is your initial reaction to this call? Does it naturally excite you or would you consider it more of a discipline?
b) Do you think all people are called to be agents of social change, or does it depend on individual talents/ gifts/ personality types?
c) Can you share a specific example - an inspiring true story of regular people who came together under the stirrings of the Holy Spirit to work for a larger societal change?
2) Henri then duly warns us of possible pitfalls in this process, and encourages us with proper perspectives.
a) Can you relate to the three pitfalls Henri describes, concretism, power and pride? Have you seen them play out in yourself personally or in a project you've been a part of?
b) Similarly, have you seen the healthy perspectives of hope, receptivity and shared responsibility demonstrated in work for social change?
3) Chapter 5 almost seems in contradiction to chapter 4, but they most certainly must be in balance for either to truly bloom in our lives. Henri calls us to celebration. He explains that celebration is "the acceptance of life in a constantly increasing awareness of its preciousness. And life is precious not only because it can been seen, touched, and tasted, but also because it will be gone one day" (p 97).
a) Have you ever known a person or a family who was living something very difficult - poverty, deep loss or severe illness, yet they seemed to be able to celebrate life?
4) Henri then gives us some specific tools that we can explore as we seek to learn to be people who celebrate, and lead others in the act of celebration.
a) First of all, we are invited to affirm the present moment. What do you think this means? Have you experimented with this in your own life? What does it look like?
b) Next we are asked to remember our past. Have you experienced how when forgiveness is asked for personal or collective history, true life, freedom and celebration can flow?
c) Finally, celebration is filled with expectations for the future. What basis do we have for such hopeful expectation?
I feel that each of these questions could have a lot of sub questions. I invite you to discover the idea that stood out to you, and really explore it! You can also feel free to put your own question out to the group.
December 18th, 2012 at 3:43 pm
Hi friends:
I would just like to request some special prayer. Our daughter is home from Tech School. She had very unhealthy ways of being at home - helping out very little, lots of night life, watching crappy TV when home and other decisions that we disagree with. It’s good to have her home, but please pray for us in all being able to live together in a healthy manner. I know there are quite a few of us empty nesters in this discussion, and integrating them back home again isn’t always easy either.
December 19th, 2012 at 12:36 am
Marianne, your saying that “integrating them back home again isn’t always easy” is an understatement! I understand where you are coming from on that one.
As to these two chapters, a few things stood out for me. When I began reading the book, for whatever reason, I latched on to this humility theme that seems at a minimum to be a continuous undercurrent in the discussions.
First, Henri Nouwen’s discussion in Chapter Four about agents of social change really struck a chord when he talked about our expectations when we begin working trying to change what we perceive to be an injustice. To be perfectly honest, I had never thought about this the way he described. When we go out to try and make a difference (and I am speaking for myself, so please do not take offense if you are not also guilty of this) we do so on our agenda, and really do have expectations as to what result we expect to see. That is our pride coming out. What Henri Nouwen seems to say is that when we engage in such activities, we must do so with humility, without expectations. In other words, we simply do the act, and let it go. His example of Martin Luther King I thought was excellent. Martin Luther King knew that he did not have to see results, that he was doing the right thing. And that in the end, things would work out according to God’s plan. After all, it is not up to us, it is up to God. I was reminded of the Readings at Mass this past Sunday, which was the third Sunday in Advent. When the folks came to John the Baptist and asked what they should do, he told them that if they had two cloaks, that they should give one away. He didn’t tell them what they should expect in so doing. He simply told them to act.
Second, the discussion about celebrations in Chapter Five made me look at such happenings in a totally different fashion. If this is the one and only thing I take away from this book, it is well worth it. I saw celebrations as something reserved for special events, something that only includes joy and festivities. I owe Henri Nouwen a debt of gratitude as he made me see that every moment of my life and the lives of those around me is a celebration, that it includes all things; happy, sad, good, bad, or otherwise; what was, is, and will be. Suddenly there are no disappointments when you see life as a celebration as he describes, and one can find inner peace and calm in God’s creation. Again, I was reminded of the Mass Readings last Sunday, the first reading from Zephaniah, where we are told not to fear, that whatever is happening to us, no matter how terrible or depressing, that God is with us. What more can we ask?
December 19th, 2012 at 12:04 pm
Marianne, I certainly am praying for you. Our daughter was home at Thanksgiving, and I think because she is stressed out over her relationship concerns with her boy-friend and future mother-in-law spent the first day constantly criticizing me and the way we live in our home–not as tidy and organized as she tries to be. Eventually, it got better (because I kept telling her we are two separate people and that’s OK, though I also promised her I would declutter some) but I think we are trying to give each other space to live our own lives, make our own decisions–and mistakes–and just do the best with the situations we are placed in and understand the stuff that is going on deep inside better. My prayers are going up for you and your daughter, Marianne, that your Christmas and New Years holidays will be very, very blessed.
I particularly enjoyed Chapter 4 and just Xeroxed a copy of the chapter to share with my Pastor. Our church has given an acre of land to a local man to start a “Community Farm”, goal of distributing the food to the needy through a local hunger agency. This is going to be its sixth year of operation and the man is in burnout so he is relinquishing the responsibility. My husband and I are not “management types”, wanting to make all the decisions, etc., and we are the only two people from the church who have been working there in the field. Henri Nouwen’s writing is truly a gift from God for me right now because it has helped me to see a different way to keep the Farm viable and operative. I’m going to read and reread that chapter, and probably again the whole book until I’m completely saturated with the theological way of looking at doing service and working in this world for the results God would have us all have. You’re an angel, Henri, and all of you who pass on his teachings and so MUCH HELP to us, guiding and modeling the wisest of ways to do good for people and ourselves.
December 19th, 2012 at 9:13 pm
Marianne I am praying for your daughter and for your family as you journey
through the adjusting to your daughter being home and the choices she is
making.
How helpful to read your shared insights for Chapter 4 & 5 Chuck.
I haven’t posted and for me that disappointing. I do appreciate that I
can read the chapters & although I can’t seem to formulate my insights
I can read the insights and comments of others.
December 20th, 2012 at 10:47 pm
Marianne, my wife and I have seven children between us - the youngest of whom is 18 and my prayers are with you. It’s fair to say that we have had our challenges as our children struggle to grow and become independent adults. My wife and I don’t always have the same perspective on how to cope with our children’s struggles, but I can say that by the grace of God growth has occurred for the older ones and is occurring now for their younger siblings - and we have also grown in the process.
Chuck, I have benefitted from your thoughtful postings and keeping the theme of humility in the forefront. And it occurred to me this evening as I was preparing to write this post that humility is the only appropriate response to the gift of life that we have received. Our life and everything we are or ever will be is a gift from the eternal and loving God. And we are called to share that gift of life, to share God’s love, with those that we meet on our journey. Said another way, we are to celebrate the gift of life that we have received and to make it a gift to to others — to make it a present (gift) and in this Christmas season we all know that gifts (presents) are given in the present. And this is why people like me that are late in getting ready are running around to make sure that my presents (gifts) will be present (under the tree) in the present (moment) when our family gathers together to celebrate the coming of the source of life itself into the world on Christmas Eve.
There were a number of ideas in these two chapters that were particularly meaningful to me and I will briefly address one from each chapter here.
When discussing the Christian agent of social change in chapter four, Henri discusses the perspective of the Yogi that believes that the place to start changing the world is in the center of thier own inner life - in the heart. And he asks if the growing interest in the Pentecostal movement in the Catholic Church (now the Catholic Charismatic Renewal) might be evidence of this call to internal renewal - with the risk that those turning inward might ignore the need for real change in the world. As it turns out, in calling for a “new evangelization” that reaches out to those living in our “…working, hurrying, and worrying culture…” (p. 104) Blessed John Paul II pointed to the Charismatic Renewal and other new movements in the church to take the gifts of the Holy Spirit that they have received within their hearts and communities and to share those gifts and the awesome fact that “Jesus is Alive” and “present in the present” with the the people of God. In the fifty years since Vatical II there has been a spiritual renewal in the heart of the church and we are called to share that gift with all.
And it was the celebrate life that was a tremendous gift for me this Advent. As I may have written in an earlier post, my job is particularly tedious and boring, at this time I am discouraged that I am unable to utilize my talents and experience to contribute to positive outcomes in the work place.
Unfortunately, I see little chance of this situation changing in the near future and, regrettably, I have let this job situation color my outlook on life in general to the detriment of those around me, especially my wife and our family. If “celebration is the acceptance of life in a constantly increasing awareness its preciousness” I know I have not been celebrating. And for me the reason is simple - I do not follow Henri’s simple guideline, “We can only really celebrate when we are present in the present.” If I can truly learn - and practice - “celebration” I will have received the greatest gift of the season- a life changing and life affirming gift that can only come from God through the Incarnation of Jesus. At the conslusion of this chapter Henri wrote that “…the main idea of this chapter is that obedience to God and creation is the basic condition for being a celebrant of life.” In the margin of the same page I wrote, Jesus is the source of life. We are called to celebrate life - that is, to celebrate Jesus and to share His life and love with others.
A minister is a celebrant of life - and we are all ministers.
Ray
December 21st, 2012 at 11:04 pm
Hi friends. Thanks so much for the prayers. It has been very helpful. Things are going a bit smoother as bit by bit we spend time with our daughter, trying to support her where we can and to challenge her choices that cause pain.
I will probably have to read over these chapters later to fully digest them however I have underlined a few things. p 75 there is a nice big paragraph there that talks about how a minister ought to “make people aware of their hidden potential, to unify the many different self-interests into a common concern and to remove the paralyzing influence of fatalism…” especially in the wake of the shootings in Connecticut, sometimes it’s easy to wonder what this world is coming to. The writings of Noewen have always instilled hope and discouraged a fatalistic viewpoint - even on behalf of the “religious” community.
p 83 - to summarize, talks about the North American view of God as Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny who is supposed to bring great gifts. When I worked in Intensive Care, I felt very frustrated at many Christians who demaned healing of their loved ones as the “only answer to prayerful requests.” Because they knew God was capable of providing physical healing, this is what they demanded rather than seeing God in the illness, God in the caregivers and learning what God had to teach along the path. When I first had my migraines, I too was fixated on finding the “one easy fix” that would heal the whole illness. Some people suggested that I hadn’t been healed because I hadn’t prayed hard enough or hadn’t prayed in the right way or hadn’t prayed in their church. I will be happy when my headaches leave but honestly, they keep me humble. They keep me looking toward God and asking him, “Lord, what will YOU have me to do?” It’s important to be more concerned about the Giver than the gift.
2 years ago in January, I was privileged to go to Guatemala for the 2nd time on a surgical team providing health care to Guatemalans. What a gift to see the people - how they dressed, how they interacted, how they valued family. I did all the receiving as I tried to look at their lives and appreciate their methods. I would have enjoyed being even more immersed in their culture.p. 88 I underlined “As long as we want to change the coundition of other people because we feel guilty about our wealth, we are still playing the power game and waiting for thanks.”
Admittedly, I need to get a whole heck of a lot better at celebrating. I find I so easily want to escape my present condition - particularly where parenting is concerned, I guess. I did really enjoy my children and loved so much of their lives, however, when they were little, I thought parenting was a hardship because I was so tired all the time. When they were older, I put so much pressure on myself to be the perfect parent. When they were teens, that’s a category all its own and now when they are young adults, I need to find the good in the struggling that they do. Even a little progress needs to be celebrated! I know i’m my own worst critic, and if you knew me, you would never say, “Yeah, Marriane never enjoyed those kids,” I just think of my mother-in-law who survived WW2 and is not bitter. She laughs easily and likes to celebrate. I can really identify with p. 104 “OUr culture is a working, hurrying and worrying cuture with many opportunities but very little opportunity to celebrate life.” Finding time to celebrate is a good goal, and what better time than Christmas?
So that’s my story and I”m sticking to it! Hope you all have a good weekend.
December 22nd, 2012 at 10:11 am
This Christmas as I “am family” and others “are family” with me, I am taking comfort in Nouwen’s writing “What we then ask from each other is not, first of all, to solve a problem or to give a hand, but to affirm each other in the many different ways we experience life. When this takes place, community starts to form and becomes a reality that can be celebrated as an affirmation of the multiformity of being in which we all take part.” Also “Frequently, this Eucharistic celebration of life takes place elsewhere than where it is formally planned. Life is not always really celebrated where liturgies are held.” And at the end of Chapter 5, “We are only a very small part of history and have only one short life to live, but when we take the fruits of our labor in our hands and stretch our arms to God in the deep belief that God hears us and accepts our gifts, then we know that all of our life is given, and given to celebrate.” We are visiting our daughter and her boyfriend and mother-in-law in another City and hopefully seeing the community garden in their area this afternoon and I think that this will be celebratory for all of us and Eucharistic experience. Nouwen’s writing about nature and real nature–not plastic rose–in this chapter really spoke to me. Even with all the things that can divide people and alienate people from each other, I believe Nouwen’s writing, his Pastoral guidance, and that each day true community can and does become visible among us. That is my faith in God which I think Nouwen and others try to help us embrace more and more as we experience it. This blog has contributed so much to our family Advent and we are celebrating.
December 22nd, 2012 at 10:14 am
And Merry Christmas to you, Brynn, and everyone on the blog. I look forward to the Lenten book reading and sharing.
December 22nd, 2012 at 2:44 pm
I’ve been praying all week for your family situation, Marianne.
When I read Chapter 4, it reminded me of the time I was new to parish ministry. I couldn’t understand how we could spend so much time with people in the RCIA process (ours was a good 18 months long), explaining the faith, nurturing spirituality, teaching prayer, seeing the excitement in them at having found God and the church, only to have them fade away after a while, when we on the team were all so challenged and nourished by their interaction with the Gospel. Then, as DRE, I saw the same thing in people who had attended a lot of our adult ed groups and in families that we had worked so hard with as the children received the sacraments. They’d be so excited about the Faith - then we didn’t see them and found out they no longer went to church or had joined some other group. I finally had to learn to let go of the expectation of results and learn to trust that I only see the partial picture. I might think I had failed when a person seems to reject the values I tried to live as well as teach, but I have to trust that those seeds I planted may have to be dormant for a while. I have to remember that God’s time is not my time and to trust that, as long as I pour myself out in service, nothing is wasted, to concentrate on being attuned to God’s will so that I’m doing what He wants - and not to worry about what comes of them. I had to learn to allow others freedom, to give in response to what they asked but to truly give with no thought of any return or even to expect a thank you. I agree with Henri that expecting thanks is a power thing! And it’s so hard to move beyond. I also had to learn to wait for the faith question - or other need. What energized and excited me might not be anything another person cared about, so the important thing was to respect and accept them for where they were and what they needed at that moment. So I had to constantly remind myself not to let what seemed to be failures discourage me so that I gave up hope, became cynical and quit trying. Many of those lessons still help me survive the harsh world of animal sheltering, where you struggle with people who can’t be bothered to socialize or train and animal or teach it manners, but dump it when it’s no longer a cute puppy or kitten. You get tired of always being a beacon of hope and example of how things SHOULD be, but you keep plugging away at doing what is right and hope that someday there will be enough people like you doing the same thing that change will occur.
During Advent I always struggle with loneliness, wishing I had someone to share things with, someone who was intensely interested in what I was thinking and feeling. I always have one more temptation to reject what I have learned and to put conditions on my giving. I wish more people I’d helped through the year would thank me, or tell me how great I am, or give me a gift. I don’t want to always give with no expectations of something in return; I want to bind the people to whom I’ve poured myself out to some kind of response that builds me up and fills that lonely hole within me. This week has been that time and one reason I haven’t posted. All felt like dust–or tears. I was tired of being the one people always come to when they need something but never invite to anything. I wanted someone to do something for me for a change. I felt my efforts to reach out to people have been totally unsuccessful. I didn’t feel like celebrating anything. But I dutifully read Chapter 5 (even while thinking bah, humbug). And I struggled to push through the fog of despair, one step at a time, thinking this really isn’t me, this isn’t what I base my life upon. It’s just the unconverted parts of me temporarily taking the upper hand. But it’s only temporary, because from ashes comes life, from the cross comes the Resurrection. I only have to open my eyes to see the good around me, to find reasons to celebrate. I am surrounded by mystery; I just have to allow it to enter my inmost being and dispel the darkness there. God became flesh so that He could experience all of human life. Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus.
December 22nd, 2012 at 4:57 pm
True thanks to each of you. We are a smaller group, but it has been a blessing. Each of you have shared so honestly, beautiful and deeply. Amazing.
A number of things stuck out to me in these two chapters - but the thing I’ve been really mulling over is from Chapter 5, on Celebrating. I appreciate Henri’s encouragement to be present to the current moment.
“Celebrating is first of all the full affirmation of our present condition. We say with full consciousness: We are, we are here, we are now, and let it be that way. We can only really celebrate when we are present in the present. If anything has become clear, it is that we have to a large extent lost the capability to live in the present”(p98).
This is something that I can say has been, and still is, true of me. I often find myself living in the future. This isn’t always a bad thing (makes for great organizational skills), but it often leads to worry, and a lot of “what if” questions which cause anxiety. It makes it very difficult to be present to the current moment. I can see how this can hinder my ability to minister well to others. It is really sad to think of all the time I’ve spent distracted by worry.
As I’ve grown in my awareness of this habit of mine, and its effects, I’ve been working to form new pathways in my mind. I often think of the verse in Matthew that says: 34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Yet, I often question the how. Of course I want to not worry about tomorrow, but how to I make that change Jesus??
In the verse prior Jesus tells us, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (v 33). I think this has everything to do with living in the current moment. It reminds me of our discussion a few weeks ago, of practicing the presence of God. Making a habit of looking to Him in each moment. Of surrendering all to Him. And when I realize I’ve taken the control back, to surrender to Him again. And again. Seeking His direction, and trusting it. Seeing His goodness in the people and world around me right now, and articulating gratitude. Living it. As Henri says, “The word ‘Eucharist,’ which means thanksgiving, expresses a way of accepting life in which the past and the future are brought together in the present moment” (p103).
One practical thing I’ve learned to do, to facilitate this process, is to be mindful of my current breath. It is called mindfulness practice, and it is learning to be fully aware of the breath I am breathing at this moment. Once I’ve re-connected with my breath in this moment, I can often then open my mind and heart to God in a less distracted way. He gave me this breath, and the next one belongs to Him.
I want to live each breath fully, dedicate each breath to His Kingdom, and be thankful for His goodness in all.
That was a bit of a ramble. I feel like I’ve danced around what I wanted to say, but perhaps it is still in formation and can’t be fully articulated.
We still do have one more week of this discussion - next week we will read the conclusion and epilogue (Henri does something interesting here), and we’ll have a chance to wrap up the book and this wonderful discussion.
Brynn
December 22nd, 2012 at 8:00 pm
On a lighter note, I’ve always admired my mother and her sister. They always insisted that you can find something to laugh about no matter how hard life is. Their father died when my mother (now 88) was 3. In those days there was no public help for widows. My grandmother managed to get a job - low-paying and long hours - and they survived, but it was grim, especially during the depression. But they could always find things to laugh about and always enjoyed doing little silly things to make each other laugh. We didn’t have much when I was growing up, but we always laughed. Just as I left for college and Mother thought she could turn my bedroom into, finally, a studio where she could paint, she had to take in my grandmother. She cared for her without help from either sister for something like 20 years–one because she was having too much fun, the other, Rose Lee, because she had troubles of her own. But she and Mother talked a lot on the phone and always laughed. Then, no sooner than my grandmother died, my dad got cancer and eventually died. It was harder for Mother to laugh, but she still found something and enjoyed us 3 girls finding silly little things in life to tell her and laugh about. I call her every Sunday night after Mass and she always has some funny little incident she has saved all week to tell me - and I try to look around and notice silly happenings to share with her. Mother always called Aunt Rose Lee every Saturday morning and would save up funny things she read or heard or we told her, to tell Rose Lee, especially the last couple of years as Rose Lee got weaker and weaker. This last year she was confined to bed in a nursing home, on her back in terrible pain, and Mother increased the phone calls. It was only in the last month or so before she died that Rose Lee could no longer laugh. After her death this summer, Mother had a hard time not picking up the phone when it was time to call her, and she went a little silent when I called her, but she’s now back to looking at life with a chuckle. Just about anything can be told in a light-hearted way, and if you look at life in an effort to find those bloopers or silly adventures, anything can be survived.
December 23rd, 2012 at 5:05 pm
Week 4 Chapter 3
Again running behind, though very much enjoying this book discussion. First I will post for week 4 my random thoughts. I have so enjoyed reading everyone else’s posts which have given me much food for thought and other ways to see what Henri has written about. Thank so much for sharing your thoughts!!!
3.a. Do you ever shy away from reaching out to those in distress, for fear that if you offer a little of yourself, much more will be demanded/taken? Actually, my fear is being asked to do something I don’t feel capable of or inadequate to do, and then regret reaching out. Fear of doing something wrong, disappointing them or making things worse. I choose to do things that tend to be one time type of events rather than ongoing participations in providing help for others and growth for me.
The section in this chapter which struck me most was the statement under self-affirmation. “Those who think that they have no special contribution to make to others—that they are seen more as decorations than as important contributors to life, more tolerated than needed—will in the long run become depressed, apathetic, dull, and irritable.” (pp 52-53) It frustrates me immensely, that I rely too much on others to affirm my self-worth. I still am trying to figure out God’s calling on my life, looking for something very concrete and specific, as well as remembering that God loves me and accepts me where I’m at. However, every time I ask myself, “What does God expect of me?” the answer I come up with is to do what is before me. Be in the here and now, pay attention continuously. Not exactly what I’m looking for. When I do do something I feel compelled to do and it’s not received well or they way I expected, then I feel like I’m being tolerated. I continually have to remind myself, to be concerned about what God thinks and not others. And I believe God does use what we choose to do or not do, though we may never know its impact on others.
CEL: “How can I be present to them in such a way that they see through me to the God of all life and perhaps become more appreciative of the sacred?” This statement touched me in such a way, I’m not sure I can express very well how it touched me. It made me think of what everyone was commenting on, being humble, active listening, emptying oneself, being present . . . to see God in this person and to respond to them as such so that they know that they are being heard and accepted to see God through “us.” It reminds me of people who truly reflect God to others and myself as well, and I so enjoy their company as I do when I have my quiet time with God, a time of fellowship that is so good you don’t want to leave.
Thanks again to everyone. I will post week 5 in a separate post. God bless you for sharing your thoughts!
December 31st, 2012 at 2:05 pm
What will I do to lay down my life in creative ministry to another?
In laying down my life, I become humble, vulnerable, and open to my companions in this sacred communion of creative ministry. I lay down my ploughshares of power and control in the process of ministering. I am available
fully for paying attention deserved by my companion on the journey of ministry.
Henri talks about creative weakness: I believe it is the levelling off of the power and control I may be tempted to administer to my companion. It is not that. It is not weakness with regards to hulk-strength. It is a joyous surrendering of myself to enable my companion to be heard, and in that circulatory process which was described in an earlier chapter, creative ministry can take place.
Henri’s decision to post the criticisms demonstrates creative ministry’s heart: opening the door, allowing views to come into the door, to recognize, acknowledge, and welcome them for their value in one’s expression. Ultimately, as creative ministry is professed, we are ready to discern and integrate these points of view into our processing.