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Welcome to OneLife Ministries. This site is designed to lead you prayerfully into a heart experience of Divine Presence, Who is Love. While it focuses on Christian teaching, I hope persons of varied faiths will find inspiration here. Indeed, "God" can be whatever image helps us trust in the Sacred, by whatever means Grace touches us each. Please share this ministry with others, and please return soon. There is a new offering daily. And to be placed on the daily OneLife email list, to request notifications of new writings or submit prayer requests, write to briankwilcox@yahoo.com .
Blessings,
Brian Kenneth Wilcox MDiv, MFT, PhD
Interspiritual Pastor-Teacher, Author, Workshop Leader,
Spiritual Counselor, and Chaplain.
Brian encourages support of the 4-Star Christian organization Compassion, which supports children worldwide; see www.compassion.com .
Prayer
Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess You have given me: I surrender it all to You to be disposed of according to Your will. Give me only Your love and Your grace; with these I will be rich enough, and will desire nothing more.
*St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)
Scripture
46 Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. 47 When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
48 “Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
49 When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.” So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” 50 Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.
51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “My rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!”
52 And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.
*Mark 10.46-52 (NLT)
Spiritual Teaching
A scene from Leonard Bernstein's Mass, written in memory of John F. Kennedy, has a priest, near the end of the opus, lifted up by his people. He is dressed ornately in liturgical garb. He towers high above the people. Suddenly, the human pyramid collapses. The priest tumbles down. His vestments are ripped off, and the chalice is lies shattered on the ground. The priest walks slowly through the debris of his past glory - barefoot, wearing only a T-shirt and blue jeans - and children's voices are heard singing, "Laude, laude, laude" - "Praise, praise, praise." The priest notices the broken chalice. He looks at it for a time, then, haltingly, he says, "I never realized that broken glass could shine so brightly."
*Henri J. M. Nouwen. Life of the Beloved.
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The above book of Nouwen is subtitled "Living Spiritually in a Secular World." To live spiritually, with authenticity, in a secular world means to be honest about our brokenness. As persons and society we are broken. The lack of such honesty may be a reason many persons have lost faith in religion, even while not losing faith in a spiritual Reality.
I appreciate that all religious language is poetic, in that it points to a higher Reality than itself. The word "sin" is such a word. Sometimes, certain words are so laden with misuse, they do not serve us well, or another word serves better to point to the same truth. For me, the word "brokenness" speaks to me more of my condition and need of Grace than does "sin." I am broken. That avoids the moralistic, judgmental tones often used with "sin."
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Nouwen considers where we begin in considering our brokenness. He suggests:
Perhaps the simplest beginning would be to say that our brokenness reveals something about who we are. Our sufferings and pain are not simply bothersome interruptions of our lives; rather, they touch us in our uniqueness and our most intimate individuality.
To say "I am broken" is to say something general and unique. Such confession is of my kinship with every other person who has lived on earth, does now, and will. To say "I am broken" is to say, too, that I am broken. And that brokenness is so intimate as to take the particular shape of my being and life.
Our brokenness is truly ours. Nobody else's. Our brokenness is as unique as our chosenness and our blessedness.
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Sometimes we may not want to look at and name our brokenness. Yet, I agree with Nouwen, that we are to claim our brokenness, even as we are to claim our chosenness and blessedness. To be broken does not mean a lack of being chosen or blessed; we are broken, chosen, and blessed - all at the same time.
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Nouwen recommends two ways to work with our brokenness. First, befriend it. Second, put it under the blessing. This may be most difficult when it comes to a broken heart.
The anguish and agony that result from rejection, separation, neglect, abuse, and emotional manipulation serve only to paralyze us when we can't face them and keep running away from them.
So, rather than seeing brokenness as an unnatural invasion, we can see it as a part of a human life. We can look at it, get close to it, and confess it - as well as pray for Grace for its healing, or will and wisdom to live with it.
We are not promised to live free of being broken, or the results of it. At times, we may rejoice in a cure. At other times, we may come to know a healing that is not a cure, but a Grace to live gracefully with the brokenness - like a scar that remains with us.
Second, we are to place our brokenness under blessing. Nouwen observes we can live our brokenness under the curse. This means we see our pain as confirmation of negative feelings we have toward ourselves. We see our brokenness as validating our unworthiness, as though something is wrong with us, that we are warped in some way. Nouwen writes: "The great spiritual call of the Beloved Children of God is to pull their brokenness away from the shadow of the curse and put it under the light of blessing."
When we befriend our brokenness and place it under blessing, we can see it as more than a misfortune, an intrusion. We can see our brokenness as reflecting the gift of our uniqueness and our connection with others. We can see it within our chosenness and blessedness. And similar to the priest's words in Mass, we can say, "I never knew brokenness could so beautifully shine with the Light of Divine Love."
Responding
1) In what ways do you see that you are broken? Do you find it difficult or easy to admit the brokenness?
2) In what ways has your brokenness taught you compassion to other persons? Compassion toward yourself? About God's Grace?
3) In what ways do you place your brokenness under blessing, rather than living it as a curse?
4) What is the difference between having brokenness cured and healed, as defined in this writing?
5) Was Jesus broken? How, if so? Do you find yourself able to identify with Jesus' brokenness?
6) In what ways do you see our society is broken? How are ways we can work together to bring blessings out of the brokenness? How may different religions work together to help in the brokenness of society?
7) How does the opening Scripture relate to our lesson for today?
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*OneLife Ministries is a ministry of Brian Kenneth Wilcox, SW Florida. Brian lives a vowed life and with his two dogs, Bandit Ty and St. Francis, with friends and under a vow of simplicity. Brian is an ecumenical-interspiritual leader, who chooses not to identify with any group, and renounces all titles of sacredness that some would apply to him, but seeks to be open to how Christ manifests in the diversity of Christian denominations and varied religious-spiritual traditions. He affirms that all spiritual paths lead ultimately back to Jesus Christ. He is Senior Chaplain for the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, Punta Gorda, FL.
*Brian welcomes responses to his writings or submission of prayer requests at briankwilcox@yahoo.com . Also, Brian is on Facebook: search Brian Kenneth Wilcox.
*Contact the above email to book Brian for preaching, Spiritual Direction, retreats, workshops, animal blessing services, house blessings, or other spiritual requests. You can order his book An Ache for Union from major booksellers.
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