Spartacus: Blood and Sand

My wife and I recently finished watching the first season of Spartacus: Blood and Sand. We were longing for more "historical" entertainment after having watched HBO's brilliant production Rome. I did some snooping around at the local store and stumbled upon Spartacus: Blood and Sand, which just completed it's first year. And what a lucky find this was! Spartacus has everything that Rome has to offer; story, deceit, love, lust, deception, as well as fantastic fighting scenes. If you liked Gladiator, you will love Spartacus. The first year had me on the edge of my seat-bed actually. We can't wait for year two, three, and hopefully more.

What I love is that Spartacus  takes the perspective from the gladiator's point of view. This is a story rarely heard, even if only fictionally. This is the story of slaves, who were trained to fight and kill to provide entertainment for their masters, the Romans. And remarkably, we meet men and woman who still hold to love, and ideals in a world in which they have little say or power.

One of the most attractive characters in the series, is the Celt Crixus, which in Gaelic means  "one with curly hair". Crixus is a magnificent character, a powerful and proud Celtic warrior. I pause to mention Crixus, because he is such a wonderful and memorable Celt; impulsive, hot headed, and one hell of a fighter in the ring. Before Spartacus arrives on the scene, Crixus is top dog. Rivals at first, Spartacus and Crixus warm to one another, and this is how the first year concludes. Historically the real Spartacus and Crixus would lead a rebellion of slaves against the Romans, so I imagine this is what we will encounter in future episodes.

A feature of good drama is that it can make you feel you are part of the story, lifting you from the present and placing you in either past or future. Spartacus: Blood and Sand  does just that and along the way you will meet Crixus, Spartacus and many others. It is a journey well taken.

Book review of The Language of Silence

One of the deep themes in Celtic spirituality is the desert tradition from Egypt which includes such towering figures as Antony and the desert fathers and mothers. Follow this rustic path and envitably one discovers the Camaldolese tradition, a strict form of the Benedictines which emphasizes solitude and separation. Peter-Damian Belisle's The Language of Silence (2003) provides an excellent starting point for anyone interested in learning more about the Camaldonese tradition. The book is part of the Traditions of Chrisitan Spirituality Series, a series which has a wonderful volume on Celtic Spirituality entitled Journeys on the Edges: The Celtic Tradition featured earlier on this blog. A warning. These books are like candy. Eat one, and you will want to devour them all. These are well written and provide wonderful snapshots of great Christian spiritual traditions. To my surprize, I've already read five other volumes including ones on the Dominicans, Franciscans, Benedictines and Cistercians. 

Belisle's book is focused around the theme of "the monk within", a theme I might add that we also encountered in Ed Sellner's book Finding the Monk Within (2008). Belisle writes: "We are all drawn inward, towards the centre of existence. We come to know ourselves as drawn into a presence. Solitude ushers us into presence, towards which the language of silence is most attentive. If we find ourselves in relation that presence at the centre of our being, we will move our hearts, indeed, our lives, outwardly in solidarity with all our brothers and sisters througout the world" (pgs. 171-2.)

The book outlines how solitude is a longstanding theme in God's holy history-since forever. Solitude has always been an important ingredient of the spiritual  life, featured in Old and New Testaments and throughout the history of the Christian Church. Belisle seems to be tapping the modern reader on the shoulder saying "listen up to this ancient Christian practice, you might just learn something"!

A survey of Old and New Testament figures includes Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist, Jesus and Mary and stresses the solitary in each. A pivital chapter on Athanasius's Life of Anthony is a must for all Protestant leaning readers, followed by a section on the desert solitaries. The tour of solitude moves then to several of the great Patristic writers including Basil the Great and John Cassian. There are also chapters on Benedict of Nursia and notably writers in the Camaldolese, Carthusian and Cistercian traditions. A final chapter includes fascinating portrayals of contemporary solitudes including Charles de Foucauld, Dorothy Day and others. This is an impressive list of folks, all weaned in the school of silence. We would do well to listen.

The Language of Silence provides an excellent starting point for anyone interested in contemplation, and monastic solitude. Lets face it, we live in an age which features a noisy, wordy world, and noisy, wordy Christianity. And with all this noise, when does one really have the time to listen for that still, small voice? This book makes the convincing case that a different way, perhaps even a better way can be found within the walls of quiet reflection and solitude. This is how God has worked in the past, and this is how God works today. It is a compelling challenge to our noisy and gadgety culture. Another case of addition by subtraction.

On the negative side, The Language of Silence may try to cover too much ground in one swoop-there are a ton of personalities presented here, too many in fact. I think it would have been more effective to have longer chapters on fewer individuals. Yet even so, along the way, one may find a hermit that one can relate to.

We all have a "monk within" and this book helps us to answer how we can nurture and develop that important side to our spiritual personality.

In praise of trash

This past week I had a radiator replaced on my Chevy truck. Not exactly the kind of thing I wanted to do on a holiday, but what else can one do? And anytime I have a block of three to four hours to do something, I always have a good book with me to pass the time. This time, it was Peter Damian Belisle's The Language of Silence, a great book on monastic solitude which I will review in a later article.  Perhaps it had something to do with the monastic stress on "awareness" but something strange happened. Let me share it with you.

To pass the time of day, I parked myself at one of the local bus stops-to get out of the sun-and to have a place where I could read some of Belisle's wonderful book. While reading, I noted that several people stopped by to sort through a nearby trashcan, searching for bottles, cans, anything they could redeem for cash. Even though I was reading, I kept my inner eye on what was taking place around me. It was fascinating! The people didn't even seem to notice (or care) that I was there. One person even sorted through the trash can, picking out odd letters and notes, which he read and kept, and then went on his way.

This got me to thinking. What struck me was how such an activity-people sorting through trash-has now become an accepted part of American life. I would even go onto venture that can diving is now part of one's everyday experience. This was not so in the past, when such behavior was seen as "odd" but now I've noticed how frequent it is to see people from many different social and ethnic backgrounds, searching for bottles and cans, pushing shopping carts full of bottles, or to be seen walking with plastic bags, and doing whatever it takes, just to get by and make a few extra dollars.  Trash diving is now the norm. No doubt it is a sign of the difficult economic and social times we now live in. I can remember a time-not long ago-when I heard about this kind of thing in far away places like India, or Dickens's London, where people sort through all the trash looking for any and all items of value. But now I am sad to say that such practices  happen in the USA as well. These are interesting times indeed!

These are difficult economic times, and people will do whatever they need to do in order to survive, so we should not be surprised. Most importantly of all, these experiences reminded me that these persons, these "trash pickers" are people too, who are made in God's image. They are people with whom I have something in common, and not strangers. And even though some might suffer from mental illness or have an addiction, they are of great value. They are my brothers and sisters!

I have experienced this on a local level for years. At St. Aidan's Church for example, there is an individual who calls himself "the bottle and can man" (he even has a business card with that printed on it) and one of the things he does is recycle. He is willing to go anywhere at any time, just to make a few extra dollars, and collect empty bottles and cans. Bless that man, and bless those who are merely trying to get by. God's word reminds us that these folks are our extended family, and that it is our responsbility to reach out to them, care for them, and be Christ's heart and hands. Curious, isn't it, that in reaching out to the stranger and the poor, that we find the face and presence of Christ. Our natural inclination might be to run or turn our back from such a person. Yet the divine imperative is to reach out.

Coming to a trash can near you! A human being trying to survive. And coming to you, the wonderful opportunity to experience God's grace. Do the right thing and show that person the respect and dignity they deserve. In so doing, you will open yourself to the great gift of God's presence.

Blessing a building

Clergy are frequently to bless homes, condo's and townhouses. In December I had a first- blessing a building! Some friends invited me to bless their new business in downtown Honolulu. They opened a medical clinic and I was happy to oblige! We had a great time and I've included a photo so you can see my able assistants, Nema and Armon.
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This got me to thinking about the idea of "blessing", a theme we addressed in a previous blog artice. What exactly do we mean when we say "blessing"? For some, "blessings" are things performed only by priests. For others, "blessings" are something which occur ocassionally, and are typically restricted to such events as meals, or church related events such as baptisms, weddings and the like. 

Celtic Christians share a larger notion of "blessing". For the Celts, all of life is a "blessing", and moreover, this "blessing" extends to the most mundane aspects of life. Nothing is left out. Such a perspective was previously discussed in my last article on the Carmina Gadelica, that great collection of prayers and blessings by Alexander Carmichael. There, as we noted, prayers, blessings, and thanksgivings take place at every moment and movement throughout one's day; while waking, walking, working, eating, resting, waiting, and even in death. By contrast, for the Celt, blessings are a regular occurance, something to be anticipated numerous times throughout the day. One last thing. We are meant to be a blessing for other people. St. Augustine once remarked we are "to be taken, blessed, broken, distributed that the work of the Incarnation may go forward". We don't often agree with that Bishop of Hippo, but here we give him the nod.

Prayers from the heart

I want to bring some "balance" to the blog today. Often I'll go off, or be asked to discuss some of the intellectual aspects of Celtic spirituality-something I enjoy doing I might add. But Celtic Christianity is more than that, much more than that. There is also a strong mystical, inner component which I want to say something about today.

Tonight I found myself thumbing through the Carmina Gadelica (1901) which is Latin for Charms of the Gaels, a book which contains hymns and incantation from the Hebrides of Scotland. The story how these prayers and sayings were collected is fascinating. A civil servant, Alexander Carmichael, gathered these prayers from locals as he went about collecting exise tax. That a person in a position of power was able to gain the trust of locals, is well, astonishing. Who ever wants to speak with the tax man? And in another way, it shows how God can use ordinary people and events to do something magnificent.

And what a treasure one finds when one opens the book! It's like going back in time! There are prayers and sayings from almost every imaginable event in life; working, playing, milking the cows, and tending the fire. And if you're anything like me, you'll find yourself asking "how come I'm not praying at every turn like these folks?" I specifically love the prayers to the "God of Nature" or "Lord of the Elements" but I want to focus on a different kind of prayers today. These prayers might be classified as invocations.

Let me quote from entry 27,  "Come I this day":

"Come I this day to the Father,
Come I thing day to the Son,
Come I to the Holy Spirit powerful;
Come I this day with God,
Come I this day with Christ,
Come I with the Spirit of kindly balm.

God, and Spirit, and Jesus,
From the crown of my head
To the soles of my feet;
Come I with my reputation,
Come I with my testimony,
Come I to Thee, Jesu;
Jesu, shelter me."

I love these prayers! I love this book! Many people have written about the Celtic practice of "caiming" or encircling prayers, where one requests blessing or protection "around" another person. There is something like that going on here. What is unique about this prayer, is that the person is praying for their own protection. The person is dedicating themselves to God afresh that day, and reminding themselves that God is already present in their life and body. And once having this squared away, well, we can handle whatever the day throws our way.

Linking prayers to our body is not something we normally do in the West, but it is something that many do in the contemplative tradition. And that's the point I'm trying to make. Prayer can include BOTH body and mind. And repeating this prayer to myself, I can see myself focusing on mental images, on my breath, and also my body, from head to toes., and feeling pretty darn good I might add! There's completeness (hello circle!) in prayer like this. And there's also harmony in mind and body. And when we experience these positive feelings in prayer, our spiritual lives are renewed and we're ready to go.
  

One stop shop for Celtic Spirituality

"Let us adore the Lord,
Maker of marvelous works,
Bright heaven with its angels,
And on earth the white-waved ocean"

"The Lord of Creation" (Ninth-Century Irish Poem)

I'm often asked where to begin one's investigation of Celtic Christianity. Today's blog entry happily tackles that question. One of the best places to start is Celtic Spirituality (1999) from the Classics of Western Spirituality series.

This book literally has it all! It's a one-stop shop of original texts which also includes an excellent essay introducing Celtic Spirituality. The latter is worth the price of the book. The work is a collaboration of Celtic scholars James Mackey, Oliver Davies and Thomas O'Loughlin. And with these heavy hitters, the book delivers.

Celtic Spirituality is neatly divided into several sections, highlighting different aspects of the rich and varied Celtic tradition. It's a Celtic smorgasbord (forgive the close reference to those Vikings) so the reader never gets bored. The hagiograhpy section introduces the reader to the traditions of Patrick, Brigit, Brendan, David, Beuno, and Melangell. What great people these are. Then the book turns to key monastic texts such as the Preface of Gildas on Penance, the Penitential of Cummean, and the Rule for Monks by Columbanus. You will learn just how rugged and difficult the life of the Celtic monk was, and it will wipe away many romantic notions. Another section includes a wide range of Irish and Welsh poetry. There are also devotional texts, liturgies, apocrypha, exegesis and homilies. My favorite section was the theology chapter which includes writings by Pelagius, Columba and John Scottus Eriugena.

The survey of texts is magnificent! For Celtic lovers this volume is a keeper and not to be missed. There is so much "good stuff" inside, you will find yourself returning to Celtic Spirituality again and again with joy and delight. If you could only have one volume on Celtic Christianity and spirituality on your bookshelf, this may well be the one. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Celtic things. Enjoy!

Celtic gifts

The rainy weekend has allowed me to hang out at home and provided me with some additional "quiet times".  We're in the middle of Advent, racing towards Christmas, so I welcome the extra time to sit back and reflect. I love these kinds of days as they remind me of my days in Britain.

One of the many features I appreciate about Celtic Christianity is it's meditative, reflective side. These quiet roots of course, extend back to the monastic fathers and the desert tradition which reached it full potential in Anthony. But Celtic spirituality is more than that, it offers a sensual three dimensional spirituality which many find fulfulling. 

I'd like to take a minute and highlight three books by Robert Van De Weyer, and Anglican priest who lives in Britain. Celtic Prayers (1997), Celtic Praise (1998), and Celtic Parables (1999), are an eye-popping introduction to a Celtic point of view regarding prayer and praise. These are beautifully illustrated books which contain wonderful pictures, drawings, and stories of the Celtic saints. Reading these books-and praying the prayers as well-you will learn a different perspective. And that after all is one of the main purposes of prayer and praise, finding a different voice and way of interpreting one's experience.

Take for example a Celtic prayer regarding sea and sky. We are reminded that God lives in this world and is part of the Creation:

I am the wind that breathes upon the sea,
I am the wave on the ocean,
I am the murmur of leaves rustling,
I am the rays of the sun,
I am the beam of the moon and stars,
I am the power of the trees growing,
I am the bud breaking into blossom,
I am the movement of the salmon swimming,
I am the courage of the wild boar fighting,
I am the speed of the stag running,
I am the strength of the ox pulling the plow,
I am the the size of the mighty oak tree,
And I am the thoughts of all people
Who praise my beauty and grace.

This is great stuff, great images which reminds us that God is the source of life in all things. Reading these books reminds me that often I am too scientific and one dimensional in my prayers. Rereading the prayer above makes me feel and understand that the Lord God is Lord of all Creation. These books will gently remind you that your view of God is probably too small. They will encourage you to see the world and others differently. They will breathe life into your dry bones. 

Let me also share something from Celtic Praise. Here is a fragment called "Welcome Sunday":

Welcome Sunday, I love this day.
The day our Lord rose to life,
A day of joy and rest,
A day to laugh with family and friends,
A day to play with children,
A day to enjoy the beauty of Nature,
A day to sit at home by the fire,
A day to tell the stories of old,
A day to sing and to dance,
A day to worship the God who made us,
A day to give thanks for all his blessings.

The Celtic perspective reminds us that all of life's experiences are enjoyed, cherished and treasured. Moreover, this is an earthly, human based spirituality which appreciates all of the senses. And perhaps for just this reason, a mind centered spirituality felt threatened and inadequate.