"Your office is so homey," said a parishioner today. I smiled. That's the idea. Make people feel at home. Of course, some find the place a bit frenetic. I understand that too. But, I just can't give the stuff up. In a few minutes, people know a little more about me: I love the Wizard of Oz, have a 'thing' about cathedrals, collect Jiminy Cricket characters, and am a Chicago Cubs fan. When they know a little about me, they feel more comfortable sharing their own stories.
I think that hearing others' stories and entering into their lives is the greatest privilege of my vocation. It's important to me to create hospitable space so that people feel comfortable. The physical space is one thing, spiritual space is another. Listening requires the ego to set itself aside to make room for the other. In doing so, we also make room for the divine. That's a lot more difficult than hanging a painting of Ely Cathedral!
Today, the people who claim to lead our nation find themselves at a standoff. There is no hospitality. There is no setting aside of egos. How can anyone hope to touch the divine energy that is all around them when you refuse to see your colleagues as something less than human.
It makes me want to click my heels and go home.
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