The Blessing Path
I used the following excerpt for a spiritual reflection I led for a vestry meeting. It comes from a book by William John Fitzgerald, entitled Blessings for the Fast Paced and Cyberspaced. I really liked it, so I decided to include it here.
above the mountain it rises and my heart dances.
Now the light comes, the light that makes me one with all life. Like the tinamou I am, who sings in the dawn, who is humble with love, Who walks in the circle of the greater love and the greater power. – “A Song Heard in the Dawn”
In their daily walking, Native Americans enter the “circle of a greater power.” And the Navaho sing and speak of walking a “blessing path.” But in our modern fast paced, cyberspace culture, we disdain “going around in circles.” We move straight forward — racing ahead frantically, never really arriving because once we think we have arrived, we realize we are behind someone, somewhere, or something else and must race faster and faster, on and on over the ever-increasing obstacles that stand in our way.
Native Americans of different tribes are renowned for their running. Many can run endless miles without stopping. But they don’t run all the time! Although they possess the grace and endurance of great runners, they’re not always “on the run.” Rather, Native American spirituality is intent on walking a “blessing path,” being connected to the rhythms of the earth, moon and sun. They haven’t written books about blessings, but they know intuitively what blessings are. They take time to notice. Perhaps in our ever-accelerating lives, we too need to discover the meaning of blessings. We need to take time to notice them and cultivate the ability to walk a blessing path.
So, What are Blessings?
It’s fine you might say, to consider Native American pieties, but we live in busy, fast paced communities — not out on the plains hunting buffalo. So, what are blessings for us and our time? A fair enough question! It’s difficult to be aware of blessings unless they break through our busy schedules. Sometimes on TV we see the Pope blessing people from his balcony. When the Pope makes the sign of the cross, we know it is a blessing. But we may be puzzled when we see him alight from a plane, stoop down and kiss the ground. Is that also a blessing?
If we reflect on blessings, many questions can come to mind. A priest praying over a religious medal is imparting a blessing. An evangelist laying on hands is definitely imparting a blessing. But what about a priest praying over a beer? What about the “aha!” of discovery, the “Wow!” of exuberance or the orgasmic moan — can these also be blessings?
A basketball player seems to be performing a blessing when making the sign of the cross before an important free throw. If the shooter misses, does it still count as a blessing? Are high fives blessings?
On rare occasions, a bishop anoints an altar table with oil, setting it aside for sacred use. We know that’s a blessing, but what about being rubbed with oil during a refreshing massage? Is that a blessing too? A baby is a “blessed event.” What about a honeymoon? Isn’t it true that the more sensual or erotic an activity, the less we might be inclined to use the word “blessing” or”holy?” But why isn’t that a blessing too?
How about affirmations? Is “I love you!” a blessing? Surely it is, and one of the most powerful of blessings! Do we adequately identify simple but significant words and gestures as blessings?
Besides invoking a blessing on someone, something, some place or some activity, we also experience being blessed. Think about the blessing of a hug from your child, a kiss from your spouse, a cool drink on a hot day, or a hot bath at the end of a long day. We can be blessed by a kind word, a friendly smile, a hug or a pat on the back.
And what about beauty? When we glimpse a beautiful sunset or share the peacefulness of a tranquil lake, we might exclaim, “What a blessing!” Yet, how often are we that conscious? Are we attentive to the blessings all around, or is our path through life so hectic that too many of the blessings all around are lost in a blur?
Perhaps we all need a graduate course in blessings. Perhaps we simply need to pay more attention to blessings close at hand. If we do, we might well develop a deeper consciousness about blessing and being blessed. This could help us develop a blessing-centered spirituality that might empower us both to give and receive blessings. When we learn to do that, we walk a blessing path.
But we are on the run, and if we are to reap a harvest of blessings, we need sometimes to cease our frantic pace, to stop, look and listen! When we do stop, the first logical question might be, “Well, just what are blessings really?
The Meaning of Blessing
The dictionary gives several definitions for the verb “to bless”: to consecrate or sanctify, to request divine favor, to bestow good of any kind, to protect or guard from evil. And to be blessed is to be divinely or supremely favored, according to Webster.
Perhaps that is the place to start when considering a spirituality of blessing. The primal blessing is God’s love overflowing, bestowing divine favor on the blessed. As Genesis assures us, in the very beginning God looked at what was created and said it was “very good!” This was the origin of each and every blessing.
Attention
To walk a blessing path demands attention — really looking about with a spiritual perception. It’s an attitude of reverence that is always open and alert to blessings all around. Thomas Aquinas, thirteenth century philosopher and theologian, wrote that everything is perceived through the mode (attitude) of the perceiver. His insight is still true.
Finding Time
In our rushed and busy lives it is quite difficult for many people to find extended times for prayer, although if we really prioritized our lives most of us could find more fruitful time than we realize. I once bought a guitar with the intent of learning to play. But it sat in the corner for months. One of my friends asked, “Have you started to play?” I responded, “I would like to but I haven’t had time.” She responded, “Oh? Do you only have a twenty three-hour day, or are you like the rest of us who have twenty-four hours? I’d guess you can find the time to do what you really value.”
There is certainly is one way for almost everyone to find time for prayer — a time to bless, a time to reflect, a time to speak to the Spirit of God who is all around, no matter where we are. This newfound prayer time can come in the intervals where circumstances for us to wait: at a traffic light, the doctor’s office, the checkout line… These short pauses are like cracks in a sidewalk, from which amazingly a flower may sometimes take root and bloom. These cracks in the concrete of life can become pauses in the whirlwind — providing us opportunities to bless and be blessed.
Questions to ponder
What blessings have I received today?
When was the last time I blessed my my closest loved ones with five affirmations? Am I receiving enough affirmations? Giving enough? (Perhaps those two answers are related)
Am I paying attention? Do I possess a “Blessing Attitude”? If not, how can I change the way I see things?
Evening Blessing Prayer
Deliver me from today's hyper-pace.
Blessed be stopping: pausing along God’s way. Blessed be being: “Just to be is a blessing” Blessed be simplifying: Deliver me from polluting. Blessed be imagination: dreaming better dreams. Blessed be creative expectations: I think I can — tomorrow! Blessed be attention: being present to those I love. Blessed be transformations: tomorrow better than today. Bless this day! Bless this night! Deliver us from any fright.
Amen.</pre>