Revision: A Prayer for B'reishit

Lord, hear my prayer—

My mind is filled with falsehoods about You.

Today let me rewrite.

Give me the courage to delete the rotten first second third and hundredth drafts

That deny You,
That blame You,
That slander You.
It is time.

Guide me to write a different, better story.

Teach me the true meaning of the garden, the snake, the apple, and the fall.
Scrub from my mind the lazy oft-told tales of punishment, trickery, and abandonment.
Let me retire the ego’s clichés and distortions, O Lord, and bid farewell to the misconceived central character:
the psychopathic, jealous trickster,
the crude caricature of paternal retribution,
the off-planet deity watching over us impassively, folded-armed, while we rot and writhe, our cries falling on deaf God ears.

I declare this vision of God to be false, and I ask that any remnants of this lie be erased from the crevices of my consciousness.

Let me learn anew. Let not the guilting of grandparents lead me to fear and reject the guidance of the other:
The Sikh,
The Sufi,
The Shaman,
The Hindu,
The Buddhist,
The Christian,
The Gnostic,
The Kabbalist.
If it is wise and true
—If it bears Your cosmic fingerprints and the quiet perfection of Your voice—
I will listen.

Let me live with the compassion of Buddha and Quan Yin and Mother Mary,
Let me write with the sacred clarity of Rumi and Hafiz, Wordsworth and Blake.
Teach me to surrender like Mohammed and pray like David,
To be fiery like Rama and fierce like Jesus.

May I not fall into the deification of any man—for You alone are God—but may I let the example of their light guide my path.

When I am weeping like Arjuna on the inner battlefield, may beautiful blue Krishna—the divine charioteer—lift me up and remind me of the Truth:

I am That.
Thou are That. All this is That.
That alone Is and there is nothing else but That.

Let me remember the divine dance of the Mother-Father, always, lest I fall into the dog-eat-dog foolishness upon which so much cruelty and injustice is based.

(When the Father said, “Let there be light,” the Mother answered, “And there was light.”)

Erase the imprint of atheism from my mind, Lord.
And while You’re at it, please remove: guilt, shame, anxiety, depression, comparison, competition, vanity, arrogance, and sloth.

Let the false prophets and holy bullies turn inward.
May they recognize the battle is never outside themselves.
For You do not exist in the world of opposites.

The madness of this world is our own.
We created it, we perpetuated it.
You do not endorse it.
You are innocent.
We have created You in our image.
Forgive us.

How am I to know I am being heard?
Because I am speaking to myself.
You and I are not separate.

Heal the wound in my psyche that stubbornly claims otherwise,
For this is the ego’s well-constructed and persistent lie:
You are alone you are alone you are alone.

Like a train schedule blaring on a loudspeaker, it is repeated. Over and over.
Daring us to relent and believe that which is false.

The bite of that apple was terrible indeed.
It convinced us we were not You.

Let me bear the weight of the responsibility for these errors of thought, speech, action, and perception as I learn to walk the razor’s edge of virtue.

May I always hear the steady vigilance and unending love of Your voice guiding me home.

All else falls away.
Only that which is unchanging is True.

Thank You, Mother-Father God,
 for this new beginning.

Taken from http://www.reformjudaism.org/blog/2013/09/24/revision-prayer-breishit

I get this link a while back from my friend. It's a Jewish prayer written by Josh Radnor. For those who don't know, Josh Radnor is an American director, actor, producer, and writer. He is best known portraying Ted Mosby, in the hit CBS series How I Met Your Mother. The prayer is excerpted from Unscrolled, a book about the new meaning of the 54 Torah portions which is written by 54 Jewish writers.

I am a Catholic, so I don't know much about Torah and Jewish initial teachings, but we do share some of the belief systems since Jesus was of Jewish descendant. The first time I read this prayer, I was moved because of the beauty in the words he used. It was a beautiful prayer, so humble, yet so divine. The more I read, the more I get the point, the more I'm in awe with this prayer. As human, we're not supposed to be so narrow-minded and drawn into our own religion and belief that we ignore other teachings that may complete what we think we already know.

We already know that truthfully, all religions are good, and the main teachings is to bring peace to the world. We know that, yet we haven't achieved peace yet. Not even after 2000 years. Not in the world, not even inside our own religions. The prayer is an interpretation of what might be, from Josh's point of view. If only we are humble enough to acknowledge other teachings, if it is wise and true. If only we are humble enough to listen. Yet we are trapped in hatred, of each other's religion, of each other's beliefs. We are too hung up on our differences that we are blinded and easily steered away from peace that we so desperately seek.

The madness of this world is our own.

We created it, we perpetuated it.

You do not endorse it.

You are innocent.

We have created You in our image.

Forgive us.

This paragraph is so simple, yet so powerful. It's a wake up call, a reminder that we built our own hatred towards each other. We are locked inside our own definition and we're not allowed to peek outside. Our fear are so strong that they allow our self not to look beyond our own understandings. Yet we believe that others are false. We are trapped in delusion that others are trying to misguide us, even when we have no idea of others' definitions. Let us achieve peace inside us, by accepting what might be.

Let the false prophets and holy bullies turn inward.

May they recognize the battle is never outside themselves.

Ramadan and The Fasting Culture

It's this time of the year again, yes it's Ramadan month. Ramadan is the ninth month of Islamic calendar when our Muslims brothers and sisters are fasting. Fasting, in Islamic teaching, means Muslims are prohibited to eat, drink, smoke, or perform any sexual acts since before sunrise until after sunset. It is also expected that during Ramadan, they are abstaining from sinful speech and behavior. Muslims considered Ramadan as a holy month because it is in this month that The Quran is given to Muhammad by God. When Muslims do good things in Ramadan, supposedly they will receive more rewards than when they do it any other time of the year.

Although I'm not a Muslim, I have been participating in fasting since about 3 years ago. To me personally, fasting is an act of humility. We are restrained from our usual behavior (eating, drinking, cursing, etc.) and we are expected to live in peace with each other. By fasting, we have a chance to take a short peek about other people who have lesser life than ours financially. Fasting teaches us to be grateful of our life and empathize others.

Muslims fasting is different than Christians'. First of all, it is done during Ramadan, the ninth month of Islamic calendar, during which Muhammad was believed to have received The Quran from God. In Islam, Muslims are prohibited to eat anything during the day. They do suhoor, which is the pre-fast meal before Fajr Prayer, and they break the fast by doing iftar after Maghrib Prayer. In Christian teachings, fasting is done during the liturgical year called Lent. Lent period lasts for about 6 weeks (approx. 40 days) leading up to Easter Sunday. Christians fast following Jesus' own fast which He did for forty days in the desert where he endured The Devil's temptation. Christian fasting is the reduction of one's intake of food to one full meal. We are allowed to drink water but we are not allowed to eat solid food the whole day except the one full meal. Complete abstinence (avoidance of meat the whole day) is also required for those who are 14 or older. It is usually done each Friday during Lent period. There are five type of abstinences: food abstinence, tobacco smoking abstinence, alcohol abstinence, pleasure abstinence, and sexual abstinence. When we do complete abstinence, we are not allowed to do each of those abstinences.

Personally, I do both fasting each year as best as I can. It's a great moment for self-contemplation, spiritual reflection, and improvement. It has nothing to do with my belief, but it has everything to do with my self improvement. I feel I have good chance to be better person by keeping a mental reminder of where I am right now. Fasting is one of my personal reminder about the unfortunate, so that I can stay grateful of my life.

Happy fasting. :)

(P.S. My sincere apologies if I write something wrong about Islam since my sole source is Wikipedia.) 

Count your blessings

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

--New International Version, Matthew 5: 3 - 12.

The phrase "Count your blessings" has occured hundred times in any Christians songs, quotes, or status updates. The point to count the blessings is that so we can realize how many great things have we had in our life. It's a remembrance of many great things that happened in our life, as opposed to the not-so-great things that are currently happening in our life. I like to think that it keeps us from feeling helpless and depressed if we choose to remember great things instead of the worse ones.

In the Bible, there is one particular sermon from Jesus about our blessed lives that we call The Beatitudes. The beatitudes consists of 8 unfortunate situations we might be in at one point in our life, and why we are supposed to feel blessed in these unfortunate situations. The rewards are not something physical, but rather a psychological release, a form of peace in our mind. The blessings are none other than a place in Kingdom of Heaven, the greatest reward there is.

The blessings are for the one in these conditions:
1. People who are poor in spirit, meaning the one that humbly acknowledging the need of Divine Power or God even though he might not be poor financially.
2. People who mourn, meaning the one in miseries because of all evil things that occurs around the world.
3. People who are meek, meaning the one that humbly bend down before God and other people.
4. People who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, meaning the one that has a desire to live religiously and morally correct by following God's and human law.
5. People who are merciful, meaning the one with the ability to forgive, forget, even pray for others who have done wrong to them.
6. People who has a pure heart, meaning the one who has sincere and good intentions toward others without any hidden meaning.
7. People who are peacemakers, meaning the one that live in peace with others and also preserve the peace and friendship among mankind and God.
8. People who are persecuted because of righteousness, meaning the one that suffers from injustice because of righteousness.
(source: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02371a.htm)

These verses certainly set a different point of view from a normal human being. There is a saying, "When given a choice, people always assume the worst." It sounds so hopeless with hints of desperate ambiance to our lives. These verses, however, push people see the best in every worst opportunity by saying that you will be given great rewards when you are able to overcome the worst situation. It makes our problems worth bearing, because the worst it gets the bigger the rewards we'll receive. I think by following these teaching, we will become stronger and better person.

At first, there was murder.

1 Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

10 The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

15 But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.16 So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

--New International Version, Genesis 4: 1 - 16.

This story was supposed to be about the first murder ever recorded in history. The cause of the incident was a simple jealousy. Cain felt jealous because The Lord preferred Abel's offering than his. The Lord told Cain that it was simply because his offering were not the best. He said, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?" Cain's pride was hurt because he felt superior to Abel. He was the first son, he was supposed to be the best, not the other way around. So instead of admitting his fault, Cain attacked Abel and killed him.

Jealousy is the main cause of a rotten heart. It's also the first motive for murder in this modern day. The other two are money and revenge. Its sibling, envy, is one of the seven deadly sins. Jealousy is a very powerful tool that cause to people destroy each other. People who lives in jealousy are incapable of happiness. They lost their purpose in life, because they keep worrying that they will lose. The only thing to overcome jealousy is to let it go. No matter what we do, what we earn, what we'll become, eventually everything ends. Christians believe that everything and everyone is God's gift. Therefore it's not really ours. He gives, He takes. We are just temporarily holding it for Him. Theoretically, we can't lose what's not ours.

By believing, we can never lose anything.

The Art Of Giving

There's a story in the Bible about an old widow who gives all of her money to the church. This old widow only has 2 copper coins on her, and she put all of it away in the offerings box. Jesus then called out his disciples and stated that this widow has given more than everyone else, because she gave an offerings out of her poverty. Here's the exact quotes from Marc 12: 41-44 of World English Bible:

⁴¹ Jesus sat down opposite the treasury, and saw how the multitude cast money into the treasury. Many who were rich cast in much. ⁴² A poor widow came, and she cast in two small brass coins, which equal a quadrant coin. ⁴³ He called his disciples to himself, and said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, this poor widow gave more than all those who are giving into the treasury, ⁴⁴ for they all gave out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on.”

Now, I'm not much of a religious person. I'm not even a religious Christian. But I went to Catholic schools and I listened to many stories in the Bible. This one is almost my favorite.  I was amazed by the sacrifices the widow did. From other version of the Bible (I forgot which), it is written that all the rich people who gave a large amount of offerings were whispering in disgrace by what the widow did because she only put 2 coppers. It happens way too often in our everyday lives. Most people think if they have given certain amount of money than that would be enough. Sure, money helps and it's good to share it to others in need. For some people who don't have anything to give, they still can give all their might, their time and their strength to help others.

To me, this particular story is engraved in my heart so that I can always give without the hope of accepting anything in return. And I'm still trying..