Liberating Prayer: Examining Four Half-Truths

This blog post is the first in a series of three posts inspired by the most popular post from the archive of 99Brattle, “Do Progressive Christians Pray?” by Chris Glaser, published two years ago this week. We will publish the next installment of this series next week and the third installment the following week.

The Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas will be participating on a panel entitled “Faith and Environmental Justice” during “Religion in the Public Sphere” which takes place at EDS on May 8-9, 2013.

By the Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas ’88

At its best, prayer is vital, lively, even wild, setting us free for intimate encounter with the Divine, who is always new. But our notions of prayer can be so small!  Prayer can be hobbled by misconceptions and half-truths that prevent us from experiencing our soul’s freedom in Christ (Galatians 5:1). That was certainly the case for me, and over the years my ideas about prayer—and my way of praying—have radically changed. There are many half-truths about prayer, and here is a starter list of four. Each statement contains elements of truth, but needs to be dismantled and expanded if we’re hoping for a breakthrough in prayer.

1.    Prayer is full of words. 

Yes, Christians are people of the Book, and we trust the Word of God. Elegant words honed over centuries can convey God’s presence, connect us with the faithful of every generation, and articulate thoughts that give comfort with their accuracy and beauty. When we’re flailing around in prayer, not sure how to begin, reading someone else’s words can help to settle the mind and open the heart.

But prayer is much more than words. Prayer can be expressed as a sigh, as a sob, as laughter, and especially as silence. It is only when our minds grow quiet and we touch the silence that lies within, beneath, and beyond words, that many of us can sense the living Presence of God. As the 14^th century Dominican mystic, Meister Eckhart, put it, “There is nothing so much like God as silence.”

2.   Prayer is polite.

Yes, we approach the living Mystery with reverence and awe. Honest prayer is never off-hand, slapdash, or casual.

But let’s not limit our prayer to sharing only our “best” selves, our noblest thoughts and warmest feelings! What if God wants to encounter who you really are—not just the self you wish you were? C.S. Lewis wisely counseled: “The prayer preceding all prayers is ‘May it be the real I who speaks.  May it be the real Thou that I speak to.’” Our intention in prayer is to be our real selves and to encounter the real God. As in any relationship, intimacy with God depends on our being willing to be vulnerable and real, not just formal and polite. I like to imagine God whispering in our ear as we sit down to pray, “Get real!”

3.   Prayer is peaceful. 

Yes, taking regular time to pray can help us to discover within ourselves a place of deep stillness. Even in the midst of a hectic, fast-paced world, we can learn through prayer how to stay inwardly steady. “Never fail, whatever may befall you, be it good or bad, to keep the heart quiet and calm in the tenderness of love,” wrote the 16^th century mystic, St. John of the Cross. Equanimity and balance are often a fruit of prayer.

Yet prayer also releases deep feelings, memories, and energies. Prayer can be as turbulent as a storm, as fierce as a wrestling match. If we consider God a friend, someone who welcomes and loves us, just as we are, then we can explore whatever arises in prayer, without trying to control or dominate the process. 

4.  Prayer is a luxury. 

We all know the argument: in a world full of hunger, poverty, and pain, prayer can become an escape, a self-centered, bourgeois, navel-gazing enterprise in which “spiritual” types focus on cultivating their inward garden and ignore the suffering around them. Prayer becomes an exit strategy, a way to hide out.

But when prayer draws us into the heart of God, we discover that the whole world is there, too. We awaken to the divine love that embraces, sustains, and infuses all things. True prayer is subversive to the powers-that-be within the self, for it dethrones the reign of the ego. True prayer is also subversive to the powers-that-be beyond the self, for it sends us out into the world to bear witness to the love that has found and formed us. The mystic becomes a prophet. Prayer is an ongoing source of energy and hope to all whose faith urges us to heal and transform the world. And prayer purifies and prunes our intentions, so that the search for justice is not converted into and reduced to just another ego-project.

The Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas (MDiv ’88) taught courses on prayer at Episcopal Divinity School for many years. She now serves as Priest Associate of Grace Church, Amherst, MA. A retreat leader, writer, and climate activist, her latest book is Joy of Heaven, to Earth Come Down (Forward Movement, 2012). You can learn more at her website: www.holyhunger.org.

Copyright © by Margaret Bullitt-Jonas.  All rights reserved.

The Food and Feasts of Jesus

By The Rev. Douglas E. Neel

“Cuisine is the very symbol of civilization and culture.” 
—Massimo Montanari, Food is Culture

If Montanari is right—and my friend and co-author Joel A. Pugh and I believe that he is—then we must comprehend first century food, food production, and Jewish feasting to truly understand Jesus and his teachings. 

Many types of first-century meals were a combination of worship and dinner party. Cooks used the best and freshest ingredients they could grow or afford. Even the weekly Sabbath Feast was a unique culinary offering eaten with family and friends. These meals defined their culture.

The parables of Jesus frequently make reference to food production. He attended banquets and religious feasts. He even gave advice on where to sit and how to act at a special dinner. The Palestine of Jesus’ day had an agrarian economy with a simple food-based social safety net. We believe that Jesus realized it was failing under the policies of taxation by Herod, his sons, and the Romans.  This was also reflected in his teachings. 

Doing the research for writing The Food and Feasts of Jesus was fascinating. Not only did we survey a number of primary and secondary sources, we also used foods, ingredients, and cooking techniques that were available in ancient Palestine to prepare our own meals. We made wine, bread, cheese, beer, and yogurt. We brined raw olives and grew our own herbs. We wrapped fish in fig leaves and buried in coals to cook.  We pickled radishes and onions and dipped hard-boiled eggs in fish sauce. We sat on the floor, reclined on cushions and ate lentils with our hands. Readers tell us that they enjoy the combination of theology, history, and culture with menus and recipes. For example, the chapter on first-century weddings ends with the recipes needed to create your own experience of the ancient feast. Our hummus recipe is probably worth the price of the book.

Studying ancient Jewish feasts helps us understand our own food culture. What foods and meals define our culture?  Take out hamburgers and fries from a drive-in window?  Fruits and vegetables with carbon footprints that can be traced halfway around the world? Dinners hurriedly eaten at the desk or in front of the television?

I am including a sample recipe that readers tell us they especially enjoy. 

Braised Chicken with Figs and Apricots

• 8 large bone-in chicken thighs (skins can be removed)
• salt and pepper
•  flour for dredging
•  2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup chicken stock (or water)
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 cup dried figs
• 1 cup dried apricots
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• Ground pepper to taste

Salt and pepper the chicken thighs and dredge them in the flour.  Brown them, three or four at a time in a 14 inch skillet or 5 quart Dutch oven. Remove the chicken and sauté the onion in the same pan until it begins to caramelize.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Return the chicken to the pan and add the rest of the ingredients. 

Bring the liquid to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Cover and cook for 40 to 45 minutes until the meat easily pulls away from the bone, turning the thighs from time to time.  Uncover and remove the chicken.  Cook for an additional 5 minutes to thicken the sauce.  Adjust the seasoning if necessary by adding additional salt or pepper. Place the chicken on a serving dish and cover with the sauce.  Or return the chicken to the Dutch oven and use it for the serving dish. Serves 8

Instead of finishing the cooking time on top of the oven, cover and place in a 350° oven.  If you cannot find dried figs, simply use dried apricots.

Recipe reprinted from The Food and Feasts of Jesus, Douglas E. Neel and Joel A. Pugh (Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2012), 90. 

Douglas E. Neel is an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Colorado, serving St. Patrick Episcopal Church in the mountain resort community of Pagosa Springs. He owned a catering company in Dallas specializing in first-century culinary experiences and continues to lecture and teach classes on ancient food and feasts. In his free time, he makes his own bread, cheese, beer, and wine.

Faith on Aisle Five

By Christi Humphrey ‘08

Someone said to me recently that it takes as many years as you were in seminary to reestablish yourself once you have graduated. I don’t know if this is always true, but I do know that it has taken me several years to adjust to life outside seminary. My husband, son, and I sold our home and moved to the Episcopal Divinity School campus for the three years I was a student. After graduating, we rented a home in Watertown, Mass., while I attended a program at the Center for Religious Development, where I earned a Certificate in Spiritual Direction.

For those four years, living my faith seemed fairly straightforward. I was surrounded by other Christians. I studied prayer, scripture, and ministry. Community worship was offered daily a few steps away from my home. After graduating, my first ministry position was as a part-time minister of spiritual care for two Episcopal parishes an hour away from home. Living my faith continued to be an extension of the work I did.

There was time in my day for prayerful silence, sacred reading, and contemplation.

In October 2011, three years after graduating from EDS and needing the financial support of full-time employment, I left ministry in the Church to become an assistant store manager for an off-price retail chain. Living my faith suddenly took on a whole new meaning. No longer was I cocooned with people who practiced the same religion I did. Even harder to adjust to was the fact that religion, God, and spirituality were not politically correct topics for discussion in the lunchroom. I was used to speaking about faith and God’s presence in the world openly, but working in a secular environment, I found I had to find new ways to express myself. I seemed to move at a totally different pace than was the custom in the retail world. My fellow managers rarely took breaks or stopped for lunch. They regularly worked overtime. They spoke infrequently about their lives outside of work, and did not engage hourly store associates in conversation about topics other than work. With the increase in my work hours, 40-55 hours a week instead of 20-30, it became harder and harder to find time, to make time, for prayer, spiritual reading, and meditation. Instead of slowing down to appreciate the season of Advent, being in retail meant working six days a week, including most Sundays.

Working in the secular world, I struggled to maintain spiritual practices. I thought that living my faith meant creating a space to be in relationship with God apart from my work. It was hard to find God in the ever changing store environment, where the atmosphere was one of competition and not contemplation. My struggle led to a reexamination of what it meant to live my faith daily. I decided I needed to find ways to see God in the work I was doing and the people that I came in contact with. Three simple practices helped me do that.

The first thing I did was buy a plant for my desk. Luckily, I didn’t spend a lot of time in the back office. It was a sealed-off box of a room with no windows, white walls, and no decorations, but the living plant connected me to the natural world and helped me remember God’s created world outside that room.

The next thing I began to do was to say a prayer each time I was called to the front of the store to help an associate, to greet a customer, to meet the armored car driver, to help move a piece of furniture. I prayed that I would find Christ in the one I met and also bring Christ to them. I adopted this practice after reading about a Jesuit who greeted people daily at a monastery for 60 years. When asked how he was able to do this for so many years, he responded, “I sought Christ in each person I met.”

Finally, I began to pray regularly for the work I was doing and the people I worked with. Even though it wasn’t as easy for me to find God in the hustle and bustle of merchandising, I tried to pray each day as I drove to work and prepared myself for what the day would bring. This was something I did when I worked with congregations, but for some reason it took me a while to begin this practice in the secular world. My spiritual reading at the time included Joan Chittister’s The Rule of Benedict: Insights for the Ages. A portion of The Rule discusses daily manual labor. Chittister states, “The function of the spiritual life is not to escape into the next world; it is to live well in this one … Work and prayer are opposite sides of the great coin of a life that is both holy and useful, immersed in God and dedicated to the transcendent in the human. It is labor’s transfiguration of the commonplace, the transformation of the ordinary that makes co-creators of us all.”

My experience working in retailing for a year helped strengthen my faith. It helped me see that there is no need to separate living my faith from my work. In fact, what God calls us to do is to live every part of each day in God’s presence. God waits patiently to be invited in, to be recognized in the ordinary routines of each day.

What has been your experience of living your faith day-to-day? What ways have you found to “transform the ordinary” to experience the presence of the divine? This article is posted on the EDS blog so you can share your own experiences.

May our hearts and minds be open to God’s invitation to find the divine in the everyday, and may God guide us to express the hope we know through faith in our work.

Christi Humphrey ’08 is the Director of Alumni/ae and Constituent Engagement at Episcopal Divinity School.

EDS Faculty Visit Wilson Chapel

(l to r) EDS faculty members Suzanne Ehly,
Kwok Pui Lan, President of Andover Newton
Theological School Nick Carter, EDS professor
Lawrence Wills, EDS Board Member and former
chair Brett Donham, and professor Stephen Burns.

By Dr. Kwok Pui Lan

Last Friday when the temperature dropped to the teens, Professors Stephen Burns, Suzanne Ehly, Kwok Pui Lan, and Lawrence Wills of the Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) braved the cold and visited the award-winning Wilson Chapel at Andover Newton Theological School (ANTS) in Newton, Massachusetts.

Mr. Brett Donham, the former Chair of EDS’s Board of Trustees and the architect who designed the Chapel, accompanied them on the visit. The visit was prompted by Mr. Donham’s lecture on “Does Form Follow Function: The Design of Sacred Space” delivered at EDS in December, as well as growing interest among the EDS community to think more innovatively about the use of chapel space for worship.

Wilson Chapel attracted the faculty because it is intended to be a house of worship for multiple faiths: the predominantly Protestant ANTS community, a Jewish prayer group, and a Sufi group.

EDS has received a major grant from the Luce Foundation to support curricular revision, faculty development, and online continuing educational programs on religious pluralism. During the last academic year, a trip was organized to visit the RamakrishnaVedanta Society of Boston to learn about Hindu worship and religious life.

ANTS is the oldest seminary to offer graduate studies in the country. Its old chapel was not handicap accessible and can no longer serve the growing needs of the community. The school decided to build a brand new chapel on a former parking lot for multireligous services and multi-purposes. Mr. Donham met with the school community twice and listened carefully to them before finalizing his design.

The Wilson Chapel, built in 2007, has an open and transparent design, with no fixed iconic images, so that it can accommodate the needs of multiple religious communities. It was built by stones quarried in Brazil, with square windows that allow much light to shine through. Inside the Chapel, the stones were from Jerusalem.

For Professor Lawrence Wills, the building reminds him of the Pantheon in Rome, a temple consecrated to all gods. He said, “The indentations in the Pantheon ceiling achieve a windows effect as the shadows change over the course of the day, and it creates a truly awesome presence of divinity that I find captured also in the actual windows of the Wilson Chapel.”

President Nick Carter of ANTS warmly welcomed the EDS visitors and told the group that the school has seen a 300 percent increase in the use of the chapel since moving into the new space. The whole school community gather for worship on Wednesdays and throughout the week, denominational worship services, morning prayers, and complines are held. Since the chairs are moveable, a group can use the whole space or a section of it, depending on the size of the group.

The space is very good for dancing, President Carter added, and this is especially important for the Sufi group.

One of the favorite design features of worshipping space at Wilson Chapel is that of the circle, which reminds us of the theme “the church in the round” we have experimented with in the worship services during the January term at EDS.

Another favorite design aspect is in the form of a semi-circle facing south. The south side of Chapel has no stones, with only square glass windows, which signifies being open to the people and churches in the Global South, where Christianity sees its future. During festive activities, colorful banners will be hung to celebrate the richness and diversity that the community embodies.

There is also a meeting room for group reflection and a prayer room downstairs. The little prayer room has an intimate design, with icons from different traditions stored in the cabinet for people to choose to use.

At the end of visit, I shared with the group that I have been interested in the design of sacred space for a long time, because my church in Hong Kong was built in Chinese architectural style. The Holy Trinity Church in Hong Kong is one of the three churches in Hong Kong built in the Chinese style. Inside the church, Christian and Chinese religious symbols decorate the space. In addition to the symbols of the vine and fish and loaves, there are the symbols of thunder and clouds, found in traditional Chinese buildings. The candlestick holders on the two sides of the lectern are made of wood shaped like the Chinese bamboo tree.

It was not until much later that I recognized how the hybridity of Christian and Chinese symbolism and religiosity of my church has shaped my spirituality and my understanding of the Anglican tradition in an expansive way.

The faculty plan to expose our students to the creative use of sacred spaces in our area. Mr. Donham is renovating St. Paul’s Cathedral in downtown Boston. Several hundred Muslims use spaces of the Cathedral for their Friday prayers each week. The Wellesley Multifaith Center, housed in the first level of the Chapel building at Wellesley College, provides multifaith sacred and meeting spaces for prayer and study, and facilities are made available for Muslim members to wash themselves before prayers.

Supported by the Luce grant, we will continue to visit worshipping spaces of other religious traditions to learn about their spirituality and community life. As the United States is going to be religiously more diverse, such exposures will be invaluable in the formation of religious leaders for the future.

Kwok Pui Lan is the William F. Cole Professor of Christian Theology and Spirituality at the Episcopal Divinity School and her most recent book Occupy Religion: Theology of the Multitude is published by Rowman and Littlefield.

Religious Scholars Stand in Solidarity with Hyatt Workers

This blog post has been reprinted with permission from the website Hyatt Hurts. 

A convention of several thousand religious scholars was scheduled to meet in downtown Chicago the weekend before Thanksgiving. When a few of the scholars found out they would have to cross a picket line to attend, they began organizing to support Hyatt workers and the Hyatt boycott. As a result, hundreds of religious scholars took action online, lobbied their organizations to move the event, and invited workers to speak to the Boards of Directors of their organizations.

The joint meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) and the American Academy of Religion (AAR) was held at the McCormick Place Convention Center, drawing more than 10,000 religious scholars to Chicago.  In honor of the worker-called national Hyatt boycott, religious scholars successfully fought to move all sessions from the boycotted Hyatt McCormick and signed a petition pledging not to stay, enter, or spend money at the Hyatt hotels in Chicago. The decision to avoid the Hyatt hotels was made based on teachings found in religious texts.

Some religious scholars attending the event went to extraordinary lengths to honor the boycott. The only non-boycotted hotels were almost two miles away from the conference center. This meant observant Jews would have to walk to the conference early Saturday morning, since they cannot take transportation on the Sabbath. So religious scholars and Hyatt workers organized a “Solidarity Walk” to let them know they were not alone and to show their appreciation for their commitment to honoring the boycott.

Some scholars were also worried about the crushing workloads. Carolyn Roncolato, a graduate student at Chicago Theological Seminary and AAR member, explained to the New York Times:

“The Hyatt does routinely unjust things. They won’t give them fitted sheets for the bed, so they have to life to 100-pound mattresses up and fold sheets under.  I understand it to be an ethical issue, an issue of justice, an issue of civic engagement.”

During the convention weekend, Roncolato and other supporters suggested that AAR members attend an American Academy of Religion business meeting on Sunday morning, where a pro-labor resolution was proposed. The resolution, which passed, proposed that clauses in future hotel and convention contracts allow the organization to be released from contractual obligations without penalty if there is a labor dispute at the hotel or convention.

Hyatt has singled itself out as the worst employer in the hotel industry. They have eliminated jobs, replaced career housekeepers with minimum wage temporary workers, and imposed dangerous workloads on those who remain. Hyatt has refused to remain neutral as non-union hotel workers organize. In Chicago, they are unique in their refusal to adopt the fair contract that the other hotels in the city have adopted.

“The Gospels are very clear that the Christian call is to stand on the side of the marginalized, and in that case it’s very clear that’s the hotel workers,” Roncolato said. “So the idea that as academics we would ignore the people around us while we talk is hypocritical.”

The scholars’ concern for Hyatt workers received national press attention. Check out these stories in the Chicago Tribune and the national edition of the New York Times.

People interested in supporting the Hyatt workers' boycott in Boston can be in touch with me at hkossek@unitehere.org.