Poems, Meditations, and Worship Material: June 2006 Archives

Ohiyesa wrote: The First American mingled with his pride a singular humility.  Spiritual arrogance was foreign to his nature and teaching.  He never claimed that his power of articulate speech was proof of superiority over "dumb creation"; on the other hand, speech is to him a perilous gift.

He believes profoundly in silence -the sign of the perfect equilibrium.  Silence is the absolute poise or balance of body, mind, and spirit.

The man who preserves his selfhood ever calm and unshaken by the storms of existence - not a leaf, as it were,astir on the tree, not a ripple upon the surface of the shining poo - his, in the mind of the unlettered sage, is the ideal attitude and conduct of life . . .

Silence is the cornerstone of character.

Ohiyesa (1858-1939) was a Santee Sioux who was given the Christian name Charles Alexander Eastman.

Dear Oran,

You have inquired about the ministry.

I need not describe the perils, since you have observed the staring into space, heard the late-night calls for help, read the cranky letters, and been affected by a thousand funerals. I thank you for never complaining.

Oran, I imagine you are considering the ministry because you know my secret. Yes, I love it.
I love the church with the scent of the ages in the air, with the light filtering through colored windows, with the music and the mystery of eternity echoing off the stone walls.

I love the challenge of going deep down into the cave of the heart, of soaring above the obvious, of stretching every nerve and fiber for truth and understanding.

I love the people, as they are the source of religious inspiration, as they are the mentors of human courage, as they are the bearers of joy and forgiveness. The saints are in the pews.

Yes, I love the ministry.
But whatever you choose as a career, it will be a form of ministry, sicne you have been blessed with a sensitive spirit. In the end, we are all minisers to each other, witnessing in our won ways to the ties that bind. Every task is holy when the heart is employed.

In the meantime, For God's sake, get a haircut.

Sincerely,

Dad