Spiritual Onion

Today’s Cancel Culture punishes anyone for speaking the wrong word, for making the wrong move, or for possessing the wrong viewpoint.  How does Jesus deal with those closest to him who betray him with the wrong word, the wrong love, the wrong viewpoint?

Envy, the deadliest of the seven deadly sins, rears its ugly head in the parable of the Prodigal Son.  To our detriment, we pay little attention to the older brother, who waits until the end of the tale to make his appearance.  That's because it has taken the discipline of depth psychology to understand what's truly going on.

Happy. happy, happy.  We want to be happy.  Happy all the time.  We got Happy Fever!  But is that realistic?  Is that authentic living? Is that the point of life?  Are happy people spiritual people?  Or do we need to rethink our approach to happiness?  This podcast won't provide you with happy shoes, but it will change the way you think!

Who doesn't love a peak experience??!!  The challenge is when we must come down from the mountain and face the grind of daily life.  We're all in this together, and we can all learn how to manage this archetypal experience.

When it comes to blessings, most of us don’t want the blessings that Jesus outlines.  Why?  Because Jesus’ blessings have nothing to do with wealth, success, health, or happiness.  What the heck is going on? 

Familiarity breeds contempt, even when it comes to Jesus.  So, what chance do we have of being truly seen by others?  

And why is it so important to be seen by others?  

Listen and see…

Water is transformed into wine at a wedding in Cana.  Ongoing, the mundane is transformed into the sacred.  Even with all the darkness in the world, joy is all around us.  We may just need to attune ourselves to the tangible, palpable, and enlivening moments as they appear before us.

Typical New Year’s resolutions don’t cut it.  Let’s re-think! 

We need to hold in tension two opposing statements: “Everything is just fine the way it is” and “There is a lot of room for improvement.”  

How about making resolutions that contribute to the common good?

God comes down to earth as an infant who cannot find “room at the inn.”  This has nothing to do with a crabby motel manager, but everything to do with the holy family being slammed by Joseph’s kinfolks.

Get into the Christmas spirit this year by listening to the Spiritual Onion with your kinfolk!

We wish you all a very merry Christmas!

Photo by Inbal Malca on Unsplash

Narcissism is today’s spiritual and psychological scourge.  Healing may come from a spiritual life that encourages humility and the surrender of our small self to a higher power.