Like Making Sausage?

I’m working on the mandala.  For now, all I have are the words of this new faith statement written in a square spiral—if that’s possible—around a largish canvass.  What you see is what I have thus far.  I now have some idea of how I might be able to make these words fit.  In the coming weeks, I’ll paint colors over them and then put the words back on top.  My goal is a painting, a visual mantra for my office, a mandala whose circles invite me to remain centered and whose words call me to deeper reflection on what lies near the center.  In the meantime, I think I will be writing about leaving one kind of believing and embracing another.  That seems to be the theme that has arrived.

And at this point, I want to note something about where this blog seems to be going.  I thought about waiting to take a picture of the mandala until it is finished.  Who, I thought, wants to see a bunch of words painted in a hurry with only a promise of more?  So revealing the process is also a part of this.  In fact, I’m beginning to think it is close to the heart of what I am learning.  So here’s my disclaimer to the faithful in my parish.  If it makes you uncomfortable to know that your priest is still working on all of the basics, like, who or what is God, who was Jesus, who is Jesus, what does it mean to have joined others in gathering around ancient stories—if my questions about such things make you uneasy, then you may want to look away.  Maybe working out faith is like making sausage.  The end result is ok, but you don’t want to see it happening.   I am fascinated with this process, and with the invitation to share it in its unfolding.  I can’t wait.  I am trusting the process and the writing and the moving forward in a new way these days because I believe there is a force, a power in the universe that has something to do with love.  It has something to do with us……. 

JB