Voices

I speak in many voices.  Not the sound of my words but the experience and roles of my  life: spouse, mother, priest, administrator, friend, advisor, mentor, supervisor, colleague.  While the context directs  which voice I use, none of the voices are distinct.  Sometimes to be a thoughtful administrator the mother layer is in my voice.  Sometimes to be a mother the administrator voice organizes home life.

Yet, there is one voice that is in every layer, the Christian voice.  On this sabbatical, I am reflecting on my heart core.  That which gives me life.  That which is my inner scaffolding, central support, architecture of my beliefs. Naming my roots in Christ, literally, continues to be very supportive.

So, when I came across the following, paraphrased from the Collegeville Institute web page, developing my Christian voice became that much more important. "It is not enough to preach.  It is not enough to teach.  It is not enough to update the church's Facebook page.  We must learn to write and speak theology accessible for everyone". Write and speak theology for everyone are at my core.  It is what this blog is about as well as the many other voices of my life.  What are the practical, everyday dimensions of a Christian voice?  How is it heard?  Where? Am I speaking out loud or whispering in my own head? What inspires others to speak in their own Christian voice?

What inspires me is to know and feel that my Christian voice makes two profound differences.  First that everyday I choose life with God and I am grateful.  Second, that I make a difference in the lives of others everyday. I am not measuring the difference.  The size, impact, is less important than the difference Christ in me makes. In that way I am developing my voice and speaking to connect with others.

Illuminations

At one time in church history, monks copied manuscripts, primarily The Bible, and adorned them with illuminations on the page.  The act of copying is an art and the painting of illumination is an art.  Few of those manuscripts of the sacred Word for living survive today.

The art of illumination happens still today but not in prized manuscripts or copied pages.  More often than not its in today's disposal mediums, print and digital.  Their life is intended to be while the reader's eye is on the page.  The art is clarity.  We miss many illuminations because their production is daily and fleeting.

One illumination appears in today's Washington Post.  An opinion column written by Michael Gerson entitled, "Elevated by the Common Good."  His writing is an act of common good because he does not agree with the book he describes, Common Good by Jim Wallis.  He illuminates where he and Mr. Wallis agree and disagree and why.  He makes his points based on a thorough knowledge of faith principals and values yet he does not share about his own faith or question Jim Wallis' because they disagree.  The article is an illumination of religion speaking in the public square to build up our human and civic community.  Worth reading both Mr. Gerson and Mr. Wallis.