Touchpoints by Henry Rojas
John, Jesus and Ravi
“More happened in that session, and I went to my room and packed, ready to walk out of the Episcopal retreat center in LA’s Echo Park. I yelled to no one, aloud, “I can’t believe I’m paying for this abuse!” I sat on the edge of the bed and heard a voice inside me saying, “Henry, they are just a bunch of human beings.” (There was an expletive before the word ‘human’ that I left out.) I returned to the group and talked with Ravi, and he said, “Henry don’t ever lose your magic. But in spiritual direction, it’s about the directee, and how Spirit directs them together. You are a witness; listen for your own prompts.””
Shape of My Heart
“We have been told, or we may think, that we need to be fit. Boy scouts need to be prepared, yes! But why do we need to be prepared to love… to engage strangers and deliver life-giving seeds of new beginnings or watering the seeds already scattered? Jesus said, “You don’t need any other equipment; you are the equipment!” In talking to Samuel he said, ‘They don’t need a king to tell them what to do, they have me!'”
The Other Side
Grace and peace to you from the Mystery in whom we live and move, and have our being. A woman healed. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, ‘If I but touch his cloak, I will be made well.’” Mark 5:21-43 A woman healed Whenever we go to the other side, we leave where we were. The Other Side can be a mystery. We are often led to…
Boat Rides and Roller Coasters
“Jesus didn’t say, “Let’s get in a boat, get halfway, hit the worst storm ever, and feel like you’re going to die. Any takers?” Who is going to say, “Count me in!”? When I am facing dark moments, this tells me I must rely on the light that has been previously revealed. It’s best not to attempt to create my own light. Rather, depend on the light that has been previously revealed.”
Hidden Things
“I can’t help but take pause when I read the statements of faith from the largest and most influential churches and denominations in Phoenix, Arizona alone. They will remain nameless. This not intended to bash. It is simply what has caused my questions to emerge about belonging. I love and embrace the people who attend for purposes of children’s programs, vibrant worship, ecclesiastical comfort, duty, or passion and devotion to Christ. As a spiritual director it is not mine to determine or chastise the directions churches go in their basic assumptions. But it is mine to walk alongside many who have questions and seek those hidden meanings that have not yet transformed into brave words.”
The King’s Gambit
“When God tells Samuel, “They did not reject you, Samuel, they’re rejecting me,” God is reassuring Samuel that he did the right thing by not placing himself or anyone else above God. Even if he stands alone. He is not a failure as a king. He’s just not the kind of king they want. The Israelites want a king to do their bidding, not a King of Kings who is for them to live and move and have their being. There is only one King of all the Kings we’ve chosen. This King says, “Go ahead – choose who will lead, but understand the fallout, and know I was not chosen, I AM.”
A Pause to Remember
“What were the religious leaders and lay judgers misunderstanding about the Sabbath? Perhaps it was that the commandment was not a matter of social and spiritual conduct, but rather a nurturing of the body in a state of rest, a way to stop the mental and physical spinning we get ourselves into. It is a gift that honors life and its nourishment, a time to rest and reflect on something greater than being producer and consumer. What is that something greater?”
Water and Spirit
“They were both in their own way earnestly seeking. Why didn’t Jesus acknowledge their desire and baptize them? Why didn’t he put his hands on the kneeling ruler and bless him? If hell hung precariously in the balance of their decision to follow Jesus, why wouldn’t Jesus tell them? Perhaps it’s because Nicodemus and the rich young ruler represents today’s church, who just can’t let go of their way, to follow The Way.”
All in One and One in All
“Love has its source in God, because God is love. To love one another, means the source of love I offer the world, is also from God. If love is too much a burden to engage for me, then I have not come to know God, the source of all the love I have access. How can I understand a command to love my enemies, when I am not aware of the source of all love? Love would in some cases be a heavy burden because on our own, we have a limited capacity for love.”
The Way to Complete Joy
“Jesus provided the greatest command for living a life of joy, friendship, and love. He basically said, ‘I am welcoming you to abide in the agape (love of God). Bask in it and breathe it in. Be in awe of it then welcome (agapao) others. Do this as you are abiding.’”
God’s Love Burns
“Branches are connected to the vine and they abide together. Fecundity is the intimacy of abiding with the vine and each other. The vine is rooted in love below the earth, in what is called the rootstalk. It is the source of all growth and renewal. Branches cannot renew themselves separately from the vine and rootstalk. No wonder Jesus says, ‘Apart from God, we can do nothing.'”
All in the Game, or the Name?
“’In the name of Jesus’ to me means, In the name of the one who wears the wounds of our lives on his back. It is not magical, but it is mystical. In the name of the one whose reputation was of loving indiscriminately. In the name of the one who found a way out of no way, even through doubt and confusion. In the name of the one who has more power than any therapist suggesting I sit beside still waters. Rather, “In the name of” refers to the one who makes me lie down, in the revelation of Gods compassion, beside still waters. Even more, who is calm waters, and whose spirit restores my soul.”