Breath of Fresh Air

I recently signed up for a daily meditation sent via e-mail from Richard Rohr at the Center for Action and Contemplation. The meditations are brief in number of words, but substantial in content.

The wonder of the resurrection stories in the Gospels is that Jesus has no punitive attitude toward the authorities or his cowardly followers, and that the followers themselves never call for any kind of holy war against those who killed their leader. Something new has clearly transpired in history.

All Jesus does is breathe forgiveness.

It's interesting that Jesus identifies forgiveness with breathing, the one thing that you have done constantly since you were born and will do until you die. He says God's forgiveness is like breathing. Forgiveness is not apparently something God does, it is who God is. -Richard Rohr, CACradicalgrace.org

I have pursued additional Rohr material and audio books are a wonderful option to make the most of my commute to work. On the CD that I listened to yesterday, Rohr details a seminar that he attended which affected the way he considers the name of YHWH, or Yahweh. We know the difficulty in translating without vowels, but the speaker introduced the idea that even the consonants do not even allow this word to be spoken as most words; it's a group of letters where your lips never come together to form the word. It's a breath. Then he repeated quietly, as the Rabbi did that night, the word "YHWH" over and over; a breath in (Y_H) and a breath out (W_H). This morning's meditation reinforced this theme, "God's forgiveness is like breathing... it is who God is." Breathe in, breathe out, forgive, forgive, forgive.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, How many breaths do we take each day, each hour, each lifetime? We are called to forgive that many times. As we breathe we can offer forgiveness to our family, our church community and ourselves. As we breathe again we can extend our breath and forgive neighbors, strangers and enemies. The list is endless of those who warrant clemency, and the list is endless of those whom we have offended; we implore their leniency. Let forgiveness come as natural to us as each life-giving breath. You are as close as our own breath and supply the same life-giving force. May we spend a few moments each day, appreciating each breath, giving a new opportunity to live in full observance of your laws; YHWY, YHWY. Amen.