Ya'd think—what with God being Love and all—that loving others would be as easy as fallin' off a log, at least for Christians. Not so! It turns out loving God and loving your neighbor are not the same. It apparently takes a little convincin' and a lot o' practice to make that connection. That's what this liturgy is all about.
It's not limited to minorities either. Not by a long shot. It also about women's roles...in the church as well as society. It's even about people from other religious traditions. Why? Because they're usually the last people on our "To Love" list and the first people on our "Condemned to Hell" list...even though many of them are saints! The result, needless to say, is a lot of pain and suffering. A lot of killing too, I'm afraid, all because we're not alone in this particular bias.
Here's what Fr. Keating recommends...
That's not all. In the Rainbow Liturgy, Christ is a Middle Eastern woman and God is "a big, burly Black man with kind eyes." Remind you of sump'thin'? It should. The best-selling novel, The Shack, takes a similar approach. The result is a real eye-opener, I can tell ya'.
The other thing Fr. Keating recommends is for children...
It's the tone of this liturgy, however, that makes it so remarkable. Not only is not for children, it's not even for adolescents. It's pitched for adults strugglin' with the profound problems of practicing love in a complex world.
The second poem–"Beyond Love"–is a perfect example. It takes on some of the most difficult issues facing our society and invites ya' to meditate on 'em. Things like domestic violence, unemployment, world hunger, and genocide. Until we can see these things from the point of view of God (in other words from the inside), we'll never be able to solve them.
As if that weren't enough, there's a new version of a lovely, old chant that can be sung in the background, and you get to say the words in Latin while signing the cross. I'd practically forgotten how beautiful that is.
Then, to end it all, ya' form an ever-expanding circle that eventually, even if only in imagination, includes the whole world. The liturgy is not only uplifting, but quietly maturing somehow. It's like listening to a voice from the future...and discovering it's your very own!
Here, take a look...
Front:
Back:
As if to practice what it preaches, the back side includes an acknowledgment of the similarity between centering prayer and meditation. This is a no-brainer, of course, but it's rarely, if ever, mentioned in centering-prayer circles. I'm not sure why. If it were more commonly discussed, it'd help build an interfaith bridge between East and West.
The only way to really appreciate its depth and harmony, I'm afraid, is to order some of the blarney things and see for yourself. Better yet, order the sample pack and see all the options at once. That's the only way to know for sure.
All ya' have to do is write me—"The Leprechaun"—through Jim Whiteside at jimwhiteside@hotmail.com. He's the only one 'round here tall enough to reach them blame computers!
Prices
Recommendations: "Coated Paper" is all you need if you're gonna let people take 'em home, but if you plan on reusing 'em occasionally, you better get "Card Stock." For frequent use, there's nothing like the laminated version. Even the wee ones can't mess 'em up much. The real reason for buying the laminated versions, however, is the sheer beauty o' the things. For some reason, lamination makes 'em look almost 3-D.
If ya' order now, I'll throw in some sacred readings to get ya' started. Those are read before and after centering prayer. They're supposed to change every time ya' do the liturgy. That way there's always something new and exciting going on.
In other words, you get to choose what to read wherever the liturgy says "sacred reading." These'll just get you started and give ya' an idea of how to match the readings to the litury. Besides, they're fun!
It's not limited to minorities either. Not by a long shot. It also about women's roles...in the church as well as society. It's even about people from other religious traditions. Why? Because they're usually the last people on our "To Love" list and the first people on our "Condemned to Hell" list...even though many of them are saints! The result, needless to say, is a lot of pain and suffering. A lot of killing too, I'm afraid, all because we're not alone in this particular bias.
Here's what Fr. Keating recommends...
Invite people, as a part of their own religion, to love everybody else's religion, not just respect it, but to love it, and that involves a change in attitude that I acknowledge I wouldn't know how to practically realize.
I can tell ya' how. It's so obvious, in fact, it's almost embarrassing. I guess someone has to actually be the first person to say it, though. So–in case you haven't heard–here goes... Fr. Thomas Keating
minute 5:12-5:34
“Inter-Religious Dialogue 1.5”
YouTube, 2010
minute 5:12-5:34
“Inter-Religious Dialogue 1.5”
YouTube, 2010
God belongs to all religions!Pretty obvious, huh? All we have to do now is get the word out, and voila! No more interfaith problems! That's what the Rainbow Liturgy is all about. Here, take a listen...
"I'm not just Christian, but Moslem too. Buddhist. You name it."That's the Holy Spirit speaking. He's represented as "a short, elderly Asian man." Until we start including such statements in our liturgies, no one's gonna take interfaith tolerance seriously, I'm afraid.
That's not all. In the Rainbow Liturgy, Christ is a Middle Eastern woman and God is "a big, burly Black man with kind eyes." Remind you of sump'thin'? It should. The best-selling novel, The Shack, takes a similar approach. The result is a real eye-opener, I can tell ya'.
The other thing Fr. Keating recommends is for children...
Teach children as well as ourselves, from kindergarten on, to love each other's religion.
Fr. Thomas Keating
minute 2:33-2:50
“Inter-Religious Dialogue 1.5”
YouTube, 2010
minute 2:33-2:50
“Inter-Religious Dialogue 1.5”
YouTube, 2010
It's the tone of this liturgy, however, that makes it so remarkable. Not only is not for children, it's not even for adolescents. It's pitched for adults strugglin' with the profound problems of practicing love in a complex world.
The second poem–"Beyond Love"–is a perfect example. It takes on some of the most difficult issues facing our society and invites ya' to meditate on 'em. Things like domestic violence, unemployment, world hunger, and genocide. Until we can see these things from the point of view of God (in other words from the inside), we'll never be able to solve them.
As if that weren't enough, there's a new version of a lovely, old chant that can be sung in the background, and you get to say the words in Latin while signing the cross. I'd practically forgotten how beautiful that is.
Then, to end it all, ya' form an ever-expanding circle that eventually, even if only in imagination, includes the whole world. The liturgy is not only uplifting, but quietly maturing somehow. It's like listening to a voice from the future...and discovering it's your very own!
Here, take a look...
Front:
"The Rainbow Liturgy" by Jim Whiteside © 2011
Back:
"The World of Enlightenment" by Jim Whiteside © 2011
As if to practice what it preaches, the back side includes an acknowledgment of the similarity between centering prayer and meditation. This is a no-brainer, of course, but it's rarely, if ever, mentioned in centering-prayer circles. I'm not sure why. If it were more commonly discussed, it'd help build an interfaith bridge between East and West.
The only way to really appreciate its depth and harmony, I'm afraid, is to order some of the blarney things and see for yourself. Better yet, order the sample pack and see all the options at once. That's the only way to know for sure.
| The Liturgy Sample-Pack | $36 |
|---|
It includes...
- The Liturgy for Centering Prayer
- The laminated version
- With matching sacred-readings
- The Liturgy of the Soul
- On card stock
- With matching sacred-readings
- The Rainbow Liturgy
- On coated paper
- With matching sacred-readings
All ya' have to do is write me—"The Leprechaun"—through Jim Whiteside at jimwhiteside@hotmail.com. He's the only one 'round here tall enough to reach them blame computers!
Prices
| Number Ordered | Coated Paper (32 lb.) | Card Stock (80 lb.) | The Laminated Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | $27 | $40 | $60 |
| 10 | $40 | $60 | $90 |
| 25 | $66 | $100 | $150 |
| 50 | $110 | $170 | $250 |
| 100 | $200 | $300 | $450 |
| 250 | $440 | $660 | $1,000 |
| 500 | $800 | $1,200 | $1,800 |
| 1000 | $1,460 | $2,200 | $3,300 |
If ya' order now, I'll throw in some sacred readings to get ya' started. Those are read before and after centering prayer. They're supposed to change every time ya' do the liturgy. That way there's always something new and exciting going on.
Sacred readings for "The Rainbow Liturgy"
In other words, you get to choose what to read wherever the liturgy says "sacred reading." These'll just get you started and give ya' an idea of how to match the readings to the litury. Besides, they're fun!
Enjoy,
the leprechaun
the leprechaun
P.S. To place an order, just click on me name above.
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