There is a prayer tradition that goes back to St. Ignatius Loyola. In Latin, the prayer he wrote in the 16th century begins with the word "suscipe." There are variants on this particular prayer, written by others, since. Each time I hear this, I am struck by a sense that the language needs very little tweaking to come very close to the sort of pledge and promise that I might make within my life with Master...
"Receive, O Lord, all my liberty. Take my memory, my understanding, and my entire will. Whatsoever I have or possess Thou hast bestowed upon me; I give it all back to Thee and surrender it wholly to be governed by Thy Will. Give me love for Thee alone along with Thy grace, and I am rich enough and ask for nothing more."
swan
That is beautiful! Thanks for sharing it. :)
ReplyDeleteTaylor
http://antisojo.livejournal.com
Dear Swan,
ReplyDeleteVery difficult to say just how deeply this post troubles me.
I know I sound, at times, to be dismissive or to disapprove of your chosen life style but I want to assure you that I have never felt the least bit judgmental. I don’t think it’s “wrong” but I do think it is dangerous on a great many levels. You yourself have presented the difficulties and dangers in a far more intelligent way than I could hope to express.
I also know that you find that my “caring” about you is impertinent and insulting.
Too Bad!
I care!
What worries me about a “master slave” relationship is when the slave begins to think of his/her master/mistress as God. Your master is not God! I doubt very much if he is so dissipated that he thinks of himself as God.
There are many that will argue that there is no God and I have no quarrel with them. It worries me when a person sets a man up as God, however, and prays to him. He is not God and has none of the qualities that a God (imaginary or real) possesses.
Worshipping another human being is a recipe for disaster.
Jack
Strange, Jack, Since the old-fashioned female marriage vow used to be "to Love, Honour, and Obey" until not so very long ago..
ReplyDeleteNot to mention that your average mid-20th century "education" basically centered on the basis that females were inferior, and should not worry their pretty little heads about the Male World.
Oh, and that this attitude is still the basis of the "right and proper way of a Lady" up to this day and age in the US.
How "disturbing" Swans' statement might be to you, by having Tom as the centre of her personal universe, she is actually the epitome of Ladylike Behaviour, by all the standards that are still upheld by the more conservative elements in the US, even..
You can't have it both ways, you know..
Dear Grumblin
ReplyDeleteI am a little disappointed that you will only allow me two ways.
Which, in your God like opinion, am I allowed to cling to?
Jack
Jack, I would never undertake to refer to your way of expressing your sense of connection to your love as disastrous.....but then I am not Christian, so I am not embued with the "truth" or the ability to "know" when others familial attachments are courting disaster or the wrath of God.
ReplyDeleteI have studied Christian theology and history a great deal and is the fact that the thoughts, and feelings, and behavior of Christians are so remarkably "un-Christ-like" when they encounter others who don't conform to their dogma, that prevents me from ever espousing such a sanctimonious and hypocritical religion.
Jack, we will continue courting our disaster and simply have to live with the consequences, if in fact God is as you perceive/profess him to be. If he is as you profess, then I am glad to have the opportunity to defy him.
Jack, it has been clear for sometime, when our discourse has bleed over into this realm, that your deeply held beliefs are in conflict with our lives. I am sorry to distress you. I know your distress is because you have come to care about us. We care about you too and have no desire to upset you.
Jack, you have your beliefs and you should. I do not see them as courting disaster. I am sorry that you feel that you are posessed of some cognizance that enables you to know that we are headed for some disastrous consequence.
I hope despite that you will continue to be our friend. Heck we poor sinful misguided ones need believers to try to assuage the jealous anger we are creating in God by sue's being my slave.
Tom
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.
P. S. I am remarkably non-devine:)
Dear Tom,
ReplyDeleteFirst may I say how much I admire your efforts to restrain the upswelling of anger and disgust that you appear to feel towards any thing or anybody you perceive to be steeped in that obscene monstrosity you perceive Christianity to be.
To begin with Tom, it’s not altogether fair to assume you know what I believe in and what I consider to be important spiritual precepts. I suppose you could say I am a Christian but I am, in fact, a Swedenborgion. Which is a rather different breed of cat. (Swedenborg’s philosophy has been kicking around for a few hundred years but has yet to receive wide acceptance. It’s had a great deal of influence on many historic people, however.) My point is that most Christian communities would happily burn me at the stake or at least excommunicate me for the “heresies” that I espouse.
You say – “Jack, we will continue courting our disaster and simply have to live with the consequences, if in fact God is as you perceive/profess him to be. If he is as you profess, then I am glad to have the opportunity to defy him.”
To begin with I know that God is not as I perceive/profess Him to be. I consider the idea that I can define or even begin to understand the nature of the Divine to be laughable. I fully agree that if he is as I profess he will not be God and I must defy him to retain my humanity.
The “disaster” I keep harping upon is more natural and social than it is spiritual.
I must confess, however, that this business of offering prayers to you did tweak some spiritual angst. Your clear statement that – “I am remarkably non-devine” - comforts me. Do keep that clearly in mind. You’re a far better man than I, because I should think being “worshiped” by two such women as T and Swan would turn my head in no time at all.
I have no desire to “save” the Heron Clan… I believe that you folks and God (if indeed there is a God) will work things out to your mutual satisfaction.
Affectionately
Jack
Jack, I don't hate Christians or Christianity. I do hate being hated by Chrisians and Christianity.
ReplyDeleteI had occasion some time ago to do some on line reading about the Swedenborgian. I don't recall why. Perhaps it was because you mentioned it. It looked intriguing. Anything that can bind heretics together has some potential face validity for me.
Sue was perplexed when I called her attention to your comments last night, and now I'm confused. Where in her post did you get a sense that she was somehow praying to me? Neiher of us can find that reference. At any rate, to clarify, there is no one here praying to anyone or anything....most certainly not to me. I hope this lessens your distress.
I am very fortunate to have the love and the submission of t and swan and I cherish them and their giving up so much control and power to me, and their caring for me with such wonderful servitude.
If I jumped to conclusions in my rant on Christianity and struck you in the process, I apologize. I reiterate, it is good to have people who will care enough about you/us to risk knowing they will encounter incerdulity and even hostility to express warnings when they feel it is necessary to protect those for whom they care.
Thanks for your caring, energy, and attention.
Tom
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.