Because I have a difficult time falling asleep even at the end of a 14-hour day, which makes it impossible for me to read- tired, not sleepy: a condition that is most unpleasant- I have been serially watching two Danish television shows: Borgen and Herrens Veje (Riding On the Storm). Both shows were created by Adam Price. Both shows are intense, even a bit melodramatic, but good.
Having spent some time in Denmark throughout the ninties and being something a devotee of Kiekergaard, I appreciate how these shows deal politics (Borgen and religion (Herrens Veje) in contemporary Danish society. It's interesting, Danes don't seem to be that into Kierkegaard. I am tempted to spout something trite referencing a prophet in his own country. In reality, Danish society ultimately bought into Søren's critique of Christendom. They did not disestablish the Church but the status of the national Danish (Lutheran) Church is much reduced.
I find myself wishing that Birgitte Nyborg Christensen (the main character in Borgen) could run for president. Just like I am trying avoid the rapidity of time's passage, I am also avoiding politics in this post.
I am going on retreat by myself next week! I am leaving Thursday and coming back on Sunday. I've never felt the need to get away more acutely than I do right now.
Because Fridays are penitential days and because I am still going through my REM revival, our traditio for this September Friday is "Talk About the Passion," off Murmur, their debut album on the legendary IRS Records. It contains a line I sometimes need to remember: "Not everyone can carry the weight of the world."
I always felt that the weight of the world is different for every person, varying sometimes moment by moment. Not everyone can carry their sorrows, pains, disappointments - conversely, not everyone can carry their joys. I believe that at times our prayers and mouths are empty, because we have not sought Christ to refill what we have given to others. Still, for me anyway, my prayers and mouth seems empty because I am ingenuous or trapped in my own self. All the best on retreat.
ReplyDeleteOnly one can carry the weight of the world: Christ. Yes, my own relatively minor disappointments, sorrows, and struggles are often too weighty for me.
Delete"So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you. Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour.Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings" 1 Peter 5:6-9
Dryness happens and it happens for a reason. If you're praying, you're seeking Christ.