Perhaps it was the dark roast’s insistent rancidity that set me off, but I found myself grousing a bit about the prospect of Trick-Or-Treaters assaulting our domestic portal this evening.
Turns out, I was the only grumpy old man in our group of grumpy old dudes who was inclined to complain about this particular October indignity. All my coffee klatch companions said they’re looking forward to the festivities – so what’s up with me?
A home-brewed cup, always more satisfying than the dark-roast I purchase…
And truth be told, I’m not completely opposed to Halloween (although it DOES seem to have become a bit overblown in recent years). In fact, it was a delight to have our grandchildren stop by recently to show off their costumes…and help us decorate a pumpkin or two.
Even so, my good-natured grousing this morning seemed to take on a life of its own. I found myself doubling-down on an annoyance I only half-believed. Or quarter-believed.
An odd thing, this haunting.
A bit later in the morning, I came across a litany of sorts…one that shed some light on the state of my momentarily-afflicted spirit. It’s a passage from “The Flowing Light of the Godhead,” wisdom shared by a 13th century mystic, Mechthild of Magdeburg.
Pride is the first sin that begins to chase a person away from God,
And if we don’t leave it, lust grows; and if we don’t leave lust, greed grows; and if we don’t leave greed, laziness grows; and if we don’t leave laziness, lying grows; and if we don’t leave lying, perjury grows; and if we don’t leave perjury, anger grows; and if we don’t leave anger, slander grows; and if we don’t leave slander, stubbornness grows; and if we don’t leave stubbornness, hatred grows; and if we don’t leave hatred, vengeance grows; and if we don’t leave vengeance, hopelessness grows; and if we don’t leave hopelessness, insolence grows; and if we don’t leave insolence, shameless arrogance grows; and if we don’t leave arrogance, wrong wisdom grows; and if we don’t leave wrong wisdom, unbelief grows and says, “It is not at all like they say it is.”
Lord, infuse me with Your grace. Then I will flow from Your love.
A bit of harmless fun, this mask of grumpiness I wore in our gathering of friends this morning, I said to myself.
But is it truly harmless?
By embracing bitterness, even in jest, do I open the door to a cascade of demons – each subsequent one more dangerous than the last?
As I meditate on this Halloween treat poured out on me, I am moved to pray, all the more, with Mechthild:
“Lord, infuse me with Your grace. Then I — a better me — will flow from Your love.”
Grandkids on their Halloween visit — always a treat!
Let us pause now…to recall that we are in the presence of the Holy & Merciful One.
IHS
With Us Still 
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