A thought occurred to me during Mass about the parable of the seed and the sower. When the soil is not prepared, "sewing the seed" essentially feeds the devil, because Jesus compares the birds who snatch away the seed to the devil. Well, not to push the image too much (poor birds) ... let's just say the hard soil means work is needed before there will be receptivity. So we need to pay attention to preparing the soil. Should the farmer avoid planting on hard soil to avoid keeping the birds around? They're going to be around regardless, right? But I think the point is the need for attention to the soil. I wonder what the farmers hearing Jesus thought about it?
And then, the homily. (The parable was not even referenced, it just popped into my mind.) It was all about how Jesus' call to love. What was Jesus' criterion for who should eat the special law-regulated bread in special, law-regulated conditions? Those who were hungry! Human need! Instead, the Pharisees were all about the regulations, not the person, not the need. They were all about the "beautiful box" as Fr. Richard put it -- the beautiful box into which they had stuffed God. The rules, the do's, the don'ts, the clothing regulations, the prayers, the offerings. The Beautiful Box. I couldn't help but snicker to myself as I thought of those homeschool curricula that come, literally, in a beautiful box. Instead, Father said, we live in a dynamic, changing, growing relationship with God who is Mystery, not the Boxed One.
My context for all of this: I just joined a new unschooling email list, with its broad spectrum of members. It has been awhile since I've been on anything but UnschoolingCatholics, which is such a warm, accepting place. I was on a slew of lists a few years ago and felt chewed up and spit out, but that, I felt, was pretty much all behind me. I jumped in, almost right away, in response to someone's post about what unschooling is, by sharing my post about freedom and unschooling. Some seemed to respond favorably without grasping the point, because someone else's summary of my post included the word "God". (Good theists trying to stick up for each other, I suppose.) From others I perceived (real, or not?) a curt reception. So, is it better that I not share something I found to be a helpful perspective, albeit a "spiritual" one? I made great effort not to be "religious" in my comments, in the sense of putting forth my preferred "ism". It really made me notice how people in these types of discussions (it was a new list so everyone is doing introductions) tend to put forth their ideologies as identifiers, or is it barricades? And it makes me really think through what I have of value to share that isn't just setting up a barricade, or a fort. Unschoolers are a very funny lot. I've never seen so many folks supposedly drawn together by something in common who disagree about so much.
I decided I'm just there to learn, to share, to discuss, to love, and learn some more.
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