A Precious Heritage

There are people who believe that all the ancient religions of the world are doomed to fade away;

that they are like clothes children have outgrown;

that because they are all rooted in times very different from our own,

and reflect cultures and attitudes we have left far behind,

they are no longer suited to the the modern technological society in which we find ourselves.

Or are they?

One of my favorite authors, Huston Smith, who is a brilliant leader in the interfaith movement, and one of its modern "grandfathers," has written a book I highly recommend. It is based on his decades of exploration and experience of the world's great religions. It is titled "Why Religion Matters." I agree with him that in today's world, the ancient religions matter a great deal, for they contain, taken together, the greatest repository of universal, tried and true human wisdom available to us. That wisdom is sorely needed in our time, when there is so much confusion and perplexity, and so many have lost their moorings, spiritually speaking. It is a universal Wisdom that is a sacred and precious heritage for the whole human race.

The reading I have chosen today is from the Hebrew Bible, Psalm 16, based on my paraphrase in my book Swallow's Nest. This Psalm is a prayer in which the author reflects on the precious faith heritage s/he enjoys.

These words could be spoken also of other precious faith heritages, and the Divine Wisdom they have preserved for our generation, and those to come, if we only know how to make use of it.

I know you always watch over me, Holy One of Blessing, and so I take refuge in You.

For You alone, the One God of all, are Good, and the source of everything good.

I delight in the faithful in the land, whose lives radiate Your goodness.

The unfaithful who choose what is false multiply their sorrows.

I want no part of their life, nor will I choose what they value.

You alone, O God, are the choice of my heart.

You are the One who determines my destiny, and the destiny of all.

In Your mercy You have placed me in good circumstances.

You have provided me with a precious heritage.

I bless and thank You for giving me wise counsel through my earthly days,

and even instructing my heart through the night.

Thus I am always mindful of Your guiding Presence.

With You beside me, I shall not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is filled with gladness, and my soul with glory.

My body also rests secure, knowing You will not abandon me to death

or allow Your beloved to experience corruption.

You constantly show me the path of life.

In Your Presence is unbounded joy.

At Your right hand are pleasures without end.

My response:

I am grateful too, loving God, for the gift of a heritage of faith that has sustained me

through all the years of my life.

I benefit every day from the love and faith of my parents, grandparents, and all who have walked

the path of faith before me, and still walk it with me now.

May I be aware of Your guiding Presence always, day and night,

that I might not stray from Your wisdom in what I think or do.

I know that You are always showing me the Path of Life.

When I focus on following Your guidance,

I experience a joy that nothing can destroy.