The Rev. Canon David Norgard is with us this fall as a special consultant for stewardship and development. He will be assisting with our annual Stewardship Campaign, the work of the profile committee, as well as preach and celebrate at our Sunday morning worship. David was on staff at the Cathedral from 2004 to 2005 and, in addition to his considerable skills as a priest, brings with him a wealth of organizational development expertise and experience which will be particularly valuable during this period of transition. In addition to his time at the Cathedral, Canon Norgard served the Episcopal Church in a variety of capacities in four different dioceses.
Up until I was twenty-five years old, I was focused on becoming a priest. In service to this purpose, my rule of life was long and complex. It included things like saying the Morning and Evening Prayer daily and observing all the holy days in the liturgical calendar (all 100+). It kept me busy – and frustrated. Honoring my rule in the breach more than in the observance, I tinkered with it frequently.
In the next quarter-century of my life, I gradually set my sights on a higher calling – becoming a Christian. As a result, my rule became simpler. In fact, simplicity itself became a value.
Now I am in the third quarter-century of my life. In addition to still serving as a priest and living as a Christian, I have embraced a more fundamental purpose – becoming a human being. By that I mean two things: a creature that is just a tiny part of a vast web of living beings that inhabit this fragile Earth, our island home, and a unique creature that is blessed by God with memory, reason, and will (Eucharistic Prayer C). So the rule has become not just simpler still but also broader. For instance, when I say I will act justly, I mean not just to other human beings but all other living beings.
Throughout all the renditions of my rule of life, there have been many adjustments in the particulars. Yet I also note thematic constancy: prayer, study, exercise, hospitality – and generosity.
In the context of this stewardship campaign, I can report that I have certainly had no regrets and many confirmations of the wisdom of being generous. The confirmations have come in the form of joy over making a difference, contentment over having done the right thing, peace in sharing something of myself…and, at times, a sense of regret over not choosing to be as generous as I could have.
And that is why I still find generosity to be part of a good rule to live by.
What is your rule of life?
