A Different Street: Spirituality and the Inner Life

I heard Father Pierce before I met him. He has a loud ooogaaah horn that bays out his presence as he coasts down country lanes or town streets. He also has a deep, uninhibited belly laugh that shudders happily out of him. That laugh always brings a startled response to all in earshot. He himself cuts a commanding presence with his abundant beard and imaginative attire, replete with wide suspenders. Why hide in the shadows when there is a message to proclaim? And part of that message comes through the man himself, through actions as much as words.

Nathaniel Pierce is an Episcopal priest in a rural area of Maryland, USA. However, he did not start out wanting to be in the clergy. “When I was in high school,” he explained, “it was post Sputnik and the push was towards science. It was seen as the be-all-end-all.”

So, he went into civil engineering, earning a degree from Cornell. But while there he quickly realized that rather than being the answer to our social problems, technology was a major part of the problem. As he astutely pointed out, technology completely sidestepped the inner world. And for Nathaniel Pierce the inner dimension was as alive, as real and as influential as the outer. Maybe even more so.

So with his new focus on the inner aspects of social problems, Pierce decided to become a priest. “For me the church is not an end. It is a door. It invites me into inner worlds. These inner worlds are completely beyond religion. Religion is outer stuff. But we use it to move deeper, below the surface. That is where spirituality lies.

“Bible thumpers are all about religion,” he continued. “They have nothing to do with spirituality. The problem is many people confuse the two. But they are worlds apart from each other.

“When you are connected to the spiritual dimension, you embrace ‘not knowing’ with a sense of openness and peace. In spirituality, we know there are many, many things we do not know. And we accept that. Then we are open to the mystery of the unknown. We live in humility. It is all about attitude and our willingness to be surprised.”

He then explained the organization of the church scriptures and how Biblical selections for services moved in three-year cycles. In addition, each week there are three levels linked by a common theme. “This is so wonderful,” he exclaimed, “because every time the readings come round again, I can see how much I have matured. I understand the teachings so differently, so much more deeply each time I encounter them. Now I preach with no notes. I prepare, of course, but when I give a sermon, I speak directly from the heart.”

Father Pierce continued, “Our entire culture is shifting now. I am not referring to the economic upheavals in the world. Rather, we are moving from the outer religious dimension to a much deeper, spiritual one. In the ‘60s people wanted to change the outer world. Now we seek to change ourselves. From there our work in the world will follow.”

Father Pierce’s philosophy translates into work within his immediate community. He opened a health center for the poor in his area: Fassett-Magee Community Health Center. The name comes from two courageous people, one a Black doctor (male) and the other a Black nurse (female). They cared for Blacks during WW II. In 1994 Pierce’s center merged with The Choptank Community Health Systems on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. This merger enabled the services to spread to a broader section of the community.

“It’s a great deal,“ beamed Father Pierce. “Doctors can work one year and get one year off their medical school loans. So in five years they can pay off all their educational expenses. It is a win-win situation.

“It is important to work with and for people who are different from us. What a better way to grow.” Having said that, he raced off to his study to bring me the following quotation by Doris Peel.

“O the people who have chosen to know
only other people who are like themselves.
Oh what they are missing!
O missing without even knowing what it is
that is being missed.
What lies in themselves
waiting to be disclosed,
this they are missing ---
The people who choose to know
only other people who are like themselves.”

Father Pierce loves keeping church folks on their toes. And in the staid community where he is, that can be quite “fun.” For example, he adores the fact that Harriet Tubman, a woman and a Black, has been chosen to be in the Episcopal Calendar of Saints. July 20th is her day. Of course, he does not let his parishioners forget that special date. Likewise, Father Pierce happily blesses relationships, both gay and interracial.

Because of his line of work, Father Pierce does a lot of counseling. And in that arena, too, he shows a great deal of foresight. He skillfully uses the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). An individual identifies a preferred type and this information is then used in counseling, especially marriage counseling. “When people are in love, they see only stars and bliss. But by exploring their preferences, I can help them to understand each other better and to identify possible problem areas as well as their strengths as a couple. That way they have concrete concepts to work with. With the MBTI you can see possible areas of growth. With that information one can move towards wholeness."

In addition, for Father Pierce, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a wonderful tool for showing how others receive information differently. “It can help me manage me, so to speak. It can help me see why I’ve been hurt.” That is a key, a significant viewpoint that he tries to instill in those he counsels. And of course, he applies it in is own life as well.

To learn more about that, towards the end of our interview, I tentatively asked him about his own marriage. I knew his wife was bedridden and at home. “At first I felt resentment when I knew I would have to be her primary caretaker for the rest of her life," he said thoughtfully and with painful honesty. "But then I shifted focus. Now I see my caring for her - first - as my way to thank her for supporting me for twenty-five years in our marriage. And second, I see it as an opportunity for spiritual growth. Of course, I grieved the loss of what we had, but now I try to be open to what opportunities there are in this for inner growth. I live day by day with anticipation towards what will emerge.

“You know, I used to use perfection as a yardstick. (Whatever perfection means!) But now I own my imperfections and accept them in others. The problem with perfection is that it is the end of the road. Once attained, progress is not possible. But errors are part of the game. They keep us moving. And we make the same mistakes many times. Then one day we realize we don’t have to do that any more. We can go down a different street.”

And with those wise words, he handed me his favorite poem. And forever thinking of others, he ended by saying, “Here. Use this. I think it is important. Others might get a lot out of it, too.”

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters
by Portia Nelson

I
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost.
I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

II
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in the same place,
but it isn’t my fault.
It takes a long time to get out.

III
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in.
It’s a habit, my eyes are open,
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

IV
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

V
I walk down another street.