Somehow in the night I began thinking about the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. Christmas cards often picture them with a donkey but they may well have gone the whole way on foot. When they got there the inn was full so they had to make do with the covering of a stable. Their position in the world was lowly. And we know from all that Mary said and did that she had no other desire except to do the will of God. ( I remember this phrase: "have not other desire except to do the Will of God" from my youthful reading of John of the Cross!)
"Behold the servant of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word." Luke 1:38. Mary was poor in spirit. She knew well that all is gift. She received love from God with an open heart her whole life. This love made her strong in adversity so that she stood by the cross of Jesus. And she did not abandon the disciples of Jesus after he died. I think we can presume with St. Ignatius that she was there when Jesus rose from the dead. And she was there in the Cenacle after the Ascension. Acts 1:14
It seems to me that she was wholeheartedly poor in spirit and obviously also actually poor without complaint. "Blessed are the poor in spirit theirs is the kingdom of God." Mt 5:3. How is it possible for us to be poor in spirit? I think it is the work of God in us when we walk in the faith that God has loved us, is loving us, and will always love us. It is good to remind ourselves of this reality. ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. ‘ This gratuitous giving is what we are celebrating on Christmas. And every day really.
When we sit in silence and recognize that God is present, our constant companion, and then simply say a prayer word or phrase over and over, we are trusting all to God. We come to God without an agenda. We come without telling God what we need or what to do. We just trust all to God. This is a time to let God work in our hearts as God wills. With Mary, we say "behold the servant of the Lord, be it done unto me according to your word."
Our part is to take the time to pray. This is the watering of our faith. And to remember that it is God who gives the increase. God who does the transforming, in secret, and in great love. Freely.
Let us meditate.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Silence and the Presence of God
Real prayer comes from faith: faith in the reality of God, "in whom we live and move and have our being." We can make an act of faith in God, saying we believe He is present. We need to do this very often.
John of the Cross said in one letter "You owe it to your heart to give it this peace and stillness, since your heart is a place where the Spirit is pleased to dwell."
He also writes of "the Spirit’s constant presence." Now it seems to me that God desires our company more than we desire the constant company of God, because God never takes his love and attention from us. Think of Jesus saying "Abide in me as I abide in you." All of us enjoy loving relationships with other humans. And all of us actually have a loving relationship with God.
What matters then is that we give more attention to this reality. We do this in many ways. One important way is to develop the habit of a walking prayer. Saying a short prayer as we go about our day hither and yon. Another is to try our best to pray the Liturgy, really say those prayers those words we are all saying to God. And then as John of the Cross says. Provide your lives with stillness. In Liturgy at St. Augustine, there is also stillness times when it is good to pray, not just ogle the crowd…
We provide ourselves with stillness in Christian Meditation or Centering Prayer. We use a prayer word or phrase because that keeps us attentive and keeps us from just being '‘spacey'. Or filled with restless thinking. We want to be mindful that we are with God in the stillness no matter how we are feeling. Whether we feel nothing or are up or are down, we cling to the fact that God is with us sustaining us in life, loving us and calling us to walk in faith.
We walk by faith. Faith in the constant presence of the Holy Spirit, faith in the love that God has proved to us by the life and death and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Like the children’s song, we need to say O God I believe in your dear love for me.
John of the Cross said in one letter "You owe it to your heart to give it this peace and stillness, since your heart is a place where the Spirit is pleased to dwell."
He also writes of "the Spirit’s constant presence." Now it seems to me that God desires our company more than we desire the constant company of God, because God never takes his love and attention from us. Think of Jesus saying "Abide in me as I abide in you." All of us enjoy loving relationships with other humans. And all of us actually have a loving relationship with God.
What matters then is that we give more attention to this reality. We do this in many ways. One important way is to develop the habit of a walking prayer. Saying a short prayer as we go about our day hither and yon. Another is to try our best to pray the Liturgy, really say those prayers those words we are all saying to God. And then as John of the Cross says. Provide your lives with stillness. In Liturgy at St. Augustine, there is also stillness times when it is good to pray, not just ogle the crowd…
We provide ourselves with stillness in Christian Meditation or Centering Prayer. We use a prayer word or phrase because that keeps us attentive and keeps us from just being '‘spacey'. Or filled with restless thinking. We want to be mindful that we are with God in the stillness no matter how we are feeling. Whether we feel nothing or are up or are down, we cling to the fact that God is with us sustaining us in life, loving us and calling us to walk in faith.
We walk by faith. Faith in the constant presence of the Holy Spirit, faith in the love that God has proved to us by the life and death and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Like the children’s song, we need to say O God I believe in your dear love for me.
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