Sunday December 3 – Love Springs from Awareness

To Practice

– Prayerfully re-read these passages again in the manner of Lectio Divina, perhaps aloud so you can feel them with more of your senses. What opens your heart? What informs your journey at this time?

– Seeing with the Heart, a practice from The Centre for Action and Contemplation’s Daily Meditation, Dec 7 2019 … (see email for full practice description) …

If you would like to re-read the full email reflection, you may do so here: https://mailchi.mp/coutreach/word-of-the-week-dec3

This week I was reminded of one of my favorite quotes by Thomas : “In Christ there is perfect Unity and Infinite Diversity.” This week’s Word of The Week contained so many varied voices that I’d encountered through friends on the Journey.

First, a close friend referred me to Anthony De Mello nearly 40 years ago when my searching for answers was leading me away from the church that I grew up in; One of my friends that faithfully attends our Centering prayer group has a deep appreciation of the poetry of Mary Oliver: Another dear friend who has worked tirelessly in the very demanding Peace and Justice ministry referred me to Fr. Greg Boyle and his work; my mentor at Contemplative Outreach referred me to Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditations several years ago and this became a daily part of my practice.

What strikes me this week is  the diversity of voices presented! As a musician and “child of the sixties”, I am part of a restless generation that was eager to experiment with new and exciting paths of spiritual awareness and decide that the  faith I grew up in was obsolete! I learned and experienced much that was good but it was a dizzying and turbulent ride.

Through the practice of Centering prayer I find myself here today. These meditations, reflections and practices help me to integrate my experience AND to see with new eyes and to hear with new ears the treasures of the faith that was passed on to me. I am so grateful for resources like “The Word of the Week”. It helps me to stay on the path.

Frank Pendola

Westerly, R.I.

The Word of the Week is without a doubt the best spiritual guidance I have all week.  It is so rich. Every line, no every word speaks to me. I can see how carefully it is prepared with such insight, wisdom and sensitivity. The broad scope of its quotes. What a library shared with us so freely with love. I think I gave my donation last year but maybe it is time for me to  renew. If so please send me a little reminder. At 86 the memory is not working so well. Back to today’s readings.

I will focus on this sentence. Oops copy and paste did not work. The sentence was at the beginning and used the word “hypnotized” which is exactly the right word used by our “wordsmith” author who has such a wonderful talent. We are hypnotized by the media and evil suggestions are implanted in our unconscious. The cure for this is most definitely centering prayer. We have to be able to hit the “erase” button just as we erase old movies from our TV recorder. We have to replace the evil suggestions with love. God, who is Love, does that for us in centering prayer. We don’t even know what is  rolling around in our unconscious or when the media implanted it there. We don’t even know how maliciously it affects our lives. But the God of Love knows and the love of God eradicates these recordings. We become whole and loving again. This is the great reward of centering prayer. It is the miracle of spending silent time with God who works miracles in all of us and we don’t even know it. We did not know we had the illness and we certainly did not know we were cured. We just become a different person without knowing it. Thank God. Thank CO. Thank the author of this publication.

The last thing: Now I will have to ask my wife to find our copy of “The Little Prince” given to us 50 years ago by her sister. Needless to say I did not remember the quote. I think the wisdom of the book was beyond my understanding 50 years ago. Now maybe I will understand it. Pray that I do.

 

I am so inadequate to respond to this week’s lesson. There is a lifetime of wisdom there to be mined. Thank you!
every morning, as I go into my centering prayer, I find myself producing tears , as one person or another comes into  consciousness. This morning it was a funeral director I had a conversation with last week at a relative’s calling hours. If ever there was a witness to God’s presence and action within, this was it. The beauty of this man’s story keeps me praising God. It was so tender, I have not shared it -only with one or two who could understand.
I had an interaction with my husband yesterday that. Had me choosing to respect his integrity rather than strong arming him to do what I thought was right. He has heart disease, has cops, diabetes and has been experiencing cold symptoms sine the funeral when we had a meal with his nephew who had a cold. We had planned to go to church in Ottawa with our daughter, and in spite of the weather forecast we ventured out. 32 degrees F. Rain on the highway. I was fussing about turning back but my husband was undaunted. I went inside for the rest of the trip and was granted insight, that I was afraid we would crash and die, ultimately. In that hour, I came to the realization that yes, we could crash and die. So what? Sooner or later, yes. Why not today?

problem solved.

after mass we walking in freezing rain to a restaurant for soup. My dear husband did not wear the toughest I had brought for him  (hat) and just had a sweater and lightweight fleece jacket on. His lack of concern for appropriate warm clothing evoked anger in me, but I was not called to protect him. His integrity was more important than weather he would up in the hospital.
I just have to let life play itself out, and not do violence to people I love in hopes of fixing them.

Amen.

 

Kathleen: I too am often in tears, overwhelmed by the beauty, poignancy, suffering and small joys in life, and the great hearts I encounter. This weekend, while at an art workshop, I walked into the immaculate bathroom and was suddenly overwhelmed by the person’s energy who had cleaned the bathroom overnight. My heart was so filled with gratitude and awareness of all those what work at night or the wee hours so the rest of us can function well.

The deeper we go, the more porous we become to the heart of the Beloved, which is radiating everywhere in everything and everyone. – Pamela

My heart opens at Anthony De Mello’s passage, especially to take seriously the task of seeing. I desire the hard, protective shell of my heart to soften and melt. I want to know at last what love is. This week’s breath prayer: melt me, Lord. Amen. <3 linda

Today, a special day for Mary the Mother of Jesus, I am present  to a new sense of being that began as Advent began for me with an overwhelming experience of “explosion” as I gaze upon the image this week following a powerful dream. When my alarm went off  I was so present to profound joy!!!!, I prayed the Welcome prayer  to honor this experience. Watchfulness this Advent is being experienced more as a receiving, being present to wonder, awe, totally beyond any experience of joy/delight I have come to know. A particularly powerful dream at the beginning of the week, my ego self, the self I think I am, and a self that I am beginning to recognize as a  ME ,  – an explosion of wild emotion that my intellect cannot begin to understand and can only receive, perhaps akin to Mary’s YES post Pentecost. As a person often confounded by a capacity to see the wider picture before me, but not the details, this week ,figuring it out today bows into this wild explosion, as revealed in the image and my dreaming life. I can see more clearly the pathway to forgiveness, to receiving the gift of Advent 2023.

[Author]

Posts