Knit to God with love. “We only have to be what we already are, which is the creature and the beloved child of God.” Father Keating taught the awakening of unity consciousness meant deeper participation in the world, not separation from it. My life as a contemplative moves from silence rooted in love to service of those around me. Because we are “knit to God”, “…the love of God creates in us such a oneing that when it is truly seen, no person can separate themselves from another.” <3 linda

One of my long-time prayer questions is “how do I best love?” I embrace the sentence “The love that Jesus requires of his disciples is a graced love, a way of loving given by God, if we consent to participate in and with this love.”

Each time I sit in prayer, I consent to participate in and with Love. The answer to “how do I best love?” comes very practically – what needs doing, who needs supporting, where can a smile be bestowed? I trust my best loves grows each day. <3 linda

My world, as others, is not as I would have it. I have discovered through this year’s disappointments and traumas deep inner equilibrium and peace. If I would not pray “thank you” in the midst of life, I could, and do, pray as Father Keating writes: “at all times one can pray with Jesus ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ And I know that I know that I know Jesus is present as I pray. <3 linda

This reflection is written after a personal Easter life experience. My husband of 40 years passed July 29. I was bedside. Surrounded in the days before by his family here, I know he was welcomed to his new life by family and all the community of saints. He experienced “the brilliant joy of Easter morning” only by passing through his own “pain, suffering” from his disease progression. What a love-filled privilege to be alongside as he “rose in the power of the Spirit.” <3 linda

I sat for quite some time with the inner and outer hospitality practice questions: how might I offer hospitality to my difficult me as well as a stranger? As I sat, Mother Theresa’s words came to mind – smile. “Every time you smile at someone [or yourself], it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”

Smiling extends grace and peace to myself and others. I will try and smile as much as I can. <3 linda

I sat this week with this devotion alongside the Gospels, trying “to avoid minimizing the trauma or sanitizing the horror.” A few points spoke deeply to my soul. Thank you for including all of them.

Jon Stotts: Do you see Christ dying in our world? Me: Lord, how can I not? Many Still Search for the One.

Barbara Brown Taylor: “Pain leads down to the ground floor where all the real things are: real love, real sorrow, real thanks, real fear.” Me: Grounded by the Real Love, I pray with real fear “use me, Lord.”

Ruth Burrows: “Divine wisdom…persuades us to surrender control and to abandon ourselves blindly to love.” Me: Help me overcome my fears and abandon myself to love.” <3 linda

 

“Because the universe

Is not yet

A Uni-verse.

The Many Still Search for the One.”

In silence I am “held in the great Heart, an interbeing of manifestation in evolution.” Even a few moments of prayer forms more of the Uni-verse. May our prayers be used as light to guide “The Many Still Search[ing] for the One.” <3 linda

“We are Christ’s ambassadors; God can work through us. If this is true, then our calling is clear: to see the world through the Father’s eyes, to hold others in a love that has no limitations and no end.”

This statement resonates deeply. God can work through me, regardless of what circumstances surround me. When I learn to see myself through The Father’s eyes, trusting more each moment I am held “in a love that has no limitations and no end”, I too can extend that love to those in my corner of the world directly, to the whole world by prayer. <3 linda

When I consider what person/persons God may be calling me to fertilize with presence and kindness in this truly new season of my life, two come to mind. As has been for almost 40 years, my sweet husband, battling health concerns serious enough we sold our home in eastern Tennessee and move west to Arizona. On the gracious hospitality invitation of my youngest brother, we moved in with him permanently. He is my second person to nurture.

A season of letting go old identities, breaking free of old chrysalis’ of thought and being, while testing fresh, delicate wings of new life. Present to the men in my life and myself. Kindness to all of us as well. <3 linda

Henri Nouwen’s statement speaks to walking my Lenten walk. He writes “True Christian discipline is the human effort to create the space in which the Spirit of Christ can transform us into it’s lineage.” I couple this with the reflection that “‘failure’ in these practices may be the most important aspect of your personal Lent.” Together I rejoice that God lovingly reminds me that I am being transformed, I will fail, and grace covers all. <3 linda

Joan Chittister’s succinct phrase “thoughtful talk” speaks deeply to my soul. I engage in more conversations now than I have in many years. I discover that an amicable silence is a wonderful space to inhabit. This allows me to “be open to the other” with love. <3 linda

James Finley writes “The mystery of love is that it does not erase differences, but it refuses to be defined by them.” This thought resonates as my husband and I relocate to a new state, living with my brother, in order to have better access to medical care. The love has always existed between the three of us. The differences of a new living paradigm cause me to draw more frequently from the well of silence, resulting in an overall smooth transition. Thanks be to God! <3 linda

“As we grow in trust and surrender, we can choose heaven, a state of being which radiates goodness, peace and hope to others.”

This statement resonates as I write from a hotel room near the Knoxville, TN airport. Deep trust and total surrender were key to preparing for my relocation to AZ, while remaining in a heaven state of being. I’ve had moments of panic, of course, yet overall peace that passes all understanding prevails. I pray I may radiate goodness, peace and hope to all I encounter. <3 linda

What keeps me from lowering my nets deeper?

Fear of losing security/affection/control, which is interesting. Fear seems real, yet it does not represent our reality that we are God’s beloved. As Jesus prayed in silence, I release my illusions of losing security/affection/control, and hence my fears. Centering Prayer allows me to calm my soul enough to let God’s love surround her. Trust the process. <3 linda

Joan Chittister’s quote speaks volumes to Divine Love being experienced in ordinary life. We don’t need to perform “either great works or great denial.” On a daily basis, I do neither. I live a quiet life in a quiet corner of Eden. “Spirituality…calls for connectedness. It shows us how to connect with God, with others and with our inmost self.” When I pray, I know I “sit with all peoples, ‘past, present and to come.’” That is connectedness! What a wonderful summary of the power of contemplative practices. <3 linda

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