Readings for Easter
7B:
Acts 1:15-26; Psalm 47; 1 John 5:9-15; John 17:11b-19
June 1, 2003
The Rev. Mary B. Blessing
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
How are we "to be one" with God as Jesus is one with God? The gospel of John continually calls us to be one with God. Last week I shared with you some of what I learned at a clergy conference called "Anxiety and Contemplation". You will recall that the focus of the conference was to further equip clergy as leaders, serving a fragmented world, filled with anxiety. The key to our Christian leadership is to be "one with God." This is true whether you are lay or ordained, working in the church or working in the world. Christians must live their lives continually seeking to be "one with God." The conference was intense, but extremely timely for the people of St. Jude's. Today I want to go further with 2 key aspects of what I learned:
Dr. Elizabeth Koenig, theology professor at General Seminary, NY, was a key note speaker of the conference. Key to deepening your relationship to God is your willingness to take time to listen to the voice of Christ. As our Rector pointed out in her most recent article in our monthly newsletter, "Listening to the voice of Christ leads to abundance." (K. Siegfriedt, The View, June 2003) How do we listen to the voice of Christ? One way, say Dr. Koenig and Pastor Karen, is to read scripture with a listening attitude. Pastor Karen is in fact going to teach us a method for such scripture reading, called Lectio Divina (Divine Reading). She will teach this at an Adult Forum session on June 22. Another necessary way to hear the voice of Christ is to spend time in contemplative prayer, as I told you last week. Pastor Karen has already taught our membership Thomas Keating's centering prayer method, a method endorsed by Elizabeth Koenig. 20 minutes a day of intentional silence, in quiet meditation, allowing your conscious mind to focus on a Holy Word or phrase, easing the thoughts of your unconscious mind. This requires discipline and dedication, but is well worth the challenge of scheduling into your life. It brings peace as it brings us ever closer to "being one with God."
Dr. Koenig tells a story from a novel called, Scent of Water by M. Gouge. A woman lived in an English village, with a small local church. She was a desperately depressed woman, who sought help from therapists, doctors, friends, but could not break out of her depression. Months and years past with this dark cloud surrounding her life. Finally when all else had failed, she considered the idea of going to the village vicar. The priest of this parish was an older, semi-retired, what we call "supply priest", whom everyone avoided. He was scraggly, unshaved, dirty, in worn out clericals. He even smelled bad. But he was the only priest around. So this woman dragged herself in to see him. What did she have to lose? She could no longer tolerate the desperate state of her depression.
As she sat with the old, ugly priest, she noticed a calm in his eyes, assuring her that her story would be received in love. She didn't really expect him to cure her of depression, but she felt peace from his eyes, as she revealed the sadness of her heart. Upon hearing her story, he very gently said, "My dear, I want you to pray these three phrases. If you pray these 3 in ANY circumstance, you will do well." And he offered these 3, simple, yet profoundly effective phrases to begin any prayer: "Lord have mercy"; "Thee I adore" and "Into thy hands." These 3 phrases, gently spoken, gradually brought peace, and eventual healing, to one desperately depressed.
Elizabeth Koenig encourages us to say these 3 phrases prior to our 20 minutes of contemplative prayer. Each phrase reminds us of our starting point as creatures of God, and moves us from self to being "one with God."
"Lord have mercy" is a reminder that now, at this starting point, I am a sinner. I am separated from God. Through God's mercy, I am able to accept myself as sinner, a person broken, a person seeking unity with God. In your mind, say these words: "Lord have mercy", then add "upon me, a sinner."
"Thee I adore" acknowledges the One God, our Creator, as the object of my worship. It is God, my creator, with whom I seek union. God is the object of my love; God is the source of my love. Say, "Thee I adore" and add "you are MY God". Without God I am nothing.
"Into thy hands" reveals my need to surrender. Letting go of my "self" opens the way for God to enter my soul. Say "Into thy hands" and add "I give myself to you."
Pray these 3, "Lord have mercy", "Thee I adore" and "Into thy hands", and you will do well.
I have been practicing centering prayer of one form or the other for 30 years. It started in college when a philosophy professor suggested I learn Transcendental Meditation. 50 bucks, a few oranges, a Hindu mantra, and I was on my way to focusing my inner consciousness. I soon created my own Christian mantra, and over the years have adapted my centering prayer to my overall prayer life. But never had I gone as deep and found such soul-calming as the last 10 days when I added these 3 phrases, "Lord have mercy," "Thee I adore," and "Into thy hands" These three phrases said a few times over, along with some preparation motions that Dr. Koenig taught us, and my body, mind and spirit have received God's presence as never before. Twice my 20 minutes have moved into 45 minutes to an hour, ending only by the ringing of the telephone. My soul feels more satisfied as I have experienced a deeper sense of "being one with God".
Dr. Koenig teaches centering prayer as a technique, to prepare Christians for living in a state of spiritual discernment. She defines discernment simply as "The act or process of exhibiting keen insight and good judgment." (Elizabeth Koenig, "Discernment" article in Spirituality and Health, May/June 2003). For us as Christians, she says, we must first prepare our souls to listen to the voice of Christ as we maintain our interior life in Christ-centered prayer. Dr. Koenig is a theologian specializing in the lives of Christian ascetics. Classical Christian figures such as St. Teresa of Avila, St. Catherine of Siena, St. John of the Cross, St. Ignatius of Loyola, and Julian of Norwich are prominent subjects of her scholarship. She values the work of St. Ignatius who offers "spiritual exercises", questions asked of those seeking a possible vocation in the church. She has developed 5 questions of her own that she suggests we consider in order to do the work of "spiritual discernment" needed to move forward along our own spiritual journey. Dr. Koenig recognizes that as Christians we work in groups. She encourages us to use these questions not only for our individual spiritual discernment, but as we discern what God is speaking to the community in our collective life and planning.
Here are questions of spiritual discernment, to be answered, then shared reflectively with others. When considering how God is speaking to you now, it is important to reflect upon past experience:
These 5 questions boil down to, when you make a decision: use your intellect, use your heart, know your highest values, know how you function in a crisis, and be aware of how people respond.
If we honestly, carefully answer these questions in prayerful discernment of truth, God's voice will be heard within our hearts and minds. God's voice will come to us in the voice of the community gathered. It may be slow, difficult work, but Elizabeth Koenig says this work of spiritual discernment is the means by which we truly find ourselves grounded in unity with God. Once we have so grounded our lives in Christ, we can then listen for opportunities of action that lead us into true service to God, rather than remaining self-serving, believing we are acting in the name of God. I hope that many of you will consider following this form of spiritual discernment, both in your personal life, and in terms of how God is speaking to us here at St. Jude's as a community.
St. Jude's is a sanctuary of hope. We are blessed with the opportunity to keep our church doors open 24/7. Anyone can come here any time, day or night, to pray, to rest, to reflect, to practice one's centering prayer, to meditate in our memorial garden, to simply BE. If desired, one of the clergy or a fellow Christian can sit in prayer with you, to listen for God's voice in the silence, or in conversation. Here you can ground your life in Christ with safety and confidence. No one is turned away. The Episcopal Church states that the Mission of the Church is "to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ." (Book of Common Prayer, p.855) This is another way of saying what the gospel of John says when Jesus prays, "Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one." (John 17:11b) Living a life of contemplative spiritual discernment will restore you into unity with God and each other in Christ.
As St. Jude's moves forward discerning God's voice guiding us to be "a spiritual oasis where lives are transformed", please consider Dr. Koenig's advice. Please consider these questions of spiritual discernment. I pray they guide us in our desire "to be one" as Jesus and God are one.
AMEN.
| Updated 6/2/03 |
|