Keating, Thomas. _Awakenings._ Crossroad, New York. 1997.
"The first manifestation of the spiritual senses is the attraction for God.
It can be simply an attraction to be alone with him, silent, still. It is a
certain dissatisfaction with thinking about God or just talking to him.
Jesus said, 'The kingdom of heaven is close.' Translated into the spiritual
senses, this wisdom saying points to the interior sense of God's presence.
It dislodges the monumental illusion that God is far away because we do not
feel him." p.39
Welcome
Jesus
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Body Metaphor
My body, the house where my spirit lives
My spirit came to my body pure and innocent, from where I do not know.
The house was already furnished, with pictures, narrow hallways that ran one way, with barriers that did not permit access.
And my spirit made my body grow, with rooms and windows it did not previously own.
But where did the evil come from, the envious thoughts, erotic fantasies, jealous hatreds, selfish idolatries?
Were they implanted in the house where the spirit lived, or was the innocent spirit already infected with that virus the whole world suffers?
My body has been my teacher. My body has been my tempter.
My body now is old, with wrinkled skin, puffy legs, with eyes that do not focus, and ears that do not hear. Still the body is clean, uninfected with disease, strong and healthy. The house had a doorway to weight lifting, leading the spirit to habits that gave strength and leaness to the body.
But soon the spirit will find it can no longer breathe within the house. And where will the spirit go then?
My spirit came to my body pure and innocent, from where I do not know.
The house was already furnished, with pictures, narrow hallways that ran one way, with barriers that did not permit access.
And my spirit made my body grow, with rooms and windows it did not previously own.
But where did the evil come from, the envious thoughts, erotic fantasies, jealous hatreds, selfish idolatries?
Were they implanted in the house where the spirit lived, or was the innocent spirit already infected with that virus the whole world suffers?
My body has been my teacher. My body has been my tempter.
My body now is old, with wrinkled skin, puffy legs, with eyes that do not focus, and ears that do not hear. Still the body is clean, uninfected with disease, strong and healthy. The house had a doorway to weight lifting, leading the spirit to habits that gave strength and leaness to the body.
But soon the spirit will find it can no longer breathe within the house. And where will the spirit go then?
Keating, Thomas. _Awakenings._ Crossroad, New York. 1997.
"The spiritual senses are like external senses because of their immediacy.
They put us in touch with the reality not through the external senses, but
through the intuitive faculties that directly perceive the greater values of
the universe. These can be gradually awakened through contemplative prayer.
The awakening of the spiritual senses is the call of the gospel
to see with the eyes of faith. When the spiritual senses are activated,
then we truly hear, then we truly see; we have the receptive apparatus to
open to the heart of reality. Through faith, hope, and charity we hear the
ultimate message of the universe. The result of that awakening is
symbolized in
what the blind man did on receiving his sight: he followed him." pp.39-40.
"The spiritual senses are like external senses because of their immediacy.
They put us in touch with the reality not through the external senses, but
through the intuitive faculties that directly perceive the greater values of
the universe. These can be gradually awakened through contemplative prayer.
The awakening of the spiritual senses is the call of the gospel
to see with the eyes of faith. When the spiritual senses are activated,
then we truly hear, then we truly see; we have the receptive apparatus to
open to the heart of reality. Through faith, hope, and charity we hear the
ultimate message of the universe. The result of that awakening is
symbolized in
what the blind man did on receiving his sight: he followed him." pp.39-40.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Anguish
Merton, Thomas. _The New Man._ Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1961, pg. 113,
114.
"The inner recesses of our conscience, where the image of God is branded
in the very depths of our being, ceaselessly remind us that we are born for
a higher freedom and for a far more spiritual fulfillment. Although there
is no "natural" bridge between the natural and the supernatural, the
concrete situation in which man finds himself, as a nature created for a
supernatural end, makes anguish inevitable. He cannot rest unless he rests
in God: not merely the God of nature, but the Living God, not the God that
can be objectified in a few abstract notions, but the God Who is above all
concept. Not the God of a mere notional or moral union, but the God Who
becomes One Spirit with our own soul! This alone is the reality for which
we are made. Here alone do we finally "find ourselves" - not in our natural
selves but out of ourselves in God. For our destiny is to be infinitely
greater than our own poor selves: "I said: Your are gods, all of you sons of
the Most High." [Psalm 81:6.]
The spiritual anguish of man has no cure but mysticism."
114.
"The inner recesses of our conscience, where the image of God is branded
in the very depths of our being, ceaselessly remind us that we are born for
a higher freedom and for a far more spiritual fulfillment. Although there
is no "natural" bridge between the natural and the supernatural, the
concrete situation in which man finds himself, as a nature created for a
supernatural end, makes anguish inevitable. He cannot rest unless he rests
in God: not merely the God of nature, but the Living God, not the God that
can be objectified in a few abstract notions, but the God Who is above all
concept. Not the God of a mere notional or moral union, but the God Who
becomes One Spirit with our own soul! This alone is the reality for which
we are made. Here alone do we finally "find ourselves" - not in our natural
selves but out of ourselves in God. For our destiny is to be infinitely
greater than our own poor selves: "I said: Your are gods, all of you sons of
the Most High." [Psalm 81:6.]
The spiritual anguish of man has no cure but mysticism."
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Loving God
Meninger, William A. The Loving Search for God: Contemplative Prayer and
The Cloud of Unknowing. Continuum, New York. 1998.
"...Indeed, you will often find that these kinds of prayers will actually
lead you into this simple loving of God. When this happens, do not resist it. Allow yourself
to cease saying the rosary, or praying the psalms, or meditating on the
Bible, and to enter into the peaceful loving of God beyond words, thoughts,
and imaginings. Do not think that you are wasting your time because you are
not involved in mental calculations. Do not think that you are being idle
because you are resting in loving contemplation of God. It is at these
times that you are being most faithful to what you are and what you are
called to be: a lover in union with the beloved." P. 13
The Cloud of Unknowing. Continuum, New York. 1998.
"...Indeed, you will often find that these kinds of prayers will actually
lead you into this simple loving of God. When this happens, do not resist it. Allow yourself
to cease saying the rosary, or praying the psalms, or meditating on the
Bible, and to enter into the peaceful loving of God beyond words, thoughts,
and imaginings. Do not think that you are wasting your time because you are
not involved in mental calculations. Do not think that you are being idle
because you are resting in loving contemplation of God. It is at these
times that you are being most faithful to what you are and what you are
called to be: a lover in union with the beloved." P. 13
The Color Blue
The memory of the color blue can take me back to the mundane, and can also carry me into the deepest mysteries of life.
I remember first my brand new bicycle with shiny spokes and rims, a chrome spring to cushion the ride, white side walled tires and painted blue like the summer sky. I rode it around and around the block that Saturday morning, one of the happiest in my life. I remember our new blue Chrysler, purchased from uncle Carl, driving it out of his garage and down Mill Street where it stalled after going through a puddle, the spark plugs too wet to fire. And loading it with six bicycles, camping equipment for a weekend, six humans and a dog, all for a short ride on the Elroy trail after assembling and disassembling at both ends of the trip.
But blue has deeper meaning. I am filled with awe and wonder even during these sunlit days when I look up at the sky, brushed with white clouds, the golden earth and the pale blue heaven. I remember the campfires with the pale moon shining in the dark blue sky, walking into the darkness of the night and marveling at the twinkling jewels unfathomable distances away, the mystery of space. I remember the gray blue mountains of water as we crossed the ocean going to war, sensing the depth, the mystery of mammoth and strange sea monsters. I remember the blue eyes of a pretty young girl looking deeply into mine as she applied my makeup for our comic routine, the blue eyes of Lloyd, my friend, as he peers unflinching into mine and we tentatively explore our friendship, the mystery of persons.
I remember first my brand new bicycle with shiny spokes and rims, a chrome spring to cushion the ride, white side walled tires and painted blue like the summer sky. I rode it around and around the block that Saturday morning, one of the happiest in my life. I remember our new blue Chrysler, purchased from uncle Carl, driving it out of his garage and down Mill Street where it stalled after going through a puddle, the spark plugs too wet to fire. And loading it with six bicycles, camping equipment for a weekend, six humans and a dog, all for a short ride on the Elroy trail after assembling and disassembling at both ends of the trip.
But blue has deeper meaning. I am filled with awe and wonder even during these sunlit days when I look up at the sky, brushed with white clouds, the golden earth and the pale blue heaven. I remember the campfires with the pale moon shining in the dark blue sky, walking into the darkness of the night and marveling at the twinkling jewels unfathomable distances away, the mystery of space. I remember the gray blue mountains of water as we crossed the ocean going to war, sensing the depth, the mystery of mammoth and strange sea monsters. I remember the blue eyes of a pretty young girl looking deeply into mine as she applied my makeup for our comic routine, the blue eyes of Lloyd, my friend, as he peers unflinching into mine and we tentatively explore our friendship, the mystery of persons.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Moment to Moment
Keating, Thomas. _Awakenings._ Crossroad, New York. 1997.
"The lessons of the liturgy following the Epiphany are about the significance of being incorporated into what Paul calls the body of Christ. In each moment of chronological time, the divine value of each moment is available to us in proportion to our sensitivity to the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit suggests what is to be done at each moment in our relationship to God, ourselves, other people, and the cosmos. When we listen to the movements of the Spirit rather than to our own bright ideas and self-centered programs for happiness, the internal commentary that normally sustains our emotional upsets comes to an end, enabling us to accept difficult situations and people. The neutral zone that we provide allows the Spirit to act."
pp.35-36.
"The lessons of the liturgy following the Epiphany are about the significance of being incorporated into what Paul calls the body of Christ. In each moment of chronological time, the divine value of each moment is available to us in proportion to our sensitivity to the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit suggests what is to be done at each moment in our relationship to God, ourselves, other people, and the cosmos. When we listen to the movements of the Spirit rather than to our own bright ideas and self-centered programs for happiness, the internal commentary that normally sustains our emotional upsets comes to an end, enabling us to accept difficult situations and people. The neutral zone that we provide allows the Spirit to act."
pp.35-36.
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