Time of Prayer

My prayer of choice is Centering Prayer in the tradition of The Desert Fathers (The Cloud of Unknowing), Fr. Richard Rohr (Center for Action and Contemplation) and Fr. Thomas Keating (The Contemplative Outreach).  The journey that is this practice has long taken me down the back roads of my interior, a mirror into the dark night, which ultimately reflects the outside bright of day. The first work is anonymous, but the latter authors both maintain that a contemplative embrace of the silence is the most powerful response to attachment of this world. In the evolving face of reality it is difficult to express what this experience means to me except to say that with it, the walk seems smoother. Not the path so much as my approach to the path, my reception of what the path yields and the degrees of my heedful acceptance of what it illumines, what it is. My prayer walk this semester was enthralling in that what is usually a more solitary passing through the heart of the Liturgical Cycle became something shared as our group breathed the same sacramental air. Nearing the summit of the Sacred Paschal Triduum, I could feel a spirit of formation, of becoming, of connection on the level of Soul. 

In light of these luminous revelations another sense grew increasingly within my meditations. At onset I regarded them as just (yet) another series of distractions, the shapes of which may change but whose effects remain consistent. Then it was placed within my thought that this was something other, not a diversion but a call to greater integration. As these forms began to emerge from their contours, I slowly began to recognize them as representations of the multi-dimensional impressions of sacramental life as viewed by our class, the essence of which transcends any imposition of finite objectivity.  In time, these perceptions lead me to a place of serenity, of calm, of surrender to the underlying actuality that is at the center of all the Sacraments; the incarnate Divine in all things: 

The Presence of Spirit.

Blessings to my Soulful Sisters in Him/Her  ~ Walter       

Spiritual Formation

Spiritual Formation

Greetings, as I write this final blog, I can’t help but reflect upon how being in this class has put me back into a right relationship with Father. I have always had and felt a special connection with our Lord and Savior; I just didn’t learn what it was until I was around 23 years old. This is why this form of rhythmic prayer was an especially eye awakening experience for me. Although I am a very active person in my church community, and a willing servant of father, I began to feel as though He had turned away from me. By committing to mark time with my prayers, I realized that it was not God who turned away from me, but it was me who turned away from Him. Even though it is clearly written in Deuteronomy 31:6, to “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you” (NKJV), it does not always mean as much to you at the time you are going through your trials of life.

            If the true body of Christ would only come together and set aside a time to re-connect with God the Father, our nation would be a better place to live. 2 Chronicles 7:14 in the New King James Version (NKJV) sates it best, “ if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” It’s a hurtful thing when you realize that it’s not the enemy that is causing all of the turmoil in your live, and it is your lack of commitment to spending quality time with God. During this time I was able to get a clearer understanding of His will for my life.

            What struck me to my very core is how much God wants to communicate with His people. Every morning at 3:30 or 4:00, the Spirit of the Lord would awaken me to pray. All I had to do is earnestly seek Him, as I have done so many times in the past, and He availed Himself to me. Little ole me!!! I used to think that I was too tired to put aside special prayer time, due to my illness, but when God wakens me, I am not tired. He has always communicated with me through dreams, visions, and/or others in the past, but lately I just haven’t been listening, to know that He was still there waiting on me. For this, and many reasons, matters of religious practices are not what concern our Father; it is about relationships. All should strive to gain a personal knowledge of Him. I love you and thank you for all of the wisdom you have shared with me!! Blessings!!

 

Where has the time gone??? This semester flew by! I wish I had more time with all of you-

For me, this semester has been one of growing in knowledge and depth in my spiritual relationship with Christ. I chose to use two daily devotionals throughout this semester. One of my favorites that always seems to have the right words for each day is called "God Calling" by A.J. Russell. This is the fourth year in reading this devotional. Within this devotional, I have little notes on each day with the year next to them. I continue to do this so that I can see where I was spiritually and emotionally on that exact day of the previous years. This not only allows me to see what I was going through, but humbles me in gratefulness of all that Christ has brought me through. After I read my daily devotional in "God Calling," I then read out of a second daily devotional called, "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young. I started this daily devotional at the beginning of the semester and I love it. This devotional not only shares a precious message for each day, but then follows with correlating scripture. This allows me to refer to the Bible and read the scripture word for word bringing new and fresh insight to my soul.

Beginning each day with my devotional and quiet time with Christ is what starts my day off with the mindset of Christ. Psalms 5:3 says, "My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, oh Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up." My devotional time with Christ allows me to start my day off directing my prayer unto thee, "looking up." Before I fill my mind with the "stuff" like turning on the "Today show" (my favorite) or looking at my phone, I instead choose to prepare and fill my mind with Christ and His words first. On the days when my mornings have been and are altered, it feels as though my day is "off," there is a feeling of "something just isn't quite right." With that being said, when I first arise in the morning, I want Him to hear and receive my praise, "looking up" to Him from whence cometh my help, my help that cometh from the Lord. Each new day, His word protects my mind, uplifts and encourages my spirit, and also humbles my spirit of His continuous mindfulness and faithfulness. Part of my daily prayer before and after reading the devotional texts is that I emulate to others all that I am reading. I pray that Christ shines so brightly through me that others see something they not only want, but HAVE to have. In Jesus Name, this is my true heart desire!
  
Throughout this semester, I have gained so much knowledge and depth in my spirituality; I cannot thank Christ enough for this amazing blessing of being at Loyola and having such an incredible professor and such lovely classmates. To God be ALL the Glory and Honor!

Spiritual Formation with Liturgical Prayer

During this semester my daily prayer time ritual came from the book Give Us This Day:Daily Prayer for Today’s Catholics.  It is a monthly periodical that provides morning and evening prayers that include scripture and intercessions, information on the saint of the day, readings for the mass, and a reflection piece.  I began and ended my days under the guidance of these prayers.  I found inspiration in reading about the saints and the lives they led, discovering their great courage, compassion, and conviction of faith in face of adversity.  This left me wondering what their prayer life was like when they lived and discerning God’s will for their life.  In reading the intercessions for the marginalized, suffering, and servants of the Lord I experienced a sense of solidarity in knowing that others around the country were praying these same words.  The readings from scripture always seemed to resonate with my experiences in daily life by offering consolation, hope, or challenge to put my faith in Christ. 

The small change of routine in my daily life proved to make big difference in my overall spiritual life.  These moments served as intentional, quiet, and reflective bookends to my day.  In some ways, I feel this time in solitude and prayer actually became the most productive parts of my day.  It might seem counterproductive to some because I was “wasting” time with God instead of doing countless of other things.  However, I found this time to be truly sacred and restorative, making this carved out part of my day all the more I important to face the busyness of long to do lists.  I found that the more I allowed myself to enter into the prayers, the less I noticed time passing.  Perhaps this felt so refreshing for my soul because it is what true presence feels like.  Thus, this daily ritual stands in great contrast to the over-generalized experience of an average American.  It challenges the demands of making every second count in terms of productivity and profit as if our human state of being could be compared to the business of industry.  These prayerful times mattered most in my days, my reward in the form of a deepening in my relationship with God and self.   

I will end by sharing one of my favorite hymns with you, Lord of All Hopefulness, which acknowledges the passing of time in a day and a prayer for the virtues that accompany waking, working, returning home, and sleeping.