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.  

Sacrament of Reconciliation & Anointing of the Sick-

Insightful words from all as always!

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the most powerful and convicting  sacraments to me and my  spirit.  As I was reading, I found Vorgrimler's forms of forgiveness to revive the dimensions of human life, including mine!  ( Walter also stated these forms)  These forms of forgiveness are of primary  importance.  Matthew 5:23-24 speaks of reconciliation as a PRECONDITION within us for God's EFFECTIVE forgiveness.  Being conscious of this precondition... How can we ask for TRUE forgiveness and approach the Heavenly Father with a "clean and pure heart" if we harbor ill feelings toward a brother?  I along with many others have faced several heart wrenching situations.  It was not until the past five years that I realized being able to truly forgive was not an easy thing to do, but was vital in Christ.  With much prayer and supplication, God helped me to truly forgive and to draw nigh unto Him and the GRACE of God like never before.  I believe that it is within our pain and suffering that allows us to know God's divine grace and forgiveness in a way that transforms our thinking and our hearts forever.  One that allows us to forgive others without hesitation and with a clarity and effectiveness of God's forgiving word.  Vorgrimler states, "If it is true repentance, it also involves an inward longing for the sacrament" (210).  It was not until my life was "shaken" these past five years that I gained a true understanding of the sacrament of Reconciliation.  "For Christian believers this tangible place of divine forgiveness and reconciliation is called Jesus Christ" (Vorgrimler, 201). 

"Reconciliation begins with ourselves.  It begins with a pure heart, a heart that is able to see God in others." Mother Teresa

These sacraments are expressions of the church's life and are symbolic actions to the effectiveness of divine forgiveness.  This is predicated in a special way by Vorgrimler's view of the sacrament of anointing the sick.  "In the sacrament of anointing the sick the symbolic action unites the petition of the Church community that the sick person be strengthened in face of serious illness with a petition that his or her sins may be forgiven" (Vorgrimler, 205).  My church back home believes in anointing the sick by the laying on of hands and anointing of oil... on EVERYTHING!  :)  If I had the smallest sinus infection, my pastor would anoint me with oil in passing.  I would be thinking... "Seriously... Oh my goodness... Jesus has much bigger healings to respond to than my tiny stopped up nose!"  (I am not being disrespectful at all, it just makes me smile when I think about it!)
Although, the quote below reminds us that we serve a mindful and healing God no matter how big or small our situations are.
"The sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick presupposes that the situation is NOT concealed, but rather is brought to consciousness and thus placed in the presence of the loving and merciful God" (Vorgrimler, 235).  Is this quote not powerful???  This is a reminder to us as believers that once our situation has been brought to Him, we can do nothing, but TRUST and have FAITH in the one and only loving and merciful God!!  It is within the sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick that we can experience Christ in a more powerful, pure, humbling, faith-driven, and deeper way!

Sacraments of Healing: Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick

Sacraments of Healing: Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick

            Good morning Saints! I am once again excited by the readings concerning the Sacraments of Healing. I rejoice for the revision of the meaning of the Sacrament of Penance, written about in Sacrosanctum Concilium, Chapter 3, Paragraph 73. As one of the Baptist faith, when we anoint the sick, we do so with the belief of a person’s healing. If it is not in God’s plan for that person to receive a healing, of his/her physical body, then his/her Spiritual body will be made ready to receive God. Please understand that we do not just go around “laying hands” on and anointing anyone who is sick. That person has to already have knowledge of Jesus being his/her Lord and Savior, or be willing to accept the teachings, before we go through the process of anointing and praying for one’s healing. The reason for this is because you have to know who God is, and what His will is for your life, in order to be healed. If you do not know God as a healer, who wants what’s best for you, then how would you be able to accept the Sacrament of Healing?

            Case in point, I come from a family riddled with just about every ailment there is. I see this as a generational curse. Through Christ, I have successfully broken that curse over the heads of my children. Before I had Knowledge and understanding of God and what these curses were, I too suffered from migraines, ulcers, and un-Godly marriages to name a few things. In 1992, the Lord graciously and lovingly granted my supplication and healed me from my ulcers. I have not had any more problems with ulcers since. In 2003 Father healed me of my migraines, and I have had no more problems from them either, PRAISE God!! I’m not saying that the enemy has not tried to attack me through my health anymore, but I now know that if God has allowed it, He must have something for me to learn from it being in my life; or to help others from my having experienced it.

            I guess why the Catholic faith believed at one time, and some still feel suffering is a good thing: that it brings you closer to God.  I too, believe that it brings us closer to the Lord, but have issues with it being good (ha, ha). Oftentimes the only time we communicate with God on a daily basis is when we are suffering in some form or another. “The purpose of the sacrament of anointing, especially in light of the rite's expectation that religious education, pastoral visitations, and a variety of rituals suited to individual and communal circumstances will be practiced, is not only to grace suffering believers with gifts that enable them to renegotiate (transform) their lives in relation to their illness. It is also to grace (transform) the community with greater faith through their interaction with the sick and suffering, who become living witnesses for them of a crucial dimension of the gospel, namely, that in the raising up of the lowly God's reign is known” (Morrill, BB 489-490). Can anyone think of a way for us to have a testimony without a test? Suffering sometimes is God’s way of testing us, before he can bless us. It’s just like when we are in school, before we can go to another level, we must first pass a test. 

           There is a song of reconciliation that comes to my mind I would like to share with you all. I pray you will be blessed!!

            

 

Sacraments of Commitment: Marriage & Holy Order

In reading the Holy Orders I valued the idea that the Church has a historical and “legitimate succession of witnesses” in the priesthood (Johnson).   In class, we talked about the Church as apostolic, Christ is sent to the world from God, and thus Christ is the first apostle.  We learn through just as God sends Christ, Christ sends the apostles.  I can appreciate this succession even more now that I understand the origins of the priesthood.  It is so important that the Church as an institution supports the continuation of the apostolic mission.  One idea about holy orders that  I do wonder is the exclusion of women.  I am curious about this topic and would like to learn about your experiences in your faith tradition.  I also hope to better understand what the Catholic faith has to say about it.

An important note was that in the qualities that priests should have as a person and as performing the functions of “martyria, leiturgia, and diakonia.”  I noticed that there is a very real awareness of the fact that “human beings fall short of the ideal” (Johnson, 240).  This is especially relevant given the issues with priests and the abuse scandals that have emerged lately.  Though this does not excuse any poor judgment or behavior on the part of priests, I think it brings just attention to the fact that none of us can be expected to be perfect.  The right steps must be taken to heal the wounded hearts of the victims and to heal the Church. 

The sacrament of marriage as explained by Ignatius of Antioch is one that “follows God’s will and not the promptings of lust” (Vorgrimler, 292).   I also appreciate the understanding of viewing marriage as “a sacred sign of a sacred thing, namely of union of Christ and the Church” (Vorgrimler, 292).   I am currently at a time in my life where my friends are getting married and with each wedding I attend, I contemplate marriage as a sacrament.  It really is a beautiful celebration and I am happy that it acts as a sign of love, fidelity, and God’s will.   It saddens me to think about how often marriages end in divorce.  Of the many reasons for divorce could one of them be that the marriage was not God’s will in the first place?  What other factors go into separating what God has joined?  I know that many students I teach deal with divorce and I wonder how they might view marriage as a sacrament.