“What is the end of our doings? Where are we trying to go? Where do we put the emphasis and where are our values focused? For what end do we make sacrifices?”
Proverbs 3:3-8
“Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and good repute
in the sight of God and of people.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be a healing for your flesh
and a refreshment for your body.”
Romans 8:24-28
“24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
Reflection:
What is the end of our doings?
Where are we trying to go?
Where do we put the emphasis and where are our values focused?
For what end do we make sacrifices?
Proverbs 3:5-6- “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Romans 8:28- “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
What difficult questions to answer when we cannot go anywhere. When our doings are centered in familiar, small and constrictive spaces, when we are isolated from the communities and the work and the public spaces that define us every day.
What difficult questions to answer when the greatest movement I feel is every heartbeat shaking my body as I sit in the sunny silence of the afternoon, while children’s voices float in the air outside my doors.
What difficult questions to answer when we are afraid for ourselves and also grieving for others. When we have no insight to rely on, and it is hard to trust what we cannot predict or understand. When God’s purpose is unclear, and some shout punishment and others shout there is no God, and others go into a sleep from which they don’t know if they will wake, and the last compassionate voices they hear are on the other end of a telephone.
It’s easy to see what we believe will be the ends of our doings, the destinations of our journeys, when the world is wide and we are free to roam it, when our routines are in place and we are constantly working and moving in the “endless traffic” of our minds and our everyday lives. We feel a sense of control, that we are in charge and navigating ourselves toward our goals. When the world stops and we must slow ourselves down, we realize that control is illusory.
When the world stops, we begin to understand what is actually guiding our paths, and will bring us to our ends, to destinations we could never have expected and gifts we never thought to ask for.
The answers to these questions are the small spaces, the heartbeats shaking our bodies, the children’s voices on a sunny afternoon, the compassion at the other end of the phone, the love that is the fabric tying all this together. God’s calling is for us to love back, to listen for God’s reminder in these small, familiar and constrictive spaces, the voice that says, your busyness is not the goal. The speed of the world is distracting.
The rhythm of your heart, the voice of the child, the sunny afternoon, are all part of God’s goodness, and they are more important than the goals we set for ourselves and the priorities we worry over. God tells us, find ways to lift up God’s goodness, find ways to love through the isolation and the fear, to mend the fabric and maybe add some new and brighter colors to it. Carry out of this strange and slowed-down time that love, that shifting of purpose to what is greater than we are alone.
- Reflection by Cara Ellen Modisett
Cara Ellen Modisett is a postulant for priesthood in the Episcopal Church but grew up in the United Church of Christ; over the years she has worked as an English teacher, magazine editor, collaborative pianist and radio reporter; she is a 47-year-old native of the Shenandoah Valley and cannot cook (she once knew how to make a grilled cheese sandwich but forgot).
The Way of Beauty:
Many people in our world are feeling stuck, complicated, or simply a mess. There is hope in the beauty of seeing unraveling when God makes our paths straight.
Activity: You will need a string or rope, of at least 10-12 inches. Make knots with this string. Think of times when you didn’t have hope in God or witnessed something or were affected by a time you didn’t have hope in God. Things in and outside of your control that you had trouble giving up to God. Spend a few moments in silent offering and openness to God. Now, untangle the rope. As you are untangling it say your own prayer of gratitude and give up the troubled knots of your life to God.
The Contemplative Mystical Way:
Practice Centering Prayer focusing on the word SACRIFICE.
HOW TO “DO” CENTERING PRAYER:
Find a quiet space where you are unlikely to be disturbed.
Sit in a way that allows you to be relaxed in body and alert in mind. Use a chair, meditation cushion or prayer rug, according to your own physical needs and preferences.
Gently close your eyes.
“Allow your heart to open toward that invisible but always present Origin of all that exists ”
Whenever you become aware of a thought, no matter what its nature, let it go.
Use a “sacred word” (SACRIFICE). This is a word or short phrase that helps you to let go of thoughts. It is a reminder of your intention to remain open to the silence. Generally sacred words fall into one of 2 categories: “God” words/phrases such as “Abba”, “Jesu, “Mary”, “Reality”, “Come Lord” or “state” words/phrases such as “love”, “peace”, “be still”. Sacred words are not used as mantras, as in constantly repeating them, but as a reminder of your intention to remain open.
Continue this practice for 20 minutes. At the end of the time get up and go about your business, leaving the practice behind, in the same way you let go of your thoughts.
People who are just beginning, and are particularly restless in mind and body, may find it easier to start off with shorter prayer periods, perhaps only 5 minutes per sit to start. Then after a few days extend the time to 10 minutes and so on until you are able to sit for 20 minutes. Give the practice at least 2 weeks before you decide if it is right for you.
Two 20-30 minute sits per day are considered ideal. It is strongly recommended that no one meditates for more the 60 minutes a day unless you are attending a structured retreat with experienced leaders.
The Way of Practical Action:
Consider Thurman’s words for today. Call and advocate with your local, state, or federal representative. Tell them about the issue you are passionate about and how they can improve the lives of the people in their district.
When you are done, find out how to register to vote.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ our God, You traveled through towns and villages curing every disease and illness. At Your command, the sick were made well. Come to our aid now, in the midst of the global spread of this virus, that we may experience Your healing love. Heal those O Lord who are suffering with this pandemic's illness. May they regain their strength and health through medical care. You are an eternal source of hope, therefore heal us from our fears, which prevent nations from working together and neighbors from helping one another. You are an eternal source of humility, therefore heal us from our pride, which can make us claim invulnerability to a disease that knows no borders. Lord Jesus Christ, healer of all and physician of our souls and bodies, stay by our side in this time of uncertainty and sorrow.
Comments