Category: spiritual direction

Posted on

Contemplative Prayer on 1 Corinthians 1:18, 24-28

Start by finding a comfortable position. Close your eyes. Take deep, slow, even breaths. Use your breaths to ground yourself in the present moment. Take this opportunity to be kind to yourself. Wrap your arms around yourself and give yourself a hug. This is something you can do when you feel stressed or anxious – it actually releases chemicals in your brain that will help you feel more relaxed and cared for. As you hug yourself – make sure it’s a good squeeze! – imagine God smiling down on you with compassion and love.

In our prayer time, you will have an opportunity to consider your weaknesses – your character flaws, the places where you lack power, strength, wealth, or the ability to succeed as you might wish – in the light of God’s love and grace.  You will have the chance to ask how God sees your weaknesses . . . and how he might be using them for his Kingdom. 

1 Corinthians 1: 18, 24-28 says that:

18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! 

24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles,[f] Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy[g] when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world,[h] things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.

In this passage, the Apostle Paul calls our attention to the difference between what God considers valuable and what the world considers valuable. Paul invites us to reflect on God’s foolishness in choosing Jesus as the instrument of our salvation. Jesus came in a frail, human body that was easily broken and killed, yet God transformed that weakness into a resurrection power that changed the world. This passage also invites us to reflect on our own weaknesses and how God might use those more powerfully than our strengths.

Jesus, I pray you will send your Holy Spirit to guide this time. As we reflect prayerfully on our weaknesses, I ask that you would keep away any shame or discouragement. Help us to look with compassion on ourselves, trusting that you work in and through all things, even those things we may struggle with in ourselves.

I will read the passage again. As you listen, ask the Lord to guide your thoughts and emotions. 

18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! 

24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles,[f] Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy[g] when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world,[h] things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.

Ask God to bring to your mind something about yourself that you consider a weakness. It might be related to your body, mind, emotions. Or perhaps it has to do with a relationship or a desire or personality trait that seems to get in your way. If more than one weakness or flaw comes to mind, ask the Lord to help you focus on only what he would like to talk to you about today.

When you’ve settled on a particular weakness, sit with it for a moment. What effect has this particular weakness has had on your life or the life of those around you? What memories and emotions come to your mind regarding this weakness?

How do you believe it has held you back? How do you believe things might be different if you didn’t have this weakness? 

Now, begin to look at your weakness in the light of God’s love for you as his child. Psalm 139 says that God knew you before you were born, that he knit you together in your mother’s womb. 

Imagine that you are there, with God, watching yourself being formed. Imagine your heart beginning to beat, your organs beginning to form, your fingers and toes beginning to move. Picture God bending down to breathe life into your lungs.

What does God see and know about you, as he is there with you before your birth? What do you see and know about yourself, as you bear witness with God to your creation? 

Enter into conversation with God. What does he say about who you are now? What does he say about your weakness? What would you like to say back to God? Are there any questions you would like to ask him? How does he answer you?

As you look back on your life, can you see any ways that God has your weakness or used it for good?  For example, a person with a quick temper may turn their anger and passion towards working for justice. Or a person too shy to pray out loud may turn out to be a powerful intercessor in the privacy of their own home. In your life, how has God what seems like a flaw into a strength?

How might your weakness reveal more about the work God has designed you to do? How might God be inviting you to act on his behalf in the world? Imagine yourself giving your weakness to God and asking him to use it as he sees fit. How does it feel to do this? How does God respond?

Turn your attention to the week ahead. Are there any specific ways God is inviting you to let him use your weakness to bring a positive change in someone’s life? If you feel led to do so, commit to taking those actions. 

This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

Jesus, thank you that in you, we can see the weakness and foolishness of God in all its beauty and power. Thank you that in you, no part of us is despised or wasted, but can all be used for your glory and for the healing of the world.

As you go from this time of prayer, may you be blessed knowing that God has created and chosen you for a purpose. May Jesus go with you and the Holy Spirit empower you as you live out that purpose in the week ahead. Amen.

Photo credit: Photo by Frank Cone from Pexels

Find me on Instagram @ravishedbylight.

Posted on

Lectio Divina on Psalm 20: “In Times of Trouble, May the Lord Answer Your Cry.”

Psalm 20

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry.

    May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.

May he send you help from his sanctuary

    and strengthen you from Jerusalem.

May he remember all your gifts

    and look favorably on your burnt offerings. 

May he grant your heart’s desires

    and make all your plans succeed.

May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory

    and raise a victory banner in the name of our God.

May the Lord answer all your prayers.

Now I know that the Lord rescues his anointed king.

    He will answer him from his holy heaven

    and rescue him by his great power.

Some nations boast of their chariots and horses,

    but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.

Those nations will fall down and collapse,

    but we will rise up and stand firm.

Give victory to our king, O Lord!

    Answer our cry for help.

Today, our contemplative prayer will be a Lectio Divina, or a “Divine Reading.” It’s an ancient practice for meditating on a passage of Scripture by reading it several times, each time with a slightly different focus. It has five steps: Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation, and Action. 

Begin by finding a comfortable position and closing your eyes. Rest your hands on your lap, palms upward and open in a gesture of openness and receiving. Begin to take slow, deep breaths.  

“God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.” Imagine yourself being caught in a shower of light, as though you are immersed in a sunbeam. Feel the light and warmth pouring over you, starting at the top of your head and moving downward, through your chest and arms, filling your hands, then moving downward over your legs and feet. Imagine God filling you with his light and his love.

Rest. Breathe. Feel God’s total acceptance and love.

Holy Spirit, come. I ask you to guide our time of prayer. I pray that your Living Word would speak to us and transform us into the likeness of Christ. I pray that each person here would experience the joy and peace of God’s presence.

Let’s begin the Lectio.

  1. The first step is Reading. With your eyes still closed, listen to the words of the Scripture. I will read from Psalm 20, a song of David. Listen prayerfully, allowing God to guide your thoughts and responses. (Read Psalm).
  1. Step two is Meditation: This time, as I read the Psalm, listen for the part of the Psalm that stands out to you, that seems to resonate with you most. Repeat it to yourself several times, letting it sink in. You may also read the Psalm on the screen if you wish. (Read Psalm) How are you responding to the Psalm? What emotions do you feel? What hopes and dreams, desires or memories come up in you? What is God saying to you about your life today? About the gifts you have been given or the person he has created you to be?

  1. Step three is Prayer. What do you want to say to the Lord in response to his Word? Do you want to offer praise? Make a request or a confession? Or simply let God know what’s on your mind and heart? Tell God whatever you feel led to say. What is God saying back to you?
  1. The fourth step is Contemplation: Contemplation is an invitation to rest in God’s presence. Move to a time of silence. Simply be with God and allow God to do his transforming work in you. How does it feel to be in God’s presence? How do you sense God transforming you during this time? What part of your life is he making new?  
  1. The final step in Lectio Divina is Action: Now that you have received God’s love and grace, how are you being invited to respond? What words or deeds is God leading you into? How will you serve others on his behalf in this coming week? 

God, thank you for guiding this time of prayer. I pray that you would continue the transforming work you have begun within us and through us. Continue growing us in love for your Word, openness to the Holy Spirit, and in the likeness of your Son, Jesus.

As you go from here, may you love as Jesus loved, without reservation, prejudice, or fear. May you be free to live the life God has placed in you.

Amen.

The steps for Lectio Divina are adapted from: https://www.thereligionteacher.com/lectio-divina-steps/

The Steps of Lectio Divina – Conception Abbeyhttps://www.conceptionabbey.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/lectio-divina-card.pdf

Photo Credit: Photo by Luis Quintero from Pexels

Find me on Instagram @ravishedbylight.

Posted on

Breath Prayer on 1 John 1:5-7, “God is Light”

God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.

This was the contemplative prayer for today’s service at Vineyard One NYC. The prayer alludes to, though does not explicitly mention, the events of these past weeks: the murder of George Floyd – and countless other black men and women – the #BlackLivesMatter protests that have spread throughout the U.S. and beyond, the police violence against largely peaceful protestors, and the covid-19 epidemic, which disproportionately affects black and Hispanic communities. (More direct teaching and prayer about these events happened at other times in the service.) It invites repentance, prayers for unity, and action towards becoming a person who bears Jesus’ light into the world.

If you choose to lead this prayer, leave ample time for everyone to reflect and to listen to God’s voice.

Breath Prayer on 1 John 1:5-7

Breath prayer is a contemplative practice in which we breathe slowly and deeply, gradually synchronizing our breathing to short prayers or phrases that we pray aloud or quietly in our head. As we breathe, we are praying with our body, allowing God’s presence to take root in not only our minds and our hearts, but our physical being as well.

As we begin our time, I pray that we would be surrounded by God’s presence, love, and peace. In these turbulent days of violence, racism, illness, and uncertainty, may Jesus give us courage and to do his will, trust in his plans, and hope for the future. 

I invite you to find a comfortable position wherever you are. Close your eyes and begin to breathe deeply and slowly. Pay attention to the rhythm of your breath. You may want to put your hands on your chest or stomach so you can feel your body rise and fall as you inhale and exhale. Breathe out any tension you may be feeling in your body. Relax your face, your neck, your shoulders, your arms and hands. Relax your legs and feet. Continue to breathe slowly and deliberately. 

What emotions are you feeling right now?

God loves you without reservation, right now, exactly as you are. Surrender yourself to his love.

Today, the phrases from our breath prayer will come from 1 John 1:5-7. As you listen to the verses, keep up your slow, deep breathing. Allow God’s Word to sink in and bring quiet your spirit. 

1 John 1:5-7

This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

I will read the verse again:

This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

For our breath prayer today, we will start with three phrases based on the Scripture. Pray these phrases silently in rhythm with your breathing.

God, you are light.

Cleanse us from sin. 

Make us one.

God, you are light.

Cleanse us from sin. 

Make us one.

For the next few minutes, keep repeating these phrases as you breathe. 

God, you are light.

Cleanse us from sin. 

Make us one.

As you pray, you may find that one of these phrases seems to resonate with you more than the others. Let the other phrases fall away and focus on the one that God seems to be drawing you towards. So you may choose to pray, God you are light.

Or, Cleanse us from sin.

Or, Make us one.

Continue with your chosen phrase, allowing God to draw you deeper into your prayer. If God seems to have you alternate between phrases, that’s perfectly fine. Follow his lead.

Now, ask the Lord if there are other words that he is inviting you to pray. Is there anything he is bringing to your mind? Follow God’s leading and begin to pray your new words or phrase. Or, if you are still drawn to the words you are already praying, continue as you were. Trust the Lord to guide this process.

Take a few more moments with your breath prayer.

Now, move to a time of silence. Imagine you are face to face with Jesus. You may picture him in as much or as little detail as you wish. What emotions are you experiencing as you sit in his presence?

Let Jesus speak to you about his intentions for this prayer time. What is he saying to you with his words? What is he saying to you without words? 

Is there anything you would like to say to him? 

As you spend time with the Lord, how do you sense him bringing his light to your circumstances? How do you sense him inviting you to bring his light to others? What kind of person is he calling you to be during this season?

If you feel led to do so, tell Jesus your intentions to be this person. What is one concrete action you can take this week to become someone who bears Jesus’ light?

Lord, thank you for this time of prayer. You are the source of our every breath. Help us to honor you with our words, thoughts, and actions. With the power of your Spirit, help us to illuminate the darkness in our world.

As you go from here, may you live in the light of Jesus’ love, healing, redemption, reconciliation, and peace. Amen.

Copyright by Carrie Myers, 2020.

Find me on Instagram at @RavishedByLight.

Photo credits: Clear Glass Sphere, Pixabay; Protestors Holding Signs, Photo by Kelly Lacy from Pexels

Posted on

Contemplative Reflection for Pentecost

My friends and I at Soul Space have a new guided contemplation up just in time for Pentecost Sunday!

May you have a life-giving encounter with Jesus and the Holy Spirit as you listen to the Scripture (Acts 2:1-21) and use your imagination to enter into a time of reflection and prayer.

Created by Soul Space: Janine Rohrer (writing), Carrie Myers (narration), David Buchs (Original music and sound mixing)

P.S. I’ve been creating guided contemplative prayers every week for our virtual Sunday services at Vineyard One NYC. For those of you who are spiritual directors or prayer leaders, I’m going to start posting those scripts weekly, so stay tuned!

(If I can figure out how, I’ll post the recordings, too, but so far Audacity and I are not friends. Recording the Pentecost script required me to sit in my living room very late at night so noises were at a minimum, doors and windows closed, fan off, with my microphone in a box stuffed with pillows and there was still background noise that I do not personally know how to edit out.)

Find me on Instagram @ravishedbylight.

Find David Buchs at www.sleepwithmusic.com.

Posted on

Hope On Easter: A Guided Meditation on John 20:1-18

Many of us are in mourning this Easter — for our old way of life or for those who have left it, all swept away in the pandemic. In these troubled times, may you find comfort and purpose in remembering that, in Jesus, the darkness truly does precede the dawn, that dying is a prelude to resurrection. What could seem like a crass and empty cliché becomes exactly the opposite in light Jesus’ defeat on the cross of the power of sin and darkness. As we wait expectantly for the “already but not yet” of the new creation, what new life will emerge from the ashes of the coronavirus?

As you experience this Easter meditation, our prayer is that the story of the risen Christ will bring you peace and hope during a time of stress and anxiety. Don’t fear, there is Good News ahead of us!

– Written by Janine Rohrer and Carrie Myers. Voiceover and music by David Buchs.

____________

Find me (Carrie Myers) on instagram @ravishedbylight

Find more music by David Buchs and more meditations by Janine Rohrer and David Buchs at sleepwithmusic.com.

And keep an eye out for new guided meditations and prayers at our new website, soulspace.center, coming soon!

Posted on

Good Friday Contemplative Prayer

Today is a Good Friday unlike any I can remember. With the covid crisis still raging in New York City and hundreds of people dying every day, Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross feels very near. It feels less like an abstract religious idea and more like the reality for thousands of people all over the world who are sick or dying or losing loved ones.

My partners Janine Rohrer and David Buchs and I created this guided contemplative prayer from John 19:16-30 knowing that many of us are grieving and frightened, uncertain about the future, and needing to find solid ground. We invite you to breathe deeply of God’s presence: to walk with Jesus through his crucifixion, to speak to him out of your own emotions and experience, and to hear his loving words for you.

May you be blessed by Jesus during this time of prayer.

– Carrie

Find me on Instagram @ravishedbylight and on the blog at vineyardone.nyc.

Find David Buchs and other meditations by David Buchs and Janine Rohrer at www.sleepwithmusic.com.

Posted on

Creature Care: Spiritual Practice of the Month

I had a real-life demonstration of God taking care of the “birds of the air” in our backyard yesterday. A baby blue jay — nearly fully fledged, with soft, downy feathers and its distinctive blue and gray plumage already in – fell out of its nest. On the way down, it got caught in my neighbor’s fence, breaking one of its legs. My neighbor rescued it and put it in a box with grass for bedding.

Somehow, the injured nestling made its way over the fence to my yard, where my seven-year-old took charge of it before we could get it professional help. Every bit the anxious, hovering mother, she badgered me to find out what it ate, then blend some nuts and berries into a bird-friendly smoothie, and show her how to feed it with an eyedropper. She was vigilant through the afternoon until our neighbor, Trish, took the bird inside her house to keep it warm and fed through the night.

This morning, Trish took the chick to the Wild Bird Fund of NYC. I had no idea such a place existed (like most people, I don’t associate wild birds with Manhattan), but they provide medical care and rehabilitation to injured birds and are open seven days a week. From the photos Trish texted, it looks like our baby’s neighbors include a Canadian Goose as well as some other fowl.

Trish’s photos got me to thinking again about God’s promise, in Matthew 6, to care for the birds of the air — and by extension, to care for us even more. Our collective concern for this random baby bird – Trish, my daughter’s, that of other people who helped – also reminds me that God’s care is often contextual and communal, taking place through the right people at the right time partnering their time and resources to bring his love and provision where they’re needed most.

(It also got me wondering why my daughter can hover over a baby bird for hours with an eyedropper, but she can’t help me clean our guinea pig’s cage. Or clean up a dead cockroach without breaking down in hysterics. But those are stories for another time.)

For a spiritual practice for the coming month, I invite you to make a spiritual discipline of caring for one of God’s creatures in his name, as an expression of faith in his care for us, especially the “least of these.” For me, that may something as simple as reminding myself, when I’m trudging down to the basement to fill the guinea pig’s water bottle (or, let’s be real, yelling at one of my kids to do it), that as I provide daily for his needs, so God provides for mine. Such a thankful acknowledgment could turn even pooper-scooping into an act of prayer, much as Brother Lawrence could find continual communion with God over washing dishes.

Honestly, most of us don’t even have to leave the house to practice the discipline of care. Maybe you don’t have a pet. Do you have other “creatures” around? A husband? Kids? A roommate? A sibling? A houseplant? Or, if you need to venture further afield, a neighbor? Someone from your church? Find a way to serve them daily and make it a holy act — or consecrate an act of care you are already doing on a regular basis, whether it’s cooking the bacon, bringing it home, or cleaning up what happens after the bacon is consumed. The important part is not just what you’re doing, but how you do it: mindfully, reflectively, in recognition that God’s care for “the least of these” is a key part of his character and that we love and serve others because he first loved and served us.

Simple steps to follow:

  1. Identify someone or something you already care for or would like to begin caring for, perhaps in a way that you would normally find tedious or onerous.*
  2. Consider whether you will offer care alone or in partnership with others. If with others, complete the remainder of the steps together with them.
  3. Establish (if you haven’t already) a routine. Find a consistent time or times of day when you will carry out your work.
  4. Prayerfully discern how you will make this time holy. Will you say a prayer before, after, or during – perhaps a breath prayer? Is there a scripture you would like to remember while you are working? Will you take a moment to dedicate your task and the person or animal under your care to God? Or will you focus on gratitude to the God who gave you this creature to care for?
  5. Spend some time reflecting – ideally including journaling – on your experience of turning your task into a holy experience. What emotions came up for you? Did you notice any differences in how you experienced your work – in your body, mind, or spirit?
  6. End with thanksgiving.

As we make our offer up our daily caregiving routines to God, let’s trust that he will give us the grace to see every part of life, no matter how humble or ordinary, as imbued with his presence.

* There are many other ways you could envision your service, including partnering with a service organization and others in your sphere to provide more comprehensive care than an individual alone could do: Getting together with a group of friends or a Sunday school class to sponsor a child through World Vision. Taking a stray neighborhood cat to be spayed or neutered at your local ASPCA. Gathering a group to donate money or time to a meal kitchen like Father’s Heart or your equivalent local outreach is. Tithing a little extra to your church’s compassionate care ministry. Making sure to have a dollar handy for the person asking for money on the street corner or the subway. The possibilities are endless.

___________________________________________________

Find me on Instagram! @ravishedbylight.

Posted on

Imaginative Prayer (Spiritual Practice of the Month)

boat-clouds-cloudy-skies-753619

Some of the most powerful prayer times I’ve had personally or guided others through have been through the Ignatian practice of Imaginative Prayer. Imaginative Prayer – not surprisingly – refers to the experience of bringing your imagination into the process of reading and praying with Scripture. 

While I was in spiritual direction training, my instructor, Jared, led us through an imaginative prayer on the Gospel story of Jesus silencing the wind and waves. In imaginative prayer, you can picture yourself as a person already in the story, add yourself to the scene as a bystander – even imagine yourself as an inanimate object or a natural force, like the boat or like the storm. There are no limits to how you can interact with the scene in your mind and emotions.

As Jared read through the passage to us, he encouraged us to place ourselves in the scene we were hearing. We were to imagine the feeling of the boat heaving beneath us, feel the gusts of wind and the icy rain pelting down on us, smell and taste the salt air, feel the panic clenching in our stomachs, hear the frenzied shouting of the disciples as they tried to keep the boat from capsizing or breaking apart. 

In my own prayer, I didn’t take on another persona. I was simply me, witnessing the unfolding interaction between Jesus and his disciples. As Jared read the passage again, I watched and heard the scene unfold the second time, I was struck by the disciples’  question to Jesus: “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Suddenly, that question became my own, and I found myself saying to Jesus, without planning it in the least, “Lord, don’t you care if I drown?”

black-and-white-dead-die-9786

As I spoke those words, I think I realized in a new way how overwhelmed and tired I had been, how I felt pushed and pulled in different directions. I felt like I was drowning amidst the competing demands of my life. In my prayer, I was, like the disciples, reaching out to Jesus for rescue.

And what was Jesus’ response? In my prayer, he did something different than he did in the original Gospel story. Instead of quieting the storm, he took off his cloak, folded it into a pillow, and gestured to me that I should lie down and rest. He was letting me know that, whatever was going on around me, I could be at peace. He would watch over and take care of me.

That interaction with Jesus affected me profoundly at the time and still continues to shape me. That tangible sense of Jesus’s care and provision for me led me to the leap of faith that was leaving my job and unknowingly prepared me for an intense season of parenting a child in crisis. I remember that prayer often and it reminds me to trust and rest. It reminds me that I am safe with the Lord.

beanie-black-pants-blur-1906157

How can you experience Imaginative Prayer for yourself? First, it’s helpful to know that the Gospels and other narrative sections are often the most fruitful places in Scripture to pray imaginatively because they have stories you can enter into. (If you are poetically inclined and respond well to language and imagery, the Psalms and other poetic or prophetic books like Isaiah would also work.)

Once you have your Scripture passage chosen, follow these steps:

  1. Find a comfortable, quiet place. Invite God to be with you and to guide your prayer time.
  2. Read the passage aloud or quietly to yourself.
  3. Read it again. This time, imagine yourself within the scene  – as one of the main people, as a bystander, even as an object or element.
  4. Use all five senses: try to taste, touch, hear, see, smell what is going on. What are you doing? What are others doing?
  5. Bring to your awareness: What emotions or thoughts are coming up?  What do you feel happening in your body? How is God speaking to you through the unfolding scene and your inner and bodily responses?
  6. Is there any action God is inviting you to take or commitment he is inviting you to make?

I hope imaginative prayer becomes another invaluable way for you to connect with God and learn more of his heart for you!

________________________________________________

Find me on instagram! @ravishedbylight

Photo credits:

Stormy sea: GEORGE DESIPRIS from Pexels

Woman underwater: Life Of Pix from Pexels

 Man praying: Matheus Bertelli from Pexels

Posted on

Responding to the Sex Abuse Crisis in the Catholic Church (Workshop Notes)

christ-898330_640

Against the background of the still-unfolding sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic church, the Ignatian Spirituality Network offered a workshop last month called Hope Does Not Disappoint: Spiritual Direction in Challenging Times for the Church. This workshop did not – as did a recent missive by former Pope Benedict – address causes and remedies – but rather was aimed to help spiritual directors as they both reflect on their own vocation in light of the crisis and create space for directees to respond during direction sessions.

Screenshot 2019-04-09 at 2.00.51 PM

The two main questions wrestled with in the Ignatian Spirituality’s workshop were these: What is our calling as spiritual directors in the midst of the sex abuse crisis? How do we accompany people who are rightly suspicious, hurt, angry, and grieving by the shocking failure of their beloved church — people who are betrayed by leaders they literally trusted with their souls? The workshop was not necessarily focused on directing either survivors or perpetrators of abuse, although those subjects did come up, but more on how we as directors can understand and carry out our vocation in light of everything that has and continues to happen.

Although I am not Catholic, as someone trained in the Ignatian tradition, I consider myself “Catholic adjacent.” I also have seen firsthand that abuse, willful ignorance, and systemic corruption and institutional failure are not limited to the Catholic church. I won’t go into details here, but it doesn’t take much beyond curiosity and a search engine to confirm that the Protestant church has got plenty of its own problems.

During the workshop several themes emerged:

  • Each one of us has a basic calling as a Christian to discipleship. That calling exists within the larger “Christ project” – the redemption of all people and all creation. For directors, our calling as disciples is primarily lived out within the space of direction. We may or may not have a voice within the larger power structure of our institutions, but each of us can live every opportunity we have to take part in Christ’s work to the fullest.
  • It’s important to keep our eyes on the risen Christ and the presence and action of God in our lives. Ignatian practices help us continue to discern and stay attuned in the moment.
  • One of the speakers explained a revelation he came to, in contemplative prayer, of the sex abuse crisis as a continuation of the crucifixion today. We are standing as witnesses, much as Mary and John did at the foot of the cross, to the suffering of Christ in our time. The abuse crisis, like the crucifixion, is a deliberate rejection of God’s love. This is an especially poignant thought to reflect on at Easter time. It neither minimizes the pain experienced by those victimized – pain that, as both speakers affirmed, will be with them for all of their lives – nor leaves all in desolation. We are journeying, slowly and surely, with God towards the full restoration of all humanity.
  • The “bloodletting” among the ranks of priests and bishops is a right and necessary purification of the church.
  • As we offer spiritual companionship to those who are rightly struggling with the institution of the church, and who may leave or already have left in response, we can ask a few questions:
    • What are the ways you are nurtured by the institutional church and what are the ways that you’re not? Where you are not, where can you go to find nurture? Where can you discern an invitation to deepen your relationship with God even during these times?
    • What are you feeling? What is it like for you to feel those emotions?
    • What are your interactions with God like? Who is God to you at this moment?

all-saints-2887463_640

As we accompany those who are hurting and also deal with our own emotions in the space of direction, we continue to look, listen, and pray for the presence, love, and healing of God in our lives and in the life of the Body of Christ.

____________________________________________________

*On a much lighter note, while I was writing this blog post — blissfully sipping my warm cocoa oolong bubble milk tea — I overheard the following statement from a black-leather-clad woman talking loudly on her phone:

“Oh, I am much more evil than his exes. He just doesn’t know that yet. He’s about to find out.”

She looked like she could flatten that boy with her hands tied behind her back, using only her pinkie toe and the force of her malice. I hope he’s a better runner than he is a boyfriend.

Find me on Instagram! @ravishedbylight. 

Image credits:

Christ Image

All Saints

Posted on

Listening to the Voice of the Beloved: Praying the “Beloved Prayer”

Screenshot 2019-03-26 at 2.03.49 PM

*In Henri Nouwen’s book, Spiritual Direction: Wisdom for the Long Walk of Faith, he reflects on Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3:17, when the Spirit descends on him in the form of a dove,

And a voice from heaven said, “And a voice from heaven said, “This is my  dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

 

Screenshot (15)

Nouwen writes that Jesus’ core identity came from this moment of knowing he had his father’s total, lavish acceptance and approval.  He goes on to say that the same is true for each of us. We are all God’s beloved children and our core identity – our center – comes from knowing we are God’s beloved and that he is well-pleased with us.

Building on this definition of each of as God’s beloved, Nouwen explains that

I have come to define prayer as listening . . . to the one who calls you the Beloved. 

Screenshot (16)
Is that you, God? (Also, the face I make when my teenagers are in charge of Spotify.)

In our noisy, pixelated, distracting world, it’s not easy to listen for the voice of the Beloved. It can be hard to distinguish God’s voice from all the others clamoring for our attention. And once we do listen, it can be just as hard – if not harder – to accept the truth of God’s love for us. That’s why regular, intentional prayer is crucial.

The discipline of prayer is to constantly go back to the truth of who we are [God’s beloved children] and claim it for ourselves . . . We must go back to our first love, back regularly to that of core identity.

According to Nouwen, our acceptance of our belovedness is the journey of our lives – “the origin and fulfillment of life in the Spirit.” Through prayer, we come to understand that God loves us, as we are, in both our “limitations and glory.” God’s voice calling us his beloved silences our self-condemnation and our self-rejection; listening to this voice coming from God – as well as through other people who show us love and acceptance – is what enables us to feel at home in the world.

points-1790830_640

Living out the truth of our belovedness is another way of saying that Christ is being incarnated in us.  As a way to let this truth sink in, Nouwen recommends “The Beloved Prayer,” a three-part, thirty-minute prayer that can be done individually or as part of guided meditation in a group. “The Beloved Prayer” begins with quietly praying the phrase, ‘”Jesus, you are the Beloved,” then moving onto “Jesus, I am the Beloved,” and then concluding with “Jesus, we are all the Beloved.”

For those of us who don’t have thirty minutes in their day or who are building up to longer contemplative prayer sessions, praying one phrase at a time is an option. Follow these steps.

Praying “The Beloved Prayer”

  1. Find a quiet, still place. You may choose to set a timer if you have a limited amount of time for this practice. Begin to breathe slowly and deeply, relaxing your body and clearing your mind.
  2. Become aware of God’s presence with you. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your prayer time.
  3. Choose the phrase that seems to most resonate with you at this moment: Jesus, you are the Beloved; Jesus, I am the Beloved; or Jesus, we are all the Beloved. The last phrase will lead you to meditate on a group of people – perhaps family or friends – the Body of Christ, or on all of God’s creation.
  4. Begin saying it to yourself, quietly aloud, or only in your head. You may choose to close your eyes. Try to gently merge the rhythm of the phrase with the rhythm of your breathing. Say it slowly, without hurry, until every other thought seems to fall away. As distractions inevitably show up, don’t worry about them. Simply acknowledge them and refocus the words of the prayer.
  5. If you have not set a timer, you may find your prayer time comes to its natural conclusion. You may feel rested and replete, or you may simply find a bodily demand can no longer be ignored. Come slowly back to your normal awareness and sit for a moment in silence. If you feel led to do so, end with a brief prayer of thanksgiving and a request for continued awareness of God’s presence throughout your day.

You may find that one phrase claims your attention for days or weeks, or you may feel drawn to a different phrase each day. Either way, trust the Holy Spirit to affirm your belovedness and bring you back to that place of core identity.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

* Part of my Spiritual Practice of the Month series of posts.**

** Yes, I know. It is practically April! I’m a “9” with a strong “1” wing on the Enneagram and the legalistic part of my soul is simultaneously embarrassed and proud that I’ve snuck in this post just under the wire.

Find me on Instagram at #ravishedbylight

Photo credits

Jesus’ baptism: https://www.ravenfoundation.org/whats-jesus-john-baptist/, original source unknown

Baby: http://www.discoverenglish.com.au/blog/exams/english-listening-resources-online

Dove image by Gerd Altmann, pixabay