There is wisdom in simplicity. There is much to be learned through the cross. Through contemplating Jesus’ crucifixion, we learn the paradox of what it means to suffer and bear wickedness, and we also learn compassion, mercy, and love.
Continue reading “Week Three: The Wisdom of Faith. Sign of the Cross”Faith is more than our greatest gift; sharing it with others is our greatest responsibility. A beautiful thing about faith is that the more I share with others, the stronger my faith becomes and the more secure it becomes inside of me.
Continue reading “Week Three: The Wisdom of Faith. Finding Security”Faith is an attitude of trust and how I approach God. Faith is an openness to what God wants to reveal to me, to do in my life, and to invite my participation. It should be obvious that in dealing with the infinite and all-powerful personal God, I am never in control.
Continue reading “Week Three: The Wisdom of Faith. My Life Is Not About Me”Sunday – Scared Silence. “How good it would be if each one of us… were able to recover this contemplative dimension of life, opened wide in silence.”
Monday – A Humble Heart. Deliver me, from the desire of being esteemed.
Tuesday – Greatness Within. Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10
Wednesday – Already Loved. I am inseparable from the love of God. Romans 8:35
Thursday – Taking a Break from Worry. I have peace with God. Romans 5:1
Friday – Image of Beauty. I am the image and glory of God. 1 Corinthians 11:7
You might find goodness in this simple prayer of being from Fr. Richard Rohr comes from Psalm 46:10 of the Hebrew Scriptures: “Be still and know that I am God.”
Instruction
1) Find a quiet place, gently close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths. Prepare to pray the Psalm in 5 consecutively diminishing sentences.
2) Either aloud or quietly to yourself, say the words, “Be still and know that I am God.”
3) After a couple deep breaths, pray, “Be still and know that I am.”
4) After a couple deep breaths, pray “Be still and know.”
5) After a couple deep breaths, pray, “Be still.”
6) After a couple deep breaths, pray, “Be.”
7) When ready, pray, “Amen.”
This prayer can also be prayed with a group. The facilitator leads with each phrase and the group repeats aloud after each consecutively diminishing phrases. The pause between each phrase can be lengthened depending on your need or the needs of the group.
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
My spiritual relationship is only as deep as I am willing to go. The truth is that God knows everything about me, but recently I’ve been contemplating how vulnerable I have been with Him. Will I stand in the nakedness before Him, allowing Him to restore the beauty that has been chipped away over time?
Continue reading “Week Two: Lifelong Learning. Image of Beauty”True confession – my nickname growing up was ,Worry Wart. It’s funny how my father could see in me a part of myself that I couldn’t see. That is the beauty of sacred loving relationships. Many years later, I was ready to accept that part of myself…the planner, the controller, the worrier. It made me successful in the eyes of the world, but it didn’t serve ME well.
Continue reading “Week Two: Lifelong Learning. Taking a Break from Worry”Recently I’ve been meditating on the truth that “It is not that we have loved God, but that he first loved us.” (John 4:10) On some level, yet again, I thought it was all up to me, thinking I needed to earn God’s love. God is God and He loves me even should I not love Him. This has been a hard concept for me to understand.
Continue reading “Week Two: Lifelong Learning. Already Loved”Do ever find yourself pushing too hard and challenged to take care of yourself? Putting your oxygen mask on last, rather than first?
Continue reading “Week Two: Lifelong Learning. Greatness Within”The way we learn the ways of the Spirit, including forming virtue in our soul, is through prayer. I find the most difficult part of learning the ways of the Spirit is that I get in my own way. My self-reliance, pride, or “it’s all up to me” mentality are all road blocks that keep me from where I want to be. They keep me in worry and anxiety which harden my heart. But in prayer and finding God’s goodness, I learn what it means to have the virtue of a humble heart. And with grace, I will be where I need to be.
Continue reading “Week Two: Lifelong Learning. A Humble Heart”Sunday – Day by Day Finding God’s Goodness. Spending just five minutes each day in prayer, meditation, reflection on God’s word and the examples of the saints, we can awaken our hearts to this goodness.
Monday – Choosing Wisely. Prudence is the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it.
Tuesday – Believing God is Goodness. “Three things are necessary for the salvation of man: to know what he ought to believe; to know what he ought to desire; and to know what he ought to do.” — St. Thomas Aquinas
Wednesday – Learning Peaceful Ways. “Lord, make me know your ways. Lord, teach me your paths. Make me walk in your truth and teach me: for you are God my savior.” Psalm 25
Thursday – The Superpower of Curiosity. “Fear (or awe) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, understanding marks all who attain it. “Psalm 111:10
Friday – Meaningful Priorities. “Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself” (Matthew 6:34).
Jesus, artful Master of Parables,
Your prudence eluded the hypocrites.
Your actions were known before creation,
Displaying all the wisdom of Your prudence.
Eternity must have attended to minutia.
Being prudent in Your best interest,
You considered all potential consequences,
Securing the outcome of Your earthly life.
Grant me the prudence to always be cautious
And sensitive to the basic needs of others.
Jesus, You have shown great foresight,
Prudence truly originates from Your Being.
Smitten With Goodness 