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Reflection, Contemplation, and Prayer:
A Triad of Spiritual Awareness Part 3: Reflection You may have noticed by now that I am not addressing this topic in the same order as I express it in the title. As you undertake the incredible journey of deepening Spiritual Awareness, you will find progress in fits and starts. Just as you feel comfortable with the way you are praying, you will feel unsatisfied with your reflection. Or, just when you have settled down to your routine in contemplation, your mind wisks you to errant thought. While this will be unsettling (and possibly discouraging) it is normal and a sign that you are, indeed, progressing. I am taking these topics in a random order from the title because your progress will randomly gyrate. This will, no doubt, be more difficult for those who are more dedicated to order. This is, however, the way it works because as you grow in one area and are sufficient, God will perfect another area you are lacking. It is like a child learning arithmetic: as they learn numbers, they can then learn to add, but to add more, they must learn new numbers. Today, then, we will briefly discuss Reflection. Reflection: 1. Approaching a time, object, memory, or circumstance with the intention of seeing God at work. 2. Engaging a time, object, memory, or circumstance, such as recalling a memory or looking at a crucifix, focused on God to perceive God reflected in the moment/object. Contemplation: 1. To be fully present in our heart and mind focused on one aspect of our self while also being emptied of the self in order for God to be present. 2. Intentionally emptying the mind of thought to provide a quietude to encounter God. Prayer: 1. A spiritual communication between us and God; a two-way relationship in which we not only talk to God but also listen to God. 2. Prayer includes Adoration/Blessing, Contrition/Repentance, Thanksgiving/Gratitude, and Supplication/Petition/Intercession. Going to God in Prayer is necessary, as God has commanded it; but as with the stages of prayer (more on this later) Reflection has several sides. Reflection will always be a part of our prayer process as we pray. Reflecting can happen in the moment when we feel called to ponder a prayer we have just offered. Reflection is often a necessary interlude when we are in prayer dialogue with God. Reflection, as a spiritual moment–out of time, but in time as prayer–is our mental/spiritual response to God’s prompting for deeper thought; but there is also a preparatory phase to prayer that must be undertaken–Reflection. We reflect on all the areas of our lives at one time or another: “Did I say the right thing?” “Should I have left?” “Why didn’t I say something?” “WHY?” Often these reflections die as reflective moments because they were unwanted and intrusive in the moment. You were just walking along, and this thought came into your head demanding to be reflected upon: “WHY?” Why? Some circles say that this is your subconscious trying to work out an unfinished thought or event, and it may well be. The problem is that it is almost always unpleasant, and so we snuff it out as quickly as possible. As people of faith, however, we know that God speaks to us “in good times and bad” and calls us to be the better “us” by refining who we are through reflection. Thus, when we snuff out that intrusive thought, we are slamming the door on divine instruction. We need to cultivate the process of accepting those reflective moments and engaging them in serious thought and consideration, i.e. Reflection. “Why did I? Hmm, maybe it was because…I don’t know, is that how I really feel? Why?” The process of proactive deliberative thought about who we are and why we do the things we do will absolutely lead you to be a better “you”. This is why God intrudes. We live with the invitation and possibility of Reflection every moment. Whether intrusive or sought after, Reflection is God honoring our desire to be better/more. To become something new, however, we must recognize the need for change and “to boldly go where I have never gone before” (sorry, I just had to). So important and vital is this process of Reflection that it is ubiquitous with life itself—so constant and yet so obscured. Why do we not recognize the opportunities for Reflection more often? For one thing, it is work. We are so inundated with information and the demands of life for so long that this interior level of reflection simply becomes a deliberation, and we have the power to turn it off. Our earthly responsibilities, commitments, and desires have succeeded in exhausting us and obscuring the greater good: God’s promise to “be with us always.” For, how do we know someone is with us unless they are made known to us? When we become aware of the opportunities in everyday life to reflect and change to the glory of God (and the benefit of all those around us), we also become aware of the need for help. To this end, and for other reasons, many people engage in a daily “inspiration;” for example, an inspirational prayer, devotion, booklet, or podcast to start off the day. However, as wonderful as morning devotions may be, the key is not in the hearing, but in the Reflection. “I know I need this; now how do I apply it?” is the question you must repeat all day. “...but there is also a preparatory phase to prayer that must be undertaken–Reflection.” As you prepare for Prayer and continue to up the ante (your buy-in) to spiritual growth, your awareness of and commitment to Reflection moves to a new level. Not only are you reflecting on that podcast, but you are also seeking after the scripture you heard or were reminded of. Or perhaps you are waking in the morning to a passage of scripture already in your head. You seek it out; NEVER let the moment go by that a passage of “random scripture” pops into your head as anything but God speaking to! This practice of seeking scripture and reflecting on it throughout the day needs to happen every day. The reflection of the day will feed, power, and clarify your prayer time. The single most effective thing you can do to accelerate and deepen your Spiritual Growth is to reflect on the meaning of Scripture in your life. Scriptural Reflection will illuminate God working in your life. This will be a blessing in itself, as you will feel closer to God now realizing God has been with you all the time, but you will see that more clearly. Scriptural Reflection will show you the areas of your life that need attention and the unproductive habits that are holding you back. While this sounds bad, God’s gift of grace mediates these revelations, and with love and compassion, frees you from a burden you may not know you had. Now, in your prayers, you can truly confess your failings to God and receive forgiveness. “...a preparatory phase.” Reflection: 1. Approaching a time, object, memory, or circumstance with the intention of seeing God at work. Wake with the intention and practice of going to God in all things. Embrace the “WHYs?” of the day with excitement, trusting that God is leading you into a new beginning. 2. Engaging a time, object, memory, or circumstance, such as recalling a memory or looking at a crucifix, focused on God to perceive God reflected in the moment/object. Encounter and traverse the day with Scripture in your heart and mind, reflecting on the divine life of Christ. Scripture is the Word of God, manifested through time in written form. Hold onto Jesus throughout the day as, through him (Spirit and Word), you will find a depth to your life and spirit you have never known. We continue next week with part 4. Reflecting on God, Fr. Bill+
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Reflection, Contemplation, and Prayer:A Triad of Spiritual Awareness, Part 2: Interlude One7/18/2023 Reflection, Contemplation, and Prayer:
A Triad of Spiritual Awareness Part 2: Interlude One It is my intention in this series to offer a brief outline of the process of spiritual growth through active (physical) and mental (spiritual) participation. This is in no way an exhaustive instruction, but rather a starting point from which you may venture into spiritual deepening. As this is a brief and somewhat cursory study, I’m focused more on the practical than the theological understanding of the topic. Further study must be pursued once your practice has begun. First, let’s look at the relationship between mental and spiritual being. As we seek to grow in our spiritual life and experience union/communion with God in a more profound way, we must embrace the plain and simple reality of our physical being. We are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) in the likeness of God. As “creatures” of a Creator God, the complex and amazing interplay of our physical being is intended to be discovered. In the first paragraph, I said this is…a brief outline of the process of spiritual growth through active (physical) and mental (spiritual) participation. The ability to access our spiritual self is often difficult and confusing. Further, as people not well-versed in spiritual development beyond a passive reception of the divine expression, it is hard to pinpoint exactly what “spiritual self” even means. When we hear the term “spirituality,” we may understand it by trying to reduce the memory of our spiritual experiences into “focused thoughts about God with good feelings while in a quiet place.” This is an understandable solution to the questions, “what is it really?” and “how do I do it?” All things come to us through the mental process. God has designed our brains to function as organic computers. Our brain acts independently from our thoughts, or our will, by receiving information and adjusting accordingly. The brain also passes information to the mind, through which the practice of spiritual growth is undertaken. A side note on the brain/mind: the brain is defined as that organ of a specific shape and process located in our head, whereas the mind is often considered a phenomena, the hypothetical center of thought, reasoning, perception, and memory. In the scientific process, the mind is defined by its function and it cannot be ‘located’ or quantified; in short, it is a mystery. It is through the mind that God is made known to us and through the mind that we encounter and embrace the community of the Divine Trinity. We feel and reflect on information and sensations we receive from somewhere else. Outside of us–the door slamming, a bee flying by; or inside of us–a stomachache; these things are made known to us and we think about them. Even spiritual events start as sensations we cannot explain, radiating from within, but originating from without. Once these sensations are perceived, we think about them: mental (spiritual) participation. This is not a betrayal of the desire for a pure spiritual encounter, rather it is the hallowed ground on which God calls us to walk as it is sanctified by the feet of the Son. God created us to be a thinking, understanding likeness of God’s self. This is where spiritual growth begins. C. S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity, “God never meant man to be a purely spiritual creature. . . . He likes matter. He invented it” (64). Here, Lewis is simply repeating the observable truth of human creation reflected in the Book of Genesis Chapter 1. In his book, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, Lewis continues with a deeper dive into the hallowed dignity of the human body and God’s plan: But for our body one whole realm of God’s glory—all that we receive through the senses—would go upraised. For the beasts can’t appreciate it and the angels are, I suppose, pure intelligences. They understand colors and tastes better than our greatest scientists; but have they retinas or palates? I fancy the “beauties of nature” are a secret God has shared with us alone. That may be one of the reasons why we were made—and why the resurrection of the body is an important doctrine. (pg. 17) As God intended, we must engage our minds to encounter our spiritual lives. Many people become aware of their spiritual life, or the existence of the spiritual realm, through dramatic divine encounters. We have all heard the stories of the atheist who died and saw God, or the agnostic, Muslim, or Jew who encountered Jesus unsought for and unexpected, but most of them are not so blessed. The facility to encounter God in a miraculous way is certainly possible and solely of God’s initiation, but it is not to be expected and cannot be orchestrated. Rather, God has created us to seek after God and has told us that in seeking we will be found! Our participation in the “spiritual growth process” is the vital ingredient, the necessary additive, the essential addition to the plan that God has for our “finding.” Now that you have a template for prayer (part 1 of this series), the addition of mental consistency will lead to spiritual awareness. From now until your prayer time, think about your prayers. Think about your prayer time. Think about what that means and what you hope God will do with you when you go to God. Use your brain to prime the pump for your spirit. God specifically made us this way and we were made this way for a reason. In The Screwtape Letters, Lewis explains that where the body goes the mind will follow. This is, of course, paradoxical–for how could the body go anywhere the mind did not lead it; but Lewis is making a point. When we put effort into something and move ourselves to that something even in part, the other part will eventually join in (most often to our detriment). To expand on Lewis’ point, where the mind goes the spirit will follow. Take your mind to God, deliver your thoughts to the Lord, radiate your concerns heavenly, consciously, and with effort, and you will find your spirit will follow–and there you will be found. Next week, back to the process: Reflection: 1. Approaching a time, object, memory, or circumstance with the intention of seeing God at work. 2. Engaging a time, object, memory, or circumstance, such as recalling a memory or looking at a crucifix, focused on God to perceive God reflected in the moment/object. Thinking about God, Fr. Bill+ Reflection, Contemplation, and Prayer:
A Triad of Spiritual Awareness If you go to the internet or any Christian book on spiritual growth you will quickly see that these three terms (and one other, we will attend to later) are always interconnected. That being said, I am going to separate them here in order to discuss them in detail and to clarify each for practical purposes. Note that I am defining each of these specifically in relation to spiritual direction. Reflection: 1. Approaching a time, object, memory, or circumstance with the intention of seeing God at work. 2. Engaging a time, object, memory, or circumstance, such as recalling a memory or looking at a crucifix, focused on God to perceive God reflected in the moment/object. Contemplation: 1. To be fully present in our heart and mind focused on one aspect of our self while also being emptied of the self in order for God to be present. 2. Intentionally emptying the mind of thought to provide a quietude to encounter God. Prayer: 1. A spiritual communication between us and God; a two-way relationship in which we not only talk to God but also listen to God. 2. Prayer includes Adoration/Blessing, Contrition/Repentance, Thanksgiving/Gratitude, and Supplication/Petition/Intercession. These definitions may be familiar to you or seem confusing. Needless to say, the practice of spiritual development will come more naturally once it is begun. So, to put these three together in practice I will start with Prayer since this is something we all know and think we do well. Here we go… Prayer. Get comfortable, quiet your mind, and pray. You will most likely immediately begin a sort of “agenda of prayer” in which you enter an existing pattern. Go with it, as they say. After a time, and perhaps when you are “done,” let your prayers lead you. Allow yourself to let go of the agenda (you have fulfilled it already) and pray what comes to mind/heart. This is the moment when a divine transition is possible. Be aware that the prayers you are now praying – you are thinking – but you are actually “hearing.” That is to say, if you can quiet your mind (often a byproduct of intentional prayer) and observe the action of prayer creation (thought), you may become aware that the prayers of your mind seem to be an echo. Remember what St. Paul tells us in the Book of Romans: “For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (8:26) All too often we can be hung up on the “groanings too deep for words” part of this passage. If it's too deep for words, you ponder, how can I hear the words? In reality two things are happening here: first, the Holy Spirit is praying for us, groaning toward the passion of Christ and the intention of God; and second, we are blessed by the Holy Spirit in our awareness (actually the awareness of the Holy Spirit) and pray the prayers we ought to pray. St. Paul tells us that most of the time we can't get out of our own way, so God has sent the Holy Spirit to pray for us and leads us in prayer. Paul continues: “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” (Romans 8:27) We are blessed by this intercession and may, in fact, be a participant in it! Prayer is indispensable. Prayer cannot be omitted and, though it can be truncated, we can never stop the Holy Spirit from doing what God has promised us would be done. In this case then, all we need to do is become aware and join in. So, now that you have achieved this awareness, hearing your own prayers as an echo, there is an opportunity for positive release! Without “taking over your mind,” (*more on this in a moment) enter into the new rhythm of prayer as a sort of guest, carried along by the prayers. This, whether short or long, is the first ‘prayer step’ into a deeper awareness and communion with God. *“taking over your mind,” This is a danger (often unavoidable at the early stages of prayer awareness) in which, once you become aware of what is happening, you will override it with thoughts about it. If this happens, fear not! You have become aware, if only for a moment, of the Holy Spirit praying through/for you. This awareness is awareness! You have taken the first step after all and can reflect on the blessing as you anticipate the next time you pray. Next week, I will briefly cover Reflection, as we continue this four-week walk toward spiritual awareness. Praying in the Spirit, Fr. Bill+ "All must admit that the reception of the teachings of Christ results in the purist patriotism, in the most scrupulous fidelity to public trust, and in the best type of citizenship." – Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th President (1885-1889 and 1893-1897)
President Cleveland voiced the truth he inherited from his father, a Presbyterian minister, and from the Founding Fathers in whose shadow he served. What was known and understood by so many, and is lost by so many today, is that the United States was not founded to be a Christian Nation by force, but by faith. When John Wintrop led many Puritans from England to form the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, he and they envisioned a place of religious freedom and peace. Once established, the colony did indeed create a space where Puritan beliefs were honored and respected, but they soon fell prey to the same persecution they were running from. Establishing rules and rights for only those of the “puritan faith,” earthly fear and earthly power conspired to obscure the Gospel and taint the dream. One hundred and seventy-six years later, in 1776, the Continental Congress gathered to create a new nation based on the same Gospel dream that Winthrop found and then lost. To ensure that fear and power would not overshadow love and compassion, Congress built into the documents and vision of our new nation the foundation of the Gospel proclamation. Everywhere we look when we study the documents of the founding era we find the tenets of the Christian faith and the plan of faithful governance. This plan was ‘self-evident’ and known. It was a hope, a dream, that our nation would function based on love, charity, fairness, compassion, honor, integrity, self-sacrifice, self-awareness, and dedication to a higher ideal to which all could aspire. For Christians, this is an everyday action, and for a nation built on these tenets, is truly the opportunity for “liberty and justice for all.” Often spoken in the public forum, this plan, this idea of a land where religious freedom for all was embraced as an opportunity for witness, was spoken as the foundation for deliberation. In 1850, Theodore Parker, a pastor, and activist, spoke before the New England Anti-Slavery Convention. He said, "...There is what I call the American idea...This idea demands, as the proximate organization thereof, a democracy, that is, a government of all the people, by all the people, for all the people; of course, a government after the principles of eternal justice, the unchanging law of God; for shortness' sake, I will call it the idea of Freedom..." Parker only brought to mind the idea everyone could claim if they knew their history and were confident in the tenets of the founding documents. He tried to remind them of our roots and the hope of what could grow from that first planting: not fear and the quest for power, but honor, integrity, and compassion. Thirteen years later, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln recalled Parker’s words while standing on the grief-ridden land of Gettysburg: ... But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. This moving address makes clear that the grand idea was still alive and had permeated the American mind. That “of, by, and for the people” was not separate from the tenets that hoped this nation into being. Today we celebrate the birth of our great nation amidst competing claims of ‘special knowledge.’ Constant are the news reports about Christian Nationalists who claim that our nation is only for Christians. Others contend that the United States is “blessed by God,” as Israel was, the new “promised land” appropriate only for Christians. These two views, among others, embody the same tragic downfall of John Wintrop in 1630 and fall victim to the fear and quest for power that promotes biblical heresy. Nowhere in scripture are these views supported and nowhere in the founding of our nation are they proposed. This 4th of July, our Independence Day, we celebrate the birth of our great nation and perhaps, claim for ourselves a new independence. Independence from the fear and the quest for power which freedom allows, and a new dedication to the tenets on which our nation was founded. The underlying vision of the Founding Fathers of love, charity, fairness, compassion, honor, integrity, self-sacrifice, self-awareness, and dedication to a higher ideal to which all could aspire, are embedded in our national spirit and offered in witness to all the world. As Christians, we reach out in the name of Jesus Christ to embrace all people everywhere, with the hope of a new life. The United States of America has done the same as part of our national identity; not afraid of the loss of power, but confident and faithful in what has formed us and made America great. Perhaps there is no greater example or witness of our national identity, intention, and confidence, than the Statue of Liberty. I leave you with the poem, The New Colossus, written by Emma Lazarus. This poem was unanimously adopted to represent the national heart and mind to the world. Perhaps you will recognize some of the words, engraved in bronze at the base of the Statue of Liberty: Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" “I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” Fr. Bill+ |
AuthorFather Bill Burk† Archives
December 2024
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