Mist on the Mountain

Christ's Resurrection Mystically Reproduced in Us

2009-10-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

I was reading from the works of St. Symeon the New Theologian today and found this fascinating quote. I just wanted to share it.

"But, it you will, let us look and carefully examine what is the mystery of that resurrection of Christ our God which takes place mystically in us at all times, if we are willing, and how Christ is buried in us as in a tomb and how He unites Himself to our souls and rises again, and raises us with Himself." -- St. Symeon the New Theologian

Attributes of Love

2009-08-04T16:23:00.000-07:00

"When Grace is energized in the heart of the one who prays, then the love of God floods his entire being to such an extent that he may not be able to take more. Then this love is transferred to the love of the world and the human person. His love becomes so powerful that he asks to take upon himself all the suffering and unhappiness of the others so that they themselves may be relieved. He suffers with those who are in suffering even for the suffering of animals, so much so that he sheds bitter tears when he becomes aware of their pain. These are attributes of Love. But you must keep in mind that it is prayer that energized them and causes them. That is why those who have advanced in the prayer never stop praying for the World."
-- Monk Joseph in Elder Joseph the Hesychast

Speaking and Humility

2009-07-27T19:58:00.000-07:00

"It is not speaking that breaks our silence, but the anxiety to be heard. The words of the proud man impose silence upon all others, so that he alone may be heard. The humble man speaks only in order to be spoken to. The humble man asks nothing but an alms, then waits and listens." -- Thomas Merton in Thoughts in Solitude

Something Interesting from Dr. Markides

2009-07-23T04:54:00.000-07:00

"It increasingly became clear to me that the secular assumptions about reality, dominant during my university training, were in fact a grand illusion, a materialist superstition that had kept Western thought stranded and imprisoned for the last three hundred years. It was a destructive superstition that led sensitive Western intellectuals by the droves into existential despair, and in some cases even to suicide and madness. The realization of the phoniness of scientific materialism had a tremendously liberating effect on my mind."

-- Kyriacos Markides, Ph.D. in The Mountain of Silence

Doing Theology

2009-07-18T06:40:00.000-07:00

Doing theology is only useful if it can be nailed to the Cross. If it can't be nailed to the Cross, then it's just an intellectual exercise.

Two Theologies

2009-07-18T06:14:00.000-07:00

This excerpt from Archimandrite Sophrony couldn't be more accurate. I think it shows graphically how some Christians go astray.

"There are two ways for theology: the one, widely familiar in previous centuries, appertaining to the professional theologian; the other, which means being crucified with Christ, knowing Him in the secret places of the heart. The first of these types is accessible to the majority of the intellectually endowed having a preference for philosophical subjects--genuine belief in the Divinity of Christ expressing itself in a life lived according to the spirit of His commandments is not needed. The second is the theology of the confessors, which is born of a profound fear of God in the firey flames of repentance, leading to existential reality through the appearance of Uncreated Light. Academic theology combined with living faith affords blessed results. But it can easily degenerate into abstract theory, and cease to be what we see in the lives of the Apostles, Prophets, Fathers--the direct action of God in us."
-- Archimandrite Sophrony, On Prayer

Some Thougts on Mission and Learning

2009-07-17T20:19:00.001-07:00

"Evangelization is inseparable from professional teaching ever since the Word became flesh. Not even Eternal Wisdom could remain within the theological center of the Trinity, but He became a roaming teacher, and itinerant Instructor. Nature decreed that certain things kept to themsleves spoil. Almost everything in the universe was made to be spent. Wealth hoarded makes it keeper a miser. Learning for the sake of learning makes the student proud. University professors desiccate by never making their knowledge available to those who do not sit at desks. The Logos or Word of God taking a child on His lap will forever remain the misison of education--to share it as wealth must be shared." --Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Mind Weeds

2009-07-16T17:07:00.000-07:00

Whenever you're sitting in meditation or contemplative prayer do you allow other thoughts to creep into your head and disturb your focus? That happens to all of us, especially if we're new to contemplative prayer. In Zen practice they call those thoughts Mind Weeds. I rather like that term, so I've stolen it and use it myself to refer to distractions during my spiritual meditation and contemplative prayer times. I like the term because weeds tend to be unwanted visitors in our lawns and we often have trouble getting rid of them. It's the same with Mind Weeds.

O.K., just what are Mind Weeds? Well, as I mentioned above, they're thoughts that disturb your contemplation, but they can also be sounds, or maybe you're starting to daydream. All of these experiences are Mind Weeds. They take you away from the true focus of your contemplation. Dealing with them is rather easy. Just let them come and go. Don't consider them as bothersome, because as soon as you begin thinking about them they have drawn you away from your focus. Pretty soon you'll see this is how the mind learns to settle down and as you practice contemplative prayer you'll find these disturbances come less often.

Whether you're a beginner at contemplative prayer, or have been doing it for some time, another technique to combat Mind Weeds is to use the Jesus Prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on Me, a Sinner." By focusing on the Jesus Prayer you can calm your mind and soon you'll find that peace that is part of the experience of contemplative prayer. Of course, saying the Jesus Prayer is always a good thing and should itself be a focus of your contemplative prayer life.

So, the next time you're in contemplative prayer and you experience distractions, just know they're Mind Weeds and let them go. It will be as though a pond has been disturbed and all of the muck and mire has settled to the bottom leaving the water clear and peaceful.

Coming and Going

2009-07-11T21:15:00.000-07:00

Coming and going can be one of our biggest problems. It keeps us from being quiet and opening our hearts to God. Sometimes we just need to sit....most of the time we just need to sit. Quiet is the key.

More Merton

2009-07-11T10:41:00.001-07:00

"We find God in our own being which is the mirror of God. But how do we find our being? Actions are the doors and windows of being. Unless we act we have no way of knowing what we are. And the experience of our existence is impossible without some experience of knowing or some experience of experience. Hence we cannot find the depths of our being by renouncing all activity...But when we act accordint to grace, our actions are not ours alone, they belong to God. If we follow them to their source, we will become at least potentially capable of an experience of God. For His actions in us reveal His being in us.

The whole of life is to spiritualize our activities by humility and faith, to silence our nature by charity."
-- Thomas Merton Thoughts in Solitude

The Rich Man and Lazarus

2009-06-14T04:47:00.000-07:00

In the 16th Chapter of St. Luke's Gospel Jesus tells the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. It's a powerful Gospel passage and one of the important things to understand about it is that Jesus has already warned us about the outcome of the rich man in the parable.

Jesus tells the story of a very rich man. He has a wall around his house and a gate that anyone who wishes to enter must pass through. The gate serves to protect him from intruders, but it also serves another purpose. it separates him from the beggars and the less fortunate. he doesn't have to see them and can pretend they don't exist.

Then there's Lazarus. We don't know much about him except that he's a poor beggar with sores who sat outside the gate to the rich man's house. Lazarus was hungry and only desired scraps from the rich man's table. I'm sure the rich man had seen Lazarus several times sitting outside his gate, but completely ignored him. Well, the guy's rich; he's got beautiful clothes and plenty of food. He's obviously an important man. why should he waste time with a beggar with open sores? I'm sure he thought that beggar should get a job and make something of himself, or at least get away from the gate so decent people don't need to see him. So the rich man just ignores Lazarus. He doesn't give him the table scraps. He feeds those to his dogs. Even the dogs have more compassion that the rich man. At least they try to make Lazarus feel better by licking his sores.

Well, both men die and what happens? Lazarus goes to heaven and the rich man goes to hell. Now to the rich man that was a very unexpected turn of events. Naturally, he had been a powerful man. He probably attended the temple regularly. I'm sure it was a shock to him that he should end up in hell and the filthy beggar at his door should end up in heaven.

The rich man sees Lazarus in heaven in the embrace of Abraham. What does he do? He asks Abraham to allow Lazarus to dip his fingers in water and bring the rich man relief from the flames. Now the tables are turned. It's the rich man who is begging for help from the poor man. Interesting, isn't it?

Abraham tells the rich man he has had his warnings from Moses and the prophets. he says not even sending someone who could rise form the dead would change the hearts of these callous people. what's more, Abraham tells the rich man there is a chasm between him and heaven that is so broad no one can cross it.

There are several truths here and they all point to one bottom line. Let's look at them now.

first, let's look at the rules. Jesus Himself set them and they're very simple. Anglicans hear them every time we attend the Eucharist in the Summary of the Law. Jesus said:

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy soul and all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment and the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

The Summary of the Law contains the rules, all two of them, that encompass everything Jesus wants us to do. The first is to love God unconditionally and the second is to love other people unconditionally. Period...dot! There is no equivocation here.

To love others as you would love yourself means that you should always treat every human being as you wish to be treated. However, it goes deeper than that. It's a requirement that we are, in fact, our brother's keeper. We have a responsibility to care for others. To care for them even if they don't look like us, or smell bad and have sores.....especially if they smell bad and have sores. The focus is on others and not ourselves.

In St. Matthew's Gospel, chapter 19 verse 24 and St. Mark's Gospel, chapter 10 verse 25, Jesus says that it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. He's not condemning the rich. it's O.K. to have a lot of money or power. The question is, "What do you do with that money or power?" There are always two choices: 1) Squander it on oneself, or 2) Reach out to help others.

In the camel metaphor, Jesus is saying that the rich often have themselves as the total focus of their lives and you can't get to heaven if the only one you care about is yourself. Although Jesus uses a rich man for this example, He could be talking about anything that causes us to focus on ourselves over loving and caring for others.

Looking out for number one is not the way of the Cross. It's not the path to heaven.

If this metaphor about the camel isn't enough, in Matthew, 25:34 - 46 Jesus warns us of what happens to us when we don't follow the second great commandment:

"Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come o blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?' And the King will answer them, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, 'Lord when did we wee thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?' Then he will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' and they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Here the people all respond to the king and ask when they snubbed him and failed to care for him. The point is that they would have absolutely taken care ofthe king if they had known it was, in fact, the king himself. You can almost hear them: "Wow, sire...I mean if I'd know it was you....well, I'd surely have taken care of YOU."

Jesus says we are Him and he is us. If you fail to care for anyone, you fail Him. Even more specifically, He says when you fail to care for the least important person, then you fail the most important person....Jesus Christ.

In our man-made values we might look at a less fortunate persona and say, "Well he should just go get a job." Or maybe we'd say, "He's responsible for his own plight, why should I help him .. hey, I've worked hard to get what I've got. Why should I share it with someone who has no job?" You've heard all of those types of arguments. Well, they're obviously a result of man-made values, not God-made values. God's values don't discriminate between rich and poor. God's values don't allow us to put ourselves first over the pain of others. God's values don't have qualification statements like man-made values do. god's values only say we must care for all people.

You see the chasm that Abraham said separated the rich man in hell and Lazarus in heaven is an understanding of God's grace and love for others. It's love freely given. What did we do to merit the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross? Nothing. There is nothing we could do. We don't merit salvation in and of our own doing. It's only by God's grace that Christ's sacrifice is possible. It's grace that is totally lacking in the rich man. Without the acceptance and recognition of our failings and our unworthiness we can't understand how God's grace can save us. Just like the rich man can't understand how he could be an instrument of that grace by caring for others.

If you're living with grace you can't step into hell and if you're in hell and oblivious to grace you can't step into heaven. Notice, nowhere in Jesus' parable did the rich man repent. He just asked for someone to tell his relatives to improve their behaviour. He still didn't understand. That's when Abraham told him that eve someone coming back form the dead wouldn't convince people with such hard hearts. The problem with Abraham's statement is that it's as true today as when Christ told the parable. Even God's extension of love and grace through the death and resurrection of Christ won't impress people who can't soften their hearts and understand the second great commandment.

If we can't understand grace, how it applies to us, and how we are to be instruments of grace, then we are like the rich man. We just don't get it and we're going to end up just where he did. Given the passage from Matthew I quoted above, what happened to the rich man should come as no surprise. Jesus has already given us fair warning. We and we alone are free to choose how we are going to respond to those in our global home who are helpless, or in need.

We can turn a deaf ear and rationalize why we shouldn't care for others, or we can respond to the command of Christ and reach out our hand and feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give water to those who are thirsty, and be the physical hand of God through which love can be transmitted.

We've heard what our Lord has to say and there's no equivocation to His statements. It's not always what we, in our comfortable lives and surroundings want to hear. However, Jesus doesn't really care what we want to hear. He cares about our salvation and he cares about all of the children of His Father's creation. he's telling us how much to love and He has given us the warning. Now it's up to us, through our actions, to show we have the capacity to love others as He loves us. For..."When you have done it unto one of the least of these, You've done it unto me."

Our Mini-Pentecost

2009-05-31T16:47:00.000-07:00

Since today is Pentecost, I was thinking about the Holy Spirit and how we don't talk about Him as often as we probably should. In the Gospel for today Jesus promises the gift of the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) and that promise is fulfilled when we read the appointed Epistle from the book of Acts which tells of the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Two weeks ago at our church we were fortunate to have our diocesan bishop visit and confirm two adults. This coming weekend I will be representing him at one of our churches in Florida where I will confirm two people as well. How exciting it is that these confirmations come so close to Whitsunday, also called Pentecost. I think it's exciting because I see each confirmation as that person's mini-Pentecost. It is that special time in the life of an Anglican Christian when we specifically receive the Holy Spirit as our defender and helper as we grow in our Christian faith.

Why is this laying on of hands so important? Well, it's because the Bible says it is vitally important for us as Christians to receive the Holy Spirit through a process of laying on of hands. This is done through bishops who perform the Apostolic ministry today. Let's look at what we find in Acts 8:14 - 17: "Now when the Apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit."

This passage is so important to us. It tells us that our Christian formation isn't complete until we receive the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands (and then we have even more work to do). Notice that in Acts it is assumed that a believer is not compete just with baptism alone, but must experience the laying on of hands and receive the gift of the Holy spirit. The gift of the Holy spirit helps us live faithful Christian lives. He is our defender and helper. He is fully part of the Trinity and is God just like Jesus is God. Everything we say about God and Jesus is equally true of the Holy Spirit. How amazing it is that He comes to dwell in us so perfectly, In today's Gospel (John 15:15ff) Jesus tells us the Holy Spirit dwells in us and will give us comfort. What a great promise!

Each person of the Trinity has a specific part to p lay in our salvation. God the Father decreed that it should be so, Godthe Son is our mediator, and God the Holy Spirit is the direct actor in our lives who makes everything happen. Jesus' great promise is true and living in each one of us.

So the next time you attend an Anglican confirmation service listen really hard to what the bishop says when he places his hands on the head of those to be confirmed: "Defend, O Lord, this Thy child with Thy heavenly grace that he may continue Thine forever, and daily increase in Thy Holy Spirit more and more until he come unto Thy everlasting kingdom." Amen!

Do We Talk About God Too Much?

2009-05-10T04:49:00.000-07:00

I think that sometimes we talk so much about God that our words get in the way of experiencing Him and letting Him into our hearts. We become so concerned with "doing theology" that we completely miss encountering God in truly meaningful, personal ways. Here are a couple of observations I've found very helpful:

"Does all our talk and discussion about God bring us closer to Him?" - Thomas Merton

"In the way of thinking that involves talking, discussing, analyzing, and criticizing, there is scarcely room for the God who speaks whenever we are silent and who comes in whenever we have emptied ourselves." - Henri Nouwen

Both quotes are from "Encounters With Merton" by Henri J.M. Nouwen

Gossip: It Defiles the Person

2009-04-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

“It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” Matthew 15:11.

Gossip.

It’s big business.

Just look at the grocery store rags like “The National Enquirer”, or any of those other papers of that ilk. How about the celebrity gossip shows on TV such as Entertainment Tonight and the reality shows like Big Brother, Survivor, The Bachelor, or any of the others. These shows trade on real time gossip. Voyeurism brought into our living rooms. The gossip media preys on the worst part of our human nature. The part that wants to see someone hurt. Gossip is a horrible thing.

As Christians we should be furious any time we hear gossip because it’s 180 degrees away from how we’re supposed to behave. The Bible has a lot to say about gossip; and none of it is good.

Proverbs 16:28 (NIV), “A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.”

Proverbs 20:19, (KJV) He that goeth about as a talebearer (gossip) revealeth secrets. Therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.”

Proverbs 26:20 (NIV), “Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.”

James 3: 5 - 6 (Living Bible), “…the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A great forest can be set on fire by one tiny spark. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness, and poisons every part of the body. And the tongue is set on fire by hell itself, and can turn our whole lives into a blazing flame of destruction and disaster.”

Matthew 12: 34 – 36, “…a man’s heart determines his speech. A good man’s speech reveals the rich treasures within him. An evil-hearted man is filled with venom, and his speech reveals it…And I tell you this, that you must give an account on Judgment Day for every idle word you speak. Your words now reflect your fate then: either you will be justified by them or condemned.”

Each one of us is here as part of the Body of Christ to love and care for one another. We are here to bring others to Christ through our witness and our example. Is gossip the kind of example we wish to present to others? The words in the Book of Proverbs are quite specific. Gossip serves only to harm others. Its only purpose is to tear someone down. Gossip doesn’t care about what is true and what is false. It only seeks to harm. In the general parlance of today we must ask the question: “How Christian is that?” The answer is, “It’s not Christian at all!”

We hear in the quote from James just how powerful and vile gossip is and just what damage it does to others as well as ourselves. Jesus is no less specific. He says that our speech reveals how we behave and who we really are inside. If we truly love others and care for them as we should, people will be able to hear that in the way we talk. If we are evil with a vile heart inside our speech shows that as well. Jesus also warns us that evil speech and gossip will be dealt with harshly at our judgment.

How can we build the church if we’re tearing others down? Have you ever visited a church several times and decided not to make it your church home because of gossip and division that you witnessed?

We are called to be greater than gossip. As the Body of Christ we are called to love, not hate; help not harm. The next time you’re tempted to talk about others in a negative way, or someone tries to draw you into such a conversation ask yourself these questions:

1. Are we talking about ways we can help this person?
2. Is our speech lifting this person up or tearing them down?
3. If this person walked into the room, would I stop talking?

Someone needs to explain to me how gossip fulfills the second great commandment in Jesus’ Summary of the Law: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

Gossip flies in the face of Jesus’ teaching and should not be tolerated by us, His children. We are each made in the image and likeness of God. Each of us is called to imitate Christ in our daily lives. Don’t be known as a gossiper and don’t participate in it when it’s going on. Don’t allow yourself to be defiled by gossip.

“Let your so light shine before men that they may see your good works (and words) and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.”

The Soul is the Sole Reason for the Incarnation

2009-04-18T07:48:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday was last week and what a wonderful day of joy it is for all us Christians! It’s hard for me as a Christian to understand how the resurrection of Jesus could be seen as anything other than the greatest event in history. I mean, I might be a simple guy, but it seems to me that when eternal life is available to me through Christ’s death and resurrection I should sit up, take notice, and celebrate. After all, that’s no small thing. However, to rejoice in the resurrection is to also accept the reason why it needed to occur at all. Of course, I’m talking about the Fall of Adam and the sin which is part of our lives as human beings.

The soul is the sole reason for the Incarnation. The salvation of mankind from sin and death is the reason Christ’s incarnation was necessary. After all, if there’s no sin, then there’s no reason for the propitiatory sacrifice of Jesus. If the entire world is sweetness and light, if we’re all basically good people at heart, if all we need to do is be good to others, then we really don’t need Jesus. We can do this all on our own. It seems the current Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church seems to hold this belief. Just look at her statement in Parabola, Spring 2007 as quoted in the report of the American Anglican Council: “The question is always how can we get beyond our own narrow self-interest and see that our salvation lies in attending to the needs of other people.” O.K., so all I need to do is work in a soup kitchen and I’m good to go! Right? Oh, gosh, that’s just wrong on so many levels.

First it denies Original Sin and the basic fallen nature of mankind. It denies the need for a savior at all. In fact, it says we are our own saviors. We don’t need Jesus. This is not a new idea. Back in the fourth century a monk named Pelagius thought the same thing. Basically, he said that the Fall had no effect on human nature and therefore there was no need for divine grace. Well, I don’t think he was a very observant person because the fallen nature of man and the impact of sin have always been readily observable to anyone with eyes to see. (Must have been that cloistered monk thing.) The rose colored glasses this provides keeps us from looking at ourselves and others realistically. It can cause us to deny our sins and rationalize our behaviors. If mean, if the Fall had no effect on us, then we’re pretty much perfect as human beings right now….right? I guess we mess up now and then, but we can fix it by donating old clothes to the poor. According to Bishop Schori, we’re attending to the needs of others and therein lies our salvation.

This is such self-involved nonsense that it goes beyond the pale. It not only reduces Jesus’ death to an inconsequential act, it denies God’s judgment. It’s part of the slippery slope to the “feel good” gospel. You know what I’m talking about. I’m O.K., you’re O.K., God loves us anyway, so let’s just focus on the good stuff. We don’t need to think about all of that unpleasant bad stuff that can happen because we’re basically good anyway. Why focus on negative things when we can just look at the positive side? What can’t we all just feel good? There are lots of "feel good" preachers out there today and they're making a lot of money telling people what they want to hear. Giving motivational speeches instead of the truth of the cross.

The theologian H. Richard Niebuhr criticized the “feel good” gospel when he said, “…a God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.” In one sentence, Dr. Neibuhr has told us what’s wrong with the “feel good” gospel. It denies God as a Father who cares about us and can be angry with us when we separate ourselves from Him through sin. The “feel good” gospel takes away from us a Trinity that saves us and replaces it with pabulum that salves our conscience and minimizes our faults.

You know what? I don’t want anyone minimizing my sins. I’m a normal human being which means I sin like everyone else. I don’t want to hear that I’m my own savior. I don’t want to hear I can fix it myself. Just like everyone else, I’m lousy at the job. I want to know that my God loves me in spite of my errors. That Christ loved me enough to die for me. I want to know that Christ’s sacrifice means something. I want to know that no matter how I distance myself from God, I’m always welcome home. I need a savior. You need a savior.

Don’t buy the pabulum of the “feel good” gospel. So many churches are trying to sell it these days because it fills the pews. It might fill the pews, but it does nothing to save our souls. It’s a lie that denies who Jesus really is and why He became man. It tricks us into looking at ourselves for salvation rather than looking to Christ. Don’t be fooled. Wake up! We need a savior and we’ve got one!

Thomas Merton on Meditative Prayer

2009-03-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

"What is the use of praying if at the very moment of prayer, we have so little confidence in God that we are busy planning our own kind of answer to our prayer?" From Thoughts in Solitude

"In meditative prayer, one thinks and speaks not only with his mind and lips, but in a certain sense with his whole being. Prayer is then not just a formula of words, or a series of desires springing up in the heart - it is the orientation of our whole body, mind, and spirit to God in silence, attention, and adoration. All good meditative prayer is a conversion of our entire self to God." From Thoughts in Solitude

Anglicans Have a Full Gospel Church

2009-02-26T14:47:00.000-08:00

One of the false assumptions that is usually made about churches with formal liturgical worship is that somehow they’re short on scripture. The error or “urban legend” that some wish to spread is that because Anglicans (you can also insert Roman Catholics, or Orthodox) have a structured worship that always includes a lot of written prayers and Holy Communion we are somehow not focused on scripture as a central point of our experience as Christians. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact our worship is not only structured to focus on scripture itself, just about everything we do and say in the Eucharist or Choral Offices comes directly from scripture.

Take the Eucharist for example. The Eucharist is divided into two basic sections: The Liturgy of the Word and The Liturgy of the Sacrament. The first half of our liturgy is devoted exclusively to scripture. There are readings from the Epistles and Gospels and sometimes readings from the Old Testament as well. The readings are set on a schedule called a lectionary which provides the worshipper with a guided lesson plan on the faith based upon the liturgical or church year. If you read the prescribed readings for Morning and Evening Prayer every day and attend the Eucharist on Sundays you will have read almost the entire Bible in one year. That doesn’t count any Bible study groups you might belong to during the week. That just assumes you’re following the church year and reading the designated scriptures for that day.

Many of the churches that consider themselves “Bible churches” don’t have that detailed of a scripture study program as part of their normal worship. A pastor can pick whatever passage of scripture he wants to preach on and cut loose. However, we Anglican priests aren’t normally encouraged to do that. Oh, I can preach on anything I want on any Sunday, but actually why would I want to do that regularly when I've got such a rich offering of readings from which to choose? Especially when the prescribed readings are so perfectly connected with the various events in the life of Jesus and his ministry.

Of course it does no good to have Bible readings if we’re not paying attention to them. If we let our minds wander rather than pay attention to what is being read we aren’t respecting the presence of Christ in the Word. In the third century the great Christian scholar Origin said:

“You who are accustomed to take part in the divine mysteries know, when you receive the body of the Lord, how you protect it with all caution and veneration…if you are so careful to preserve His body, and rightly so, how do you think that there is less guilt to have neglected God’s word than to have neglected His body?”

I suspect you may not have thought of our scripture readings as Origin did, but you should. Whenever we as Christians hear the Word of God we must affirm our belief in its truth and power. We must stand in awe of it just as we do at the Body and Blood of Christ on the altar. You see the separation of the liturgy into two parts is somewhat misleading because the Word of God permeates everything, including the Liturgy of the Sacrament. The Word was in the beginning with God and is without end. When God’s Word is proclaimed we should be attentive as well as meditative. We should allow His Word to wash over us and fill us because it is only by the Word becoming flesh, living with us, and dying for us that we are saved.

So if you happen to be an Anglican like me, the next time you hear someone suggest we Anglicans need to get more into scripture, invite them to church. Show them what being into scripture is all about.

A Meditation on the Centurion's Prayer

2009-02-03T19:12:00.000-08:00

As we enter the Lenten season I keep thinking about Jesus’ encounter with the Centurion in Matthew’s Gospel. You remember the Gospel passage I’m sure. A Roman Centurion approaches Jesus and tells our Lord that his servant is paralyzed and ill. Jesus offers to go to the Centurion’s home, but the Roman military leader says something very striking, “Lord, I’m not worthy that Thou shouldst come under my roof, but speak the word only and my servant shall be healed.” Jesus does heal the servant, but the Centurion’s request has come to be known as The Centurion’s Prayer. This brief encounter not only reinforces for us who Jesus is, but it also instructs us as to how we are to approach our Savior and this pleading from the Centurion has become a familiar prayer in the Church.

I think we can see three themes in this meeting: 1) Faith; 2) Trust; and 3) Humility. The Centurion who approached Jesus had only heard of Him, but had never met Him in person. he had heard of Jesus’ teaching and his miracles, but he had experienced none of that for himself. However, a servant he cared about very deeply was gravely ill and so he came to Jesus for help. He didn’t really know what would happen. This is the first step in faith.

We don’t always have some concrete evidence in front of us concerning what our Lord can or will do for us, but we reach out to Him in faith, believing He will hear us. Like the Centurion, we often find ourselves reaching out to Christ for His help and we take it on faith that he will respond. Our belief that Jesus is the Son of the living God allows us to draw close to Him and put ourselves in His hands, just as the Centurion drew close to Christ and put his faith and he servant’s well being in Jesus’ hands. For us to do this it means that our faith must combine with the second theme of this meeting: Trust.

While the Centurion’s faith led him to Christ, it was his trust that told him Jesus would do just what he had heard He would do: That Jesus would love so much that He would not turn down the Centurion’s pleas for his servant. And pleas they were because the word “beseech” that we find in this Gospel passage connotes a pleading. It’s not just asking for a favor, it’s a down-on-your-knees pleading for someone to grant a request. So the Centurion was pleading with Jesus.

Here was a man of great power over others. A man who was accustomed to giving orders and having them obeyed immediately, yet he comes in faith to someone about whom he has only heard, trusting that Jesus will be who he has heard that He is. he puts aside his position and power and approaches a man who is standing before him in poor clothing and sandals….and he begs. This brings us to the final theme: Humility.

This man of power shows us graphically how we are to approach our Savior. When he comes to Jesus does he tell the Lord of his (the Centurion’s) power over others and order Jesus to heal his servant? No. He tells Jesus that he (the Centurion) has the power to order men to come and go. He is emphasizing his temporal power and he’s doing that for a reason. By doing that in this way he’s saying, “Look, I can make people do things, I have power over many things, but you have a far greater power than I. You have power over all Creation.” Then he says something that is very unexpected for a man of temporal power. He humbles himself and says, “Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst come under my roof, but speak the word only and my servant shall be healed.”

Where have we heard that before? Well, we frequently hear it at the Eucharist. After the consecration the priest may turn around to the congregation, show them the body and blood of Christ. His Real Presence in the Eucharist. The priest might say, “Behold the Lamb of God. Behold Him who taketh away the sins of the world.”

Like the Centurion, we are saying that Christ has power over all creation, over sin, and death. Now, we are confronted face-to-face with the Real Presence of our Savior in the Eucharist and how do we respond? No we do it casually and matter-of-factly? No. We approach our Lord as the Centurion did and say, “Lord I am not worthy that Thou shouldst come under my roof, but speak the word only and my soul shall be healed.”

We say almost the same words as the Centurion. In doing this we are approaching Christ just as he did. We approach in faith, believing that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. We approach in trust, knowing in our hearts that Jesus will fulfill all of the promises of the Gospel for us. That He loves us, cares for us, and He alone can bring us to the Kingdom of Heaven. We approach in humility, knowing, like the Centurion, that no matter how powerful we are here on earth, we only have power of small, temporal things. We have poser over things that are impermanent and that will wither away in time. However, He has power over all creation. He can tell a mountain to move and it will move. He has complete and utter power over all sin and evil. He is the Son of God who has come to save us. He is present here with us in all His majesty and glory.

So we must ask ourselves how we can respond to Christ other than with faith, trust, and humility. What to we say to the Son of god who has saved us? In this Lenten season perhaps we should say, “Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst come under my roof, but speak the word only and my soul shall be healed.” May each and every one of you have a Lenten season of growth in love for our Lord.

+Wes

A Little More Merton Wisdom

2009-01-14T19:18:00.000-08:00

"Grace, which is charity, contains in itslef all virtues in a hidden and potential manner, like the leaves and the branches of the oak tree hidden in the meat of an acorn. To be an acorn is to have a taste for being an oak tree. Habitual grace brings with it all the Christian virtues in their seed.

Actual grace moves us to actualize these hidden powers and to realize what they mean: Christ acting in us."
-- Thomas Merton from "Thoughts in Solitude"

Some Perspective on Theology

2009-01-11T08:59:00.000-08:00

Reading theology is a wonderful thing. It helps us try to comprehend something about God. The problem is that it's easy to just live in our heads and not make the connection to our hearts. Prayer makes that connection. Prayer, especially contemplative prayer, takes us out of our heads and puts us into our hearts where we can connect with God. That is not to say we don't use our intellect, we do, but we must keep perspective that our intellect is not the end in itself, but a means to develop a thought process that we can use in contemplation.

When we pray we should pray with our entire selves, giving everything we have at that moment in time. On meditative prayer Thomas Merton said, "In meditative prayer, one thinks and speaks not only with his mind and lips, but in a certain sense with his whole being. Prayer is then not just a formula of words, or a series of desires springing up in the heart -- it is the orientation of our whole body, mind, and spirit to God in silence, attention, and adoration. All good meditative prayer is a conversion of our entire self to God." (From "Thoughts", p.48)

Merton's words emphasize what I've said above, we must not be content to just theologize about God. We really need to encounter Him and to do that we must use our minds and our hearts and every faculty that He has given us. Everything He has given us has made it possible for us to worship Him more perfectly and to love Him more fully. So if we just stay in our heads and develop an intellectual understanding of God we aren't really allowing ourselves to truly know Him. We are being egotistical thinking we can get to Him through our minds alone. Unfortunately, we are fooling ourselves. We must open our hearts through meditation and prayer. It's the only way to make the connection with our heads that will allow us to experience something of the mystery of God.

Christ as Mystery

2008-12-31T19:12:00.000-08:00

"Christ is a Mystery; in the mystical as well as in the sacramental sense of the word, and the more we approach him as such and we delve into the mystery, the more we come closer to God. We cannot say that we understand the mystery or the work of Jesus, but we can ask God to give us a sense of this mystery, which is beyond words."

-- From "The Sign of the Cross, the Gesture, the Mystery, the History"
by Dr. Andreas Andreopoulos, Lecturer in Christian theology at the University of Wales

Why Care About the Saints?

2008-12-26T11:41:00.001-08:00

My children know me only too well. For Christmas they got me two gift cards at one of the local bookstores. I love books and I read constantly. I particularly enjoy books about the saints or Christian mystics.

The saints are people who have truly come close to God. They have that personal, visceral relationship with Him that we all should desire. They may or may not have ever studied much theology, but that's O.K. and it really doesn't matter because they've internalized how the Gospel wants us to live our lives in relation to God and our neighbor. They truly understand the Summary of the Law.....and they live it. That's why one of the books I bought today was "Mystics and Miracles: True Stories of Lives Touched by God" written by Dr Bert Ghezzi. I'd like to share what Dr. Ghezzi says about mystics and the saints and why we should pay attention to them and how they can be examples of how to come closer to God.

"God gave is mystics to show us that ordinary people can live extraordinary lives. he never meant for us to put them on pedestals or view them and superhuman, far beyond anything we mortals could ever hope to be. Mystics are not preternaturally gifted aliens from another planet, but human beings just like us. we esteem them not because, like Superman, they have supernatural powers and can leap tall buildings in a single bound, but because they show us how to live good lives.

When I look closely at mystics, I wonder if I grasp what it means to really imitate them. they did everything in extremes. no cost seemed too high. Me, I'm much more balanced. I count the cost all right, but i often find the price is steeper than I'm willing to pay.

St. Theresa Margaret was ill herself but put aside her own suffering to care for the sick sisters in her convent. I'm not that way. If I get sick, I hop into bed and expect someone to wait on me.

Solanus Casey humbly accepted decisions of his superiors that severely restricted his life and ministry. For half a century he labored without complaint. I'm not like him. Even little inconveniences chafe me. I fight back, big time.....just ask the clerks in our local stores.

What can I say about St. Elizabeth of Hungary, who though a queen spent herself and her fortunes serving Christ in the poor? Or St. Martin de Porres? For fifty years he lived every moment of each day for God and for others.

When I stand myself beside these giants, I feel puny.

Comedian Stephen Wright says he once went to a convenience store that bragged it was ope twenty-four hours, only to find it closed. Later, the proprietor explained that his store was open twenty-four hours, just not twenty-four hours in a row! That's how I am in my imitation of the saints. I'm inconsistent. I try to be like the saints. But only in some ways. And not all of the time.

However, I keep looking at them. I try to stay close to them. I think that if I draw nearer to them. they might infect me with their virtue."

Dr. Ghezzi has put it very well. Unlike the saints, we tend to count the cost....and we tend to extend ourselves only so far. I just wanted to share this rather long quote because it makes two points: 1) Why we should care about and emulate the saints, and 2) How and why we tend to fall short. I know that speaks accurately to me. I hope you've found something here as well.

The Mystery of the Incarnation

2008-12-25T06:09:00.000-08:00

The contemporary Anglican theologian, Dr J.I. Packer has said, "Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as is the truth of the incarnation." Let's think about that for a minute. The idea that the immortal and invisible God would become human and walk among us is quite amazing. That He would choose to do so by beginning life as we all do....as a child...is truly phenomenal. The fact that this is not fiction, but fact is the most amazing thing of all.

The lectionary for the Anglican 1928 Book of Common Prayer has two Gospel readings for the Eucharist on Christmas day. The first is John 1:1 and the second is Luke 2:1. The lectionary requires that the passage from St. John's Gospel be read and the Lucan account should be used if a second Eucharist is to be celebrated on the same day. You might ask, "Why not use just one account of Jesus' birth on Christmas day? Why not just use the passages from St. Luke with which we're all familiar?" Well, I really like the idea of combining both of these Gospel messages on Christmas day. In fact, I wish we could read them back-to-back. Both are talking about the same thing: the incarnation of Christ, but both approach it from different perspectives.

St. Luke gives us a wonderful story of the events of Jesus' birth, all the while reinforcing that he is the savior who has come to establish God's kingdom on earth. We're familiar with this story and really expect it to be read on Christmas. Like reading a novel, we become involved with Mary, Joseph, and all of the things that happen when Jesus is born. A child is born in Bethlehem of simple parents. He's announced by angels and all come to worship him, from the lowliest shepherd to wise men from the East. It establishes who Jesus is through a story that is very direct, fun to read, and easy to understand. Then there's the passage from St. John.

St. John is the mystic of the four Evangelists. While the other Gospel authors talk about Jesus and his ministry from a more experiential point of view, John emphasizes the spiritual fact of who Jesus is and what he's about.

St. John tells us the Word (Jesus) existed before all things, eternally with God. He tells us the Word was God and thereby makes the statement that Jesus Christ is both God and human. He tells us that Christ was a partner with the Father in the creation of everything that exists: "...all things were made through him and without him was not anything made that was made." Therefore Jesus is God; the same God who created the universe. The is the incarnation of the Creator, the second Person of the Holy Trinity. he bears the light of God's truth. John says, "The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world." St. John says that no one has ever seen God, but the Son comes to make Him known: "No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made Him known."

The two Gospels are both saying the same thing, but in very different ways. St. Luke emphasizes Jesus a s the Savior who has come to redeem the world. St. John emphasizes the mystical/spiritual aspect of the incarnation and makes the statement that Jesus is God. Both are important in our understanding of the Christmas miracle.

The fact is that the incarnation of Christ is a miracle truly beyond our comprehension. We think we can understand it, but we really can't. How does God become flesh? How can Jesus be fully God and fully human with both of those two natures: perfectly God and perfectly man? how can any of this be possible? Asking these questions I think we sound a little bit like Mary at the Annunciation. The angel tells her she's going to bear a son and Mary says, "How is this possible? I have no husband!" Remember, at the time of the Annunciation, Mary and Joseph were betrothed, but not yet married, so for the angel to say such things was truly beyond belief to her. The angel tells her the Holy Spirit will come over her and she will conceive a son and will call him Jesus. Now comes one of the most important parts of the Annunciation: Mary accedes to the will of God. She makes no protests, asks no questions, she simply says: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." She has completely and totally submitted herself to the will of God. In doing this, she's the perfect example for us.

Like Jesus' Blessed Mother's experience at the Annunciation, the Christmas miracle presents us with something so amazing, so fantastic, that it's almost unbelievable. I agree with Dr. Packer that it's purely astounding. However, in the incarnation we have truth, not fiction. In the incarnation we have the beginning of the Easter miracle; the beginning of our salvation and our eternal life. Easter would not be possible without Christmas. The beautiful baby in the manger will become the Christ in agony on the cross. It is the child who ultimately sheds his blood that we might be saved. Only through the incarnation is the Eucharist possible where we take the body and blood of Christ so that "...we may dwell in him and he in us."

We Christians need to follow the example of Jesus' Blessed Mother who, upon hearing another fantastic story about how she will bear a child, accepts what the angel tells her and submits to the will of God. At Christmas we celebrate the birth of our Lord as human flesh. As a humble child who is our God. We can't explain it, but, like Mary at the Annunciation, we can accept and celebrate this wonderful mystery which starts us on the path to eternal life. Merry Christmas!!

A Little Something from C.S. Lewis

2008-12-20T06:57:00.000-08:00

"When we exhale our last breath on earth, we take our next breath in heaven." - C.S. Lewis

St. Bruno on Silence

2008-12-07T17:38:00.000-08:00

"Let him make a practice of resorting, from time to time, to a tranquil listening of the heart, that allows God to enter through all its doors and passages." - St. Bruno, founder of the Carthusian Order

Opening to God

2008-12-05T20:37:00.000-08:00

We must remember that in a prayer life of silence the question is not so much what we do, but what God does in us.

The Importance of Silence

2008-11-29T11:31:00.000-08:00

One of the problems we have in our society today is that we don’t value silence. It’s not just an American thing; it’s a global phenomenon. Our lives now tend to be so busy that we have become accustomed to a constant barrage of tasks, inputs, and general noise. How often do we come home only to turn on the T.V. just so we can have something going on in the background?

Silence often makes us feel uncomfortable in our personal relationships. We always believe we should be saying something so as to avoid that “awkward moment of silence.” Sometimes we talk constantly because forcing conversation means we won’t be required to confront other issues in our relationships.

When did we begin to believe that moments of silence in our lives are a bad thing? When did we begin to believe that silence was good for monks, but not applicable to the lives of everyday folks? Well, I don’t really know the answer to those questions, but I do know they express facts and I believe we need to address them because they are of particular importance for us Christians and our spirituality. What we are uncomfortable with in our daily lives spills into our spiritual lives and now we often find ourselves uncomfortable with silence at times when we should actually celebrate our ability and need to be silent.

Silence is probably the most important aspect of our spiritual lives. St. John of the Cross called silence the first language of God. Thomas Merton suggests that silence is our admission that we have broken communication with God and are now willing to listen. In our prayer life we’re often so busy asking God for things, thanking Him for things, or praising Him, we forget that He wants to say something to us, too. We think that prayer means we must say something, but a prayer relationship with God is a two-way street. We talk to Him, but we need to listen, too. I often say that we frequently are so busy talking to God that sometimes we should just be quiet and let Him do the talking.

The purity of silence before God is profound. It is the most difficult and rewarding form of prayer. It’s difficult because it’s very hard for us to do since we don’t say anything, or try to think of anything. It’s much easier to read prayers, or to try and pray extemporaneously. It’s hard for us to just sit there and be quiet. As I mentioned above, the ability to be silent is almost trained out of us by today’s society. However, as more and more Christians seek to deepen their spiritual lives, they begin to understand that to do so most effectively, they must turn to silence. I’m going to talk about silence in two areas. First, I’m going to briefly discuss silent prayer as part of one’s prayer life. Second, I’m going to discuss it in relationship to one’s liturgical life.

Silence has a significant part to play in the spirituality of both the Western and Eastern Christian Churches. In fact, the Eastern Churches built an entire system of contemplative prayer around it. It is called hesychasm. Hesychasm comes from the Greek word hesychia which means stillness or silence. It is also known as the Prayer of the Heart. Perhaps first recorded by the early Church Fathers in the 4th and 5th centuries it developed into its own system of spirituality from the 10th to the 14th centuries with the support of such theologians and mystics as St. Gregory Palamas and St. Symeon the New Theologian. It was St. Symeon, a poet, who was the first to describe spirituality in very personal terms rather than as part of a larger system of spirituality. In the West, of course, we see the Benedictines, the Carthusians, the Cistercians, and the Camaldolese, among others. Personally, I’m rather partial to the Carthusians. Founded in 1084, they take a vow of silence just like the Cistercians. However, each monk lives in a separate hermitage and only joins the other monks for work or worship. This order has produced numerous mystics. St. Hugh is the most widely known of the English Carthusians. What mystics from both the Western and Eastern traditions agree upon is that coming humbly silent before God will change your relationship with Him dramatically.

Silent prayer or contemplative prayer must be taught. It’s not something we ordinarily would naturally do. It must also be practiced. Like any other relationship, silence with God takes some work and time. We can’t expect to just sit or kneel and be quiet for a little bit and all of a sudden have amazing moments of insight and a quick connection with God. It takes learning some personal control and techniques that will facilitate the experience. A person who practices silent prayer should also have a Spiritual Father who will help guide them in the practice and assist them when challenges arise. This person could be a secular clergyman or a monastic, but it should be someone who you know has practiced silent prayer for quite some time. Praying with the guidance of a Spiritual Father will make your path much easier and the sharing you will experience will be something you will always treasure.

Silent prayer also takes commitment. It’s not something that you can do one day and then pick up a few days later. You must work at it daily for it to be effective in your prayer life. It’s best to set aside a specific period in the day when you will choose to pray in silence and stick to that if possible. Focus on the Jesus Prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Say it over and over until you find that you’re praying it without saying it. Saying the Jesus Prayer doesn’t disturb your inner silence, but rather it sustains and nourishes it.

Silence is not only a question for our personal prayer lives, but also for our liturgical experiences as well. I don’t’ think we often consider the importance of silence in the liturgy, but it’s a very key consideration. Since the word “liturgy” comes from a Greek word “leitourgia” which means “public work” and has also been translated as “people’s work,” it seems logical that liturgy should be busy, full of people working; and it is. The congregation has their part, the priest has his part, and it builds from the beginning with something constantly happening. You may ask how anyone can experience any silence at all with all that’s going on. That’s one of the beautiful parts about the liturgy. Even though there is usually something happening all the time, there are moments where we can all experience a bit of silence. Now I never said that silence needs to be long, I just said it needed to exist. Silent prayer in one’s private prayer life and silence in the liturgy can be, and often are, two different things. They should be appreciated and experienced as such.

As one participates in the Eucharistic liturgy one experiences a profound peace; a true silence in the soul. In his book, “The Feast of Faith,” Pope Benedict XIV discusses silence in the liturgy.

“In silence, together, we journey inward, becoming aware of word and sign, leaving behind the roles which conceal our real selves. In silence man ‘bides’ and abides’; he becomes aware of ‘abiding’ reality…There is scope for silence at the preparation of the gifts, as well as before and after the communion…What is exciting about Christian liturgy is that it lifts us up out of our narrow sphere and lets us share in the truth.”

Indeed, the Eucharistic liturgy does lift us out of our narrow world and allows a participation in that greater world that is God’s Kingdom. And what do you do when you come before a king? You become silent.

The first experience of silence in the liturgy is in the moments before the processional when you have entered the church and are performing your prayers. Now is a great time to be quiet and pray silently without words. One of the most profound moments of silence is during the consecration when the priest elevates the consecrated host and then the chalice. This is a wonderful time to silently contemplate the miracle and mystery of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection. It’s also time to contemplate the miracle of his real presence in the bread and wine which have become his Body and Blood.

Before and after you receive the Body and Blood of Christ are perfect times to experience the beauty of quiet in his miraculous presence. Relish those moments after reception when you are on your knees and can be still and quiet in his presence. At some point in time you will be able to “tune out” anything else that is going on and feel as though it’s just you alone with Christ in this Holy Mystery. However, you choose to experience silence in the liturgy, it provides a profound spiritual connection with Christ that will grow in you.

Silence is the perfect statement of faith. It is the perfect prayer. Silence allows a connection to God beyond what words can express. It is a special gift to us if we’ll only cultivate it and use it. Silence allows us to allow God to reach out to us and hold us in His arms. Silence is that perfect path to peace in Him.

Some Thoughts on Spiritual Preparation During Advent

2008-11-16T16:15:00.000-08:00

Well, Advent is upon us and I thought I'd share some of the things that I try to focus on during the season that will prepare me better for the arrival of my Lord. Perhaps in some small way these things will be helpful to you as well.

First, forgive everyone who has offended you in any way and ask forgiveness for any offenses you may have given. Do your best to love everyone. I know we all often fall short of that mark, but we must do our best.

Second, include some sort of fast in your Advent piety. What you do is up to you, but it should be meaningful and not too easy.

Third, abstain from sin and make a good and sincere Sacramental Confession. If you don't already have a personal confessor, this might be a good time to decide upon one. If you've never made a private confession this is a great opportunity to start. Make a concerted effort to improve in piety and virtue.

Fourth, participate in services and Sacraments as much as possible. Pray morning, evening, and before meals.

Fifth, read spiritual books and abstain from worldly movies, TV, and other activities as much as possible. Focus your time on your spiritual development.

Sixth, make special charitable donations to your church, monasteries, orphanages, or any charitable organization of your choice.

Attempting these actions will most assuredly assist in your Advent observance. I'll close this post with a quote from "My Life in Christ" by St. John of Kronstadt:

"God is long-suffering and merciful to you: this you experience many times every day. Be long-suffering and merciful to your brethren, also fulfilling the words of the Apostle, who thus speaks of love before everything: 'Love suffereth long, and is kind.' you desire that the Lord should rejoice you by His love, rejoice on your part the hearts of others by your tender love and kindness."

Suggestions from Two Saints Named John

2008-10-31T20:04:00.000-07:00

"If you wish that God should speedily give you hearty faith in prayer, strive with all your heart to speak and to do everything in regard to other people sincerely and never be deceitful in your dealings with them. If you are straightforward and truthful with others, then God will give you straightforwardness and sincere faith also in reference to Himself."
-- From "My Life in Christ" by St. John of Kronstadt

"The beginning of freedom from anger is silence of the lips when the heart is agitated; the middle is silence of the thoughts when there is a mere disturbance of soul; and the end is an imperturbable calm under the breath of unclean winds."
-- Step 8 from"The Ladder of Divine Ascent" St. John Climacus

Mindfulness

2008-10-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about mindfulness. Simply put, mindfulness is being fully and completely aware of each present moment. Not thinking about the past or the future, but existing completely in the present. What importance does this have for Christians? Quite a bit, actually, because developing mindfulness and a contemplative attitude brings the Christian into a closer relationship with God.

Mindfulness has been a teaching of the Church since the Early Fathers. It can be seen in the Eastern Church through its highly developed spirituality and more specifically in the writings of the hesychasts. As we look at the concept of mindfulness we will begin to see that to truly actualize mindfulness for the self is to become present with God in every moment. Simple focus on the self is a vain exercise, but when one centers one's focus on God in the present, then one pushes aside the fantasies of past and future and enters into a relationship with God that doesn't require a relationship with time. It is becoming constantly present with God, constantly aware of Him. It is here that the individual begins to develop a true personal relationship with God as one realizes the fact of God in every breath one takes.

Preparing to Pray

2008-09-22T18:47:00.000-07:00

"Although prayer is a habitual action for us, it needs preparation...If we sit down to read and write we do not do so suddenly, we first get ourselves into the mood for what we are going to do. This kind of preparation is all the more necessary before we start to pray, particularly if our occupation immediately beforehand was very different from prayer.

So, morning or evening, immediately before you begin to repeat your prayers, stand awhile, sit for awhile, or walk a little and try to steady your mind and turn it away from all worldly activities and objects. After this, think who He is to whom you turn in prayer, then recollect who you are; who it is who is about to start this invocation to Him in prayer. Do this in such a way as to awake in your heart a feeling of humility and reverent awe that you are standing in the presence of God. It is the beginning of prayer, and a good beginning is half the complete task."

-- St. Theophan the Recluse

Kierkegaard's View on Worship

2008-09-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

I was a philosopy major in college and one of my areas of interest was existentialism. Interestingly, my favorite existentialist philosophers were Soren Kierkegaard and Jean-Paul Sartre. What I loved about Kierkegaard was that he was a Christian and spoke to the issues of existentialism as a Christian. Here's one of my favorite quotes from Kierkegaard:

"Worship is a drama in which each week is re-enacted the story of redemption."
- Soren Kierkegaard

Contemplating the Trinity

2008-09-10T16:11:00.000-07:00

"No sooner do I conceive of the One than I am illumined by the splendor of the Three; no sooner do I distinguish Them than I am carried back to the One. When I think of any One of the Three, I think of Him as the whole, and my eyes are filled, and the greater part of what I am thinking of escapes me. I cannot grasp the greatness of that One so as to attribute a greater greatness to the rest. When I contemplate the three together, I see but one torch, and cannot divide or measure out the undivided Light."
-- St. Gregory Nazianzen

Vessels as Vessels

2008-09-06T18:55:00.000-07:00

Whatever definition one wants to use for the word “vessel” it will indicate that a vessel carries something. The word came across my mind right after I said Mass the other day. The communion vessels (chalice and ciborium) do, indeed, carry something. They carry the most precious things of all…..the body and blood of Christ. They are temporary containers because they only hold our Lord’s body and blood for a very short time until they reach their proper destination…..US.

When the body and blood of our Lord enter us we also become vessels…vessels of Christ. What a great thing to be his vessel; him dwelling in us and enabling us to minister to others. We are vessels in a different way, however, because we contain Christ, but it’s a two way street because since “…he dwells in us and we in him…” we are more than just vessels. Generally a vessel is a lifeless, inanimate object that simply carries its cargo to a place. When Christ enters us we are miraculously changed…unified with him in every way through the miracle of the Eucharist. We are not just the vessel, but we are also the destination. As both vessel and destination we are ourselves one with Christ, but we also have the responsibility for living the Gospel and carrying it to others. Think about that the next time you're about to receive our Savior at Mass.

Living the Scriptures

2008-08-31T13:11:00.000-07:00

I would rather fully and completely live one verse of Scripture than memorize the entire Bible.

An English Mystic

2008-08-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

"By this you may know that you are infinitely beloved: God hath made your spirit a center in eternity comprehending all, and filled all about you in an endless manner with infinite riches: which shine before you and surround you with divine and heavenly enjoyments."
-- Thomas Traherne "Centuries of Meditations"

Seeking Humility? Empty Yourself!

2008-08-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

In Ephesians 4:1 St. Paul has these words, "...walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness..." and in Luke 14 Jesus says,"When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest seat; lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him; and he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest place; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher; then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

These two passages of scripture connect dramatically to teach us something important about our spiritual journey. They talk about the importance of emptiness and how through emptiness we can come to a full relationship with God through Christ.

When we look at the Beatitudes and those virtues normally considered important for Christians to attain, we see that humility and meekness figure significantly into a deep spiritual relationship with God. The fact is that we can only find our spiritual selves and our union with God when we are truly meek....when we honestly put ourselves second and God first. To be meek is to be gentle and kind and to empty oneself of all selfishness and ambition. Truly emptying the self is part of the message of Jesus in the Gospel.

Emptying the self is not a hard concept to understand, although some people try to make it so. It sounds very "Eastern" and it is, but it's also a core concept of the Gospels. It is allowing ourselves to give up our pride and make our hearts truly a place in which Christ can abide. When we are full of pride we are self-focused and when we are self-focused we can't see others and we can't see God. We see only ourselves. Everything we do is focused on us. How can we love God when we're so busy loving ourselves? Have you ever heard the phrase, "He's really full of himself?" It means a person is self-focused and full of pride. One is so full, there's no place for anything else. Therefore, if you want to love God you must empty yourself of all pride and self-love if there's going to be room for God.

In the Gospel above, Jesus talks about people who are so full of themselves they always have to try to have the most important place. They want everyone to see them and know how important they are. However, there's always someone more important in society...always someone with more money...always someone with more power. When we push for the head of the table that someone can come along and kick us out of our chair. So now we become angry...we're hurt...don't they know how important we are? Now our day is ruined and we just might be upset enough to ruin someone else's day, too. That's O.K., of course, because we're the most important thing on earth. How incredibly selfish! Do you know what we've just done? We've just set ourselves above God. Our pride has put us in the first place. We have no space for God.

The process of emptying the self of our pride is not easy. It takes work. Just read some of the writings of the great spiritual masters of the church and you'll see how they struggled with that themselves.You may ask, "Father, how do I empty myself of pride and allow God to fill me?" Well, I've got a suggestion. It has worked for many and it will work for you, too.

First, it's important to find a good spiritual advisor and has the ability to direct you down the correct spiritual path. This might be difficult to do. Don’t settle for "pop" theology and the latest craze in spirituality. Those are false paths that, at best, will take you nowhere, and at worst will destroy your faith. Like a wolf in sheep's clothing, Satan loves to sneak in through that door. Find a spiritual advisor grounded in the true faith of the Church and of the Early Fathers. Someone who has your spiritual well being at heart and will not lead you down any path other than towards Christ. It takes prayer, the study of scripture, the study of the spiritual masters of the church, like St. John Climacus, and contemplation.

It is also helpful to go before the cross or an icon of Christ in contemplation. Perhaps use the Jesus Prayer, "Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Repeat it over and over...don't even think about how many times you say it. Just look at the icon or the cross and say the Jesus Prayer. Allow your pride to flow out of you until you feel the emptiness in your heart. Ask Christ to take that burden of pride from you and be willing to give it up to Him. Then allow the love of Christ to flow into you. Rejoice in its beauty and warmth. If you do this often, you will begin to see many positive changes in yourself. For one thing, your pride will begin to melt away and you'll find the joy of humility that is promised to us. Christ can't be in your heart if you're filling it with pride. Humility allows you to open yourself to Jesus. To empty your heart to Him. "For everyone who exhalts himself shall be humbled and whoever humbles himself shall be exhalted." Take the lowest seat. Practice humility in your life. Empty yourself and allow the love of Christ to completely fill you.

The Eucharistic Celebration, the Work of "Christus Totus"

2008-08-17T08:53:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been reading Pope Benedict XVI's book, "The Sacrament of Charity." It is one of the most beautiful works I've read on the Eucharist. Part II discusses the Eucharist as "A Mystery to be Celebrated" and I wanted to share this litte piece of it because I find it particularly beautiful. The Holy Father says:

"The 'subject' of the liturgy's intrinsic beauty is Christ himself, risen and glorified in the Holy Spirit, who includes the Church in his work. Here we can recall an evocative phrase of Saint Augustine which strikingly describes this dynamic of faith proper to the Eucharist. The great Bishop of Hippo, speaking specifically of the eucharistic mystery, stresses the fact that Christ assimilates us to himself: 'The bread you see on the altar, sanctified by the word of God, is the body of Christ. The chalice, or rather, what the chalice contains, sanctified by the word of God, is the blood of Christ. In these signs, Chirst the Lord willed to entrust to us his body and the blood which he shed for the forgiveness of our sins. If you have received them properly, you yourselves are what you have received.' Consequently, 'not only have we become Christians, we have become Christ himself.' We can thus contemplate God's mysterious work, which brings about a profound unity between ourselves and the Lord Jesus: 'one should not believe that Christ is in the head but not in the body; rather he is complete in the head and in the body.'"
-- Benedict XVI "The Sacrament of Charity"

This is an interesting parallel to what we pray in the Prayer of Humble Access: "Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body, and our souls washed through his most precious blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us." Amen!

To Be Simple

2008-08-06T19:12:00.000-07:00

"...anyone who freely chooses to be simple and guileless provides the devil with neither the time nor the place for an attack."
-- St. John Climacus "The Ladder of Divine Ascent"

The Gift of God's Mercy

2008-08-03T10:55:00.000-07:00

"...put no faith in fears of your own, however much you may have striven...God has mercy on us, not for our achievements but gratis, because of His goodness."
-- St. Silouan the Athonite

Butterflies are Free

2008-08-03T07:17:00.000-07:00

The Epistle for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity is a powerful one. In this epistle, St. Paul addresses several doctrinal and ethical problems that had arisen in the Church in Corinth. One of those issues was the individual believer’s bodily resurrection.

It seems that some of the Corinthians had come to believe that the bodily resurrection of Jesus himself was false. They also assumed that, given their false assumption, the resurrection of our bodies was not possible. Now, the Corinthians were Greeks and, being Greeks, they had no problem believing in an immortal soul. Such belief had been a part of Greek philosophy and mythology for centuries. However, they could not fathom a complete bodily resurrection. In the 15th chapter of this Epistle, Paul addresses this problem and in doing so gives us a powerful understanding of our own resurrection.

Paul makes some startling statements to the effect that if the resurrection isn’t true, then our whole faith is a lie. He says,

“…if there is no resurrection from the dead, then Christ has not been raised; if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.”

He’s right.

If Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is not true then nothing that we do as Christians is true. If His resurrection never happened then we’re wasting our time being in church. However, it did happen and Paul goes to great lengths to tell us that Jesus not only rose from the dead, but he was seen by over 500 people after his resurrection. That’s a pretty big deal. One could look with a jaundiced eye if only the apostles said they saw him, but over 500 people saw the physical body of Christ after his resurrection. So we know for a fact that Jesus did rise from the dead and, therefore, our faith is not in vain. This isn’t the only facet of our resurrection that St. Paul touches upon. Paul also addresses what kind of body we’ll have after our resurrection.

As I mentioned before, the Greeks believed in an immortal soul, but they didn’t believe in a bodily resurrection. What they were expecting is what many of us expect. If someone dies we rather expect a resurrected person to look at resurrection just like they did before they died. That’s an easy picture for us to hold in our minds, but Paul says that’s incorrect. He says this:

“But some one will ask, ‘how are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?’ You foolish man! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body which is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as He has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. For not all flesh is alike….so it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body….just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. I tell you this brethren; flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable….for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”

Paul’s agrarian analogy works very well because it helps us with our limited capacity to have some level of understanding of this miracle that is part of the promise of our salvation in Christ. It made me think of an analogy, too.

Think of the caterpillar that turns into a butterfly. The caterpillar has one kind of body which is completely different from that of a butterfly. It’s low to the ground and must crawl along on little stumpy legs. No one thinks much of a caterpillar until it goes into its cocoon. There it changes dramatically. What was once fuzzy and ugly and slow becomes through a miracle a beautiful butterfly. It becomes a different creature that can fly and float on the wind. It is as dramatically different from its former self as it could possibly be. To get there, however, it had to change. It had to die to its old self to be reborn miraculously into a new and more beautiful self. So it is, Paul tells us, with ourselves.

In baptism we die to our old sinful selves to be reborn in Christ. That doesn’t mean we can’t or won’t ever sin again, but we’re now different than we were before. After baptism we grow in Christ, nourished by his body and blood in the sacrament, until one day we also die. One day this body of dust that has served us here on earth; this body with which we encountered and grew in our Lord changes. It dies and rots away. Like the caterpillar and the butterfly we leave our body and emerge in a new, more wonderful spiritual body. A body that no longer feels pain, or suffering. Then, as paul says,

“…the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality.”

This, my friends, is the promise of the resurrection. It’s not a fantasy because we know by the truth of the resurrection of Christ that it is true. Here in the 15th chapter of First Corinthians St. Paul has reinforced for us this fact of our faith.

The fact that with every funeral there comes a resurrection.

That with sadness joy follows.

The fact that with our death… in Christ we are born to eternal life.

Think about that the next time you see a butterfly.

Knowledge of God

2008-07-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

"A soul can never attain the knowledge of God unless God Himself in His condescension takes hold of it and raises it up to Himself. For the human intellect lacks the power to ascend and to participate in divine illumination, unless God Himself draws it up--in so far as this is possible for the human intellect--and illumines it with rays of divine light."
-- St. Maximos the Confessor in the Philokalia

Piety

2008-07-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

Piety is an important word because all of life is a reflection of God who is the infinite source of all love. All that is in this world belongs to Him and we are always in His presence. Every good thing you experience is His gift. Whenever you enjoy something, you do so in His presence. When you wake up in the morning you know God created the world. When you see a beautiful sunset you experience the presence of God. When you walk down the street and enjoy the beauty of trees being blown by the wind, you know this moment is a gift from God. Piety is the recognition and appreciation of the fact that everything is linked to the presence of God in every moment.

Welcome to the Gates of Heaven

2008-07-20T07:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Fr. David asked if I would re-post this earlier piece and I agreed. I hope you find it helpful.

There is an old Zen story about an elderly monk who was sitting in front of his temple one day. Along came a great Samurai warrior who demanded the monk teach him about heaven and hell.

"Go away," the old monk said, "You're too stupid to understand."

At that the Samurai became enraged and unsheathed his sword. "I'll kill you for treating me with such disrespect!"

"Welcome to the gates of hell," replied the monk.

The warrior was immediately humbled. He sheathed his sword and said to the monk, "Please forgive me. I am so totally consumed with my emotions and passions I can often not control myself. Please, Master, teach me how to find peace."

The old monk said, "Welcome to the gates of heaven."

In Matthew 6:24ff Jesus reminds us of the dangers of focusing on the self rather than God. He reminds us that things of the world cannot give us peace. That is only possible by complete submission to God. Putting Him first. To worry about clothes, possessions, money, and prestige only serves to cause us to focus on ourselves. We become full of pride and ultimately anxious about losing all that we have. In other words, we find ourselves in hell....one of our own making.

In the Beatitudes Jesus implores us to be poor in spirit. To do that we must recognize that we are nothing and have nothing, but for the grace of God. We must give up all pride and selfishness. We must be free from the sins and lusts of the world. We can't do that if our focus is on things and not God.

St. Gregory of Nyssa said, "...when we prevent (our mind) from using its energy on trifles, and keep it on all sides from doing what it should not, it must necessarily move in a straight path towards truth."

We naturally seek God and if we can keep focused on Him, rather than ourselves and our selfishness, we find peace. "...seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you." (Matt 6:33)

Welcome to the gates of Heaven!

The Why of Traditional Anglican Worship

2008-07-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

It seems every time I turn around I see another church advertising for a musician for a praise band. Now, I'm an electric blues musician and I love to play in bands, but it always brings to mind comments I've heard for years from people who say worship should be "relevant," that it should "meet their needs." Fr. John Matusiak of the Orthodox Church in America has a great response for those statements. He calls such worship "man centered" worship. Fr. John suggests the focus here is on how God affects "my life" and what "I" get our of worship." I believe he's right because I've heard these comments too many times to discount their relationship to where the person puts the real focus of worship.

Here their focus is on "ME." What "I" want...does it fit "MY" expectations. ME, ME, ME. The script here is that, "I'm so important that worshipping God has to fit in with the way 'I' want to do it." As with many facets of our society today, the person becomes the most important factor here and God has to take a back seat. This is self-focused, not God-focused.

In the Anglican tradition, we take a view very similar to that expressed by Fr. John in describing Orthodox worship. Anglican worship is not a matter of personal taste. When Archbishop Cranmer was creating the first Book of Common Prayer he wasn't really concerned with making the worship relevant for the people of the 16th century. He was concerned that the worship was scriptural and God-centered. Fr. John says that God is the only one we should be concerned with pleasing in our worship and I think he's spot on.

"Entertainment" worship might be amusing, but it only lets us experience worship from our own limited, narrow view. It comes from the "ME" and not from God. Let's face it; our view is not always correct. In fact, as Jesus often points out, our views can be quite flawed. Entertainment worship does not necessarily force us to confront our sin, our fallenness, and those things which make us uncomfortable. Instead of centering on God, it substitutes "Top 40" music and a motivational speech...it gives us something that isn't too difficult to swallow.

The fact is that worship is not designed for us, but for God. It is Him whom we worship and not ourselves. We should care less about what pleases us and more about what pleases Him. Fr. Matusiak put it well when he says,

"...we are called to worship 'in Spirit and Truth,' as we read in Scripture; that we are called to partake of the Body and Blood of Christ 'as often as you come together' lest, as we read in the words of Our Lord Himself in the Gospel of Saint John, we have no life in us; that we are to 'lay aside all earthly cares'...that we are called to transform our fallen human existence by bringing it into the very presence of God Himself--in His Kingdom, not ours--and meeting God 'where He is,' rather than where we are or where we would like Him to be."

Our worship is God-focused. Just read the Eucharistic rite in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Everything we do is grounded in scripture. Everything we say has a focus on God. Where the focus is on us it speaks to our fallen nature and the need for God's love and forgiveness, as well as our need for salvation. Forgiveness and salvation He provides through the sacrifice of His Son. Rather than a weekly shuffling of "off-the-cuff" service pieces and parts, our Eucharist is the same every Sunday. Completely grounded in Scripture and focused on the Creator, not His creation.

Paul tell us that Christ is the same "...yesterday, today, and tomorrow." The Trinity is unchanging and the key is to understand that our liturgy must reflect that reality. There are a variety of liturgies today in the Church. The Roman, Orthodox, and traditional Anglican Churches all have their various rites. What they have in common is that they are God-focused. They reflect the unchanging nature of the Trinity. They are in line with the changeless faith of two millennia. They don't move and change as contemporary tastes change and it's a good thing because we can see that contemporary tastes aren't always God-centered. Contemporary tastes don't reflect God, but they do reflect selfish humans. Anglicans have seen that most recently with changes to liturgy that don't reflect the unchanging nature of the Trinity.

Liturgy is an external event that focuses on internal faith. The Eucharist is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. We learned that in our catechism. It is the experience of Christ's sacrifice and promise of His resurrection and our salvation. Maybe that's where the differences lie between traditional worship and the other stuff.

In some other churches there is no continuity with respect to what is preached when and how. There is no continuity to "liturgy" so it can change a little every week. Some of the current vernacular among the folks who are involved with this type of worship includes calling worship "doing church." They'll say, "Well, there are several ways to do church..." I find that form of reference very odd. It suggests that worship is something we "do" as though it's a flexible experience that needs to bend to the interests and desires of humans. Well, we traditional Anglicans, as well as Roman Catholics, and Orthodox, don't "do" church. We aren't flexible with our Sunday worship. We follow a liturgical year which has a purpose and that purpose is to glorify God through the Scriptures and sacraments. Each season of the church year is important because it teaches us something about our faith. It's the same every year. If you pray Morning and Evening prayer and attend Mass on Sunday, you will have read the entire Bible in one year and will have gone through a focused "lesson plan" on the Christian faith. A lesson plan that is God-focused and you will have experienced liturgy that is God-focused as well.

Despite what society might think today, enjoyment is not the purpose of worship. You might say, "Wow, Father, are you saying we shouldn't enjoy ourselves in church?" No, I'm not saying that at all, but what I am saying is that God, not our personal likes and dislikes, or personal enjoyment is the focus of our worship. As Fr. John says, "Ultimately those...who define 'good worship' by their personal tastes or interests are not in a position to fully understand the Liturgy, even though they may 'enjoy' the experience."

To understand the liturgy is to move away from yourself and focus on God. Understand what He wants from you and ho He wants you to worship Him. To ensure the act of worship reflects the inward and spiritual...and God. We have the constancy of the Prayer Book which not only guides our worship, but ensures its continuity and orthodoxy. It focuses on what is truly important: God, versus how WE want things and our selfish enjoyment. Linking us to catholic Christians of the ages, it is beautiful, dignified, and ensures we are on the right path in our faith. It doesn't let us get distracted by worldly desires and thoughts, but brings us to God and the salvation His Son has given us through His passion and death on the cross. In fact, in the experience of the Mass we might just find ourselves asking whether we're on earth or in heaven and that is the most relevant thing of all.

Here Come Some Repeat Postings

2008-07-18T10:17:00.001-07:00

Some people have asked me to re-post some of my earlier offerings that disappeared when I took down my blog. I'll be doing that from time to time, so please bear with me. Specifically, I have been asked to put up my commentary on traditional Anglican worship. Thanks for the recommendations.
Blessings,
Fr. Wes

St. Theognostos on Contemplation

2008-07-14T19:09:00.000-07:00

"If you wish to be granted a mental vision of the divine you must first embrace a peaceful and quiet way of life, and devote your efforts to aquiring a knowledge of both yourself and God. If you do this and achieve a pure state untroubled by any passion, there is nothing to prevent your intellect from perceiving, as it were in a light breeze (cf 1 Kings 19:12) Him who is invisible to all; and He will bring you good tidings of salvation through a yet clearer knowledge of Himself."
-- St. Theognostos in the Philokalia

A Still Small Voice

2008-07-13T14:53:00.000-07:00

"And he said, 'Go forth and stand upon the mount before the Lord.' And behold, the Lord passed by and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice." 1 Kings 19:11 - 12

More Mist

2008-07-13T08:20:00.000-07:00

Well, here we go again. I shut my blog down because I didn't think anyone was reading it, but I was wrong. It appears a lot of people were reading it, but just didn't post any comments. That's just fine, but for a blogging novice like me it takes some time to figure that out. Although I try, I must confess I'm not the most computer literate person on the planet. Probably why I ride old-style motorcycles and play old-style guitars and amplifiers.

I'm going to continue the intent of this blog which is to publish quotes from spiritual writings that I have found helpful on my spiritual journey and also some of my own thoughts. I'm not interested in debates on fine points of theology, but what I am interested in is where people are along their journey to God and perhaps something they have found along the way might help someone else.

Although I'm an Anglican priest I will admit that my Christian spirituality is heavily influenced by the Eastern Church, particularly they hesychasts. My patron saint is St. Symeon the New Theologian. I sometimes say that I breathe with two lungs. One is Anglican and the other Orthodox. I couldn't breathe well without either. I also love the mystics of the Western Church, particularly Thomas Merton. What I love about Fr. Merton is that he was so open about his life. He has much to teach us all.

Well, that's about it. Look for further postings soon.
Blessings,
Fr. Wes