Greetings!
This is the time of year that many of us think about the year just past and the commitment to specific resolutions to do better at this or that in the coming year. I have a few ideas for you to consider with regards to your spiritual journey for the year ahead. These have been paraphrased from some of my latest readings:
1) Do not know where you are going. Other than knowing our ultimate goal is to be the person God meant us to be, remember that spiritual growth is spontaneous, and is largely a matter of what comes to us each and every moment. It’s not something we can plan for, but we must simply stay in a state of awareness to see what is presented to us. This means using ego awareness, present moment awareness, and practicing the presence of God. Spiritual growth doesn’t happen according to our plan, it happens according to God’s.
2) Do not struggle to get there. Does it help for a two-year old to struggle to become three? Does it help for a tree to struggle to grow leaves? Spiritual growth unfolds in a natural manner. It cannot be forced. Take life as it comes. Sufficient unto this day are the challenges thereof.
3) Spiritual formation is not a self-improvement project. Self-improvement projects are generally related to specific goals – to be better organized, to lose weight, etc. While spiritual awareness may certainly help these goals a great deal, it is best to get specific help to address specific issues. This may need to be a part of your spiritual journey.
4) Do not set a time table for spiritual progress. While some people are motivated by specific time tables and deadlines, that doesn’t work in spiritual development. Yes, discipline is involved, and we need to keep doing our footwork (prayers, study and service), but again, we are on God’s time table, not ours.
5) Do not wait for a miracle. Watching and waiting for a miracle to happen to you implies that you are separate from God – you are here and He is over there, and you are waiting for Him to do something for you. Remember that He is in you, and you in Him. You already ARE a miracle. Life is a miracle. 2010 is a miracle.
Know that you are loved by Our Father,
Blessings!
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
The Magnificat is Magnificent
The readings for this fourth Sunday in Advent include the Magnificat, so named for the Latin translation of the first word of Mary’s canticle. We use this prayer in our daily Vespers/Evensong, and it is something to be savored, word by word, like each bite of a fine meal.
A large part of this canticle reflects what is to come with the ministry of Jesus, which, of course, reflects the standards and plans of Our Father. We see signs of spiritual awakening coming as Mary mentions the scattering of the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. This reflects some of the “inside-out” change coming for those who encounter the Christ. Dissolving of the false self to let the true self emerge. We also see a reversal in power – those on earthly thrones no longer have the grasp over us as does The One who sits on the highest throne, even though the earthly kings may still “rule.” We have a more important King to follow now.
The lowly are lifted up, not so much according to the standards of man’s world, but very much so in the eyes of The One that matters. We learn that we are all equally important to God Our Father; no one is higher than another. We are all members of the same family, even though we have different skills, abilities, preferences and appearances.
The hungry, both spiritually and physically, are filled with good things. And the rich, even though they may have an abundance of material things, are truly empty inside and quite poor if they live without God – they are sent away empty.
Above all, He wishes us to remember His love and mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors. A promise of love, compassion and mercy that will last forever.
The coming of Christ brings a new world order; a new way of thinking; a new way of living; a new way of being. What greater gift this Christmas?
Blessings to all,
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG
A large part of this canticle reflects what is to come with the ministry of Jesus, which, of course, reflects the standards and plans of Our Father. We see signs of spiritual awakening coming as Mary mentions the scattering of the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. This reflects some of the “inside-out” change coming for those who encounter the Christ. Dissolving of the false self to let the true self emerge. We also see a reversal in power – those on earthly thrones no longer have the grasp over us as does The One who sits on the highest throne, even though the earthly kings may still “rule.” We have a more important King to follow now.
The lowly are lifted up, not so much according to the standards of man’s world, but very much so in the eyes of The One that matters. We learn that we are all equally important to God Our Father; no one is higher than another. We are all members of the same family, even though we have different skills, abilities, preferences and appearances.
The hungry, both spiritually and physically, are filled with good things. And the rich, even though they may have an abundance of material things, are truly empty inside and quite poor if they live without God – they are sent away empty.
Above all, He wishes us to remember His love and mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors. A promise of love, compassion and mercy that will last forever.
The coming of Christ brings a new world order; a new way of thinking; a new way of living; a new way of being. What greater gift this Christmas?
Blessings to all,
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG
Monday, December 14, 2009
Of Roots and Fruits
Greetings, Sisters, Brothers and Friends of the Community!
God’s joy for us is hard to capture in words. But He does so love the world that He came to us in the flesh to teach, heal, redeem and offer salvation. In fact, it is my belief that Luke 3:6 reflects this love very well: “And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” There is much support for the idea that He will one day bring home ALL His children – whoever they are.
This seems to fly in the face of teachings that at some point people will be divided into “saved” and “condemned.” Even the readings for this past Sunday (Luke 3:7-18) seem to suggest this, especially as we read starting in verse 17, “His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
So, which is it? Will all of His children be somehow brought back into His grace in some way, or will some be saved (wheat) and others eternally damned (chaff)?
The loving, compassionate, merciful God I have come to know personally is also more clever than we are. If He was able to design and build this entire universe, then He should also be able to figure out a way to bring us all home.
Let’s look closer at verse 17 again. It is important to note that wheat and chaff come from the SAME plant. They are not two separate plants, one good and one bad. They are two parts of the same plant; part good and part not-so-good. Isn’t that like each of us? I know that part of me is good (the true, soul-part that God gave me through His breath of life), and part of me is not-so-good (the dysfunctional ego part).
Perhaps the true message we should consider is that at some point God will put us through a threshing experience to remove the chaff from our souls. Perhaps He wants to recover the part that He made, bring it back home to His arms. The wheat part of us will return to Him, having been made better by our earthly experience, and the chaff part will be removed and destroyed. This process may not be totally pain-free as the realizations of the love opportunities we may have missed in our earthly life come to light. Perhaps it will be a mixture of sorrow and joy. Perhaps for some it will take quite a bit of time.
Perhaps what we do now to reduce the hold our chaff has on our souls may lighten the threshing experience later. That is why we need to learn more about God’s love and joy for all His children, and that we are, in fact, all His children and He is Our Father.
Please reflect on this and let me know your thoughts,
Your Chaffy Brother,
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG
Guardian
God’s joy for us is hard to capture in words. But He does so love the world that He came to us in the flesh to teach, heal, redeem and offer salvation. In fact, it is my belief that Luke 3:6 reflects this love very well: “And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” There is much support for the idea that He will one day bring home ALL His children – whoever they are.
This seems to fly in the face of teachings that at some point people will be divided into “saved” and “condemned.” Even the readings for this past Sunday (Luke 3:7-18) seem to suggest this, especially as we read starting in verse 17, “His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
So, which is it? Will all of His children be somehow brought back into His grace in some way, or will some be saved (wheat) and others eternally damned (chaff)?
The loving, compassionate, merciful God I have come to know personally is also more clever than we are. If He was able to design and build this entire universe, then He should also be able to figure out a way to bring us all home.
Let’s look closer at verse 17 again. It is important to note that wheat and chaff come from the SAME plant. They are not two separate plants, one good and one bad. They are two parts of the same plant; part good and part not-so-good. Isn’t that like each of us? I know that part of me is good (the true, soul-part that God gave me through His breath of life), and part of me is not-so-good (the dysfunctional ego part).
Perhaps the true message we should consider is that at some point God will put us through a threshing experience to remove the chaff from our souls. Perhaps He wants to recover the part that He made, bring it back home to His arms. The wheat part of us will return to Him, having been made better by our earthly experience, and the chaff part will be removed and destroyed. This process may not be totally pain-free as the realizations of the love opportunities we may have missed in our earthly life come to light. Perhaps it will be a mixture of sorrow and joy. Perhaps for some it will take quite a bit of time.
Perhaps what we do now to reduce the hold our chaff has on our souls may lighten the threshing experience later. That is why we need to learn more about God’s love and joy for all His children, and that we are, in fact, all His children and He is Our Father.
Please reflect on this and let me know your thoughts,
Your Chaffy Brother,
Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG
Guardian
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)