In just a few months I'll be moving further into retirement. (Hurray!) My darling spouse has asked me to do more of the cooking since I'll have extra time on my hands, and that's OK because I actually enjoy cooking.
To improve my culinary skills, I watched a couple of cooking shows on TV yesterday. Oddly enough, both shows talked about using mustard as an emulsifier to bind water and oil together. Without the mustard, oil and water naturally separate, not wanting to be together at all.
Then, listening to the readings in church this morning, I once again heard the parable of the mustard seed:
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. The mustard seed is one of the smallest of seeds, but when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." Matthew 13:31-32
It occurred to me that the mustard seed could represent our own mindfulness, our consciousness, our awareness of the present moment. If we can properly nurture this to grow in our own field ("our life"), we'll bring with it a greater knowledge and action of the loving Holy Spirit within us, in all that we do, think or say. By doing this, we can bring peace; we can dialogue about our differences instead of debating them. We can learn to see that the different ways people think are opportunities for ourselves to grow and learn. We can drop our prejudices and illusions. We can begin to blend the oil and water of life into a common understanding through the Presence of God in our lives. We can learn to unite instead of divide.
This may be one of the smallest of ideas, one of the littlest things we can do each and every moment: to deeply listen to the other person, to deeply see what is really going on, to deeply think about what we're about to say or do before we do it. But it's also the very thing that can grow large, and be inviting to others (represented by the birds of the air).
Just like any other skill, we need to practice our mindfulness to make it as effective as possible. Let's start right now! Pass the mustard, please...
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
The Holy Spirit and Mindfulness
Romans 8:26-39 contains a wealth of discussion material, all of it reinforcing the fact that God is rich in love, mercy and compassion. Sometimes this message gets overshadowed by the tasks and issues we're dealing with in day-to-day life, but it is a true and good message nonetheless.
"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings which we don't always understand. Now He (God), who can search our hearts, knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit makes intercessions for us according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
The Holy Spirit is the active, loving movement of God in our lives. This Presence is known by different names and phrases such as Holy Spirit, the Breath of Life, Advocate, Ruach, Chi, and others. People throughout time and all over the world have described this active Presence in their lives. The Holy Spirit lives within us, and serves as our Guide when we tap into its Presence.
But because of our human ability to mentally live in either the past, present or future, we don't always make the connection with the Spirit and enjoy all the relationship s/he has to offer. The Holy Spirit is Presence, and this means we must be in the Present Moment to make the connection. If we decide to live in the past or the future, we live there alone. And how do we attain this Presence in the present? Well, the answer to this question is the same as the answer to the question, "How do we get to Carnegie Hall?" The answer: "Practice, practice, practice."
"To be called according to His purpose" means to fully leave in the Present Moment - not dwelling in the past or being overly concerned with the future. Life happens now. The Spirit is in the Now. So the key is to practice present moment awareness, sometimes referred to as "mindfulness." When mindfulness is in you, so is the Holy Spirit. It is then that you can fully understand what you are to do in each moment, regardless of the task at hand.
Being mindful is to know what is going on around you as well as within you at any moment. We must learn to live life slowly, experiencing each and every moment - the sounds, the colors, the faces, the conversation, the feelings, the thoughts. As monastics, we begin spiritual formation slowly, so we learn how to live. And once we get better at it, we learn to go even slower. And eventually when we become masters, we practice life as slowly as possible. If we trip, or drop something, or feel frustrated, or miss something, or feel that life is moving too fast, then life is moving too fast. Slow it down. Return to the present.
Senses: What are you seeing? Hearing? Touching? Tasting?
Thoughts: What are you thinking right now? Why?
Actions: What are you doing right now? Why?
Feelings: What are you feeling right now? Why? Is it you or your ego?
The Holy Spirit will always guide you according to the love of God. God is love - what else can He do? If we truly live each and every moment in the presence of the Presence, it will eventually work out for His good. Practicing mindfulness may be one of the more important spiritual disciplines we ever do.
"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings which we don't always understand. Now He (God), who can search our hearts, knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit makes intercessions for us according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
The Holy Spirit is the active, loving movement of God in our lives. This Presence is known by different names and phrases such as Holy Spirit, the Breath of Life, Advocate, Ruach, Chi, and others. People throughout time and all over the world have described this active Presence in their lives. The Holy Spirit lives within us, and serves as our Guide when we tap into its Presence.
But because of our human ability to mentally live in either the past, present or future, we don't always make the connection with the Spirit and enjoy all the relationship s/he has to offer. The Holy Spirit is Presence, and this means we must be in the Present Moment to make the connection. If we decide to live in the past or the future, we live there alone. And how do we attain this Presence in the present? Well, the answer to this question is the same as the answer to the question, "How do we get to Carnegie Hall?" The answer: "Practice, practice, practice."
"To be called according to His purpose" means to fully leave in the Present Moment - not dwelling in the past or being overly concerned with the future. Life happens now. The Spirit is in the Now. So the key is to practice present moment awareness, sometimes referred to as "mindfulness." When mindfulness is in you, so is the Holy Spirit. It is then that you can fully understand what you are to do in each moment, regardless of the task at hand.
Being mindful is to know what is going on around you as well as within you at any moment. We must learn to live life slowly, experiencing each and every moment - the sounds, the colors, the faces, the conversation, the feelings, the thoughts. As monastics, we begin spiritual formation slowly, so we learn how to live. And once we get better at it, we learn to go even slower. And eventually when we become masters, we practice life as slowly as possible. If we trip, or drop something, or feel frustrated, or miss something, or feel that life is moving too fast, then life is moving too fast. Slow it down. Return to the present.
Senses: What are you seeing? Hearing? Touching? Tasting?
Thoughts: What are you thinking right now? Why?
Actions: What are you doing right now? Why?
Feelings: What are you feeling right now? Why? Is it you or your ego?
The Holy Spirit will always guide you according to the love of God. God is love - what else can He do? If we truly live each and every moment in the presence of the Presence, it will eventually work out for His good. Practicing mindfulness may be one of the more important spiritual disciplines we ever do.
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