A LESSON ON - “MINDFULL SILENCE: THE HEART OF CHRISTIAN CONTEMPLATION” (Phileena Heuertz, Author, Intervarsity Press)
Scripture Verses on At-One-Ment with God
Behold, the kingdom of God is in
the midst of you.” Luke 17:21
He who believes in me, as the
scripture has said, “Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water. Jn7:38
But if Christ is in you, although
your bodies are dead because of sin, your spirits are alive because of
righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in
you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal
bodies also through his Spirit which dwells in you. Rom. 8:10-11
I have been crucified with Christ;
it is no long I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live
in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself
for me. Galatians 2:20
Contemplative spirituality is a
way of seeing…. Contemplative practices are those that create margins to pay
attention to and observe our life…. It involves some introspection --- not for
the sake of inner knowledge, but for the sake or living a more skillful life…
Contemplative prayer offers an antidote.
Through contemplation we find alleviation of our personal suffering, and
we discover how to minimize our infliction of suffering on others. Over time,
as we engage in contemplative practice, we become less self-absorbed and able
to be of greater service to others. (pp. 7-8)
What lesson from God has
made you more skillful about living?
I wondered, “If people are
basically victims victimizing, and God created us, then surely God must answer
for this. God must be to blame. I thought, “Perhaps God is not all that good
after all… Father Thomas’ teaching… helped me realize that I didn’t need to be
troubled or discourage by God’s felt absence and grueling silence… I found
courage to give myself to the silence with all of its darkness, questions,
doubt, and pain. And it was there, in the great deafening silence, that I woke
up. (pp.12-13)
How have you wrestled with
God’s silence?
Eventually, as we stay faithful to
the dark night of prayer, God will uncover the root of our sickness. There a
wound of separation from God and others is exposed that can now receive
healing. Finally, our defenses are dismantled and the burning flame of God’s
love breaks though our consciousness. We realize we are in God and God is in
us. (p. 92)
How have you experienced the
healing of the wound of separation?
We just have to learn how to open
to the grace that overcomes the obstacles that keep us from knowing God’s
presence. We do this, not by our own willpower, but by responding to grace and
cooperating with the divine. When we practice letting go of all thoughts,
feelings, distractions, and preoccupations of the mind, we then learn to
overcome the obstacles that keep us from God and our true self. Then we can
move by faith into a state of unknowing, a state of open and receptive
awareness, where direct encounter with God is more likely. (p. 156)
When do you most need to
have a quiet mind?
Your family and community need you
to be a courageous pilgrim on the spiritual journey. God knows our world needs
your bravery too. The more of us who commit to the contemplative path – the
path of seeing, observing, and taking responsibility of our life through
meditative practice – the more possible it will be to experience God’s presence
in the center of our being. From that center, we can build the world we all
want to live in. (p. 173)
Where do you exhibit a God-given
courage?
Where do you experience
“at-one-ment?
A
POEM BY THE AUTHOR
Let
it be done to me according to your Word
Let
me be a womb for you
Come
Lord
Be
conceived in me anew
Fill
me with your presence
And then break me open in your process of redeeming* the world.
