Inbox Inspiration: September 18, 2019 - October 2, 2019: Being with God

September 18, 2019

Being with God – 1    

 Dear Friends,  
Our English word contemplation comes from two Latin words: 
cum meaning with and temple meaning sacred or divine. 
So, to contemplate means to be with the sacred, with the divine, with God.
Catholic and other spiritual writers encourage all of us to be contemplatives – 
not in the sense of going away to live in a monastery, 
but in the sense of making inner or personal space just to be with God.
Contemplative prayer doesn’t require a lot of words.
In fact, it may involve no words at all.
It does involve an outer silence and an inner stillness. 
It is essentially our allowing ourselves just to be, or to be with God.
We may find ourselves doing this by gazing at the ocean or a tree or a candle,
by sitting in silence with our eyes closed or fixed on the Blessed Sacrament.
Consider the poem that follows as an invitation to contemplative prayer.
 “It doesn’t have to be 
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch
 
a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway
 
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.”
 
Praying from Thirst: Poems by Mary Oliver (1935-2019. American, Pulitzer Prize winner, best-selling poet.) 
This is the first in a series of three reflections on Being with God. See the Inbox Inspirations for the next two weeks – September 25 and October 2, 2019.
Gracious God, help us to be still and to know that you are God. 
Father Michael Schleupner

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September 25, 2019

Being with God – 2   

Dear Friends,
I view contemplative prayer as a way to prepare for our eternal home with God.
To contemplate means to be with the sacred, with the divine, with God.
Contemplative prayer is essentially our allowing ourselves just to be, or just to be with God.
It is a way of resting in God.
It is a way of responding to that wonderful invitation of Jesus: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest…You will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)
My resting with God recognizes God’s presence with me right now.
It affirms that the life of God, divine life, eternal life has already begun.
In doing that, it prepares me for the fullness of this life that is yet to come.
Theologians call this the eschatological dimension of prayer:
looking ahead to our last moment on this earth, or from a different perspective, looking ahead to our first moment beholding the light of God’s face.
“…I believe… that at the end (to which all is directed by Him) I shall see Him after I have put off my body in death and have risen with Him…. What this means is that my faith is an eschatological faith, not merely a means of penetrating the mystery of the divine presence, resting in Him now. Yet because my faith is eschatological it is also contemplative, for I am even now in the Kingdom and I can even now ‘see’ something of the glory of the Kingdom and praise Him who is King….Thus contemplation and eschatology are one in Christian faith and in surrender to Christ….It is by contemplation and love that I can best prepare myself for the eschatological vision…”       

From Journal,1964 by Thomas Merton. (1915-1968. Cistercian or Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani, author, major spiritual influence in prayer and spirituality.)
This is the second in a series of three reflections on Being with God. See the Inbox Inspirations from last week, September 25, and for next week, October 2, 2019.
Gracious God, help us to be still and to know that you are God.
Father Michael Schleupner

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October 2, 2019

Being with God – 3

Dear Friends, 
Try these steps as a way to do contemplative or centering prayer.
First, sit in an upright posture with your hands resting on your knees or lap.
Second, inhale deeply and slowly exhale fully.
Do this five or six times just to relax your body.
Your body needs to be relaxed if your soul or spirit is to rest in God.
Third, select a word or brief phrase to help you with this time of silence.
For example: “Emmanuel” or “God is with us,” “Here I am, Lord,” “In Your light,” “Come, Lord Jesus.”
Fourth, repeat this phrase several times just to start getting centered in God.
Fifth, plan to sit in silence for a period of time – two minutes for starters, maybe up to thirty minutes eventually.
When distracted, repeat your “word” and allow it to bring you back – just to being with God.
Commit yourself to doing this every day.
Little by little, over time, this will have an effect on you.
It will make a difference in your relationship with God and in how you relate to the persons and situations in your life.
Give contemplative or centering prayer a try.
“… prayer contains an impulse towards simplicity. Prayer can be a ‘being with….’ Beyond praise, petition, or begging for pardon, the impulse in prayer is towards presence, being with, being with the person…. In the gospels people do indeed ask Jesus for things, and praise him for his ministry. But there is a deeper movement, expressed by the attitude of the sinners whose concern is to ‘sit with’ him (Mark 2:15).”     

From The Impact of God by Father Iain Matthew. (English, Carmelite priest, Doctor of Theology, professor and author.)
This is the third in a series of three reflections on Being with God. See also the Inbox Inspirations from September 25 and October 2, 2019.
Gracious God, help us to be still and to know that you are God.
Father Michael Schleupner

Inbox Inspiration: September 11, 2019: All Desire God

September 11, 2019

All Desire God    

 Dear Friends, 
I believe that all persons desire God.
Maybe we get caught up in new cars or stylish clothes.
Maybe we want a higher position at work or more financial security.
Maybe we want to be recognized and well thought of by others.
Many of us have or have had desires like these.
We think that the fulfillment of these desires will make us happy or secure.
But, deep down, beyond all of these desires, each of us is really desiring God.
In fact, even those who do violence to others – and we see lots of that these days with mass shootings and homicides – these persons too must be desiring something.
They, and we, may not discover what we are really desiring until a bit later in life. But the truth remains: we and all human beings really desire God.
This is how I view every person on this earth.
This is the perspective I bring to my priestly ministry.
“Though we seldom recognize it, our senses seek the beauty, the sweetness, the
good feelings of God. Our mind seeks the truth and wisdom of God. Our will seeks
to live out the goodness, the righteousness of God. Our memory and imagination
seek the justice and peace of God. In other words, we yearn for the attributes of
God with every part of ourselves. Human beings are two-legged, walking, talking
desires for God.”

From The Dark Night of the Soul by Gerald G. May, M.D. (1940-2005. American, psychiatrist, theologian, author, speaker, devoted to the interfacing of spirituality and psychology).
May we keep our eyes fixed on the things both on and definitely above the earth.
Father Michael Schleupner