Reflections on NOTICING
- What characterized your experience of turning your attention to the presence of God within and without? In what ways did God meet you? In what ways did he, perhaps, seem absent?
TURNING TO GOD'S PRESENCE WITHIN
I loved the excerpt from Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ by Madame Guyon! I am going to use it as an introduction to one of the Silent Prayer times I will be leading every Thursday morning at 8:30 am, starting on September 16th!
My more extended times of turning to God's presence within really started more in earnest on this day three years ago. I was reading a book by an author who said he had a silent prayer time two times a day for 20 minutes each, and I thought, NO WAY! I had also read The Interior Castle and The Cloud of Unknowing. On top of all that, I had to choose a spiritual discipline for the year to grow in during my spiritual direction training. So I chose this one. It was perfect timing as I was finding more and more silence in God's presence during the contemplatio times in my Lectio Divina meditations too. So I was game to grow!
I would set a timer, and I loved it. Then I found groups that were doing it online. At this point, I have an option to do it for 20-30 minutes with a group (Mercy Center, Jo O of OMS, Presbyterians in Corvallis, and House of Prayer, East Mosely) This has helped me.
So for this specific module in the collaborative, it was just more of what is already in my "Rhythm of Life." So I noticed God within.
WITHOUT
I did the first meditation with an excerpt from a book. I saw the Holy Spirit as a shining light. It asked if there was anyone with me, and I would say I was alone, but George was also with me because we are so aligned with each other on seeking the presence of God. In fact, I feel like he has taught me so much about stopping and smelling the roses and noticing. I noticed that when we were on our beach trip with the boys, I was so much more in tune to everything, and they marveled over the littlest things, and I marveled with them while I would continue walking lost in my thoughts. I was experiencing the present moment! (Have you ever felt sea kelp? It is amazing!)
The recorded meditations were not really my cup of tea. I like the ones with Pray as You Go and with Southridge Community Church. I did like the Thurman quote though. I will keep on doing them. I think I was just not used to so much talking through a meditation. The ones that I have done are more brief introduction and some time to just be in God's presence, where this was more continual talking. I really like Iona's Walking with God in Nature too. I had taken a walk and did that one the day before I started doing these.
- What
practices might help you further heighten your awareness of the presence of
God in which you "live and move and have your being"? What
impact would such a "heightened awareness" make in your life?
I have mentioned many of them above: Breath Prayer, Walking with God in Nature, Centering/Silent Prayer, pausing longer at the end of Lectio Divina.
The impact for me has been HUGE. I think that is the number one way I have grown in the last three years. NOTICING through Examen and the Spiritual Exercises and also pausing and noticing God's presence throughout the day and at those 1-2 intentional 20 minutes. I have seen that I "let go" of things so much more easily now.
Throughout the chaos of the country I am deeply involved with, I paused every single day for at least 20 minutes of intentional gazing at Jesus. It was so great!!! I had my regular morning prayer time, "presence walks" through out the day, Celtic prayer rhythms, but this added thing to my life has been the best thing!
- Apophatic
and Kataphatic: How do you relate to these two models of prayer? (See the
first page of "Week 1, Part 2" for a reminder of what these
terms signify.) Do you find yourself drawn to one more than the other? If
so, why? What further exploration might the Spirit be inviting? What might
that look like for you?
I love them more, and as I mentioned my Kataphatic Lectio Divina times were going into Apophatic more automatically. I talked to my Centering Prayer mentors, and they said that is exactly what happens for many!
I would have said I am Carol Kataphatic when I read The Cloud of Unknowing a few years ago, but I think I am Carol Kataphatic Ann Apophatic (my middle name). I like them both the same!!!
It looks like Kataphatic morning time with God leading to Apophatic wordless prayer at the contemplatio time of Lectio Divina and an intentional time with the nuns (M-W, and F), Mercy Center (Sun, Th), Jo from OMS (Th), and Presbyterians (Sun). The only day I am on my own is Saturday, but that is getting easier and easier now!
- Share
about your "Current Rhythm of Life." What did this exercise reveal for you? To what degree are your deepest values honored by your
daily, weekly, and monthly rhythms?
Well here is my current one.
I have to make one for the Order of the Mustard Seed, but I have had a Life Rhythm since I was in college. :)
My deepest values are:
Be true to Christ
Kind to People
Take the Gospel to the Nations
- Imagine
sitting down with Jesus and sharing your "Current Rhythm of
Life" with him. What emotions does this evoke? How do you imagine him
responding to you and what you share?
Happiness that He is my all in all. In Him I live and move and have my being!!!
He is saying, "YOU GO, GIRL! Let's walk hand in hand together. You have chosen what is needful."
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