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Friday, March 15, 2019The virtue of Humility – “When we undertake the spiritual life, we must seriously consider who we are, recognizing that we are worthy of all scorn, unworthy of the name Christian, and subject to all kinds of miseries and a multitude of setbacks. These disturb us and make our health, our moods, our inner dispositions and their outward manifestations changeable; in all, we are persons God wants to humble by means of a multitude of internal and external troubles and trials.” Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection (Spiritual Maxum 3)
The core truth of the spiritual journey is to go deep within oneself to find God and to know God. While doctrines and dogma are important because they give boundaries, they are intellectual constructs. You can only come to know God and love God by going deep within. As Alex Smith says in his work Healing the Divide: Recovering Christianity’s Mystic Roots, “My core truth about Jesus isn’t rooted in mainstream Christian tradition. It’s rooted in Jesus’ essence. It’s about the deep stillness of silent prayer and a theology big enough to give that blessed stillness words.” Unlike St. Paul, most of us have not had Jesus come to us in a vision, and so it is in the silence of our hearts that we come to know God. “Be still and know that I am God.” But in that same stillness, one also comes to know one’s self, and as one dives deep within oneself, the wounds inflicted on us by our lived life, our faults, our sins, and our attachments loom forth and we come face to face with them. It is in that confrontation that we began to seriously consider who we are recognizing, as Brother Lawrence notes, that we are worthy to scorn and unworthy to be named a disciple of Christ. We are not God, and so we must humbly take the command of God to be still to heart, for it is only in that stillness that we will come to know Him or for that matter come to know ourselves. It takes a humble heart to embrace silence. And it takes a regular practice of stillness in silence to bring the calmness of spirit necessary for the true work of God to begin in us and through us. It is that same calmness that allows the mind, body, and soul to be strong and peaceful when facing the things that that life throws at us to disturb our peace. That peace will help us bear things such as health issues, changes in moods and inner disposition, that threaten to rob our peace. Peace is the work of righteous living in Jesus free of the whims of our passions. Quietness of heart and blessed assurance follow. So, what robs you of your peace? Spend some time contemplating on that.
Lenten Action
Whether you make regular use of contemplative or silent prayer or not, today spend some time meditating on Jesus. The beginning of humility is found in knowing yourself & in that knowing come to know God.
Regular practitioners of contemplative prayer should spend a couple of times today in 20-minute periods in contemplative prayer. Ask God for the gift of the virtue of humility. If you are new to spending time in silent prayer, get comfortable and in the silence of your heart ask God to come to you and silence your thoughts. Focus on your breathing & feel the rising and falling of your chest, as you fill your lungs and expel your breath. Rest in the rhythm of your breathing.
Today should be a Fast day if you are physically able. Everyone should abstain from eating meat and limit the amount of food one eats. Remember not to watch TV, use computers or your phones to access computer games or unnecessary apps. Please avoid using social media.