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Friday, March 22, 2019
“Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you. All things are passing away: God never changes. With patience all things are possible; whoever has God lacks nothing: God alone suffices.”
Saint Teresa of Avila
Saint Teresa is one of our Church doctors and a great authority on prayer and practicing God’s presence. In her famous poem she shares God given insight and wisdom. Let us examine it:
- Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you. If our faith is sufficient and we have abandoned ourselves to our Lord, and we trust that the present moment reveals the will of God and we accept its contents as divine providence, then nothing disturbs us.
- All things are passing away. Everything changes and nothing is permanent. We know this truth in our hearts. Yet, our minds deny it. We go about as if things will last forever. Look closely at all that is around you. Everything is changing and each object’s change effects every other object around it. The entire world is interwoven. Each object changes constantly and as each domino falls it bumps against the next. The warp and weft of the intertwined tapestry undulate in God’s eternal present moment.
- God never changes. God alone is unchanging. What in our experience do we know as eternal, everywhere and unchanging? Returning to Saint Paul’s description of God as being that in which we live and move and have our being, we can think of God as the container in which the changing world happens? Of course, we cannot conceptualize God as that is beyond our mental ability; however, might we think of the eternal present moment and the space in which everything happens as a pointer to God’s presence? Are not space and the present moment eternal, unchanging, and inconceivable by the human mind? All the bombs in the world could go off in them and not disturb this great Stillness.
- With patience all things are possible; whoever has God lacks nothing. If we accept the circumstances resulting in the moment as God’s will for us, and we work to carry out His will, and we know that all is from God and for God, we will not want for anything. God alone suffices.
Lenten Action
Practice your daily meditation and contemplative prayer as instructed in the Practical Instructions for Practicing the Presence of God (PIPPG) booklet or in such a manner as you feel compelled. After your silent prayer session, re-read this email and rest with it for a while. At times other than dedicated prayer, practice God’s Presence as suggested above and in the PIPPG booklet.
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.