42 – Fasting – Intention on the Spiritual Journey

In our past several weeks of thinking about fasting what has been your experience?  Have you fasted?  Did you decide to fast for some period of time?  Why?  Were you “suppose” to?  Or did something call you to a time of fast?

If you have fasted, what has happened for you?  Did the abstinence of food (or perhaps something else) create a space or environment that something else could fill?  Or was the space filled only by a sense of absence, longing, or preoccupation?  Did the space allow you to focus on  what is sacred and what called you to fast?

Think for a moment about what Richard Foster wrote,

” … spiritual disciplines in and of themselves have no merit whatsoever.  They possess no righteousness, contain no rectitude. Their purpose – their only purpose – is to place us before God.  After that they have to the end of their tether.  But it is enough.”  (A Year with God: Living out the Spiritual Disciplines, p xv)

What in this season has placed you before God?

41 – Fasting – Intention on the Spiritual Journey

Today I want to share with you not a quote from one of the more recent writers on spiritual disciplines but words from an ancient Hebrew prophet.  These are words many heard a few weeks ago on Ash Wednesday,

“Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins.  Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God.

” “Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers.  Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high.  Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?  Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?  Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?  Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

“Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,  if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.  The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.  Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.”

Isaiah 58:1-12

The prophet asks a hard question, “Why do we fast, but you do not see?”  Maybe the words of the prophet and the words of others we have read during the last few weeks can call us not just to outward practice but to a discipline of body and heart and hands.

40 – Fasting – Intention on the Spiritual Journey

Scot McKnight in his book, Fasting stresses that fasting is whole-body response to a sacred moment.

“The thesis of this book is simple:  a unified perception of body, soul, spirit, and mind creates a spirituality that includes the body.  For this kind of body image, fasting is natural.  Fasting is the body talking what the spirit yearns, what the soul longs for, and what the mind knows to be true.  It is body talk – not the body simply talking for the spirit, for the mind, or for the soul in some symbolic way, but for the person, the whole person, to express himself or herself completely.  Fasting is one way you and I bring our entire selves into complete expression.” (p 11)

“I believe biblical fasting begins right here:  because of the sacredness of some moment or a task ahead, an embodied person chooses to avoid physical indulgence for a period of time in order to focus attention on God.” (p 19)

What are those kinds of sacred moments for you?

39 – Fasting – Intention on the Spiritual Journey

In Celebration of Discipline Richard Foster writes,

 “Fasting must forever center on God.  It must be God-initiated and God-ordained….  Every other purpose must be subservient to God…. More than any other discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us.  This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.  We cover up what is inside us with food and other good things, but in fasting these things surface…. pride… anger, bitterness, jealousy,strife, fear — if they are within us they surface during fasting.” (pp 54-55)

38 – Fasting – Intention on the Spiritual Journey

Since Lent is so closely associated with fasting, it seems a good time for us to think together about fasting.  First, hear this challenge from John Wesley,

“Some have exalted religious fasting  beyond all Scripture and reason; and others have utterly disregarded it.”

One place to find what Scripture reports about fasting is Matthew 6:16-18,

“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Richard Foster in “Celebration of Discipline” includes fasting in his list of inward disciplines and not outward disciplines. He further distinguishes fasting from a hunger strike and health dieting.

So one question we need to ask is do we practice fasting (or any spiritual discipline) for the recognition, the glory, the good feelings, the ego boast it gives us or do we practice for some other reason?

Do we practice fasting (like other disciplines) not as an end, but as a means of opening us more fully to God?

37 – Lent – Intention on the Spiritual Journey

Today marks the beginning of Lent.  In the Book of Common Prayer (1979) we can read,

“I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.”

You may want to compare this sentence with the list of spiritual disciplines we have mentioned and give some thought to what a “holy Lent” might be.

36 – Lectio Divina – Intention on the Spiritual Journey

Have you heard the expression “praying with scripture”?  I heard that expression long before I heard of lectio divina, but praying with scripture became real for me as I learned this form of “reading” and prayer.

Lectio divina is usually translated “sacred reading.”  It is a way of slowing ourselves as we read scripture so we not only read the words printed on the page but learn to listen and hear the Word of God.  I have heard it remarked that bible study is “reading for information” and lectio is “reading for transformation.”  That certainly is an oversimplification, but might help us understand how lectio goes beyond study.

Lectio divina is usually described as having four movements,

1. Read – Read a short passage of scripture slowly, listening with the “ear of your heart.”  Listen for a sentence or phrase or word that captures your attention.  Stay with what has captured you and give your full attention, mind and heart, to it.  Repeat it as you let it fill your mind and heart.

2. Reflect – Giving your full attention to the words, relish them,  In a spirit of quiet receptiveness be attentive to what speaks to your heart.  This is a time of going deeper in listening.  Initially you read the words.  Now you let the words speak to you and you listen.  In this quietness you open yourself fully to God’s presence.

3. Respond – As you listen to the sentence or phrase or word, you respond spontaneously.  Perhaps a prayer of thanksgiving or praise or petition comes to you.  Give voice to that response. Your attention stays with phrase or word but you are noticing what that provokes, calls forth in your and you acknowledge that in God’s presence.

4. Rest – You have come to a place to be with God.  Don’t hurry, don’t run, don’t try to accomplish anything, rest with God.  If you are drawn back to the scripture go there, if you are drawn to silence go there.  Follow God as you are lead.

You will often see these movements called by their Latin names, lectio (read), meditatio (reflect), oratio (respond or pray), and contemplatio (rest).

Don’t get caught in the trap of thinking these are “steps” that are to be done always in sequence and for a certain number of minutes each.  While setting aside a specific amount of time might be helpful in beginning this practice, it misses the essence of the practice, listening for God, responding to God, letting God fill your life.

Are you ready to sit with a scripture for a while and let it lead you?

35 – Examen – Intention on the Spiritual Journey

A few months ago it seemed every book I picked up for weeks had a chapter on the Prayer of Examen or at least several pages describing it.  From “The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything” by James Martin, S.J. to “Connecting Like Jesus: Practices for Healing, Teaching, and Preaching” by Tony Campolo and Mary Albert Darling, authors from many perspectives and theological traditions were encouraging the daily practice of this prayer.

Martin, as most others, encourages one to prayer the Examen at the end of the day and gives the following form (p 97):

“Before you begin, as in all prayer, remind yourself that you’re in God’s presence, and ask God to help you with your prayer.

“Gratitude:  Recall anything from the day for which you are especially grateful, and give thanks.

“Review: Recall the events of the day, from start to finish, noticing where you felt God’s presence, and where you accepted or turned away from any invitations to grow in love.

“Sorrow: Recall any actions for which you are sorry.

“Forgiveness: Ask for God’s forgiveness.  Decide whether you want to reconcile with anyone you have hurt.

“Grace: Ask God for the grace you need for the next day and an ability to see God’s presence more clearly.”

Would this be a worthwhile way to end the day?  What would practicing the Examen do for the end your day and the start of the next day?

 

34 – Centering Prayer – Intention on the Spiritual Journey

Can it be prayer if “We do not give God information about all our needs, projects, ideas, programs,  plans and agenda.  We don’t suggest things we would like Him to do.”?  (Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, “Spiritual Disciplines Handbook”, p 208)  If you grew up in a religious culture similar to mine, prayer was always equated with words, with speech.  Whether it was silent or spoken it was still a form of speech.  Centering prayer offers a person a way to begin to move beyond speech to sitting in the presence of God.  With our full intention, we sit in the presence of God giving him our undivided love and attention.

Centering prayer offers a number of simple guidelines for this practice.  The following guidelines are taken from a brochure you can fine online at

http://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/private/32977/field-file/cp-english.pdf

1. Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.

2. Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within.

3. When engaged with your thoughts, return ever-so-gently to the sacred word.

4. At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes

It is most often suggested that one practice Centering Prayer for twenty minutes twice a day.  Other than this being virtually a “wordless” prayer, the time suggested gets the most reaction from those encountering it the first time.

If this prayer draws you, you may want to consider doing it for a week or month before you decide if the form fits you.  While we all need to find a place of silence in our lives, I will not claim that Centering Prayer will be the way to silence for everyone.

You can find more information on Centering Prayer in a number of books by Thomas Keating and Basil Pennington, and at the website http://www.contemplativeoutreach.org.

33 – Jesus Prayer – Intention on the Spiritual Journey

While the Jesus Prayer can be considered a form of breath prayer, it is a much used and deceptively simple practice that deserves our attention.

Frist, the words are simple and might take one of several forms,

“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner”

“Lord Jesus Christ, son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.”

“Lord Jesus, have mercy.”

Second, the practice is to repeat the words again, and again.

Adele Ahlberg Calhoun in Spiritual Disciplines Handbook (p. 206) quotes from the description of the Jesus Prayer found in “The Way of a Pilgrim.”

“Take a seat in solitude and silence.  Bend your head, close your eyes and breathing softly, in your imagination, look into your own heart.  Let your mind, or rather, your thoughts flow from your head down to your heart and say, while breathing: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.”  Whisper these words gently or say them in your mind.  Discard all other thoughts.  Be serene, persevering and repeat them over and over again.”

This description describes the beginning of the Jesus Prayer.  It is not meant to end after a 5 or 10 or 30 minute period of seating quietly with the prayer.  The prayer comes back to us again and again though out the day forming a “background” to our daily activities.  The practice of the Jesus Prayer is a step toward the scriptural encouragement to “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

What do you think?  Want to give it a try today? And when you do, be open to the prayer coming back to your awareness thoughout the day.