Blessed in your human condition

If we read the Beatitudes carefully, we see what Jesus considers will make us happy: Blessed are they who mourn; blessed are the lowly; blessed are the poor in spirit. All these attributes can be summed up with; blessed are you in your humanness. Our very cries to be delivered from our weakness should be cries of gratitude for the realization of God's goodness to us. We are blessed not because of some virtue we possess, but because, when we see how very much God can work in our lives through our humanness, we become vessels of God. So we should realize that such frailties are not really limiting unless we stop with them, we keep our eyes on ourselves.

Jesus tells us to lift up our eyes, to recognize the goodness of God, who can do all things. Why should we be blessed to be human when we are seeking the divine? Because the first step to divinity is an openness to God, and realizing our need for God widens the door of our heart, if we take it in the right spirit. So instead of being discouraged, we should be full of joy that we are so human as to depend of God for everything. For he who created all things has no problem redeeming us. He just likes to get credit for it.

Repaying the Lord

For Evening Prayer II on the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, we read psalm 116. As the psalmist speaks of what God has done for him, saved him in time of trouble, protected him in danger, heard his cry, he comes to this wonderful sentence: How can I repay the Lord for all the good done for me? I will raise the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.

The concept is wonderfully enlightening. God is good. How do we repay him? By giving our lives to serve him, by offering that life up to him, by calling on his name in confidence. The psalmist does not try to compete with God's goodness. He only tries to accept it by turning even more to the Lord.

Often we are given a spirituality that suggests God has given us much and expects pain and suffering in return as a proof of our gratitude. Yet, we know in scripture that God doesn't seek "sacrifice or oblation", but a heart open to his grace. The difference is in the realization that God doesn't need us; he WANTS us. He is quite sufficient unto himself. He desires our companionship because he is good. We do not add anything to God or Jesus or heaven. But by opening ourselves to God, he adds to our lives, souls, hearts and minds. It isnt' that simple: opening to God requires attention, attitude, simplicity, desire. These are the gifts God looks for.

I will raise the cup of salvation and call on the Lord's name, the psalmist says. This is my gratitude to all the lord has done for me. It should become our mantra.

Sacred Space

A monastery is unique because it offers its members Sacred Space. What is this space? It is a singular solitude and a profound silence kept inviolate. It is like the mother's womb, where life is nurtured in a special way, and the child growing there is protected from all outside dangers.

Sacred Space. It is so precious individuals give up the whole world, meaning, they give up family ties, opportunities for wealth, travel, careers, marriage, intimate relationships, home and generally, they give up living life the way they might prefer to, for the sake of gaining that Sacred Space.

Why such a space? Because it hold a silence so golden one can sense the presence of God. It contains a charity so profound that one is carried along by it to offering selfless acts and generous giving. It offers one a presence so tangible you are drawn out of yourself to dialogue with it. It operates with a rhythm and a harmony so in sync, you find you have the ability to follow through with your resolutions because such harmony offers unique strength.

Sacred Space. For such a place, the Gospels tells us that Jesus often climbed the surrounding mountains in the darkness of the night to pray to his father in secret and solitude, away from his disciples. The Abbas and Ammas of ancient times left the cities teaming with life for the harsh wilderness of the desert. Men and women of every generation have walked through that cloister door precisely because Sacred Space offered to them a better life such as they could find no where else.

Sacred Space. It is truly the treasure hidden in the field, which a person, for want of that treasure, sold all that she had, in order to possess it.

The path to Divinization

Mind and heart. Flesh and spirit. Seen and unseen. Natural and spiritual. It would seem we are always dealing with dualities in this life of ours. Perhaps that is why Jesus gave himself to us in both bread and wine, his body and blood.

St. Thomas tells us that the spiritual food of communion is given to us to make us divine. A mere mortal is capable of divinity! It's no wonder devotion to the Eucharist has spread throughout the church down through the centuries. What greater calling can we have than divinity? Yet, after years of receiving, why are we still so terribly mortal, fallible, sinful?

Divinization requires purification and a total surrender to Jesus. It is not so hard as it is constant. Once we become habitually conscious of Jesus, we enter into a realm of union with him we never dreamt possible. And that is when heaven begins here on earth.

Trusting in the Lord

Lord, save us, we perish! the disciples cried out, according to the Gospels. The story is all the more remarkable because Jesus is sitting right there in the boat with them. So, if they have Jesus in their midst, why all this fear and terror?

This account highlights how Jesus' presence does not take away our own human frailty. Just as certain as the sun will rise, so too will there be times when the pressures of this life will overwhelm us, the immediacy of problems will burden us, the fragility of our own human nature will fail us.

The good news is, that Jesus is far more aware of our frailty, our burdens, and our pressures than we are. He is not surprised when we cry out. For he is there already, before we call, ready to steady our hearts and souls. Our cries actually bring to our own mind the need we have for a Savior. Recognizing that need, now that is good.

Monastic Silence

Silence. It is an essential monastic observance. Monasteries are houses of silence. Why?

Silence makes you deal with yourself, without distractions or interruptions. When you are silent, your thoughts and emotions are more perceptible. You have an opportunity to address those things that need to be changed in yourself, to take stock of your actions, to reflect on your life.

Silence is also necessary to find God. He dwells in the silence of your heart. You can find him in that silence; in fact, it is almost impossible to find him otherwise.

Monastic silence is not a lack of sound; monastic silence is an exterior manifestation of interior reflection, meditation, examine, and prayer.

If you would be a monastic, wherever you are or whatever your life style, you need monastic silence. Be still, without a prayer book open in front of you, or earplugs jammed into your ears, and sit quietly. Learn to listen to that silence. Learn to open your heart to that silence. It takes time. But you reap rich rewards from the lesson, learning to perceive a world that is neither tangible nor common.

Discerning Destiny

Ever think you knew what God's plan was for your life, gone forward with assurance, seen signs of God's approval, had doors opened, wonderful events happen, and then have everything fall apart? That's good. Because such is the stuff of learning discernment.

Discernment is not a sure or hard science. It's an intuition. It is hearing that small whisper within the heart, and translating what it is saying. It is stepping out when you think you understand. But most of all, it is taking a chance at being wrong. You cannot learn discernment without a willingness to make a mistake.

Each baptized individual has the spirit within, through the powerful presence of God that dwells in the soul. Discernment requires an awareness of that spirit, with sensitivity to its inspirations and enlightenment. Discernment is not hearing a voice or seeing a vision; it is recognizing a Way. The first step toward that recognition requires knowledge of our own frailty. Going forward means you are searching, not that you are succeeding. In fact, acknowledging a mistake and turning again to discernment is a sure signal you are learning to listen. Only those who listen carefully can discern better.

Life is a journey. One's path can lead in convoluted directions. Yet, as sure as God is God, each of us has a destiny to fulfill. Precisely because each person's destiny is different, he or she will find fulfillment only through learning careful discernment. Because no one knows where God wants you or what His plans are for you. Only he can tell you that, in the deep recesses of your heart.