Easter: Lectio Divina Widow’s Mite

“Then Jesus sat down opposite the chests for the Temple offerings, and watched how the people put money into them. Many rich people were putting in large sums; but one poor widow came and put two small coins, worth very little. Then, calling his followers to him, Jesus said, ‘I tell you that this poor widow has put in more than all the others who were putting money into the chests; for everyone else put in something from what they had to spare, while she, in her need, put in all she had – her whole life.'” Mark 12: 41-44

“Because we’re in the Passion narrative [it is Easter, after all], we know that Jesus will give his whole life. The widow, like Jesus, gives everything she has. She had two coins; she could have held one back. She doesn’t. Jesus could have resisted the suffering. He doesn’t. He could have resisted dying. He makes his decision to go to the cross.” – Amy-Jill Levine

“The widow’s story asks what we think we should be doing with our money, and what we should be doing with our time. It also reminds us that how much trust we have in God is sometimes contingent on how much trust we have in the community, particularly the people who claim that they represent God.” – Amy-Jill Levine

One of the best contemplative practices, for me personally, is Lectio Divina. This practice is not for everybody, but it really works well for me. In this post I would like to thank Amy-Jill Levine for the teachings quoted in this post.

For those people who have not had the opportunity to experience Lectio Divina, here is a link to the Omega Center’s description of the practice. There are generally only four steps in this practice, but please make it your own.

• Lectio: Read and re-read the teaching and passages until the message is understood and the details become familiar.
• Meditatio: In the meditation ask, what does this text say to me, today, and to my life.
• Oratio: Consider prayer to be a simple conversation with the Cosmic Christ spirit within you.
• Contemplatio: Contemplation can take many forms, writing, drawing, sharing with others, etc. For the best results there should be a willingness to change, an openness and trust in Christ, and the decision to follow Christ’s spirit rather than our own ego. Ask yourself: What conversion of the mind, heart, and life is the Spirit of Christ asking of me?

In quiet meditation ask yourself what word or words caught your attention. What in the passages challenged you?

Read the teaching again and speak directly to Christ who resides within you. Have a conversation (prayer) with Christ.

Read the teaching one more time and through contemplation ask; what conversion of mind and heart is the Spirit of Christ asking from me today.

Doe we see the widow and look away?

Do we count the amount she is donating?

Do we concern ourselves with where she will receive her next meal, and the one after that?

The widow does not speak; what might she say to us today and what might we need to hear?

God bless,

Pandemic: Lectio Divina

“Life is hard”

“You’re not that important”

“Your life is not about you”

“You’re not in control”

“You are going to die”

“Those are the five great messages. They are not really negative. They are reality based. They are realism, just like Jesus’ Way of the Cross is [realism.]”

If we find ourselves on the other side of this pandemic “without a kick in the chest realization of the truth and the inevitability of [our] own death, [we] really [are] not initiated (Mark 10:38-39).”

“The point seems to be; if [we] don’t tell [ourselves] that life is hard [we’ll] do everything [we] can to make it easy for [ourselves.] [We’ll] seek comfort (Matthew 19:23-24); seek the top, not the bottom (Matthew 20:16); the big, not the small (Matthew 11:29); the rich, not the poor (Luke 6:20)… Go through the whole list (Mathew 5:1-12).”

“As we’re all realizing that this [pandemic] is moving around the world and no respecter of borders, or boundaries, or ethnicities, or religions, or genders, or richness, we as individuals are negligible. Jesus says; not a single sparrow can fall from its nest and God doesn’t care about it but {God] does allow a single sparrow to fall from its nest. We’ve got to get back to basics. Who are we?”

“John 12:24 – we have to experience our radical oneness with all of humanity and not keep defending and promoting this individual self. The only thing that exists is the common force-field. Now, our word for the common force-field is the Body of Christ. One way of saying that is that you are one instance, one moment, one manifestation, one epiphany of what is happening everywhere all the time. And there’re 6 billion other ones that are also another epiphany. And this is why we must love one another, because that’s the only way we can remain connected to the Christ.”

“My old definition of suffering was simply; whenever [we’re] not in control. So, now we are being forced to suffer.” Thérèse (of Lisieux) “If you are willing to bear serenely the trial of being displeasing to yourself, then you will be a pleasant place of shelter for Jesus.“

“Isn’t the realization of your own death a confirmation that my life is not about me. You could make the case that all five of these messages become the same message, just from a different angle, of minimizing the imperial ego and getting it to participate in what Thomas Merton cals the General Dance. Once you get into the General Dance there is nothing to be afraid of.”

“May this be a time of global initiation…”

One of the best contemplative practices, for me personally, is Lectio Divina. This practice is not for everybody, but it really works well for me. In this post I would like to thank Richard Rohr for the teachings quoted in this post. These were all found in the podcast Another Name for Every Thing released April 1, 2020.

For those people who have not had the opportunity to experience Lectio Divina, here is a link to the Omega Center’s description of the practice. There are generally only four steps in this practice, but please make it your own.

• Lectio: Read and re-read the teaching and passages until the message is understood and the details become familiar.
• Meditatio: In the meditation ask, what does this text say to me, today, and to my life.
• Oratio: Consider prayer to be a simple conversation with the Cosmic Christ spirit within you.
• Contemplatio: Contemplation can take many forms, writing, drawing, sharing with others, etc. For the best results there should be a willingness to change, an openness and trust in Christ, and the decision to follow Christ’s spirit rather than our own ego. Ask yourself: What conversion of the mind, heart, and life is the Spirit of Christ asking of me?

In quiet meditation ask yourself what word or words caught your attention. What in the passages challenged you?

Read the teaching again and speak directly to Christ who resides within you. Have a conversation (prayer) with Christ.

Read the teaching one more time and through contemplation ask; what conversion of mind and heart is the Spirit of Christ asking from me today.

How can your not being in control be a step into the practice of contemplation?

How can your willingness to embrace this time of constriction, and not just move into distraction, present an opportunity for attention to the present moment?

How can we recognize the reality that this pandemic represents?

How can we recognize the grief we are experiencing, and others are experiencing, and then lean into that a little bit more?

God bless,

Homily: Pentecost Sunday [A]

Loving One, our Maker, our Friend,
the wonder of your presence is a glory filling heaven and earth and our own gathered hearts.
May our lives reveal that same wondrous presence with everything we think and say and do
as your Holy Spirit transforms us and all things.
Send us together
to share your love in all this hurting world.
– Lee Lovett-Olson

The readings for Pentecost Sunday cycle A can be found here.

The scripture scholar will tell you that John uses the term “disciples” to speak about the entire Johannine community, not just a selected few Apostles. The entire community are to be sent out having received the Holy Spirit. Everybody receiving the Holy Spirit has a mission to forgive sins, and we know from reading John’s Gospel that the only sin mentioned is the lack of faith. The disciples now represent Jesus to the world and, as such, are to help those they meet come to know Jesus.

Meister Eckhart, fourteenth century, says “we must become heaven on earth so that God can find a home here.” We must become heaven on earth, and that means we start creating communities that are authentic so that divinity can find a home here.
– Matthew Fox

To help you understand the Gospel mission I would like to introduce you to Jessica Bird, of Atherton, California. It is reported that on a trip to Costa Rica Jessica met a teen girl who needed help. The Costa Rica teen was working as a prostitute and Jessica decided to help her, and others like her. Monies raised and volunteer efforts built a safe house with a chicken coop and greenhouse for teen prostitutes in Costa Rica. Jessica also worked to teach the young girls how to become financially independent.

Even though Jessica saw a need in Costa Rica she explains that “You don’t have to go far to do this kind of service.” There is healing you can provide in your own communities.

[Holy Spirit is] the most embracing, direct, and unrestricted symbol for the divine life. The Spirit does not disrupt those structural functions [of life], but grounds and heals them. Personal, social, political, and ecclesial structures of human institutions are intrinsic to the experience of the divine Spirit.
– Paul Tillich (The History of Christian Thought)

The disciples were frightened and hidden until the Holy Spirit provided the boldness necessary to get them out into the world, to be Jesus. Barbara Brown Taylor explains that “God wanted to make sure that Jesus’ friends were the inheritors of Jesus’ breath, and [on Pentecost] it worked.”

We meet people every day and our mission is to be Jesus. We have His breath, His Spirit. Whatever profession or institution you associate, the Holy Spirit is with you to guide your path toward healing others. Of course, this is the ideal expectation. We are human and we have our failings. It is my opinion that Richard Rohr describes it best:

There is a part of me that wants to love, heal, and renew and would never want to hurt anybody. It’s just, where does this come from? I know that I didn’t develop it or work for it; it’s my soul. We would say that this is the divine indwelling of the Holy Spirit — this part of me that has always said “yes” to love, God, myself, and others. I don’t know where this radical “yes” comes from.

That’s my divine part that is in communion with everything already. But then what coexists with it is this nasty, petty self that I don’t even want to talk about, or the thoughts I will have of judgment, dismissal, and of irritation. Right after I’ve given a wonderful keynote address on the contemplative mind, I’ll go to the airport again and be irritated with the first five people that I meet. And I say, “God I’m a phony.” And yet, it’s humility and patience with that very humanity.

I don’t hate it anymore as much as I once did, if at all. I can weep over it, and say, “That’s Richard, the one that God loves for some reason.” At my age I think I’ve met both my divinity and my humanity and they do coexist in me.
– Richard Rohr

This Pentecost we are reminded that we are Jesus to the world. If you take one thing away from this homily it should be to be bold when you see a need in those you meet. We are not going to be perfect but the Holy Spirit will give us the strength we need to love, in those times. Don’t be afraid, with the Holy Spirit we can and will do great things.

God bless,

Homily: 6th Sunday of Easter [A]

Love prompts us to pattern our lives after the model of Jesus, the one we love. The love that comes to us through the Spirit will overflow into the lives of others. We will be agents of God’s love in the world….Our lives will be evidence of the presence of the Spirit in our midst.
– Dianne Bergant

The readings for the sixth Sunday of Easter cycle A can be found here.

The scripture scholar will tell you today’s reading has three basic topics; 1) love of Jesus, 2) reward for loving Jesus and, 3) the differences between the world and the disciples. John also included the commandment to love your neighbor.

By instituting the role of the Paraclete as a go-between John has established Jesus’ role as the new Moses. Jesus will plead, before God, the case of the sinful people, which is how the Jewish people saw the role of Moses. The Paraclete will continue Jesus’ earthly mission with the disciples. Now, “there is no ‘separation’ of the believers from God/Jesus so they need not look to heavenly habitations to experience salvation in the presence of God” (Pheme Perkins, New Jerome Biblical Commentary, p.975).

The Paraclete continues Jesus’ earthly mission with us today. If we read this Gospel for two more verses John has Jesus put this relationship into better focus. Jesus says if we keep His word He will make a home within us.

Pope Benedict XVI (B16) tells us that Jesus taught “inasmuch as you belong to me, you also belong to one another.” Faith and belief in Jesus compels us to live for one another.

God expects us to step up. Righteousness is a good thing. Exceeding righteousness is even better. Knowing God’s word is no substitute for doing it. Good works count.
– Barbara Brown Taylor

This is not an easy task. The Holy Spirit troubles us and shakes us from our self-indulgence to put others at the center. Let me introduce you to Helen Jablonski who exemplifies the Sunday Gospel. She “believed that God is the people and that we see Him through the people.” Helen started PeopleCare, Inc. to help homebound seniors and their caregivers. With the teaching of Jesus and motivated by the Holy Spirit we can see God in the people around us, like Helen Jablonski, and can take action. Folks like Helen model Jesus through their life.

Faith is something one lives, not something one says or something one does. If that distinction is not grasped then much of it is nonsense.
– John Shelby Spong

If you take one thing away from this homily it should be to listen to the Holy Spirit. Inside you Jesus as built a home. We are connected to Jesus through the Holy Spirit who compels us to action. Get out from the Sunday pews and model the life of Jesus to those you know. It can be scary putting others in the center of our lives, but rewards are endless.

If we trust him, then, we will have what we need, even though we may not have all the answers. That includes conclusive answers to our persistent curiosity about who is in and who is out… If we stop looking for information apart from Jesus and instead focus on trusting Jesus, we will obey his commandment to love one another, and we will do great things – even greater things (we wouldn’t dare to say this if Jesus’ hadn’t said it himself) than Jesus
– Brian Mclaren

God bless,

“There’s a whole lotta labeling going on…these days. Here’s one: CATHOLIC!”

What labels have you heard Catholics use to describe other Catholics? How many have you used to describe others? With which of those labels do you associate yourself?

I know that this post is going to be a little preachy, so be prepared. I am a lot touchy about being labeled, and I am fully aware of this. You, surfers, may also be touchy about being labeled. Labels can be intimidating and even keep people from participating in Church. Take for example the label “lapsed Catholic.” You have heard it and perhaps used it in your life so you know those folks who have taken a Mass hiatus in their 20’s have heard it. It is difficult enough for people to reintroduce themselves into the Church after a long period of time, but when others look down their noses by labeling folks it is even tougher to break the stigma of the label. (oh, please insert the Prodigal Son story here)

For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.
Deuteronomy 10:17

Ah, but humans do show partiality. “…and as the Jews were the chosen people the more learned, as the Scribes were, and the separated or set apart, as the Pharisees were, presumably thought they were more chosen than the rest. Comments Frank Sheed: In too many Pharisees a misunderstanding of the nature of Israel’s uniqueness led to a contempt of the Gentile. Similarly, we find appalling things said about the great number of their fellow Jews, lumped together as; 1) the people of the land; 2) the accursed multitude which knows not the law, a Scribe could write ‘the garments of the people of the land are a source of uncleanness to the Pharisee.'”

In these days we humans are no different than in times past. As a human race one would have thought that we might have grown out of our penchant for partiality. As Catholics, following the example of Jesus, one would have thought we would not desire to divide ourselves into camps, each judging the other.

In these days what we Catholics fail to accept is “… Jesus did not divide people into good and bad, into the perfect and irredeemable, the elect and the rejects of society. He ate with sinners and tax collectors, yes, but he also ate with the Pharisees. He was no respecter of persons.” If we want to follow His example we need to acknowledge that there is but one label – one body in Christ.

Q: …I can’t imagine God loving some people more than others. At the same time, I can’t help but have a twinge of jealousy when I hear how close other people are to Him. I wish my relationship with Him was just as close. What does it mean for God to have favorites?

A: To say that “God has favorites” involves applying a very human expression and a very human reality (we all have favorites) to God, who “transcends” our human limitations. God certainly doesn’t have favorites the way we have favorites.

(CCC #42) God transcends all creatures. We must therefore continually purify our language of everything in it that is limited, image-bound or imperfect, if we are not to confuse our image of God–”the inexpressible, the incomprehensible, the invisible, the ungraspable”–with our human representations. Our human words always fall short of the mystery of God.
– FR. JOHN BARTUNEK, LC

Dear surfers, I borrowed the title of my blog from another blog that I regularly read: Rorate Caeli. The title drew me in and I ended up reading the whole blog post. I hope the same happened to you when you read the title of this blog.

Please remember that regardless if you are labeled a “small c Catholic” or a “triumpalist” in God’s eyes you are the same. These labels are just human representations that confuse our image of God and put limits Him.

I am human and I will use labels when I shouldn’t. I pray that God will give me strength to ask forgiveness for those times of label indiscretion. I also pray that God will give me the grace to forgive others who use labels on me.

Dominus benedicat te,

Were Not Our Hearts Burning Within Us?

You may not be able to tell by the title, but I am about to anger some of those Catholic surfers who lean more toward the traditionalist side of the scale. This is a fair warning. If you hold the Eucharist in highest esteem and enjoy the ringing of the bells during consecration, do not read further.

Okay, for those who chose to read on I wanted to speak about a disappointment in my worship life. Let me start by telling you about the physical sensation I experience when certain worship topics are brought up. You know the feeling you get when the hairs on your body are rubbed against the grain? That fingernail scratching the chalk board sensation? I have this kind of physical reaction when certain of my “hot buttons” are pushed. The definition of a hot button is a controversial subject or issue that is likely to arouse strong emotions, and I can tell you there are subjects that send me off the edge immediately. Because I have such a strong emotional reaction to central tenets of traditionalist Catholic worship, I have been known to blurt out angry comments when my buttons are pushed. This has led me to avoid social circumstances where my buttons can be pushed, such as Sunday Mass. In Catholic circles the purposeful avoidance of Sunday Mass is heinous, but if I allow myself to speak freely about those hot button issues I will become a pariah in my community. Believe it or not, it is better if I simply let my community believes that I am too lazy to get up and go to Sunday Mass. Lazy is better than evil, which I have been called in the past.

Now that you have the backdrop let me explain my disappointment. Read the passage that follows and tell me if you can spot the hot button.

Reflection
“The Lord entrusts to you [priest(s)] the mystery of this Sacrament [Eucharist]. In his Name you can say: ‘This is my Body …. This is my Blood.’ Allow yourselves to be drawn ever anew by the Holy Eucharist, by communion of life with Christ. Consider the center of each day the possibility to celebrate the Eucharist worthily. Lead people ever anew to this Mystery. Help them, starting from this, to bring the peace of Christ into the world” (Pope Benedict XVI, Homily at Mass and priestly ordinations on Pentecost, May 15, 2005).
(A time of sacred silence should be observed.)
Novena Day 1: That Priests will Celebrate the Eucharist Worthily

Did anything bother you in that reflection? Well, my hot buttons are probably different than yours. Let me try to elucidate. The title of this blog post is a quote from Luke 24: 32 which is a favorite Jesus story of mine. The road to Emmaus is both a blessing and a heartache to my current worship difficulties.

In the story a Priest, a Rabbi, and a Minister walk into a bar… Okay, a little humor to cut into my misery may seem out of place but it helps me cope. In the story two fellows meet Jesus on the road to Emmaus. They presumably knew who Jesus was from past encounters, but they didn’t recognize him on the road. They listened while Jesus talked. When they reach Emmaus the fellows convince Jesus to stay with them for a meal. At the meal, specifically when Jesus said Grace before passing out the bread, the fellows recognized Jesus. They then said to one another “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

The traditionalist Catholic will say something like “See, we meet Jesus in the celebration of the Eucharist.” After this statement I will blurt out something like “What? Didn’t you hear what the fellows said about how they met Jesus while he opened up scripture?” This might be a good point to note that I don’t want to get into a tangential discussion regarding the sitz im leben but I do understand the symbolism of the Biblical act of breaking bread.

After I blurt out that Eucharist is not the center of the universe, people run away from me screaming the prayer to St. Michael.

As the English speaking Catholic community prepares to usher in a new Roman Missal the Bishops have started a Novena that will lead up to the first Sunday of Advent. What words did they choose as a reflection for the first day? Anybody? Anybody? Bueller? “The Lord entrusts to you [priest(s)] the mystery of this Sacrament [Eucharist]. In his Name you can say: ‘This is my Body …. This is my Blood.’ Allow yourselves to be drawn ever anew by the Holy Eucharist, by communion of life with Christ. Consider the center of each day the possibility to celebrate the Eucharist worthily.” Just reading these words again as I add them to this blog has caused my blood to boil.

How can we allow our leaders of the Church to be so focused on one act that was not the center of each day for Jesus? The disciples on the road to Emmaus did not find Jesus in the breaking of bread, but in his teaching. Before Vatican II there were Catholics who would wait until they heard the Church Building bells on Sunday, announcing the prayers of consecration, to arrive. This was so that they could receive the Eucharist. It was considered by them to be the center of each Sunday. Vatican II asked that the bells stop ringing during the Eucharist celebration because there should be no differentiation between the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. They stopped ringing for a while, but they are back with a vengeance. When the bells ring during the Liturgy of the Eucharist they take me out of the worship service and I cannot stop thinking about how this was the pay-off for most of the Church sitting in the pews.

I would like to hear our Church leaders say that the Eucharist is a nice remembrance but what will really bring you closer to God throughout the week is listening to the Holy Spirit. Teaching the Church in the pews to respond to their hearts burning within them, as the Holy Spirit meets them on their daily road, should be the center of each leader’s day. I will save my diatribe on why the Pope is so focused on the Eucharist for another blog post.

Desire For Greater Spirituality

GOD, unto whom all hearts be open, and unto whom all will speaketh, and unto whom no privy thing is hid. I beseech Thee so for to cleanse the intent of mine heart with the unspeakable gift of Thy grace, that I may perfectly love Thee, and worthily praise Thee. Amen.
– The Cloud of Unknowing

Let me introduce you to Lightwithspirit and something she wrote that speaks to me about spirituality.

Catholic teaching also instills spiritual yearning; it opens up a well of grace that constantly needs to be lived and refilled.
– Lightwithspirit.wordpress.com

Do you have a yearning for deeper spirituality? How are you filling that “well of Grace” spoken about in the quote above? Our discussion for this posting will delve a little into spiritual yearnings.

Surfers, head on over to a blog by Kullervo. He is a self-professed guy on a mission to find deeper spirituality.

Do you feel that you are on a mission for deeper spirituality? Perhaps you feel that the wheels of spirituality are off the track?

Have you ever considered looking for a spiritual director? Someone to take you to a deeper level of spiritual growth? Ever wonder how you might start this process? I found an article that might help you.

I have found that there is deep spirituality in the ancient mystics. Just by reading their work I have learned how to contemplate the hermitage within my soul. The ancients were mostly hermits and contemplative. I discovered more writings from about 500 CE and I thought I would share them with you.

The Cloud of Unknowing is primarily concerned with how best to conduct one’s interior life so that one can ultimately become one with the Beloved, or God. Purgation of earthly desires and material preoccupations is an important theme in the work, since those elements stand in the way of illumination, or knowledge of God. However, The cloud of unknowing that the title refers to cannot be cleared away through knowledge alone, but only through love. By repeatedly and fervently invoking the simplest prayer, consisting wholly of a one-syllable word such as “love,” one can push aside the reasoning mind and other distractions that keep the believer from union with God. The Cloud of Unknowing emphasizes a personal approach to God which, at the time it was written, was not condoned by the Roman Catholic Church. The writer of the treatise also cautions the reader to avoid false piety and sanctimoniousness and to always remain humble in his or her spritiual journey.
–Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism

Perhaps the Cloud of Unknowing is not your taste. It takes a lot to get used to this type of literature. You have to be a bit of an ancient text nerd to wade through the text. Not your cup of tea, well have a look at something a little more modern.

Our very lives seal the promise that God has made — that God’s loving approval never changes, no matter what.
– Homily by James Carroll March 13, 2011

Surfers, I will leave you with one last thought to take with you on your spiritual journey:

For in the love of JESUS; there shall be thine help. Love is such a power, that it maketh all thing common. Love therefore JESUS; and all thing that He hath, it is thine.
– Cloud of Unknowing

Pentecost Sunday (A Prayer For You)

There is nothing more frustrating to be wanting to give and nobody wants to receive.
– Fr. Jim Brand

Surfers, today is Pentecost Sunday and we hear the story once again about how the Apostles of Jesus received the Holy Spirit. Father Jim Brand reminds us that we have to want to receive the gifts of God. We have to want to receive the message of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Annie Karto captured this desire to accept the gifts of the Holy Spirit in her song Sanctify. She asks God through the Holy Spirit to take up residence in her soul and sanctify the work of her hands. Accepting the gifts of the Holy Spirit begins with wanting to receive.

To receive with grace is as dignified as to give with grace.
– Fr. Jim Brand

Here is a prayer, from me, that this Pentecost Sunday finds you wanting to receive the Holy Spirit. God Bless.

Christian Truth (What is Your Experience?)

Surfers, I have had delays in posting the blog, while dealing with cancer and now unemployment. During this time I have been reading. In this blog I would like to present to you a model that presented itself to me during this time. Take time to look at the model.

Here is how the model works; the concept of infinity in mathematics is something we can only approach, but never reach. As with infinity, the extremes of religious experience can only be approached and never reached. Another example is the concepts of introverted and extroverted personality. No person is completely introverted or extroverted, but every person has a tendency to one or the other. Leaning to one side of the scale means you are more or less extroverted, and leaning to one side of the scale on religious experience means you are more or less traditional.

If I haven’t completely lost you, or bored you, you deserve a medal for your patience.

In order to find yourself on the scale you need to review the focus statements under the line on both sides. All the focus statements are religious experiences recognized by Christians. As you read the statements you will find that not all of them feel true to your religious experience. You may find that focus statements from both lists speak to your religious experience. You may find that you relate more to the traditional focus statements. There are no hard and fast rules, or right and wrong feelings. Your experience is true to you, and defined by you. You are always right about you.

Okay, surfers, have a look at this blog by Sara Dode and feel the religious experience being expressed. Perhaps you feel the same way? Perhaps you feel differently? The place on the scale that Sara Dode currently resides might lean closer to mysticism than you.

Take a look at the blog post by sabinspirations and feel the religious experience being expressed here. Maybe this is closer to your experience? Where on the scale might sabinspirations fall in comparison to you?

The model is not designed to judge others and their place on the scale. I created it to help you find where you fit. I added the Christian Apologetics identifier to the model so that you might have some sort of familiar reference. Review the model, and tell your friends.

If you are having trouble reading the focus statements I will list them here below:

Approaching Mysticism
God is the Ground of all Being
God is the Source of your Being
God Means Depth
Focus on what takes place outside the consecrated building
Focus on the common / daily life
Meeting the “Holy” in the common
Meeting Christ in the common / secular
Christians are defined by participation in the suffering of God in the life of the world
Focus on stripping away the religiosity that sets apart the sanctuary from society

Approaching Traditionalism
God is a Being
Above and Beyond this World
Alongside & Over His Creation
Focus on what takes place within the consecrated building
Focus on holy / religious practice
Holy Communion is an individualistic practice withdrawn from the world
“Holy” is not common, but comes from the sanctuary
Focus on meeting Christ in worship retired from the secular world
Christians are defined by their religious acts
Focus on reinforcing the religiosity that sets apart the sanctuary from society

Prayer

Do you pray?

What is prayer?

How do you do it?

Why do you do it?

Looking at prayer can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Surf over to Beauty80’s blog and you will see prayer can be anything you would like it to be.

Do you feel that prayer can be anything?

The Catholic leadership provide guides for prayer.

Is it helpful to have a guide?

If you try to define prayer it always seems like a verb. specifically the verb “to communicate.”

Prayer is the act of attempting to communicate with a deity or spirit.

A practice of communicating with one’s God.

So if prayer is an action word meaning to communicate, it implies something is happening between two parties. Communication 101 says there has to be a sender and a receiver. Communication also implies a two way activity. If you are going to be a sender, doesn’t that also mean you are responsible to be a receiver also? This is two halves to a whole prayer. Simple math.

The question now becomes; do you send out your communication (prayers)? same question worded a bit differently.

Oh, and do you receive communication back? Hmmm…