Solitude
Just a few weeks ago, we delved into the importance of having
a healthy prayer life. One of the points
that was stressed was that prayer is not a form of one-way communication, it is
in fact a dialogue. In dialogue, each
participant is given the opportunity to speak and each has the responsibility
to listen. That is what creates a
healthy relationship. Each person
recognizes the value of the others thoughts and desires and gains satisfaction
in that he or she is being heard as well.
In prayer, we like to talk.
We like to pour out our ardent pleas for God to hear us. We ask for God to give us some sense of
direction or at least the knowledge that we are being heard. Yet, we so often feel disappointed when we
feel like our prayers have gone unanswered or even unheard.
Though we may not always recognize it, God does hear our
prayers. God also answers them, but not
always when we expect or how we want.
Too often we want God to answer in ways that is unmistakable and
clear. We hope for a thunderous
baritone voice, reminiscent of James Earl Jones, booming out step-by-step
instructions. When all we get is
silence, we feel rejected.
But friends, there is something mystical about silence. It is one of the few golden moments that we
still have to enjoy. Let’s face it, our
world is no longer designed for moments of silence. From the moment a child is born, it is now
inundated with sounds that demand attention.
Noise is now becoming the norm, especially for those who were born since
the advent of television. I, for one, am
one who craves some type of noise, even if it is just background noise. As I type this, the television is on, with
the volume just high enough to be heard, but not enough to captivate my
attention. Or does it?
In the past few months, I have been trying to rediscover for
myself the discipline of solitude. I
can’t kid you; it’s hard. I like to be
around others. I like to hear other
voices. Silence is too
uncomfortable. It seems unnatural…at
first.
Slowly, I am beginning to understand that being away from
others and away from excess background noise doesn’t’ mean that we are
alone. It really helps us to recognize
the One who is always with us, but we are too preoccupied to recognize. I am also beginning to see that solitude
isn’t as unnatural as I had thought. It
is actually liberating! Taking time away
from all the “stuff” that this world piles on us frees us to reconnect with the
One who knows us the best and loves us the most.
But times of solitude may not always provide the clear
direction that we seek and crave. In
those times, we may only get an inkling of an idea. But we may not be sure that it is God
speaking to us. Afterall, with all the
voices that speaks to us, how can we be sure that it is God speaking to us and
not some other voice?
This question leads us into the second part of this session –
meditation. When we begin to get some
idea that God may be speaking to us, we need to verify if it is God. History is filled with many disastrous and
evil events that were done in God’s name.
Some may have simply been misinterpreted as God’s will when they really
had a different source of origin.
Through periods of meditation though, God provides the
confirmation that we need. We can
meditate through many means, but two that I have incorporated into my
discernment is study of scripture and reading devotionals and other
literature. Since we have already
discussed in some great detail the power within biblical study, lets look at
the latter, reading other materials.
It may surprise you, but whatever situation you may find
yourself in, you are not the first to have experienced or struggled with
it. Every situation that can be
conceived has been dealt with before.
More over, some Godly person has probably written about it too. Personally, I find it comforting to realize
in the times of my deepest despair, someone else has been there and God has
seen them through. I can learn from them. I can see that God sometimes works in
mysterious ways. I can see that since
God worked with them through their problems, God will work with me too, because
I too am God’s precious child.
Now, before I close, let me strongly urge you to begin this
holy habit soon (as with each of these twelve).
Find the time or make the time to begin getting into a daily routine of
having time for solitude and meditation.
Also, you may later want to try to plan to regularly spend time away
from all other people for a day or maybe a weekend and spend it with God. Don’t wait till you are desperately seeking
answers. God often works ahead of us,
providing the resources that we will need at a later time. So when we read devotionals or other literary
works and meditate on them, what we glean may not have relevance right now, but
will have a profound impact at a later time.
When we are alone, in solitude with God, God may begin planting a seed
that may not bear fruit for many years.
But because we’ve been talking with God about it and meditating
about it, we’ll know it’s there.
As with all of these holy habits, this will take time to
develop. It takes time to “fine tune”
our God-listening ear and it requires our constant attention because it will be
very easy to lose.
Now, excuse me, but I think I am going to turn the TV off and
spend some time alone with my God. Maybe
you should too!
Practices in Meditation
Repetitive techniques—Repetitive methods have the advantage of
being relatively easy. The calm repetition of a word, phrase, or short petition
calms the mind, and allows one to begin entering the sacred Presence of God.
- Breath prayers—Many possibilities, silent or softly
spoken. I breathe in Your peace, and breathe out my worry, for example. These
can often be done with physical exercise, such as walking.
- Mantra—A prayer that quietly, slowly, mindfully repeats
a prayer phrase or word, like "Maranatha," (Fr. John Main)
or "My God and my All" (St. Francis). Many mantras are also breath
prayers, silently spoken with the rhythm of the breath.
- The Jesus Prayer—Perhaps the most time-honored Christian
mantra prayer, practiced in the Eastern Churches for about 1600 years. There
are many variations, ranging from: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have
mercy on me a sinner," to simply the name of Jesus. Traditionally, one
progresses in this discipline in three stages: praying it out loud, praying it
silently with the breath, and praying it in the heart.
Contemplative techniques - These
usually require a quiet place. "Contemplation" in Christian
meditation traditions has a meaning quite different from its everyday meaning
of "mulling things over." Contemplation literally means "time
together" and time together with God is the beginning and the end of
contemplation.
-
Slow prayer—St. Teresa of Avila recommended this technique to
another nun: Pray the Lord's Prayer, but take an hour to pray it. Spend a few
minutes entering into each individual phrase, until it becomes truly the prayer of your heart and you become the prayer.
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- Contemplative Prayer, or Contemplation—just
quietly, lovingly being completely with God. This is probably the hardest kind
of meditative prayer, because you're not seeking any experience, thought, word,
or feeling for yourself, just Him alone. The idea in contemplation is to just be,
and just love, without "meditating" per se, or even
thinking. And in just being with and loving God, you will
spend "quality time" with God, the source of your being.
- Awareness of Being—Begin with simple awareness that you are,
that you exist, here and now. Sense your own being, and rest in it. The
second stage is this: as you become fully aware of your being, realize that God
is your being, and rest in awareness of his being, your shared being.
- Centering Prayer—Popular in many Catholic circles—it's a
specific technique of contemplative prayer which uses a short "prayer
word" such as "God," "love," "Spirit," or
"Jesus" to quiet the mind when distracting thoughts intrude. Another
technique is to use a mental image as the "prayer word."
- Lectio Divina—(pronounced lekt-see-o di-vee-na)
"Spiritual reading" of the scriptures or any other spiritual writings.
This is a combination method which has been practiced for centuries by
Benedictine and Trappist monks and nuns. The four steps of lectio divina
tie together Scripture reading, prayer, visualization and contemplation.
Usually a very short passage is recommended, a sentence at most, and perhaps
only a word.
- Reading (lectio)—slowly until you reach a verse, or perhaps even just a word that speaks to you.
- Praying (oratio)—repeating it prayerfully, slowing, invoking God's help and presence in "entering in."
- Meditation (meditatio)—This can be many different things, from "slow prayer" to visualization. If the passage is a scene from the Gospels, for instance, you might picture yourself talking with Christ or other figures in the scene. If the passage is a simple word, slow prayer and merging with the word might be your meditatio.
- Contemplation (contemplatio)—resting quietly and lovingly in God. See contemplation, above.
Mindfulness techniques—Mindfulness is moving meditation to
the next level, taking the awareness beyond the meditation seat and into your
whole life. The goal of mindfulness is living life deliberately in the
Presence of God, and not "sleepwalking" throughout the day. God is
always with us, but we can't be aware of His Presence with us in this
moment without awareness—mindfulness—in this moment. Mindfulness makes all time
sacred time.
- Being in the present moment. Be aware of where you are,
what you're doing, who you're with. Focus on the here and the now.
- Every act is a rite. As much as possible, keep a sense
of holiness throughout even the most mundane tasks. You might even tell
yourself, "Here I take the sacred shower," or "now I quiet my
holy screaming little 'gift from God!'"
- Every act is a prayer. Lifting up the "Holy
Sparks" of God for everyone in everything that you do. Dedicate ordinary
actions like running, walking, cleaning a room, as prayer to help a friend,
promote peace, etc. If you're experiencing pain, you might offer it as a
personal sacrifice to God, or as a prayer for another.
- Practicing the Presence of God—Keeping a mindful
awareness of God, around and within you throughout the day.
-Excerpt
from The Voice in the Stillness
http://www.frimmin.com/faith/meditation.html
JOURNAL QUESTIONS
1. Reflect on your sermon notes and journal reading from today.
GROUP EXERCISE
10 minutes - Community Building (informal time of gathering)
10 minutes - Sharing of Concerns and Praises
5 minutes - Prayer for One Another
30 minutes - Discussion of Topic
- What journal entry would you like to share?
- Do you think solitude and meditation will be a waste of time?
- How often do you spend time in solitude and/or meditation?
- What can you do to prepare for this time?
- How can you begin developing this discipline as a habit?
5 minutes - Wrap Up/Closing Prayer
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