From stillness to Stillness

This is a re-post from 2011, but does shed some LIGHT on my journey… pun intended!

“Be still, and know that I am God.”  Psalm 46:10

     In previous posts I have mentioned how I added stillness to my prayer routine at the beginning of 2010.  I have also mentioned that it transformed my life.  My prayer life was already full and rich.  Over the years I felt I had a close relationship with God.  I tried to follow what I thought was His will for my life, but because I was doing all the talking, I could never be sure.

     Sitting still was not in my repertoire; it was not something that would come easily for me.  I was a busy woman.  I had a life!  Too many others depended on me.  I didn’t I had time to be still.  After coming up with my 2010 personal mission statement, in which I vowed to add stillness to my prayer time, I had to at least give it a try.  If I wanted to know where God was leading me, I needed to listen to Him.  When I ask God to lead me to ‘what is mine to do’, I need to wait for an answer!

     At first, I had to really fight for it.  I had to will myself to sit there, mind racing, toes tapping, and nose twitching!  I realized this was not going to happen at all if I didn’t develop some sort or routine to prepare me to sit there.  I needed to calm myself in order to calm my mind.  So, I did what I do best, talked.  I asked God if He was there?  There is an old adage, don’t ask if you don’t want to know!

     Actually, first, I created a place in my room conducive to prayer and meditation.  I placed artwork and religious symbols there to help me focus.  I created the following routine to facilitate stillness.  I began by reading in my Bible, other inspirational materials, and daily devotionals.  Just prior to stillness I read specific prayers that helped me to center my thoughts on Him, and to consecrate myself to Him.  Only then did I ask, “Are you there, Lord?”  Ever since the very first time, the answer is always the same, “Yes, Martha, I am here.  Remember, I am always here, for I am in you and you are in Me.”  I reply, “Yes, Lord, I remember.  You are in me and I am in You.”  He says, “Well, then, Martha, be still.  Know that I and God.”  And, I answer, “Yes, Lord, I will be still, for you are my God…”  I bow my head and envision Jesus placing His hands in blessing upon my head.

     Right from the beginning I began to realize there was something different about this prayer time.  I felt He was leading me.  Right from the start I felt there were things that needed to be written down.  I began to keep a daily journal of what was happening during my time in stillness before Him.  At first, it was somewhat disjointed; just simple statements that I felt led to write down.  As I fully realized what was happening I began to keep a more detailed record, writing down exactly what was taking place and exactly what I felt He wanted said.  I was determined not to add anything of myself.  I emphasized words that He emphasized.  Often times it would come so fast that I would write in a frenzy afterwards, lest I forget!  Over time He led me to start writing while in the stillness.

     It was at this point “Journey Through The Stillness” was born.  It was at this point that stillness became Stillness.  I was truly in His presence.  I was both humble and awed.  I asked how He could deign to speak with me, and the answer was always the same, “I love you, you are my child.”  I soon learned that with this blessing came responsibility.  Prayer time would never be the same!  In The Stillness I discerned what was mine to do, and ever since, I have faithfully tried to carry out His will.  I have stepped out in faith, and I have been stretched in ways beyond anything I could imagine.  At His bidding, I share my very private, personal spiritual journal publicly on Facebook for all who care to follow along.  At His bidding, I have developed this website and daily blog, where He never ceases to amaze me, as He provides all that is necessary to accomplish His goals.  I am in awe of Him.

     Stillness has transformed me; it has transformed my life.  I, now, cannot imagine my prayer life without Stillness.  Make it a priority to add stillness to your prayer life, and then, make sure you wait for an answer.  My prayer is that it will go from stillness to Stillness for you also.  Seek his presence … He is already there, waiting for you.

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Saint Teresa of Avila

Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you.  All things are passing away; God alone is unchanging.  Patience obtains everything.  God alone suffices.   (Saint Teresa of Avila)

Pope Benedict XVI –  excerpts from his General Audience, February 2, 2011 – on St. Teresa of Avila:

“… Today I would like to begin a brief series of meetings to complete the presentation on the Doctors of the Church and I am beginning with a Saint who is one of the peaks of Christian spirituality of all time — St Teresa of Avila [also known as St Teresa of Jesus]. …

… It is far from easy to sum up in a few words Teresa’s profound and articulate spirituality. I would like to mention a few essential points. In the first place St Teresa proposes the evangelical virtues as the basis of all Christian and human life and in particular, detachment from possessions, that is, evangelical poverty, and this concerns all of us; love for one another as an essential element of community and social life; humility as love for the truth; determination as a fruit of Christian daring; theological hope, which she describes as the thirst for living water. Then we should not forget the human virtues: affability, truthfulness, modesty, courtesy, cheerfulness, culture. …

… Prayer is life and develops gradually, in pace with the growth of Christian life: it begins with vocal prayer, passes through interiorization by means of meditation and recollection, until it attains the union of love with Christ and with the Holy Trinity. Obviously, in the development of prayer climbing to the highest steps does not mean abandoning the previous type of prayer. Rather, it is a gradual deepening of the relationship with God that envelops the whole of life. …

 … Another subject dear to the Saint is the centrality of Christ’s humanity. For Teresa, in fact, Christian life is the personal relationship with Jesus that culminates in union with him through grace, love and imitation. Hence the importance she attaches to meditation on the Passion and on the Eucharist as the presence of Christ in the Church for the life of every believer, and as the heart of the Liturgy. …

… Dear brothers and sisters, St Teresa of Jesus is a true teacher of Christian life for the faithful of every time. In our society, which all too often lacks spiritual values, St Teresa teaches us to be unflagging witnesses of God, of his presence and of his action. She teaches us truly to feel this thirst for God that exists in the depths of our hearts, this desire to see God, to seek God, to be in conversation with him and to be his friends.

This is the friendship we all need that we must seek anew, day after day. May the example of this Saint, profoundly contemplative and effectively active, spur us too every day to dedicate the right time to prayer, to this openness to God, to this journey, in order to seek God, to see him, to discover his friendship and so to find true life; indeed many of us should truly say: “I am not alive, I am not truly alive because I do not live the essence of my life”.

Therefore time devoted to prayer is not time wasted, it is time in which the path of life unfolds, the path unfolds to learning from God an ardent love for him, for his Church, and practical charity for our brothers and sisters. Many thanks.”

  © Copyright 2011 – Libreria Editrice Vaticana

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Have You Loved Well?

 “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”  1 Corinthians 13:1-3

     In today’s post I am sharing some excerpts from a beautiful book, Seeing What Is Sacred by Ken Gire.  It is a book meant to help us become “more spiritually sensitive to the everyday moments of life.”

     Gire writes, “The closer I get to the end of my life, it seems the only question that matters.  Is the life I am living pleasing to God?

     The question will keep you up nights.  And it should.  As we pull covers to our chin and settle into our pillow, that’s the question that should bring our day into the presence of God for His scrutiny.  Did the life I lived today please you, God?”

     Gire goes on to point out that there is really only one question to ask ourselves before dropping off to sleep each night.  “Only one.  Have I loved well?” 

     He then quotes Saint Augustine.  “When asked the secret of living the Christian life, Augustine replied: ‘Love God, and do as you please.”  Gire says, “The thought of that is both liberating and confining.  Liberating because it means we are free to do whatever we want.  Confining because it means our love for God sets the boundaries of that freedom.  It guides every thought, every action, every conversation.  And it does every minute of the day, every day of our life.  Instead of a Byzantine complexity of laws to regulate the details of our life, we have only one.  The love of God.  When that is the heart of who we are, it changes what we do.  And it changes something else.  How we will be judged.”

     He continues, “St. John of the Cross once said that ‘at the evening of our day we shall be judged by our loving.’  As we look back over our day, what we have done is not as important has how we have done it.”

     Are you living a life pleasing to God?  Tonight before you drop of to sleep ask yourself this one question.  Have I loved well today?  If not, plan to love better tomorrow.

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Morning Prayer

     A beautiful way to begin each morning in prayer is to offer oneself and everything in the day to come up to God… 

Prayer:  My Lord, and my God.  Today I offer up to You all distractions, sufferings, consolations, and joy.  I offer up to you all that I think, do, and say; all that I am.  May all that I offer be pleasing to You and serve as a constant prayer on behalf of all souls, both living and dead; especially those souls in purgatory; those souls who will die this day, and those dying at this very moment; those most in need of thy mercy; and most especially those souls who are not seeking You, who do not hear You knock.  If this be pleasing, Lord, then I also offer up to You the souls I love the most; my husband, children, and myself.  All this I ask in your name, Lord, through your most Holy and Immaculate Mother, Mary; through your Divine Mercy; and through your Most Sacred Heart within.  Amen. (April 20, 2010 – Journey Through The Stillness, written by Martha Wiggins)

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In The Name Of The Lord

 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”  Colossians 3:12-17

     You are His chosen one, a child of God created in His image and likeness.  You are called to be holy in your everyday life, to live each day by following in the footsteps of Jesus.  These verses from Colossians give a blueprint for doing so.

      When Jesus walked this earth He treated all He met with compassion and love, kindness and patience.  If you had been there He would have treated you in the same way.  You weren’t there, but He is here.  Treat all as if He was right there with you.  Treat yourself as if He is there inside you.  He is.

     Let the word of Christ dwell richly in you.  You are His chosen one.  Do all and be all in the name of the Lord Jesus!

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Memorial Day Thoughts

     The spiritual hymn, Let There Be Peace On Earth, and The Prayer of Saint Francis just seem to me to be appropriate for Memorial Day.  So many have sacrificed that I might be free.  They have given much, and many have given all.  They sacrificed with their lives for me just as Jesus did.  I am sure those who died in service will have a place of honor in heaven.  Thank you to all who serve today that I may live a life of freedom in the land of the free!  The best way I know to thank them is to live a life of peace… to let it begin with me.

Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth
The peace that was meant to be.
With God as our Father
Brothers all are we.
Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me,
Let this be the moment now.
With ev’ry step I take
Let this be my solemn vow;
To take each moment and live
Each moment in peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.

 

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

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A Simple Bible Meditation

     “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”  Luke 5:10

     Today I am sharing my own written meditation on Luke, chapter five, verses one through eleven.  I begin with my usual prayer: “Through your most Holy Word, Lord, I invite you into my heart.  Transform me according to your will.”  I read through the passage slowly, knowing every single word is important to the message.  I envision myself there; as one listening to the conversation between Simon Peter and Jesus.  Watching Jesus teach offshore from the boat, I notice how soft spoken He is, how the crowd is silent, how they lean forward to hear every word this man has to say about them and how they live.  When He asks Simon Peter to recast his nets after a long fruitless night of doing so, the first thing I hear is ‘BUT’.  Ah, I blush, for this would be my exact reaction.  I would explain, make excuses.  As Simon, I too would obey … but first I would say, “Jesus, I just want you to know I already tried that!”  (As if He didn’t already know!)  Then I would obey, with doubt, just like Simon Peter.

     As I continue to read, I realize that Simon’s obedience was an act of faith, of trust in Our Lord, even in the midst of doubt.  And then it comes, the blessing, the overflowing bountiful catch, the miracle.  Jesus always rewards trust with blessing.  Simon Peter’s reaction after receiving such a gift is to  immediately feel unworthy, guilty.  He humbles himself before Jesus to the point of begging Him to stay away.  He feels he is too unworthy for Jesus to even be seen with.  What does Jesus do?  As always, when we humble ourselves before Him, He forgives in Love.  We become His beloved, and there is so much Love we cannot help but follow Him.  Now, He uses us.  Yes, with all of our buts, doubts, unworthiness, and guilt, He uses us.  We are transformed by His blessing and we are called to follow.  Just as He did with Simon Peter, He will call us, and His Love will pull us to Him.

     This is one example of one verse.  There are so many more to choose from.  Don’t worry about not knowing how, just open your own Bible and pick one.  Envision yourself as part of the story.  This is how I meditate, and when inspired to do so, write.  I allow Him to use me, even though I know my unworthiness, because I know He will take my efforts and make them whole.  He will make them worthy in His sight.  He will do the same for you.

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Lord, You Are God The Father

Lord, You are God the Father.

Forgive me, Lord, when I forget that you have created all, and as Father of all, reign supreme.

Thank you, Lord, for creating me, granting me life here on earth, and the hope of Life to come.  Help me to live a life worthy.

Amen.

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Live In Jesus

     The crucifix represents suffering on behalf of another… His, for us.  It also represents saving grace… our redemption.

      Jesus Christ was crucified on behalf of the world.  Through His saving grace we are redeemed.

     Don’t be fooled into thinking you can set Jesus aside, live a life of sin without any responsibility and still walk through the gates of heaven.  Yes, He died to save you, but you must live in Him to be saved.

     Jesus gave everything for you at the request of God, His Father, our Father, our Creator.  He became man, was crucified, died, was buried, and rose up on the third day.  He died to save us, He rose up to give us Life.  He is the portal, the gate through which we must pass to enter Life Eternal.  Live in Him; Live through Him.  Give everything for Him as He did for you.

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Goal Of Suffering?

      Let us face it.  Some sufferings are easier than others.  We can suffer through something we don’t enjoy with relative ease because we know the outcome, know that it too shall pass and things will be back to normal.  Sometimes we are very willing to take on suffering, whether it be out of love to help someone, or out of ego for the accolades we will receive.  While these types of sufferings may be uncomfortable or even a pain in the neck, they are managed.

     What about suffering that is unbearable, that we did not volunteer or ask for, that is long term and the outcome uncertain?  What about watching loved ones suffer through something out of their control, out of our control?  We all know those who bear great pain and suffering loudly, boorishly, and with great turmoil in their own lives and those who love them, but we also know those who bear great pain and suffering graciously, with great patience and great dignity.  Both of these suffering types might have truly have great faith in God.  The difference may be partially attributed to personality, but I believe it is due more to a lack of knowledge about suffering.  When linked to our faith, linked to God in a personal manner, suffering takes on the form of grace in the soul.

     Fr. Benedict Groeschel, a Catholic Priest widely seen on EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network).  In 2004, Fr. Groeschel suffered severe injuries after being struck by an automobile in Orlando, Florida.  With head injuries and broken bones, he experienced a 20 minute period where he had no blood pressure, heartbeat or pulse.  Then, a few days later he suffered a trauma triggered heart attack that was nearly fatal.  After months of recovery he was left with limited use of his right arm and difficulty in walking.  Later that same year, he returned to preaching and giving retreats full time.  He was quoted in the New York Times, fours years later:  “They said I would never live.  I lived.  They said I would never think.  I think.  They said I would never walk.  I walked.  They said I would never dance, but I never danced anyway.”

     The following is an excerpt from an interview given by Fr. Groeschel after the 2004 accident:  “Bishop Sheen used to say that there is nothing worse than wasted suffering. And that is certainly true. I was taught by the sisters long ago in Catholic school to unite my sufferings, works, and prayers each day with Christ, and I continue to do that through the heart of Mary. It gave great meaning to me while I was in the hospital and idle, unable to work for the salvation of souls, to be able to offer the pains and the patience required by them as a prayer for the world.

“You have to be careful with suffering. One has to be careful not to enjoy it, or focus on it, or expand it too much. Then suffering becomes the goal. The goal is not suffering; the goal is loving patience, offered to God as best one can. And the humility to admit that we don’t do this very well. One of the things I learned from my illness is that over and over again we have to tell God that we really trust Him. Trusting in God is not one action; it’s an ongoing way of life.”

—Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R.
From an Ignatius Insight interview after his near-fatal accident in 2004.

     Two things stand out to me.  First is that suffering has a goal, which is loving patience.  Through our suffering we learn to wait on God’s timing, to trust in His will.  He doesn’t pretend that is easy, just desired as the goal to be obtained.

     Second, is that we need humility to suffer graciously and with dignity.  We must admit that we don’t cope perfectly with our suffering, that we sometimes fail, want to give up, or get mad at God for our suffering.  We must admit it and humbly ask His forgiveness and help in overcoming it.

     While some suffering is fleeting or short lived, and some is deeply felt and long lived, loving patience is the goal, and humility is the by product.  When we unite our suffering to God, to the suffering of His Beloved Son on the Cross, we see beyond our suffering to His plan for our life.  That plan has a goal also, Eternal Life with Him whose loving patience with us seeks only to draw us to Him.  When we are able to suffer in union with Christ we are in full communion with Him.  Life Eternal is our reward.

     My heart goes out to all who suffer, whatever the cause.  I pray the Lord will bless you through your suffering and draw you into a deeper fuller relationship with Him. 

 

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