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  A Prayer Diary

Listening with the ear of my heart~

3/31/2012

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     My blogging days go by so fast. I think I’ve just posted and then realize that that three days have gone by. Chronos and kairos time, all mixed together. The days go by, I lead my life, God is always there. Well, I say “always’ but sometimes I forget God, and then when I remember I am grateful. Of course God is always there, even when I forget God.

    For over a year now, I’ve been saying the Jesus prayer, that prayer of the Way of the Pilgrim, “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me.” It’s become a wonderful habit so that often I find myself saying it unconsciously in my mind. Sometimes I repeat it when I pray for others, saying a particular name in place of “me”.

    The other day I was offered another benefit. I was at the cottage in the recliner on the deck beginning my prayer time. It takes me a while to settle into it, to empty my mind of chatter, so I say the Jesus Prayer. I started, and repeated, “Jesus Christ have mercy on me.” Then I heard, not with my ears, but as Benedict said in his Rule, “Listen with the ear of your heart.” I heard Jesus say, “Here I am.”


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Hear with the ear of your heart~

2/6/2012

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Sun on the beach today.
   In the Prologue of The Rule of St. Benedict we are asked to listen with the ‘ear of your heart’. What a comforting way to listen-- to God, to ourselves or to others.
    When I first set out on my walk today all I could hear with the beeping of construction trucks working on the road. Certainly not what Benedict had in mind. It was difficult to settle into listening with ear of my heart. In fact, I have a long way to go to hear anything in that way. Today the best I could do was to release some of my judgments and chatter when they came up. I felt was a good start because I’m pretty certain that I have a many useless, noisy thoughts blocking my heart.
    Speaking of thoughts, how about this one?  What about seeing with the ‘eye of your heart’?


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Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius

1/21/2012

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     I am not Roman Catholic, nor ever have been, but I’ve always appreciated much that the tradition has offered me as a Christian--the history, the saints and the rich gifts of the various religious orders, to name a few. I’ve read and studied the Rule of St. Benedict and am attracted to it’s invitation to hospitality and living in community. The stories of St. Francis helping the poor are compelling, especially, I must confess, because of my love of Assisi and the Umbrian countryside, and of Giotto’s frescoes in the Church of St. Francesco.

     But for me, I have gained my deepest religious strength from the Society of Jesus, specifically from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, founder of the order, often referred to as the Jesuits. A few years ago I explored, studied, or more to the point, I prayed the Spiritual Exercises with a church lay group. It was a pivotal experience in my life of prayer and in my faith journey.

     I am now returning to those exercises, the catalyst being the book, The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, by James Martin, SJ., suggested to me by a friend. How’s this for the introductory to the Spiritual Exercises?

       “Human beings are created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by means of doing this to save their souls.”

       It’s exciting to begin again. Let the exercises begin!


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St. Benedict

3/28/2011

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From a monk's cell, Fiesoli, Italy
I have four full days remaining at the cottage. Days when I can get up early and sip coffee as I watch morning come; days with all the time in the world to live into my routine of prayer, reading, napping, meditating, walking.
        There is a long history of monastic tradition of prayer, study and work that contemporary writers have explained for those of us drawn to some kind of prayer routine. Joan Chittister, Esther de Wall, Noreen Vest and Kathleen Norris suggest ways for us to apply the Rule of St. Benedict to our own lives.
       I find that keeping a prayer practice gives me enormous comfort, comfort that I lose when I allow my basic prayer routine to wander. When I feel restless and out of sorts, I realize that I have forgotten to keep sight of the spiritual buoys that keep God’s presence in sight. If I want to live a life for God, Benedict points me in the right direction, helping me remain  intentional about the stability, obedience, and humility. A prayer routine is my best way of staying aware of the presence of God in all things.  


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