Contemplative Prayer

Holy Cross is engaging in a process on spiritual discernment about the future of the congregation. As a result, we will have a time of listening for God's word through Advent. In order to help us hear God, we are taking some time to learn about contemplative prayer. This was presented after worship as an introduction to the process. The first 20 minutes of the presentation are background information. Then there's a time for the group to engage in contemplative prayer, followed by a wrap-up.

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The Lord be with you.

Our first question today what is contemplatively prayer? What do you think it is?

Okay.

More waiting than talking.

Thomas Merton a good way of describing Martin died very tragically in the in the shower. He he was standing in the shower and he went to turn on the fan. electrocuted them self

No, no, it was he was traveling somewhere teaching about prayer and and was in this hotel and and so the freaks out from the shower to turn on the on the fan and and died at a fairly young age, but it's not a lot about contempt for the fair. So he had this to say to separate meditation from prayer reading and contemplation is to falsify. Our picture of prayer can template of prayer is a way to find God as a way of resting in God whom we are found who loves us who is near to us who comes to drawers to God self.

So can template of prayer is it is? About finding a way to rest in God. And give him the noise of the aluminum foil at the back.

It's perfect. It's perfect because

There's all sorts of noise in our world right be at something like aluminum foil for bake sales our own thoughts. What's happening in life? There is no noise when we get to that moment of Prayer.

It is hard in the midst of the noise to find a way to rest. So there are two general types of prayer one is kataphatic prayer, which uses words images symbols ideas song. so cap kataphatic prayer would be if I told you to open up the worship book and turn to a particular page to find a prayer right so that you're you're sitting there as the confirmations did yesterday and Confirmation class looking for prayers about the environment, right? There are prayers in our prayer book. About creation and actually I think there's one or two of them in the back corner over there that that they wrote out.

As I said a little bit in the announcement about this during the Reformation scripture was elevated as the most important tool for Discerning God's will.

Which means? We often rely on scripture and we don't often rely on the time of Silence. Some of the the Eastern traditions of the church have maintained this way of contempt of Prayer. In a way that the church is like oz of reformed Traditions have not because we rely so heavily on the scriptures. The other type of prayer is apophatic prayer. You'll notice it doesn't say anything under that one. As it did this one, right? All that's under a prophetic prayer. Is that tiny little killed little squiggle? Because of a prophetic prayer come template of Prayer. The goal is to empty yourself. Stop thinking about. and a thing Which is hard.

And to listen for God to come to you.

So, why would we want to empty ourselves? Why would we want to try and put everything that's going on in life? Around us aside.

This is from some of merchants writings about contemplatively prayer. Every one of us is shadowed by in an illusory person of false self.

We Are Legion, right we all believe things to be true about ourselves that aren't

and it's our false self. the interacts with the world It's our true self that interacts with God.

It is really hard to get to that moment of the true self. This is the person that I want myself to be. But who cannot exist because God does not know anything about that person. Olsen starts from the assumption that my full self the self that exists only in my own egocentric desires. Is the fundamental reality of life to which everything else in the universe is ordered? That's how I use up my life. In the desire for pleasures and the thirst for experiences for power honor knowledge and love. The clothes this fall self and construct. It's nothingness into something objectively real.

So, why would we want to empty ourselves? To find that true self. to find that part of has

deeply understands God's love Right now it's on. theoretical standpoint

But deeply within us.

in a real tangible way and learning to do that. We've got to strip away all of the layers of false self that have been. Our story over our entire lives.

The true self is like a mirror in which God sees the Divine self. godsey's not Al feeling, but God sees the Divine self. A little world to lumens By the Light of Christ an inexhaustible resource for self-sacrificing love a special place where God's name is written. a point of pure Truth at the center of our being Temple for God dwells Centerpoint or apex of the Soul responsive to the Holy Spirit

There is the calmness. In that send her point or apex of the Soul. the dolphin we don't have

somebody came to me on Thursday. I'm not going to say who

and asked me how I was dealing with the future of the congregation. Because quite frankly I'm your biggest expense.

fun But I'm worth it. Thank you Patty.

but the easiest way from a business perspective to make a business viable is to decrease your expenses. It is not necessarily the best way for a Faith organization to do it. but from a business perspective it is

there is a lot of noise running around in my head a lot of days about the future of the hurricane.

I don't know what it means. I don't know what it means for me. I don't know what it means for healing the kids. I don't know what it means to Bank of Montreal who holds my mortgage. You know, I don't know. And I could very easily stay in the warmth of my bed most days with the covers pulled up. And just lay there.

But there is a Centerpoint or Apex of my soul that responds to the working of the holy spirit that gets me out of bed. I'm not always good at being in touch with my true self. I don't think any of those really are. bought it doesn't mean that at times it doesn't come free.

We all have difficult moments in life. We all have days and weeks and months and years that are just playing crappy. right

can template of Prayer? Is the gutters in touch? with the God who loves us at the core of our being

I can't think of another type of prayer that we need more. in the world today I really can't and I don't just mean the Holy Cross and and has individually I'm in the world if people were really in tune with their true self. And more responsive to the Holy Spirit the world would be a different place. So that is why we try this process with contempt of Prayer.

And the big question is how do we actually do that? How do we find the quiet the Stillness the calm the ability to do this?

So this is the process in a nutshell from work called centered living written by basil Pennington. At the beginning of the prayer we take a minute or two to quiet them. It's hard the first time I did this I fell asleep. I was on retreat with the judge what's in Guelph when he 5 years ago and I was in my cell. Trying to do this. And I woke up half an hour later. Went back to my spiritual director and he said how did it go? I said I got so quiet. I fell asleep. It's a good do it again.

And do it again. And do it again.

But taking a minute or two to quiet down is important. And then we move. in faith to God dwelling in our death trying to remove all of those layers.

of our faults self and then at the end of the prayer we take several moments to come out. Mentally praying something like the Lord's Prayer.

as I said

It is not easy.

How we trying to do this? And we trying to focus. on a single simple work that can help us block out everything else.

When I'm standing behind the altar on Sundays, sometimes I'm trying to figure out if the reader is done break baking the bread.

Right, sometimes I'm trying to figure out if been left in time to go to his game, but he's not even here.

I'm trying to figure out if I remember what I wanted to say in my sermon. I'm trying to figure out if I've gone the Creed in the slide deck which I didn't this morning. all sorts of noise can happen

sew a simple word will bring me back.

I can drop all of the the noise of what else is going on in order to refocus.

That word that expresses the response. And we begin to let it repeat itself with an oz. now because we're people of the words people of scripture It is often hard for us to think of. What one word we would want?

If I were to ask you to take a moment of contemplatively prayer to pray about the future of Holy Cross.

They would probably be 87 different words that flood into your mind. right You'd want to pray about the community that you'd want to pray about the ministry that we do you'd want to pray about the finances you'd want to pray about. The the the people that we meet the the chilly half marathon the the good food box the seniors lunch the the people who are sick, there's no wind. 2

to the list of words that can come and so from you take this time and prayer.

How do you find one?

As we get close to remembrance thing. It's really simple if you have just pick the word piece, right?

If you're praying about something other than the end for worldwide Wars. It's hard to find that word the one of the tools that's often used. Was going to take this but one pass them around is to find a word in Scripture.

so in your time of quieting of

I've trying to get more in touch. with that true self you slowly. Read over a a passage of scripture.

Eventually one word. should pop Act And maybe two or three?

Pick one who really doesn't matter which one it is.

and as to try to slow things down to calm things down your thoughts will wander off. It's natural.

But you bring this one word back into your mind. Over and over again to bring you back to that place of Commerce. now

most

most writers on contemplatively prayer would say but you need a minimum of 20 minutes to do this.

If I put you through 20 minutes of this right now.

You're all going to be asleep.

It's just the natural reaction to this. So I'm going to put you through a lot less than 20 minutes. Okay, so what I want you to do. Just individually set read the passage over find one word In this passage. That speaks to you. and then

repeat that word. As everything else floats away. Just in your own head.

Once you've got to a point where you feel that bit of inner calm.

Begin to ask the question. Of how do you live out that word?

Now this scripture passage that you've gone.

I did not choose at random.

Those of you who are council members will know for this scripture passage came from I asked the council.

The pic a Biblical passage that they thought reflected. Where Holy Cross was that at this point? This is what we came up with.

So take a moment. Read the passage over again. Find a word.

sit in Stillness

when you've gone that moment. of Stillness

your prayer becomes how do I look that out? It may not be one of the words that's physically on the paper.

But don't be a word that comes to you after reading this.

Our Father in heaven Hallowed be your name Your kingdom come your will be done on Earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and Deliver Us from Evil for the kingdom the power and the glory are yours. now and forever

that was five minutes.

How easy was it? not not

Yeah, I meant for that one word. but you keep in your mind brings you back. Okay, it's not easy. As Merchants has in the beginning we have to force ourselves to be silent night. It's hard to block out everything else. It is really hard to discern God's will. It's really easy to figure out what what we want. I know what I want. But what God wants it the whole other conversation?

But then there is born something that draws us to silence.

If only you practice this Untold light will Dawn on you in consequence.

After a file, let certain sweetness is born in the heart of the exercise. And the body is drawn almost by force. to remain in silence

This is a spiritual discipline. But you need to practice. This is not something that easily comes as I said about my first experience with this with the Jesuits in Guelph. Okay, go fall asleep again. Do it again and again and again. Eventually, it gets easier and then it gets harder and then it gets easier. And you come back. To your word your word maybe a different word every day. It does not need to be the same thing. You have not decided that this is your word for the rest of your life that you must pray.

He's our lives change how we interact with the text change how we interact with God changes. But there is a certain peace and knowing our true selves that does come from this.

I'm curious. as the what some of the words were is anybody willing to say what their word was?

right

So what were some of the other words?

Any other words that people want to share?

other other words

Daddy could have made any wind, right? Yeah, I could have been but but cheap plonk, but came out of the cardboard box, right?

Right. It could have been the the watered-down bottle on the on the back of the bar, right?

So so just this simple exercise. and in the few words that were shared appreciate now how difficult it is going to be to discern the will of the entire car gation.

If we take this one tax than interact with it in these different ways. Justin 5 minutes

it's going to be hard. When we get to the point of discerning God's will for the entire car gation. Right because you see water you see Glory you see generosity.

I see them all in all of you.

Right, and how has as a group?

Do we discern collectively?

So I know some people has been frustrated with the speed of the looking forward process. We've heard those comments clearly.

But there's a reason for it to take this long.

Because it's hard to get in touch with the true self of the Kardasian. Right. That's what we were seeking. Who is Holy Cross at its core?

Who is it? But God loves here. I don't mean who was in you and not you and you would.

But who is it that God loves here in what we do as a collective.

That takes time.

That takes some silent. That takes some willingness to risk and to share the words that come to us that are different from each others.

It also takes some Quiet Moments and calmness and Stillness. I hear each other's words.

This is not an easy process. It is something that we need to practice over and over again. It is something that at times I can do well. And I'm standing behind the Altar and I'm thinking eight different things. And a word can come and I can get back to what I'm doing. And there are times that I know what that word is.

I'm repeating that. It's not working.

And I stay with it. Because eventually it comes.

So I encourage you to take some time. Maybe not today.

But throat the next little while. the practice contemplatively prayer we put That's What God Says. But take some time use the scripture if you want use different scripture if you want to find a word if you're more creative than I am. You don't necessarily need a text. Some people will will use a piece of art that conveys the word for them to bring themselves back to censor themselves back. One of the exercises that we did on retreat with the judgments was we would create an art piece mine sort of look like kindergarten school crafts as a way to focus ourselves back that that embodied that word.

And so encouraging. It is something like I said that that needs practice it is it is not easy, but it is so rewarding when you get there. It really is life-changing.

Oh, yes. There are there are there are groups within our church from coast to coast to coast that will dwell with a particular text for a year. And it is amazing how different. That text is each time the group comes and counters that again. So as I as I said is it's not necessarily going to be a the same word each time.