Category: Sister Judy (Page 219 of 271)

Devotions based on David Benner’s book, Soulful Spirituality

St. Irenaeus reminds us, “God is glorified when we are fully alive.” The lifelong journey for all of us human beings involves growth in freedom, an opening up of our hearts to others, stepping out from behind the walls of our fears and prejudice, and discovering our humanity.  Being fully human is choice and involves living with a commitment to becoming, not simply to being.   We are human beings, not human doings!  There is a drive within us to become all that we can be. We are always evolving, always changing. Authentic spirituality grows out of emptiness. Often we are too full of ourselves, our opinions, our needs, our projects to know our deep hunger.  “Authentic spirituality leaves room for mystery and thus helps us preserve the lightness of being that is our heritage as creatures of dust and breath.”  If we approach our spiritual life with a need for understanding or wanting an ecstatic experience, we experience heaviness, not lightness.  When we are open to the Spirit we open ourselves to mysteries of life and faith. As we become fully human we will be alive in the present moment, grounded in reality, have inner freedom, be non-possessive in our love, be forgiving and respectful of others, etc. Let us not allow things to get in the way to becoming fully alive, and may we become all we can be!

Devotions based on David Benner’s book, Soulful Spirituality

How do we respond to our deepest longings and desires that we all have?  Benner gives 3 ways that we deal with them. The first way is ego-inflation where we pursue the gratification without much attempt to channel the energy. This may be a life of boundless sexuality, boundless creativity, boundless euphoria etc. If we live from this place we will burn out fast. The second way is ego-deflation where we try to shut down the desires. But this is like a slow death by boredom or depression and leads to alienation from our selves and others. This is why depressed people turn in upon themselves. This shutting down of our longings cuts us off our very life vitality. The third way is ego-integration and this shows up with a zest for living. “Life- enhancing spirituality directs our passionate longing and desiring in ways that allow them to be integrated into the fabric of life.” This means we embrace rather than repress our passions and then draw energy from them to live life with abundance.  This kind of spirituality involves our whole person and helps us become fully alive and deeply human. It is not an escape from anything but the completion and integration of every aspect of life. Let us say yes to God as we open ourselves in trust and surrender!

Devotions based on David Benner’s book, Soulful Spirituality

Life is a journey of becoming our true self in God. Spirituality can and should help us become all that we, as humans, can be.. “Any religion or spirituality that seeks to make us less than, more than, or other than human is dangerous.”

Our bodies connect us to the truth of ourselves, our world and others. We can’t distance ourselves from our bodies by retreating into the world of thoughts and beliefs. It is not a matter of just correct theology and beliefs. We need faith placed in the person of Christ. We may speak of a personal relationship with God but think that it is based on holding the right beliefs. Cherishing thoughts about God does not replace cherishing God, Himself. Spirituality is not just about practices either. We can read our Bibles and do all the right things but miss the relationship.  Some go through life in a fog and miss the awareness of Him. “Religious practices that fail to make us truly alive and deeply human are the ones that restrict the wonderful and the extraordinary to the religious realm of life.”  We can get so busy trying to be a good Christian that we miss His genuine presence.   We can get caught up chasing spiritual blessings or insights that we have no inner space and stillness to be present to Him and to others. Let us make the spiritual journey toward deep, authentic personhood and become all that we can be. Each of us is unique and let us start where we are actually at and not where we think we should be.

Devotions based on Albert Haase’s book, This Sacred Moment

When we are led by the Spirit we will be open to the unmet needs of others in this present moment. Our commitment is characterized by four more traits of the Spirit’s fruit as found in Gal. 5: love, kindness, generosity, and faithfulness. Love is the motivating force behind our openness to needs of others. When we show love to our enemy it is the acid test of whether we are living in the Spirit or still a slave to our own ego. It’s not so much about an emotion but more about a decision  to love them, do good to them, lend to them etc. ( Luke 6:29-35) When guided by the Spirit we overcome the temptation to retaliate, or to balance the scales of justice. When we are open to their need it is what self-emptying is all about. Kindness makes a person sparkle with self-forgetfulness and compassion for others. It lies behind the acts of our charity and hospitality. One man decided that he would perform one deliberate act of charity each day during Lent. He was clearly sowing the seed of the new life of the Spirit. Generosity is closely connected to kindness and makes a person big-hearted- sharing time, talents, and treasuresl. This trait comes from the conviction that God can be trusted to provide all of our needs so hoarding is not an option. It may mean not just giving from our surplus but giving from our own daily need as the church in Macedonia did in II Cor. 8:1-5.  The Spirit also guides us in the way of faithfulness and it is about being loyal, trustworthy, and reliable. Faithfulness is also about being “full of faith”. It is loyalty and trust in God despite the obstacles placed in our paths. The Spirit is the source of our holiness and let us live by the Spirit and walk by the Spirit.

Devotions based on Albert Haase’s book, This Sacred  Moment

How do we discern the Spirit’s presence in our lives?  Sometimes we forget to give full rein to the Spirit and to follow His lead, and not our own. “A selfless response to God’s call in this sacred moment is a reliable indicator that we are living in the Spirit and stoking the Spirit’s fire in our lives.” Whether we are talking about Spiritual formation or spirituality, the H.S. plays a decisive role. Isn’t it neat that God gifts us with His Spirit without measure?  Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom and that also means freedom from the ego and freedom for the enrichment of others and the community. The life lived in the Spirit is characterized by the fruit of the Spirit found in Gal. 5. The first 5 traits are the fruit of selflessness.  TO live in the Spirit is to experience a life of joy and peace that is rooted deep within our hearts, not just superficial exuberance.  Patience is another trait that expands our hearts. It gives us the ability to accept delay or tolerate trouble and suffering with trustful surrender.  It also is expressed in the willingness to persevere and persist. Gentleness is another fruit found in those who no longer have to get their way or control and manipulate. It is putting everything into God’s hands and saying, “Let it be done to me according to your will.”  Self-control is about interior freedom instead of being weighed down by ego demands. How freeing it is when we can become empty of self and let His joy, peace, patience, gentleness and self-control be expressed in our lives.

Devotions based on Albert Haase’s book, This Sacred Moment

At the heart of Jesus teaching is denying and losing one’s life for the sake of others. A good example is Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity. As a priest, Haase never met women so committed to a life of such self-lessness for the sake of others. He experienced joy and happiness just being with them and seeing their lives of compassion and concern for others. As they imitated Christ’s example they were freed from the selfishness of the ego.
Jesus also reminds us the uselessness of worry and anxiety .( Matt. 6:25-34)  and to trustfully surrender to what is before us in this present moment.  Faith overcomes fear and anxiety as it is focused on the Lord and not the ego. We are told to selflessly respond to the present moment when our ego would rather postpone a response because of personal inconvenience etc. But we need to be watchful for an encounter with God in any and every ordinary moment. Let us be selflessly open to Him in this sacred moment.

Devotions based on Albert Haase’s book, This Sacred Moment

I wonder how often we are hindered from responding to God’s call in our lives by an emotional attachment to self-concern, self-image, Self-gratification, or self-preservation.When we are self-concerned we are focused on ourselves and our own interests that obstruct a selfless response to what is sacred in this moment. At the time we might ask ourselves, What’s in it for me? And then if we don’t like the answer we decide not to respond at all.An excessive focus on our self-image can also hinder us. We might have an over-concern for what people think of us and not be our true self. It gives God great pleasure when we become what He created us to be rather than duplicating someone else’s path to holiness.When our ego is invested in Self-gratification, it may show up in and indulgent lifestyle that lacks self-control or is fixated on pleasure, power and possessions. It is the opposite of self-emptying for the sake of others. Sometimes we must meet the need of the sacred moment by stepping out in faith immediately at great risk. It may not be convenient but we need to be on God’s time table. When Jesus called the disciples they left their nets and responded on the spot!Another ego obstacle to selfless openness is its obsession with self-preservation. We are afraid of losing control and of moving beyond our comfort zone, as the ego strives for safety and comfort. But God calls us beyond what is comfortable, pleasant and easy and challenges us. The rich man that came to Jesus was possessed by his own possessions and didn’t respond to Jesus invitation. We have a choice we can be like Peter who got out of the boat to walk on the water to Jesus and be a wave-walker. Or we can choose the other alternative to be a deck-hugger. The first way is freedom from the ego and openness to God’s call to us!

Devotions based on Albert Haase’s book, This Sacred Moment

The spiritual practice of ongoing discernment is often intuitive and we may ask ourselves what would Jesus do and how would He do it? We are told to be awake, be watchful and the author names 3 practices that help us to be alert.

1. Prayer. Daily consistent prayer is so important and helps us be aware of the closeness and call of God in our everyday ordinary lives.  We need to be attentive not just when God may speak in our prayer time but also afterwards…our daily devotional time should drain into our daily activity!  2. Spiritual direction. It is helpful to meet with a spiritual director to share how we are seeing God and hearing His voice in the midst of our joys and struggles, what we are hearing and learning in our prayer times, clarification when needed etc. Each of us has a unique path to holiness and sometimes we need help to hear and respond to God’s voice. 3. Trustful surrender. This is more difficult as we accept and trustfully surrender to whatever happens at each moment. Our ego will protest as it wants to control and manipulate the present moment into a circumstance more agreeable and less stressful. But as we trustfully respond to our present situation rooted in the belief that “all things work together for good for those who love God, (Rom. 8:28) we experience His grace and grow in holiness.

Devotions based on Albert Haase’s book, This Sacred Moment

As Christians we need discernment to hear God’s voice not only for our major decisions but also in our daily everyday lives. Discernment is like a pair of glasses that corrects the vision of our ego with all its self-concerns.   It is constantly assessing each sacred moment and wanting to know what Jesus would do and how He would do it. Three important principles are:

1. The building blocks of His kingdom are the duties and responsibilities of our present state in life.  As we make good decisions freely and wisely in good faith, it will lay the foundation for the Lordship of Christ in our lives. Our ego tells us to go somewhere else, perhaps an exotic place, and that we cannot become holy in our present situation. But the present moment is sacred and our part is to empty ourselves for the benefit of others.
2. Holiness is orientated toward a healthy lifestyle, not a lifestyle that is destructive and unhealthy. We need to pay attention to the issues of our sleep, food, exercise, and leisure, as well as, our emotional health and psychological stability. Sometimes we grow up feeling God’s call will be undesirable and we will become a doormat for someone else. Healthy Christians cannot give what they do not have so we need to pay attention to our own needs too..
3. Ongoing discernment requires a commitment to a church community. Christian holiness is not a solitary and individualistic affair.  We are to be united into a Christian community with its responsibilities and opportunities for outreach. As we worship together and reach out, we experience the depth of His will and ways. When we ignore church leadership and are individualistic in our faith we miss the wisdom of the community.  ,

Yes, we can become holy right where we are and let us be open to discerning His voice to our hearts.

Devotions based on Albert Haase’s book, The Sacred Moment

The call of God is like a knock on the door of the present moment in which we find ourselves.  Maybe it is a desire to do a good deed that seemed to come out of nowhere, or a word of advice or encouragement by our spouse etc. Our response to such knocks shows how close we are to God and holiness. Unfortunately, we are often unaware of that knock until we look back and reflect in hindsight. God’s knock can be loud or so soft that it is like an intuitive feeling.

God is always knocking on the door of our experience, and if we live in selfless openness we will have our hand on the doorknob ready and willing to take time to open it. Every time we choose to empty ourselves as Christ did, we enrich the life of another and help His kingdom come. We are coworkers for His kingdom and we are on a mission. We need to ask ourselves: What does my commitment to Christ challenge me to do right where I am?  What is the unmet need of this sacred moment and how would Jesus respond to it. “A Christian without a sense of mission is a stunted Christian.”