11/24/2013
I. Readings:
Colossians 1: 11-20 13-14 God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.15-18 We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.
18-20 He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.
Gospel: Lk23: 33-34 33 When they got to the place called Skull Hill, they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right, the other on his left. 34-35 Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing.”Dividing up his clothes, they threw dice for them. The people stood there staring at Jesus, and the ringleaders made faces, taunting, “He saved others. Let’s see him save himself! The Messiah of God—ha! The Chosen—ha!” 36-37 The soldiers also came up and poked fun at him, making a game of it. They toasted him with sour wine: “So you’re King of the Jews! Save yourself!”38 Printed over him was a sign: this is the king of the jews.
39 One of the criminals hanging alongside cursed him: “Some Messiah you are! Save yourself! Save us!”40-41 But the other one made him shut up: “Have you no fear of God? You’re getting the same as him. We deserve this, but not him—he did nothing to deserve this.”42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom.”43 He said, “Don’t worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise.”
2. Reflections Talking Points:
A. Opening
-Church Year/ Sunday –Christ the King
-Topic: Inward Spiritual Journey with emphasis on contemplation. Reading for today.
-Three questions would like to explore today with the aid of today’s scriptures are
1. What is the Inward Spirituality?
2. How does contemplation fit into the picture?
3. Is a Contemplative in the World a fit description a good description of a Christian?
This effort complete the efforts of the past three Sunday in which we reflected with
-Marcia with an overview of the inward & outward spirituality
-Nat from a perspective of importance of retreat
-Kate From perspective of outward in the terms of call.
Some Scripture from today reading that will be important todays reflection are:
Luke with Jesus at his execution:
- Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing.”
- “Some Messiah you are! Save yourself! Save us!”
-“Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom.”
- Don’t worry, I will. Today you will join me
Paul to the Colossians:
-So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies……
-Background to let you know where I am coming from:
-What is spirituality? – It is the life force that keeps body and soul together. Rooted in our innate desire to celebrate life and our ceaseless desire to be fully alive.
-Christian spiritual life has two main drivers/Commandments: Love God & Love others as yourself. (Very simple to say very hard to do)
-One cannot be an authentic Christian unless one has an active: outward and inner spirituality. The inner life is the spring in the ground that you do not see and the outer life is the steam that you do see and people know.
-Faith: Believe that the world and you are created good and trust in grace & forgiveness. This Faith helps you live into that reality.
- The destination is to Love God (goodness/creativity….) is the goal or our task. The means or the process by which we achieve this goal is to love others as ourselves. Some of us are better at the task than the process.
-Working definition of a Christian is a contemplative in the world.
B. Body
1. What is the Inward Spirituality?
-Eight Day Disciplines::45-min in devotional activities such as prayer, meditation, scripture reading; reflection, and/or journaling.
-Underlying assumption that these are done by you with a strong focus on the activity. Task-y and/or solitary people would probably find most of these activities easier than process or people persons people.
-Disciplines
a. Prayer: Help, Thanks, & Wow (expand with personal = help most used by me)
b. Meditation: Centering prayer: lectio divina -- practice of slow, thoughtful, “savoring reading of Bible verse. (read, meditate, pray ,& contemplate) (expand with personal = rosary)
c. Reflection: Examine of happening or the day (expand personal = ask myself what I am feeling; Head Person Expand to
d. Journaling: recording parts of your life and exploring new ideas and directions.
e. Not mentioned: Mostly physical: Fasting, -Walking mediating); chanting; sacred dancing. pilgrimage (Rome, Jerusalem, and Santiago);
2. How does contemplation fit into the picture?
-Above disciplines were very focused on the activity whereas contemplation is not focused on the activity such as a problem solving but on God alone.
-Goal is to be and live in God presence and the activity is only used as much as needed to get your there.
Some description of contemplation:
a. Attention to the loving, trusting presence of God
b. desire to be present through & beyond our thoughts, images, and feelings.
c. intimate, immediate relationship with the deepest human home and calling
d. a place that where we derive our authenticity.
e. a place that where we are fully alive
f. long loving look at the real
g. A contemplative is not a special kind of person; every person is a special kind of contemplative.
-We are all called to be contemplatives. It is our task to find what kind of contemplative we are? Every person has their own unique way of doing this?
Some are natural contemplatives and they do not need any assistance with disciplines?
-Most of us need some help…..
-My owned entry into this field was centering prayer (focusing word that is used as long as needed to come into the presence of God). However, others have been as varied as jogging, rosary, reflection, lectio divina, journaling.
-Authentic contemplation is focused on God alone and not the experience or the outcome.
-You experience what you experience. Sometime the feelings are good and sometimes not. You are just showing up to God. Over time you learn that this showing up has profound changes on your life.
a. more balance in your being.
b. better able to know when to be active and when to be quiet
c. better able to know where you end and the other begins
d. better to take maximum responsibility for your own actions and feeling without blaming others
e. More capacity to take a stand in an intense emotional situation.
f. more able to maintain a non-anxious presence in the face of anxious others
e. more able to contain one’s reactivity to the reactivity of others.
3. Is a Contemplative in the World a fit description of Christian?
-If we used Jesses as our guide an model, then the answer is strong yes.
-Jesus was showed exceptional qualities. His self and actions were balance.
- He integrated all the following: Reformer, helper, achiever, individualist, investigator, loyal, enthusiast, challenger, & peacemaker.
-He was proclaimed not only “a son” of God but “the Son” of God.
-Jesus in scripture appeared out of nowhere at age 30 to follow call, followed that call in announcing and describing the reign of God for 1 to 3 years, gathered a significant notice of the people in Palestine with a small inner circle of friends (Apostles), and then was executed by the current occupying power (Rome) with the complicity of his religious leaders (High Priest & council in Jerusalem).
-Most of his life was a private one. Age 30 then was maybe 55-60 today. He thought, prayed, and reflected on his call long before he acted.
-After accepting his call, he immediately when into retreat in the desert for 30 days to deal with temptation of life such as prestige, power, and position.
-He was always retreating from the crowds and followers to be by himself, sometimes for extended times.
-Before his execution he spent time in the Garden of Gethsemane sweating blood in his prayer.
-His inward life supported and was in tandem with his outer life. That was what allowed him to show up to God in the Cross in a full and balanced way. He was not willing to back away or compromise his message of the proclaiming the presence and content of the rule of God but he was able to connect with the Good of others around him. (good thief) He was even able to put evil in perspective (They do not know what they do.). He was faithful to his outward journey of call.
-One could not go up against the state (Rome is still the longest reigning empire in the history of people) and his religion while being betrayed and abandoned by his friends, unless one had a solid inward spirituality.
-He was so strong and able that we could not even conceive of one doing that unless s/he were Divine.
3. Closing
To close Reflection on Jesus as Christ the King Sunday:
How will we show up in our time of defining trial – whether that is all at once or over and extended time? Will we be like Jesus whose inner life in close union with his God be?
-Will our inner life be spacious and roomy with our lives being properly fixed and fitting together into a whole seamless garment?
-Will we be able to know the good in the situation?
-Will we be able to know and to do what needs to be done?
-Will we have the courage and freedom to move among the evil and not become part of it?
A Contemplative in the World with a soled inward spiritual life as part of a “called” outer life would have the best chance of following the call of Christ the King:
--that is to live into the goodness, fullness, joyfulness, and creativity of the reign of God.
-So as we go into the advent season. Let’s us be more aware of the Light shines in the darkness and it can not be overcome. Let us be still and know that God” is” and so are we.