Serious Conversation with God.
In his first conference he invited us to engage in some "serious conversations" with God. Quoting well known scripture scholar Walter Bruggemass, he said "serious conversation with God leads to blessed communion." So often our prayer is superficial and doesn't speak of what is really going on in our lives. I find writing in a journal helps me to express my honest thoughts and feelings. Martin Luther used to say to people "Don't lie to God." In my book on prayer, I have a chapter on Being Honest with God. I open that chapter with the following two quotes:
Moses again had recourse to the Lord and said, "Lord, why do you treat this people so badly? And why did you send me on such a mission? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has maltreated this people of yours, and you have done nothing to rescue them. (Exodus 5:22-23)
Notice how honest Moses is with God. He is really telling him what is on going in his heart.
The second quote is from a book by Katherine Dyckmann and Patrick Carroll. It says:
How often we have mumbled the well-worn formula, "O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended thee, and I detest all my sins because of thy just punishment..." What I really want to say is: "I am not very sorry for my sins; in fact, I am rather fond of them; attached to them. I am not afraid of hell because I know you love me; but, I would like to be different than I am." The point is we need to be honest before God with what is truly occurring in our life.
Growing in our ability to have serious and honest conversations with God is key to a healthy relationship with God.
Three Things about this and four things about that.
The bishop frequently shared with us three or four things about a particular issue. Some examples:
1. Three things that will kill us or steal our joy.
guilt and shame about stuff that we did in the past. The cure for this is believing in the mercy of God.2. Three things that block us from living a more contemplative life are narcissism or self-pre-occupation, pragmatism and unbridled restlessness.anxiety about the future (he kiddingly gave as an example: "Will the Packers win next Sunday?") Cure: A deep trust in God.
Lovelessness about the present. Does anyone love me? Cure: A strong belief in God's unconditional love for us.
3. The bishop's nephews and nieces gave him a T-shirt on some special occasion. The front side of the T-shirt said: The four most important questions in life are. The back side of the T-shirt had the questions which were:
Who am I? (our identity)Four things that will keep our hearts mellow and growing:Where am I going? (our destiny)
How am I going to get there? (ethics)
And, where are the cookies?
healthy friendshipsSome Quotesusing our creative side
taking time for leisure
and a good glass of wine.
1. The bishop's favorite banner states: "the main thing is to make the thing the main thing." In his opinion the main thing is relationship with God, others and self. (Last Sunday's gospel on the Great Commandment to love God and neighbor as we love ourselves.)
2. "The smile across the aisle can save a suicide", hence the vital importance of smiling.
3. "The highest form of knowledge is to know that we are surrounded by Mystery."
4. "Faith is the deep conviction that God's forgiving love surrounds us at all times."
5. "Not to die (to self) and not to rise (to Christ) is to be a troubled guest in life's journey."
Some Prayers
The bishop shared with us the following three prayers for the journey and challenged us to learn them all by heart. He prays the first one every morning.
Thanks be to Thee, my Lord Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits which thou hast given me,
for all the pains and insults which thou hast borne for me,
O most merciful friend, redeemer and brother.
May I see Thee more clearly,
love Thee more dearly,
and follow Thee more nearly.
(St. Richard of Chichester 1197-1253)
O Divine One, to thee
I raise my whole being,
a vessel emptied of self.
Accept, O gracious God,
this my emptiness,
and so fill me with thyself -
thy light, thy love, the life-
that these thy precious gifts
may radiate through me
and overflow the chalice of my heart
into the hearts of all those
with whom I come in contact this day -
revealing unto them the beauty
of thy joy and wholeness
and the serenity of the peace,
which nothing can destroy.
(Sufi Prayer)
The bishop also shared with us the following beautiful prayer by Blessed Elizabeth of Trinity which is also found in our Catechism #260.
O my God, Trinity whom I adore, help me forget myself entirely so to establish myself in you, unmovable and peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing be able to trouble my peace or make me leave you, O my unchanging God, but may each minute bring me more deeply into your mystery! Grant my soul peace. Make it your heaven, your beloved dwelling and the place of your rest. May I never abandon you there, but may I may be, whole and entire, completely vigilant in my faith, entirely adoring, And wholly given over to your creative action.
The following poem was written by George Herbert, an Anglican clergyman in the sixteenth century.
The following poem was written by a Carmelite nun, Jessica Powers. One woman who was sexually abused told the bishop that the following poem carried her through some of the darkest times of her life.
I thoroughly enjoyed the retreat. We received much food for thought. If you are interested in going on a retreat in Florida know that there are several retreat houses in the state. I also asked Bishop Morneau to send a list of some of the tapes from his previous conferences. They might make a wonderful Christmas gift for yourself or someone else.