Lent is about enlightenment.
Not about privation or hardship, we already have those in abundance!
The human condition we live with is a state of disconnection from God, ourselves and others. A shadowed world which has us convinced that we see clearly, but we “see through a glass darkly”. Privation and hardship in abundance, and we don’t see it.
Jesus heals a man blind from birth (John 9). The Pharisees (and there is that in each of us) are rigid and legalistic, preferring their ‘sighted’ world. Clear evidence that they were ‘blind’ spiritually. (9:41)
These ‘Catch 22’ realities become a glimpse of Jesus as the way, or path, out of the dilemma of our human condition. The only way out is on the path taken by the one born blind.
I suggest you read the story again, attending to the qualities of humility in that disciple.
How do you bring those attitudes to your spiritual discipline? Even if only for a moment!
-Knowing you see in the dim light of self, rather than in the radiance of Jesus.
-Having the desire to wait in simple attentiveness.
And the amazing result is that we will not only ‘see’, but will become light.
“... but anything (eg our blindness) exposed by the light will be illuminated and anything illuminated becomes light. That is why it is said
‘Wake up from your sleep,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you’ “
(Eph 5:13,14 italics added)
Choose (and do!) your spiritual practice with the awareness that it is ‘waking you up’.
I find that Centering Prayer is doing this in me. Sometimes I enjoy it, sometimes not, but it is working.
And this story from Anthony deMello in “One minute nonsense” p.48
‘The Master always taught that Truth was right before our eyes and the reason we did not see it was our lack of perspective.
Once he took a disciple on a mountain trip. When they were halfway up the mountain the man glared at the underbrush and complained, “Where’s the beautiful scenery you are always talking about?”
The Master grinned. “You are standing on top of it, as you will see when we reach the peak.” ‘
The story from Anthony deMello is also the story of the the journey we take as we grow older. From the perspective of "wiser years", the less-than-valued moments we spent on the path to the mountaintop are finally understood to be, indeed, very (very) special. How much better to discover that in each and every "present" moment! Imagine the light and the warmth we would radiate as those called to be spiritual leaders. :-)
ReplyDelete