The theme is the presence of the Holy Spirit. The indwelling Holy Spirit.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ABK0SYFxyEY
2. song come holy ghost
3. narrative
Naturally Indwelling
Theme: Action and Contemplation: Part One
Friday, January 10, 2020
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM
Action and Contemplation: Part One
Naturally Indwelling
Friday, January 10, 2020
Those who have gone to their own depths through contemplation uncover an indwelling Presence. Austrian philosopher Martin Buber (1878–1965) called this intimacy an “I-thou” relationship. It is a deep and loving “yes” to God and to life that is inherent within each of us. In Christian theology, this Presence would be described as the Indwelling Holy Spirit, which is precisely God as immanent, within us, and our deepest and truest self. God is the very ground of our being!
Some saints and mystics have described this Presence as “closer to me than I am to myself” or “more me than I am myself.” Thomas Merton and others call it the True Self. The paradox is that this True Self is immortal and indestructible, and yet it must also be awakened and chosen. The Holy Spirit is totally given and given equally to all, but it must be consciously received. The Presence needs to be recognized, honored, and drawn upon to become a Living Presence.
We all bear the divine image, but we surrender to God’s likeness in varying degrees and stages. None of us is morally or psychologically perfect or whole (at least I have not met anyone who is), but saints and mystics nevertheless dare to believe that they are ontologically (“in their very being”) whole, and that it is totally a gift from God. It has nothing to do with our own private “me”—with anything we could do to earn or deserve it!
The Holy Spirit is never created by our actions or behavior. It is naturally indwelling, our inner being with God. (In Catholic theology, we called the Holy Spirit “Uncreated Grace.”) Culture and usually even religion teach us to live out of the false or separate self of reputation, self-image, role, possessions, money, appearance, and so on. It is only as these things fail us, and they always do, that the True Self stands revealed and ready to guide us. Some enlightened souls surrender to this truth and presence early, usually by reason of suffering.
The True Self does not teach us compassion as much as it is compassion already. And from this more spacious and grounded place, one naturally connects, empathizes, forgives, and loves just about everything. We are made in love, for love, and unto love, and it is out of this love that we act.
Action doesn’t mean busyness or “do-goodism.” It may not even mean activism, but it does mean serious engagement with the suffering of the world, beyond our own in-groups and identity groups. Rightly sought, action and contemplation will always regulate, balance, and convert one another. Separately, they are dead-ended and trapped in personality. For all of us, finding tangible ways of expressing our faith is an endless rhythmic dance. The steps change now and then, but Someone Else is always leading and it’s just up to us to “follow” along.
References:
Adapted from Richard Rohr, Silent Compassion: Finding God in Contemplation (Franciscan Media: 2014), 46-47; and
“Not the Center for Activism and Introspection,” Radical Grace, vol. 4 no. 6 (Center for Action and Contemplation: December 1991-January 1992), 1.
4. Prayer for the Twelve Fruits of the Spirit
Holy Spirit
Eternal Love of the Father and the Son,
kindly bestow on us
the fruit of charity,
that we may be united to You by Divine love;
the fruit of joy,
that we may be filled with holy consolation;
the fruit of peace,
that we may enjoy tranquility of soul;
and the fruit of patience,
that we may endure humbly
everything that may be opposed to our own desires.
Divine Spirit
Be pleased to infuse in us
the fruit of benignity,
that we may willing relieve
our neighbor’s necessities;
the fruit of goodness,
that we may be benevolent toward all;
the fruit of longanimity,
that we may not be discouraged by delay
but may preserve in prayer;
and the fruit of mildness,
that we may subdue every rising of ill temper,
stifle every murmur,
and repress the susceptibilities of our nature
in all our dealings with our neighbor.
Creator Spirit
Graciously impart to us
the fruit of fidelity,
that we may rely with assured confidence
on the word of God;
the fruit of modesty,
that we may order our exterior regularly;
and the fruits of continence and chastity,
that we may keep our bodies in such holiness
as befits Your temple,
so that having by Your assistance
preserved our hearts pure on earth,
we may merit in Jesus Christ,
according to the words of the Gospel,
to see God eternally
in the glory of His Kingdom.
Amen.
