Darkness and mystery

1  prayer

A Prayer of Unknowing by Thomas Merton

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that, if I do this, You will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust You always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone. Amen.

– Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude, page 79.

2.  Meditation 

 https://youtu.be/x32LraY4XqU?si=hGUDzFwl4rY46M0a

3. Song

https://youtu.be/ph-0y1h7yEM?si=s8_nzzB5hmwhH4bG

4.  Narrative 

Welcome Darkness and Mystery

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Welcome Darkness and Mystery
Wednesday, July 19, 2017

There are commonly two kinds of human beings: there are people who want certitude and there are people who want understanding; and these two often cannot understand one another.

Those who demand certitude out of life will insist on it even if it doesn’t fit the facts. Logic has nothing to do with it. Truth has nothing to do with it. “Don’t bother me with the truth—I’ve already come to my conclusion!” If you need certitude, you will surround yourself with your conclusions.

The very meaning of faith stands in stark contrast to this mind-set. I think Jesus (or the Father or Spirit) is actually dangerous if taken outside of the Trinity. Jesus held separate from the other members of the Trinity implies that faith is a static concept instead of a dynamic and flowing one.

We’ve turned faith into certitude when, in fact, this Trinitarian mystery is whispering quite the opposite: we have to live in exquisite, terrible humility before reality. In this space, God gives us a spirit of questing, a desire for understanding; it seems to me it’s only this ongoing search for understanding that will create compassionate and wise people.

If you think you have a right to certitude, then show me where the Gospel ever promised or offered you that. If God wanted us to have evidence, rational proof, and perfect clarity, the incarnation of Jesus would have been delayed till the invention of audio recorders and video cameras.

Rational certitude is exactly what the Scriptures do not offer us. They offer us something much better and an entirely different way of knowing: an intimate relationship, a dark journey, a path where we must discover for ourselves that grace, love, mercy, and forgiveness are absolutely necessary for survival in an uncertain world. You only need enough clarity and ground to know how to live without certitude! Yes, we really are saved by faith. People who live in this way never stop growing, are not easily defeated, and frankly, are fun to live with.

You can tell mature and authentic faith by people’s ability to deal with darkness, failure, and non-validation of the ego—and by their quiet but confident joy! Infantile religion insists on certainty every step of the way and thus is not very happy.

Gateway to Silence:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. —Proverbs 3:5

References:
Adapted from Richard Rohr, The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation(Whitaker House: 2016), 100-101; and
Richard Rohr, The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See (The Crossroad Publishing Company: 2009), 120.

5.  Meditation 

https://youtu.be/Ozu4xECuaz8?si=Bob8oHlzIz8q-nbu

6  sharing 

7.  Prayers and intentions 

GOD WILL LEAD US SAFELY INTO AN UNKNOWN FUTURE

Lord, You are sovereign over all the earth. Great are You, Lord! You hung the stars in place. You tell the ocean how far it can come. And You orchestrate our days even when we face an unknown future.

Our future is known by You — You hold our days under Your tender watch-care because of Your great love.

When fear creeps in and threatens to consume me, when despair and confusion raise their ugly heads, I will trust in You. You are my refuge and my strength.

You light my path one step at a time, and even though I want to see my destination clearly You say, Trust Me, My child. I have a future and a hope for you.

Thank You, Lord, for this reminder. Bring my thoughts captive to You as I cling to Your hand, taking one step at a time.

I am comforted when I remember that I don’t need to know what lies ahead in order to be secure. I only need to keep my eyes fixed on You, to guard my heart against the work of the enemy, and You will lead me on — You will even carry me 

8.  Song

https://youtube.com/shorts/-iQTSvMdrck?si=EBfHqdkiO4rUsdYu