1. PRAYER
2. MEDITATION
https://youtu.be/y8KSid0WFwY?si=DVSi_b0x8SThLLBi
3. SONG
https://youtu.be/IJ0jOjqISPU?si=qHfbiCnzg6llPgm5
4. NARRATIVE
Father Richard believes that we must learn to name and to live with our fears instead of merely denying them or projecting them onto others:
Our age has been called the age of anxiety, and I think that’s probably a good description for this time. We no longer know where our foundations are. When we’re not sure what is certain, when the world and our worldview keep being redefined every few months, we’re going to be anxious. We want to get rid of that anxiety as quickly as we can. I know I do. Yet, to be a good leader of anything today—a good pastor, manager, parent, or teacher—we have to be able to contain and hold patiently a certain degree of anxiety. Probably the higher the level of leadership someone has, the more anxiety they must be capable of holding. Leaders who cannot hold anxiety will never lead us anyplace new.
That’s probably why the Bible says “Do not be afraid” almost 150 times! If we cannot calmly hold a certain degree of anxiety, we will always look for somewhere to expel it. Expelling what we can’t embrace gives us an identity, but it’s a negative identity. It’s not life energy, it’s death energy. Formulating what we are against gives us a very quick and clear sense of ourselves. Thus, most people fall for it. People more easily define themselves by what they are against, by whom they hate, by who else is wrong, instead of by what they believe in and whom they love.
I hope you recognize from this common pattern how different the alternative is. We might catch anew the radical and scary nature of faith, because faith only builds on that totally positive place within, however small. It needs an interior “Yes” to begin, just as the “Yes” of Mary began the entire process of salvation. God needs just a mustard-seed-sized place that is in love—not fear—that is open to grace, that is thrilled, that has found something wonderful.
CAC teacher James Finley shares how Jesus is a model of how to say Yes in the midst of our deepest fear:
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus sweat blood because he was afraid [Luke 22:44]. It is possible that he was infinitely more afraid than we could ever be. But the difference is: Jesus was not afraid of being afraid, because he knew it was just fear. . . . We are afraid of fear because we believe that it has the power to name who we are, and it fills us with shame. . . .
Jesus invites us to discover that our fear is woven into God’s own life, whose life is mysteriously woven into all the scary things that can and do happen to us as human beings together on this earth. This is liberation from fear in the midst of a fearful situation.
References:
[1] Adapted from James Finley, Thomas Merton’s Path to the Palace of Nowhere (Boulder, CO: Sounds True, 2002), CD.
Adapted from Richard Rohr, The Wisdom Pattern: Order, Disorder, Reorder (Cincinnati, OH: Franciscan Media, 2001, 2020), 32–33.
Explore Further. . .
- Listen to James Finley lead a visualization practice to help ground our fear in love on Turning to the Mystics.
- Learn more about this year’s theme Nothing Stands Alone.
- Meet the team behind the Daily Meditations.
- Radical Resilience: Shifting from a "fight or flight" mode to a "prophetic" stance, which critiques destructive, fear-driven systems with love.
- Woundedness & Resurrection: Embracing the idea that one can be both wounded and resurrected simultaneously, mirroring Christ, rather than needing to be perfect or unhurt.
- Contemplation in Action: Using contemplation to "safeguard" a inner space of peace, enabling action that radiates light and love rather than bitterness.
- Transcending Fear: Recognizing that while fear is a natural response to terror, it can lead to dangerous, "tunnel-visioned", and self-centered behavior.
Dear Lord, I come before you this morning with an open heart and mind, ready to receive your love and grace. I confess that I often allow fear to consume me, worrying about the future and the unknown. But I know that you are with me, guiding me every step of the way.
Lord, I ask that you cast out all fear from my heart, mind, and soul. Help me to trust in your perfect love, knowing that you have a plan for my life. I surrender my fears to you and ask that you replace them with faith and hope.
As I go about my day, I ask that you be my guide and my protector. Give me the courage to face any challenges that come my way, knowing that you are with me. Help me to remember that I am never alone, and that your love surrounds me at all times.
Lord, I also pray for those who are facing difficult situations today. I ask that you give them strength and courage to overcome their fears and trust in your perfect love. May they feel your presence and know that you are with them, even in the darkest of times.
Thank you for your unconditional love and grace, which sustains me each day. Help me share that love with others and be a light in the world, casting out fear and bringing hope and peace.
I pray all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, who is perfect love.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment