1. PRAYER
Lord, as we step into this day, soften our hearts. Help us to see people the way You see them, not through judgment or frustration, but through compassion and understanding. Teach us to listen more than we speak, to love when it’s uncomfortable, and to show grace even when it costs us something.
Your Word reminds us, “Be kind and compassionate to one another” (Ephesians 4:32). Let that truth guide our actions today. Help us remember that every soul we encounter is fighting a battle we may never know. Make our empathy a reflection of Your love, our patience a sign of Your strength, and our mercy a doorway to healing.
Use us today to stand with the hurting, lift the weary, and love like family.
In Jesus’ name, Amen. 🙏
2. MEDITATION
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHkXvPq2pQE
3. SONG
4. NARRATIVE
F- Dropping the ego: Contemplative practice helps quiet the mind's constant commentary and need for control.
- Unitive consciousness: Moving past dualistic "us vs. them" thinking lets us see others with divine mercy rather than harsh judgment.
- Moving past outrage: Untransformed anger hardens into bitterness, but processed grief and silence transform into active, sacrificial love. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Contemplation: A Path to Compassion
Father Richard reminds us that regular contemplative practice is not an end in and of itself, but for the sake of solidarity with the suffering of the world:
One of the main works of contemplation is detaching from the ego, from the self, from impure motivations of success or power, money or control. That will never stop, but it isn’t really that meaningful unless that detachment is accompanied by an attachment. What do we find after all the months and years we’ve been practicing some form of contemplation or meditation? Do we have an increased attachment, sympathy, empathy, and compassion for what I call in The Tears of Things the suffering of the world? For the women of Gaza, the children of Ukraine, the starving people of Africa, the poorest of the poor, and all those marginalized in the United States and around the world? If the emptiness of “letting go” is not pretty soon filled up by “holding on” to some kind of deep solidarity with the suffering of the world, I don’t know that it’s Christian contemplation or even meaningful contemplation at all. It seems we’re simply back into private spirituality again.
We’ve spent much of our history of contemplation seeking individually pure motivation. That’s a real temptation, but are we really going to spend the years ahead seeking only to be motivated to love Jesus on some private level? What does it even mean to love Jesus? What is the positive act of love? When we are in silent meditation or prayer, that’s what we’re praying is growing inside of us. As we let go of false motivations, and false, ego-based concerns, we’ve got to pray, hope, and desire for an increase in compassion, in caring, in solidarity with human suffering.
I believe that’s what the cross means. The raised arms of Jesus are an act of solidarity and compassion with the human situation. So, as we sit in silence this morning and every morning, let’s pray that’s what we’re praying for: an increase in compassion by letting go of false purity codes and agendas, which we think make us holy or worthy of God’s love. It doesn’t matter if we have perfect motivation or a perfect practice. What is motivating us? Instead of perfection, let’s look for growth. Ultimately, we only see that growth over time as we grow in communion with those who suffer, grow in solidarity with human and beyond-human pain, and with the tears of things.
Reference:
Adapted from Richard Rohr, Morning Sit, December 9, 2024. Unpublished teaching.
- How does your own ego react when you encounter someone who disagrees with you or causes frustration?
- In what ways can a regular quiet practice help you let go of the need to control or judge others?
- When have you noticed a connection between healing your own personal pain and feeling deep sympathy for someone else's struggles?
- Why is it difficult to sit with our own "broken absurdity" rather than projecting anger outward onto others?
- What is the difference between offering superficial help and truly sharing in the suffering of your neighbors?
- How can a group or community move past internal divisions to create an open culture of healing and inclusion?
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