We have met the enemy and It is Us
I’m reading Open Heart, Open Mind: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel by Thomas Keating [Continuum Publishing Company, 2003] for my class on spiritual direction. It is one of a number of books that we are to read and then write a report on. It is a good book on not only understanding the purpose behind contemplative prayer but also filled with practical ideas on how to incorporate centering prayer into one’s life.
Last night, I ran across this quote that is at once obvious, but so profound I operate oblivious to it (until now, that is)
The chief thing that separates us from God is the thought that we are separated from Him. If we get rid of that thought, our troubles will be greatly reduced. We fail to believe that we are always with God and that He is part of every reality. The present moment, every object we see, our inmost nature are all rooted in Him. But we hesitate to believe this until personal experience gives us the confidence to believe in it. [p 44]
… Our awareness, unfortunately, is not awake to that dimension of reality. The purpose of prayer, the sacraments, and spiritual disciplines is to awaken us. [pp 43-44]
I will avoid the whole theological discussion about what might separate us from God, but Keating is writing from the very practical reality of what interferes with our living in the dynamic presence of God. As I reflected on his idea in my life, I can see that the sins and addictions and fears and anxiety and outright foolishness that I have trapped myself in throughout my life have stemmed from losing sight that I do live in the presence of the Beloved who has declared that there are no circumstances in life that can separate me from God’s love and that through the cross sin can no longer be used as our excuse for God’s absence.
The old saying can find some truth here: If God is absent from your life, who moved?
I am finding that only as I ruthlessly carve silence out in my life (wind chill is -5 fahrenheit so I won’t be walking my labyrinth today) will I reconnect, or awaken (as Keating says) to the reality that has always been true. God is always and everywhere present, not with judgment and wrath, but with love and grace.
Time to go sit in the Moment of the Beloved for a while as my day begins.
