Discipline, labyrinths, and rockets
I am slowly transitioning to a new set of daily disciplines. At this point I should be firmly established in them, but am liesurely moving there. I'm still doing Lectio Divina, but it's also still sporatic. I would like to geth through the Beautitudes and like the tension of taking the time and also wanting to be done.
The day before yesterday I read in the Emotional Displipline book from this weekend a quote that I thought was helpful about discipline, it should not be considred "dull drudgery aimed at exterminating laughter from the face of the earth... the purpose of the disciplines is liberation from the stifling slavery to self-interest and fear." Stephen Covey makes the same point. You can see piano practice as confining or you can see having the freedom to play the paino anytime you want as liberation.
I've been skimming through a book on labyrinths and will include many of its thoughts in my spiritual portfolio. It essentially asks you to come to the labyrith with a particular perspective, for a particular end, and often they are opposites. I thought about that for daily disciplines, what if today I focus on God's grace toward me from a near death experience and how that impacts each area, and tomorrow meditate on what it means to have space with God?
Yesterday I was reading some of Thomas Merton's works on meditation and found them to be congruent with the labyrinth wisdom. He has an analogy of a rocketship. In study through the Holy Spirit we are launched to heights just outside of our natural abilities to achieve and then one of two things occurs. The fuel is spent and the rocks falls to the earth. Or there is an explosion and fireworks light the sky. As we get beyond study, we get beyond ourselves. The fireworks are Jesus changing us and our loving through that change. One of the things I think Merton is getting at is that the inner life or meditation and love of God is not destined to implode the person into themselves, but force us to live lives of love, service, justice, and the like in ways that we don't necessarily understand, but metaphysically in Christ. The rocket dies, but how it dies is something we can participate in. I don't think I've got the analogy 100%, but the elements of study, meditation, Jesus's love, and being changed beyond my abilities are extremely attractive to me.
This morning as I was doing the Lectio Divina (for those who are persecuted), I was meditating more on Merton's thoughts on meditation. There are those pictures that have two distinct images in one. A popular one shows an old woman's face and from another perspective, a beautiful young woman. It takes a discipline of non-focus in order to see the second image. Perhaps meditation is that taking study and knowledge as far as it can and then "loosing focus" so that something new and extraordinary in God is seen?
The day before yesterday I read in the Emotional Displipline book from this weekend a quote that I thought was helpful about discipline, it should not be considred "dull drudgery aimed at exterminating laughter from the face of the earth... the purpose of the disciplines is liberation from the stifling slavery to self-interest and fear." Stephen Covey makes the same point. You can see piano practice as confining or you can see having the freedom to play the paino anytime you want as liberation.
I've been skimming through a book on labyrinths and will include many of its thoughts in my spiritual portfolio. It essentially asks you to come to the labyrith with a particular perspective, for a particular end, and often they are opposites. I thought about that for daily disciplines, what if today I focus on God's grace toward me from a near death experience and how that impacts each area, and tomorrow meditate on what it means to have space with God?
Yesterday I was reading some of Thomas Merton's works on meditation and found them to be congruent with the labyrinth wisdom. He has an analogy of a rocketship. In study through the Holy Spirit we are launched to heights just outside of our natural abilities to achieve and then one of two things occurs. The fuel is spent and the rocks falls to the earth. Or there is an explosion and fireworks light the sky. As we get beyond study, we get beyond ourselves. The fireworks are Jesus changing us and our loving through that change. One of the things I think Merton is getting at is that the inner life or meditation and love of God is not destined to implode the person into themselves, but force us to live lives of love, service, justice, and the like in ways that we don't necessarily understand, but metaphysically in Christ. The rocket dies, but how it dies is something we can participate in. I don't think I've got the analogy 100%, but the elements of study, meditation, Jesus's love, and being changed beyond my abilities are extremely attractive to me.
This morning as I was doing the Lectio Divina (for those who are persecuted), I was meditating more on Merton's thoughts on meditation. There are those pictures that have two distinct images in one. A popular one shows an old woman's face and from another perspective, a beautiful young woman. It takes a discipline of non-focus in order to see the second image. Perhaps meditation is that taking study and knowledge as far as it can and then "loosing focus" so that something new and extraordinary in God is seen?
posted by Learner at 4/12/2006 07:07:00 AM
2 Comments:
Yeah it does de-vilify Judas to an extent. I saw a documentary on Nationa l Geographic. You seem to be quite a believer... Me? I am not much of a believer but that was till now... I need some peace and am sure Gods the way...
sonnyboy,
it is good to see your desire for peace with God.
leaner,
i like tha analogy of the rocketship. if i look beyond what i am studying, to the point of non focus, maybe i can begin to truly understand something; i like it. may we all take the time to look beyond and see that which is not in focus.
Post a Comment
<< Home