The Little Book of Lent: Daily Reflections from the World’s Greatest Spiritual Writers. Arthur Howells

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СКАЧАТЬ love,

      that wholeness,

      that peace

      which binds together

      Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

TUESDAY, WEEK ONE

      For Reflection

      David Adam, until his retirement, was Vicar of Holy Island, where his work involved ministering to thousands of pilgrims and visitors. He has published several books of prayers composed in the Celtic pattern, including The Edge of Glory, The Cry of the Deer and The Open Gate.

      Opening Our Lives to Our God

      Intercession is not a pleading with God but rather a uniting with him; it is not about manipulating the Almighty but rather co-operating with him. Prayer does not call God down, for he is already among us, but it does transform our awareness. All intercession needs to begin with an opening of our lives to God. Before any words we should spend as much time as possible resting in and rejoicing in the presence. It is then far easier to see the people we pray for as surrounded by the love and power of God. This is why the Communion Service has us hear the Scriptures and be in silence before we speak of our needs and the needs of the world. We need to discover traces of glory in our everyday lives, and this is very possible if we are willing to spend time with our God.

      For the prayers of the church to be enriched, it demands a praying people. I believe that the best preparation for Sunday worship is to use the readings for the coming Sunday throughout the week as an inspiration for prayer and intercession. If you add to this the reading of a daily newspaper or the watching of the news, the one should influence and transform the other. Take the reading for the coming Sunday and if possible read it aloud; say the words and let them resonate in your hearing. Pick out the pieces that have extra meaning, that seem to speak to you, and repeat them a few times each day. Let the words sink into your mind: let them transform your thinking. Relate what you have read to the world around you, bring your experience to bear on your Bible reading. Use your mind, and fill your mind with these good things: from the mouth to the mind and then to the heart. Let what you read stir your affections; let it move your emotions. Learn that God in love moves towards you, for you are in the heart of God. Let God enter fully into your heart. Invite your God into the very centre of your being. From the mouth to the mind to the heart: now let it work, bring your will into action. Allow yourself to react to the word of God, let it move in and out of your hopes and fears, your concerns and plans. Let all be tinged with traces of glory. In our words, our thoughts, our affections and our deeds let there be traces of God’s presence, for as always, ‘The Lord is here’.

      TRACES OF GLORY DAVID ADAM

      Scripture Reading

      GENESIS 28:10–17

      ‘“Surely the LORD is in this place.”’

      Prayer

      Loving Father,

      your Son, Jesus Christ,

      revealed your glory

      in the ordinary things of life –

      in a carpenter’s workshop in Nazareth,

      at his baptism in Jordan, in a wedding in Cana,

      in his work of healing,

      among the disciples,

      on the mount of Transfiguration and

      in the garden of Gethsemane,

      on the Cross of Calvary

      and in a cottage at Emmaus.

      Help us to see traces of glory

      in the common things of life,

      for you are always with us

      and your love never fails us

      but will transform the world, the church and us.

WEDNESDAY, WEEK ONE

      For Reflection

      Cardinal Basil Hume, a member of the Order of St Benedict and formerly Abbot of Ampleforth, was Archbishop of Westminster for twenty-three years until his death in 1999. Basil in Blunderland, while written to inspire children with thoughts about the meaning of the spiritual life, helps all of us to make sense of our blundering and searching for God.

      The Sacrament of the Present Moment

      A great spiritual writer spoke about ‘the sacrament of the present moment’. Now you know that a sacrament is an event where God enters into our lives. It is an outward sign of an inner grace (either a share in God’s own life or a special help being given to us). Christ meets us in sacraments, especially in the Eucharist. There are only seven sacraments, so what is this ‘sacrament of the present moment’? Is there an eighth sacrament?

      Before thinking further about this I began to think about ‘time’, or rather about the idea of the present moment … I say to myself, ‘now’, and no sooner have I said it than it has already passed. I cannot hang on to ‘now’. It’s gone. Another ‘now’ has taken its place. Life is a succession of ‘nows’. You cannot prevent the clock from showing us how time marches on. I remember once looking at a clock at the moment it stopped. I said ‘now’, and there wasn’t another one. I realised that eternity is like a ‘now’ which goes on and on. The earthly clock stops and we are riveted for ever in the presence of God. Sometimes as we go through life there are moments to which we just want to hang on. It may be a moment of total happiness, one that is completely satisfying or very thrilling. We just want time to stop. That tells me something about what it must be like in heaven. In heaven there is a ‘now’ of total happiness when we are with God. The vision of God is so fulfilling and totally satisfying. It is an ever-present ‘now’ of ecstatic love when we are one with the most lovable.

      Where, then, does the ‘sacrament of the present moment’ come in? A sacrament, as I have already said, is an event when Christ meets us and we meet Him. When you come to think of it the present moment can be a meeting point between God and us. It is only ‘now’, in the present moment, that we meet Him, here and now. Some people spend a lot of time looking back on their lives, others spend time daydreaming about the future, but the important moment is ‘now’. In any present moment we can meet God. At any moment we can just think about God and send a quick message up to Him. It may be a fleeting thought or a word spoken. For instance, I can just say ‘I am trying to love you’, or ‘please help me’, or ‘I am sorry about this or that’. The present moment is always precious. Like a sacrament it is a meeting point between God and ourselves.

      BASIL IN BLUNDERLAND CARDINAL BASIL HUME

      Scripture Reading

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