Hi Everyone, Well, thank you for your responses to my question about prayer - thank you so much. I was up half the night reading all of them - and I mean half the night. Reading all of your comments reminded me of when I asked people to share their stories with me about their experiences of doing service for others or what others have done for them. These stories eventually filled the pages of, Invisible Acts of Power. I read all of them in one sitting - nearly 1,200. The impact of those incredible experiences was overwhelming for me for many reasons, not the least of which was that these stories stood as proof for me of the essential goodness of the human spirit - the merger of our spirit with our own human nature. I mentioned in yesterdays post that I would comment on what I meant by listening to your inner nature. Perhaps the best way I can describe that inner position is that it is the point within you that rests between your human nature and your spiritual nature. The position between human and spiritual instincts is a restless one that often manifests within you as inner guidance or inner conflict. The restlessness comes from the fact that you are always processing something, deciding something, examining something, weighing the good against the bad, the right against the wrong. This is where the art of Spiritual Direction is so magnificent: How do you discern what you are feeling? How do you interpret these sensations, these soul messages? What directives are you being given? These are more than ordinary feelings. They are threads filled with spiritual directions, perhaps answers to prayers said or even unsaid. Spiritual guidance pours into your life regardless of whether you pray. Prayer is a decision to engage with the Sacred directly. I learned through my years with my Spiritual Director the value of discernment - to examine my own responses with detachment. I know the value of this practice which is why I plan on teaching this in my course on Spiritual Direction. Discernment helps you to stand clearly in that precious and powerful position between your human nature and your spiritual nature. Let me close with this prayer: Hover over me on this day. Help me to discern clearly what is truly important and what is not. Grant me the grace to appreciate all the more the gift of another day of life.
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 16:42:47 +0000
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