Prayer: a few choice words

We've entered a turbulent century, but it's not the first time in history people have faced such difficulty. The 14th century (see this excellent book on the subject) was every bit as challenging and yet it produced some of the most enduring spiritual teaching in history. In this brief video I explore the gifts of the 14th century English Christians who excelled at interior prayer--in particular, the author of The Cloud of Unknowing.

A few choice words are mighty expressions of genuine prayer. Learn to utter simple words and awaken a profound experience of prayer in the midst of your active life.

Spiritual but not religious?

There's a conversation beginning over on the Speaking of Faith (SOP) site about the relationship between spirituality and religion.  Since I've often reflected on the spiritual awakening taking place today and how religious institutions often stand in the way, I thought you might be interested in following along or commenting in order to help the SOP folk prepare for an upcoming interview with Anne Lamott. Annie says: "Sober people say that religion is for people who are afraid to go to hell, and spirituality is for people who’ve been there. And I think faith, for me, is a word that speaks much more to a belief and an interest in matters that are spiritual rather than the institution and creeds that you associate with religion.”

And SOP says: We’ve been thinking about Anne Lamott a lot lately as we continue to build a dialogue about what it means to be spiritual but not necessarily religious. (We’re looking to make a full-fledged production out of your responses, so add your reflections here — and please share this link with others.)

Beyond the cluttered heart

In the awakened spiritual life, the key is not merely to get rid of the heart's clutter, but to live unattached to it, without identification with all that causes you to love it and want to hold onto it.   You want to get to the place where you no longer feel compelled to have it around, period. This freedom is the fruit of interior prayer, watchfulness, awareness.

Continual, habitual returning to that deep union with Christ within means that you become increasingly non-attached and disidentified with the thought-clutter that once littered your inner life, though you probably could not see it at the time.

Prayer as Heart-Work

Why should you do your inner, spiritual work? Why practice the prayer of the heart?  Why enter the silent land within? Because it is the chosen dwelling place of God.  It is the "palace of Christ in which he retires" (St. Macarius the Great).  It is the very seat of eternity, the gateway between heaven and earth.  The Holy of Holies.  Put another way, it is the bed of your Beloved where the deepest intimacies you seek are shared.

In a heart, then, like a house where clutter rules the roost (both the most beautiful things and good, as well as the most ugly and evil of things), all this is hidden, covered, and ignored to the great tragedy of you who could know so much more.

Clean up your heart.  Do your inner work.  Make the bed of your heart worthy of Love.

New eBook: The Journey of the Magi

I've turned the popular meditations offered during the Twelve Days of Christmas as twelve ways to deepen and enrich your life of prayer into a free, downloadable eBook.  Click here to download the eBook. This brief and suggestive series of meditations involves you in the deeper journey of living prayer drawn from the ancient Christian tradition shared by both the Christian East and West.  Best, or course, during Christmas, but helpful at anytime you need to strengthen your practice.  Here are pointers to the twelve ways:

1. Awareness
2. Awakening
3. Companionship
4. Wonder
5. Walking
6. Desert
7. Words
8. Humility
9. Darkness
10. Perseverance
11. Fire
12. Return