ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
July 10, 2022
In today’s sermon, I am referencing Fr. Thomas Keating, an amazing monk who provided great thoughts on prayer and meditation. His best known quote is probably,
Silence is God’s first language; everything else is a poor translation.
Those words are wonderfully thought-provoking, but perhaps my favorite quote is:
St. Teresa of Avila wrote: “All difficulties in prayer can be traced to one cause: praying as if God were absent.” This is the conviction that we bring with us from early childhood and apply to everyday life and to our lives in general. It gets stronger as we grow up, unless we are touched by the Gospel and begin the spiritual journey. This journey is a process of dismantling the monumental illusion that God is distant or absent.
One of the most important discoveries for any person is the realization that God is forever present. That idea alone is transformative, for suddenly God is no longer a simple reflection of our insecurities. God is allowed to be God.
Holy God, as I work to name all the ways my fears seek to define you, I am thankful for your persistent patience in bringing me into a more intimate and life-giving relationship with you. Amen.
