Lexio Divina: Holy Reading.   (Week 3)
Entering into Scripture with a prayerful heart, open ears, repetition, quietness, intent, and mindfulness.  It is entering into a rhythm of both action and contemplation.
Lectio: reading/listening
Meditatio: ruminate, chew on it!
Oratio: prayer (a two way conversation)
Contimplatio: accept God’s transforming embrace.


THE ART of lectio divina begins with cultivating the ability to listen deeply, to hear "with the ear of our hearts" as St. Benedict writes.  The prophet Elijah was able to listen for the still, small voice of God (1Kings 19:12); the "faint murmuring sound" which is God's word for us, God's voice touching our hearts. This listening is an "atunement" to the presence of God voice can speak directly into our lives and experiences.  When Sarah heard the miraculous news of God’s word to her, she laughed, both because that word was so unlikely and preposterous, and because a long held desire was finally being met.

We will read the passage below 4 times.
The first time, listen for a word or phrase that stands out to you.  Think on it.  What do you feel?
The 2nd time, listen again for a word or phrases.  It made be a new one or it may be the same one.  How does it relate to your life now?
The 3rd time, listen for a word or phrase, then spend some time in contemplation asking God what that word or phrase might mean to you or for you?  Write it down, or pray quietly.
The 4th time, ask God to speak the word or phrases that have stood out to you into some specific area of your life.  What specific invitation may God be speaking to you?  Write it down, or rest quietly in prayer and thanksgiving for the Word of the Lord.

Hebrews 10:11-14, (15-18), 19-25
And every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, "he sat down at the right hand of God,"and since then has been waiting "until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet."
 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying,
     "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds,"he also adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more."
Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
     Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

 Ignatian Prayer                        If you want to pray, you are already praying. (Week Two in Series)

The Examen:
1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.

The Structure of the Exercises
Ignatius organized the Exercises into four “weeks.” These are not seven-day weeks, but stages on a journey to spiritual freedom and wholehearted commitment to the service of God.
First week. The first week of the Exercises is a time of reflection on our lives in light of God’s boundless love for us. We see that our response to God’s love has been hindered by patterns of sin. We face these sins knowing that God wants to free us of everything that gets in the way of our loving response to him. The first week ends with a meditation on Christ’s call to follow him.
Second week. The meditations and prayers of the second week teach us how to follow Christ as his disciples. We reflect on Scripture passages: Christ’s birth and baptism, his sermon on the mount, his ministry of healing and teaching, his raising Lazarus from the dead. We are brought to decisions to change our lives to do Christ’s work in the world and to love him more intimately.
Third week. We meditate on Christ’s Last Supper, passion, and death. We see his suffering and the gift of the Eucharist as the ultimate expression of God’s love.
Fourth week. We meditate on Jesus’ resurrection and his apparitions to his disciples. We walk with the risen Christ and set out to love and serve him in concrete ways in our lives in the world.
Prayer in the Exercises
The two primary forms of praying taught in the Exercises are meditation and contemplation. In meditation, we use our minds. We ponder the basic principles that guide our life. We pray over words, images, and ideas.
Contemplation is more about feeling than thinking. Contemplation often stirs the emotions and enkindles deep desires. In contemplation, we rely on our imaginations to place ourselves in a setting from the Gospels or in a scene proposed by Ignatius. We pray with Scripture. We do not study it.
The discernment of spirits underlies the Exercises. We notice the interior movements of our hearts, and discern where they are leading us. A regular practice of discernment helps us make good decisions.  http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/
http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-spiritual-exercises/an-ignatian-prayer-adventure/

How Can I Pray?
A great way to pray is to look for God’s presence in your life. More than 400 years ago St. Ignatius Loyola encouraged prayer-filled mindfulness by proposing what has been called the Daily Examen. The Examen is a technique of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to detect God’s presence and to discern his direction for us.
Try this version of St. Ignatius’s prayer.

1. Become aware of God’s presence. Look back on the events of the day in the company of the Holy Spirit. The day may seem confusing to you—a blur, a jumble, a muddle. Ask God to bring clarity and understanding.

2. Review the day with gratitude. Gratitude is the foundation of our relationship with God. Walk through your day in the presence of God and note its joys and delights. Focus on the day’s gifts. Look at the work you did, the people you interacted with. What did you receive from these people? What did you give them? Pay attention to small things—the food you ate, the sights you saw, and other seemingly small pleasures. God is in the details.

3. Pay attention to your emotions. One of St. Ignatius’s great insights was that we detect the presence of the Spirit of God in the movements of our emotions. Reflect on the feelings you experienced during the day. Boredom? Elation? Resentment? Compassion? Anger? Confidence? What is God saying through these feelings?
God will most likely show you some ways that you fell short. Make note of these sins and faults. But look deeply for other implications. Does a feeling of frustration perhaps mean that God wants you consider a new direction in some area of your work? Are you concerned about a friend? Perhaps you should reach out to her in some way.

4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to something during the day that God thinks is particularly important. It may involve a feeling—positive or negative. It may be a significant encounter with another person or a vivid moment of pleasure or peace. Or it may be something that seems rather insignificant. Look at it. Pray about it. Allow the prayer to arise spontaneously from your heart—whether intercession, praise, repentance, or gratitude.

5. Look toward tomorrow. Ask God to give you light for tomorrow’s challenges. Pay attention to the feelings that surface as you survey what’s coming up. Are you doubtful? Cheerful? Apprehensive? Full of delighted anticipation? Allow these feelings to turn into prayer. Seek God’s guidance. Ask him for help and understanding. Pray for hope.
St. Ignatius encouraged people to talk to Jesus like a friend. End the Daily Examen with a conversation with Jesus. Ask forgiveness for your sins. Ask for his protection and help. Ask for his wisdom about the questions you have and the problems you face. Do all this in the spirit of gratitude. Your life is a gift, and it is adorned with gifts from God. End the Daily Examen with the Lord’s Prayer.

A New Series on Spiritual Disciplines

Spiritual Practice                                  Fasting

Sunday, we begin a new series on spiritual disciplines.  One of the most neglected and important in our culture is fasting.  We simply don't find value in depriving ourselves.  We want what we want when we want it.  NOW!  I call it the adolescence of our culture.   Historically, it makes some sense.  We are a fairly new nation.  We were born out of fierce ideas of freedom and religious practice and holiness but have drifted far from those original goals due to a variety of factors including material abundance, national power, Manifest Destiny (that's a whole other issue) and narcissism.  
      We are not alone in these struggles.  As I review history,  it is apparent that no culture has been able to overcome their excesses.   But there are ways to be countercultural that enable greater health and abundance, yes, abundance.   It seems that we must deny ourselves in order to truly achieve what we desire.  We know this, but resist it.
     For years,  I wanted to be thinner.  But I wanted to be able to eat everything I wanted.   I prayed, nearly nightly: God, make me skinny.  But I would get up the next day and and not plan a healthy meal, starve myself hoping the pounds would melt off, then binge because I could not stand the deprivation any longer.   My weight changed when I began to plan to feed my hunger with healthful foods.  It changed when I eliminated the things that were triggering cravings, which for me, is gluten, sugar, rice and potatoes.   Each of us has a different trigger.  Knowing them, and taking them out of your life is not deprivation but freedom.
     Fasting is not a dietary cure.  It will not make you thinner long term.  But it can change your relationship to food, taking it off the pedestal and putting God back in the rightful place.  I invite you to consider the practice, get a physical and your doctor's approval, and see if denying yourself something can change your relationship to needs, wants, and God's provisions.  Feed on Scripture as you fast.
God Speed.

Some notes:

Named the most powerful spiritual discipline
Counter cultural
Why abstain?
      Promotes humility, discipline, gratitude, attention, focus, mindfulness, health

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."   II Chronicles 7:14

Did fasting help Jesus endure the temptation? Perhaps it was not the temptation itself but an aid in spiritual battle.

-Luke 4:2 For forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.
-Luke 18:12  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
-Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them
-Acts 14:23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
-Joel 2:12  “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning
-Daniel 10:3: I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks.
-Nehemiah 1:4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Fasting will:
Cleanse, detox, and allow your digestion to rest while changing your eating patterns.  This break allows you to review and reflect on how you are caring for your body,  the Temple of God's Holy Spirit.  This process aids in greater mental clarity and focus.  It also helps reveal places where you have emotional struggles and patterns that need to be re-patterened.  It can lead to an experience of physical lightness and greater energy.  While enhancing your spiritual connection, you can experience inner stillness and attention.
     Foods can drug us from real feelings.  Fasting may be a very intense experience where old hurts and struggles are revealed.  It is important to have resources available to help you through these challenging aspects.  

http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/6999 
http://www.cru.org/training-and-growth/devotional-life/personal-guide-to-fasting/03-how-to-fast-safely.htm

Fasting can include abstaining from food, caffeine, chocolate, criticism, electronics and many other things.

Diabetics, people with organ problems, pregnant or nursing mothers, cancer patients, those with bleeding ulcers, heart disease, and many other challenges should not fast.  Always have a current physical and doc’s supervision and approval.