Wednesday, April 02, 2008
disciplines for difficult times
This blog has been quiet lately because I am taking another break form my prison work, this time for the birth of grandsons expected in April and May. Ive been at a Spiritual Directors International conference and am now retreating at a near friends home outside of Washington DC. My meditations this morning inspired me to read some of Quaker Healer John Calvi's writings on his web site ( johncalvi.com) and what I found was a great recipe for folks like me, in times like now:
"Friends today are called to put out so many fires of injustice; cruelty, militarism and poverty; it may be that we haven’t been so busy since the days of King Charles and Cromwell. If this is so, then Friends should be called to greater spiritual disciplines than ever before – spiritual disciplines because the crux of our faith is to listen for the Divine message and at upon it. Listening and acting have become more difficult as the noise of the world from suffering and deceit has risen.
So, what disciplines should we attend to? Perhaps these:
- enough silence, listening for the Divine, trying not to hear yourself
- enough rest and nurture to be clear vessels to receive Light
- enough stillness to feel our humility as fragile carriers of Light
- enough comfort to offer our best effort
- enough strength kept up for the long haul
- enough concentration to focus while listening
- enough love of life to see beauty while surrounded by pain"
from "A Call to Spiritual Discipline" Friends Journal May 2007
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