During this period of extended lockdown in our State, many of us have experienced the difficulty as well as the joy that can come with time to reflect and delve into their interior space. With delving in mind, Thomas Keating, (in his book – Intimacy with God) asks us to think about the Holy Spirit as the divine archaeologist. At some point, the Spirit may decide that springtime has lasted long enough, and decides to dig down to the next level. Hence as we progress towards the center where God is actually waiting for us, we are naturally going to feel that we are getting worse.
- The movement from springtime into the real work of the spiritual journey takes place not on our initiative, because we probably would stay in our first fervour of spiritual endeavour if we could. The Spirit as our loving guide invites us to look at the next level of our life and to see if that too, can be rescued from its limitations.
- St John of the Cross writes, we may notice a delicate sense of peace and may even begin to enjoy the more substantial food of pure faith, which is far more reliable and much more strengthening for the journey. This basic experience is often allegorised as the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. The fruits of the Spirit begin to appear, (Galatians 5:22-23) and later the Beatitudes, (Matt 5:3-10).
As you prepare to relax in body and mind, to slow your breathing, and enter your meditation, centering your prayer, allow yourself to gradually surrender through growth in trust and humility. In this way we reach a new level of interior freedom, a deeper purity of heart, and an ever increasing union with the Spirit.
Love and every blessing
Kathryn
Intimacy with God – The Psychology of Centering Prayer, p 84 – 89.
