Spiritual Practice. At the heart of our Christian life is the commitment to prayer and spiritual practice, the natural fruit of which is compassion and the service of others. We host a Centering Prayer Group, as well as the ministry of Spiritual Direction. We also draw on other contemplative practice such as Lectio Divina. From time-to-time we offer directed retreats.
A message from the Rector:
Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one’s weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart. – Mahatma Gandhi
I love these words of Gandhi. To me they capture the essence of faith. Often, church, faith, liturgy and, dare I say, even prayer can become another ‘doing’––an activity which occupies the mind, the body and even the emotions. It can become a vehicle to find some consolation in the joyful and painful mystery of life. We can find association and friendship with a larger group and feel part of something greater than ourselves. We can also get involved with wonderful programs of charity and helping others in our local or worldwide community and we can participate in worship as a community.
And these are all good things, yet, I think our journey of faith first calls us to address or perhaps respond to something greater. The indicator, the voice which calls is our longing – our yearning for that which we cannot name. Some might say that this longing is our God’s indwelling longing for us – and it is spoken of only in the language of art, poetry or music – often in a romantic or erotic way – for it is the language of love. In this language, the finite world of reason is transcended: love, lover and beloved lose their separate identities and join together in one beautiful harmony.
The other language, sometimes called God’s first language, is silence. We can all learn to speak this language. It is another way to pray. Prayer in the sense of relationship, of consenting, being present to, surrendering to, being with – beyond any thought or emotion. Being Still and Knowing…
It is in the regular participation in stillness, contemplative prayer and other mindful activities that we cultivate this relationship with this deep inner yearning. Out of this, the fruit of the Spirit, as noted in the 5th Chapter of Galatians – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control – naturally flows. Although one may suggest this kind of prayer is an individualistic approach, one will find that it is in removing the obstacles of self-possessiveness that we discover a profound unity and communion with all of life, with Christ.
Indeed sometimes our religious life can become another ‘doing,’ yet if we can be intentional about our spiritual life, our ‘in-breath’ – grounding our activity in prayer and stillness of the heart, our ‘out-breath’ becomes less about our will, and more about THY will. Our hearts become God’s heart and so do our hands.
Christ Has No Body
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
- Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
