Progressing, Progressive, Progress, Prayer

Last Wednesday, Tom led worship and shared with us some words from a book he is reading, A People’s History of Christianity by Diana Butler Bass; these words spoke to his journey in Benedict’s footsteps.

       For those who went to the desert, “come follow me” was not an escape; rather, it served as an alternative practice of engagement—the first step on the way toward becoming a new people, a universal community of God’s love.

      “Come follow me” was intimately bound up with the practice of prayer.  For prayer connects us with God and others, “part of this enterprise of learning to love.”

Tom further spoke to us about St. Gregory of Nyssa.  St. Gregory spoke about our journey in faith as “progressive,” as progress from the first step towards God and as the progress of each step we take toward God in our lives.  However, this is an unattainable goal.  Unattainable because we are always a work in progress; we are always on the journey.  In this Tom referenced Moses, whose great faith and work for God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, but Moses never entered the promised land; he died looking into the distance.  This is the image of progressing, the image of looking forward into the land of promise, the image of ever striving towards this end.  We believe that Moses journey progressive from this journey in the material world in which we live into the journey of his soul as it passes into the hand of God. 

To me, I am reminded of the Rich Young Man in Mark 10: 17-3.  What can I do to get into heaven, he asks.  Jesus tells him to obey the commandments, and he responds that he has done this.  So, Jesus tells him, sell all you have and “Come follow me.”  There is always another step in the journey.  There is always room to grow.

The monastic saw this command to “Come follow me” as “intimately bound up with the practice of prayer.”  On Wednesday, we took time to practice prayer in the form of Lectio Divina.  I have posted the steps of this practice before, and here I post them again:

Lectio Divina [Begin with a reading from scripture selected.]

1.    Silence:  Recollection,  meditation, breathing,

2.    Lectio:  Reading the words, Savoring the words, Listening

3.    Meditation: Repetition of a word or phrase which speaks to you this day, deepen awareness, stir memories.

4.    Oratio: Let prayer form from the phrase or word

5.    Contemplation: Listening for God’s response, be still in the presence of God.