Conscience and consciousness echo "Go south, ... the desert road," One finds there - no inbetween Lover and Beloved
Most mornings, I sit alone in a desert place for twenty minutes. This (contemplative) practice helps me recognize that my thoughts and feelings are not God. It is the antidote to a dominating ego of self-reference and idolatry.
“Entering into contemplative prayer is like entering into the Eucharistic liturgy” (CCC2711)
Once I acknowledge the breath of life that fills my lungs, I set a timer and close my eyes. Soon I become aware of mindless chatter; I recall my sacred word to disrupt this flow of mental thought. There happens a split moment of deep mental silence. It is not magical or mystical but dry as the desert.
Once you let go of all the strings that hold you up and makes you dance, once a space is opened up where a spontaneous moment is possible and essential, then and only then, is a radically free act possible.
Stephen Farah
The practice offers my sacrifice: personal thoughts, fantasies, memories, and feelings, even spiritual ones. The sole intent is to receive Christ as in the Eucharist, a consummation where there is no need or space for actions or words, not mine nor anyone else’s.
To paraphrase John of the Cross, this pure intimacy is gracefully present for you and me as it was for those when the Living Word was unwritten and the Mass unsaid.
This practice is simple but not easy. Yet, I would not have had the courage or maturity to accept the contemplative path if it had not been for the painful collapse of long-held religious foundations, illusions, and idols. Its gift came in darkness. There is no looking back, and there is no giving it back. All I can do is hang on to the narrow path in gratitude and trust in God Alone.
Be sure that if you are occupied with something less than God, you place it above you for the time being and create a barrier between yourself and God. Therefore, firmly reject all clear ideas however pious or delightful. For I tell you this, one loving blind desire for God alone is more valuable in itself, more pleasing to God and to the saints, more beneficial to your own growth, and more helpful to your friends, both living and dead, than anything else you can do. And you are more blessed to experience the interior affection of this love within the darkness of the cloud of unknowing than to contemplate the angels and saints or to hear the mirth and melody of their heavenly festival.
Anonymous, the Cloud of Unknowing
I do not imagine contemplation for the masses but rather for divine intimacy within each solitary soul and Beloved. May you rest in Divine Providence to accept the better part when you hear its call.
Reflection: Not from what you have been taught, or told by anyone, but rather from the silence of your heart, truth of your soul, what sustains your faith that you are One with the Beloved?
Ps. As always, feel free to comment.
