Celtic Lent Day 23

Life is simple. We are living in a world that is absolutely transparent, and God is shining through it all the time. This is not just a fable or a nice story. It is true. If we abandon ourselves to God and forget ourselves, we see it sometimes, and we see it maybe frequently. God shows himself everywhere, in everything - in people and in things and in nature and in events. It becomes very obvious that God is everywhere and in everything and we cannot be without him. It's impossible. The only thing is that we don't see it.
Thomas Merton

I'd love the ability to see God in all things and all people- it's a daily prayer for me. I guess the most important thing is that I try, and keep trying.

Scripture
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
Romans 8.19-21

Celtic Lent Day 11

Listening to the rain
What a thing it is to sit absolutely alone, in the forest, at night, cherished by this wonderful, unintelligible, perfectly innocent speech, the most comforting speech in the world, the talk the rain makes by itself all over the ridges, and the talk of the watercourses everywhere in the hollows. Nobody started it, nobody is going to stop it. It will talk as long as it wants, this rain. As long as it talks, I am going to listen.
Thomas Merton

There's something overwhelmingly spiritual about being immersed in nature, I never feel closer to God than when I'm outdoors. The connection to the patterns and rhythms of the seasons, feeling connected to something so much bigger and ancient than myself. My understanding is that this lies at the heart of Celtic spirituality; the never-ending relationship between humankind and creation.
Overnight (at work) I've watched everything be transformed by a blanket of snow; there's a silence snow creates which invites me to listen to its peace and find something in it.

Scripture
Deep calls to deep
   at the thunder of your cataracts;
all your waves and your billows
   have gone over me.
By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
   and at night his song is with me,
   a prayer to the God of my life.
Psalm 42.7-8

The 4th

This is an extract from today's daily meditation from Richard Rohr:

James Finley learned from [Thomas] Merton while living at the Abbey of Gethsemani from 1961-1967. He reflects that Merton believed the world could not survive if religion remained at the clannish level. This false competition doesn’t serve anyone. On the other hand, openness to other traditions can and should deepen our commitment to our own faith and practice. This is one of the primary fruits of obeying Jesus’ simple command to “love our neighbor.” I presume loving others means listening to them and respecting them as brothers and sisters.

The only way we can learn is through an open mind and listening to others. It's fascinating that so many other faiths and traditions have winter festivals- what similarities are there? What's different? I love hearing not only about other people's Christmas traditions but the traditions of other faiths and cultures.
There should always be time for looking outwards at Christmas, assessing the bigger picture, connecting with people, thinking outside of our smaller communities to the bigger things we're a part of. I'm lucky that Manchester is such a diverse city, it's an amazing place to experience. I also work in an incredibly diverse environment with people from all over the world.

Today I felt joyful talking to an old friend, am thankful for my children's health and felt helpless not being able to give my patients the answers they want.

Scripture
I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.’
Psalm 40:8

Day 20

Pastor Patty does day 20 & 21 together, so I'll save that for tomorrow. As we're now halfway through our Lenten journey I'll share Thomas Merton's reflection from today's Northumbria community daily prayer:

My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think that I am following Your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please You
does in fact please You.
And I hope that I have that desire
in all that I am doing.

And I know that if I do this,
You will lead me by the right road
although I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust You always,
though I may seem to be lost
and in the shadow of death,
I will not fear, for You are ever with me,
and will never leave me
to face my perils alone.

(Thomas Merton)

Day 8

The life of contemplation is, then,
not simply a life of human technique and discipline;
it is the life of the Holy Spirit in our inmost souls.

Contemplation is the work of love,
and the contemplative proves his [sic] love
by leaving all things,
even the most spiritual things, for God
in nothingness, detachment, and "night". 
But the deciding factor in contemplation is the free and unpredictable action of God.

(From The Inner Experience by Thomas Merton)

A suggestion for your prayer and meditation:

When you sit in prayer or meditation begin by imagining the Holy Spirit flowing through you.  You control nothing of the Spirit's movements.  You do not cause the Spirit to be present.  You are simply providing a conduit. If it helps, picture the Spirit radiating outward from your heart and through the palms of your hands; outward to a world in need of love and grace.
Pastor Patty Fox 40 days with 40 Christian mystics

It can be so easy to forget our interconnectedness, to not realise we are all filled with the same sustaining spirit and overlook our worth as different, (equally valued) parts of the body of Christ; each vital, each important.
What's even worse is when we don't recognise that in other.
Even though we are different we are all one body.
Even when we profoundly disagree we are all one body.
Even if we feel we hate each other we are all one body.
Fostering our sense of connectedness may be a way to move away from the isolating individualism which permeates our culture and move towards a more relational, community-focused life.