NEW BEGINNINGS (6)

NEW BEGINNINGS (6)

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

Be in your prayer space, follow the usual steps and settle into silence.

Take a couple of gentle, slow and deep breaths…becoming aware of your breath going in and out… stay focused on this breath of life……

Breathe in all that is of God and from God…all that is true, honest, pure, admirable, noble, decent, virtuous, worthy of praise, good, loving, kind – all that deserves respect….

Breathe out all that is not of God and from God……..

Settle into silence, into peacefulness, into profound silence, into pure joy. Keep listening in quietness, stillness and serenity.

Come to that place, that space within, that place of deep silence – Solitude…to just being here and now, without having to accomplish something.

Now from the depth of your heart begin to wish your mind well……

Our last meditation was on awakening to and abiding, dwelling in the moment of Grace. This meditation invites you to contemplate the divine “GRACE” – God’s “HESED” – his covenant love: the steadfast, ever present, unconditional, unconquerable, invincible, unmerited love of God. This is THE GIFT OF GRCAE, which we can only contemplate!

Many of the Psalms proclaim the wonder and amazement of the Psalmist at the mystery of the divine “hesed”, contemplating a very deep, intense and personal awareness of the gift of God’s grace. Not theology or philosophy or logic…just amazement at the awesome presence of God!

The Psalms, being the heart of the Old Testament, sum up and expresse the theology of the Old Testament as a whole. The Hebrew theology reflected in many ways their philosophy of life which was one of “wholeness”, “oneness” unlike that of the Greeks which was one of dualism. While the Greeks thought of body and soul, the Hebrews thought of a person as one, single, unified whole, “nephesh” (translated as soul), a word for which we have no English equivalent.

“Nephesh” describes not what we think of as “soul” or an individual, but a person in a web of connections – tied up in his relationships with other people, father, mother, employee, boss and so on. It is this whole “nephesh” that is the object of God’s love. It is YOU and ME in a web of relationship – all of you and me that is the object of God’s love. This is the mystery of Grace! This is what is amazing….this is AMAZINF GRACE!

Be still…..for a few moments….contemplate this divine mystery!

God is God of the covenant. His “hesed” is what God was doing for Israel and through Israel for the world. And it was what God expected Israel to do for others in return, in covenant. The translators of KJV (in 1611), unable to penetrate the meaning of the word “hesed” used forty five different English words to render its meaning, words such as mercy, goodness, kindness, loving kindness, steadfast love and so on. It is not an idea that we, human beings, have thought of, but God’s gracious love and unconquerable loyalty within the bonds of the covenant which God himself has established. It could simply be said: “Yahweh’s love is everlasting”; God’s love is eternal; Love endures; Love never dies. God doesn’t just love…God is Love, unconquerable, invincible, unconditional, benevolent love.

Be still…..for a few moments….contemplate this divine mystery!

Psalm 8 contemplates this divine mystery…take a moment and join the psalmist!

O God, our God,

how glorious is your name over all the earth! ……..how amazing, how awesome!

Your glory is praised in the heavens.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your hands,

the moon and the stars which you created—

who are we that you should be mindful of us, ……..how amazing, how awesome!

that you should care for us?

You have made us little less than the gods

and crowned us with glory and honor. ……..        how amazing, how awesome!

God, our God,

how glorious is your name over all the earth! ……..how amazing, how awesome!

One of the true, characteristic quality of religion and spirituality is a sense of awe, amazement and wonder at the mystery of man and the vast universe – even a sense of awe and wonder about who and what the thinking and feeling self is! Psalm 8 reflects this profound sense, unique to the person of the Spirit.

Spend a few minutes, in silence and in solitude, gently and prayerfully wondering about the mystery that you are!

Our poet begins (Psalm by declaring “O Lord, Our Lord”, which is the title of the God of the covenant – how glorious this “name” is! God’s glory is that part of God’s being that is visible to the eyes of faith, even though his glory is “above the heavens”.

Now spend a few minutes, in silence and in solitude, gently and prayerfully wondering about the mystery that God is!

Verse 4 speaks of God being mindful of man. This is God’s closeness, intimacy, oneness with man – never out of mind, thought, feelings….even when man wanders off. Another way of saying it is: God never lets man slip out of his mind as He weaves his plan for the whole universe.

Now spend a few minutes, in silence and in solitude, gently and prayerfully reflecting on how MINDFUL you are of yourself, your children and other persons in your life.

In verse 5, the poet exclaims: “thou has made him little less than god” “and crowned him with glory”. God made man to image Him – to be “godlike” – to do what he does and to reflect his glory! We occupy an important and unique place in God’s creation, a position of “glory and honor”. God sees us different – the way He made us – “with glory and honor”.

In the eyes of our creator, we are worthy of honor, respect, love. We need to share this vision of ourselves. We need to grow into this vision.

Are you aware of this dignity of yours and your children’s and that of others like you, “crowned with glory and honor”? How do you reflect this image? How do you reflect this glory? And how do you help and support others reflect this glory?

Our Psalmist says: Thank you God, I am fearfully, wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).

God has carefully created us and has given us all the tools we need to manage our lives with creativity and dignity. …. how amazing, how awesome!

You might want to remember this, dwell on this thought and draw strength from this the next time you feel overwhelmed and under-equipped.

Our Psalmist says again: How weighty are your designs, O God (Psalm 139:17)

God has created us greater and stronger and more creative than we often believe ourselves to be. We have an inherent ability to expand/develop our physical, mental and spiritual abilities, boundaries, gifts, powers and talents…..

Almighty God has crowded miracles into you.

Why not let them come forth and live? (Norman Vincent Peale)

Take a few moments…contemplate the divine “hesed”. Remember and be grateful for the many amazing people, events and things that God has brought into your life.

You are blessed…your are loved….you are graced!

Live in Grace!

God’s Love is steadfast.

May I not be caught up in a web of self-deceit.

May I be embraced by the web of Grace,

And may I be steadfast in loving God and all that is of God.

Fr. Gus Tharappel,msfs