NEW BEGINNINGS (11)

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 and 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……

Loving God,

Give us,

A Pure Heart, that we may see You,

A Humble Heart, that we may hear You,

A Heart of Love, that we may serve You,

A Heart of Faith, that we may abide in You. (Dag Hammarskjold)

Our last meditation was on being pure of heart as being single-minded, having only one desire: to follow the Lord more closely, more intimately and having no other agenda than to do his will and fulfill his purpose for us.

WE meditated on how God continues to reveal His will and purpose for us and our surrender to his will is a lifelong process and not a one-time finished product…. So we must continue to pray and search and discern His will and purpose for us. We must learn and strive to surrender our plans and bring them into harmony with His plan.

We do not strive to bring God’s will into harmony with our will or to get God to change his mind or his plan for us. We strive to bring our will into harmony with His will. If we do not surrender our desires and open ourselves to the will and purpose of God, we will not know the ultimate fulfillment of our life.

Let us continue our meditation on bringing our will into harmony with God’s will a d

purpose for us, doing the will of God.

Take a moment and remember the story of creation in the Old Testament……

Then God said: “Let us make man in our own image, after our own likeness……God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them and commissioned him to have “dominion” over the earth…” (Genesis 1:26-28)

Made in God’s image, we must IMAGE God, Participate in the very life and creative activity of God….and share in the governance (dominion) of the earth.

Take a moment….use your imagination…visualize if you can……God, gently, tenderly and patiently at work, creating the heavens and the earth….fashioning us in his own image and commissioning us to share in the governance of the earth!

We are commissioned to participate in God’s life-giving act: must speak life-giving word; show deep concern for life, work for preserving and raising the quality of life…….

We are commissioned to participate in Gods’ life-redeeming/saving act: seek the lost, heal the sick, forgive the sinner, love the enemy………

We are commissioned to participate in God’s Ruling Act: maintaining integrity, wholeness, and harmony, establish just and right relations, work for peace, order and harmony, show concern for the total well-being of humanity……

God found all his creation good and blessed them and his creative activity concluded with blessing the day of his rest.

In the beginning God blessed everything….if we are to image God, we must cultivate a blessing attitude……

To bless is to make somebody or something holy, to bestow holiness on somebody or something, to protect somebody or something, to watch over somebody or something protectively, to wish somebody or something well, to affirm/approve and support somebody or something, to confer desirable quality on somebody or something, to rejoice and to express gratitude…..

To bless is to desire, wish, pray and say good, noble and praiseworthy things…….

Now from the depth of your heart wish your mind well, wish your heart well, wish your body well, wish your family well, wish your morning well, wish your day well, wish your world well, wish your “all” well…… Bless all that you are and have…. bless all your desires, hopes, plans, projects and those of your family and loved ones……..

In the beginning………God looked at everything he made and found it very good….(Genesis 1:31). Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed and God rested from all the work He was doing….and blessed and made the holy(Genesis 2:1-2).

• God finished His work of creating the universe.
  
• God rested when His creation work was finished.
  
• God blessed and sanctified the day He rested.
  

Take a moment….use your imagination…visualize if you can……God, gently, tenderly and patiently at work, creating the heavens and the earth….fashioning us in his own image and resting from the work he has been doing!

In the beginning, the whole universe was created, ordered and held together with a purpose. We are created and blessed with a purpose for our life. Be grateful!

We have a “God-ordained purpose” and we must participate in the fulfillment of that purpose.

To be human is to be born with a purpose. This purpose is not an individual or specific goal, but the fullness of our nature.

The purpose is to be and to become what God made us to be…to be his image, to image him where he has placed us. The purpose must be seen as goodness, holiness, perfection, fullness of life with God, life in heaven, eternal life, etc.

God has loved us and has called us to a holy life, not because of any merit of ours but according to his own design – the grace held out to us in Christ Jesus before the world began. (Timothy 1:9)

You are no longer a slave but a son! And the fact that you are son makes you an heir by God’s design. (Galatians 4:7)

“You are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God – being built to become a dwelling place for God in the spirit” (Eph.2:19-22)

Take a moment…..Prayerfully reflect on your noble calling and the purpose God has for you.

In the beginning God found all his creation good and blessed them and his creative activity concluded with blessing the day of his rest.

Now take a moment, bless all the things that God found good and blessed that you may find them good and holy, that you may preserve the goodness of God’s earth……

Be still, rest with God and bless this moment, this morning, this day and all around you!

Bless the LORD, O my soul;

all my inmost being, bless his holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
       and forget not all his benefits-

Who satisfies your desires with good things
       so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalm 103:1-2, 5)

Fr. Gus Tharappel,msfs

NEW BEGINNINGS (10)

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 and 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……

Loving God,

Give us,

A Pure Heart, that we may see You,

A Humble Heart, that we may hear You,

A Heart of Love, that we may serve You,

A Heart of Faith, that we may abide in You. (Dag Hammarskjold)

Our last meditation was on being pure of heart as being single-minded, having only one desire: to follow the Lord more closely, more intimately and having no other agenda than to do his will and fulfill his purpose for us.

God loved us so much that He sent His son Jesus, who willingly took on human flesh and chose obedience and surrender to His Father’s will for us. Because of Jesus, all you and I need to do today is to place our faith in Him and listen, obey His Word.

Obedience or surrender to God’s will and purpose is essentially an ongoing practice and not a one-time action! Surrender happens through many experiences and creative practices which bring us into personal and intimate contact with God….which help us care for the small things of life with love and bring us into the bigger, larger and greater picture.

God continues to reveal His will and purpose for us and our surrender to his will is a lifelong process and not a one-time finished product…. So we must continue to pray and search and discern His will and purpose for us. We must learn and strive to surrender our plans and bring them into harmony with His plan.

We do not strive to bring God’s will into harmony with our will or to get God to change his mind or his plan for us. We strive to bring our will into harmony with His will.

One of the great Indian poets, Tagore, had the following to say in one of his inspiring poems:

“I thought

that my voyage had come to its end to the last limit of my power,

the path before me was closed;

that provisions were exhausted and the time come to take shelter in a silent obscurity.

But I find that thy will knows no end in me.

And when old words die out on the tongue,

new melodies break forth from the heart;

and where the old tracks are lost, new country is revealed with its wonders.” (Tagore).

“I find that thy will knows no end in me…When old words die out, new melodies break forth from the heart”. So we must continue to pray and search and discern His will and purpose for us.

Let us join this great poet in praying for the grace to “raise my mind high above daily trifles” and learn to “Surrender my strength to thy will with love” as expressed in the following poem…..

“This is my prayer to thee, my Lord,

strike, strike at the root of penury in my heart.

Give me the strength lightly to bear my joys and sorrows.

Give me the strength to make my love fruitful in service.

Give me the strength never to disown the poor,

or bend my knees before insolent might.

Give me the strength to raise my mind high above daily trifles.

And give me the strength to surrender my strength to thy will with love. (Tagore).

One day, Jesus was in a Samaritan town. Tired form the journey, he took rest at Jacob’s well. The disciples went to buy provisions. On their return they found Jesus in conversation with a Samaritan women. They said to him, “Rabbi, eat something”. He responded, “I have food of which you do not know”. “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work” (John 4:1, 31-34). My food – what I hunger for, what I desire, what I long for, what would satisfy my deepest hunger is the Father’s will.

Jesus taught his disciples: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (God’s way), they will be satisfied” (Mathew 5:6).

Surrender to the Father’s will is what Jesus deeply desired. Jesus did what the Father willed of him. He was sent by the Father with a mission (with orders) and he remained obedient to the Father’s will. He says, “I have come, not to do my own will, but to do the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38); “I always do what is pleasing to him” (John 8:29). Jesus taught his disciples that the real and only proof of love is obedience (John 14:23).

The dynamic and the moving force, the mainspring and the core of the life of Jesus was one of continuous self-surrender. His life of obedience has taught us that……

• The only way to peace is to do the will of God. There can be no peace when our will is at variance with the will of God.

• The only way to fullness of Joy is to do the will of God. There can be no joy when our will is not aligned with the will of God.

• The only way to power is to do the will of God. When we go God’s way, we go with His power. When we go our way, we rely on our power which tends to weaken.

• The only way to freedom is to do the will of God. We are free only in God’s wisdom. Our ignorance makes us unfree.

Surrendering to God and obeying His will and purpose for our life brings us into the abundance of his life and love that Jesus came to offer, “I have come so that you may have life and life to its fullness” (John 10:10)” . If you hang on to your desires, plans and rights, you may be happy for awhile, a satisfaction for the moment, a sense of accomplishment for the present, or a temporary relief from stress or longing.

We are often tempted with transitory longings, desires of the moment, cravings for the passing pleasures of life. Surrendering our desires, wants, rights and wills is hard to do. We are all often like children. When we want something, we want something and we really want it then and there! Those of you who have tried to go on a diet, know well that if you don’t surrender your desires, wants and cravings, you will not have the desired result. The same is true of our spiritual life. If we do not surrender our desires and open ourselves to the will and purpose of God, we will not know the ultimate fulfillment of our life.

Surrender to God is a choice we must make with every breath we take. You may not be happy about it right now, but in the bigger picture of life, you’ll be glad you chose to surrender to God.

Let us continue to strive to be pure of heart, to be single-minded, having only one desire: to follow the Lord more closely, more intimately and having no other agenda than to do his will and fulfill his purpose for us.

God is perfect and perfect wisdom.

We do not pray in order to change His will,

But to bring our wills into harmony with His.

(William Temple)

Fr. Gus Tharappel,msfs

SATURDAY

September 12, 2009

This morning, we take a break from our mediation on “New Beginnings” and make our “Wellspring Meditation”.

Tomorrow is the 11^th anniversary of Wellspring being established in its present location. Much has happened since we began our ministry.
We have journeyed together and formed a praying, caring, serving and contemplative community where all can come to deepen their spirituality, learn the contemplative way and be actively in ministry.

We have walked with the virtues of justice, peace, hope, compassion, wisdom, faithfulness and this year prayerfulness and it is my hope that your journey at Wellspring has made a real difference in your life. It is a blessing to share this journey with you and to continue building this community of men and women who are contemplatives in active ministry.

Please join me in thanking God for all his blessings and Grace on our ministry.

Thank you for your presence, participation and support.

We will continue our meditation on “New Beginnings” next week.

Please make your meditation in a comfortable place as usual and meet at the usual gathering space at 7:35AM

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERFUL PRESENCE.

YOU ARE IN MY PRAYER.

Fr. Gus

WELLSPRING MEDITATION

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

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

Sit still…..Relax…….Do not rush………

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……

Settle into silence, into peacefulness, into profound silence, into pure joy. Keep listening in such quietness 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……….

Lord, I hunger for your presence!

I wait for your arrival!

I get up early, on Saturday morning,

I even, struggle to wake up and get ready,

I drive all the way to Wellspring,

I get into a comfortable position,

I wait with others….. for you……..I wait………I hunger……..I thirst……..

Meditative Reading and Prayer:

Loving God,

we gather in faith,

anxious to be together again,

desiring in our presence to one another,

your Presence.

God, we feel vulnerable and very human,

and our need for you is great,

and so is our need for each other.

For the gift of life and love,

thank you.

Open to us, reveal to us, your wisdom,

that we may live your gift of life,

gratefully, gracefully, lovingly, justly, peacefully, wisely and faithfully.

Abide in this thought for some time!

Begin Again……

For the mystery and miracle of your Church,

and our faith community, WELLSPRING,

where, when one of rejoices, all of us rejoice,

and when one of us suffers, all of us suffer,

we thank you.

We are always moved by the faith, the hope, the love and the joy,

as well as the loneliness, disappointment, pain and sorrow,

of those with whom we live and have our being in this community.

They have become for us your blessings and grace,

encouraging, calling and challenging us.

Their faces have become faces of Christ to us.

We remember Jesus,

being washed in the waters of the Jordan,

immersed in the life-giving water,

filled with the Holy Spirit,

moving into the desert to contemplate and fulfill his mission,

We remember the blind man,

who washed in the waters of Siloam,

and had a new vision and new spirit.

We remember the Samaritan woman,

drawing water from Jacob’s well,

only to hear the call to the Wellspring,

to drink the life-giving water,

which becomes a fountain within,

leaping up to provide eternal life.

We remember our own baptismal waters,

cleansing us, gracing us, immersing us,

into the mystery of your gift of life and love,

calling us by name into a community,

empowering us to live the “Christ-Life” to its fullness.

Lord, bless our gathering now,

and make it a pool of life-giving water,

bearing your grace, your love, your peace – Your Presence.

Abide in this thought for some time!

Lord, we gather again at Wellspring,

Affirming again that there is a spring within!

Deep, down there, there is a wellspring!

Look beyond…don’t ever stop looking, because it is there.

Abide in this thought for some time!

Listen to the master calling: Give me a drink! I thirst!

Not now! May be tomorrow…may be in the spring! My Well is closed for the winter!

Gospel call comes again and again: Give me a drink! I thirst!

It’s never out of season to give a drink….never out of season or too late to be a well for our brothers and sisters – nor is it out of season or too late to receive from their wells…

There are wells hidden in the hearts of all the thirsty strangers we meet along the way. Sometimes our honest search for the living water can lead us to these wells. The woman at the well received her drink from Jesus and she became a well for others to drink from (Jn.4:39).

I want to call you to look for such wells along the way, on your journey and to be such a well for others to find (during the coming week). Deep, down there, there is a wellspring!

A faucet will do in a hurry, but what makes the world so wonderful is that somewhere it hides a well so deep, full of life-giving drink. Sometimes people are like wells, deep and real, natural (unpiped), calm, cool, refreshing, life-giving. They bring out the best in you. Some experiences are like that too. They are all wells of wonder, wells of hope, wells of joy, wells of courage and wisdom.

When you find such a well, drink deeply of the gift within. Then, may be soon, you will discover that you have become what you received. Then you will be a well for others to find.

Look beyond…don’t ever stop looking, because it is there.

Abide in this thought for some time!

Fr. Gus Tharappel,msfs