Have you ever thought what you would talk about if Jesus was sitting across the breakfast table from you? In the movie, “Jesus of Nazareth” there is a scene where Jesus is sitting amidst the “sinners” at Matthew’s house and he is being asked some pretty direct questions while men and women are groping one another. The director shows Jesus with his head facing towards the ground while the people are speaking to him. When they are done, he raises his head and looks them directly in the eye. Their facial features and demeanor take on a mixture of awe and fear. Would Jesus at your table be a friend? A judge? A healer? A prophet? Your Savior?
Spiritual Discernment has been a part of the tradition of the Church since the apostles gathered to pray and discern who would replace Judas within the twelve. Throughout its history we can find discernment whenever there has been serious decision making. The Church finds herself reaching out to God in a very formalized, sometimes ritualistic way to ask God to make Himself and His Will present to the assembly. I see it in the light of the priests within the desert walking into the tent of the Lord and being in His Presence sensing and/or knowing their unworthiness and yet being drawn forth into an experience that is immersed in relationship.
Most Catholics that I have known seem to think of the selection of the Pope as an example of discernment or St. Ignatius of Loyola and his Spiritual Exercises program that he used to do spiritual direction with enquiring students. They do not see it as a way to enter into or go deeper into their relationship with God. It really isn’t until they come up against some pretty difficult situations in their life that they feel they cannot seem to come up with the answer for that their instincts turn them towards the Almighty…a kind of last resort.
So…if I told you this morning, dear readers, that you can be with God, the Trinity, every day at your kitchen table able to talk about whatever is occurring in your life and what decisions you have to make and what experiences are making you anxious all because God is in love with you and He wants you to discover your love for Him, would you believe me? Would you want this? Would you want the Creator of the universe to laugh with you, to joke with you, to hold you, to tell you how He sees the “whole” picture? Would you want Him to calm the waters of your anxiety? Would you want Him to tell you how you are going to handle the flood waters this year or your continued unemployment? How about whether or not your child would get well or your mother beat her current bout of cancer? Would your husband or wife return to you? How long would it take for you to spill out all the worries of your world letting the tears flow like the laments of the Psalms in the Presence of Your Creator. I imagine Him sitting with his gaze on the table in front of Him letting you spill forth all that is human so that when you are through or exhausted He would lift up his eyes to you and calm the raging waters of your heart. He would look directly into your eyes and for that moment everything would be at peace and you would feel the divine comfort that all humanity has searched for since Adam and Eve wanted to have the knowledge of God.
I have designed and offer a Spiritual Discernment program for St. Joseph’s Church in Moorhead, MN. A few years ago God placed within my heart the desire to bring this experience of awe and love to others in a way that incorporates an element of the Divine and the clinical method of learning. Those who have come affirm that it can be transforming. Some have even discovered their Spiritual Gifts and have progressed to impact the Church. I am only the vessel, the handmaiden who, like Matthew, opened myself and my life up to God and He brought such an experience of love and peace and wholeness that I could not return to what once was…woe to me if I did not follow through as minister on His behalf.
So, this morning I invite you to think about Jesus at your kitchen table and what you would want to say to Him. Feel free to write to me at the e-mail listed and let me know how you envision this experience. Have a blessed day!
I suspect that many of us secretly like the idea of a "distant God". It gives the illusion that he is not present in our daily lives. This means it is easier, at least on the surface, to go through our lives, doing what we do. Recognizing and accepting that we have a personal relationship with God, menas that he is with us...always. Like when we get mad and yell at our kids, or flip the bird at the driver in front of us, or hang onto our anger and hurt, or make decisions that benefit us but may harm someone else. And, electing to live a life in relationship with God, can mean setting oneself apart from friends and co-workers, you know, "the odd religious person". So the question remains, when I ask God for something, or to be in relationship with me, what does that require of me? What do I bring to the equation, and what will he need/want from me?
ReplyDeleteAlways keep in mind that He is the Maker of you and I. He already knows us with all our foibles including our propensity to "act out". It is my opinion that with all the medication of and self-medicating for anxiety that we are not doing so well distancing ourselves from God. The illusion is kicking us in the butt and exacting a price from our quality of life. We are choosing to ingest chemical cocktails in order to quiet the questions regarding our existence. You are right, we are afraid. We are afraid of our supernatural makeup and what it will ask from us. I ask that more people who have experienced the saving graces of our loving God to speak out on the quality of their lives and give others something to reach for. I, myself, can write with all certainty and truth that God has saved me from living a life of minimal existence. He has given me the depth of the ocean that spills over onto my creative nature and inspires me to "see" everything and to "hear" all that I can. The feelings are exceedingly comforting, exhilerating, and energizing. Thank you for your comment.
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