Letting go - A Meditation by Richard Rohr \Remember: All great spirituality is about letting go. (Sunday) The spiritual journey is a journey into Mystery, requiring us to enter the “cloud of unknowing” where the left brain always fears to tread. (Monday) A daily practice of contemplative prayer can help you let go and fall into the Big Truth that we all share, the big truth that is God, that is Grace itself, where you are overwhelmed by more than enoughness! (Tuesday) Unless we learn to let go of our feelings, we don’t have the feelings, the feelings have us. (Wednesday) Forgiveness is simply the religious word for letting go. (Thursday) Letting go of our cherished images of ourselves is really the way to heaven, because when you fall down to the bottom, you fall on solid ground, the Great Foundation, the bedrock of God. (Friday) Rest: Lectio Divina Below are several passages in scripture that encourage us to let go. Choose one (along with the surrounding text) that resonates with you and engage the passage with the simple practice of lectio divina, sacred reading. Letting go of control (the faith theme throughout the Bible): “The Lord will deliver you, and you have only to be still.” – Exodus 14:14 Letting go of fear (the most frequent line in the Bible): “Do not be afraid.” – John 6:20, Mark 6:50, Matthew 14:27, to name a few Letting go of the small self: “Yahweh my Lord is my strength.” – Habakkuk 3:19 “Cut off from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5 Letting go of hurts (most of Jesus’ teaching is about forgiveness): “If you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours.” – Matthew 6:14 Read the passage slowly and aloud four times. With the first reading, listen with your heart’s ear for a phrase or word that stands out for you. During the second reading, reflect on what touches you, perhaps speaking that response aloud or writing in a journal. Third, respond with a prayer or expression of what you have experienced and what it calls you to. Fourth, rest in silence after the reading. (Learn more about lectio divina at Contemplative Outreach.) Adapted from Jesus’ Plan for A New World, p. 124 Gateway to Silence: Let go and let God. Related Resources: The Art of Letting Go: Living the Wisdom of Saint Francis (CD) Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life Simplicity: The Freedom of Letting Go “To pray and actually mean ‘thy Kingdom come,’ we must also be able to say ‘my kingdoms go.’ Francis and Clare’s first citizenship was always and in every case elsewhere, which ironically allowed them to live in the world with joy, detachment, and freedom.” — Richard Rohr
Posted on: Sat, 26 Jul 2014 10:03:38 +0000
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