Gaia: The Sacred Pool - Masters, Mystics, Saints - Christianity/Catholicism

Julian of Norwich

http://mettakaruna.gaia.com — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 17:28:39 GMT

I know that at times I will be troubled, I know that at times I will be belaboured, I know that at times I will be disquieted, but I believe that I will not be overcome.

Instrument of God

http://mettakaruna.gaia.com — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 15:03:38 GMT

Beautiful is the moment in which we understand that we are no more than an instrument of God; we live only as long as God wants us to live; we can do only as much as God makes us able to; we are only as intelligent as God would have us be.

- Archbishop Oscar Romero, from his last homily, March 23, 1980

Brother Lawrence

http://mettakaruna.gaia.com — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 20:52:32 GMT

Make it your study, before taking up any task - look to God, be it only for a moment, as also when you are engaged thereon, and lastly when you have performed the same. And forasmuch as without time and great patience this practice cannot be attained, be not disheartened at your many falls; truly this habit can only be formed with difficulty, yet when it is so formed, how great will be your joy therein!

Is it not right that the heart which is the first thing in us to have life, and which has dominion over all the body, should be the first and last to love and worship God, both when we begin and end our actions, be they spiritual or bodily, and generally in all the affairs of life? It is here therefore, in the heart, that we ought to strive to make a habit of this gaze on God; but that which is needful to bring the heart to this obedience we must do, as I have already said, quite simply, without strain or study.

Those who set out upon this practice let me counsel to offer up in secret a few words, such as "My God, I am wholly Thine. O God of Love, I love Thee with all my heart, Lord, make my heart even as Thine;" or such other words as love prompts on the instant. But take heed that your mind wanders not back to the world again; keep it fixed on God alone, so that, thus subdued by the will, it may be constrained to abide with God.

Re: those who fear satan

Wed, 23 Aug 2006 02:56:37 GMT

I bow to that!

those who fear satan

http://mettakaruna.gaia.com — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 02:27:49 GMT

I do not fear Satan half so much as I fear those who fear him.
Saint Teresa of Avila

Prayer of St Teresa

http://mettakaruna.gaia.com — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 04:47:22 GMT

Although I have often abandoned you, O Lord, you have never abandoned me. Your hand of love is always outstretched towards me, even when I stubbornly look the other way. And your gentle voice constantly calls me, even when I obstinately refuse to listen. When the sins in my soul are increasing, I lose the taste for virtuous things. Yet, even at such moments, Lord, I know I am failing you and failing myself. You alone can restore my taste for virtue. There are so many false friends willing to encourage sin. But your friendship alone can give the strength of mind to resist and defeat sin.

What a good friend you are, Lord! You are so patient, willing to wait as long as necessary for me to turn to you. You rejoice at the times when I love you, but you do not hold against me the times when I ignore you. Your patience is beyond my understanding. Even when I pray, my mind fills with worldly concerns and vain daydreams. Yet you are happy if I give only a single second of honest prayer, turning that second into a seed of love.

Oh Lord, I enjoy your friendship so much, why is it not possible for me to think of you constantly?

Re: Shadow Dancing

Sun, 16 Jul 2006 02:31:00 GMT

Thanks, Metta. This is an old one. It didn't make it into the book, but I was going through some of the rejects and thought this was fun.

Re: Shadow Dancing

http://toldot.gaia.com — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 17:02:04 GMT

From the book of Daniel, Chapter 7, verse 9

"As I looked, thrones were set in place,and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow"

and

Matthew 17:1,2

"After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was trasnfigured before them. His face shown like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light."

Re: Shadow Dancing

http://mettakaruna.gaia.com — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 15:46:23 GMT

I really like this, Wendy.

Re: Shadow Dancing

http://shhh.gaia.com — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 04:45:05 GMT

Where do they get this white robe stuff from? :) It's never white.

Shadow Dancing

Sun, 09 Jul 2006 19:09:05 GMT

Shadow Dancing

I woke up from a dream and realized I'd been dancing
with the Devil. That grace-less fellow left dusty cloven hoof-prints
all over my shiny black dancing shoes! Not to mention my
blistered palm or the smoking handprint burned into my dress
at the small of my back. Or my toes crushed by the shadow-weight
of the world. The hung-over guilt of my own original sin.
You see, I invited him in.

My mama early on put the fear of the Devil in me.
I wrestled with him as a child, and won
but only after he'd dragged me across the ceiling
threw me against the walls. It must've been a dream
but that memory carried such weight that the thought
of the thought of him sent me scurrying to hide
in the white robes of Christ.

But my dad put the fear of fear in me
and I've been running from it ever since
playing with spiders, swimming with sharks.
I cast off the refuge of Christ's mantle like a snake
too big for its skin. So when the Bright One
in the dark came a callin', I must confess
I let him in.

I woke up from the dream of my waking
and realized I'd been dancing with my shadow
all along, and it's still stuck to me
sometimes in front, sometimes behind.
Sometimes I see me in profile to the side
lock-step as I go, and I wonder
what I show.

Re: The Simple Life

Sun, 09 Jul 2006 19:05:07 GMT

Lovely!

Re: The Simple Life

http://lindseyhorsemedicine.gaia.com — Fri, 07 Jul 2006 03:04:18 GMT

I'm happy that you found it today.

Tonight I found something by Thomas Merton, from The Wisdom of the Desert:

XXXIV

One of the monks, called Serapion, sold his book of the Gospels and gave the money to those who were hungry, saying: I have sold the book which told me to sell all that I had and give to the poor.

~!.~

Lindsey

Empty Yourself

http://BabasBoy.gaia.com — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 14:37:25 GMT

          "Empty Yourself,
     So that you may be filled.
              Learn not to Love
So that you may learn how to Love.
                 Draw Back,
  So that you may be approached."


               St. Augustine
     Narration on Psalm 30:30

Re: The Simple Life

http://BabasBoy.gaia.com — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 14:34:08 GMT

Wonderful Words Violet !!!!

My personal Thanks for sharing these words from your friends letter.

Made my day. Good words to read many times, and to learn to live life by.

Very much enjoyed reading this....:o)

Thank you.

In His Love,

Baba's Boy

Re: The Simple Life

http://lindseyhorsemedicine.gaia.com — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 14:33:50 GMT

This excerpted from a letter from a dear friend:

... I leave you with the Paramount
Goals
of the Benedictine Order of Monks (penned, of course, by St. Benedict).
I
got this from a little book that you both should buy entitled "Always
We
Begin Again", by John McQuiston II. In it McQuiston updates the rules
of
the Benedictines just a little. It is a wonderful read.

Paramount Goals

What is wanted is not that we should find
ultimate truth,
nor that we should become secure,
nor that we should have ease,
nor that we should be without hurt,
but that we should live fully.

Therefore we should not fear life,
nor anything in life,
we should not fear death,
nor anything in death,
we should live our lives
in love with life.

It is for us
to train our hearts
to live in grace
to sacrifice our self-centered desires,
to find the peace without want
without seeking it for ourselves
and when we fail,
to begin again each day.

If we adopt an outlook of confidence and
trust and perfect our experience by care for
others, if we live in the certainty that we are
heirs in the providence of the outermost
mystery, we wil begin to change into the
persons that we have the potential to be.

The Simple Life

http://mettakaruna.gaia.com — Sat, 01 Jul 2006 23:55:29 GMT

An Athonite hermit said: "Fasting, vigilance, and prayer: anyone who practices these virtues can succeed in anything. One should lead a simple life. You see my hut is empty. In any household only the necessary things should be there. Too many things are a hindrance to the spiritual life."

Re: From Prayers for a Planetary Pilgrim by Edward Hays

http://mettakaruna.gaia.com — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 01:05:06 GMT

Wonder-full! His words reminded me of these by Hazrat Inayat Khan:

To the eye of the seer every leaf of the tree is a page of the holy book that contains divine revelation, and he is inspired every moment of his life by constantly reading and understanding the holy script of nature.

In my life, I have learned more from poetry and nature than any other thing.

Thank you for your post,

Metta

From Prayers for a Planetary Pilgrim by Edward Hays

Wed, 07 Jun 2006 02:02:28 GMT

(as one lights a candle)

Song of Awakening

Listen, all you seeds in the earth,
buried in your dark earthen tombs.
As this flame of my spring candle
penetrates the darkness,
may your young tender stems pierce the earth
to dance in wind and rain
just as this flame, like a tiny sun,
now dances before me.

Father of fire, Mother of mystery,
teach me the lesson of spring
as all creation comes alive --
tree and bush, flower and plant --
in the alleluia richness
of hte resurrection of creation.
Grant me the gift, O God,
to do the same.

Teach me, O glorious Spring,
the lesson that nothing dies completely.
At the death of my body help me to know
that I have not entered an endless winter,
but simply a stage in the unfolding mystery
whose name is Life.

On this feast of spring equinox
may I taste with delight
the freshness and vitality of new birth
and come forth from the womb of winter
youthful with hope
and fully alive
in the presence of my God.

Amen.

Brother Lawrence's Twelfth Letter

http://mettakaruna.gaia.com — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 16:53:10 GMT

If we were well accustomed to the exercise of the presence of God, all bodily diseases would be much alleviated thereby. God often permits that we should suffer a little to purify our souls and oblige us to continue with Him.

Take courage; offer Him your pains incessantly; pray to Him for strength to endure them. Above all, get a habit of entertaining yourself often with God, and forget Him the least you can. Adore Him in your infirmities, offer yourself to Him from time to time, and in the height of your sufferings beseech Him humbly and affectionately (as a child with his father) to make you conformable to His holy will. I shall endeavor to assist you with my poor prayers.

God has many ways of drawing us to Himself. He sometimes hides Himself from us; but faith alone, which will not fail us in time of need, ought to be our support, and the foundation of our confidence, which must be all in God.

I know not how God will dispose of me. I am always happy. All the world will suffer, and I, who deserve the severest discipline, feel joys so continual and so great that I can scarce contain them.

I would willingly ask of God a part of your sufferings, but that I know my weakness, which is so great that if He left me one moment to myself I should be the most wretched man alive. And yet I know not how He can leave me alone, because faith gives me as strong a conviction as sense can do that He never forsakes us until we have first forsaken Him. Let us fear to leave Him. Let us be always with Him. Let us live and die in His presence. Do you pray for me as I for you. I am,

Yours...

from, The Practice of the Presence of God