Day 152, Morning
Today’s morning meditation is available below in audio and script formats. The audio version is also available for free download on the player.
Reading
In very real ways, soul, consciousness, love, and the Holy Spirit are one and the same. Each of these point to something that is larger than the individual, shared with God, ubiquitous, and even eternal—and then revealed through us. Holiness does not mean people are psychologically or morally perfect (a common confusion), but that they are capable of seeing and enjoying things in a much more “whole” and compassionate way, even if they sometimes fail at it themselves.
—Richard Rohr
Commentary
The goal of the spiritual life is to allow the Spirit of Christ to influence all our activity, prayer as well as service. Our role in this process is to provide conditions in our lives to enable us to live in tune with Christ’s Spirit. Our effort is not a self-conscious striving to fill ourselves with the important Christian virtues; it is more getting out of the way and allowing Christ’s Spirit to transform all our activities. Christ will do the rest. His Spirit has joined ours and will never abandon us.
Gradually we become more and more sensitive to the movements of Christ’s Spirit in our own hearts; simultaneously we grow in sensitivity to the movement of Christ’s Spirit in others. Subtly our vision of the world changes. We begin seeing everything in relationship to Christ and God, and so we carry on a continual dialog with them. Without really trying, we find ourselves fulfilling Paul’s injunction to “pray without ceasing.” (CAC)
Stillness
The Hebrew word, “ruach,” means "air in motion." In The English Bible, this word gets translated as “breath” or “spirit.” As you begin your day, spend a few moments being still and observing your breathing, Christ’s Spirit alive in you.
Abbreviations
BC The Belgic Confession
CAC The Center For Action & Contemplation
CD The Canons of Dort
CIB Church In Bethesda Prayers
HC The Heidelberg Catechism
NT The New Testament
OT The Old Testament
WC The Westminster Confession
WLB Eknath Easwaran’s, “Words To Live By”
WLC The Westminster Larger Catechism
WSC The Westminster Shorter Catechism