Book of the Month: The Way of the Heart

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

Week Four: Finding God in Silence…

way-of-the-heartPerhaps you’ve hoped, prayed, and waited for God to speak or you’ve spoken many words in your pursuit of God. Henrí Nouwen writes that God is present in the silence and that our pursuit of silence may be one of the surest paths to God.

While acknowledging the place of speaking and teaching, Nouwen reminds us that our words can often get us in trouble. James assured us that the tongue is a restless evil that the Desert Fathers and Mothers sought to overcome by “fleeing” the use of many words.

Out of this pursuit of silence, they found freedom to speak less but with greater insight and awareness of God.

 

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“Silence is the way to make solitude a reality. The Desert Fathers praise silence as the safest way to God.”

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“The Word of God is born out of the eternal silence of God, and it is to this Word out of silence that we want to be witnesses.”

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“Speaking gets us involved in the affairs of the world, and it is very hard to be involved without becoming entangled in and polluted by the world.”

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“Sometimes it seems that our many words are more an expression of doubt than of our faith. It is as if we are not sure that God’s Spirit can touch the hearts of people: we have to help him out and, with man words, convince others of his power.”

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“In order to be a ministry in the Name of Jesus, our ministry must also point beyond our words to the unspeakable mystery of God.”

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Read more in The Way of the Heart.

 

Reflection

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Saturday Prayer

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

Grant that I, Lord, may not be anxious about earthly things, but love things heavenly; and even now, while I am placed among things that are passing away, hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Source: The Divine Hours

Friday Favorites for Prayer and Writing

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

Each Friday I share some of my favorite finds related to praying or writing. If I think it could help you pray or write better, then I’ll include it below.

Do you have someone else’s article or post to share? Join the Contemplative Writers Facebook group, comment on today’s post on my Facebook page, or follow me on Twitter (@edcyzewski) to nominate your favorite articles, blog posts, and books by Thursday at noon each week.

I Used to Be a Human Being (A reflection on our addiction to information)

Save Your Soul: Stop Writing (A blogger questions the wisdom of a popular author and, regardless of whether you agrees, offers a helpful reflection for us to consider)

Can the Church Rescue Us from our Smartphones? (I could fill a book with all of my disagreements with Russell Moore, but this is a timely reflection)

The Word Changing Magic of Tidying Up Your Writing

 

Keep the Contemplative Writer Sustainable

The Contemplative writer is ad-free and never shares sponsored content, but it is a lot of work to maintain. We rely on affiliate links from the books we share and the generous donations of our readers. An automated monthly gift as low as $1 per month or a one-time gift of $5 goes a long way to sustaining our mission to provide contemplative prayer resources for our readers.

Learn how your support, through a one-time gift or small monthly gifts can keep this website running: Support Us Today

Featured Article: Are You Addicted to Your Screen?

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

The lure of social media, games, and binge-watching a series on Netflix can be one of the most disruptive forces in our pursuit of prayer or writing. The practice of scrolling through social media does not restore our minds or spirits in any way, even it’s enjoyable to catch with a friend.

Most importantly, we can invest significant parts of our weeks in practices that aren’t just preventing us from mindfulness, prayer, writing, or exercise. We could also end up more stressed, sleep-deprived, and distracted than we were to begin with. This article on limiting screen time is directed at parents, but I think it applies to all of us:

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“Rather than making rules based strictly on screen time, figure out what your kids are actually doing when they’re on the computer or their phone, says Devorah Heitner, who founded Raising Digital Natives and is the author of Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World.”

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“If you’re concerned about compulsive use, current research suggests that online games seem to be the technology most likely to “potentially result in problems,” says Daria Kuss, a psychologist and member of the International Gaming Research Unit at Nottingham Trent University in the U.K.”

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“One way to help everyone curb overuse is to create tech-free zones, says Rosen. Those can be geographical, like banning technology at the kitchen table or bathroom. Removing smartphones and tablets from the bedroom is also helpful.”

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Read the rest at NPR.

 

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Scripture Meditation: The Freedom in Surrender

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

“And Mary said,“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…”
Luke 1:46-47

After hearing news that I suspect no one can fully comprehend, Mary responded with words of praise for God. The word to “magnify” is sometimes translated as extol or praise, as we don’t often speak of “magnifying” someone these days.

Mary saw her role in the salvation plan of God as a reason to praise God. She didn’t have to bear the burden of seeking her own glory, defending her own name, or exalting her own plans.

There is great freedom in our surrender to God’s direction for our lives.

As we limit ourselves to the actions that draw glory to God, we shake away the many ambitions and fears that can drag so many down. May we find the joy of Mary as we surrender ourselves to God’s loving direction.

 

For Reflection

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Book of the Month: The Way of the Heart

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

Week Three: The Roots of Compassion

way-of-the-heartAccording to Henrí Nouwen, judgment prevents us from ministering to others, while compassion makes all ministry possible. Compassion comes from the practice of solitude where God can ministry to us with mercy.

Once we have experienced God’s compassion and mercy for us, we’ll be able to share the same with others. Here are Nouwen’s thoughts on solitude from his book, The Way of the Heart:

 

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“Compassion is the fruit of solitude and the basis of all ministry.”

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“We have to give up measuring our meaning and value with the yardstick of others. To die to our neighbors means to stop judging them, to stop evaluating them, and thus to become free to be compassionate.”

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“Solitude molds self-righteous people into gentle, caring, forgiving persons who are so deeply convinced of their own great sinfulness and so fully aware of God’s even greater mercy that their life itself becomes ministry.”

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“When we are filled with God’s merciful presence, we can do nothing other than minister because our whole being witnesses to the light that has come into the darkness.”

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Read more in The Way of the Heart.

 

For Reflection

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Saturday Prayer

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

This Saturday’s Prayer: 

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding
and my entire will,
All I have and call my own.

You have given all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.

Everything is yours; do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace.
That is enough for me.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola

Source

Friday Favorites for Prayer and Writing

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

Each Friday I share some of my favorite finds related to praying or writing. If I think it could help you pray or write better, then I’ll include it below.

Do you have someone else’s article or post to share? Join the Contemplative Writers Facebook group, comment on today’s post on my Facebook page, or follow me on Twitter (@edcyzewski) to nominate your favorite articles, blog posts, and books by Thursday at noon each week.

Who’s Your Favorite Christian Mystic? (And an exciting new book)

The Spiritual Practices I Do Not Know

How to Be a Writer

The mystery of Fr Jacques Hamel’s final words

 

Keep the Contemplative Writer Sustainable

The Contemplative writer is ad-free and never shares sponsored content, but it is a lot of work to maintain. We rely on affiliate links from the books we share and the generous donations of our readers. An automated monthly gift as low as $1 per month or a one-time gift of $5 goes a long way to sustaining our mission to provide contemplative prayer resources for our readers.

Learn how your support, through a one-time gift or small monthly gifts can keep this website running: Support Us Today

 

Featured Article: Is Social Media Bad for Us?

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

The average person is not going to delete every social media profile no matter what researchers tell us about social media, so what should we make of the many studies that tell us about the impact of social media?

Facebook is a favorite target of researchers, and some studies would lead us to believe that Facebook “causes” depression. However, it’s also possible that depressed people are more likely to use Facebook, which hardly helps matters. One compilation of these studies offers some insight into what we know, what we don’t know, and what we can be reasonably certain about when it comes to Facebook helps us dig a little deeper into its impact.

As we approach writing and prayer, social media is one of the many influences that can impact our moods, mindsets, and mental space for prayer or creative thought. Here are a few quotes to consider from the article:

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“People who had taken a break from Facebook felt happier and were less sad and lonely,” an online presentation of the study said. Those on a Facebook “fast” also “reported a significantly higher level of satisfaction” and significantly less stress than those sentenced to remain on the site.

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According to a 2013 research paper from Germany, for example, “upward social comparison and envy can be rampant” on Facebook and other social networks. The online environment promotes “narcissistic behavior,” the researchers found, “with most users sharing only positive things about themselves.” Among the 357 participants in the German studies, the researchers turned up a large number of what they called “envy-inducing incidents” — most frequently related to travel and leisure, social interactions and “happiness.”

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A 2012 study found that posting status updates decreased loneliness, even when those updates elicited no response. And a 2010 study recorded moment-by-moment physiological responses when using Facebook. The equipment logged indicators of pleasant emotion when users actively sought out information or directly communicated with their Facebook friends, but fewer such positive feelings when passively browsing.

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Read more…

 

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Scripture Meditation: God Expects Lament

Posted on by Ed Cyzewski

“Why do you hide your face?
Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?”
Psalm 44: 24, NRSV

The writer of this Psalm of lament notes in the the earlier verses that God surely would know if he had lifted his hands to worship another God. It’s just as likely that God wouldn’t be surprised to hear the laments of his people in the midst of their suffering.

Of course God doesn’t literally hide from us or forget our suffering. In our darkest moments it can surely seem that God is distant and hidden, but even if these remain impossible things for God to do, the Spirit guided these poets to share their laments, frustrations, and fears in the starkest language possible.

What do you fear today about God?

What do you leave unspoken about God?

What if today you could be completely honest with God?

It’s possible that the scriptures telling us about God’s knowledge of our thoughts can assure us. God knows our deepest laments and fears but continues to reach out to anyone who is thirsty and heavy-burdened.

 

For Reflection

 

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