The Contemplative Writer

Featured Contemplative Book: 100 Days in the Secret Place

Posted on May 23, 2016November 26, 2016 by Ed Cyzewski

Week Four: Silence and Trust

Distractions or focusing during prayer are the two most common prayer struggles I hear about from subscribers to this site. It’s hard to know where to begin with prayer if you can’t even clear your mind for a few moments.

This is why practices such as centering prayer encourage us to choose a word, phrase, or icon to focus on while sitting in silence before God. This is a a learned discipline, not a simple trick or life hack that immediately makes it easy to pray. In fact, we are surrounded every day with some of the most sophisticated distractions ever known to man. Sitting in silence before god is no easy task.

Perhaps today’s reflections from 100 Days in the Secret Place will help you keep going with prayer. Silence is not easy to cultivate, but it is such a valuable discipline to practice. In addition, just the act of silence can prove a valuable starting point for prayer. Silence gives God raw materials that can be shaped and directed.

Here are this week’s selections from 100 Days in the Secret Place:

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Simply bringing yourself quietly before God will do more than worrying or being too religious.

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Silence also helps you put space between you and the world. Out of the silence that you cultivate, you will find strength to meet your needs.

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Offer Him your tangled mess and He will turn everything toward His own merciful purpose. You must learn to let go of everything whether God ever gives you what you so eagerly desire or not. The most important thing is to go back to communion with God—even if it seems dry and you are easily distracted.

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How are you going to cultivate an inner silence if you are always talking? You cannot want God and the things of the world at the same time. Don’t you realize that your prayer will be affected by what you cultivate in your daily life?

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Real prayer is nothing more than loving God. Prayer is not made great by a lot of words, for God knows your inmost feelings before you say them.

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For Reflection

Featured Book May 23, 2016

Saturday Prayer: Thomas Merton’s Prayer in Thoughts in Solitude

Posted on May 21, 2016May 19, 2016 by Ed Cyzewski

Thomas Merton shares the following prayer in his book Thoughts in Solitude. And just for clarity’s sake, the subject of his prayer is Jesus:

“Why should I want to be rich, when You were poor? Why should I desire to be famous and powerful in the eyes of men, when the sons of those who exalted the false prophets and stoned the true rejected You and nailed You to the Cross? Why should I cherish in my heart a hope that devours me—the hope for perfect happiness in this life—when such hope, doomed to frustration, is nothing but despair? ….

Let my trust be in Your mercy, not in myself. Let my hope be in Your love, not in health, or strength, or ability or human resources.”

Friday Favorites for Prayer and Writing

Posted on May 20, 2016May 19, 2016 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.

Researchers Find More Changes Are More Effective (Out with the Old)

Is Solitude the Secret to Unlocking Our Creativity

The Age of Loneliness Is Killing Us

The Busy Person’s Lies

Ed’s blog: The Hidden Danger of Business for Creative Workers

Looking for more recommendations? Check out our Prayer Resources page.

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Contemplative Profiles: The Cloud of Unknowing

Posted on May 19, 2016 by Ed Cyzewski

One of the most influential books on contemplative prayer was penned anonymously in Middle English in Midland England during the latter half of the 14th century. The monk, presumed to be a Carthusian dedicated to constant silence and contemplation, shared a series of instructions presumably with a student.

A series of 17 manuscripts preserved the book, and a handful of scholars and contemplatives studied it over the years. However, it finally took on a wider notice in the 1900’s as the contemplative prayer movement sought to make the prayer practices of the historic church accessible for all. While contemplative prayer was quite common among all Christians until the 1600’s, it has enjoyed a revival thanks to the faithful work of this solitary monk and those who have continued to practice the loving search for God.

We read the following about this anonymous monk in Christian History:

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“His intentional anonymity illustrates his main message: Christ must become more visible as his followers grow kinder and humbler. Anonymous wants readers “sincere in their intentions to follow Christ” in love. A series of letters written by this master teacher to his student, the Cloud represents the ancient tradition of Christian contemplative wisdom.”

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We can’t think our way to God. That’s why I’m willing to abandon everything I know, to love the one thing I cannot think. He can be loved, but not thought. By love, God can be embraced and held, but not by thinking.

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You only need a naked intent for God. When you long for him, that’s enough. If you want to gather this focus into one word, making it easier to grasp, select a little word of one syllable, not two. The shorter the word, the more it helps the work of the spirit. God or love works well. Fasten it to your heart. Fix your mind on it permanently, so nothing can dislodge it.

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Read more about the Cloud of Unknowing in the updated work by William Meninger, The Loving Search for God: Contemplative Prayer and the Cloud of Unknowing.

Reflection

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you a word or phrase you can focus on for five minutes today.

How Do We Examine Ourselves Hopefully?

Posted on May 18, 2016May 17, 2016 by Ed Cyzewski

It’s easy to be hard on ourselves when we try to evaluate how we’re doing. In fact, our harsh personal standards may even keep us from practicing personal examination and asking open-ended questions.

Author Emily Freeman recently wrote about both the pursuit of being at rest and how she examines herself. She hits on a really import point about the tone we use. While she began by thinking of rest as a matter of “If…”, she found that it was far more hopeful to think of “when” her soul is at rest.

Tone matters when we deal with ourselves. Hard questions are good, but we need to offer ourselves hope. Here’s what Emily writes:

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“If my soul were truly at rest, I would laugh more, I would stop making so many lists, I would be able to sit still for longer periods of time, I wouldn’t make decisions out of fear…

I would rather take out the “if” altogether and replace it with “when” –

When my soul is truly at rest, I laugh more, I stop making so many lists, I am able to sit still for longer periods of time, I don’t make decisions out of fear.”

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“Asking myself questions that matter are important for my own spiritual growth. But equally important is the tone I use when I ask the questions. I want to cast a hopeful vision, not weigh myself down with despair.”

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“I have experienced soul rest more completely now at 36 than I did at 28. I hope that continues to be true of me as I get older.”

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Read the rest and check out Emily’s bestselling books while you’re at it!

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Featured Contemplative Book: 100 Days in the Secret Place

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Ed Cyzewski

Week Three: Turning to God First

Whether you are encouraged or discouraged, living in holiness or living in sin, the first step in spirituality is always the same: turn to God. In fact, Jeanne Guyon suggests that fighting temptations directly is the sure way to lose.

How is this so? Because temptations flee in the presence of God. As we abide in Christ, we are protected and renewed.

Gene Edwards, author of Divine Romance, has gathered together key writings from three notable Christian mystics from the seventeenth century: 100 Days in the Secret Place: Classic Writings from Madame Guyon, Francois Fenelon, and Michael Molinos on the Deeper Christian Life by Gene Edwards. Here are several quotes to consider today:

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“The more clearly you see your true self, the clearer you also see how miserable your self-nature really is; and the more you will abandon your whole being to God. Seeing that you have such a desperate need of Him, you will press toward a more intimate relationship with Him.”

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“If you attempt to struggle directly with these temptations, you will only strengthen them; and in the process of this struggle, your soul will be drawn away from its intimate relationship with the Lord. You see, a close, intimate relationship to Christ should always be your soul’s only purpose.”

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“What does a little child do when he sees something that frightens him or confuses him? He doesn’t stand there and try to fight the thing. He will, in fact, hardly look at the thing that frightens him. Rather, the child will quickly run into the arms of his mother. There, in those arms, he is safe. In exactly the same way, you should turn from the dangers of temptation and run to your God!”

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“Once the heart has been gained by God, everything else will eventually take care of itself. This is why He requires the heart above all else.”

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Learn more here.

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For Reflection

Saturday Prayer: Litany of Penance

Posted on May 14, 2016May 13, 2016 by Ed Cyzewski

The Litany of Penance may be familiar if you attend services in an Episcopal or Anglican church. A shorter version of it is often included in the Night office of the Divine Hours.

When we run out of our own words or don’t know where to start in prayer, a simple prayer of confession can offer a good place to begin, claiming God’s mercy and trusting in the renewing power of God’s love for you.

The full litany follows:

Litany of Penitence
Most holy and merciful Father: I confess to you and to the whole communion of saints in heaven and on earth, that I have sinned by my own fault in thought, word, and deed; by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart, and mind, and strength. I have not loved my neighbors as myself. I have not forgiven others, as I have been forgiven. Have mercy on me, Lord.

I have been deaf to your call to serve, as Christ served us. I have not been true to the mind of Christ. I have grieved your Holy Spirit. Have mercy on me, Lord.

I confess to you, Lord, all my past unfaithfulness: the pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of my life. I confess to you, Lord.

My self-indulgent appetites and ways, and my exploitation of other people, I confess to you, Lord.

My anger at my own frustration, and my envy of those more fortunate than I, I confess to you, Lord.

My intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, and my dishonesty in daily life and work, I confess to you, Lord.

My negligence in prayer and worship, and my failure to commend the faith that is in me, I confess to you, Lord.

Accept my repentance, Lord, for the wrongs I have done: for my blindness to human need and suffering, and my indifference to injustice and cruelty, Accept my repentance, Lord.

For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward my neighbors, and for my prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from me, Accept my repentance, Lord.

For my waste and pollution of your creation, and my lack of concern for those who come after us, Accept my repentance, Lord.

Restore me, good Lord, and let your anger depart from me, Favorably hear me for your mercy is great. Accomplish in me and all of your church the work of your salvation, That I may show forth your glory in the world. By the cross and passion of your Son our Lord, Bring me with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.

Follow this updated page of the Divine Hours

Friday Favorites for Prayer and Writing

Posted on May 13, 2016May 12, 2016 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.

Benedictine Stability: When the Going Gets Tough, Stay

Change Is Not for the Faint of Heart

John Wesley on Conversion and Spiritual Formation

Facebook Has 50 Minutes of Your Time… It Wants More

Doctors Explain How Hiking Changes Our Brains

Looking for more recommendations? Check out our Prayer Resources page.

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Contemplative Profiles: St. Benedict

Posted on May 12, 2016May 11, 2016 by Ed Cyzewski

Benedict of Nursia is best known as the founder of the Benedictine order of monks and the author of the Rule of Benedict. The succinct, accessible rule is deeply rooted in scripture and based on his extensive pastoral experience as an abbot.

While Benedict was born to wealth and privilege, he ventured into the wilderness to pray alone in a cave. However, a series of miracles and visitors seeking his wisdom spread his fame. He soon founded monasteries throughout Italy in order to train those who sought to learn from his contemplative lifestyle that balanced work, prayer, and study.

Benedict has had a profound influence on the monastic history of Christianity, opting to create a space for prayer and community when his world was filled with violence, disparity, and uncertainty. His teachings and story remain timeless, as this article from Christian History shows:

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“Wave after wave of pagans invaded while the Roman Empire collapsed. Benedict responded to the anarchy of his time by founding monastic communities built on the ideal of cultivating a family spirit among the monks, on disciplined daily worship, on a balanced and non-competitive approach towards fasting and other ascetic practices, and on the dignity of manual work for rich and poor alike.”

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“Benedict’s entire life was a series of risings in the dark. He was up before 2 A.M. singing the divine office—the daily chanting of the Psalms in Latin. This music is still the heart of Benedictine life. Many times in the profound quiet after midnight, while most peasants, politicians, children, fishermen, high-born ladies, servants, teachers, and bakers were sound asleep, lights fired up in Benedict’s monasteries, and the man in a simple tunic began his day with a Psalm: “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.”

Benedict knew that praising God is the best medicine for a flawed, poverty-stricken world. It requires rejecting arrogance, nurturing community, and understanding that even the oldest seeker of God is always a beginner. The epilogue of his Rule reminds us of this truth: “Whoever you may be rushing to your heavenly home, follow—with Christ’s help—this little rule we’ve written for beginners. Only then, as God watches over you, will you ultimately reach the soaring heights of doctrine and integrity.”

Gregory would have seen this as the best lesson taught by Benedict’s life: There is always more to learn. We are all always beginners. Kindness is never complete.”

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For Reflection

Consider how you are a beginner today.

How Exercising Helps Us Pray and Write

Posted on May 11, 2016May 10, 2016 by Ed Cyzewski

Don’t let today’s featured article about running and writing turn you away if you can’t fathom the practice of running daily. Nick Ripatrazone writes in The Atlantic about the benefits of running for writers and the ways that the flow of running connects with the flow of writing.

I have personally found that most of this article also applies to contemplative prayer. Both writing and prayer can thrive when we immerse ourselves in a simple, repetitive practice that allows our minds to be clear and our imaginations to wander.

Whether you walk, swim, bike ride, run, or do something else to exercise, your writing and your prayer will benefit over the long term. It may take a while to train your mind alongside your body, but I was personally shocked at all of the benefits I saw after only three months of running four days a week. Here are a few key quotes from Ripatrazone’s article:

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“In many ways running is a natural extension of writing. The steady accumulation of miles mirrors the accumulation of pages, and both forms of regimented exertion can yield a sense of completion and joy. Through running, writers deepen their ability to focus on a single, engrossing task and enter a new state of mind entirely—word after word, mile after mile.”

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“Once I built a tolerance for distance my runs became incubators for writing ideas. The steady, repetitive movement of distance running triggers one’s intellectual autopilot, freeing room for creative thought. Neuroscientists describe this experience as a feeling of timelessness, where attention drifts and imagination thrives.”

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“Writing exists in that odd mental space between imagination and intellect, between the organic and the planned. Runners must learn to accept the same paradoxes, to realize that each individual run has its own narrative, with twists and turns and strains.”

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