Saturday, September 12, 2020

Christ in Everything, Everyone

I share the results of a recent exercise in prayer from Fr. Richard Rohr:

Lectio divina (Latin for sacred reading) is a contemplative way of reading, praying, and taking a long, loving look at Scripture or some other text. 


In lectio divina, God teaches us to listen for and seek God’s presence in silence. The text for this lectio practice is from my book The Universal Christ:


“A mature Christian sees Christ in everything and everyone else.” 




Holy Spirit,


(I) Help me to see Christ in everything.


This comes easily,

Especially in nature,

In a flower, a critter, a landscape.


And I’ve worked on gratitude.

It begets optimism,

And a glass that’s usually half full.

I can find an upside in most downsides.

Praise God!



Holy Spirit,


(II) Help me see Christ in everyone else.


A baby’s breath. A grandchild’s hug. 

I sense it. I feel it.

With family, a good friend, colleagues, 

Ditto!


But then, the degree of difficulty grows,

With different people,

With difficult people.


I’m inclined to turn away,

To turn them off.


I need to look for, dig for, 

that essence of God in EVERYONE!

Improve my connectivity and bandwidth,

With more patience,

With more heart.

Help me Jesus!


Amen.


Graphic credit