Monday of Holy Week - below you will find the reading for the day and a prayer I discovered - a prayer that is appropriate to recite each day of Holy Week.

The Reading for Today - John 12:1-11 & Mark 14:3-9

A Prayer for Holy Week:
Loving God,
I am just beginning to realize how much you love me.
Your son, Jesus was humble and obedient.
He fulfilled your will for him by becoming human and suffering with us.
I ask you for the desire to become more humble
so that my own life might also bear witness to you.
I want to use the small sufferings I have in this world to give you glory.

Amen.

I worship you Lord! You did not enter your holy city Jerusalem on the back of a war horse, but humbly and on a donkey. You knew that you were surrounded by murderers, yet you came in peace.

I say, “you are my king!” … I long to live in the city where you sit on the throne! Establish your Kingdom, so that your people can live in peace. Jesus, I bow before you, and I will sing your praises until your Kingdom comes and is established, and forever after. Amen

In less than a weeks time we will be in the midst of the holiest week of the year. How have you personally prepared? How has your community of faith anticipated and focused for this important observance?

I find as I come into such “special and set-apart times” that if I “just let it happen” - often nothing does. It is when I allow myself to be transformed through personal preparation or my involvement with a communal commitment that the “special time” takes on a heightened significance and becomes transformative. One practice, apart from all the rest, that has become a way of preparation in my life is reciting a prayer for such an occasion. In this week proceeding Holy Week, I will be praying this prayer at least once a day.

O Lord my God, to you and to your service I devote myself, body, soul, and spirit.

(From the Book of Common Prayer)

Yesterday a definition for a “rule of life” was suggested. And today as promised, I wanted to suggest a way to approach supporting a rule of life through behaviors and practices. A rule really needs to be more than aspiration. IT MUST START THERE or it can dissolve into a dogmatic pharisaical practice that is more about ego than becoming more genuinely spiritual. At the same time a rule which stays at the aspiration with no plan - well then we are just “fooling ourselves.” Both aspiration and practices must be joined together to create a rule of life that is able to move us ahead in maturity.

Like David in the story of his battle with the Philistine Giant - we need to have some tools in our pouch that we are familiar with and that will take us where we need to go. We need a figurative pouch of “five smooth stones” - a set of exercises; practices; habits that we routinely visit if we desire to move toward realizing our rule of life.

There is no prescribed or right set of routines or practices that fit all folks. For different individuals and different communities these routines are different and they can change (slightly or in some cases drastically) over the seasons and years that they pursue their rule. I would suggest that once a person begins to define their rule and settles on their “five smooth stones” that they don’t divert from it for a year or so. This will allow both time and habit and God to have His way. It is only after times passes that we have the perspective to evaluate and consider what else might be needed or what should be eliminated.

I offer my “five smooth stones” (outside of Corporate Worship and service in my local church) as an example of ONE approach.

Daily - Morning and Evening Prayer; & The Jesus Prayer
Weekly - Lectio Divina
Monthly - 1 day of fasting and solitude
Yearly - Silent Retreat

Again this is my personal approach. It is definitely not for everyone. It may be worth asking though, “who am I becoming?” or “What is my desire?” It may be worth following that desire and trying to determine what behaviors and practices have Christians through the ages employed to move toward such a desire.

What five smooth stones would you put in your pouch to attain to your personal aspirations?

Over the past few weeks I have been preparing for some teaching that I will be conducting on the topic of Developing A Rule of Life. It is a topic that both intimidates and excites me. I have never been part of a community that has adopted a rule of life. So it puts me in a great disadvantage to speak on the topic.

I have read widely and I have a personal rule of life - so that is somewhat helpful - but I lack the communal aspect — so I often wonder, “do I get this at all?”

None-the-less, long ago I learned if it is worth doing, it is worth doing imperfectly. So I trudge ahead.

When we hear this word rule, many think of it as a set of regulations or a list of prohibitions. While that is the popular definition, rule in this context is maybe the older understanding of, “a straight edge to draw straight lines and to measure.” A rule of life is more of a guide to help us measure and line up our life - it helps us answer at least two critical questions:

1. Who do I want to become?

2. How do I want to live?

Based on this answer we develop some ways to head toward that end. Great rules of life have drawn many into community with others who feel called to the same aspirations. A great case in point is Benedict’s Rule. His rule is built on helping others become stable and yet ever converting in their faith; to model Christian hospitality; and to live a life marked by unceasing prayer. Thousands have made the Rule of Benedict, there own (even this day I am considering officially adopting his rule as an Oblate of St. Benedict).

Answering those two questions is never easy. I have been struggling as I have re-assessed my answers over the years. I think at this point my answer would be:

Who do I want to become? I want to become more fully human - following Jesus as a more engaged human. (To my ears this means I desire to be more present [aware and attentive] to myself, others, creation and God).

How do I want to live? I want to live my life authentically - in a manner that is appropriately vulnerable and accepting, hospitable and available - that others might find encouragement and hope from the well of my life.

Tomorrow we will look at how we might incorporate behaviors and practices into our lives to make our rule a reality.

“The fewer the words, the better the prayer.” — Martin Luther

“Some men’s prayers need to be cut short at both ends and set on fire in the middle.” — Dwight L. Moody

“In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” — John Bunyan

“Words are but the body, the garment, the outside of prayer; sighs are nearer the heart work.” — Samuel Rutherford

“The best prayers have often more groans than words.” — John Bunyan

“A man prayed, and at first he thought that prayer was talking. But he became more quiet until in the end he realized that prayer is listening.” — Soren Kierkegaard

“Christ In Gethsemane” by Fr. Michael Obrien

I took this test - from the Upper Room the other day and I found it both helpful and affirming. (I was reminded of it by my blogging friend - Brian Eberley) It reinforces an idea of mine that our temperament and our “personality” can actually be transformed. For many years while I was in full time Youth Ministry I proudly wore the badge of Type A - driven personality. I found that to be something that could excuse my plowing people over and being emotionally and relationally unengaged…

But over time I came to see that Type A personality in my life for what it was - an excuse to sin! After my life began to come apart at the seams I sought God in new ways (new to me - not new mind you - actually kind of ancient ways!) and over time I began to be put back together.

That was nearly 10 years ago and I have attempted to stay on the path that I started journeying on for that amount of time. So it was a real joy to see some of the results of this test and others like it. It is not scientific or even close to 100% accurate - it does however reveal that a transformation has taken place in my life! That is encouraging to me. God does transform us. It is a mystery how it happens, often slowly and over time, bit by bit God rearranges, replaces, composts, and recycles our sin and brokenness to create us into a whole new creation that honors Him.

So anyway the test I took - reveals that I am part of the school of the mystics (a far cry from the driven results oriented, just the facts kinda guy I tried to be [and thought was desireable] in my earlier days of youth ministry).

The Test Results Write Up:

You are a Mystic, known for your imaginative, intuitive spirituality. You value peace, harmony, and inner silence. Mystics are nurtured by walking alone in the woods or sitting quietly with a trusted friend. You may also enjoy poetry, meditation, wordless prayer, candles, art, books, and anything else that helps you connect with God.

Famous Mystics:
Thomas Merton | Enya | John (the Gospel writer) |
Brother Lawrence (Practicing the Presence of God) |
Desert mothers and fathers | Charlie Brown |
Sister Wendy | Phoebe Buffay (Friends) | Julian of Norwich |
Luke | Anthony de Mello

Hey if you want to try the test check it out over at The Upper Rooms Spirituality program called Method - X

For the past five or so years I have been enamored, intrigued and maybe a bit obsessed with things benedictine. There is something about it that just “feels right” to me. There is something about the push toward “always changing” and stability; prayer and work; and this intensive spirituality that is both mystical and everyday that is alluring. I have had the pleasure of visiting with benedictine sisters and have also read extensively from their great tradition. I am even considering following this “passion” into a more official relationship (becoming a benedictine oblate).

I was reading the other day and came across this interpretation of Benedict’s view of silence, and I must say I find it to be one of the most profound, relevant and challenging paragraphs I have had the pleasure of reading. Michael Casey quotes the following in Strangers to the City as he considers the topic of “Leisure”.

Silence, however, stands outside the world of profit and utility; it cannot be exploited for profit; you cannot get anything out of it. It is “unproductive.” Therefore it is regarded as valueless. Yet there is more help and healing in silence than in all the “useful things.” Purposeless, unexploitable silence suddenly appears at the side of the all-too-purposeful, and frightens us by it very purposelessnes. It interferes with the regular flow of purposeful. It strengthens the untouchable, it lessens the damage inflicted by exploitation. It makes things whole again, by taking them back from the world of dissipation into the world of wholeness. It gives something of its own holy uselessness, for that is what silence itself is: holy uselessness.” - Max Piccard from The World of Silence pp. 18-19

Casey builds on this by saying - “[The tradition of Benedictine leisure] means living gently; it is the opposite of being driven or obsessed It involves getting on with the job at hand and detaching oneself from it when it is time to move on to something else. To some extent leisure invites us to cultivate the virtue of inefficiency.”

Holy uselessness… the virtue of inefficiency… what a prescription for 21st century westerners (and churches) who seem to lift up and celebrate being driven by purpose, vision, effectiveness and efficiency.

Them benedictines! What a breathe of fresh air… breathe it in - leisure, silence, doing nothing, holy interruptions that move us into holy uselessness.

Temptations by Fr. Michael Obrien

After Jesus’ baptism, Christ was lead by the Spirit into the wilderness. Jesus obeyed and followed the Spirit to this space of barrenness for a period of temptation and transformation. Here in this land of little, space of sparseness and wilderness of wanting - Jesus waits, prays, hungers and communes. It is a wonder and even paradoxical that in this inhospitable wilderness Jesus finds faith, trust and intimacy with His Father. Scattered throughout the Gospel record we read of Jesus returning to this lonely place, to find sustenance and a sense of direction

It amazes me that this threshold - this space between the past and the not yet - could become the furnace to fashion Jesus from a carpenter into a rabbi.

I am fairly convinced that in this place of silence and solitude - Jesus could hear pounding and reverberating deep in His soul, “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”

I have been repeating that six word prayer - as I have, one of the layers that has become exposed is - the is-ness of God. I am sure the following quote has something to do with piquing my awareness.

“The contemplative dimension of the Gospel is Christ’s program for getting acquainted with the Ultimate Reality as it really is, which is “no thing.” “No thing” means no particular thing, whether concept, feeling or bodily experience. God just is — without any limitation. And the way to connect with this “is-ness” is to just be, too.” [Manifesting God by Fr. Thomas Keating p. 2]

By the way - I found a pdf of an article I wrote that appeared in the Sept/Oct ‘07 edition of the Journal of Student Ministries - you can check it out by hitting the downloads tab up above (the newer article is called, “The Disciple As Refuge”).