Posted on by Kurt Bodling

unity in contemplation

“The very first step to a correct understanding of the Christian theology of contemplation is to grasp clearly the unity of God and man in Christ, which of course presupposes the equally crucial unity of man in himself. For the soul and body are not divided against one another as good and evil principles; and our salvation by no means consists of a rejection of the body in order to liberate the soul from the dominance of an evil material principle.”

Merton, Thomas. The Inner Experience: Notes on Contemplation. Edited and with an Introduction by William H. Shannon. NY: HarperOne, 2003, pp. 39-40.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

a view of prayer

“The final dynamic of spiritual disciplines is prayer. Prayer is the outgrowth of both silence and solitude. In silence we let go of our manipulative control. In solitude we face up to what we are in the depths of our being. Prayer then becomes the offering of who we are to God: the giving of that broken, unclean, grasping, manipulative self to God for the work of God’s grace in our lives.”

Mulholland, M. Robert, Jr. Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation. Foreword, Practices and Study Guide by Ruth Haley Barton. Expanded edition. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2016, p. 161.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

presence of God

“God is everywhere. The purpose of meditation and prayer is to become aware of that presence and live in relationship with God. It is not so much that ‘God fills us,’ even though scripture uses that language to describe it from our perspective. God is already here. We simply enter into a relationship by being in the Presence of the One who Is.”

Talbot, John Michael. The World is My Cloister: Living From the Hermit Within. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2010, page 107.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

contradictions and paradoxes

“Before long it occurred to me to do what historians are professionally equipped to do. Live with a cluttered mental attic; run a spiritual antique shop; resist the impulse to throw anything away. Hang on after the avant-garde rejects. Save, shuffle, classify, enjoy the relics. Eventually shapes emerge. One learns to live with contradictions and paradoxes, but what is new about that in theology?”

Martin Marty in Theology Today, January 1972, p. 472.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

first steps in spirituality

“The stage of purgation is characterized by the struggle of two selves: the self that is not yet all it has been created to be in God’s will for our wholeness, and the wholeness of self that God holds out before us. The old, anxious, egocentric self is called to increasing mortification in order that the new, peace-filled, God-centered self may come more and more into being.”

Mulholland, M. Robert, Jr. Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation. Foreword, Practices and Study Guide by Ruth Haley Barton. Expanded edition. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2016, p.108.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

shabbat to shalom

“The Genesis account provides a glimpse of God’s view of biblical shalom, in which the world will be made right as God intended it to be. Observation of the sabbath is one of the mechanisms God uses as a part of the process of restoring shalom.”

Cannon, Mae Elise. Just Spirituality: How Faith Practices Fuel Social Action. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2013, p. 129.

Comment: This can be tricky for Christians. Is it, as Cannon has, “observation of the sabbath”? or is it “observation of sabbath”? By restricting our observation with the definite article, we run the risk of becoming legalists who confine our holiness to that period of corporate worship we have on Sunday mornings. In the New Testament age, we may be called to observe sabbath all week long and every day. If we are to pray without ceasing, we should set aside the hustle-bustle of the world. We should cultivate sabbath and shalom throughout our minutes and hours. We find the sacrament of the present moment.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

human care movements

“From ancient times to today, mystics have been on the forefront of movements to care for their fellow human beings, often leading social reform movements or other works of service and care. In her book Mysticism, Evelyn Underhill describes mystics as often embodying practical roles in society, as artists, teachers, social reformers, and even political leaders, providing examples…”

McColman, Carl. The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism: an Essential Guide to Contemplative Spirituality. Minneapolis : Broadleaf Books, 2023, p. 97.

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

maturing from chatty to silent

"The beginner’s dryness in prayer is actually God’s grace and invitation to simpler prayer. John of the Cross offers some signs that the beginner is called to a simpler form of prayer: discursive meditation becomes hard and wearisome; our interior and exterior images of God no longer inspire devotion; we find pleasure in being alone and feel the attraction to wait with ‘loving awareness of God,’ without any particular meditation and inner peace, rest and quietness.

"In light of John of the Cross’s signs, we must never become a slave to any prayer technique and allow it to get in the way of our relationship with God. …

“As in any other relationship, as we grow and become more and more comfortable with God, we become more and more comfortable with silence. The silence is not empty or dead in any way whatsoever; it is a silence pregnant with a loving history between lover and beloved. And so we should always follow the silence whenever God’s grace offers the invitation.”

Haase, Albert. Coming Home to Your True Self: Leaving the Emptiness of False Attractions. Foreword by M. Robert Mulholland, Jr. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2008, pp. 158-159.

Comment: to quote another theologian, “this is most certainly true.”

Posted on by Kurt Bodling

chatty beginners

"The prayer of the beginner is often chatty, filled with intellectual words and images. We night have long monologues with God. We might ‘chew’ on a Scripture passage, mining its depths and challenges. We might have a long list of petitions for which we pray. We might think over the past twenty-four hours and see how God sent grace and angels into our lives. These kinds of prayer, in which we do all the work, are traditionally known as discursive meditation.

"Teresa of Avila makes clear that if we commit to such prayer on a daily basis, within three months, we will find it hard to maintain. Indeed, it will become more and more dissatisfying. We will experience boredom and dryness. …

"Our continual response to any form of dryness, aridity or boredom in prayer is fidelity, fidelity, fidelity. We are challenged to stay faithful to the daily practice. …

“The beginner’s dryness in prayer is actually God’s grace and invitation to simpler prayer.”

Haase, Albert. Coming Home to Your True Self: Leaving the Emptiness of False Attractions. Foreword by M. Robert Mulholland, Jr. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2008, p. 158.