ALL WELCOME to Join Kathryn Pile Tuesdays 5pm
Dear Meditators 05/04/22
This week is the third of five reflections on hope, Mystical Hope, from the spiritual writer, Episcopal priest, Cynthia Bourgeault from her book by that name. Today’s session is on Meditation and Hope.
The aim:
- To join with God’s Presence through silent meditation, known as contemplative prayer
- To deepen that intention through breath, image, word and to practice ways to allow yourselves to become one with the source of Hope
- To experience through spiritual growth, the encounter with the Mercy.
First a short introduction… Cynthia invites us to find our way to the hope that does not disappoint or fail; a different kind of hope that has its source not in events and outcomes but in the mercy of God.
Mystical Hope shows how to recognize this hope in our lives, where it comes from, how to deepen it, and how to carry it into the world as a source of strength and renewal.
Let’s begin… reflections on the theme of meditation and hope…
- Cynthia asks us to consider contemplative prayer OR, to use its generic name, meditation, as a practice…We saw how the journey to the wellspring of hope is really a journey towards the centre, towards the innermost ground, or innermost truth of our being where we meet and are met by God. When we speak about the journey to the centre it’s almost impossible to avoid speaking about meditation. Centreing oneself in prayer is about self-emptying – simply letting go of thoughts as they arise and to entrust oneself to the deeper stillness of God. Fundamentally, meditation more than any other spiritual practice, nurtures the latent capacities within us that can perceive and respond to divine hope. Those that meditate go down by a back staircase deep within their own being. The only thing blocking the emergence of this whole and wondrous other way of knowing is our over-reliance on our ordinary thinking. If you can turn that off for a while, then the other will begin to take shape in you, becoming a reality you can experience.
- We are reminded in Scripture (Luke 22:42) “…Not my will but thine be done, O Lord, ” said over and over again can lead the way…[into the stillness.]
Relax now in body and mind, slow your breathing, and enter your meditation, centering your prayer, your will and intention on self emptying…entrusting oneself to the deeper stillness of God; allowing yourself to nurture your latent capacities…going down, by the back staircase, perceiving and responding to divine hope.
Love and every blessing, Kathryn
Bourgeault, Cynthia, Mystical Hope – Trusting in the Mercy of God: Cowley Publication, Maryland USA, 2001.
Remember to watch an introduction to Centering Prayer Meditation. You can see it here
Let me know how you are finding this time – If you have any suggestions or requests. I always like to hear from you.
Kathryn