Category: Spiritual growth

Posted on in Collection of Quotes, Faith, Just do it, Obedience, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth

Collects – Gather Together

The collects gather together timely thoughts and Scriptures throughout the church year. Sadly the Prayer Book does not give the Scripture references, but then it would likely run to many volumes.

The first Sunday in Advent we prayed the following prayer:

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of
darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of
this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit
us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come
again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the
dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
for ever. Amen. Book of Common Prayer Page 211

I thought it would be interesting to compare it with the prayer (or collect) from Christmas Eve! We are encouraged to pay attention to the collects, not just hear them once in a Sunday service.

O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the
brightness of the true Light: Grant that we, who have known
the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy him
perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he
lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. Book of Common Prayer Page 212

Both prayers put emphasis on Light and that is so wonderful in this season of fewer hours of sunlight. God gives us grace to CAST AWAY the works of darkness and God causes the brightness of the true Light to shine. God gives us the armor of light and power to put it on.

We thank God that He has made known to us the MYSTERY of that LIGHT on earth. Even as we lit the Advent candles and brightened our homes with decorations and perhaps candle light we acknowledge His blessings of light and power over the works of darkness.

Have you put away all of your holiday decorations? Usually the last of the decorations come down about now. In the church calendar, Epiphany (January 6 this year) commemorates the visit of the Magi, the baptism of Jesus, and the wedding at Cana.  So many things to celebrate and at times they get wrapped into one big day!

The first prayer acknowledges that Jesus came to visit us in great humility and we too are to walk in humility.

Give us grace to Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness; rather, expose them. Ephesians 5:11 NRSVUE

Give us strength to Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil Ephesians 6: 11 NRSVUE

We are to know the mystery of His light here on earth. We look forward to the last day when He shall come in His glorious majesty.

Just an old woman’s random thoughts about our wonderful Father and His plans for our good. Isaiah wrote He is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Whatever title you use to refer to this majestic God remember what it says in James 4:8a Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. 

Mystery of God’s Light

Posted on in Challenge, Faith, Marriage and Memories, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Trust

Why is This Important?

Trust in him at all times, O people;
    pour out your heart before him;
    God is a refuge for us. Selah Psalm 62:8 NRSVUE

I came across this verse the other morning. It spoke to me loud and clear. We all long for someone to listen to us. Yes, I believe every single one of us does!

This verse tells us that God is wiling to be that listener. If we want to be heard we have an obligation to build a relationship with God. An obligation to pour our heart out before Him. An obligation to learn that God is indeed willing to be a refuge for us.

This morning as the hired help from the landscape company came through the neighborhood cleaning driveways and sidewalks with hand snow shovels, Bob pointed out that one of them was wearing a garbage bag as a coat. I was appalled to see it when he came into view. I had taken out granola bars for them as they were finishing our drive. I learned the last time we had a big storm that they really appreciate the snack. Yes, indeed, the young man was wearing a sweatshirt and a garbage bag. Current temperature 21 and still snowing. I had bought a winter coat through Walmart at an unbelievably low price intending to donate it to the local coat drive. In the meanwhile, I had also found a thermal vest to donate. In good conscious I could not let this man go down the street with just a garbage bag for weather protection. All the other men had on winter coats and hoods, etc. So I came in the house and with Bob’s blessing went outside with the new coat for him. He did not give much away with his eyes. It seemed to fit him well. I asked him to give me the garbage bag. It was heavy duty, landscaper grade, so I assume the company gave it to him. When some of the guys began laughing I hollered, “No teasing!” In retrospect I should have pointed to myself and said “Mamacita!”

Who knows? Maybe that man asked God for a coat this morning? What about you? Have you spoken with the Lord today? Will you pour out your heart before Him today? Have you ever experienced Him as your Refuge?

The morning I came across the verse from Psalm 62, I was listening to this melody. It moved me to pour out my heart to Him.

(I recently discovered Sheku, but more about that another time.)

I tell the LORD things I do not tell others. I am certain others get tired of hearing about the chronic pain I have. I even get wearied of writing it down. There is a kind of relief though in knowing that God knows, and hears, and cares about me. So I tell Him. Refuge.

Years ago we assisted teaching a class at church about marriage. One of the tools we used was a word list. It can be helpful in journaling also. There were headings such as mad, sad, glad, afraid, confused, ashamed, lonely, high energy, low energy, uneasy, secure/confident, affectionate, free-and-easy. Under each of those headings are as many as 35 other words to elaborate that feeling. This sheet is helpful in communicating with your spouse, but also when communicating with the LORD. Here is a link to a similar chart. https://www.hoffmaninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Practices-FeelingsSensations.pdf

Difficult to read, I get it.

I have a friend who says her husband has difficulty communicating. I wonder if this chart would be helpful to him? Of course, for it to help one must be willing to use it. Getting familiar with these words can certainly be a huge help towards pouring your heart out to God. This is at least a starting place for us. I advise journaling either on paper or electronically. There is something about anchoring your heart in words that make the outpouring more concrete.

Trust in him at all times, O people;
    pour out your heart before him;
    God is a refuge for us. Selah Psalm 62:8 NRSVUE

Maybe even more difficult than pouring out your heart is the first line, “Trust in Him at all times.” If you kept a diary as a child, it might have looked like this.

As an adult it can be more challenging to trust that no one will read your words if you can lock your journal. Of course, with online cloud storage , passwords and private vaults in the cloud it is much simpler to keep your words private.

Why not begin now? Just write a line or two. Perhaps choose a few words from the feelings list?

Posted on in Book quotes, Challenge, Faith, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Yield

A Book Returned

I loaned someone a book about 25 years ago. I lost track of where it went. (I maybe should write down who I loan to?) I usually put a sticker int he front of my books that reads: “Please return to Molly Dutina. She will eventually notice I am missing from her bookshelf, but she won’t have a clue who has me! (My phone number and then) no matter how long I’ve been gone.” She returned it recently. I do not know if she read it, hated or enjoyed it, no feedback. When I read books I own I usually mark a page number in the front cover with a few words that struck me at the time of reading. Here are a few of my notes inside my copy of God’s Joyful Surprise by Sue Monk Kidd, published 1987.

Page 67 “How strange that we tend to stand ankle-deep in the spiritual life even though the grounding depth of intimacy with God is the most nourishing experience of our lives and affirms our very being!“

Do you remember the Scripture about the depth of the water in Ezekiel 47, where the water was ankle deep, knee deep, waist deep and then swimming only deep? How strange we stand just ankle deep when the entire river is given to us.

Just the paragraph prior to the above quote Kidd wrote: “Though I wanted the safe, familiar world of before, I also wanted to follow the challenge of dwelling deep in God . . .in prayer . . in His presence. I could not choose; I could only sit on the fence with a foot in each pasture.”

She devotes the remainder of the book to how she found disciplines to help her explore and remain in that place of deep waters. So whereabouts are you? On the fence, ankle deep , or diving deep into the challenge of dwelling deep in God?

Is 2025 the year you finally dive into the river of God’s presence and learn to swim with Him? This book is a wonderful place to begin.

On page 208 she talks about the difference between ‘saying’ our prayers and the change of consciousness that helps us become prayer. “As we grow in the spiritual life, we come to think of Him as deep within us, in our thoughts, moods, feelings, aspirations. God flows inside us. He is our center. As we come to perceive God in this more intimate way, we are filled with a growing sensitivity to Him. We cannot separate ourselves from Him. “ Today this referred to as non-dualism.

Page 206 of my copy, which is 248 pages before the notes, she not only quotes Brother Lawrence, Paul on pray without ceasing, Jesus, and Augustine, but she dispels the notion that prayer without ceasing in not only for ‘super-Christians’ but for every Christian. “Ordinary people. Contrary people. People who dress children for nursery school, rush to work, stare at televisions, forget dentist appointments. People like us. Praying an unbroken prayer in not something to struggle and perspire over. It springs up inside us and becomes a way of life, as natural as breathing.”

She notes we are to prayer simultaneously with our daily activities, keep our mind in God, an attitude and attentiveness that permeates our lives. Our neighbors seem to rejoice in any opportunity to set off fireworks. It terrifies poor Lucky. I am hoping that this New Year when you hear or see fireworks you will be inspired to make 2025 the year when this desire is ignited within you.

Posted on in Book quotes, Challenge, Faith, Listen, Praise, Prayer, Spiritual growth, Trust, Yield

Trying to Get You to Relate

Brother Lawrence wrote letters about his relationship with God. Not just church knowledge, not just prayer at set hours, but talking with the Living God as he went about his daily tasks. Do we do that?

Quoting Brennan Manning, Tyler Stanton in Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools wrote, Manning was an accomplished spiritual guide. Alone and undistracted, though, he was confronted by the gap between spiritual theory and actual experience. “The great divorce between my head and my heart had endured throughout my ministry. For eighteen years I proclaimed the good news of God’s passionate, unconditional love – utterly convinced in my head but not feeling it in my heart. I never felt loved.”Stanton goes on to tell the story of how Manning, ‘stripped of all distraction, activity, and busyness, on a mountain with nothing to dress himself up with – that’s where he knew the love of God.”

Have you experienced that love? Do you walk with Him and talk with Him? Have you heard Him tell you that you are His own? You are a loved child, adopted into God’s family through the blood of Jesus – His sacrifice and offering of the gift of the Holy Spirit to your very self.

Stanton quotes Dane Ortlund as writing “He knows us to the uttermost, and He saves us to the uttermost, because His heart is drawn out to us to the uttermost.” In other words, no matter how deep the sin we have participated in, no matter how dark our loneliest place is, God is there loving us.

Eastern Orthodox Bishop Kallistos Ware wrote, “Christianity is not merely a philosophical theory or a moral code, but involves a direct sharing in divine life and glory, a transforming union with God “face to face.”

May this season of Christmas bring you closer than ever before to the Living Christ in your day-to-day life. A Franciscan priest, a 17th century French monk, an Eastern Orthodox Bishop, a contemporary Christian writer who helped begin an international prayer movement and a little old lady writing a blog in Ohio all are saying the same thing. If they are not wrong then what is holding you back from this intimate relationship with God?

As my mother taught me to sing, try this out for yourself.

His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants in the divine nature. 2 Peter 1:3-4 NRSV

“A transforming union with God, face-to-face.” Reach for it. Ask for it. Rest in it. I told God years ago that if the teachings of the New Testament and the promises were not for this century then I would quit seeking them. He is still teaching me how accessible those teachings and promises are for today.

Posted on in Book quotes, Challenge, Faith, Just do it, Listen, Memories, Obedience, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Trust, Yield

Isaiah 30:15

Page 832 of the Book of Common Prayer has the prayer #59 For Quiet Confidence.

O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and
rest we shall be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be
our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee,
to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou
art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

When we visited the National Cathedral I was delighted to find a small plaque on the wall with this very prayer on it. The photo of that plaque hung on my wall for many years.

Many, many years ago I chose Isaiah 30:15 as my ‘life verse.’ It reads:

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
In returning and rest you shall be saved;
    in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.
But you refused NRSVUE

I have returned to the prayer and verse countless times over the years. I am always stung by the last phrase, “But you refused” or “But you would not.” Oh Lord deliver me from being one who refuses.

There truly is strength in practicing this verse in your daily life. Here are a few ways. Returning and rest, quietness and trust. That hushes my speculations. Calms my rushing about. (maiden name was Rush!) There are so many applications. Try pondering this prayer and verse for 7 days. See what impact it has upon you! I often print things like this and carry them in my pocket throughout the day.

By the might of Your Spirit, LIFT US WE PRAY, to Your Presence where we maybe still and KNOW that you are God.

by the might of Your Spirit lift us we pray
Posted on in Amazing Creations, Family, Memories, Nature, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Surrender, Trust, Yield

Tradition

When I was a child I remember my parents taking me to the Krohn Conservatory here in Cincinnati to see the nativity scene with live animals. When Bob and I moved back to this area I took him, and he, too, was enchanted. So we made it our habit to bring the children and then for a while the grandchildren to see the same wonder. We even took an elderly friend once and she was delighted!

This year we visited it alone. I love to watch the children delight in the animals. One toddler was telling the cow “Moo!” Another stooped over a little bit to look between the bars of the fence (there to keep us separate from the animals and characters). He was so cute and reminded me of our own kids at one time. The sheep were way out in the grassy yard. We could not figure out how to get them to come closer. Some of the young adults wanted to see the sheep up close. On one occasion one year they were so close we could pet them. This year they did not want to move.

photo by r m dutina

We waited around awhile to watch the families come through. Then I noticed a man leaned over the fence making a motion with his hand as if he had a treat in it. The sheep began to stir. He was not making a sound. I told him we had been trying to figure out how to get the sheep to move, and here he did it with a simple gesture. He replied, “Well, they are my sheep.”

Who better to scratch your ear than your own shepherd!

Sure enough in a matter of mere moments he had them up and moving towards him. One kiddo was delighted and kept saying “Sheep! Sheep!” The shepherd made a few clicking sounds and they came closer to the fence. He did not have treats, but those sheep obviously knew their shepherd. The shepherd told us he worked there at the Krohn and would slip out from time to time to visit his sheep. I thanked him for sharing them with us. Bob told him that we had been coming for years and all the delight those sheep brought to us and others we brought to visit.

Finally this one came to check us out. photo by r m dutina

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. John 10:27-31 NIV

My prayer is that now and throughout the coming year you would follow the voice, and touch, and signals from your Shepherd. The Great Shepherd of the sheep loves you immensely.

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21 ESV

Posted on in Book quotes, Challenge, Faith, Just do it, Listen, Memories, Obedience, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Yield

Using A Buddhist Bucket In A Christian Well

Once a woman came to our home. When she saw Bob’s copy of “Zen and the Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance” on the shelf she was immediately suspicious. The narrowness of her Christian belief system stunned me. As if Christ cannot handle other ways of thinking? I don’t know. I was just stunned. Good thing she never saw this title on the same bookcase! “Without Buddha I Could Not Be A Christian.”

Below is a talk by the theologian Doctor Paul Knitter given at the Faith and Life lecture series the Baldwin Wallace University located in Berea, Ohio just 12 miles from Cleveland. Paul was ordained in Rome in 1966, married in 1982 and taught undergraduates at the Xavier University for some 30 years.

I heard Paul Knitter speak at an Associates Retreat at the Convent of the Transfiguration. I bought his book. Wish I had put the purchase date in the front. Oh well. I recently pulled it off the shelf again as The Book of Joy reminded me that he is where I learned to use a Buddhist bucket in my Christian well. That refers to learning the power and importance of silence in my journey with the Trinity.

On Page 153 of his book, Dr. Knitter says “We need an additional Sacrament, the Sacrament of Silence. I believe we Christians need to receive this Sacrament regularly and frequently, as frequently as every day. (Fortunately, it’s a self-administered sacrament, so we don’t have to go to church.)

Page 154: To pick up the analogy used earlier in this chapter, Buddhism offers Christians a bucket that can draw up the mystical depths of the Cristian well. It provides a help, for some a decisive help, to realize and enter in the non-dualistic, or unitive, heart of Christian experience – a way to be one with the Father, to live Christ’s life, to be not just a container of the Spirit but an embodiment and expression of the Spirits, to live by and with and in the Spirit, to live and move and have our being in God. So I’m proposing a Buddhist means to a Christian end – Buddhist tools for a Christian project. Without Buddha I Could Not Be A Christian

I am going to stop copying the text now. I want you to give this some thought. I know this may be a lot to take in. I encourage you though to keep reading. Wouldn’t you like to find a means to deepen your ability to fulfill oneness with Christ? When I am in a retail place and they ask, “May I help you ma’am?” I always reply, “I need all the help I can get!” None of the things I have adapted into my prayer life from Buddhism have made me less of a Christ follower. I agree with Knitter, that learning about silence and stillness has made me better at following the Holy Spirit and walking with Christ. How do you accomplish stillness and silence?

The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue,
    to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
    wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.
5 The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears;
    I have not been rebellious,
    I have not turned away. Isaiah 50:4-5 NIV

I learned years ago I cannot open my own ears. At times I can barely yield myself to listening for the still, small voice of God! But God is my help and strength (Psalm 28). God shows me the way. When the chatter in my head proves daunting, I can choose to go to the Sacrament of Silence. I gently return again and again as often as it takes for 15 minutes. At times, I practice Psalm 131.

My heart is not proud, Lord,
    my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
    or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have calmed and quietened myself,
    I am like a weaned child with its mother;
    like a weaned child I am content.

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

Posted on in Aging, Book quotes, Challenge, Faith, Poetry, Spiritual growth, Surrender

Impermanence and Death

Remember the ring above worn by Jonathan Roumie? It so fits with this post!

I thought of the quote below recently when I attended a Zoom book discussion of The Book of Joy. I was very late but did not want to miss the group entirely. I could not recall the poem at the time so I looked it up later. I guess the framed version I used to have was edited to the calligrapher’s liking, because I do not remember anything about a cloud of smoke.

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”
― Hunter S. Thompson, The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967

Rather I think of it like I will skid into heaven with a mouthful of chocolate, used up … etc. I might even be late arriving!

Our discussion that night was on chapter about the Illness and Fear of Death. Not a topic most of us enjoy. I once heard. “Change is inevitable. Come to accept it.” I do not know a single human who actually likes change, do you? I wrote about this once before here https://wordpress.com/post/treasures-in-plain-sight.org/153

Impermanence can also be a comfort! I am promised a new body after my death. That will be a relief!! Things will not always remain the same and that is great news regarding the things I absolutely cannot stand.

How about you? As you practice holding all things loosely can you rejoice in the impermanence of life? What might you loosen your grip on? What topic plagues you with negative thinking? Perhaps you could remind yourself that it will not ALWAYS be like this!

When my children were growing up, especially when they were in high school I was sorrowful. Many people asked, “Can’t you be excited about who they will become? What their future holds?” What I had a difficult time explaining was that I so enjoyed being a mother and knowing they were about to fledge from our nest made me sorrowful. No, they hardly need a mother these days. I don’t think they will not really miss me until I leave this earth. The impermanence of life hit me hard in those days.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu speaking in the Book of Joy spoke much about death.

“Because God is God, because God is infinite, because none of us who are creatures will ever fathom the infinitude that is God, heaven is going to be forever a place of new discovery.” The author, Douglas Abrams, goes on to say, Perhaps death and the fear of death is truly the greatest challenge to joy. Well, when we are dead, it does not really matter, but it is the of its approaching, of the suffering that often precedes it, and ultimately the fear of the oblivion and the loss of our person hood that frighten us. Many psychologists say the fear of death lies behind all other fears, and many historians of religion argue that religion arose to try to solve the mystery of death. Modern life keeps that fear at bay, as we don’t interact with the very old or the very sick, and illness, frailty, and death get tucked away behind institutional walls from our everyday lives.

Death is part of our life. Fact. I always opine that none of us are getting out of here alive, unless Jesus comes before we die. And even in living, we are exhorted to die to self! The Dalai Lama pointed out that “the Buddha’s last teaching at the time of his death ends with the truth of impermanence, reminding us how it is the nature of all things that come into existence to have an end. The Buddha said nothing lasts.”

“Everything is in a constant state of change – nothing remains static, and nothing remains permanent,” he reminded them. “What is important to remember is that sooner or later death to comes and to make our life meaningful while we’re alive.” Another contributor to the book, Jinpa, mentioned,”The true measure of spiritual development is how one confronts one’s won mortality. The best way is when one is able to approach death with joy; the next best way is without fear; third best way is at least not to have regrets.”

Guess we each have work to do as we review those ways, checking our own heart and moving towards our inevitable end! May this season as winter approaches, find you ready to perform some of that important self examination. Blessing, Molly D.

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18 NIV

So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 NIV

Posted on in Book quotes, Challenge, Faith, Family, Memories, Rest, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Surrender, Yield

Psalm 36

Often sung but have you believed and lived it?

7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
    All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on the abundance of your house,
    and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
    in your light we see light. Psalm 36:7-9

Even Amy Carmichael in The Edges of His Ways comments on abundance using Romans 5

Much more they which receive abundance of grace . . . shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17

There is a lovely word in this verse, it is “abundance.” The word is translated “overflowing” in Weymouth and elsewhere, and Way has “The measureless overflowing of the fountain of the grace of God.” This is the grace that is ready to help us in time of need, this and nothing less. Thank God, He does not measure out grace in teaspoons. The measureless overflowings of the fountain are for each one of us today. Need we fail? NEVER.

How can we comprehend this abundance? Have you tried to drink from this fountain?

Often at Christmas we overwhelm ones we love with gifts. Did you realize that was God’s idea first? When gifting our kids at Christmas we often chose to only give them three since that is what the Wise Men brought to Jesus at His birth. This year I found myself stuffing more than one gift in each bag!

Love, grace, delights, life, and light to name a few. Amy says each one of us need these everyday. Sit with your heavenly Father and make yourself receptive to His gifts DAILY. It makes a tremendous difference!

Posted on in Collection of Quotes, Faith, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Surrender, Trust

Prayers Among Christians and Buddhists

Have you ever thought of prayer in terms of giving and taking, receiving and offering, letting God use your offering as God sees fit? This blog offers a few how-tos. I hope to draw parallels between the faiths in an understandable and useful way.

Dalai Lama speaks in The Book of Joy about the practice of Tonglen. At the end of the book there are Joy Practices and Tonglen is included. I am not skilled with Word Press lists, but the basic steps are as follows:

  1.  Begin by settling your mind with several long breaths through your nose.
  2. Think of someone who is suffering. You can choose a loved one, a friend, or even a whole group of people, such as refugees.
  3. Reflect on the fact that, just like you, they wish to overcome suffering and to be joyful. Try to feel a sense of concern for the well-being of the person or group you are focusing on. Feel deep within your heart the desire for them to be free of suffering.
  • 4. For my own practice I move here to the teachings of Christianity and plead the Blood of Jesus over myself. I also take on the Whole Armor of God. The Word says the Blood of Jesus has mighty power and along with the Armor of God (Ephesians 6) brings us protection and power. If you place your palms about 5 or 6 inches apart, you can sense the power of life that is within you. This power through Christ is full of Light. He is the Light of the world, and darkness cannot put it out. John 1:5
  • 5.  Taking their suffering. As you inhale, imagine the pain being drawn from the other person (or peoples) and dissolving when it encounters the warmth and bright light of your compassionate heart. Imagine their suffering dissolving into the bright orb of light in front of you that is radiating out from your hands and compassionate heart.
  • 6. Give out your joy. As you exhale, imagine that you are sending the person rays of light filled with your love and compassion, your courage and your confidence, your strength and your joy.
  • 7. Repeat this practice of taking the suffering and transforming it by giving your joy.

The Catholic faith has a practice of “Offering Up Suffering to God. “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.: Galatians 6:2 NRSV I researched this a bit online as I did not totally understand how to explain it. I have heard of the same sort of prayers from others, especially the missionary Amy Carmichael. The article I consulted says it was written ‘by an anonymous priest.” https://laycistercians.com/how-to-offer-up-suffering/

Anonymous priest wrote, “You do this by making a small prayer or intention. You can simply ask God to apply the offering of your pain to help the person you are praying for in whatever way God sees fit. For example:

“Lord, I offer up the pain of this migraine for {this person}, asking You to bring them comfort, healing, or strength in their struggle. May my suffering unite with Your suffering (on the cross) to bring grace into that life.”

The goal is to unite your suffering to the suffering of Jesus on the cross and offer it as a means of healing to another person. You’re placing your pain before God, who knows how to use it for the best.

GOD KNOWS HOW TO USE WHAT YOU OFFER

“As a result you grow in patience, humility and empathy for others by offering up your pain. Offering your suffering can be a form of intercessory prayer, in which you ask God to intervene on behalf of others.”

Does it work? I am no healing expert, but it certainly cannot hurt you or the other person if prayed wisely and consciously. I always insist on being under the covering of Christ for this type of prayer. Jesus warned in Matthew 10, 28 and John 17 that we need His protection against the evil one and his minions.

Wikipedia says: Tong means “giving or sending”, and len means “receiving or taking”

Pema Chodron, a Buddhist priest says of Tonglen, You breathe in with the wish that those human beings could be free of that suffering, and you breathe in with the longing to remove their suffering. And then you send out – just relax …. Send enough space so that peoples’ hearts and minds feel big enough to live with their discomfort, fear, their anger or their despair, whatever the form of suffering takes.

So the in-breath you breath in with the wish to take away the suffering, and breathe out the wish to send comfort and happiness to the same people. The principal aim is to develop one’s own selfless and empathic qualities more than or at least as much as creating a real difference for others.

Taking on suffering does not mean to burden oneself with the misery of the world, but rather to acknowledge its existence and accept it. This makes it possible to increase one’s own peace of mind at the same time as acknowledging suffering and disharmony, so there is less contradiction than there might have been.

So where does that leave the rest of us? Most of us have experienced suffering of some sort during our lifetime. Perhaps the next time you are confronted by your own suffering or that of another you could try this combination of prayer forms?

Prayer of give and take. Prayers of substitution. Name it as you wish. We all know someone or many someones who are suffering. I just ask you to try it on behalf of another. Wouldn’t this be an amazing world if we prayed this for one another!? Love this image!