A Daily Lent

Saturday of the First Week of Lent – February 28, 2015 BROTHER JOHN KLIMAKOS said, “Keep your prayers completely simple. Both the tax collector and he prodigal son were reconciled to God when they spoke one simple idea. The tax collector said, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner’ (Luke 18:13). The prodigal son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you’ (Luke 15:21).” [Bernard Bangley, By Way of the Desert , p. 384.] Those who persevere at prayer over many years almost always find that their prayer becomes simpler, not more complex. It doesn’t become more verbose and eloquent. It becomes quieter, even non-verbal. A glance, a thought, a holy moment . . . these become the most profound experiences of prayer. You might want to try simplifying your prayer for two or three days. Sit in silence one day. On another day, choose a phrase from the Psalms or the Gospels, and simply repeat it over and over as a breath prayer. On yet another day, take a single word (...

Friday of the First Week of Lent – February 27, 2015 EVAGRIUS PONTICUS wrote, “Focus your attention on your prayer. Do not allow any other thoughts to distract you. All they will do is interrupt your prayer. When the devils understand that you are serious about fervent prayer, they will suggest subtle things that seem important. Soon enough, you will be unable to continue praying. This will discourage you.” [Bernard Bangley, By Way of the Desert , p. 173.] Contemplation is a part of the vast landscape of prayer. It is the aspect of prayer that moves us beyond words, thoughts, and images into a receptive silence, to an awareness of the deeper connection we have with God, which is beyond words, thoughts, and images. Contemplation is the expanding recognition of our union with God, the union for which we were created. We exist always in the heart of God, though in our regular lives, we seldom recognize it. In contemplation, we slow down, still our minds, and give attentio...

Thursday of the First Week of Lent – February 26, 2015 ABBA ZENO told us, “If you want God to hear your prayer when you stand, stretching out your hands toward God, you must sincerely begin by praying for your enemies. When you do this, God will respect all you request.” [Bernard Bangley, By Way of the Desert , p. 79.] For Abba Zeno, prayer began with praying for others. More specifically, the beginning of prayer is sincerely praying for your enemies. You cannot pray for your enemies for long without the experience changing you. Mostly, when you pray for your enemies, you learn that they are not truly enemies. They are simply other human beings who live life differently, see life differently, or believe differently that you do. They are wounded and broken, certainly, but so are you in different ways. Praying for your enemies is a transforming practice. It likely won’t transform your “enemies” nearly as much as it transforms you.

Wednesday of the First Week of Lent – February 25, 2015 ABBA AGATHON said, “I consider no other labor as difficult as prayer. When we are ready to pray, our spiritual enemies interfere. They understand it is only by making it difficult for us to pray that they can harm us. Other things will meet with success if we keep at it, but laboring at prayer is a war that will continue until we die.” [Bernard Bangley, By Way of the Desert , p. 145.] Most Christians struggle in one way or another with prayer. People often ask for tips in prayer. They want advice about how to pray. They want to know how to fend off distractions. My sense is that folks intuit that prayer is important, even crucial, but that most of us are looking for a magic formula that some of the saints and mystics know, but is withheld from the rest of us. In short, we don’t want to struggle in prayer. We want it to be easy. So we look for a code or a key . . . just the right set of words to say . . . the book...

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent – February 24, 2015 WHEN A BROTHER asked Abba Antony to pray for him, the old man replied, “Try to pray your own prayers.” [Bernard Bangley, By Way of the Desert , p. 22.] The perennial wisdom in prayer is to pray as you can, don’t pray as you can’t. In other words, there is no need to lean always on the prayers of others. And there is no need mimic the words others use in prayer. No one can pray your prayers. No one can be attentive to God for you. No one else can hear God stir your heart. No one can tell God what it feels like to be you. No one else can offer your family and friends to God just the way you can. Antony responded to this brother – harshly, it may seem to us – as he did because he wanted the brother to grow up. He was concerned for his brother’s becoming in God. He wanted his brother to learn the value and goodness of his own prayer. I’m not suggesting that we should never pray for others who ask for our prayer. And I’m not...

Monday of the First Week of Lent – February 23, 2015 EVAGRIUS PONTICUS wrote, “Often in my prayers I kept asking God for what I thought was good. I repeatedly made personal requests, unreasonably coercing God. I was not able to trust God’s providence to work things out for my best interests. When I got what I sought, I was sorry that I had insisted on my own desires. Things did not turn out the way I had imagined.” [Bernard Bangley, By Way of the Desert , p. 356.] Haven’t we all had the experience of asking God for something in prayer, then receiving what we requested. But after our prayer is "answered,” we slowly discover that it may not have been in our best interest. We received something that actually inhibited our growth, healing, or wholeness in God. How little we see of the big picture from where we live. We see “through a glass darkly,” says the Apostle Paul. We don’t truly know what is best for us. Somehow, our prayer and contemplation invites us to disp...

First Sunday of Lent – February 22, 2015 Abba Macarius was asked, ‘How should one pray?’ The old man said, “There is no need at all to make long discourses; it is enough to stretch out one’s hands and say, 'Lord, as you will, and as you know, have mercy.' And if the conflict grows fiercer say, 'Lord, help!' He knows very well what we need and he shews us his mercy." [Benedicta Ward, SLG, The Sayings of the Desert Fathers , p. 131] This week we consider stories about prayer and contemplation. I was scared away from prayer as a young Christian by the eloquent prayers of some more seasoned Christians. I felt unable to formulate the lofty discourses that seemed required of the public prayer in my home church. So I gave up without starting. Over time, I realized that prayer does not consist merely of lofty and eloquent discourses. Rather, prayer is the honest communion we share with God, spending time in God’s presence, and presenting ourselves honestly to...

Saturday after Ash Wednesday, February 21, 2015 ABBA SILVANUS AND HIS DISCIPLE ZACHARIAS visited a monastery. The monks invited them to share a small meal before they continued their journey. Departing, Zacharias saw a pond by the road and desired a drink of water. Silvanus reminded him that they were observing a fast that day. Zacharias protested, “But, Abba, we have already broken our fast today.” Silvanus replied, “We ate with them because we love them. Now that we are on our own, let’s keep our fast, my son.” [Bernard Bangley, By Way of the Desert , p. 220.] I understand the confusion Zacharias felt. We’re fasting today . . . now we’re not fasting today, but eating with the monks . . . I want a drink of water, but Abba Silvanus says I can’t drink because we’re fasting today . . . but what about the meal we just ate with those in the monastery? I’m a lot like Zacharias: If you tell me what the rules are, what is expected of me, I can usually operate within those para...

Friday after Ash Wednesday, February 20, 2015 ABBOT LOT came to Abbot Joseph and said: “Father, according as I am able, I keep my little rule, and my little fast, my prayer, meditation and contemplative silence; and according as I am able I strive to cleanse my heart of thoughts: Now what more should I do?” The elder rose up in reply and stretched out his hands to heaven, and his fingers became like ten lamps of fire. He said: “Why not be totally changed into fire?” [Thomas Merton, The Wisdom of the Desert , p. 50] There was an old cartoon from the 1980’s that showed a woman sitting at her desk in a church office. She had a bit of charring on her clothing, and smoke was present in the room around her. She tapped the button on the intercom system at her desk and said, “Pastor, there is a man here to see you. He says he’s on fire for the Lord.” The cartoon may have been especially meaningful to me because I saw it at a time in my life when I wanted always to be “on fi...

Thursday after Ash Wednesday, February 19, 2015 A BROTHER came to Abbot Pastor and said: “Many distracting thoughts come into my mind, and I am in danger because of them.” Then the elder thrust him out into the open air and said: “Open up the garments about your chest and catch the wind in them.” But he replied: “This I cannot do.” So the elder said to him: “If you cannot catch the wind, neither can you prevent distracting thoughts from coming into your head. Your job is to say ‘No’ to them.” [Thomas Merton, The Wisdom of the Desert , p. 43] Have you ever tried to fast from thoughts? Or even to fast from certain thoughts? It’s almost impossible at one level. To concentrate on blocking thoughts from coming into your mind is yet another thought. “Don’t think about the elephant . . . don’t think about the elephant . . . don’t think about the elephant.” And in trying to block the thought, you are thinking about the elephant. The wisdom of Abbot Pastor in the stor...

I've recently found the work of Steve Garnaas-Holmes through some friends who regularly forwarded his poetry and psalm-work to me. His website is www.unfoldinglight.net. Steve will also add you to his daily mailing list if you you'd like. His work has touched me, and this morning's poem is beautiful. SNOW AND ASH This snow, deep but fine like ash drifting over your sidewalk will be gone in weeks. But you shovel it today anyway because today you need to walk out of your house. You shovel it while it is snow before it is regret. Before it melts this short life is yours to choose well with, what to shovel, what not to shovel. Hard to do, to put your shoulder to the work of compassion when you could stay in. So many conflicting winds would drift your life into ruinous places. Only the warm energy of life guides you, carving out this path and not another. Mortal, pause amidst your labors, and receive the grace you need. Remember you are snow, a...

Ash Wednesday, February 18, 2015 TWO BROTHERS visited a hermit who made it a habit not to eat every day. The hermit welcomed them warmly, showing complete hospitality. Smiling, he said “Fasting has its own reward, but when love motivates you to eat, you keep two commandments. You lose your self-will and you refresh your brothers.” [Bernard Bangley, By Way of the Desert , p. 259.] The season of Lent begins today on Ash Wednesday. For these first days of Lent, we think about the spiritual practice of fasting. In solidarity with Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the wilderness, many of us choose some type of fast for the season of Lent. Some of us fast a meal each week . . . some fast from a particular type of food or drink . . . some fast from a regular and normal activity (shopping, for instance, or reading news feeds, or watching television) . . . some seek to fast some attitude or interior posture (anger, for instance, or criticism, and so on). Whatever form our Lenten spir...

Friday of the First Week of Lent – February 27, 2015 EVAGRIUS PONTICUS wrote, “Focus your attention on your prayer. Do not allow any other thoughts to distract you. All they will do is interrupt your prayer. When the devils understand that you are serious about fervent prayer, they will suggest subtle things that seem important. Soon enough, you will be unable to continue praying. This will discourage you.” [Bernard Bangley, By Way of the Desert , p. 173.] Contemplation is a part of the vast landscape of prayer. It is the aspect of prayer that moves us beyond words, thoughts, and images into a receptive silence, to an awareness of the deeper connection we have with God, which is beyond words, thoughts, and images. Contemplation is the expanding recognition of our union with God, the union for which we were created. We exist always in the heart of God, though in our regular lives, we seldom recognize it. In contemplation, we slow down, still our minds, and give attentio...

Monday, February 16, 2015 – A Pre-Lenten Reading Introduction to “The Wisdom of the Wilderness” by Jerry Webber During Lent, I’ll provide daily meditations based on the stories and sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers (3rd – 5th centuries). First, though, I want to provide some background and context: Who were these men and women? How did they get to the desert? What did they do there? In the years after Christ, followers of Jesus faced a number of challenges. For many decades, Christians were persecuted by a hostile Roman Empire, which viewed Christian faith as atheistic (Christians did not worship the gods of the Roman Empire, nor the Emperor as deity). Christians were imprisoned, tortured, or put to death, often for sport in the Roman Empire. Another challenge arose about three centuries after Christ, when Constantine became Emperor of the once-hostile Roman Empire. The new Emperor declared that Christianity would be the official religion of the Empire. Suddenly, the ho...