"Being Present in the Divine Presence"
Friday of the Third Week of Lent – March 13, 2015 BROTHER JOHN KLIMAKOS said, “Stillness in the soul is continual worship of God, being present in the divine presence. If an awareness of the name of Jesus comes with every breath, you will discover the importance of being still.” [Bernard Bangley, By Way of the Desert , p. 381] Many of us associate good worship or authentic worship with fervor and emotion. It stirs the spirit and enlarges the heart. It moves a person to loud praise or to an ecstatic response to God. Depending on the person, it may include traditional hymns or contemporary praise songs. Who among us doesn’t want to feel a sense of stirring and release? It feels good. The Desert Christians, though, would have us know that such worship doesn’t last. The music ends. The sermon is over. Someone says a Benediction to conclude the hour of formal worship. We return to the parking lot, find our cars (donkeys or camels in the case of the Desert Fathers and Mothers??), and...