Lent - for liberation & possibility
to form, inspire and stretch
Week 1 - Falling into Freedom
Breath!
- Like the tidal pattern of the sea, breathing is a steady rhythm of in and out.
(Joyce Rupp, Prayer)
- prayer is...'joining the in breath with the out breath to the One breath of the universe' (Hildergard of Bingen)
Gospel: Matthew 4: 1-11
source - Diocese of Wollongong, Lenten Program 2014, Encounter (http://dow.org.au/news/news-and-media/item/lenten-program-2014-encounter)
- Art can transform - it can transcend the rational and open us into a way of seeing that is expansive.
The link below will take you to a range of works that focus on Jesus' experience in the wilderness. Allow yourself to be taken by an image or two.
What has drawn you to this image?
What might it be saying to you?
Some reflections...
http://rj-whenlovecomestotown.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/wandering-in-wilderness-with-jesus-part.html
ACCEPT
In striving to be a presence for liberation and possibility for others, we need to be free ourselves. As Einstein said,
“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
It is by allowing Christ in that this transformation can be.
Are you stripping yourself in prayer before the terrible and searching Word of God? Are you being refined in that fire? And am I? Is my vision doing that to me, breaking and remaking my thoughts and words, breaking and remaking my mind? (Rowan Williams)
Prayer Practice - a movement for freedom into your true self
A Writing exercise for the soul...
In What We Ache For, I write about the process of finding and doing your creative work. For me, writing is the creative expression that allows me to touch and co-create the meaning and beauty I ache for. I know this because when I am writing I never feel I should be doing anything else, be anywhere else or be other than I am. And this is joy. Although I am usually alone when I am writing, I never feel lonely; writing connects me to both my essential inner self and the world around me. Loneliness is a loss of connection with the self that knows its belonging. It can be felt when we are with others. It can be banished when we deeply engage in creative work that
feeds us.
How would you complete the phrase: I never feel I should be doing anything else when I am…?
Can you think of more than one way to finish this sentence? If so, is there a common elementto what you describe? Is it the nature of the activities, what motivates you to do them, how you feel when you are engaged in them, where they take place, or some other aspect? What does this tell you about your own path to happiness?
Set aside a set period of time (minimum ten to fifteen minutes) and repeatedly complete the following phrases, substituting for the word “write” the things that came to mind when you considered the question above.
When I write, I feel….
When I write, I see….
When I write, I discover. . . .
I am never lonely when I am….
I ache for….
Write in response to the question: Why do I write? (or paint or
compose or dance . . . . or do any form of creative work.)
Source: What we Ache For: Creativity and the Unfolding of Your Soul by Oriah Mountain Dreamer