Faith & Life Inspirational Message

As I have often acknowledged, the foundation of a spiritual journey is anchored in some kind of discipline.   Too often discipline gets a bad rap, as if it is some kind of punishment.   For some folks hearing the word, discipline, conjures up running laps!   This is unfortunate.   Discipline is the dailiness of activity that leads to growth and development.   One of my disciplines is using the lectionary for some spiritual reading each day.                This discipline enables me to do a little reading that hopefully feeds my soul and nurtures my spirit.   It is not a guarantee.   But without a discipline I can virtually guarantee that we won’t get very far in the spiritual journey.   It is like training for the marathon.   It is stupid to think you can wake up one weekend, decide to go somewhere and run a marathon.   Twenty-six miles is too far to go on a lark!  ...

I like reading a variety of things that help me on my daily spiritual trek through life.   Help comes from many and, sometimes, odd venues.   Daily newspapers, magazines, preparation for classes and even notes on the wall have provided inspiration over the years.   I am thankful for the myriad of revelational sources.   But among the lot, no doubt the biblical text still ranks right up there as very important. I am not one who thinks every verse in the Christian Bible is significant.   I am ok thinking that the Bible, as a whole, is inspired.   But it is difficult for me to think every sentence or word is divinely inspired.   That would require an extensive discussion, of course, on what “inspiration” means, how it happens, etc.   I actually don’t have too much interest in that discussion and, certainly, have no interest in pursuing in here.   Suffice it here to acknowledge that inspiration means to help, encourage, to light up your life. ...

When I turned to the lectionary this morning, I began the section called Morning Prayer.   In the world of monasteries this period is called Lauds.   Lauds come from the Latin word for “praise.”   It is easy to see our English word, applaud, in the Latin, Laud.   I like the fact that Morning Prayers is a time for praise.   In a sense it is time to awaken to the new day and applaud what God has done again.             Because of our technology, it is easy to live life without the sense of nature’s rhythms.   When it begins to get dark, we simply flip the switch and the lights come on.   So we continue life as if it is the middle of the day.   If we want to continue reading or sewing, we have no problem.   If we want to wander around in the house at 10:00pm, we are in no danger of running into things we can’t see.             ...

I try to follow a daily spiritual discipline of some reading and prayer or meditation.   After all these years, I am still surprised at how it does not come easy.   Intentionality counts for so much.   The minute I am no longer intentional about doing it is the moment I began to fail.   For a long time, I thought I would outgrow that phase, but alas, I no longer think I will.   In fact, I think I could join a monastery and still have to exercise some intentionality!             But maybe it is not so surprising after all.   Perhaps most disciplines---spiritual or otherwise---require intentionality.   Naively I think the master musicians and athletes just do their thing---no intentionality required.   But actually I think that likely is not true.   Discipline is required at any level for effective growth and development.           ...

I like to follow the monastic (Catholic) lectionary.   As a Quaker kid growing up in Indiana, I would have had no clue what the word, lectionary, meant.   And if you had told me that it meant, “daily reading,” that would not have helped too much.   I would not know that many in the liturgical church tradition follow a daily reading of Christian scripture and other supplementary readings.   All of this was designed to be a devotional aid in relating to God on a regular basis.             And now in my adult years, I find the lectionary a helpful tool.   For those of us who want this kind of discipline, it is very nice for someone to have organized a daily regimen of reading.   This provides a good basis for reflection and meditation and other disciplines.   I personally like the fact that I am focusing on the same texts that my monk friends are doing.       ...

A regular reader of this inspirational reflection series knows that one of my spiritual disciplines is to spend a little daily time with the lectionary.   A lectionary simply is a group of readings.   Lectio in Latin means to “read.”   The lectionary I follow comes from the world of Benedictine monks.   The traditional Benedictine monastery used to have seven periods during the day when the monks would gather for worship.   Most monasteries today have reduced this to four or five daily gatherings.      The lectionary readings have been chosen by representatives of the group.   Hence for the Benedictines they know every monastery across the land is reading the same set of readings at the same appointed gathering.   The Psalms play a central role in the lectionary.   Every Benedictine monastery would read from the Psalms at every gathering.   For one who grew up as a Quaker, this was a totally new experience.   As I have...

Last night I turned to the lectionary.   The last time of worship and devotion in the lectionary is called Compline.   When I visit a monastery, it is my favorite one of all periods   of worship.   If you go to a rigorous monastery, like Gethsemani where I take my students, you have seven worship periods throughout the day.   The first one begins at 3:15, which is a tough one for normal people.   The remaining six periods structure the day in a way that is very different for most of us. The day culminates in the evening with Compline.   For much of the year here in the Northern hemisphere, it is dark when Compline is conducted.   A common theme of Compline is prayers for rest and, perhaps, protection.   Compline finishes or “completes” the day.   One is ready for bed and the preparation for a new day. Last night when I turned to the lectionary readings for Compline, I was directed to the words of the Psalmist found in Psalm 13...

As part of my daily discipline, I try to follow the lectionary reading.   A lectionary is a pre-selected series of readings.   The one I follow from the Benedictine monastery has morning prayers, evening prayers, night prayers, etc.   If one knows anything about the monastic life, one knows that monks follow a daily regimen that alternates worship and work.   In fact, for the serious, classical monks there are seven different periods of worship throughout the day.   And this pattern is repeated day after day.   To live your life with this kind of schedule is bound to shape you in ways that most of us are not.   For example, contrast your daily schedule with that more worshipful structure of the monks.   Even though my daily schedule can be fairly busy and, in some ways, pretty structured, it does not approximate the monastic life.   Of course, my goal is not to be a monk.   But a monk’s goal is not to be a monk either!   The m...