Nescivi: disposing myself for inner prayer

I will forget everything that was, and is to come; nor think of what lies ahead of me. whatever I am wont to carry and to hold in my arms I will let fall before Jesus. It will not fall into the void: standing before Jesus, I deliver it all up to Him. Everything belongs to Him: all burdening worries and all great concerns, both mine and those of the souls I love. I am not abandoning them as I would abandon them in seeking diversion: I know that in Jesus they are truly in a safe harbor. When at His call I relinquish and abandon all things, I am not casting them away; on the contrary, I am assigning everything to its proper place.

Dietrich Von Hildebrand, Transformation in Christ, p. 139, Ignatius Press:2001

Rocking Like a Hurricane

Irene: Greek for peace;
Ironically Irene
Was not irenic.

On Recollection and the Present

“As a rule we incline to lose ourselves in the present situation and to accept the  exclusive sovereignty of its immanent logic; to forget the proper and ultimate meaning of our existence.”

Dietrich Von Hildebrand, Transformation in Christ, p. 110, Ignatius Press:2001

The Evil of Sin

“… the evil inherent in a sin is not decreased by the fact of its chronological remoteness.”

Dietrich Von Hildebrand, Transformation in Christ, p. 65, Ignatius Press:2001

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Psalm 62

1. Psalm 62 (text of the psalm is included below) contrasts God and man as the source of salvation, security and hope. There two major parts (verses 1-8 and 9-12)
   1. The first part speaks emphatically of God’s steadfastness: verses 1-2 and 5-6 are nearly identical. The soul waits (rests) quietly for God because He is salvation and the source of salvation and hope. God is the anchor of the soul and the soul that hopes in Him will not be moved/shaken. Verses 7-8 restate God’s faithfulness and call all people to trust in Him and seek refuge in Him: God is the glory and salvation of man. The steadfastness of God is contrasted with the unreliability of man and wealth: verses 3-4 present man as man’s assailant exploiting his insecurities and seeking to overthrow him through deception and conspiracy.
   2.  The second part rephrases the first part: verses 9-10 state explicitly that man and wealth are as substantial and lasting as a breath of air and as objects of hope are lies and a vain hope; verses 11-12 recap what has been said about God: once God has spoken, twice I have heard (is this referring to verses 1-2 and 5-6): God’s alone are strength and faithfulness; He alone deals with man according to his own deeds -  as opposed to man (see verses 3-4). The psalmist speaks of God using the word Elohim, but when he turns to  address God he calls Him Lord (Adonai).
2. The psalm speaks to us about the objects of our hope and sources of our happiness and well-being. It is also prophetic and speaks to us about Jesus Christ.
   1. Hoping in material and visible things is easy and natural. The outward signs of success (positions of power, wealth, good health and victory in our battles and struggles) and sensible things are alluring and, seemingly, indisputable: we can see them, touch them, etc.. God is not present to the senses as the things of the world are, yet He alone is the sure source of hope, salvation, and refuge in time of trouble. The psalm says to us, “Do not trust in the world or the things of the world nor in man and the things of man. As glorious and mighty as they may appear they are less than a puff of air. Trust in God alone who, though He can not be seen or felt, is as sure as a rock.”
   2. The psalm speaks to us of the savior. The word for salvation used in this psalm is the same as the name of Jesus (vv 1, 2, 6 and 7). The overall motif of the psalm calls to mind His life and passion offered for the salvation of man and also as an example to follow.  ( cf I Peter 2.21ff ) Specifically, the conspiring of the authorities against Jesus, the betrayal of Judas, and His trials at the religious and secular courts.
3. What conversion of mind, heart and life is the Lord asking of us?
   1. The Lord calls us to revise and correct our understanding of reality. The perceptible world appears to be something, but in the end it is less than a breath of air, while it is God (the seemingly imperceptible) alone who is steadfast and true.
   2. Therefore, let us set our hearts on God and the things of God. Let us seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.
   3. Let us live our lives looking to the example that we have in Jesus. Especially, the example that He shows us in His passion (see 1 Peter 2 – especially verses 21-23).
4. What do we say to the Lord in response to His word?Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your Word which you have given to us. Open the eyes of our hearts and minds to see and understand rightly; that we might be like your Son who did only that which he saw you doing and spoke the words which he heard from You. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit, illumine us and scatter the darkness from our way. Help us, to follow the example of your son and to set our minds on the things above where he is seated with you. Help us, for apart from you all that we are and all that we do is empty.

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Psalm 62 (NRSV)

1. For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.
2. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall never be shaken.
3. How long will you assail a person, will you batter your victim, all of you, as you would a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
4. Their only plan is to bring down a person of prominence. They take pleasure in falsehood; they bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah
5. For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.
6. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7. On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.
8. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
9. Those of low estate are but a breath, those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.
10. Put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, do not set
    your heart on them.
11. Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God,
12. and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord. For you repay to all according to their work.

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On the omnipotence of God

The freedom of God consists in the fact that no cause external to Himself produces His acts and no external obstacle impedes them. — C.S. Lewis in The Problem of Pain

Making peace …

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. — Matthew 5:9 (NAS)

This verse has been cited in support of so-called ‘peace keeping’ missions in which military forces are sent to a region plagued by violent clashes between various parties. It seems that these groups are sent to suppress violence through the threat of violence. TO ME this hardly seems like keeping peace unless by peace we mean simply the absence of conflict.

Commenting on this Beatitude, Saint John Chrysostom says, “[Jesus] requires … that we should set at one again others, who are at strife.” Jesus is Himself as the only begotten Son of God the definitive Son of God and it became His work “… to unite the divided and reconcile the alienated.” (NPNF V1-10, p. 92)

So, do I work to promote unity or am I divisive; reconciliation or do I alienate others?