"Getting to the root of things"

I went to the root of things, and found nothing but Him alone. -Mira Bai
"The Lord is not someone outside us who lived in a given place at a given time. He is right within. " [Luke 17:20-22]

from Eswaran: "Throughout creation, God is the principle of creativity itself. Even some of the greatest scientists and philosophers have yet to grasp this simple truth. One well-respected astronomer calls it cowardly to conclude that God created the universe just because we cannot comprehend the conditions of its creation. This great scientist is still thinking of God as someone outside, holding court beyond the Andromeda galaxy; he hasn't glimpsed that all this is God, and wherever there is light, or beauty, or excellence in anything, we are seeing a little more of His glory.
But, as Mira says, to see this vision we cannot just stay on the surface of life picking up a few baubles of pleasure and prestige. We have to get deep, deep below, and go to the root of all things."--E.E.
A principle of the Christian life that is indeed mysterious, is how the Lord Himself, through the triune being of the Holy Spirit, inhabits , communicates, completely pervades and works within our hearts, directing and informing our thoughts, our prayer and praise, our emotions and our creative actions. All that is the necessary is our active listening though silent, attentive, conscious effort in stilling our minds to be able to "hear" His promptings and quiet suggestions.
Symeon, the New Theologian, who lived in Galatia and wrote in his journal over 10 centuries ago, in 972 AD--postulated that when priests are giving the holy liturgy, and doing it in a rote manner-that is, without actively attending to their hearts in prayer-the words spoken are not full of the life and meaning that God intends--it is only when the priest engages -by his own will -his magnetic center, his "heart"and allows the Spirit to take the service and make it His, that God uses the sacred acts of the priesthood in God's church. Symeon attracted the ire of some of his colleagues by stating this because according to his detractors--he was accused of negating the grace of God--by alluding to a man's effort, not God's grace---however, he makes a point that is most subtle but very true...we do have a part to play--indeed, the Lord Himself, does give us the grace to seek after him, but He also enables us with the freedom to reject His Spirit's prompting.
Therefore, Symeon makes his point---we do have a very important role in all this--that of an active participant, an attentive listening heart, and this is very crucial in the relationship with Him.
This has been the case for centuries. Our effort to listen to the Spirit and then to obey, is absolutely essential in this yoked relationship to the Invisible, Eternal Father-who lives by His Spirit within us.

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