In Yoke

“We are celebrating the feast of the Eternal Birth which God the Father has borne and never ceases to bear in all Eternity. . . But if it takes not place in me, what avails it? Everything lies in this, that it should take place in me.” -Meister Eckhart from Easwaran: The Lord of Love, immortal and infinite, comes as a divine incarnation in times of great crisis to rescue mankind from disaster. In age after age, whenever violence and hatred threaten the world, the Lord comes down to inspire and protect those who turn to him, who live in harmony with the law of unity. He comes to protect such people from the heavy odds ranged against them, and to re-establish peace on earth and good will among all. Yet there is another level on which this divine birth can take place. Every one of us has this choice: shall I prepare for the divine birth to take place in my consciousness by abolishing my own selfishness? It is up to you and me to keep our doors open, to put up a little sign, "Ready ...

"Keep your attention within yourself (not in your head but in your heart).  Keep your mind there (in the heart), trying by every possible means to  find the place where the heart is, in order that, having found it, your mind  should constantly abide there. Wrestling thus, the mind will find the place of the heart.  This happens when grace produces sweetness and warmth in prayer...with God's help,  you will learn...from your own experience, by keeping your mind attentive  and in your heart holding Jesus, that is, His prayer -"Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me!"  One of the holy fathers says: 'Sit in your cell and this prayer will teach you everything.' " - St. Simeon the New Theologian , Three Methods of Attention and Prayer This is so wonderful! Since 1999, my mantram has been the Jesus prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me!"...it is mysterious to me how this little repetitive prayer when practiced faithfully, can correct wayward s...

In tribulation, immediately draw near to God with confidence, and you will receive strength, enlightenment, and instruction.------Saint John of the Cross This testimony is lifted from the writings of Eknath Eswaran, one of the English language's foremost teachers of meditation, whose systematic methods I have studied for the past ten years: **** I confess that I have always been sensitive to pain. When I was a little boy, I hurt my leg playing soccer. It became infected, so my granny took me to our doctor. He washed the wound as gently as he could while I winced. Then he told me apologetically, "I'm going to have to apply tincture of iodine." Now, I had heard many stories about how much it hurt to have iodine applied to a wound. So I closed my eyes. I felt the doctor's touch on my leg, and then a wave of pain across the wound. I think my yell must have lifted the roof. Then I noticed the pain had subsided, so I opened my eyes. "Is it over?" I asked...

I have a special love for a little book called "Spiritual Notes to Myself", by Hugh Prather, published in 1998. It is written in a contemporary conversant style, but is laced with the thoughtfulness, depth and eternal wisdom of a great mystic. One passage that is special and significant to me is his little vignette about nurturing the silence of the heart(which he, in his non religious style, calls "stillness") to foster remaining true and vigilant to listen to the still, small voice of the Spirit in our lives. "No matter how small, any daily problem is sufficient to effectively "rob" us of stillness. Don't wait until you are in the middle of the event to remember stillness. Remember stillness first; go through the problem with stillness; and afterwards, look only to stillness for the outcome. Stillness is a baby I carry in my arms. Nothing in the world can tempt me to abandon it." Prather reminds me that this quality of life--living contempl...