Posts Tagged: 3-Minute Retreats
“Gratitude and an Eye for Detail”
Do you have an eye for detail? I do not. At least, I don’t have such an eye most of the time or in most situations.
My “3-Minute Retreat” from Loyola Publishing challenged me this morning to develop such an eye. (It was a very helpful retreat, which you can access for free at https://www.loyolapress.com/retreats/recibido-con-gratitud-start-retreat/.)
Toward the end of the retreat, the retreat master/writer asked a question: “Is there an aspect of creation that I should look at in more detail today?” It is Thanksgiving Day, so the writer was explicitly connecting looking at things in more detail with giving God thanks.
I had never seen so clearly a connection between gratitude and observing things in detail. And yet, in another sense, that is the way I try to live my life these days. I try to notice those little realities of my daily life and give thanks for them. I don’t always succeed of course, but I do try.
My wife is one of the best people I’ve ever known when it comes to awareness of details. She knows what goes together and what does not. (If I wear clothes that match, you can thank my sweetheart.) Perhaps she was born that way, but I doubt it. She probably had to learn the art of detailed awareness.
While it is rather late in life, perhaps I can learn the art of awareness as well. Today—and every day—I can notice the details of my life and my world. And maybe, just maybe, if I can cultivate such awareness, I can give God a larger fraction of the gratitude that God deserves.
“Forgiving Those Who Have Hurt Someone You Love”
One of the spiritual disciplines that I find very helpful is the “3-Minute Retreat” put out by Loyola Press. They are very brief (about 3 minutes long!), and very practical. I was especially appreciative of the one today. It was about forgiving others. (You may access it at https://www.loyolapress.com/retreats/forgive-us-our-trespasses-start-retreat, accessed 01-04-2019.)
The Scripture was “Matthew 6:14: If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you.”
After the reading, the person who was leading the devotional retreat made the following comments:
“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. We pray this in the prayer that Jesus gave us, the Our Father. These are easy words to recite but not always easy to live by. To be forgiven, we must first forgive. This is not a suggestion; it is a condition for being in right relation with God and others.”
I was especially struck by the final sentence: “This is not a suggestion; it is a condition for being in right relation with God and others.” When we try to turn forgiving into a suggestion, we’ve already taken a fatal step, not fatal to the other person, perhaps. But it most certainly is fatal to us.
And then, the retreat master asked a very simple question: “Against whom am I still holding a grudge?”
At first, I thought to myself, well, I’m not holding a grudge against anybody. I should have moved on right then, but I didn’t. I thought a bit more, and my heart sunk into my tenny runners. There are some folks that, though I love them, have terribly hurt my sweetheart. And, yes, as a matter of fact, I do hold a grudge against them. I do struggle to forgive them.
I try to tell myself that this is okay. After all, it isn’t a grudge against someone who has hurt me. It is a grudge against people who have hurt someone I love. Somehow, that seems less selfish and unforgiving. Perhaps it is even noble!
But a secondary grudge is still a grudge. I don’t think that Jesus ever said, “Forgive others, unless they have hurt someone you love.” I would be glad if someone pointed out a verse where he did say that.
So I will begin the long, difficult process of forgiving those who have hurt someone I love. I have no illusions. This isn’t likely to be quick or easy or pretty. However, with God’s help, I will do this.
And so, I leave you with the prayer that closes out this retreat:
“God of mercy, kindle in me a forgiving spirit. Help me to be compassionate and understanding to those who hurt me.”
“GOD’S EVER-LOVING PRESENCE”
“Before you begin, pause for a moment. Take several slow, deep breaths and allow yourself to grow still. Be aware of God’s loving presence within you.” (“3-Minute Retreat,” for July 18, 2018, published by Loyola Press)
The quote that begins this post is a fairly common type of intro for these 3-Minute retreats—which I heartily recommend. They are good, quick, and free.
But the fact is that none of us hears anything until our heart and mind are prepared to hear them. For some reason, the phrase “God’s loving presence” caught my attention today.
Here is the problem, at least, as I see it: I have often believed (often only at a theoretical level) that God is present as the all-powerful, all-knowing Judge. But as a loving presence—not so much!
What difference does it make to me if I think of God as an ever-present loving presence?
I can’t get my mind around God, but I can think analogically. And the best analogy at this point is my relationship with my wife. I am, generally, a better man when my wife is around, period. I know that she loves me and that I love her. I am much less likely to say something stupid and mean-spirited when she is around. I am much less likely to fly into road rage. I am much less likely to notice (for too long) other lovely ladies. (And they are all lovely, aren’t they?)
Now, in the deepest possible sense, my wife is always with me. We are so in love that we have, quite profoundly, become one. So, in reality, I need to always watch my mouth, my anger, my eyes, since my wife is ever in my heart and on my mind.
But if God is The Loving Presence in my life, I need always to recognize that every situation, every decision, every interaction with others, is surrounded and filled and supercharged with the love of God.
How would that change every situation, every decision, every interaction? How wouldn’t it?!
Dear readers, I hope you go through this day with a profound and abiding sense of God’s loving presence! I hope that I do as well!
“THE BLIND MAN WHO SAW JESUS”
DTEB, “THE BLIND MAN WHO SAW JESUS”
I came back from Florida with a nice tan (in places) and a lot of nice memories. I also came back with pink eye. (“Conjunctivitis” is the official name, but “pink eye” is a much more colorful term for it.) By Tuesday morning when I got up, my eyes were welded shut, and I realized that I needed to go to the doctor. I am on eye drops now, and can see much better.
Blindness comes in many forms. One of the best things I do for my spiritual eyesight and sanity is that I go through a 3-minute retreat most days. I get free e mails from Loyola Press with these retreats. Each of these retreats has a brief centering exercise, a short passage from the Bible, a few comments, two questions, and a very brief prayer. You really can go through these retreats in three minutes!
Today’s meditation was based on John 9:35-38. Here is the author’s observations about this brief passage:
“The conclusion to the story of the man born blind gives much food for thought. The man who is physically blind at the beginning of the story not only gains his sight but also gains insight with regard to the identity of Jesus. He calls Jesus a prophet, a man from God, and finally Lord. Even in the face of being rejected by his community, the man born blind took a stand when he said, “I do believe, Lord.” When the story ends, he is the one able to see the true identity of Jesus. One unsolicited encounter with Jesus was all it took for him to believe. His affirmation of faith moved him to worship.” (https://www.loyolapress.com/retreats/do-you-believe-start-retreat, accessed 02-21-2018.)
Yes! Sometimes those who are blind end up seeing things that the sighted don’t see.
But then, we’re all pretty blind, aren’t we? There is so much that I can’t see, but there is still more that I choose not to see. The truth is that I often don’t want to see. If I saw, I might have to change; I might have to do something about what I saw. Who wants to do that?!
In fact, even before his physical sight was restored and his spiritual sight grew, the blind man had to do something. We are told this fact earlier in the story, which spans all of John, chapter 9. In verses 6 and 7, we are told that Jesus spit on ground, made mud with the saliva, put it over the man’s eyes, and sent the man to wash in the pool Siloam. (Ironically, the pool to which the man was sent had a name that was probably built up off the Hebrew word that means “to send.”)
One thing that I had never noticed, as many times as I’ve read this chapter, is that Jesus doesn’t even promise the blind man that he will be able to see after he washes. Jesus just says, Go do it!
And I have to wonder what the blind man was thinking. Was the blind man thinking to himself, “Well, this is about the cruelest practical joke anyone has ever played on me! First, this guy that I don’t know from Adam spits on the ground, makes some mud, and smears it over my eyes. Then, he tells me to stumble around and go wash in the pool of Siloam. What good would that do?”
We aren’t told if the blind man had any misgivings. What we are told is that the blind man did what Jesus had said. He went, he washed, —and he saw.
Perhaps the blind man had been listening intently as Jesus responded to his disciples’ rather theoretical question about who had sinned: this man or his parents, that he should be born blind. (Jesus-followers can ask the stupidest questions.)
Jesus’ response to the disciples pointed out that neither of their either-or choices was correct, at least in this case. Rather, Jesus spoke of the fact that, in this case, God’s works would be displayed in the blind man. Jesus also referred to himself as the light of the world.
If the blind man heard this exchange, perhaps something in what Jesus said—or the tone in which Jesus said it—awakened some desperate hope in the blind man. Be that as it may, the bottom line is this: The blind man did what Jesus had said, and was no longer blind. He could see!
Are your eyes welded shut? Listen to Jesus/God and do what he says. Might help!
“THE GOD WHO IS EVERYWHERE AND EVERYWHEN”
1 For the choir director: A psalm of David. O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD.
5 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!
7 I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there.
9 If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night–
12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.” (Psalm 139:1-12, New Living Translation)
Friday, January 5, 2018
This morning, my devotions took an exceedingly quirky turn. I am going on a personal weekend retreat with my good friend, Jerome, at Gethsemani. I read the following in my 3-minute retreat from the Jesuits:
“Before you begin, spend several moments in silence. Take a few slow, deep breaths. Allow God’s presence to reveal itself in you.”
These are similar to most of these 3-minute retreats. However, for some reason, the words “Allow God’s presence to reveal itself in you” riveted me. I was suddenly overwhelmed with the Reality—the Reality that God was completely, redemptively present everywhere and everywhen in the universe. He filled my little room, my little self, the most distant galaxies, everything. I was filled with, possessed by, wonder and joy.
And then, I read the following meditation from Richard Rohr (who is a Franciscan and not at Jesuit, by the way):
“Week One
Introduction: Image and Likeness
Where Is God?
Friday, January 5, 2018
When I was on retreat at Thomas Merton’s hermitage at Gethsemani Abbey in 1985, I had a chance encounter that has stayed with me all these years. I was walking down a little trail when I recognized a recluse, what you might call a hermit’s hermit, coming toward me. Not wanting to intrude on his deep silence, I bowed my head and moved to the side of the path, intending to walk past him. But as we neared each other, he said, “Richard!” That surprised me. He was supposed to be silent. How did he know who I was? “Richard, you get chances to preach and I don’t. Tell the people one thing.” Pointing to the sky, he said, “God is not ‘out there’!” Then he said, “God bless you,” and abruptly continued down the path.
The belief that God is “out there” is the basic dualism that is tearing us all apart. Our view of God as separate and distant has harmed our relationships with sexuality, food, possessions, money, animals, nature, politics, and our own incarnate selves. This loss explains why we live such distraught and divided lives. Jesus came to put it all together for us and in us. He was saying, in effect, “To be human is good! The material and the physical can be trusted and enjoyed. This physical world is the hiding place of God and the revelation place of God!”
Far too much of religion has been about defining where God is and where God isn’t, picking and choosing who and what has God’s image and who and what doesn’t. In reality, it’s not up to us. We have no choice in the matter. All are beloved. Everyone—Catholic and Protestant, Christian and Muslim, black and white, gay and straight, able-bodied and disabled, male and female, Republican and Democrat—all are children of God. We are all members of the Body of Christ, made in God’s image, indwelled by the Holy Spirit, whether or not we are aware of this gift.
Can you see the image of Christ in the least of your brothers and sisters? This is Jesus’ only description of the final judgment (Matthew 25). But some say, “They smell. They’re a nuisance. They’re on welfare. They are a drain on our tax money.” Can we see Christ in all people, even the so-called “nobodies” who can’t or won’t play our game of success? When we can see the image of God where we don’t want to see the image of God, then we see with eyes not our own.
Jesus says we have to love and recognize the divine image even in our enemies. Either we see the divine image in all created things, or we don’t see it at all .Once we see God’s image in one place, the circle keeps widening. It doesn’t stop with human beings and enemies and the least of our brothers and sisters. It moves to frogs and pansies and weeds. Everything becomes enchanting with true sight. We cannot not live in the presence of God. We are totally surrounded and infused by God. All we can do is allow, trust, and finally rest in it, which is indeed why we are “saved” by faith—faith that this could be true.
Gateway to Presence:
If you want to go deeper with today’s meditation, take note of what word or phrase stands out to you. Come back to that word or phrase throughout the day, being present to its impact and invitation.”
These “coincidences” during my devotions strike me as hardly being coincidental. In any case, they invite me to think of God (and everyone and everything else in the universe) differently.
I am not so good at recognizing God everywhere, everywhen, and in everyone. However, I’m working on it!
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
- “Even a Sliver of Light” April 9, 2024“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:6, English Standard Version) I missed the total eclipse yesterday. There were a number of good reasons for this, but […]
- “The Process in Miracles and the Miracle of Process” March 11, 2024“2 Kings 5:1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. 2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids […]
- “The Power of Encouragement—Even for Old People” March 10, 2024“But encourage each other every day while it is ‘today.’ Help each other so none of you will become hardened because sin has tricked you.” (Hebrews 3:13, New Century Version) Yesterday, I was walking at a nearby park. There was a large group of young people some of whom were running while other young people […]
- “Endurance” March 10, 2024“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” (Hebrews 10:36, English Standard Version) “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us […]
- “The Limits of Non-Judgmentalism” February 24, 2024“Matt. 7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. Matt. 7:2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2, English Standard Version) This morning, in my virtual 12-step meeting, we discussed the topic of judgmentalism. There were many wise […]
- “Delighting in Being Told What to Do?!?” February 23, 2024“Psa. 112:1 Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! 2 His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures […]
- “Character is the Real Lesson” January 19, 2024I am often confused about what lesson I’m really supposed to be learning. For example, this morning I was trying to knock out several Spanish lessons. My intentions were a lot better than my internet connection. I’ve done three lessons. Or rather, I’ve done two lessons. One of them I did twice because the internet […]
- “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked” January 1, 2024Each year, I try to come up with one word or a short phrase for what I intend to work on in the upcoming year. 2024 is “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked”. What?!! What does that even mean? So glad that you asked! Jesus said to his disciples, “Why do you look at the speck […]
- “Searching for the Noble One” December 26, 2023My wife and I were reading Luke, chapter 2 on Christmas Day. Luke 2 talks about the shepherds being told to look for this very special child—in fact, this King—in a stable. I prefer the word “barn”. I grew up on a farm. I know what a barn is. A stable is entirely too biblical […]
- “That Don’t Impress God Much” December 14, 2023DTEB, “That Don’t Impress God Much” “That Don’t Impress Me Much” (Song by Robert John Lange and Shania Twain) Micah 6:8 (MSG) “But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be […]
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