Key passages from Chapter Two:
“The opposite of the contemplative life is not the active life, but the reactive life.”
“The problem is noise in our heads. This is why the great spiritual masters offer practical advice on how to deal with our reactions to our thoughts and feelings. For reacting to them generates an inner video. This inner video can become our predominant experience of inner life.”
Key insight from Evagrius of Pontus:
“Those who long for true prayer, but are given over to anger or resentment will be beside themselves with madness. They are like someone who wants to see clearly but keeps scratching her eyes.”
“Resentment blinds the reason of one who prays and casts a cloud over prayer.”
“The most fierce passion is anger. It constantly irritates the soul and above all, at the time of prayer, it seizes the mind and flashes the picture of the offensive person before one’s eyes.”
This episode is part SIX of our journey through Fr Martin Laird's book A Sunlit Absence. Here Josh completes a guided study and practice through chapter two. It is not too late for you to join into this journey especially if you want to join into the webinar Q&A session with Fr Laird. Information and signup to be involved in the Q&A is found here: www.invitationpodcast.org/fr-laird-qa-webinar
Due to Covid-19 the date and time for the first of these two sessions is TBA.
In this time of quarantine and as we face the racism in America, I invite you to contemplation for two reasons:
1. Contemplation is a practice of Divine healing, where the Holy Spirit can have more access to reach the trauma, exhaustion, and despair we are experiencing.
2. Contemplation is a de-centering practice that open us to listen to God, and others, especially open to see how we are complicit in racism and in other arenas of sin. For more help with facing racism, please visit: www.invitationpodcast.org/facing-racism
Watch a video invitation to this new series