September 2020
A Contemplative Exercise for
September
Saying for the month
“Do not fear all that this people fear” (Isaiah 8.12 NRSV)
To begin the exercise, first
spend a short while in relaxation and preparing to be still; become aware of
the sounds around you and put them aside; offer this time of prayer to God.
Say this introductory
invitation to prayer, then keep a further minute or two of silence:
“Come to me, all you who are
weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest” Matthew 11.28
Introduction to the first
silence – a preparation for listening with the mind:
“Do not fear all that this people fear” (Isaiah 8.12 NRSV)
This saying comes to us as the word of the Lord to Isaiah
personally as he has ‘the strong hand of the Lord’ upon him. Isaiah is called
to prophesy disaster for the people of Israel. He is to tell the people that
because they have abandoned their God and done evil in his sight they are about
to be defeated and carried into exile by the Assyrians. This is disaster for
the people of Israel. Many will be killed, their property destroyed or taken
and they themselves will be carried off to a foreign land. The prospect is a
terrifying one, and those who took heed of Isaiah’s words would have been very
unsettled and afraid. Perhaps having some similar emotions to those we
experience if shielding during the current pandemic.
The warning which forms our word for this month however is a
personal one to Isaiah himself, as someone who has remained faithful to the
Lord, not to fear the conspiracies that the people fear - an apt warning for us
in our time too as conspiracy theories circulate in this time of pandemic. This
injunction can also be translated and understood to be an injunction not to
call for a treaty when the people call for a treaty. We are not always called
to take the road of least conflict – sometimes we have to choose between what
is easy and what is right. And the right
road can be the hardest road.
As Isaiah continues (vv. 13-14): ‘The LORD Almighty is the one
you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are
to dread, and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be
a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.’ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom – not in a ‘cowering in a corner’ way but in a deeply respectful and
reverential way – giving God and his ways the primary place in our lives.
Jesus himself quotes this scripture of himself in describing the
division caused by his teaching – for those in his day who rejected him and
refused to follow his way he was: ‘a stone that causes men to stumble and a
rock that makes them fall’. To follow the Way of Jesus and to live by his light
is to live a life of courage and love and grace – a life where we needn’t fear
because our Good Shepherd cares for us and guides us.
In our first silence imagine
yourself to be in Israel in Isaiah’s time, surrounded by fears and anxieties.
And hear the Lord speaking to you …
“Do not fear all that
this people fear”
A time is now kept for
silence of the mind – between 5 and 15 minutes
The silence concludes with a
short thanksgiving, and/or repeat the Saying:
Father, we thank you for the gift of your Word.
“Do not fear all that this
people fear”
Introduction to the second
silence – a preparation for listening with the heart:
“Do not fear all that this
people fear”
So we first listened to the
word of the Lord as if we were there and were among those hearing the words for
the first time. Now we seek to receive them deep within in our own
hearts.
Our call is the same as that of Isaiah – to remain faithful to
God and his ways.
‘Do not fear’ is a common phrase used at the beginning of God’s
revelation to people either directly or through his messengers. Hearing
directly from God can be an unsettling if not scary prospect, and this is one
of the things that can stop us from seeking intimacy with God in our quiet
times. We can so easily see-saw between wanting to feel close to God and so
feel the intimacy and security of his loving embrace, yet we are fearful of
drawing close to God because we know he is all too aware of our imperfections
and failures. I heard the Franciscan Richard Rohr say this week in a podcast:
‘The only perfection we can find in this life is to make peace with our
imperfections.’
How many times are we robbed of our inner peace by remembrance
of our failings? Such remembrance turns us inward and we feel guilt and shame.
Yet Jesus came to set us free from that very guilt and shame through his loving
sacrifice which brings healing and forgiveness. Such freedom enables us to live
life in all its fullness (John10:10), a life full of love and grace towards
others.
Therese of Lisieux is quoted as saying: ‘Whoever can bear their imperfections with
tranquility makes a spacious place for Jesus to dwell’. This is a good saying
to dwell on. If we can’t offer ourselves love and forgiveness, how can we
possibly offer love and forgiveness to others as Jesus commanded: ‘Love your neighbour
as you love yourself’?
We may feel that if we are stuck at home we cannot do much to
help others. But we can pray, we can love, we can stay in touch and encourage.
What matters is not what we do, but that we offer it in love.
Again, Therese of Lisieux is quoted as saying: ‘God does not
look at the greatness of our actions, or even their difficulty, but the love
with which we do them’.
In our time what is it that people in our society fear? Death,
loneliness, Coronavirus, serious illness, shame …. Perhaps you could add your
own items from your knowledge of your own community. Whatever those fears are,
God says to us ‘Do not fear what they fear.’ Because of the life and death and
resurrection of our loving Lord Jesus we do not need to fear death because we
know it is merely the gateway to new everlasting life, free from the cares of
this world. We do not need to fear loneliness or sickness because we know that
Jesus promises to be with us always and identifies with and shares our
suffering, as in our small way we share in his. We do not need to fear shame
and guilt has no dominion over us because Jesus has paid the price for our
freedom and forgiveness.
So let us not fear what the people in our society fear, but
place our trust in the love and faithfulness of our heavenly Father who has
given us his Son and the Holy Spirit to comfort, strengthen and encourage
us. Thanks be to God who has given us the
victory and whose loving kindness knows no end.
Amen.
“Do not fear all that this
people fear”
A time is now kept for
silence of the heart – between 5 and 15 minutes
Conclude the silence
with a short thanksgiving and/or repeat the Saying:
Father, we thank you that
your Word is alive and within us.
“Do not fear all that this
people fear”
Introduction to the time of
intercession – we use our will to reflect God's Word outwards.
“Do not fear all that this
people fear”
We can use these words in intercession for others as we continue
in some anxiety and uncertain territory following the outbreak of the
coronavirus. We
can bring those who we love who are fearful and anxious to God who is our Good
Shepherd, who loves and cares for us.
Say the name of a person or
a group of people, and after a short pause, repeat the saying.
“Do not fear all that this
people fear”
Conclude the time of
intercession with words of thanksgiving:
Father, we thank you that
your Word has gone out through us to those for whom we pray.
Use the Fellowship Prayer or
another closing prayer to conclude your time of contemplative prayer.
Ever Loving God, we thank
you for all your unsearchable riches which pour forth from you as light from
the sun, in boundless profusion and generosity, whether received, ignored or
rejected. And now we offer to you, in so far as we are able, as an emptiness to
be filled with your divine fullness, ourselves, our souls and bodies; all that
we are, all that we have and all that we do, until you are all in all and we
are complete. Amen.
You may wish to say the
Grace together before departing.
This month’s exercise was contributed by MTh