Lent 2008 held many blessings and gifts for me. I found a book in my library by one of my favorite authors, Henri Nouwen. This was an early work – 1975 – and very brief. But what wisdom and grace it contains. Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life recounts the inner journey from loneliness to solitude; the connection with community, from hostility to hospitality; and seeking intimacy with God, from illusion to prayer. And all intersect. I like what Nouwen says about hospitality: creating an open space where the “guest” can be free to be herself. It stresses listening, something I have worked hard on in my personal and professional life. He even describes the parent-child relationship in this manner: children are “guests”, which can be very freeing for a parent, who creates the space for them to realize the person they are meant to be.
The inner journey for me was never more profound than when I had a regular Bio-spiritual focusing partner. For more on the process of bio-spiritual focusing see http://www.focusing.org/biospirit.htm. Were my experiences of God’s love at that time “illusion” or a taste of prayerful intimacy? I am not sure. But amazingly enough during this Lenten season I got a call from my young focusing partner whom I had not heard from in years. And we decided to resume bio-spiritual focusing on Easter Monday. There are no coincidences, no accidents here. All is gift. Check out Nouwen’s Reaching Out and have a joyous Easter season!
2 comments:
I find that in my own life, I listen a lot to what the Lord would lead me to do regarding actions concerning others in service or apostolate.
However, I need to remember that it is in quiet listening that He would also reveal to me about those hidden areas and corners of my life that I may not even know about. Self -revelation.
It is something I have been reflecting on this week.
Thank you for this post, Inner Elder.
Hi El,
I'm glad you had a rewarding Lenten season, also. I have 2 Nouwen books. He writes very thought-provoking books.
I'm interested in your experience of bio-spiritual focusing. Thanks for the link. I'll check it out and look into it.
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