Spirituality XIII
Bishop Roger
So far we have set up the way to live a spiritual life – as one author (Rocco A Errico) has put it ‘Setting a trap for God’. Of course that doesn’t bind God in any way to fall into the trap, but it is set, we have done what we can. But there is more. We have the support of two thousand years of endeavour by our ‘even Christians’ (Julian of Norwich) who have refined helps for us. It has been said that no-one can be a Christian on their own, and while I regard this as a misinterpretation of Matt 18; 20 it is easier to work with others helping and backing up. This is not to say that you should shout your spirituality from the rooftops – indeed it is best kept private between you and God, but there are many things which the Churches have developed to help us on our way.
Liturgical prayer, for instance, such as the Daily Office, can be of enormous help, though one should bear in mind that prayer must not be coerced as the Office obligation does for Roman priests. This can lead to a laxity and an over familiarity to get the obligation done with. Use the Office, if you find it congenial, as another aid in your prayer life and do not feel that you must always finish it all. Other common prayers such as the Angelus and the Rosary can also be used to fill in odd moments and perfume the day with the love of God. as can the Anglican Morning and Evening Prayer Offices which are not as demanding in time as the Roman or Orthodox ones.
The Psalms, though originally part of Jewish worship have always been part of the Christian heritage, as one might expect since Christianity was originally a Jewish sect. They make up a large part of the Daily Office. Not everyone finds them congenial or helpful, but it is worth ‘looking them over’ and you may find some that speak to you directly.
It may be helpful to carry a rosary or an orthodox prayer rope (See the excellent notes in Google) in pocket or bag to remind and help you to pray, as does a small pectoral cross, but none of these things should be over expensive nor should they be flaunted.
The Church has given us the Sacraments as well, and they should be used. Over centuries they have been refined by spiritual people for our benefit. Obviously some can only be used once (baptism, confirmation, ordination), but they can be meditated on and some of the others can be regularly used (reconciliation, Eucharist) while we hope that you will not need to use marriage and anointing more that once in a lifetime!
Most of these sacraments have developed over the centuries, and should be regarded as spiritual aids, and used as such. However the Eucharist harks back to our Lord’s last meal in the Cenacle, and is of special importance. Indeed it may be said that for a Christian the spiritual life subsists in the Eucharist so we will consider it in greater depth.
For the Christian the Eucharistic elements provide a direct contact with God, whether it is believed that the elements become the actual body and blood of Jesus (catholic and orthodox teaching) or merely remain as a consecrated memorial (protestant). In fact attendance at or performance of the Eucharistic Liturgy can make no difference at all to God, but because of the grace that He bestows in this gift it makes an enormous difference to the receiver, and so I recommend that the spiritual seeker attends communion often. Remember that ‘eucharist’ is Greek for thanks and it is a service of thanksgiving for all that God gives us, as well as a reception of his Grace.
The Sacramentals, things like blessed oils, holy water, candles and so on can be helpful, particularly for children, but beware of superstitious usage. If you feel that something can’t be done without using them then you are already caught up, and would be wise to do without them, but do not be afraid of having things such as rosaries, crosses, icons, etc blessed. A Blessing carries an ‘aroma’ of love, and while usually done by a priest can equally well be done by a layperson if done with love and Godliness. It is, however, never a necessity!
Another part of the Church’s offering is Doctrine – theology’. Here I side with St Thomas Aquinas – possibly the greatest of all theologians, who at the end of his life received a vision after which he said ‘All I have done is so much straw’ and he never did any more theology. Theology is fun, it may be good intellectual exercise, but it is almost useless in the spiritual life. The author of the Cloud of Unknowing (recommended reading) said ‘ by love He is gotten and holden, but by thinking – never’. Do not get caught up in the impossible task of trying to understand or explain God – it cannot be done except in an imprecise and often upsetting and estranging way.
I hope this series of articles has been of interest, and even of some help. If you have any comments please send them to me at tyfurog@aol.com and if you wish to discuss anything in confidence and directly feel free to phone me on 01225702436, or contact any of the priests of our Church.