Poverty of Spirit

"How blest are the poor in spirit; the reign of God is theirs."  (Matthew 5:3)

The word “poverty” can really unnerve me.  I like having food in the cupboard and a stack of books by my side and a computer on which to blog.  As a resident of this world, I need to be equipped to live within it, as well as to serve others.  

The good news is:  if I embrace the spirit of poverty, I can still continue to have what I need to live a “normal” life.

The better news is that my ultimate security is not centered in what I own or where I live.   

My security is in God alone.  He will provide for me.  I can trust Him.

If I have given myself over to God, I do not even own “me.”  The poverty of a cloistered heart is that of a person holding no ownership of self.  My goal is to give myself totally and freely to God by a deliberate act of my will, and to thereafter trust that He is making use of my life as HE desires, for His glory and for the outworking of His plan. 

I look to God to lead me out of attachment to my own self will.  My prayer (and it's a scary one, I admit it) is to grow into real poverty of spirit. 

Which will mean I am no longer my own. 

For reflection and prayer: 

“Do not lay up for yourselves an earthly treasure.  Moths and rust corrode; thieves break in and steal. Make it your practice instead to store up heavenly treasure, which neither moths nor rust corrode nor thieves break in and steal.  Remember, wherever your treasure is, there your heart is also.” (Matthew 6:19-21) 

Text not in quotes © 2012 Nancy Shuman.  All Rights Reserved.
thecloisteredheart.org      


(Painting:  Girl with Hay Rake by Winslow Homer 1878)

His Elevator

We cannot venture far down the monastic path without encountering the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience.  These are cornerstones of consecrated life. 

But as a layperson in the midst of the world and a busy family, why should these have anything at all to do with me? 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church gives the answer. “Christ proposes the evangelical counsels, in their great variety, to every disciple…”  (Catechism # 915, emphasis mine).

God’s intention for those embracing spiritual poverty is not that all property be dispensed with and renounced.  His will for the married is not the practice of celibacy.  But to each of us He offers the spirit of the counsels in ways appropriate to our individual lives and calls.   If we wish to embrace the essence of monasticism while living in the midst of the world, we can (and must!) embrace the essence of the evangelical counsels as well. 

“Monastic vows are meant to lift a person out of the struggle for money, position, and power,” writes Daniel Rees, “…into a freedom for the Kingdom of God.” (from A THEOLOGY OF MONASTIC LIFE TODAY, Cistercian Publications, 1980, p. 176).

I read the above words and think of St. Therese of Lisieux praying for God to give her a “lift” - an elevator - to boost her into holiness. If the spirit of the evangelical counsels can lift us out of bondage to our clamorings for money, position, and power - then oh, what a grace! 

Over the next few days, we'll take a look at a few of the blessings available to us through the evangelical counsels.  It is my prayer that we can look at these as aides (perhaps "cables"?) to lift us toward closer union with God.

For prayer and meditation:

"I am sure of this much:  that He Who has begun the good work in you will carry it on to completion, right up to the day of Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 1:6)

(public domain photo)

Text not in quotes © 2012 Nancy Shuman.  All Rights Reserved.
thecloisteredheart.org      

 

Listening for Lectio

I recently received the following in a note from our friend Rose:  "I decided to use Lectio at adoration this morning.  I took the responsorial verse from today's Mass.  'Remember the marvels the Lord has done.'  Oh my goodness.  It was awesome.  I felt like I had only been in prayer a few minutes but when I looked at my watch, I had gone a half hour over my time." 

This experience illustrates, for me, the dazzling simplicity of Lectio.  It does not have to be complicated.  It is God meeting man, God speaking to man. It is the written word of God becoming a fresh, vital, personal, breathed-forth-for-me-at-this-moment word of God.  It is loving, intimate, real.  It is when inspired words of God ring from the page or out of the mouth of a reader and are spoken to ME, here and now. It is my response to the Voice of God as I thank, talk with, love, adore.

Where do I find Lectio in my daily life?  Do I open a Bible or a breviary, perhaps a devotional?

Today I am not suggesting a particular scripture.  Instead, I encourage anyone reading this to open a Bible, or to meditate with the Mass readings of the day... and if we're blessed to be at Mass, to listen extra closely.  

God is waiting to reach out and touch my heart this very day.
How will He do so?
How will I respond?

Text not in quotes © 2012 Nancy Shuman.  All Rights Reserved.
thecloisteredheart.org      

Tower of Strength

"The Name of the Lord is a strong tower; the just man runs to it and is safe.”  (Proverbs 18:10)

There is change in the air as a storm approaches.  The wind picks up, clouds gather, there may be a distant clap of thunder.  As lightning flashes around us, we race for shelter. 

Monastery grounds and walls are as subject to storms as those of any other building.  They get slapped with rain, pelted with sleet, covered in snow.  Inhabitants of the cloister might find themselves standing at a window looking out, maybe with a touch of concern.  What are those chunks of hail doing to the roof?  Are the windows secure against the wind?     

The monastery of my life is vulnerable, too.  I face storms, at times, of great magnitude.  Sickness, sudden disaster, an unnerving news report.  It helps me then to remember that I’m in the strongest cloister possible – the cloister of God’s loving embrace.  Everything that touches me must first come through His hands, through His “permissive will.”  I can do as St. Francis de Sales advised, and say amid my contradictions: “this is the very road to heaven.  I see the door, and I am certain the storms cannot prevent us from getting there.”

“If Christ’s love is the enclosure wall (and we know that it is, for He has said that ‘My beloved is a garden enclosed), He encloses you; He IS the enclosure.”  (Mother Mary Francis PCC, from “Walls Around the World”)

“Happy is the soul established in God and in holy humility.  The winds of the storm are powerless to shake her.” (St. Jane de Chantal)

For prayer and meditation:

“In Him who is the source of my strength I have strength for everything.”  (Philippians 4:13)

“Dismiss all anxiety from your minds.  Present your needs to God in every form of prayer and in petitions full of gratitude.  Then God’s own peace, which is beyond all understanding, will stand guard over your hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 4:6-7)

(public domain photo, altered)  

Text not in quotes © 2012 Nancy Shuman.  All Rights Reserved.
thecloisteredheart.org    

Location, Location, Location

The will of God is prime spiritual real estate.  It is the safest, most secure “place” in which a person can dwell.  In order to live within this place of refuge, however, we must embrace its boundaries.  

The primary perimeters of God's will are not at all hard to find.  They are revealed in Scripture and outlined clearly in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  Because God loves us, He has set these boundaries in place for our security, and He has generously revealed them to us. 

"Live in My will,” God tells me.  “Live in My will when you understand it and when you do not.  Trust ME."  In the face of such an invitation, I have a choice to make.  I am issued this invitation not just once, but in circumstance after circumstance, day after day.  

Will I dwell in the security of God’s will? 

Or must I insist on stumbling about in the hazards of my own. 

For prayer and meditation:

“You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, say to the Lord:  ‘my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”  (Psalm 91:1-2)

“You must know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is within - the Spirit you have received from God.  You are not your own.  You have been purchased, and at a price!  So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)  

Text © 2012 Nancy Shuman.  All Rights Reserved.
thecloisteredheart.org