Pax et Bonum

The Online worship resource for St. James Parish

October 7, 2009

Prayer is the central avenue
God uses to transform us.
---Richard Foster---
Come, Holy Spirit
Bend what is rigid in me,
Melt what is frozen.
---Gregorian Chant---

Creative Evangelism: Widening the Net

This morning Charlie+ and I were talking about ideas – ideas to widen the net of St. James, where we, like our Patron Saint, desire to be Fishers of Men. What ways can we make St. James an even better community? How can meet the spiritual needs of the community around us in ways we haven’t thought of yet?

Most of us are afraid of evangelism; indeed, last week I heard a Liturgical Comedian (a very funny one, by the way) who stated that out of 50 things people are afraid of, 49 is the fear of death. Number 50 is talking to a group of people, or to people we don’t know. When we think of evangelism as something uncomfortable, opening up awkward conversations about faith. And indeed there are times when that is the right thing to do. But there are other ways to cast the net: creative means such as our Art Shows, special liturgies, our Sunday School Fundays, and…what else? Where can our imagination take us? Our life with God is full of possibilities. Can we allow our imaginations to grasp a few of those possibilities and run with them?

I think so. I think that as we seek to cast a wider net, God will meet us in that realm of possibility. What is needed from us is the opening of minds to God’s.

Each member of the Body of Christ has a responsibility to be a Fisher of Men (Persons). How is God calling you to widen the net?

Eternal God,
You have been the hope and joy
of many generations,
And who in all ages
Has given men the power
To seek you
And in seeking you
Find you,
Grant me, I pray you,
A clearer vision of your truth,
A greater faith in your power,
And a more confident assurance of your love.
---John Baillie---

Contemplative Living: Acting Out of Silence

Solitude and silence teach me to love my brothers for what they are, not for what they say.
Thomas Merton

Last week I wrote about the vital part listening plays in contemplative living. Spending time in solitude and in silence helps us tune our ears to the voice of God, which speaks to the heart. Silence gives us a chance to catch our breath, to weigh our words, to re-think our actions. The kind of silence we are talking about is more than pausing long enough to count to ten. This silence is the connection that we all have with the language of God so often expressed as silence.

Thomas Merton often wrote about how his solitude connected him to others. He was able to see situations from a liminal point of view. He was standing at the threshold and observing without attachment. He wrote about what he saw in Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander.

While the monastery may seem to be removed from the troubles of the day, I wonder how many of us are just as removed?

Our lives are insulated from the poverty and strife that affect much of the world. We can make a choice about how involved we wish to become.

Contemplative living offers a true way for us to enter God’s reality and God’s world. When I allow myself the commitment of silence and prayer, I agree to transformation of my energies and my priorities.

Transformation born of silence becomes discernment. A new pathway is opened to me as my compassion for others is aroused by God’s compassionate silence.

The etching into sound and silence of church bells helps me begin to listen for silence.

Next time you hear church bells, listen closely for the beginning of sound and for the end of sound.

As the ringing vibrates through the air it is hard to discern when silence begins. It is the process of listening for it, though, that tunes our perceptions to deep silence. It is this practice-the straining to notice and enter into silence-that prepares us to notice and enter into the suffering of the world.

Let your actions be born out of prayer.

Blessings,
Debra

This Week at St. James

Prayers Etc.

For those on our prayer list:

For Matt Rogers, our Postulant
For those who are deployed and their families.

In Closing:

Infinite Lord, and eternal God,
Rouse your church in this land,
Restore your people’s sense of mission,
And revive your work
In holiness and strength.
By your Spirit,
Teach us to give our energy,
Our time, our money,
Our service and our prayer;
That your kingdom may be advanced;
In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord
---Church in Wales---

Pax et Bonum,
Loree+

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