Selecting a Spiritual Formation Activity

The second component of our Rule of Life actually has two parts. The first part is simply to "study scripture." We do this in various ways, either by reading selections from scripture according to an assigned lectionary or through the group study technique known as lectio divina. No specified frequency for this study is given, and Abbey members choose to follow this part of the Rule in whatever way works best for them: daily, weekly, etc.

The second part of this portion of the Rule is, in contrast, very specific about timing: "pursue a specifically selected spiritual formation activity annually." Although the frequency is specified (annually) the range of spiritual formation activities which have been chosen is as varied as the members of the Abbey.

I often start thinking in January about what my chosen spiritual formation activity will be for the year, but it is not usually until the late summer that I begin to pursue the activity. I think this is because, having been a student, then a teacher, for most of my life, I still think in terms of academic years. The year begins when school starts!

This year, I have chosen to pursue a deeper exploration of chant. I have always been a singer, and for most of my life in the Church have been a member of the choir, so musical expression is an important part of my spiritual experience. Chant is, in one way of thinking about it, music -- so it is not surprising I would love it. However, in another way of thinking about it, chant is more than music. Chant is prayer -- meditative prayer, in fact.

In our Abbey meetings and retreats, we have often used Taize, a type of Christian chant, to enhance our prayer experience. Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in a weekend-long workshop exploring chants from many different religious traditions. Christian, Jewish, Muslim (especially the Sufi version of Islam), Native American, Buddhist and Hindu chants were all introduced. I enjoyed singing all of these and learning about their uses in religious rituals from around the world.

The chants were in many different languages: English, Hebrew, Arabic, Sanskrit and others, but the meaning of almost all chants, as the instructor, Robert Gass, explained, is basically, "Yay, God!" Most chants are devotional and the point of the chant is to express love and praise for God.

Chants are sung, of course, but they are different from most songs in that they are usually very simple and often repetitive. One Taize chant the Abbey often uses is "Ubi caritas, et amor; ubi caritas, deus ibi est," which means: "God is love and where true love is, God himself is there." This can be sung dozens of times and the idea is to sing it enough times that the singing becomes automatic, the words and tune require no thought, and a state of deep prayer can be entered.

In Robert Gass' workshop I learned how effective it is to sing a chant for a very long time -- 20 minutes or more -- then stop and sit in silence as a group. We did this repeatedly throughout the weekend, and no matter which chant we had just sung, I found myself in a state I would describe as simultaneously ecstatic and deeply peaceful. I can now see why the ancient practice of chant has become a central feature of every religious tradition: quite simply, chant brings us into deep, personal contact with God. And the experience can be profoundly moving.

What spiritual formation activity do you plan to pursue this year? Will it be chant, or might you want to follow the lead of a former Abbey member who decided to visit and walk every labyrinth she could find? Or, perhaps, you will choose some readings or go on a retreat -- or come up with your own unique spiritual formation activity.

How will you live out this component of our Rule of Life in the coming year? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Prayer

Dear Abbey Members and Friends:

Below is yesterday's meditation by Fr. Don Talafous of St. John's Abbey. Fr. Don's meditation brought a number of thoughts to me regarding the first tenet of our Abbey's Rule of Life: "Pray daily guided by the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) or another Christian format and worship regularly in community." My first thought is that one could interpret this tenet to limit us in our praying to existing words or prayers that others have devised to express the many reasons or things for which we go to God in prayer -- adoration, petition for someone or something, sorrow, confession, forgiveness...and the list goes on. To me it is true that others more skilled with words than I have come up with wonderful prayers that express very well the feelings in my heart...and it is good to use those. Our own BCP has a marvelous collection of collects and prayers for our use. But this gives rise to the second thought...and that is recognizing that we do "have a friend in Jesus." We typically do not talk with our friends in prescribed phrases or sentences, rather words, our own words, come tumbling out that express the thoughts and feelings of the moment. It seems to me that in living into this part of our Rule of praying daily, there is also space for opening our minds and hearts to God (Jesus) and talking as we do with our earthly friends. This may be a more genuine form of praying. I believe our Rule is broad enough to encompass both types of prayer.

Shalom and many blessings, George

"What a friend we have in Jesus." (My unchurched father in his old age and nearly deaf could be surprised at times alone in his house singing "what a pal we have in Jesus," a variation probably more due to failing memory than any desire to be hip.) Just hearing that line from an old-time Protestant hymn might strike some Christians as too chummy or simply undignified. Churchgoing people get so used to the formal language of the service that "what a friend we have in Jesus" seems a bit like bringing the sweet-nothings of people in love into a public auditorium. Yet Scripture itself warrants the language of friendship. In John 15 Jesus talks about laying down His life for His friends. "You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer speak of you as slaves. Instead, I call you friends, since I have made known to you all that I heard from my Father." Revealing ourselves to another, opening our hearts to another, is the sure sign of friendship, a necessary step in fostering it. In turn Christians have every right to turn to Jesus in times of great need or turmoil. Moments of exhilarating joy or crushing sadness drive us to open up to a friend for comfort and understanding. Similarly, why shouldn't we open ourselves to the Lord in such times? In any budding relationship we encourage intimacy by a willingness to open up, to risk self-revelation. Jesus says He has made known to us all that the Father has told him. We have every reason to think: "What a friend we have in Jesus." Fr. Don Talafous, 7/11/09

Call and Response on Twitter

As many of you know, the Urban Abbey has a presence on Twitter. I have been using this micro-blogging tool since early in Lent to provide excerpts from morning and evening prayer. The Twitter feed for the Abbey has become quite popular and is now followed by over 750 people, many of whom have become regular attendees at our "Twitter Prayer Services."

Last week, one of our followers suggested we experiment with a more interactive form of prayer, specifically Call and Response. We chose the Celtic Daily Office as the text to use for our experiment since it has explicit Call and Response sections. A date and time was announced and we held our first real-time, online Call and Response prayer service last Saturday, June 27.

The experiment was a great success. I posted the "Call" phrase, e.g. "Out of the depths I have cried to You," and approximately ten or so followers on Twitter posted, in response, "O Lord, hear my voice."

The experiment seemed to be working so well, I decided to continue the Call and Response format into the next section of the prayers that are entitled "Expressions of Faith." I posted the first part of each sentence and the followers responded with the second section. The result looked something like this:

Abbey: "Lord, You have always given bread for the coming day;"
Followers: "And though I am poor, today I believe."
Abbey: "Lord, You have always given strength for the coming day;"
Followers: "And though I am weak, today I believe."

This pattern continued through the rest of the faith expressions section, and by the time I called for prayer requests, my sense was that the Twitter followers had become a true community. I noted expressions of thanks and blessings passing between the followers as the prayer time ended.

Because our Call and Response experiment was such a success, we've decided to repeat it tonight. Reminders are being tweeted throughout the day along with a link to the text. If you wish to join us, we will start around 9:00 pm EDT. Go to http://twitter.com/TheUrbanAbbey to sign in and follow along. We look forward to seeing you at tonight's service!

Raima Larter, Abbess, The Urban Abbey

Spiritual Formation

Dear Abbey Members and Friends:

The second tenet of our common Rule of Life is: "Study Scripture and pursue a specifically selected spiritual formation activity annually."

I have tried to study scripture on a regular basis on my own, but have been unsuccessful. One discipline that I have been more successful with is the spiritual formation part. I subscribe to Weavings which is a spiritual journal published 6 times a year and contains a number of short articles, poems, etc., written on a specific topic for each issue. The current issue is titled "Cling Always to God." This is a wonderful issue. I want to share one poem by Marilyn Chandler McEntyre, a regular contributor to the journal:

What to do in the darkness

Go slowly
Consent to it
But don't wallow in it
Know it as a place of germination
And growth
Remember the light
Take an outstretched hand if you find one
Exercise unused senses
Find the path by walking it
Practice trust
Watch for the dawn

I have come back to this poem several times now. There are parts that I find comforting [a place of germination; watch for the dawn] as well as those that are challenging [practice trust; take an outstretched hand]. I hope you will find this engaging to your soul as well.

Shalom and many blessings, George

Abbey Traditions

Dear Urban Abbey Members and Friends:


One of the early traditions of our Urban Abbey was to pray the Lord's Prayer at noon. We are a non-residential community and this was offered as a way to connect our members. Many of the original members of the Abbey continue this practice. I invite those of you who don't to consider this as one of the ways to live into the first tenet of our Rule of Life, "Pray daily, using the Book of Common Prayer or another Christian format, and worship regularly in community".


I like to include the following, along with the Lord's Prayer, in my noon prayers:


Give praise, you servants of the LORD; *
praise the Name of the LORD.
Let the Name of the LORD be blessed, *
from this time forth for evermore.
From the rising of the sun to its going down *
let the Name of the LORD be praised.
The LORD is high above all nations, *
and his glory above the heavens. (From Psalm 113)

Collect for the Urban Abbey. Oh God, you are wonderful and generous indeed. You sent your Son to be with us as our Guide, our Friend, and our Savior…we thank and praise You for that. Be with us now in our time together; open our eyes and hearts that we may be present and mindful of each other as You are ever present and available to us. As we cannot in our own strength do this or even with hope of success attempt it, we ask these things, O Creator, through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord together with the Spirit. Amen.


Shalom and many blessings, George

Thought for Today

Dear Abbey Members and Friends:

I found today's reflection from St John's Abbey a wonderful reminder of the inclusiveness of God. One of the things I treasure about our Abbey is the willingness of our Abbess and those who plan our events to draw spiritual practices from other faith traditions. We have become such a rich community because of this diversity. But we also remember that, as Christians, we show our witness to the world through our belief in Jesus Christ and how Jesus embodies God's unflinching love for each of us. The challenge is to continue to be open to seeing God's love in action in the world around us and in spiritual practices of other faith traditions while remaining grounded in who we are as Christians.

Shalom and blessings, George

One problem a collection of reflections like this might have competing on the Internet with other Web sites of "spirituality" results from the inclusion of the Christian perspective. Books with wider public appeal do not betray or give preference to any such "narrow" perspective as the critics would call it. A friend asked me if a book of my reflections would be an appropriate gift for some Jewish friends. I had to say that I didn't think so. No effort is made here to exclude Jewish or Islamic or Hindu readers; in fact I am indebted to these faiths for insights. I believe with St. Paul that God has not left any part of the world without some witness to God's love for us. For Christians that witness shines out in Jesus Christ. But I don't think that we can say that it is only in Christ that God has revealed something about God's love for all human beings. On the other hand, to ignore Christ in the interest of a wider appeal would be turning our backs on what has formed and nourished us. Faithful Jews, it seems to me, must affirm that God has shown love for them by the care given the Chosen People and described in the Scriptures. Other religions affirm a similar message through entirely different images of God or of the power that cares for the world. It's hard to imagine -- impossible to believe -- that God does not make the divine love available to human beings wherever they are. Fr Don Talafous, SJA, 6/16/09

Dear Abbey Members and Friends:

Today's meditation by Fr. Don Talafous, St. John's Abbey, really struck me. The fourth tenet of our Rule of Life tells us, "Show Fellowship with a welcoming heart, seeking Christ in everyone I meet, offering comfort and celebration." Giving generously of our time is certainly part of that rule of life. In today's busy environment, it is so easy to overlook opportunities to be present for someone else, whether part of our family, church community, or even the wider community. What many of us do not have is someone who will give us a few minutes to just LISTEN to us. What a gift that is when someone does that! Fr. Talafous, I believe, has it right when he speaks to what we are given in return for opening ourselves to listening and presence for another.

Shalom and many blessings, George

"Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me" (Luke 1:43)? In the gospel event we call the visitation these words are Elizabeth's response to a visit from her cousin Mary. The pregnant and elderly Elizabeth doesn't give a self-centered response: "Where were you? It's about time" but "How did I ever deserve this?" Elizabeth receives the gift of Mary's time and effort as an unexpected, most welcome kindness, a gift. Daily life offers all of us opportunities to give generously and also to receive with gratitude and joy what others give. In our day phone calls and letters as well as convenient mobility make it possible for us to bring consolation, light, even some excitement to the lives of the lonely, the ill, the neglected, the suffering in any way. You could even include e-mail for some. Yet with so much technology-enhanced opportunities for communication and contact, we still so often plead no time. Visitation in some form or other of those who would benefit from it is a snap for us today compared to what it was in Mary's time. What keeps us from doing more of it? Perhaps it's our lack of identification with the selflessness of Christ, something He learned at least partly from His mother. Fr. Don Talafous, SJA, 6/01/09