Greetings in the Name of the Lord!
Last week I used this space to introduce a discernment practice that can be used when facing challenging topics. You can find it by clicking on this link. Last week's practice was all about getting at the why of the question, to trying to dig deeper into what was at the root of the question, what is the driving foundational desire. This can be a useful practice not so much for getting specific answers, but more for helping make sense of all the various pieces our lives tend to break up into, and how to align them.
As a Church, we are called to do similar things, there are many pieces to any church, and part of our call is to figure out which pieces are most important and how to align them with our sense of call and meaning and ability and mission.
So although last week's suggested practice may seem like a less-efficient or even an unnecessarily roundabout way to discern where God might be nudging us, I honestly believe that getting at the why of a question is far more important in the grand scheme of things than getting immediately to answers. It does not help that our current world wants answers to nearly all questions immediately. As a church, if we can take a deep breath and recognize that not every question needs to be answered immediately, it allows us to the time we need to get to why some questions feel more important than others, we will undoubtedly be better equipped to discern where God is ultimately leading us.
This week's practice is also rooted in Ignatian practice and will probably feel more practical because it does seek to dig into options instead of just exploring the why. That said, I still encourage you to use this particular practice as a secondary practice not as the starting place. I encourage you to make sure you have engaged in last week's practice for a few rounds before moving to this week's practice. Doing last week's first will lead to more meaningful results from this week's practice.
Like I said last week, these are more guidelines than a strict set of how-tos. As you work through the recommended steps, adjust them as needed to help them work for you. I am always available for spiritual direction if you want more help with personalizing this or any meditation practice. I will say that this practice will work best once you have determined a few possible options since it deals with evaluating particular options instead of the question itself.
1. find a quiet and comfortable place to sit. Take a few moments to focus on your breath, just observing the breath as it goes in and out of us. Use this to calm your mind and find some grounding and a center.
2. Offer a brief prayer asking for God's guidance in this moment and seeking to be open to any movement the Spirit may make within you.
3. State the question that is before you, and then present one of the possible options. Focus on the option, imagine the option, let it unfold within your mind.
4. What does the option feel like to you, particularly when you imagine it as something real.
5. Are the feelings that are emerging making you feel more at ease, more comfortable, maybe even joyful? Or are the feelings that are emerging making you feel more tense, more uncomfortable, maybe even anxious or afraid.
6. Probably more important than the last step, does the option give you more energy? Does it make you feel lighter? Or does it feel draining or heavy?
7. Make a note of which way this option is leaning within you.
8. Now ask the question again, hold it for a few moments, and allow another possible option to be entertained by your mind. Sit with this option, let yourself imagine it, let it roll around in your mind.
9. In the same way you did with steps 4-6, how does the option feel? Energizing or draining? Make a note of that internally.
10. Repeat steps 3-7 with as many possible options as you have imagined. One note, this time is time to discern the options you have come up with, not to think of further options, that is a separate task, and try to avoid letting the two bleed together. Really take the time to focus in on what you have already determined to be possible tasks. You may get to the end of this practice and realize that none of them feel energizing or good, and that would indicate a need to go back to the drawing board, or further exploring the why of the question in the first place, but remember, this time is not for figuring out possible solutions, it is about placing possible solutions in front of ourselves and God.
11. Close with a brief prayer of apprecation for God's presence within you.
I will close this out with the reminder that any time you are engaging in a spiritual or contemplative practice, intention is very very important. Remember that our intent in nearly all spiritual or contemplative practice is to better understand God and ourselves in relation to God. To better sense the ways God is moving within us. Oftentimes our bodies pick up on this before our minds do, and taking time to still the mind, and to feel and observe the body is important to deepening that understanding and relationship with God.
As always, if you have questions or comments, please do not hesitate to reach out to me, or set up an appointment with me at: https://revmcnamaraFPCV.as.me/
In Peace,
Mike