Filling a vase with water…

“Whoever remains in me as I remain in them, will bear much fruit” (John 15:5).  That’s the preferred language of all the mystics—the language of union.  If it’s not some language of union and healing, don’t trust it as authentic religious language.  Unfortunately, religion has largely descended to a language of exclusion, which is almost the exact opposite.

Mother Teresa said that a person consciously filling a vase with water—out of union with and love for God—is giving more glory to God than a priest at the altar who is standing there in a state of anger, superiority, or separateness.  It’s all about the “Who,” not the “what” and we spend all of our time concentrating on the “what” that I should do or not do.  If you get the “Who” right, the “what” does not matter too much.  It will always be good…

Richard Rohr, adapted from Contemplative Prayer (CD)

Oh, how I long for those who trouble Synod with their arguments, schismatism, “anger, superiority, or separateness” to simply stop, sit still, and get this. There really is so little need for all the pain and the nonsense, and to be prepared to sin in order to be right is the worst bargain going, in the light of eternity, as Jesus kept pointing out to the scribes and Pharisees…

Prayer and action…

Now prayer—the life of prayer—maintains, stimulates, quickens and perfects those feelings of faith, humility, trust, and love which together constitute the best predisposition of the soul to receive an abundance of divine grace. A soul to whom prayer is a familiar thing profits more from the sacraments and other means of salvation than does another in whom prayer, intermittent prayer, is disconnected and without vigour. A soul that is not faithfully devoted to praying can recite the Divine Office, assist at Holy Mass, receive the sacraments, hear the word of God, but its progress will often be mediocre. Why is that? Because the principle author of our perfection and of our holiness is God himself, and prayer keeps the soul in frequent contact with God; it establishes, and having established keeps going, a fire-hearth in the soul, as it were—one where, even if it is not in action all the time, love’s fire is all the time smouldering, at least. And as soon as that soul is put into direct communication with the Divine life (for instance in the sacraments) this is like a strong breath of air that sets the soul ablaze, stirs it up, fills it with a marvellous superabundance. A soul’s supernatural life is measured by its union with God through Christ in faith and love. This love has to produce acts: but those acts, if they are to be produced in a regular and intense way, require a life of prayer: It can be established that, so far as its ordinary paths are concerned, progression forward in our love of God depends in practice on our life of prayer.

Blessed Columba Marmion, with thanks to Little Portion Hermitage