Closing the Divide

Prayer is not a pious gesture at all. It is a response to the One whose heart beats with ours. - Joan Chittister No matter our religion or spiritual views, the longing to have an active relationship with something greater than ourselves seems universal. There are a thousand names for God and a thousand ways to pray yet beyond labels and forms of worship, we all share a yearning to know and be known by the Divine. Because we are offspring of the Divine, we carry within us the imprint of our creator and deep remembrance of our true nature that calls to us to heal the divide and restore our primary relationship with Life. The urgency of this calling and our response is often related to how well we are doing 'on our own.' When our lives are relatively peaceful and to our liking, the call can be just a whisper in the background. When our life "hits the fan," the volume and intensity of the call can be like a siren in our heart that brings us to our knees in surrender, to prayer, and sometimes, to insight. In Unitive consciousness, our prayers are entirely self-directed. There is no capricious God apart from us withholding our good. There is only the presence of God in its fullness at every point in space and time radiating its blessings in every direction. This sweeping realization can both soothe us and trouble us. We love the notion of an unconditionally loving God that is always there for us. The discomfort arises when we realize in those dark hours of our lives, that God has not left us, we have left God. Like the prodigal, it is up to us to reverse our wayward search in order to find the loving parent who awaits our return home. Prayer is our attempt to correct our perception of any separation between us and the Divine and see the answer in the midst of us, even as us. As author, Eric Butterworth wrote, "prayer is not a matter of conquering God's reluctance, but of attuning our selves to God's eternal willingness." Any words or practice or mantra that closes the gap in our awareness of the Infinite arms that constantly enfold us is useful to bring us to a place of remembrance and comfort. As Buddha noted, "better than a meaningless story of a thousand words is a single word of deep meaning which, when heard, produces peace." A simple phrase, such as God is here, God is now, or Be still and know repeated slowly and mindfully can calm the raging waters of our mind and soothe our aching hearts. Even a minimal choice, to pause momentarily in our busyness and take 3 conscious breaths can, in an instant, change our reality. In that simple practice, we can suspend history and mystery, find a moment of timelessness, and let ourselves be enfolded by the One whose heart beats with ours.

Peace and blessings,

Rev. Larry