I am reading “Saint John Cassian on Prayer," translated by A.M. Casiday as my Lent reading. I have read this small booklet before, but this Lent reading is going much slower. Lent is a time of purification and I have tried to focus on the the parts illustrated by the following quote:
Abbot Isaac “I take it that all types of prayers cannot be grasped without tremendous purity of heart and soul and the illumination of the Holy Spirit.”
As a result when I read a passage from the book I often see some relationship I had not seen before. That causes me to stop reading and start thinking.
Recently, I have emphasized silence and now the Cassian book has placed my silence in a context of working on purity of heart and soul.
I am not sure if these relationships — silence before God matched with work on purification of heart and soul — will become illuminated more clearly to me, but that’s what has been on my mind tonight.
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Picture is Monastery of St. Simeon in Egypt by upyernoz.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Lent with John Cassian. A Benedictine oblate blog
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You said, "When I read a passage from the book I often see some relationship I had not seen before." Isn't that a wonderful experience, when the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see new depth and meaning in familiar words? It always strikes me as a wonderful gift and blessing from God escpeially for those of us who love the written word.
ReplyDeleteMichael, you are right. This is another good reason to be constantly reading the Bible in prayer.
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