God, I pray that you will help me to succeed in all my efforts this day, so that my life and my work will proclaim the goodness and constancy of your love. Grant that I may endeavor to bring your light and wisdom into this world, improving the lives of all people whom my activities affect.
I pray that, by your Grace, I will have an open heart, a clear mind and a healthy body.
Amen.
There are more than seven billion of us living on the earth today, and every cell of each of our bodies is made from atoms that have existed since the beginning of time, organized into human form by the magnificent unfoldment of life, enlivened by a force of energy within. The material of the universe comes to life in us, and when we are gone it will continue to exist, eternally. The human being is “the crown of creation” not because we exist, but because we are aware that we exist.
Thus every day we are alive is a chance to celebrate God’s grace: we are alive; we are aware that we are alive; we are entirely constituted of the universal material of goodness and blessing. Thanks be to God.
The universe is, in its pure nature, positive, constructive and relentlessly optimistic, constantly creating and eternally renewing and nurturing all that is within it. In this unfolding process we arrive, children of our Creator, and our life’s goal is to align ourselves with the process. We do this by seeking to understand it. In reality we are a part of the universal expression of God, and our salvation comes in the realization of this; in the alignment of our consciousness and our thought with It; and the subsequent change in our behavior which this spiritual work brings about.
It is not the content of our prayers, not the intentions we express nor even the way we address God or conceive of His nature; it is simply the act of praying. It is the fact that we engage in this activity, as often and as diligently as possible. Every person may may conceive of It differently, even differently at different times, but there is only only one universal Truth, and our communication with this is the main objective of life.
Community worship, the traditions and sacraments in our churches, synagogues, and mosques, make the spiritual life more vital. Ritual, the repetitive performance of symbolic actions, unconsciously reminds us of universal truths. The practices we call religious are visible and tangible aspects of our devotion. There is for each of us a greater richness in observing the rites and symbols of those who have gone before, as there is in sharing the journey with our fellow seekers. Fraternal prayers increase in power and effect.
Adversity is not “sent;” it just happens. Good and bad fortune, in themselves, are completely ordinary. It is a mistake to consider peace and harmony our natural state and conflict and difficulty to be undeserved and unnatural. The truth is that life is a mixture of good and bad events and circumstances. Our response to life determines how fortune affects our days. Out of misfortune we can create either good or bad. Our difficulties teach us important lessons and bring us closer to God.
Why do we do wrong? Even in early childhood we can be selfish, mean-spirited and spiteful to others; sometimes for no reason other than a spontaneous wish to do harm, like Augustine of Hippo, stealing pears he did not even care to eat. It is as if we are possessed by a demonic spirit for a time. We might invent a Satan to blame it on. The depths of our psyches may be too complex, too murky to delve into for an explanation, but as we mature we learn to recognize a tendency toward wrong behavior and by spiritual practice develop our inner selves to sense and then avoid wrong behavior. It is the tension between wrong and right, between selfish and selfless, between positive and negative, that is our earthly environment, and progress in living is measured by our ability to choose the right. We are aided in our growth by the mercy we receive when we do err.
Conversion happens within the heart. Our restless and ever-changing minds are not where profound changes for peace, understanding and charity take place. It is not in our heads but in our hearts. Our emotional nature understands the Truth of Being which come to us through Grace; and when we are tuned in to the life of our heart our minds gradually and ultimately are changed for the better. Meditation is the act of tuning in to the heart.
Pray unceasingly. In times of optimism and plenty, pray thankfully. In times of uncertainty and fear, pray with confidence. In times of sadness and loss, pray for strength and understanding. Pray for yourself and for every living being. Pray for the as yet unborn and for those who have departed from this life. Pray on.
The failures of the saints have given us the wisdom of the ages. I err, and my errors are valuable to me and to others through me, because I can share my experience and help others to live with theirs. As long as I am willing to learn and to resolve to put these necessary, painful lessons to use in my life at the moment I realize my error, and to pray to keep from repeating them from now on, my sins and deficiencies are not wasted. As I move up the spiritual path the mistakes I make are all the more painful, but my continuing resolve humbles and nurtures me, the way the plow rips apart the soil so that new seeds may be planted.
Nick Hilton - Reflections 