"He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city."
"I tell you, Nay: but except ye shall repent, ye shall all likewise parish... 'Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: and if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.'" (Luke 12:56; 13:3) (Tuesday after Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity, Matins)
Day-to-day exhausting work and its effects on our spiritual well-being and personal relationship are well known to all of us. It is tempting to give up all effort to keep the balance right. Prayer-life, spiritual focusing seem to be a luxury.
Yet, contrary to all expectation, it is through the extra effort to 'pray' which gets the balance right. Investing into our spiritual wellbeing on a daily basis is indeed a hard investment. However, this is the only way. It is 'slowing down our anger', minding our often wounding words which make the human heart alive. When the heart (the centre of consciousness) is focused, then can we enter into our life ('again'). Strength and resource is gained through the daily work of remaining a Christian disciple. For this is discipleship which makes the passive Christian in us active and alive.
Spirituality alive is the state when we are able to 'discern this time' in which we live.
However lifeless or inert we feel ourselves, incapable of producing any 'growth', we must never give up. 'I tell you...except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish' (Luke 13:3) We have been given a powerful encouragement. The 'dresser of the vineyard' intercedes for us: 'Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dug it: and if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.' (Lk 13:9) 'This year' as our last year is given to us. Full of chance. We can read this intercession as the words of our guardian angels. He has 'dug about us'. An angelic presence is writing the circles of fertility around us. (We are always standing in the middle of this circle; paradoxically, in the middle of the Kingdom of God!)
27.10.2015.
Nincsenek megjegyzések:
Megjegyzés küldése