iCrucified

 [05AUGUST2011]

Monastic Notes (Pt.18—July 10^th 2011)

(Continuing to share my experiences at the Pecos Monastery: writings from my journal; June 19^th – July 17^th 2011…)

(Pecos: Day 21—July 10^th 2011)

Sunday Sabbath:

Today was scheduled as day of silence and solitude or we could use the day as free time for sightseeing and field trips. I chose to spend the day cloistered in my room for prayer, Bible reading, and hearing from God. I spent most of the day and into the late afternoon reading, praying, listening… and writing out the “words” that were “speaking” to me. The following Scripture passages and prayers are what were recorded in my journal.

Hallelujah! How good it is to sing praises to our God! How pleasant it is to honor Him with praise! Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning , is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

He is not impressed by the might of a horse; He has no pleasure in the strength of a man; But the LORD has pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who await His gracious favor (Psalm 147:11-12).

Thus says the LORD: “But this is the man to whom I will look, he that is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word” (Isaiah 66:2).

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, the power, the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, who knowest our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion, we beseech thee, upon our infirmities, and those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask, mercifully give us for the worthiness of thy Son Jesus Christ our LORD; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in Your truth; knit my heart to You that I may fear Your Name. I will thank You, O LORD my GOD, with all my heart, and glorify Your Name for evermore. For great is Your love toward me; You have delivered me from the nethermost pit. (Psalm 86:11-13)

I give You thanks, O LORD, with all my whole heart; before the gods I sing Your praises; I bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks for Your Name, for Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness; for You have exalted Your Name and Your word above everything. On the day I called, You answered me, You increased my strength of soul. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; You stretch out Your hand, and Your right hand delivers me. The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me; Your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. (Psalm 138:1-3, 7, 8).

ME = Delighted and overjoyed – God knows me.

O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from far away. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, O LORD, You know it completely. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your Presence? (No matter where I am or where I go it is not too far from You) Your right hand shall hold me fast; even there Your hand will lead me. In Your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed. Search me, O GOD, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139: 1-7, 10, 16, 23, 24).

Genesis 28:14, 18, 24-25 Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. (I love this…)

Romans 8:15 All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing when I consider what awaits us. For in hope we were saved… But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it in patience. “…we wait for it in patience”

The “spiritual life” is then the perfectly balanced life in which the body with its passions and instincts, the mind with its reasoning and its obedience to principle and the spirit with its passive illumination by the light and love of God form one complete man who is in God and with God and from God and for God. One man in whom God is all in all. One man in whom God carries out His own will without obstacle. -Thomas Merton; New Seeds of Contemplation