"If you wish that God should speedily give you hearty faith in prayer, strive with all your heart to speak and to do everything in regard to other people sincerely and never be deceitful in your dealings with them. If you are straightforward and truthful with others, then God will give you straightforwardness and sincere faith also in reference to Himself."
-- From "My Life in Christ" by St. John of Kronstadt
"The beginning of freedom from anger is silence of the lips when the heart is agitated; the middle is silence of the thoughts when there is a mere disturbance of soul; and the end is an imperturbable calm under the breath of unclean winds."
-- Step 8 from"The Ladder of Divine Ascent" St. John Climacus
Friday, October 31, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Mindfulness
I've been thinking a lot lately about mindfulness. Simply put, mindfulness is being fully and completely aware of each present moment. Not thinking about the past or the future, but existing completely in the present. What importance does this have for Christians? Quite a bit, actually, because developing mindfulness and a contemplative attitude brings the Christian into a closer relationship with God.
Mindfulness has been a teaching of the Church since the Early Fathers. It can be seen in the Eastern Church through its highly developed spirituality and more specifically in the writings of the hesychasts. As we look at the concept of mindfulness we will begin to see that to truly actualize mindfulness for the self is to become present with God in every moment. Simple focus on the self is a vain exercise, but when one centers one's focus on God in the present, then one pushes aside the fantasies of past and future and enters into a relationship with God that doesn't require a relationship with time. It is becoming constantly present with God, constantly aware of Him. It is here that the individual begins to develop a true personal relationship with God as one realizes the fact of God in every breath one takes.
Mindfulness has been a teaching of the Church since the Early Fathers. It can be seen in the Eastern Church through its highly developed spirituality and more specifically in the writings of the hesychasts. As we look at the concept of mindfulness we will begin to see that to truly actualize mindfulness for the self is to become present with God in every moment. Simple focus on the self is a vain exercise, but when one centers one's focus on God in the present, then one pushes aside the fantasies of past and future and enters into a relationship with God that doesn't require a relationship with time. It is becoming constantly present with God, constantly aware of Him. It is here that the individual begins to develop a true personal relationship with God as one realizes the fact of God in every breath one takes.
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