To put it in a
nutshell;
“Always preach the Gospel, and when necessary
use words.” St. Francis of Assisi
Love is a word of action and God
is love in its purest form. Spirituality is how I live my life in my relation
to this God in action. If I understand God as love and live my life without
love I am not living a spiritual life. I live in love when I do a work of
charity, and do so not because I have to, but instead because I am called to do
so by my faith.
I would much rather people see me as a good Christian, than to hear me
as a good Christian. Quiet Spirituality is the practice of living my life in
love/charity more so than teaching or preaching about love/charity. I am a
spiritual being. “Spiritual” is my relationship to a God of love in action. My
relationship is expressed through my acts of charity (love). The spirit guides
me away from harm, and calls me to service, to be spiritual, to live my life in
my knowledge of God. (11 Corinthians 13:1-3) ”If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a
resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and
comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move
mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own,
and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain
nothing”.
I don’t believe in preying on
the fears of the people to spread the word of God. I believe in feeding the
hope that God has shown us. And by feeding I mean showing all those who wish to
hear/see the opportunity to grasp hope and love and to let that hope and love become
a realization in their lives.
Christ came to show us, literally
and physically show us, the love God has for us. Yes there are some hard
sayings in Holy Scripture and I believe we will never fully understand what the
true message is in these sayings. Certainly there is much theology, mystery,
mysticism, scriptural interpretation, that we as mere mortals will never fully
grasp. It is because of the intellectual limitations of our minds to
contemplate the infinite, that I have developed this “Quiet Spirituality.”
This is a simple and foundational, but not fundamentalist, practice of
Christianity. This is a life to be lived and to be practiced. I use as my
foundation, these parts of Sacred Scripture and Church Tradition that I believe
reflect the core message of Christ. The message of love and what love means.
To add to the above stated quotes;
Mark, 12; 29-31-
Jesus
replied, the first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You
shall love the Lord your God with all tour heart, with all your soul, with all
your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your
neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.
Also / Luke, 10;
29-27 – Mat 22; 37-40
John, 13; 34-35
I
give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also
should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another.
Mat, 7; 12-
Do to others whatever you would have them do
to you. This is the law and the prophets.
Luke, 37-38
Stop
judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be
condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to
you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be
poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be
measured out to you.
Also Mat. 7; 1-2
Quiet Spirituality largely goes
unnoticed by the general population. This practice brings about a great deal of
personal satisfaction but few accolades. After all, Spirituality is a life
lived in love and love is rarely loud. A life lived within Quiet Spirituality
usually gets you noticed after you’ve moved on from the people that you’ve been
working with. And that’s ok. Works of charity comes from the heart of the giver
and by guidance of the Holy Spirit.
This is just a little piece of me. I
understand that there are many ways to be Spiritual. This is just the way I
have chosen to express myself; this is my way of being a positive presence in
this life. When necessary, I expand myself into other methods of Spiritual
behavior. I do not judge others because they use the soapbox, the pulpit, the
TV, or radio to express their Spiritual beliefs; more power to them for being
able to reach the populace in mass. This is just a little piece of me; I hope
that you are able to take little peace
with you on your Spiritual journey.
May the peace and love of Christ be with you always.
Amen.
by David E.
Gonzales
Scripture is from
the NABRE
thank you for sharing what's in your heart --- a quiet contemplative way of living as an expression of your daily encounter with God. i praise you for choosing such a path. i myself am naturally drawn to the contemplative path. i have encountered someone years ago who has left a mark in my spiritual journey. he said, 'just be quiet.' in today's world, when everybody wants to have a say in everything, a quiet witness is potent. i wish you all joy!
ReplyDeleteI haven't known you for long, but I admire you greatly. While yes, there are many ways to be Spiritual, I believe that above and beyond all else, love is the way. I don't believe you can truly bring people to God... that people will willingly follow Christ... if they are "forced" to do so out of fear. You make me, and others, want to be spiritual and want to follow Christ and want to try to live a good life because of the love you show others. Because we can see the love of God working through you by your attitude and actions... not your preaching.
ReplyDeleteYou call it "Quiet Spirituality" - but I say love speaks so much louder and clearer to the heart and soul. God bless you, and thank you.