The Source Of Our Holiness

Deep, contemplative interiority is one part of holi- ness. The other part is how we live... But it’s not our holiness. The source of that holiness is the One who is holy, the One who says ‘I am who I am’.

Audio: Jemima
Photo by Aisvri (unsplash)

Transcript

Hello,

My name is Yamima.

Welcome to another reflection from the WCCM Young Channel.

Here we share teachings from John Mayne,

Lawrence Freeman,

And the Christian Contemplative Tradition.

Today I will be reading a reflection from The Experience of Being,

Written by Lawrence Freeman.

Part Three,

The Source of Our Holiness Deep contemplative interiority is one part of holiness.

The other part is how we live.

But it's not our holiness.

The source of that holiness is the one who is holy,

The one who says,

I am who I am.

I just came back a few days ago from Egypt,

From Mount Sinai,

St.

Catherine's Monastery,

The Greek Orthodox Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai,

Where Moses received the Ten Commandments.

The monastery has been there for 1,

700 years.

It's a living tradition.

Even when it began in the fourth century,

It was looking back to the origin of the Judeo-Christian Revelation,

To that experience when Moses saw the burning bush.

There is this real sense of that transmission,

Of a continuous,

Unbroken passing on of something precious,

Something ineffable,

When God revealed God's self to Moses.

Moses was 80 years old,

Was planning on a nice retirement.

Then God told him to go and liberate his people from Pharaoh.

And he said,

You better tell me who you are.

What's your name?

Because there are lots of gods in this area,

And Pharaoh is going to ask me what your name is.

And God said,

I am who I am.

And that's the revelation.

That's the revelation that we have been transformed by,

And the world has been transformed by.

It's a very powerful revelation,

A very bright light.

But like all bright lights,

It can cast a dark shadow as well.

When you are in that part of the world,

You can see the dark shadows cast by religious tradition.

But I think in these days,

We are approaching the light.

We are approaching the burning bush,

That experience of pure being,

Which is timeless and always contemporary.

And if we approach it as we are,

Fellow pilgrims,

I think it will burn away the shadows within us.

So don't worry if there's a little bit of conflagration in you.

Part of the spiritual journey is purification,

The via purgativa.

So don't worry if you find yourself going through a shadowy time,

Or time when there's some stuff being burned away that draws.

Trust the light.

The light is that light of being.

We are part of that living stream that has been continuous ever since then.

There is something marginal about what we are doing.

And yet,

At the same time,

There's something very central.

To pass on this great tradition,

We need all sorts of people,

A great variety of people.

Many gifts,

Many charisms,

Many vocations,

Many types of people and organizations.

But we also definitely need deep practitioners.

We need people and small groups and communities.

And they'll always be a relatively small number who plunge deep into that stream of prayer.

And prayer is this experience of relationship,

Of communion,

Of oneness with that burning bush.

With that experience of pure being,

Which is God's love.

And that is the way of holiness.

There is a wonderful letter the Pope wrote recently on holiness.

And he has some very profound insights.

He speaks about holiness as something quite ordinary.

That this is not just about the saints,

Impossible lives of these perfect people that we're used to.

There's that kind of holiness,

But the real holiness he speaks about is ordinary holiness.

The everyday holiness of ordinary people who are not perfect.

None of us are perfect.

And this week won't make us perfect,

But it will make us holier,

More whole.

The other thing he says is really necessary,

Is that we do have the experience of a deeper interiority and silence.

In places,

In times of prayer,

Such as we are plunging into this week.

But this deep,

More contemplative interiority is one part of holiness.

And the other part is how we live.

How we come to the aid of our neighbors,

How we raise our children,

And how we give ourselves to each other.

This is something that Father John understood very profoundly.

And it's at the heart of his vision of the world community.

This is what he said.

We can forget about our own holiness.

It's a very great line.

Quote.

We can forget about our own holiness.

If only we can be open to that presence of God's active presence in our midst.

The source of our holiness.

The source of all holiness is faith.

And our deepening faith in this vitalizing,

Energizing presence of God in our midst,

In our hearts.

Our holiness,

As Jesus taught,

Is accomplished fact.

End quote.

So we are holy,

But it's not our holiness.

The source of that holiness is the one who is holy.

The only one who is holy.

The one who says,

I am who I am.

And then,

First of all,

We will realize how jangled up our mind is.

How many problems we are bringing with us.

How many anxieties,

How many things we haven't done yet.

How many anxieties we may be facing.

Could be any number of different types.

Those just become habitual.

Even if we are not actively thinking about the problems,

The energy that they have created is quite turbulent.

It's there.

But it can and will reduce.

And as it does,

As the mind becomes quieter,

Calmer,

And clearer,

You will see what's there.

That's the first step.

Just seeing what's there.

Seeing who you are.

Seeing who God is.

Seeing reality as it is.

So give it the chance.

Don't think you have to do too much effort.

We do need to receive this gift of holiness.

And of course,

At times it can be a little hard.

But it's certainly made possible and enjoyable by walking it with others.

We are part of a very ancient tradition,

Of course.

Come away to a quiet place.

This is what the Bhagavad Gita reminds us.

Day after day,

Let the yogi practice the harmony of soul in a secret place,

In deep solitude,

Master of his mind,

Hoping for nothing,

Desiring nothing.

Let him find a place that is pure and a seat that is restful,

Neither too high nor too low,

With sacred grass and a skin and a cloth thereon,

With upright body,

Head and neck which rest still and move not,

With inner gaze which is not restless,

Its soul in peace and all fear gone,

And strong in the vow of holiness.

Let him rest with mind in harmony,

His soul on me,

His God supreme,

A harmony in eating and resting and sleeping and keeping awake.

Then his soul is a lamp,

Whose light is steady,

For it burns in the shelter where no winds come.

When the mind is resting in the stillness of the prayer,

And by the grace of the Spirit sees the Spirit and therein finds fulfillment,

Then the seeker knows the joy of eternity.

" That's a beautiful image of our mind.

Our soul being like a lamp burning in a place where there is no wind,

Just a steady,

Quiet burning.

This may take a couple of lifetimes,

But don't underestimate the capacity of this time to lead you towards this and into that experience.

Don't anticipate it,

Don't demand it,

Don't worry about it.

John Main said that the besetting sin of some Christians is to underestimate the wonder of their vocation.

So don't underestimate what we are capable of.

It's so easy for us to take our Christian faith mundanely.

Thank you for joining me at the WCCM Young Channel.

Until next time,

But for now,

Peace be with you.

Reviews

Moses was called, as we all are, to be a part of God’s plan for His creation.
Thank you. And peace be with you