Marrying contemplation to action

Marrying Orthodoxy to Orthopraxis

Women’s March

“There’s a movement in the church to marry action and contemplation, to connect orthodoxy and orthopraxis. We’re not throwing out what we believe, but also focusing on practices that bring those beliefs to life. In the past few decades, Christianity has primarily been about what we believe. But in Jesus, we see an invitation to join our actions with a movement, rather than ideas and doctrine. People have grown tired of a Christianity that can say what it believes on paper but doesn’t have anything to show with our lives.”—Adapted from Shane Claiborne in When Action Meets Contemplation (Center for Action and Contemplation, 2010), disc 1.

Orthopraxis, or practicing our faith, differs from Orthodoxy, which is adherence to a particular belief. It is a paradox. We need both. We need to frame and reframe what we believe, but if we do not put that belief into practice, we are like a “noisy gong.” I am one of those people Shane Claiborne talks about who has numerous t-shirts spelling out social justice issues—but until I write letters, or make phone calls, or visit those in prisons, or those who are sick or in trouble, or those who are trying to immigrate to our country because they are in danger, I am not putting that belief into practice. I have learned this most pointedly from younger people.

The women in my family marched in the women’s march the day after a previous presidential inauguration, concerned about the human rights of others. We were talking with our feet. The crowds and speakers at this protest inspired us to do more.

That day has become like an icon for me, as I reach out from the words of my comfortable t-shirt to become more active, visit, make calls, and protect those in need. I know in my heart that this is the way the Spirit works. We are called to study God and the Spirit, but we are also compelled to find the God within ourselves, which leads us to discover and connect with the God in others.

I share with spiritual friends that when I attempt to find God in others, God is most apparent in those in need. God most readily shines in those who are sick, dying, or seeking recovery, or at our food pantry, or our dinners for homeless veterans, or those today peacefully protesting for racial and social injustice, or assisting those in our country who have fled oppressed countries like Afghanistan. Practicing the ministry of orthopraxy teaches us the most about orthodoxy and God.

Joanna. https://www.joannaseibert.com/

Centering Prayer

Centering prayer again

Guidelines

Thomas Keating

“1. Choose a sacred word to symbolize your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.

2. Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently, and introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within.

3. Return ever-gently to the sacred word when engaged with your thoughts, feelings, images, and reflections.

4. At the end of the prayer period (20 minutes), remain silent with eyes closed for a few minutes.”—Contemplative Outreach, Ltd., www.contemplativeoutreach.org.

 Reviewing the guidelines for Centering Prayer is worthwhile, even if we have been practicing this spiritual discipline for some time. Catholic monks Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating, Basil Pennington, and Quaker Richard Foster have described this contemporary form of the ancient contemplative prayer practice, also known as listening prayer. This ancient prayer practice is rooted in the traditions of the Desert Mothers and Fathers, as well as The Cloud of Unknowing, Teresa of Avila, and St. John of the Cross.

A friend from New York, Steve Standiford, associated with Contemplative Outreach, has practiced centering prayer for over twenty years. He reminded us at a retreat at our church of an old story about how to deepen our relationship with God and experience God’s presence and love in our lives through centering prayer. “A first-time tourist to New York City gets into the cab and asks the driver, ‘How do you get to Carnegie Hall?’ The driver responds, ‘Practice, practice, practice!’”  

As with most of our attempts to learn about a spiritual tool, we gain knowledge of the practice by repeatedly practicing it.   

Joanna          https://www.joannaseibert.com/

Learning How to Change

Learning from the Super Bowl Comeback 2023

“Ask yourself what is absurd in your life right now. Then, recall that the roots of the word refer to being “deaf.” If you have stopped listening, try to begin again, first with what you love, then with what is difficult for you. Something may be trying to reach you—a voice, a destiny.”—Philip Cousineau, The Art of Pilgrimage, page 39.

Super Bowl Comeback 2023

Beginning the second half, the Kansas City Chiefs football team was ten points behind their opponent, Philadelphia. Using a wise tactic, they returned to the second half to score points whenever they had the ball.

On second down, they would try a play to see how Philadelphia would react. On third down, they repeated the play but adjusted to where they could get through the Philadelphia defense. They learned from what did not work and adjusted to a new way, sometimes only slightly different. If only we could do that in life.

I share this image sent to me by a significant Kansas City fan in Missouri, Donna, whom I met through the Daughters of the King program, “Daughters Going Deeper.”

We tend to keep doing things the same way every time. Those in 12-step recovery call this insanity.

Sports have a spiritual side that we can learn from.

Joanna https://www.joannaseibert.com/