Charleston: Learning to Read Spiritual Signs
“You have seen the signs around you for some time now. You are beginning to understand which way the wind is blowing. The spiritual life is not an exercise of imagination, but of interpretation. We see the signs. It is understanding them as a coherent message that takes skill. The handwriting on the wall tells us nothing unless we have learned to read.”—Bishop Steven Charleston, Facebook Page.
“Learning to read the signs on the wall.” Bishop Charleston gives us a good metaphor for living and discerning the spiritual life. As spiritual friends, we help each other see where God works in our lives. We have friends helping us connect the dots, suggesting that a storm may be coming when we miss the signs. We are called to remember how God led us in our past. We have seen the signs in the past. When one of us cannot presently see the signs of God alive in our lives, those who can see help each other.
This is why God calls us to a community. We cannot do this alone. Our spiritual exercises, prayer, contemplation, study, Centering Prayer, the labyrinth, praying the Rosary, and intentional walking help us interpret the handwriting on the wall—the hand of God caring for us, leading us, and never abandoning us. We practice some spiritual disciplines by ourselves; others, such as corporate worship, we do together. Whether we experience these disciplines alone or jointly, we are called to share what we learn with each other. Discernment about where we should go or what action to take next is most effectively realized in a community.
I have friends who sit alone and meditate and say they perceive the direction God calls them to in their lives. By listening, they find out what they should do. All the better for them. I could never do this except on rare occasions.
My experience is that others see signs I have missed, and the course of action I should take is readily apparent to them. All of this, of course, involves much trust and life in a community.
I was continually amazed at how our children, grandchildren, and some elderly learned to stay connected during the pandemic—Zoom, Facebook Live, game apps such as Kahoot and Scrabble GO, watching movies together, Watch2gether, Netflix Party. But, of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg! Isn’t it wonderful that we learn to do all these things from our younger generation!
Joanna. joannaseibert.com. https://www.joannaseibert.com/