Being Present

From Richard Rohr:

Being Present

The early but learned pattern of dualistic thinking can get us only so far; so all religions at the more mature levels have discovered another “software” for processing the really big questions, like death, love, infinity, suffering, and God. Many of us call this access “contemplation.”It is a non-dualistic way of seeing the moment. Originally, the word was simply “prayer.” It is living in the naked now, the “sacrament of the present moment,” that will teach us how to actually experience our experiences, whether good, bad, or ugly, and how to let them transform us. Words by themselves invariably divide the moment; pure presence lets it be what it is, as it is. When you can be present, you will know the Real Presence. I promise you this is true. And it is almost that simple. From The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See, p.12 Prayer: When I am present, I can know the Real Presence.

I will bless the Lord

I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel; my heart teaches me, night after night. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not fall. Psalm 16:7,8

Good food for thought: Coffee Hour Caution

If you really want to know God

If you really want to know God, go to his people. Go to your barber and talk about God. Tell the 

carpenter about what you're experiencing. Take time to read the lives of the saints . They always knock 

you off your feet because they tell you the preoccupations you have aren't the ones you should have. 

Get in touch with those women and men who did crazy things like falling in love with God. 

~Henri J. M. Nouwen

In honor of Veterans' Day - America the Beautiful - Ray Charles