The Center for contemplative practice
A Lay Cistercian Looks at Spiritual Reality
THREE WISHES
If you had three wishes, what would they be? In my Lectio Divina (Phil 2:5) I fumbled across these ideas when thinking about Jesus.
My three wishes would be radically different than if I selected them six or seven years ago. I am coming off Leukemia (CLL) and cardiac arrest (2007) which probably shook me to my spiritual foundations and caused me to re-evaluate my life in terms of worth and meaning. Here are my three:
- I am content to apire to be a Lay Cistercian, realizing that I will never be able to love God with all my mind, my heart, and my strength plus love my neighbor as myself in this lifetime. With St. Paul, I am just in process of moving from self to God.
- Have in you the mind of Christ Jesus (Phil 2:5). Every day, I take up my cross and seek God.
- Seek first the kindgom of Heaven and all else will follow. This is a strange question which calls for an even more radical answer. Putting the kingdom of Heaven first means I try to be conscious of the fact that I am not God. My spouse is not first, my daughter is not first, the Lay Cistercians are not first, I have just begun to realize the significance of placing God first. It is not easy because the world resists any attempts to share that first spot. If God is first, then everything else is number two. If I reverse that, I won’t get to Heaven. The world will overtake me with its false promises and so called spiritual gurus that become me to follow them.
These three wishes are all to be able to place God first and me second. It is a mindset that I share with others. As one who can only hope to aspire to be a Lay Cistercian, the practices and charisms of humility and obedience to God’s will ground me with a North on my compass of life. It doesn’t make life easier. It doesn’t take away temptation to be God. It doesn’t keep my road from being rocky. It does means I know the Way, the Truth, and the Life and with God’s grace try as best as I can to make all things new. It is a process of becoming, not of attainment in this lifetime.
Jesus only gave us one command: love one another as I have loved you. Of course, everything is second to that commandment.
That in all things, may God be glorified. –St. Benedict
The Center for contemplative practice 