I HAVE A GHOST WRITER

I have constantly been upset with myself for claiming that the Holy Spirit is my generator of ideas, not because it is not valid but because it sounds so haughty to claim that. No more. I give credit to the source of my thinking.

My approach to Lay Cistercian spirituality is totally my own experiences with how I either assimilate God’s communication into my patterns of thinking and acting or not. Honestly, my life has been a complete failure when I look back on it. It is not that I have not done a few good things in my lifetime. Still, my examination of conscience turns up the many times I just thought about myself and what I could gain from a relationship with anyone or how to improve my position or job. All failures, in terms of My center, The Christ Principle (Philippians 2:5). It is humbling that I have so much bumbling around.

My Lay Cistercian practices have given me the tools (Chapter 4 of the Rule of St. Benedict) to assess who I am in the sight of God and make all things new.

Writing has been a nice transition for me in retirement (I am beyond retirement and now am just tired). And there is the point of my blog, “Where do all these ideas come from?” Of course, they come from me, just as the Scriptures come from the many people who wrote down Old and New Testament stories. When I ask this question, what is in the back of my mind is that I don’t consciously bring up any of these ideas during a typical waking day. It is only when I do Lectio Divina that I unleash the power (not the full power of the Holy Spirit because none of us could survive that flush of energy that is knowledge, love, and service) of my humanity. Put another way, I inch forward (capacitas dei) by delving into relationships that are part of the compendium of my knowledge but not readily apparent to this temple of the Holy Spirit.

I just want to acknowledge my Ghostwriter is the Holy Spirit. I am the writing instrument (I must keep my ink full by seeking God daily). The book I write is my book of life, one that I present to God when I die to give an accounting of my stewardship (Genesis 1-2). I don’t speak for the Holy Spirit; only the Holy Father does that. I do speak with the Holy Spirit in my Lay Cistercian practices as I place myself unconditionally in the presence of Christ and wait.

I am not you; you are not me; God is not me; and I, most certainly, am not God.

uiodg