Today's Pause+Pray encourages us to savor God's presence! 🕊️
January 10, 2025
Dear John,
In this video, our own Father Mark Soehner, OFM, says something that resonated with me this morning: "All of us are measured by love." I think that will be my mantra for the day!
But on a broader scale, we would be wise to ask ourselves: How deep is our love for God, for the world, for each other? In these uncertain times, I am choosing to be guided by peace, not aggression. I choose love over suspicion. I will be a channel of God's grace and not an instrument of division. In many ways, it's a harder road to travel, but it's one that leads to God. And that will be my path. This is my own humble way of rebuilding God's Church.
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The son of two saints, Basil and Emmilia, young Gregory was raised by his older brother, Saint Basil the Great, and his sister, Macrina, in modern-day Turkey. Gregory’s success in his studies suggested great things were ahead for him. After becoming a professor of rhetoric, he was persuaded to devote his learning and efforts to the Church. By then married, Gregory went on to study for the priesthood and become ordained (this at a time when celibacy was not a matter of law for priests).
He was elected Bishop of Nyssa in 372, a period of great tension over the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ. Briefly arrested after being falsely accused of embezzling Church funds, Gregory was restored to his see in 378, an act met with great joy by his people.
It was after the death of his beloved brother Basil, that Gregory really came into his own. He wrote with great effectiveness against Arianism and other questionable doctrines, gaining a reputation as a defender of orthodoxy. He was sent on missions to counter other heresies and held a position of prominence at the Council of Constantinople. His fine reputation stayed with him for the remainder of his life, but over the centuries it gradually declined as the authorship of his writings became less and less certain. But, thanks to the work of scholars in the 20th century, his stature is once again appreciated. Indeed, Saint Gregory of Nyssa is seen not simply as a pillar of orthodoxy but as one of the great contributors to the mystical tradition in Christian spirituality and to monasticism itself.
Reflection
Orthodoxy is a word that can raise red flags in our minds. To some people it may connote rigid attitudes that make no room for honest differences of opinion. But it might just as well suggest something else: faith that has settled deep in one’s bones. Gregory’s faith was like that. So deeply embedded was his faith in Jesus that he knew the divinity that Arianism denied. When we resist something offered as truth without knowing exactly why, it may be because our faith has settled in our bones.
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God wants our hearts, not our sacrifices. Isn’t that hard to swallow? God wants us to spend a lifetime nurturing a heart turned toward the Lord. God wants a spirit that knows it is free to love and show mercy. It all depends on how our hearts are centered. If the very center of our life turns to God, then the rest of us will do the same. Our concern will not be the fulfillment of prescriptions or legalities, but the direction and the movement of our hearts.
In writing to a Poor Clare, St. Bonaventure said, “Your heart is to be an altar of God. It is here that the fire of intense love must burn always.” If this is true then the first church is in the human heart. There is no sense going to church (a building) for prayer if one has not entered into the church (dwelling place) of one’s heart.
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Celtic spiritual guides identified certain geographical places as “thin places,” where heaven and earth meet and we can experience the nearness of God. Although there are unique spiritual spots, I believe that there are thin places everywhere. Every place can be the doorway to God’s presence.
Pray
We thank you, O God, for your presence in all things. The heavens declare your glory and so do the cells of our bodies. We thank that our world is permeated with love and spirit And our lives are constantly inspired by you. Inspired by you, let us be your companions in inspiring others To live fully and abundantly. We thank you that you are still speaking in our lives and that every place can be sanctuary of love.
Act
Throughout the day, let us look for God’s presence in ordinary encounters and the world around me. Let us look deeply to see the inner light and love of all things and bring it out from its hiding places. Let us see holiness in everyone and encourage those around us to see holiness in themselves.
Today's Pause+Pray was written by Bruce Epperly. Learn more here!
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