Forms of Meditation

Today, in class we talked about the four forms of meditation outlined in Foster's book. The video dealt with two types and specifically the first one below:

1. meditation Scripturarum, the meditation upon scripture centering on the internalization and personalization of the scripture passage where the Word is allowed to become a message from God to you
2. re-collection (Middle Age contemplatives) or centering down (Quakers), a time to become still and enter the "recreating" silence, to center the mind ("palms down, palms up")
3. meditation upon the creation, giving attention to the created order, listening for the messengers of God
4. meditation upon events of our time; the attempt through meditation to find the meaning within today's events, to find "prophetic perspective"

In your participant's guide, Richard Foster provides four short steps to prepare for meditation. Take an opportunity to follow these steps at least once (hopefully more) before our next meeting. You may want to start your meditation by again practicing the lectio divina with the scripture passages provided on page 19 of your guide.

Foster also recommends the following resources for meditaion:

Some Fruits of Solitude by William Penn, 1644-1718. (Scottdale, PA: Herald, 2003)

Meditative Prayer by Richard Foster, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1983)

"Palms down, palms up" meditation technique

Begin by placing your palms down as a symbolic indicaton of your desire to turn over any concerns you may have to God. Inwardly, you may pray, "Lord, I give to you me anger toward John. I release my fear ofmy dentist appointment this morning. I surrender my anxiety over not having enough money to pay the bills this month. I release my frustration over trying to find a baby-sitter for tonight." Whatever it is that weighs on you mind or is concer to you, just say, "palms down". Release it. You may even feel a certain sense of release in your hands. After several momemts of surrender, turn you palms up as a symbol of your desire to receive from the Lord. Perhaps you will pray silently: "Lord, I would like to receive your divine love for John, your peace about the dentist appointment, your patienc, your joy." Whatever you need, you say, "palms up." Having centered down, spend the remaining moments in complete silence. Do not ask for anything. Allow the Lord to commune with you, to love you. If impressions or directions come, fine; if not, fine.
-from Celebration of Discipline (p. 31)
by Richard Foster

Celebration of Discipline

We have started our new study. After watching the introductory video, here is a little blurb from the "Leader's Insight" portion of the leaders guide:

In this passage (Colossians 2: 20-23) Paul is offering the insight that it is impossible to confront ingrained habits of sin head-on and win. We cannot control sin, no matter how tight our grip or how white our knuckles. Human will power is no match for sin. In fact, our will has the same deficiencies as the law: both are able to deal with only surface-level problems.

But we should use our pain. When on the journey of Christian formation we come to the end of ourselves, despairing over our inability to control the process of inner transformation through effort, we are most open to surrender to the indwelling presence of Christ and to the golden revelation that inner righteousness is a gift from God to be graciously received.
--Richard Foster

Please try during this week to read the daily scripture readings and practice the "Lectio Divina". This link may help: Lectio Divina