Father Richard views shadow work as essential for our transformation:  

Shadowlands are good and necessary teachers. They are not to be avoided, denied, fled, or explained away. They are not even to be forgiven too quickly. First, like Ezekiel the prophet, we must eat the scroll that is “lamentation, wailing, and moaning” in our belly, and only eventually sweet as honey (Ezekiel 2:9–3:3).  

There’s a shadowland where we are led by our own selfishness, stupidity, sinfulness, and by living out of the false self. We have to work our way back out of this with brutal honesty, confessions, surrenders, forgiveness, and often by some necessary restitution or apology. By any account, it is major “inner surgery” and feels like dying—although it also feels like immense liberation. We need help at these times.  

There’s another shadowland, however, into which we’re led by God and grace, and the nature of the journey itself. Many saints have called it “the dark night.” The difference is that we still sense that we have been led here intentionally, somehow. We know we are in liminal space, betwixt and between, on the threshold—and we have to stay here until we have learned something essential. It is still no fun—filled with doubt and “demons” of every sort—but it is the dark night of God. All transformation takes place in such liminal space. [1] 

Irish poet Pádraig Ó Tuama wrote this prayer for those dwelling in the shadowlands:  

God of darkness 

You must be the god of darkness 

because if you are not, whom else can we turn to?  

Turn to us now.  

Turn to us. 

Turn your face to us.  

Because it is dark here.  

And we are in need. We are people in need.  

We can barely remember our own truth, and if you too have 

forgotten, 

then we are without a hope of a map.  

Turn to us now.  

Turn to us.  

Turn your face to us.  

Because you turned toward us in the body of incarnation.  

You turned toward us.  

Amen. [2] 

_______________________________________________

Sarah Young Jesus Listens

Mighty God, Help me to trust You by relinquishing control into Your hands—letting go, knowing that You are God. This is Your world: You made it and You control it. My part in the litany of Love is to be responsive to You. You have planted in my soul a gift of receptivity to Your Presence. I want to guard this gift and nurture it with the Light of Your Love. I rejoice that You encourage me to speak candidly to You—pouring out my heart as I express my concerns and bring You my requests. After opening up to You, I like to thank You for answering my prayers even though I don’t yet see results. When the problems come to mind again, please remind me to continue thanking You for the answers that are on the way. I’ve found that when I tell You about my concerns over and over again, I live in a state of tension. But if I thank You for how You are answering my prayers, my mind-set becomes much more positive and peaceful. Thankful prayers keep my focus on Your Presence and on Your great and precious promises. In Your excellent Name, Jesus, Amen

PSALM 46:10 NASB; Stop striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth.”

PSALM 62:8; Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

COLOSSIANS 4:2;  Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

2 PETER 1:4; Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 

Young, Sarah. Jesus Listens (p. 181). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

• Previous Entry: Previous Post
• Next Entry: Next Post