{"id":25337,"date":"2025-06-09T08:13:41","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T12:13:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=25337"},"modified":"2025-06-09T10:49:34","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T14:49:34","slug":"25337","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=25337","title":{"rendered":"Reading with the Holy Spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Be thou my vision - (with lyrics)\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6CMclLT_Hjg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Father Richard encourages us to read the Scriptures by following the model of Jesus and in the company of the Holy Spirit, whose presence the church celebrates today.&nbsp;<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus knows how to connect the dots and find out where the sacred text is truly heading, beyond the lower-level consciousness of a particular moment, individual, or circumstance. He knows there\u2019s a bigger arc to the story\u2014one that reveals God as compassionate and inclusive. Jesus doesn\u2019t quote lines that are punitive, imperialistic (\u201cMy country is the best!\u201d), wrathful, or exclusionary. He <strong>doesn\u2019t mention the twenty-eight \u201cthou shall nots\u201d listed in Leviticus 18 and 20 but chooses to echo the one positive command of Leviticus 19:18: \u201cYou must love your neighbor as yourself.<\/strong>\u201d\u202fThe longest single passage he quotes (in Luke 4:18\u201319) is from Isaiah 61:1\u20132. Jesus closes with the words \u201cproclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,\u201d <strong>deliberately omitting the next line\u2014\u201cand the day of vengeance of our God\u201d<\/strong>\u2014because he didn\u2019t come to announce vengeance.\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is what the Holy Spirit teaches any faithful person to do\u2014<strong>read Scripture (and the very experiences of life) with a gaze of love. Contemplative practice helps us develop a third eye that reads between the lines and finds the thread always moving toward inclusivity, mercy, and justice.\u202f<\/strong>[1]&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>biblical revelation is about awakening. It\u2019s about realization, not performance principles<\/strong>.&nbsp;<em>We<\/em><strong><em> cannot get there, we can only be there<\/em>,<\/strong> but that foundational Being-in-God, for some reason, is too hard to believe, and too good to be true. Only the humble can receive it, because it affirms more about God than it does about us. To achieve that realization, I invite us to read the Old Testament and the New Testament as one complete book: an anthology of inspired stories, with a beginning, middle, and end. Read it as one Spirit-led text.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read it as inspiration, by which I primarily mean that God is slowly evolving the reader\u2019s consciousness, so that it can receive an ever-clearer understanding of itself as the beloved of God. Biblical texts, when read with \u201cpoverty of spirit\u201d (Matthew 5:3), explain both ourselves and history to us. When read with a sense of entitlement, as if we are owed something, they unfortunately lead us to an imagined ability to explain God to others.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>God does not change in the text, but we do. The written words are inspired precisely insofar as they inspire and change&nbsp;<em>us<\/em>!<\/strong> Here, I\u2019m using the literal meaning of the word&nbsp;<em>inspire\u2014<\/em>to \u201cbreathe into us\u201d a larger life. If the written words don\u2019t accomplish that, then they\u2019re not at all \u201cinspired\u201d\u2014at least for us.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve met too many people who believe in all kinds of inspired texts but are lifeless\u2014<strong>without the breath of life that was blown into the nostrils of Adam (Genesis 2:7). \u201cThey approach me, but only in words\u201d <\/strong>(Isaiah 29:13), with what both Isaiah and Jesus called \u201clip service\u201d (Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8). [2]&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Chewing on Sacred Texts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>One day when I was busy working with my hands I began to think about our spiritual work, and all at once <strong>four stages in spiritual exercise came into my mind: reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation. These make a ladder <\/strong>for monks by which they are lifted up from earth to heaven.\u202f&nbsp;<br>\u2014 Guigo\u202fII,\u202f<em>The Ladder of Monks<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><em>CAC faculty member James Finley describes the wisdom that comes from contemplative reading, as taught by the Carthusian monk Guigo II (c. 1114\u20131188):&nbsp;<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first rung of the ladder to heaven is&nbsp;<em>reading<\/em>. By reading, Guigo means a \u201ccareful reading of Scripture, concentrating all one\u2019s powers on it.\u201d He likens reading to the act of eating, saying that when we read God\u2019s word we take in spiritual nourishment\u2026. Guigo writes:&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>I hear the words read: \u201cBlessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God\u201d [Matthew 5:8]. This is a short text of Scripture, but it is of great sweetness, like a grape that is put in the mouth filled with many senses to feed the soul\u2026. Wishing to have a fuller understanding of this, the soul begins to bite and chew upon this grape as though putting it in a wine press to ask what this precious purity may be and how it might be had. [1]&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Finley continues:<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The transformative power of reading, as described by Guigo, holds true in a unique sense in the reading of Scripture. For to read the Scriptures as an act of faith means that the words of the living God are on your lips. The power of God\u2019s words works as leaven in the heart, awakening us to a personal experience of the presence of God that Scripture reveals. <strong>Read in this way, the Scriptures are one long love letter from God. Each verse tells the story of the love that perpetually calls us to itself\u2026<\/strong>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spiritual reading is not limited to the reading of Scripture\u2026. Reading Guigo and other works of spiritual wisdom can embody our search for God. As we search for God in the writings of the mystics, we can experience in their words something of the experience of God the mystics are writing about\u2026. As you continue on in your own spiritual journey you will no doubt come across those spiritual books, written by authors both ancient and contemporary, that you will learn to cherish. These are the books we never really finish. For each time we open them and read a few passages, we once again recognize something of ourselves and the path along which we are being led\u2026.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To commit ourselves to seeking God in the practice of meditation \u2026 assumes that we are learning to read the Scriptures \u2026 in the manner Guigo describes. That is, it<strong> assumes that we are committed to the ongoing process of quietly and unhurriedly reading, as a way of seeking and coming upon intimations of God\u2019s presence manifested to us in the midst of our reading.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong><u>Quote of the Week:<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0(Learning from the Mystics by John Chaffee). (Jim Finley)<br><br>&#8220;Imagine a caterpillar who is about to undergo a metamorphosis. \u00a0Imagine, too, that this caterpillar has been eagerly looking forward to this great event. \u00a0It has studied and researched metamorphosis. \u00a0It has a camera and a journal at hand to take pictures and carefully record everything that happens, so as to publish what it senses will be a best-seller &#8211; My Metamorphosis.\u00a0But <strong>when its metamorphosis actually begins to occur, something the caterpillar had never anticipated happens. \u00a0Its brain begins to change first.<\/strong> \u00a0That is, the state of caterpillar consciousness from which it assumed it was going to observe its metamorphosis is the first thing that begins to change! \u00a0For a butterfly is not a caterpillar with wings. \u00a0If it were, it could never fly.\u00a0\u00a0Resurrection is not the resuscitation of a corpse. \u00a0Enlightenment is not insight.&#8221;\u00a0&#8211; from The Contemplative Heart, p.66.<br><br>Reflection\u00a0<br>A transformation that only happens on the surface level is not transformation at all.\u00a0Jesus even seemed to identify this issue in Matthew&#8217;s Gospel when he said,<em>\u201cWoe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.\u00a0Blind Pharisee! First, clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.\u00a0In the same way, on the outside, you appear to people as righteous but on the inside, you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.&#8221;- Matthew 23:25-27<\/em><br><br><strong>The spiritual life has the same temptations as any other field, the temptation to be further along the path than one truly is<\/strong>.\u00a0Theologian and writer Chris Hall maintains, &#8220;Spiritual growth is the slowest kind of growth possible.&#8221;\u00a0We can easily become impatient and so dress ourselves up.\u00a0And this is where Jim Finley&#8217;s insight comes into play.\u00a0<strong>The first thing that transforms when a caterpillar enters the chrysalis is its mind, its interior life. \u00a0The old must be done away with to make room for the new.\u00a0It is not enough to simply cling to the new while still holding on to the old.<\/strong>\u00a0It is no wonder that spiritual figures and titans from across the world&#8217;s religious traditions have held butterflies as their main symbol of transformation.\u00a0<br>         Perhaps we need to recognize that transformation happens first in silence, stillness, and solitude. \u00a0It is barely perceptible and cannot exactly be witnessed at the moment by ourselves. \u00a0If any of us are seeking to be transformed, <strong>it will likely demand that we give up any desire to be a detached observer of our metamorphosis and give ourselves fully over to the process<\/strong>.\u00a0<br>         <strong>Spirituality is not a spectator sport, if anything, it more likely looks like a butterfly&#8217;s metamorphosis, a seed dying in the ground, a death and rebirth.<\/strong><br><br>Prayer\u00a0<br><em>Heavenly Father. \u00a0We admit that we do not dare to change ourselves. \u00a0We cannot help ourselves as we attempt to cling to the old rather than embrace the new. \u00a0We desire to be detached from the process of our transformation rather than to dive into it with our whole selves. \u00a0Be gracious with us, and remind us that we can trust the process because it is you leading us at all times and in all things. \u00a0We pray this in the matchless name of Jesus of Nazareth. \u00a0Amen and amen.<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td>Life Overview:&nbsp;<br><strong>Who is He:<\/strong>&nbsp;James Finley<br>&nbsp;<strong>When:<\/strong>&nbsp;Born in Akron, Ohio in 1943.&nbsp;<br><strong>Why He is Important:<\/strong>&nbsp;As a Clinical Psychologist and Spiritual Director, James speaks from the depth of his own experience and training about the life of a Christian mystic.&nbsp;<br><strong>Most Known For:&nbsp;<\/strong>James was a direct mentee of Thomas Merton while living in the cloistered monastery of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Trappist, Kentucky.<br><strong>Notable Works to Check Out:<\/strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/clicks.aweber.com\/y\/ct\/?l=7brA&amp;m=8zsMm4Nfqy90RJVk&amp;b=ApngCf5VIgV7CytI2bRuuA\" target=\"_blank\">Merton&#8217;s Palace of Nowhere<\/a><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/clicks.aweber.com\/y\/ct\/?l=7brA&amp;m=8zsMm4Nfqy90RJVk&amp;b=awwXidv5KEv9ghY6xS5sTw\" target=\"_blank\">The Contemplative Heart<\/a><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/clicks.aweber.com\/y\/ct\/?l=7brA&amp;m=8zsMm4Nfqy90RJVk&amp;b=16eF3nRH7iUQEdUIAnt4KA\" target=\"_blank\">Christian Meditation: Experiencing the Presence of God<\/a><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/clicks.aweber.com\/y\/ct\/?l=7brA&amp;m=8zsMm4Nfqy90RJVk&amp;b=AyaPcskZIZmNnMAopEztQg\" target=\"_blank\">Turning to the Mystics Podcast<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Father Richard encourages us to read the Scriptures by following the model of Jesus and in the company of the Holy Spirit, whose presence the church celebrates today.&nbsp;&nbsp; Jesus knows how to connect the dots and find out where the sacred text is truly heading, beyond the lower-level consciousness of a particular moment, individual, or [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25337"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25337"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25337\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25346,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25337\/revisions\/25346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}