Decoration or Foundation

 One of my daily spiritual practices is to engage in Centering Prayer.  This is a form of meditative prayer in which you empty your mind (as much as possible) and open yourself to God.  When I do this there are inevitably thoughts which come unbidden.  The idea is to not dwell on them but let them float away and return to the open mindfulness.  Recently one of the thoughts which came to my consciousness was the word ‘decoration’.  Now I usually don’t remember what the images or thoughts are as the practice is, as I noted, to let go of them and not dwell on them.  However, this one stuck with me.

What, then, could the word decoration signify?  My first thought was what it rhymes with foundation.  I also noted that we are on the cusp of the season of Lent.  Lent is a time in which we remove the decorations – the things which are not essential or foundational in our lives and deepen our relationship with God in preparation for the Easter Resurrection in our lives.

What, then, is foundational to our relationship with the divine?  Coincidentally – not that I truly believe in coincidence – I began reading – rereading actually – a small book on prayer and contemplation, Encountering the Depths, by Mother Mary Clare SLG.  I picked this book from my bookcase shelf while looking for something after finishing the book I had been reading – A Short History of Myth, by Karen Armstrong.  You could actually say that this book chose me as I had forgotten it was there and I don’t remember how it came into my possession but it was used and cost all of 25 cents.  I will quote from the part I have just finished reading which seem to answer this question:

Prayer and daily life are indivisible.  We must learn to pray as we are, and not as the ideal people we would like to imagine ourselves to be.  We must grow to understand ourselves and accept that it is at the time when our passions are most active, and our minds most distracted, that we can grow to a knowledge of ourselves as real persons.  That is the point of tension at which we must offer ourselves to God in prayer… Prayer, which is the fruit of true conversion, is an activity, an adventure, and sometimes a dangerous one, since there are occasions when it brings neither peace or comfort, but challenge, conflict and new responsibility.  This is why so many old ways of praying, and books about prayer seem to let us down.  Too often when we use them, we were hoping to get something for ourselves from prayer, perhaps security or a growing sensible realization and knowledge of God.  To seek such things in prayer is a mistake. The essential heart of pray

That seems to be foundational to me and a good Lenten observance.  I invite you to offer your true self as you are to God in prayer on your Lenten journey.  May it be blessed.