Good morning, Digital Neighbors! Happy Wednesday to all you souls gathered at Rubin Report, Phetasy, Outspoken, and at Padre’s!

Wednesdays posts are for prayer and reflection. They are related but not exactly the same. Prayer can lead to reflection, but not all reflection is rooted in prayer. Prayer is the seeking of the One who is invisible to our senses yet sensed by our spirit. His subtle movements are experienced when we are awake to His Word and open our lives to Him. Prayer can take many forms, all dependent upon what we are seeking or offering to God.

Reflection arises from any experience we undergo. We ask ourselves the meaning of such things, weigh their impact upon us, and consider how this encounter—with an individual, a story, a song, a poem, the news, or practically anything else—might change us. Reflection can be very superficial, ending with something as simple as “I like this” or “I don’t like this.” Or it can become a moment of personal enlightenment that sets us on a new path of excited discovery, inviting deeper reflection and fresh revelations. The vast majority of these revelations are meant solely for us—to console or transform us. Whatever meaning they may hold for others flows from how we ourselves are changed.

I believe the Divine is constantly inviting us to both: more frequent prayer and deeper reflection. Like all things worthwhile in life, it takes time and effort. There are no magic shortcuts to deepening communion with God, any more than there is instant friendship with a neighbor. Instant excitement? Yes. Instant depth? No. The depth of friendship—human or divine—only grows through shared time and experience. We can be excited about the newness, but the richness and sense of fullness depend on what we are willing to give of ourselves, and that is determined mainly by sustained, repeated time and effort.

Well enough rambling about things that may already be self-evident to those already engaged in prayer or practicing reflection/meditation. Have a great day, and Happy Wednesday!

THE JOURNEY
A day begins; there are no promises.
Maybe the sun will shine, or not.
No one can be sure who is around that corner
or what news this next call might bring. Seasons arrive like clockwork but how
they will turn out is a mystery. Still . . .
One day we will slip from our bodies
and slide into the Light; this we know. Perhaps to rouse from sleep and put aside
the fear that hunts our hearts,
we could live each day
as if the Light was already ours. Listen: The heart hears a deeper truth
than the head. Even the loneliest
one is never alone on
the winding journey Home.
—Arlene Gay Levine

Pathway - Leo Visions-Unsplash