September’s passing at this northern latitude is like a road followed east at sunset. Light is in the rear-view mirror, and where you are going there is only darkness. With small, sharp surprises the air brings unexpected hints of the cold to come. If you experience winter sadness as I do, this is the time of year when spiritual disciplines come into their own.
Fallen leaves ~ æssmith photo
Disciplines of the spirit are what give essential integrity to the complementary disciplines of mind and body. Without them we don’t persevere in the search for understanding and transformation is limited. Instead of entering into the quest with true commitment, we merely amble across the surface of faith.
Personal spiritual disciplines are your staff and compass through wild and unfamiliar territory. They keep you aligned with godly purpose, open and able to receive the growth and strength that comes only from God. They extend from personal time to family and public relationships, where the holy work of carving and sanding away the worst of the ego takes place.
The most helpful disciplines in my quest are those rooted in prayer and study, and in life and work that is loving, godly, and cheerful. My first spiritual adviser taught me to pray first thing in the morning and last thing at night, and now this is as necessary as breathing. Morning prayer sets me up for the day ahead, reminding me of God’s presence in the world and helping me to align my thoughts and actions with his will. Night prayer brings me back out of the day’s activity and into a quiet place where the last thoughts of the day are again with God.
Life and work fills the better part of my day, but prayer has a way of surfacing during these hours in response to need, thankfulness, and wonder. At its simplest, a typical day looks like this:
- Morning prayer (with readings of Holy Scripture),
- study (often related to theology and/or science),
- life and work,
- evening prayer (with readings of Holy Scripture),
- study (less challenging material), and
- final prayer.
Spiritual disciplines in life and work come not so much from the activities per se as the attitudes we bring to them. As someone who aspires to conform to St. Benedict’s rule of life, this is a constant challenge. I want to be kind and attentive, loving and thoughtful towards others, especially those with whom I have little personal connection. Being as flawed as the next person, I often fail. Those failures are carried into evening prayer in a version of the confession from the Order for Compline in the Book of Common Prayer:
Most merciful God, I confess to you before the whole company of heaven, that I have sinned in thought, word and deed. Forgive me my sins, heal me by your spirit, and raise me to new life in Christ. Amen.
There will always be times when, in trying to move forward, we are held back by weakness and failure. Sometimes the best our spiritual disciplines can do is keep us facing in the right direction while we stand still and pray for deliverance. The gifts awaiting on the other side of such an impasse are love and humility, without which there is no quest at all.