Thoughts

Jesus A Dialogue with the Saviour

Chapter III

Jesus is the truth. In Him all is truth. In so far as the truth which is in Jesus is discovered, all truth is discovered. This can be applied to the science, art and culture of men and women. We must see the world with the Saviour’s eyes.

a Dialogue with the Saviour

Chapter II Being seen by Jesus

“We would see Jesus,” certain Greeks said to the apostle Philip. And it is always just this prayer which I address to the Holy Spirit. O Lord Holy Spirit, make me see Jesus!

The pure of heart will see God. The sermon on the Mount makes it quite plain. And Jesus can be seen only by the pure of heart, who can move directly to the very heart of the Gospel. For them, it is very simple.

Jesus A Dialogue with the Saviour
by a Monk of the Eastern Church (translated by a Monk of the Western church)

Chapter I

The Gospel begins with the Genealogy of Jesus Christ. What does this long list of Hebrew names mean?

For the Jews, they felt the necessity of underlining the descent of the Messias from David. Another meaning is that in this lineage there are murderers, adulterers and incestuous persons.

Jesus A Dialogue with the Saviour

Meg: This is the second book by Lev Gilette, a monk of the eastern orthodox church, who once was a Benedictine. The first one was "A Day with Jesus".

Again, the profoundly prayerful text is posted here for an example. We learn this only by doing our own dialogue with Our Lord.

Introduction by Louis Bouyer. Then, the introduction by the Monk of the Eastern Church.

About Teresa's teachings on Jesus


Meg: It seems to me that Teresa taught the novices to practice imaging and noticing Jesus always in their field of consciousness. It eventually becomes a habit (first through strenuous effort and then with on-going praxis of the mind within the practice of faith). This training is to sustain the experience of the presence of Jesus that usually comes to novices but then fades as ordinary consciousness replaces the new experience.

We can abide in this experience of Presence with the habit of recollection through the humanity of Jesus, who is just like us.


From: "Djcocd@aol.com"

I've been reading A Day With Jesus and I find it a delight. It reminds very much of St. Teresa's way of prayer and of what she teaches her nuns and friars about walking in the presence of Jesus our Good
Friend.

July 11, 2010 revised
For the Feast of St. Benedict*

by Sister Meg Funk

Introduction:

Our Rule is compelling and more than instructive. It is a transmission. We can become Benedictines by following the spirit and directives of the Rule.

We also know something of the 6th C. Benedict of Norcia thanks to St. Gregory the Great. We can imitate his saintly life. While we have no personal autobiographical writings from Benedict like we do of St. Augustine, we have the meaning and significance of Benedict like we have of Jesus, thanks to the New Testament communities and evangelists.

Chapter XIV
Easter morning
I say to thee, arise. Mark 5, 41.
I wake up and behold You are with me. On waking up, I feel Your Presence which enlivens me. I feel Your love enveloping me.

This evokes the many times Your disciples awoke in the days of Your earthly pilgrimage. I know these Galilean dawns, on the shore of the lake, between Tiberias and Capharnaum very well.

Meg: The Monk of the Eastern Church is Father Lev Gillet

Father Lev Gillet: The Monk in the City, a Pilgrim in many worlds

by Fr. Michael Plekon

[Spring-Summer, 2000]

The whole teaching of the Latin Fathers may be found in the East, just as the whole teaching of the Greek Fathers may be found in the West. Rome has given St. Jerome to Palestine.

The East has given Cassian to the West and holds in special veneration that Roman of the Romans, Pope Gregory the Great. St. Basil would have acknowledged St. Benedict of Nursia as his brother and heir. St. Macrina would have found her sister in St Scholastica. St. Alexis the "man of God," "the poor man under the stairs," has been succeeded by the wandering beggar, St. Benedict Labre.

St. Nicolas would have felt as very near to him the burning charity of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Vincent de Paul. St. Seraphim of Sarov would have seen the desert blooming under Father Charles de Foucauld's feet, and would have called St. Thérèse of Lisieux "my joy."[1]

A complex man, a wandering monk: Father Lev Gillet. An introduction to his biography.

Chapter XIII

Asleep in the ship

And there arose a great storm of wind: and the waves beat into the ship, so that the ship was filled. And He was in the hinder part of the ship, sleeping upon a pillow. Mark 4, 37-38.

Chapter XII
The bread which we break
We have eaten and drunk in Thy presence. Luke 13, 26.

Normally no day passes without our taking some nourishment. In this day which I am trying to spend with You, Master, I must also put all nourishment, both of soul and body, into relationship with Your person.

Chapter XI
In the highways and byways

A certain blind man sat by the wayside, begging. And when he heard the multitude passing by, he asked what this meant. And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. Luke 18, 35-37.

There are some men and women who have the privilege of living a cloistered life, a life hidden in You, O Lord. And only those who do not know can consider such a life as useless or inhuman.

2010

Many institutions use the June 30th as end of year. Here at Our Lady of Grace it is our official end of the budget year.

I am grateful for all who have contributed to my work this year. Was full of travel and many, many conversations, shared silence and rituals.

May the peace of Christ be yours,
Sister Meg

Chapter X
The outstretched hand
And immediately Jesus stretching forth His hand took hold of him. Matthew 14, 31.

Lord Jesus, physical attitudes are not unimportant for our contemplation. Each one of Your corporeal acts described by the Gospels has a meaning according to the Spirit. Can Your customary actions inspire mine?

Chapter IX
Explanation of the parable
And when He was come into the house from the multitude, His disciples asked Him the parable. Mark 7, 17.

Master, You speak to us in two ways. You speak to us in the midst of the community of those who believe in You.

You speak to us in and through Your Church to whom You have entrusted the dispensation of Your Gospel.

Chapter VIII
In Your rest

Come apart . . . and rest a little. Mark 6, 31.
I should like to meet You, O Lord, just as much in my rest as in my day’s work. But is it my rest? No, it would be more accurate, more in keeping with the intention and with the general line of these thoughts to say: in Your rest.

Twelve Practices that guide us in ministry:

1. We must strive to be free from afflictions that diminish our effectiveness. Our right effort is to change ourselves. This will change others.

Chapter VII
The laborers in the vineyard
Son, go work today in my vineyard. Matthew 21, 28.

Lord, by Your own life and in Your own life You have sanctified work and fatigue, effort and the result of work.

One could see in work the perfection of man or the meeting of man and nature. But for Your disciple, it is from You, from Your example that daily work receives its meaning.

Chapter VI
He wrote on the ground
But Jesus bowing Himself down wrote with His finger on the ground. John 8, 6.

O Jesus, whatever be the subject matter of each one of my readings – even a scientific or technical text or a purely literary one – it should be “animated” by You. By no matter what detours, it ought to communicate You to me. Or rather, each time I read, I ought to hear You reading.

Chapter V
He rose up to read
And He rose up to read. And the book was delivered unto Him. Luke 4, 16-17.

Lord Jesus, if one day slipped away, through my fault, without my opening the Book, that day would be empty of meaning. I would have neglected a meeting with You, a meeting which You have prepared and willed.

Book Review:

Maureen McCabe, OCSO Inside the Psalms, Reflections for Novices.
Monastic Wisdom Series Number Three. Forward by Bernardo Bonowitz, OCSO. Cistercian Publications Kalamazoo, Michigan. 2005 ISBN-13: 978-0-87907-009-0 Available:sales@litpress.org

I was packing for some travels and put this little book (135 pp.) on my suitcase. As I had a little extra time sat down to skim it for a moment. Read the intro and first two chapters. The Preface: The Formative Power of the Psalms and Psalm 1: Meditatio Day and Night and Psalm 2: Communion in Christ.

I put the book back on my desk and did not take it along. This book was deep and steep. It deserved a systematic and careful read. Don’t open if you think it is one more devout testimonial to the psalms.