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Our prayers, as well as being shared and public, also involve
personal and silent encounters with God for which there can be no
substitute. We learn to be still and to listen in all types of
prayer, not only to the needs of our brothers and sisters in the
noise and action of today's world, but also to that silent movement
of God's action within us and a greater sensitivity and caring for
all God's People. We bring together in harmony the voice of the
people and the voice of the Spirit, and we strive to respond to both.
Spirit and Lifestyle
This section of S&L made me think of Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen of
Seattle. He was active in peace work. I walked alongside with him in
the candlelight march from the Catholic cathedral to the Anglican
cathedral on the eve of Desert Storm. He would often show up at the
antinuclear peace group gatherings at the gate of the missile site.
"I'm Ray and I'm from Seattle," was how he would introduce himself. He
got into trouble with the Vatican for ministering to homosexuals and
for being too liberal in ecumenical work. He's retired now and I know
that these words he wrote are what he practiced:
"Think of the risen Lord, benevolently glancing at you. That's
happening all the time. The risen Lord benevolently glancing on all
those who are in peril, on those who are suffering, on those who are
victims of this war, whoever they might be. This is a form of
contemplation. This is prayer. Sit quietly, if you will, and simply
let God love you. It can be transforming. It certainly does something
to our relationships and how we live our lives. It acknowledges the
presence of God in our world. It admits that without God we can do
nothing."
Cecily
