Spiritual Entanglement

I am a a dabbler in physics and quantum mechanics, and I've been fascinated by the scientific principle of Quantum Entanglement, I won't go into details suffice to say that the theory implies that electrons are connected to each other and have an effect on each other regardless of their proximity in the universe, i.e. they are entangled with each other's cause and effect relationships. I've coined a phrase in my spiritual vocabulary that goes along with this scientific observation: Spiritual Entanglement.

I've been amazed time and time again at how many things are entangled in my spiritual sojourn. I got up this morning and picked up Thomas Keating's little book The Human Condition. It had been some time since I read this, and I thought it might speak to me in my current Lenten context. The major line that struck me was: "Here we are under the influence of unconscious drives of various intensity that in turn influence our decisions and relationships with other people and foul them up" (24). After reading Keating, I picked up my Methodist Lent devotional and the text for today was Matthew 11:25: "[You have] hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes."

I saw this verse in a new light today. How hidden are the drives and urges that originate from my false self? Very! I'm realizing that my past efforts to become wise and learned only assisted in covering up the reality of the way things are in the Kingdom of God. At this point in my journey, I'm finally sensing that it's not my job to "fix things." It is only my job to demonstrate a life lived in the true-self, i.e. a life reflective of the image of God. It was when I saw this life in the true self demonstrated by fellow members of this community that I was able to drop my nets and follow the contemplative path. Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina are returning me to an age of innocence where I am free to accept reality and be proactive in my true self as opposed to being reactive in my old/false self.

Does this mess with your electrons any?

Peace,
Mark

Elea Jane

Christine went into labor Valentine's day at 2:00AM. It snowed on the way driving to the hospital. After fifteen hours of labor (including one hour and five minutes of pushing), our baby was born, Elea Jane Corrigan.

At birth, Elea weighed 6 lbs. 11.6 oz. and was 20 1/2 in. long. She was (and still is) perfectly healthy. After less than an hour, she stopped looking so much like an alien. Within a day or two, she became absolutely beautiful.

The process and product is such a miracle that I don't question God's existence; but because of the design of how it works, I am tempted to question God's sanity. (I think I'm joking.)

At this point I don't have any profound spiritual reflections to make even though I am sure that Elea will have profound spiritual and political implications for us--as far as living Christian spirituality, living in the present moment, living out the fruit of the spirit.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement.

--Paul Corrigan

More Reflections on Lent

I've thought about how drawn to Lent we, as a community, are, and it came to me that Lent is a season that reflects the core of a contemplative lifestyle.

Lent is silence.

Lent is silence of the "me me me" voice that pervades our culture.

Lent is silence of the clamoring voices that tell us who to be and how to be.

Lent is silence of things that are good but often distracting.

Lent is silence of our false self that so often insinuates itself to the forefront of our relationships with others and our relationship with God.

When we repent, when we "rend our hearts," we uncover that humility and simplicity, that silence in which our souls find God. It is when we turn aside from focusing on so many of the "noisy" things that creep into our lives--cars, clothes, music, "stuff," that our hearts grow close to Him. This is the essence of silence, contemplation, Lent.

Thomas Merton wrote:

To the truly humble man the ordinary ways and customs and habits of men are not a matter for conflict. The saints do not get excited about the things that people eat and drink, wear on their bodies, or hang on the walls of their houses. To make conformity or nonconformity with others in these accidents a matter of life and death is to fill your interior life with confusion and noise. Ignoring all this as indifferent, the humble man takes whatever there is in the world that helps him to find God and leaves the rest aside. (New Seeds of Contemplation)

So as we walk through this season sometimes taken for granted, often ignored, I'm seeking to find the heart of Lent--humility, silence, laying aside what will not help me find God. I hope it will strengthen me as a contemplative...as a follower of Christ.

--Sarah Price