#53 “Notes on Fr. Laurence Freeman’s Changing the World, Changing Yourself talk”

CHRISTIAN MEDITATION REFLECTIONS 

June 17, 2016 #53 “Notes on Father Laurence Freeman’s May 24^th Talk”

Reflections on John Main and Laurence Freeman’s Christian Meditation Lectures  

Presented by The World Community for Christian Meditation

www.wccm.org or www.wccm-usa.org

by

Mary Sargent

On Tuesday, May 24^th, I heard Fr. Laurence Freeman speak at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Long Beach, CA.   His talk, Changing the World, Changing Yourself:  Contemplation Today included a 20 minute meditation session and Q & A.  Here are some of the highlights:

• We began with the prologue: Be still and know that I am God. We recited it together, dropping one word each time until the only word left was “Be.”
• Meditation is a way into the heart and essence of the Gospels; discovering the transforming power of the Gospels to change lives. In meditation, we go from mind to heart. We are being with God and in touch with total authenticity which awakens a hunger and desire to know and experience.
• The Gospel of Jesus tells us of this meditative experience which is within us and among us. But we must enter into silence. We are not used to being silent and still and just being.  Silence of the mind will come depending on how much you practice.  You will begin to respond to life in a calmer and more loving way as you continue to meditate.
• The Kingdom of Heaven – Jesus said that the Kingdom of Heaven is within us, in our midst and among us. Meditation is about the experience of the Kingdom of Heaven transforming us into the person God has loved into existence. We become more focused, more present, more open, more calm and loving.
• When Jesus speaks in the Gospels about “The Kingdom of Heaven being “like a treasure a man found buried in a field. The man sold all he had, re-buried the treasure and bought the field”, he is speaking of meditation. When Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of Heaven being “like a merchant looking for a fine pearl, when he finds the pearl, he sells all he has and buys it”, he is speaking of meditation as the gift and grace from his heavenly father.
• As Christians, we meditate within the context of our Christian lives; the Sacraments, the Mass, the Rosary, and prayer. This is the gift we share with others, the gift of our spiritual transformation through meditation. This is how we change the world.  We change.  We don’t pray to get benefits from God, we pray to become like God; to fully share in the life of God and then pass this on to others.  If we could do this, it would totally reprioritize everything; time, education, spirituality, etc.  As Christians, it is our job to “Seek first The Kingdom of Heaven.”
• When we open ourselves in meditation, we are finding the treasure in our own hearts where it belongs. But we must seek it; engage it. Letting go of our thoughts allows us to become deeply and interiorly free.  Free from possessions, addictions, anxieties, confusion.  Letting go a little more every day means we are living the Gospel.  We are called to go deeper.  
• Don’t worry about success with meditation, don’t try to succeed, just do the best you can. There is no “A” or “F” with meditation, just be faithful. Just take a single word, a mantra, repeating it silently and gently in your mind and heart.  When your thoughts wander, come back to the word.  Stay with the same word.  You can’t think your way into the Kingdom of Heaven.  We let all our thoughts go and let the Kingdom of heaven embrace us by being simple, humble, present and faithful.